His Potential Is Inferior to Ours

In fact, the moment Xue Cheng's fist was about to land, Lu Chong had already sensed something unusual about the strike.

Unlike a standard Human-Rank Martial Skill, this punch contained Gang Qi manifested from blood energy.

However, Lu Chong was certain this was not a true Earth-Rank Martial Skill, so he did not resort to any other techniques, merely increasing his own force slightly.

Sure enough, the instant their fist and palm collided, Lu Chong felt not only the force of Xue Cheng's punch but also a bone-chilling Gang Qi erupting from it, surging through his palm and into his body.

Had he never encountered an Earth-Rank Martial Skill before, Lu Chong might truly have been injured by this penetrating, "striking across the mountain" style of Gang Qi.

But having sparred with the squad leaders every day, Lu Chong was already well-versed in the circulation of such Gang Qi.

Therefore, the moment Xue Cheng's Gang Qi erupted, he had already circulated his own blood energy to silently neutralize it.

Xue Cheng, whose attack had returned without success, was instead struck by the sudden surge in Lu Chong's palm force, which broke his arm and instantly cost him fifty percent of his combat strength.

He was shocked, unable to fathom how Lu Chong had broken the Gang Qi technique he had mastered, yet he still did not want to concede just yet.

However, before he could continue, Lu Chong stepped forward and struck out with a palm, stopping just inches from his forehead.

"I concede, Student Xue." Lu Chong withdrew his hand and stepped back.

Xue Cheng knew he had been thoroughly defeated; no matter how unwilling he felt, he had nothing left to say.

"I will transfer the money to you once I return."

A loss was a loss. Xue Cheng was quite forthright; rather than making a scene, he took the initiative to speak.

"No rush, no rush..." Lu Chong immediately beamed, stepping forward to support Xue Cheng and insisting on personally escorting him to the Military Infirmary.

Instructors like Cheng Dongye could hardly bear to watch; this kid was truly blinded by money.

Once Lu Chong had taken Xue Cheng away, the students could not help but break into a heated discussion.

A Martial Artist!

In this special training, three official Martial Artists had emerged from among them.

This was extremely rare among the high school graduates of Guanyun City in previous years.

Especially Lu Chong, who, following his top performance in the last mock exam, continued to lead by a wide margin, not only successfully breaking through to become a Martial Artist but also defeating the well-founded Xue Cheng.

They had already begun to wonder if the other Martial Artist student, Xiang Yueya, would be a match for Lu Chong.

Luo Qingqing watched Lu Chong's retreating back, silently clenching her delicate hands to encourage herself, Qingqing, you must work harder, or you won't be able to keep up with his pace.

Huang Junyan stood beside Xiang Yueya and whispered, "Do you have the confidence to defeat him now?"

Xiang Yueya withdrew her gaze, and only after a moment of contemplation did she reply, "Not yet, but by the time of the college entrance exam, it shouldn't be difficult."

Huang Junyan did not question this; instead, he felt it was only natural.

High schools did not teach Earth-Rank Martial Skills, but given Xiang Yueya's circumstances, it would not be difficult for her to learn one at the Xiang Clan Martial Arts Hall.

And without an Earth-Rank Martial Skill to rely on, Lu Chong would be left far behind by Xiang Yueya by then.

When the college entrance exam finally arrived, it was far from certain who would take the top spot.

This was the importance of background and foundation; while it might not be very obvious at the Martial Disciple stage, the influence of resources would only grow as they progressed.

So what if Lu Chong broke through to become a Martial Artist first?

With his meager circumstances, could he afford the resources required for a Martial Artist's cultivation? Did he have an Earth-Rank Martial Skill to practice? Did he have a master to guide him?

Not to mention Xiang Yueya's conditions, even an ordinary rich kid like Huang Junyan felt that Lu Chong was destined to fall behind him in the future.

"The path of martial arts is long; this is only the beginning. What does the gain or loss of a single city or pool matter?" Huang Junyan recalled his father's earnest teachings and found them to be perfectly reasonable.

His and Xiang Yueya's goals were not set on the small Guanyun City, but on the entire Hedong Province, or even Huaxia and the world at large.

That was the vast world where heroes gathered and winds and clouds surged; how could a poor orphan with nothing but a bit of talent understand the importance of family background?

As for Lu Chong, he personally supported Xue Cheng to the Military Infirmary, taking meticulous care of the Money-Delivering Boy he had defeated with his own hands.

Once Xue Cheng's arm was set and he had regained some of his vitality, Lu Chong asked with a friendly smile, "Student Xue, are you feeling better?"

Xue Cheng shook his head and thanked Lu Chong, "Thank you for holding back, and for bringing me to get medical attention."

"However, I will challenge you again when I have the chance. Not for Xiang Yueya, but for myself," Xue Cheng vowed solemnly.

Lu Chong immediately wore an even more sincere smile, "You are welcome anytime. I only won by luck; it's nothing worth mentioning."

Seemingly moved by Lu Chong's humility and sincerity, Xue Cheng managed a rare smile, his recognition of Lu Chong growing.

Seeing that the time was ripe, Lu Chong took the initiative to ask, "Student Xue, I have a question, though I don't know if I should ask."

Xue Cheng said magnanimously, "Ask away; we aren't enemies, after all."

Only then did Lu Chong voice his confusion, feigning ignorance, "The fist technique you used at the end, which hid the power of blood energy manifesting as Gang Qi—was that an Earth-Rank Martial Skill?"

Xue Cheng let out a bitter laugh upon hearing this, "Of course it wasn't a true Earth-Rank Martial Skill. I've only just broken through to become a Martial Artist; how could I possibly have mastered one?"

"In truth, it is merely a technique for exerting force. When performing a Human-Rank Martial Skill, one releases blood energy at the point of impact to invade and disrupt the opponent's internal energy."

"Compared to a true Earth-Rank Martial Skill, both the explosive power and the cohesion of the Gang Qi are far inferior," Xue Cheng admitted honestly.

Lu Chong finally understood. There was actually such a technique; it was somewhat like a transition from Human-Rank to Earth-Rank Martial Skills.

"Why didn't Principal Fang and the instructors teach me that?"

Lu Chong was intrigued; with a technique like this at his disposal, the various Human-Rank Martial Skills he had mastered should see a massive surge in power.

He did not ask Xue Cheng how he had acquired such a skill, as it likely involved the other man's cultivation secrets, and it was best to avoid such taboos.

He believed that Principal Fang and the several instructors would surely understand the crux of the matter, so he would simply go and ask them for it.

That very evening, Lu Chong sought out Principal Fang.

However, the answer Principal Fang gave him was that this technique had as many drawbacks as it did benefits, which was why he did not want him to come into contact with it.

"To put it plainly, this is a shortcut that relies on trickery. It is very easy for you to develop a dependency on it, which could even cause side effects for your future cultivation of true Earth-Rank Martial Skills."

"Many people only resort to this method because they find the cultivation of Earth-Rank Martial Skills too difficult."

"But given your aptitude, cultivating Earth-Rank Martial Skills is the proper path; you shouldn't be taking such detours."

Lu Chong finally understood a little, yet he still insisted that Principal Fang teach it to him.

As for whether it would affect his future cultivation of Earth-Rank Martial Skills, Lu Chong was not worried. Since his martial skills could cultivate themselves anyway, why would he fear such minor side effects?