A Mighty Display of Power

A Mighty Display of Power

The young martial trainees filed into the Martial Arts Arena, each wearing a different expression. The children of wealthy families wore sneers, their eyes glinting as they watched their prey. The commoners looked as if they had just lost their parents, their faces etched with sorrow.

Off to one side, a tall young man sat with a group of people in the best seats in the arena. His eyes gleamed as he watched the entrance, coiled like a dragon and crouched like a tiger.

"Of the twenty-two commoner trainees, sixteen have already agreed to hand over their monthly allowances for us to use."

A young man with a triangular face spoke proudly to Zhao Feng.

"That leaves six. Tch, they're so tactless. Today, we'll show them what happens when they refuse to cooperate," Zhao Feng said coldly.

"We'll beat them until they're crawling on the ground, begging for mercy!"

Zhao Feng's eyes suddenly shifted. "Hmm? Isn't that Zhang He? He actually came back? Wait, where's the birthmark on his forehead?"

At the entrance, Zhang He and his two companions walked in slowly.

"That kid really is a stone in a latrine—stubborn and filthy. He actually dares to come back. This time, Young Master Zhao won't even need to lift a finger. I'll teach him a proper lesson myself!"

A short, muscular young man beside him clenched his fists.

"Hmm? Isn't that Zhang He?" Wang Fengjie suddenly furrowed his brows.

"Ha, it really is him. Wasn't he beaten half to death last time? How did he recover so quickly? And he still dares to come back?" Wang Fengying said gleefully. "Hey, that birthmark on his forehead seems to be gone. Well, he's got the makings of a pretty boy now."

Wang Fengjie and Wang Fengying were members of the Wang Family.

"Fengying, Zhang He is one of us," Wang Fengjie said, displeased, as he looked at Wang Fengying. "His cultivation may be weak, but he has plenty of backbone. When Zhao Feng humiliates him like that, he's humiliating the Wang Family too. If things go the same way as last time, we should help Zhang He."

"Help him? He left the family with nothing, and the family head hasn't looked for him in all these years. He's obviously going to strip him of his position as the heir. Besides, he can hardly be considered one of us anymore."

Wang Fengying refused without hesitation. "And the Zhao Family is a powerful house, while our Wang Family is only a prominent clan. If we anger Zhao Feng over someone who isn't even really a member of the Wang Family, we'll be making an enemy of the Zhao Family too. The clan-ranking competition is coming up soon. Angering them would seriously hurt our chances of rising to a powerful house. If the family head found out, he'd definitely punish us."

Wang Fengjie sighed softly, a trace of conflict flashing in his eyes. It was true. After the Martial Child Assessment came the clan competition, and the Wang Family was preparing to rise to the ranks of powerful houses. Offending the Zhao Family would certainly hurt their chances.

Wang Fengjie knew his uncle's character very well. He would never agree to anything like this.

Hmm? Zhang He actually came back?

A pretty young girl heard the chatter around her and couldn't help glancing up. Sure enough, that familiar figure stood by the entrance. When she saw Zhang He, she couldn't help sighing. That fool had been injured last time. Why had he come back again?

Why was she still worrying about him? Her heart gave a sudden jolt, and then she came to her senses. She and Zhang He were strangers now. They had long since gone their separate ways. What did his life or death have to do with her?

The girl's brows relaxed again. She continued talking to the young woman beside her as if nothing had happened, and didn't look Zhang He's way again.

Everyone found a seat.

The dark-faced instructor stood in the arena, surveying the trainees. He cleared his throat and said, "As usual, today we'll continue learning techniques for fighting other people. First, I'd like a few trainees to come up and demonstrate what we learned last time. Who's willing?"

The commoner trainees immediately ducked their heads. Zhang He, however, remained perfectly composed.

The dark-faced instructor looked around at the commoner children, all of them ducking their heads. A sneer flashed in his eyes. But when he saw one figure sitting there calmly, he couldn't help being taken aback. He looked again and realized it was Zhang He!

When the instructor looked at him, Zhang He met his gaze.

A faint irritation stirred in the instructor's heart. What was with Zhang He's attitude?

"Zhang He, you look eager to try. Why don't you come up?" the instructor said in a mocking tone. The crowd erupted at once. Everyone could hear that the instructor was clearly displeased with Zhang He.

Fatty Tang looked back and saw Zhang He sitting bolt upright, sticking out from the crowd like a crane among chickens. Fatty Tang grew anxious and tugged at him, urging him to keep a low profile. Wang Dachui sat beside them, silent, a strange look in his eyes.

"Fatty Tang, why don't you come up and try too?" The instructor had noticed Fatty Tang's little gesture, and a sharp glint flashed in his eyes.

Fatty Tang gave an awkward grin. "Instructor, I'm just a few pounds of meat. How could I possibly handle such an important task? Pick someone else instead."

Seeing Fatty Tang's expression, the instructor seemed to take it as a personal slight. He said ominously, "Martial cultivation requires courage and relentless progress. If you're this timid and hesitant, how will you ever amount to anything? Get down here!"

Fatty Tang's face turned green. With everyone watching, he couldn't back down again, so he had no choice but to step into the arena. He cursed inwardly. It looked like he wouldn't escape a sound beating today.

Zhang He watched the instructor, his brows drawing together. The instructor was always picking on the commoner trainees. He knew the children of wealthy families would take the opportunity to bully them, yet he pretended not to notice. Zhang He couldn't help growing angry.

Sure enough, the instructor pointed out another trainee from among the wealthy children. It was Xu Le, who always stuck close to Zhao Feng.

"Fight. Demonstrate the techniques we learned last time," the instructor said.

Xu Le clenched his fists and walked forward with a sneer.

Seeing this, Fatty Tang shuddered. "How about this? I'll give you two bottles of my Body Tempering Liquid. Could you go easy on me?"

Xu Le had already shed his skin three times and was on the verge of entering the Bone Refining Realm. He had a full three stone's worth of strength. How could Fatty Tang possibly be a match for him?

"Hand over all three bottles, and I'll go a little easier on you," Xu Le said greedily.

Fatty Tang hesitated. He was only a little short of breaking through to the Skin Tempering Realm. If he gave everything to Xu Le, his chances of breaking through would grow even slimmer.

Xu Le saw him wavering, and his expression darkened. "I've already given you a chance. Since you refuse to cooperate, don't blame me."

Hearing this, Fatty Tang's anger flared too. "Damn it, I'll throw this whole body of mine into the fight. If you want to fight, then let's fight!"

Xu Le was taken aback. The fat fellow charged at him. Fatty Tang might have been fat, but he was fairly nimble. As he ran, he cut an imposing figure. He launched a "Wild Ox Charge," taking a stride up to Xu Le and punching him hard in the face.

Xu Le dodged to the side, then brought his arm down like a cleaver, smashing it into Fatty Tang's arm.

"Ah!"

Fatty Tang screamed. Xu Le spun around and drove a hard punch into the small of his back. The fat man groaned again and rolled away, his face turning deathly pale in an instant.

Xu Le attacked just like Zhao Feng had when he went after Zhang He that day. From the very first move, he aimed to beat his opponent within an inch of his life.

Zhang He shot to his feet. "Instructor, they're just sparring. Is there any need to hit him so viciously?"

The instructor swept Zhang He a glance and said coldly, "When people spar, it's easy to lose control. As long as no one dies, there's no problem. What, if you have an objection, come down and try it yourself."

"Fine." A fierce glint flashed in Zhang He's eyes. The instructor was clearly siding with Xu Le and the others. Zhang He rose from his seat and walked down into the arena.

Everyone else stared, stunned. Had Zhang He gone mad? Was he really volunteering to get himself killed?

The commoner trainees were astonished, the children of wealthy families looked on with contempt, Wang Fengjie and his companions were bewildered, and Gan Tian'er was shocked. Every sort of gaze focused on Zhang He.

Xu Le stopped. Fatty Tang was groaning on the ground, nearly unable to catch his breath. Zhang He first helped him to one side. Wang Dachui came down to look after Fatty Tang.

Zhang He returned to the arena.

"Zhang He, you really don't know when to give up. Wasn't last time's lesson enough? You're really—"

"Bang!"

Xu Le flew out. Zhang He slowly lowered his hand, his expression blank. "Next time we fight, don't waste so much breath!"

Everyone there froze. What... what had just happened?

"That was a sneak attack! Zhang He is shameless. He attacked by surprise!"

"He didn't say a word—how could he just start fighting? Shameless!"

The children of wealthy families immediately began shouting.

"Zhang He, how could you launch a surprise attack?" the instructor said, displeased.

"When you fight someone, are you really expected to wait until your enemy is fully prepared?" Zhang He asked with a faint smile. The instructor was immediately at a loss for words.

Wang Fengjie and Wang Fengying exchanged a glance, both finding it unbelievable. Even if Zhang He had attacked by surprise, it shouldn't have sent Xu Le flying more than a zhang. He would have needed tremendous strength to do that! The only explanation was that Zhang He was very strong.

"His attack speed and strength just now were beyond what someone at the third level of the Force Martial Realm should have. Could he have broken through?"

Watching from the crowd, Gan Tian'er dismissed it. "He took advantage of his opponent's lack of preparation and launched a sneak attack. It was no honorable victory." She assumed Zhang He had only managed it because Xu Le was caught off guard.

But those with some experience knew better. Zhang He had beaten Xu Le so thoroughly that he couldn't fight back. His surprise attack aside, the more important reason was that Zhang He was strong enough and fast enough!

A sneer appeared on Zhao Feng's face. "No wonder he dares to act so brazenly. He must have advanced to a new realm. But... he's only just broken through, and he's already this arrogant. He'll die all the more miserably."

"Young Master Zhao, let me take him on." The triangular-faced young man beside him, Han Zhao, volunteered. Zhao Feng nodded, and Han Zhao stepped into the arena.

"Zhang He, commoners don't get far in cultivation. Now that you've broken through, you should know how hard-won it is. You should keep your tail between your legs and wait for the Martial Child Assessment to end. You could get a decent ranking and then live an ordinary life—that's the best path open to you. You really don't know how to behave. Today, you're going to pay dearly for your arrogance."

Han Zhao tossed his head, adopting a superior air as he spoke to Zhang He.

"Cut the crap. Believe it or not, you won't last three moves against me!" Zhang He said coldly.

"What? He said Han Zhao won't last three moves against him?"

"Did I hear that right? Zhang He really said that?"

"When Heaven wants someone dead, it first drives them mad. He's only just broken through, and he's already this arrogant. Zhang He's asking for death!"

The young trainees erupted at those words. Most of them mocked Zhang He for being hopelessly out of his depth.

Wang Fengjie and the others were stunned too. How could Zhang He dare say that? Han Zhao had already cultivated to the Marrow Refining Realm and possessed the strength of five stones. He easily outmatched Zhang He!

Han Zhao stared at Zhang He and said coldly, "Just for saying that, I'll beat you until you're crawling on the ground, begging for mercy, and leave you without a shred of dignity!" As he spoke, he swept his clothes aside and charged straight in through the center, opening with the simplest fighting move—a fist like a cannonball, blasting forward.

His speed was astonishing!

Zhang He took a breath. He didn't dodge or evade. He simply stood there.

Han Zhao's fist drove toward Zhang He's chest. A sinister glint flashed in his eyes as he lifted his knee and rammed it hard toward Zhang He's groin.

He attacked from both sides at once.

Han Zhao wasn't using the Wild Ox Fist.

"Crack!"

Zhang He suddenly spun like a top. In an instant, he seized Han Zhao's arm, unleashed his true energy, and wrenched and shoved. Using Han Zhao's own momentum, he flung him away. Han Zhao's arm bent backward at an unnatural angle. With a sharp snap, his arm broke cleanly!

Han Zhao immediately let out a scream.

Everyone sucked in a breath. Now that was a ruthless fighter. He'd broken someone's arm with a single move!

The instructor's expression changed sharply. "Zhang He, what kind of martial art did you use? Weren't you supposed to be sparring with the techniques we learned last lesson? How could you injure someone?"

"Didn't you just say that in a fight, fists and feet have no eyes, and it's easy to lose control? Besides, Han Zhao doesn't seem to have been using the Wild Ox Fist either."

Zhang He replied calmly.