Mastery

"Teacher, let's begin the duel."

Xiong Batian turned to the teacher standing beside him in a white tracksuit. The teacher was the referee for the duel, there to make sure neither fighter broke the rules or went too far and killed the other.

The teacher nodded. "All right, let the duel begin. But remember, don't kill him. If you do, I'll step in immediately." He shot Xiong Batian a warning glance.

"Don't worry, teacher. I'll take good care of him." Xiong Batian bared his white teeth in a vicious grin.

With a whoosh, the teacher leaped off the Flying Dragon Platform and announced the start of the duel.

"Xia Ping, you should consider it an honor to duel me. I'll teach you a proper lesson in what it means to be a true martial arts expert. Remember, if you don't have the ability to back it up, don't go around provoking people. You'll pay a heavy price for it."

Xiong Batian roared. With a thud, he stomped forward, shaking the entire Flying Dragon Platform and leaving a footprint in it. His massive body surged ahead with tremendous force, moving like rolling thunder. He hurled a huge fist at Xia Ping, sending the air around it rushing aside with a howl, like a black bear roaring.

Intermediate martial skill: Thunder-Crushing Bear Fist!

If that punch hit an ordinary person, it would tear them apart.

"He's strong. No wonder he's Xiong Batian. That punch has the force of a thousand catties. It could snap even a piece of steel. That kind of strength is terrifying—not even an ordinary Martial Apprentice Sixth Heaven could match him."

"That's the intermediate martial skill Thunder-Crushing Bear Fist, all right. It has the black bear's savage strength and the speed of rolling thunder, perfectly fused. Every movement is a thing of brutal beauty."

"I didn't expect Xiong Batian to go all out from the start. He's not giving that kid any chance to fight back. How cruel—to snuff out his hopes of winning in an instant."

"Even a lion gives its all against a rabbit. Xiong Batian isn't the type to underestimate an opponent. That kid will probably be blown apart with one punch."

The students below the platform buzzed with discussion, stunned and amazed by the power of Xiong Batian's punch. Xia Ping had no chance of winning.

"Too slow."

The other students thought the punch was powerful and incredibly fast, but to Xia Ping, it was much too slow, and Xiong Batian was full of openings.

He had received the Five Forms Fist directly into his mind, and his perception was already at the level of a master. Against a basic technique like this, he could see its flaws from a higher vantage point and didn't take it seriously at all.

Boom!

Five Forms Fist, Tiger Fist: Fierce Tiger Exits the Gate!

In an instant, Xia Ping's aura changed. He went from a harmless little white rabbit to a mighty tiger, ruler of the jungle and king of beasts!

Even the students standing below the platform felt the king of beasts' savage aura. They trembled all over, as if they were little rabbits being hunted.

"Impossible! That aura—is his Five Forms Fist already at the mastery level?" The referee felt the aura and couldn't help but stare in shock, his pupils contracting.

He had seen plenty, and knew that ordinary martial skill Five Forms Fist wasn't usually this powerful. To bring it to this level, Xia Ping must have cultivated it to an extraordinarily high degree.

What?!

Xiong Batian was taken aback. He felt a terrifying aura coming from Xia Ping, as if a real tiger were about to swallow him whole, baring its vicious fangs.

He had transformed into a black bear too, but he was only a human wearing a bear's hide. He had its shape but not its spirit, while Xia Ping had become a beast in every way.

Thud!

Their fists collided, sending their force bursting outward with a thunderous rumble, like a bomb exploding in midair. Xiong Batian's face changed as waves of terrifying force surged from Xia Ping's fist, traveling inch by inch through his own, like a spiral, and threatening to shatter his arm and the ribs in his chest.

"Impossible! You think you can beat me in strength? Dream on!" Xiong Batian roared. Veins bulged on his forehead as he endured the pain and swung his other fist.

"Too late."

Xia Ping struck like lightning. His other fist had already shot forward: Five Forms Fist, Tiger Fist: Hungry Tiger Bites the Wolf!

Boom~

This punch was even more vicious and brutal, and blindingly fast. It was the fatal strike a tiger delivered after setting its sights on its prey—a strike that could not be stopped.

The punch landed squarely on Xiong Batian's chest. Crack, crack! Like a tiger tearing into its prey, it broke seven or eight ribs. A tremendous force exploded in his chest, shattering it inch by inch.

"Impossible!" Xiong Batian's fighting spirit crumbled. He cried out and couldn't help spitting out a mouthful of blood as his entire body was blasted into the air, sailing away.

With a smack, he flew more than ten meters before slamming into the ground. Dust burst up around him, billowing in a cloud.

"Impossible! You're nothing but a useless Martial Apprentice Third Heaven. How could you beat me? How could you defeat me, Xiong Batian?" Pain wracked every part of his body, as if countless ants were biting him. His face twisted with fury and disbelief as he tried to struggle to his feet.

"Get lost. You've already lost."

Thud. Xia Ping walked up to him and, without even looking, kicked him in the stomach as if he were a piece of trash. Xiong Batian went flying off the platform.

"Ahhh!!!"

Xiong Batian roared in fury and slammed into the ground below. At the students' disbelieving stares, he wished he could dig a hole and bury himself in it.

Being knocked off the Flying Dragon Platform meant he had lost—and he'd been treated like trash. The humiliation was unbearable. When had Xiong Batian ever suffered such a disgraceful defeat?

"Xiong Batian."

Xia Ping stood on the platform, looking down at him. "You wanted to teach me what a martial arts expert was? You wanted to make me pay? You even threatened to send me to the hospital? Now look—who's the loser? You're not nearly as great as you think. Keep your head down from now on, and stop picking fights with everyone. Got it?"

"You, you!"

Hearing this, Xiong Batian was overcome with humiliation and grief. That bastard had used his own words against him. It was too much. The detestable man rolled his eyes and passed out from rage.

"Get him to the infirmary immediately." The teacher below the Flying Dragon Platform had been ready for this. He told several students nearby to help carry the unconscious Xiong Batian away.

The teacher looked at Xia Ping, his eyes gleaming. His gaze was sharp. "You won the duel. But to cultivate Five Forms Fist to the mastery level is truly impressive. No wonder you could defeat Xiong Batian. And your cultivation must have reached Martial Apprentice Fourth Heaven already. When did our school get someone like you?"

Martial skills were divided into levels according to how well they were cultivated: ordinary, proficient, perfect, and mastery. It was good if an ordinary student could reach the proficient level.

Reaching perfect, let alone mastery, wasn't as simple as training hard. It took talent and an exceptionally deep understanding of the martial skill.

Once someone cultivated a martial skill to the mastery level, its power became almost unimaginable. Even an ordinary martial skill could be transformed into something extraordinary.

"It was just luck," Xia Ping replied modestly.

The teacher looked at Xia Ping and smiled faintly. "Luck? There's no such thing as luck in martial arts. I'm looking forward to seeing how you develop. Keep working hard."

With that, he turned and left, taking the unconscious Xiong Batian to the school infirmary.