Training Platform Number One.
It was eight meters square, with heavily worn protective ropes around it.
A crowd had gathered below the platform.
They were all students from Ordinary Class 9.
And...
There were even students from other classes mixed in, all waiting to see Ye Xiao make a fool of himself.
Wang Lei hopped onto the platform, rolled his shoulders, and threw a few punches at the air, each one whooshing through it.
After awakening his C-Grade Hercules profession...
Wang Lei could easily strengthen his muscles and gain several times the strength of an ordinary person.
From the looks of it, the profession Wang Lei had awakened was also related to body cultivation.
But it was fundamentally different from Ye Xiao's.
Wang Lei could use his awakened power to greatly increase his muscle strength for a short time.
Ye Xiao, on the other hand, could only build his strength by tempering his body over and over.
The two were fundamentally different.
Ye Xiao slowly stepped onto the Training Platform and stood opposite Wang Lei.
At that moment...
Homeroom teacher Zhou Ming stood by the platform and sternly explained the rules.
"Here are the rules: the match ends when one side admits defeat or falls off the platform."
"No deliberate killing or attacks on vital areas."
"Begin."
After saying that...
Zhou Ming jumped down from the platform, leaving it clear.
At that moment...
Wang Lei didn't attack right away.
He folded his arms and looked at Ye Xiao like a cat eyeing a mouse.
"Ye Xiao, don't say I'm picking on you."
"I'll give you three moves. You can throw the first punch, and I won't fight back."
Another burst of laughter rose from the crowd.
"Big of you, Brother Lei!"
"Three moves? One punch and he'll be on his knees!"
"This guy's no stronger than a Professional First Realm fighter at best, while you're an old hand at the Professional Second Realm, Brother Lei."
"I heard Brother Lei's already hit the tenth-level bottleneck. He'll probably break through to the Professional Second Realm in less than three months!"
"Against an opponent like this, I doubt Ye Xiao will last ten seconds!"
"Ten seconds? You're giving him way too much credit! Five seconds, tops. Once Brother Lei makes a move, he'll finish Ye Xiao in five seconds!"
"..."
Ye Xiao listened to the people around him questioning him.
He felt no anger or irritation.
Instead, he merely gave a cold smile.
What they said was true.
There was an entire major realm between Ye Xiao and Wang Lei!
When the difference was only a minor realm...
It was fairly common to challenge someone above your level.
But when there was a whole major realm between them...
Successfully challenging someone above your level was much harder.
At that moment...
Ye Xiao fixed his eyes on Wang Lei, staring at him without blinking.
Then Ye Xiao moved!
Just one step.
He covered three meters in a single stride!
In an instant, he closed the distance between them.
Wang Lei's pupils contracted sharply.
This speed is wrong!
Wasn't this guy an E-Grade weakling, only at the First Realm?
How could he be this fast?
He tried to retreat, but it was too late.
Ye Xiao's fist had already stopped in front of him.
It was less than a centimeter from the tip of his nose.
The entire place fell deathly silent!
The wind from the punch brushed Wang Lei's face like a blade.
He froze in place, cold sweat instantly soaking his back.
Below the platform, the laughter abruptly stopped.
Three seconds.
Five seconds.
Ten seconds.
Ye Xiao withdrew his fist and glanced at him.
"First move."
Wang Lei's legs began to tremble.
He struggled to swallow.
A bead of cold sweat trickled down his forehead before he knew it.
Nobody below the platform said a word.
The people who had mocked Ye Xiao moments earlier...
Now stared in disbelief, their pupils shrinking.
Wang Lei opened his mouth as if to say something, but his throat felt as though someone had grabbed it.
He remembered the things he'd just said.
"I'll give you three moves..."
"Don't cry..."
"Martialists are useless..."
He remembered the hand he'd used to pat Ye Xiao on the shoulder.
That hand was trembling badly now.
Then he did something even he hadn't expected—
He took a step back.
Then another.
He backed up to the edge of the Training Platform, slipped—
Thud!
He fell off.
The entire place fell deathly silent once more.
Everyone stared intently at Wang Lei.
Ye Xiao spoke calmly.
"You just said you'd give me three moves."
"I haven't even thrown my first punch yet."
Wang Lei's face turned a dark, liverish red.
After a few seconds of silence...
Someone suddenly shouted.
"Cheap shot! He sucker-punched him!"
"Right! Brother Lei wasn't ready!"
"It doesn't count! Do it again!"
"..."
The one speaking was none other than Ye Xiao's yellow-haired roommate, Zhang Qiang!
Zhang Qiang jumped onto the platform and pointed at Ye Xiao.
"If you've got what it takes, fight fair and square! What's the point of sucker-punching someone?"
Ye Xiao looked at him without saying a word.
Zhang Qiang thought he was scared and got even bolder.
"What, you don't dare? Where'd all that swagger go? Come on, I'll stand right here without moving. Try hitting me!"
Ye Xiao nodded.
"Fine."
He'd never heard a request so outrageous.
Since Zhang Qiang was practically begging him to throw a punch...
Ye Xiao would naturally oblige!
Zhang Qiang took up a defensive stance, a faint layer of sword energy appearing around him.
This was his signature move: Thunderlight Sword!
For a moment...
The other students below the platform all looked eager.
"Brother Qiang's C-Grade profession: Thunderlight Sword!"
"That Thunderlight Sword energy looks so cool!"
"Brother Qiang's strength is the real deal—he's at the seventh level of the Second Realm!"
"Right! As long as he doesn't let this little nobody, Ye Xiao, sucker-punch him, there's no way he'll lose!"
"..."
Just then...
Ye Xiao walked up to Zhang Qiang.
He raised his fist.
Then brought it down.
The whole movement was smooth and effortless.
Thud—!
The Thunderlight Sword energy shield shattered like a sheet of paper!
[ Ding! ] [ You completed a punch. Punch strength: 36%! ] [ You gained 1 Martial Value! ] [ Your realm has advanced! ] [ Current realm: Mud Embryo Realm · Twenty-first Level! ]
A faint, earthy yellow glow flickered over Ye Xiao's fist.
Then it quietly seeped into his body.
This was the power from the realm advancement he'd gained after throwing the punch, manifesting inside his body.
Zhang Qiang hadn't even reacted yet.
Another, faster fist shot toward his face!
With a muffled thud...
Zhang Qiang's nose was knocked crooked, and blood began to flow.
His whole body flew through the air and crashed onto the protective mat three meters below the platform. He rolled twice, then lay facedown without moving.
The whole place fell silent again.
In front of everyone, Ye Xiao wiped the blood off the back of his hand.
Then he said calmly.
"Sorry, Zhang. I seem to have hit a little too hard."
[ Ding! ] [ You completed a punch. Punch strength: 52%! ] [ You gained 1 Martial Value! ] [ Your realm has advanced! ] [ Current realm: Mud Embryo Realm · Twenty-second Level! ]
Ye Xiao's lips curled upward.
It would've been a lie to say he hadn't meant to get back at him with that punch.
Ye Xiao had meant to use this opportunity...
Take revenge on Zhang Qiang once and for all!
As his classmates hurried to help Zhang Qiang up,
they were shocked to see
his face covered in blood, tears and snot streaming down together.
He began sobbing like a wronged woman.
"Teacher!"
"Ye Xiao, he—he went too far!"
"How could he use so much force?"
"And he deliberately hit me in the face!"
"He's ruined my face!"
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