This Little Troublemaker Is Hard to Deal With

More than a hundred pairs of murderous eyes fixed on Lu Chong, and he couldn't help but feel a sense of trepidation.

These soldiers were not comparable to the students at school; every one of them had blood on their hands, having killed Exotic Beasts or even humans, and their gazes were heavy with killing intent.

Though killing intent is intangible, it is a very real presence, and Lu Chong could feel it clearly now.

"Squad leader, since this student is so confident, let me, Old Niu, be the first to test him and see if he's just all talk and empty posturing."

A soldier with muscles like knotted lumps, looking even more robust than Li Yibing, stepped forward voluntarily.

"Fight! Fight!"

"Clap, clap, clap!"

The surrounding soldiers immediately grew excited and began to jeer, with some even taking the lead in applauding.

Li Yibing nodded in satisfaction and shouted, "Good! Old Niu, if you embarrass our Special Warfare Class, you'll be running twenty kilometers with a weighted pack on your own time."

"Niu Ben, step out and prepare. Everyone else, clear some space to watch, and don't scare our little student."

The soldiers moved quickly, clearing an orderly space in the center and surrounding Lu Chong and the soldier named Niu Ben.

Lu Chong cupped his fists modestly and said, "Lu Chong, student of Class 5, Grade 12, First High School."

Niu Ben slapped his chest with a thunderous sound and roared, "There are confidentiality regulations; you only need to know that my name is Niu Ben."

"Kid, feel free to attack. If you beat me up, I'll treat you to a drink. Of course, only when I'm on leave."

Hahaha...

The surrounding soldiers erupted in another round of jeering; it was clear these pure-blooded soldiers held no malice toward Lu Chong.

However, in the military camp, there was nothing people feared less than sparring, and nothing they respected more than a true powerhouse who emerged victorious from a fight.

Lu Chong said no more, set his stance, and focused his gaze on Niu Ben, who appeared to be standing in a relaxed posture.

He did not let his guard down, for he realized he couldn't identify what Martial Skill this soldier was about to use, yet he could sense the man's outward relaxation masking an inner tension.

This was the so-called "formlessness defeating form"; it looked full of openings, but it was likely a trap laid out just for him.

This was true combat; no one would tell you what Martial Skill they were going to use next, nor would they use only one skill to the end.

In real combat, it is often a matter of combo techniques, freely switching and combining various Martial Skills to use the most suitable move at the most critical moment.

Niu Ben did not initiate the attack, so Lu Chong chose to strike first, moving step by step and leaving behind a trail of afterimages as he charged at his opponent.

It was the Perfection-stage Nine-Shadow Step.

Since he didn't know what move the opponent would use, Lu Chong simply used the Nine-Shadow Step, with its blurred reality and illusion, to keep his opponent guessing.

Only when he was within three feet did Lu Chong unleash his killing blow, a straight punch accompanied by the sound of rushing wind, aimed directly at the soldier's face.

It was the Iron Wire Fist, straightforward and heavy with power.

The Perfection-stage Iron Wire Fist, combined with the equally perfected Nine-Shadow Step, carried even greater momentum.

"Well done."

Niu Ben's eyes widened like copper bells, and as he shouted, his aura shifted drastically, his palms moving like two large fans.

One palm cut horizontally, but it used soft force, easily entangling Lu Chong's forearm and deflecting it with a clever flick.

The other palm pushed forward almost simultaneously, aiming straight for Lu Chong's exposed chest.

Lu Chong still couldn't identify the Martial Skill, but he could barely discern that these two palms came from two different techniques—one hard, one soft—coordinated perfectly.

Neither of Niu Ben's two Martial Skills had reached Perfection; they hadn't yet attained that level of effortless, flawless mastery.

Facing this unknown combo, Lu Chong showed no fear, actually puffing out his chest to take the palm strike head-on.

However, his other arm was already bent at the elbow, and as the opponent's palm touched his chest, he unleashed a Heart-Piercing Elbow, crashing into Niu Ben's side.

Mountain Leaning Back!

He excelled at close-quarters combat; Lu Chong was meeting move with move, and regardless, he had the invulnerable Golden Cicada Robe as a fallback, so he wasn't afraid of trading blows.

Bang!

Both men felt the impact of this collision.

However, Lu Chong's body was so tough that he didn't budge an inch.

Niu Ben, on the other hand, not only hurt his own palm but was sent flying three meters away by Lu Chong's shoulder strike, his figure stumbling.

Strike while the iron is hot!

Lu Chong didn't give Niu Ben a chance to recover his balance; the Nine-Shadow Step followed like a shadow, switching back to the Iron Wire Fist as he smashed toward the off-balance Niu Ben.

But Lu Chong hadn't expected that even in his pained and unbalanced state, the soldier could adjust in time, launching a vicious and tricky sweeping leg at his lower body.

This was a move that forced the enemy to defend; if Lu Chong continued his punch, he would likely be tripped by the sweep, a loss outweighing the gain.

Fortunately, his reactions were not slow, especially after practicing the Tiger Roar Skill, which had sharpened his neural response speed.

Retracting his fist, leaping up, and kicking out—it was all done in one fluid motion.

The moves of the Nine-Shadow Step and Iron Wire Fist instantly transformed into an aerial Heart-Piercing Kick.

Dodging the opponent's sweeping kick, Lu Chong's Heart-Piercing Kick descended like an icicle from the heavens, driving straight toward Niu Ben's chest.

Although Niu Ben's instincts were sharp enough to raise his arms in time, how could he possibly withstand a kick at the Perfection stage from Lu Chong?

BOOM!

Niu Ben, who hadn't even managed to stand up, was slammed into the bluestone floor by the force of Lu Chong's kick, the sound of cracking bones echoing from his back.

Yet, the soldier did not give up; with a tiger-like roar, he slapped the ground, used the momentum to spring back up, and lunged to grapple Lu Chong, who had just touched down.

Even while severely injured, the word "surrender" did not exist in this soldier's heart.

Lu Chong sighed inwardly; he didn't find the opponent excessive, but rather felt a surge of admiration.

His figure flickered, evading the grapple and appearing at the side of the now-sluggish soldier.

A single Monument-Splitting Palm struck heavily against the back of his neck, knocking Niu Ben unconscious instantly.

He knew that if he didn't do this, the soldier would likely fight him to the bitter end.

It wasn't that the soldier was playing dirty; this was simply the state of their daily training.

It didn't matter if one was crippled; a quick trip to the Military Infirmary would see them recovered in no time.

However, facing a man like this, Lu Chong didn't truly want to leave him crippled.

The surrounding soldiers watching the fight fell silent at the sight.

Immediately after, before Lu Chong could even react, a roar of cheers erupted.

"Good! This student isn't a softie!"

"Old Niu is a good man too, no coward there."

Li Yibing looked at the still-composed Lu Chong with some surprise, finally realizing what kind of little monster the platoon leader had sent him.

He was a true Martial Artist, and his eye for combat was far sharper than most of the soldiers around him.

In those few moves just now, Li Yibing had seen Lu Chong utilize four different Martial Skills: Monument-Splitting Palm, Nine-Shadow Step, Mountain Leaning Back, and Heart-Piercing Kick.

What was most terrifying was that all four of this kid's Martial Skills were at the Perfection stage.

"Damn it, the platoon leader set me up. This little troublemaker is going to be a handful!"