To be honest, after reaching Martial Apprentice Stage 8, this was Lu Chong's first fight against a student at the same stage. So he'd only been testing the waters with his opening moves.
But now he realized that these two students were actually pretty weak.
He knew all the Martial Skills they used—and was more proficient in them than they were.
As for his own Martial Skills, they might not know how powerful those were.
"Go! Don't use Monument-Splitting Palm or Nine-Shadow Step. Throw off his rhythm."
Zhao Longfei stood off to the side, convinced that he had everything under control. He hadn't even noticed that Lu Chong's Heart-Piercing Kick had also reached the perfected level.
The four of them charged without another moment's hesitation, attacking from all sides. One used Iron Wire Fist, one Cloud Piercing Finger, one Eagle Claw Hand, and one Mountain Leaning Back.
There was no denying that these Eighth Stage students from Class 1 were quite capable.
They had all trained in Monument-Splitting Palm and Nine-Shadow Step, and each had at least one other low-grade Martial Skill at the Microscopic level.
Of course, it wasn't that they hadn't wanted to focus on perfecting a single Martial Skill. It was just that once they reached the Microscopic level, no amount of effort alone could carry them to perfection.
Rather than keep spending time on Monument-Splitting Palm and Nine-Shadow Step, they had chosen to apply what they'd learned and train in other Martial Skills.
So now Lu Chong was facing Iron Wire Fist, Cloud Piercing Finger, Eagle Claw Hand, and Mountain Leaning Back—all at the Microscopic level—attacking him at once.
If he hadn't trained in those Martial Skills himself, he might have been thrown into disarray the first time he faced them.
Unfortunately for them, Lu Chong had perfected those techniques long ago.
In his eyes, the four students' varied Martial Skills were riddled with openings.
There was only one step between the Microscopic and perfected levels, but in truth, the difference between them was like heaven and earth.
Lu Chong shifted his footing just enough to dodge the student rushing in to crash into him. Then, with a well-timed push, he used the student's momentum to send him stumbling into the arms of the one behind him.
Almost at the same moment, Lu Chong had already moved in front of the student on his left, who was using Iron Wire Fist.
He thrust out a Monument-Splitting Palm, meeting the student's fist head-on.
The student was about to unleash his full strength and knock Lu Chong back when he felt his punch hit empty air. He could only watch as Lu Chong guided it aside and sent him crashing toward the companion behind him.
Bang!
Iron Wire Fist collided with Eagle Claw Hand, while Mountain Leaning Back slammed into Cloud Piercing Finger. The four wound up attacking one another, descending into chaos.
Lu Chong didn't stop. He used Nine-Shadow Step, leaving a trail of afterimages as he darted between them. He gave each one a single palm strike—not too hard, not too soft—and knocked them all unconscious.
On the exam grounds, getting knocked out meant immediate elimination.
Watching from a distance, Zhao Longfei's eyelids twitched. He couldn't even figure out how Lu Chong had done it.
Lu Chong had dispatched four classmates at his own stage with such ease. Even Zhao Longfei wasn't sure he could have managed that.
In truth, this seemingly effortless victory had been far more complicated than it appeared.
If Lu Chong hadn't been able to see through the four students' Martial Skills and exploit their openings, a head-on fight would have taken quite some effort.
In the Monitoring Hall, the teachers watched, captivated. Their eyes were far sharper than Zhao Longfei's.
They were all at least Martial Artists, and many were senior staff. Every one of them had seen their share of battles.
"How could he predict those students' moves and the force behind them? He redirected their momentum so easily. I refuse to believe he hasn't trained in those Martial Skills," one teacher said skeptically.
"I can't speak for the others, but that student Lu Chong already used Eagle Claw Technique and Heart-Piercing Kick earlier. Both were at least at the Microscopic level."
"It's not impossible that he's also proficient in Iron Wire Fist, Cloud Piercing Finger, and Mountain Leaning Back."
Back in the Hunting Ground, Zhao Longfei was already thinking of retreating. He wasn't sure he could take Lu Chong down easily, either.
But Lu Chong had no intention of letting him leave so easily.
"Weren't you going to eliminate me? So what, is this all you've got?" Lu Chong asked as he walked toward Zhao Longfei.
Zhao Longfei was caught between advancing and retreating. In the end, he stayed where he was and forced himself to look calm. "Don't get cocky. If I weren't trying to avoid bullying someone weaker than me, do you think you'd still be standing?"
Lu Chong laughed at that. "Is that so? Then why don't you try and see which of us gets eliminated first?"
Zhao Longfei had tried to trip him up during the Mock Exam. Lu Chong had wanted to use the opportunity to teach him a lesson, too.
It wasn't every day he got the chance to beat someone up so openly.
But Zhao Longfei had already calmed down. "You want me to attack you so I'll lose points? Too bad. I'm not falling for that."
Lu Chong kept approaching and shook his head. "I think you've misunderstood."
"I'm not trying to make you lose points. I came here specifically to give you points."
"You want to stop me from taking the top spot? Fine. I'll give you 100 points. What do you say?"
As his words fell, Lu Chong charged at Zhao Longfei with Nine-Shadow Step, murder in his eyes.
He had already made up his mind. Even if he lost 100 points, he'd eliminate this man, who could try to trip him up at any time.
A mere 100 points. Even if they were deducted, he'd still be in first place.
Zhao Longfei cursed under his breath, then steeled himself and charged at Lu Chong without hesitation.
He refused to believe that, as a Martial Apprentice at Stage 9, he could lose to Lu Chong.
Besides, he was nothing like those students from earlier. His Martial Skills didn't all come from school.
In the Monitoring Hall, quite a few people glanced nervously at Principal Wei, who sat in the front row. They wondered whether the big shot would treat Lu Chong's proactive attack the same way.
To their surprise, the Old Principal burst into laughter. "That's the spirit! A real man should be clear about whom he loves and whom he hates. If someone's already brought the fight to your doorstep, why hold back?"
"See? Now that's real courage."
The people around him were speechless. For a moment, they couldn't make sense of the Old Principal's way of thinking.
"Old Wei, your student is proficient in several school Martial Skills, and it's rare for him to have perfected so many. His strength far surpasses others at the same stage."
"He really is quite impressive." Principal Fang of Third High School stroked his goatee and continued, "But now he's challenging the Zhao family kid, a Martial Apprentice at Stage 9."
"I'm not trying to talk him up, but the Zhao Family's mid-grade Body-Refining Martial Arts are no joke."
"I hear the Zhao family kid's been training his body since he was little. His Scale Armor Body has long since reached the Microscopic level and is close to perfection."
"Most people at the same stage probably couldn't break through his defense. They'd just have to take a beating."
Principal Wei leisurely picked up his teacup and blew across the floating tea leaves, ignoring Principal Fang.
In the Hunting Ground, Lu Chong and Zhao Longfei, whose aura had suddenly grown stronger, finally met head-on.
Lu Chong used a straightforward Monument-Splitting Palm, while Zhao Longfei met him with a powerful Iron Wire Fist.
Boom!
A tremor seemed to rumble beneath their feet. They each staggered back several steps before dissipating the force.
This guy's no pushover. His Stage 9 base strength, boosted by Iron Wire Fist, is evenly matched with the power of my perfected Monument-Splitting Palm. Lu Chong thought to himself.
At the same time, Zhao Longfei had sensed the strength Lu Chong had unleashed. It was definitely no weaker than his own.
But Lu Chong was only a Martial Apprentice at Stage 8. What was a man who'd been at Stage 9 for ages supposed to make of that?
"Today, I'll cripple you!" Zhao Longfei roared and charged again with Nine-Shadow Step.
But this time, he didn't use Iron Wire Fist. Instead, he used the more penetrating and agile Cloud Piercing Finger, which had also reached the Microscopic level.
But Lu Chong had already perfected both Nine-Shadow Step and Cloud Piercing Finger, so he had nothing to fear.
He didn't use Cloud Piercing Finger. Instead, he shifted his feet and used Nine-Shadow Step at the perfected level, slipping past the edge of Zhao Longfei's attack. With nimble footwork, he darted to Zhao Longfei's left and swung a palm at him.
Smack!
Zhao Longfei reacted swiftly. Though his footwork wasn't as good as Lu Chong's, he raised an arm in time to protect his face and narrowly blocked Lu Chong's Monument-Splitting Palm with his forearm.
Lu Chong had put his full strength into that strike, slamming his palm into Zhao Longfei's hastily raised arm.
But just as Lu Chong thought his palm strike should have knocked his opponent down, he felt as though he'd struck a slick, writhing snake.
More than half the force was dispelled, and the rest failed to hurt Zhao Longfei.
Zhao Longfei's lips curled into a faint smile. Taking advantage of Lu Chong's overextended strike, he punched him in the chest and abdomen, sending him stumbling back several steps.
"So what if your Nine-Shadow Step is perfected? You can't even hurt me." Zhao Longfei smugly raised his hand.
The hand he held up shimmered with a fish-scale-like sheen, smooth yet resilient. It was the Zhao Family's hereditary mid-grade Body-Refining Martial Arts: Scale Armor Body.
Once mastered, this Martial Skill not only greatly increased one's defense but also passively dispersed the force of incoming blows. No wonder the Zhao Family took such pride in it.
"Body-Refining Martial Arts, huh..." Lu Chong murmured. "Seems kind of interesting."
"But I wonder if it can withstand my mid-grade Martial Skill."
Before you continue