One Punch per Kid

Lin Yaoyang glanced at Ning Tian and said blandly, "We'll talk about it later."

Rather than getting angry, Ning Tian smiled.

Just then, the proctor shouted, "Match start!"

I told you to enter and announce your names—why are you chatting instead?!

The instant his words fell.

Ning Tian and the others simultaneously released their Martial Souls.

A blazing red light flared from Wu Feng's body. Her arms were covered in crimson dragon scales, and a scorching aura spread from her.

A yellow Soul Ring rose beneath Nanmen Yun'er's feet, and her figure became light and elusive.

The Seven Treasures Glazed Pagoda appeared in Ning Tian's hand as she prepared to buff the two of them.

Bang!

A white figure, swift as the wind, instantly appeared before Nanmen Yun'er.

Nanmen Yun'er's pupils suddenly contracted.

She had not even seen how the other person had gotten there.

Lin Yaoyang threw a punch. It was plain and unadorned, without a single flashy movement—just a simple punch.

Yet the speed and force of that punch were completely beyond what a Soul Grandmaster could withstand.

Before Nanmen Yun'er could even activate a soul skill, her body was sent flying as though she had been struck by a charging Titan Giant Ape. Her feet left the ground, and she flew beyond the edge of the arena.

She flipped twice in midair, barely stabilized herself, and landed on the ground. She staggered several steps before managing to stand firm.

She lowered her head and looked herself over. She was not injured.

Lin Yaoyang had controlled his strength perfectly. He had only knocked her out of the arena and had not caused any real harm.

But her face still reddened.

Not from pain, but from humiliation.

One move. Just one move.

Before she had even fully released her Martial Soul, she had been blasted out of the arena.

Wu Feng's pupils shrank sharply.

After sending Nanmen Yun'er flying, Lin Yaoyang did not pause in the slightest. He turned directly toward her.

"Second Soul Skill, Dragon's Fury!"

Wu Feng growled. The red light around her intensified, and her dragon scales shone with a dark crimson luster as her aura abruptly surged.

At that moment, her Soul Power soared. The muscles in her arms bulged slightly, and she looked like a giant dragon poised to strike.

Ning Tian reacted as well, and the Seven Treasures Glazed Pagoda shone brilliantly.

"Seven Treasures Have Names, first: Speed!"

A ray of light flew from the Seven Treasures Glazed Pagoda and landed on Wu Feng.

"Seven Treasures Have Names, third..."

Bang.

Her chant was interrupted by a dull impact.

Lin Yaoyang appeared before Wu Feng, throwing the same simple punch.

Wu Feng instinctively crossed her arms to block. Her dragon-scale-covered forearms were like two crimson shields.

Fist and arms collided with a heavy thud.

Wu Feng's expression changed instantly.

She felt as though a mountain had come crashing down on her arms.

The force was so immense that it completely exceeded what she could bear. Her feet carved two shallow furrows into the ground as her body slid backward uncontrollably.

Then her back slammed into the low wall at the edge of the arena.

She was out of bounds.

Wu Feng stood outside the arena, her arms trembling slightly. The crimson dragon scales still carried the lingering force of that punch.

She stared at the orange-red-haired boy in the arena, her lips pressed tightly together, unable to say a word.

Two punches. Two people.

Clean and decisive, without a single unnecessary movement.

Only Ning Tian remained in the arena.

She stood where she was, the Seven Treasures Glazed Pagoda still in her hand as its seven-colored light flickered uncertainly.

She looked at Lin Yaoyang, then at Wu Feng and Nanmen Yun'er outside the arena. The corner of her mouth twitched slightly.

She had known the gap in strength was huge, but she had not expected it to be this huge.

One punch each.

Before she could even give her buff to the third person, both her teammates were gone.

Lin Yaoyang looked at her, his tone as calm as if he were asking what to eat today. "Do you want me to knock you out, or will you surrender yourself?"

Ning Tian fell silent for a second.

Then she put away the Seven Treasures Glazed Pagoda and dismissed her Martial Soul.

"I surrender."

She surrendered without hesitation, and there was even a smile on her face.

A loss was a loss. There was nothing to feel unwilling about.

The person opposite her was on an entirely different level. Trying to hold on would only make her look more pathetic.

"Lin Yaoyang's team wins!" the proctor announced.

Wang Dong and Xiao Xiao walked over from behind, both smiling.

From the beginning to the end of the match, they had not even had time to release their Martial Souls.

"We won just like that?" Xiao Xiao blinked, her tone carrying a hint of disbelief.

"What else?" Wang Dong said carelessly, her hands clasped behind her head. "I told you, just lie back and let him carry us."

Lin Yaoyang ignored their conversation and turned to walk out of the arena.

As he passed Ning Tian, she called out to him.

"Student Lin, I still wanted to ask—after the assessment ends, would you be interested in having a meal together?"

Lin Yaoyang paused.

He glanced at Ning Tian. Her golden hair and jade-green eyes complemented her graceful, composed manner and proper smile.

"We'll talk about it later," he said, then walked away without looking back.

Ning Tian watched his retreating figure, the corners of her lips lifting slightly.

"We'll talk about it later" did not mean "no need."

That meant there was a chance.

She withdrew her gaze and went to comfort Wu Feng and Nanmen Yun'er, who had been knocked out of the arena.

Neither girl looked particularly pleased, but they both knew that losing to an opponent like Lin Yaoyang was nothing shameful.

The three of them found the rest area.

"Class monitor, you were seriously so cool just now!" Xiao Xiao sat to Lin Yaoyang's right, her eyes sparkling with admiration. "One punch each—they did not even have time to react!"

"Of course," Wang Dong said from his left, raising her chin slightly as though she were the one who had won. "Just look whose big brother he is."

"Are you talking about yourself?" Lin Yaoyang shot her a glance.

"I was praising you!" Wang Dong glared at him.

"You used 'just look whose big brother he is' to praise me. Are you sure you were not praising yourself?"

Wang Dong opened her mouth, only to realize that she really had taken advantage of him. Her face reddened slightly, and she huffed without saying anything.

Xiao Xiao watched the two bicker and covered her mouth as she snickered.

Cheers, gasps, and shouts of encouragement rose and fell throughout the Assessment Zone.

The second round of the Freshman Assessment began.

The matches were scheduled tightly every day. Fifty arenas held matches simultaneously, one round after another.

Some of the opponents assigned to Lin Yaoyang's team were strong, while others were weak, but without exception, they were all at a level that could be dealt with in three punches and two kicks.

By the third day, Lin Yaoyang was beginning to get bored.

"For the next match, you two go first," he told Wang Dong and Xiao Xiao in the waiting area. "If you can't handle it, I'll step in."

Wang Dong's eyes lit up. "Really?"

"Yeah. You're both Soul Grandmasters. You can't keep lying back and winning, can you?"

"Who's been lying back and winning?!" Wang Dong huffed indignantly. "I was planning to fight from the start. You're just the one who rushes in too fast every time, okay?!"

Xiao Xiao said softly from the side, "Actually, I want to give it a try too..."

"Then it's settled." Lin Yaoyang leaned back in his chair with his hands behind his head, looking entirely like a hands-off boss.