Everyone Was Stunned; Please Vote!

Everyone Was Stunned; Please Vote!

The instructor's face stiffened. Those were the very words he had just said, and now Zhang He had returned them to him, word for word.

He was clearly doing it on purpose!

Zhao Feng stood up and walked straight off the field. He said coldly, "Kneel down, beg for mercy, and break one of your arms. Then I'll let you off."

The Martial Children all fell silent, watching Zhang He's reaction.

"In your dreams." Zhang He's lips moved, and he spat out two words.

Zhao Feng suddenly sprang into motion. The martial art he used wasn't the Wild Ox Fist. His movements were simian, and his punches were fierce and rugged, each strike giving off a sense of solid, forceful power!

"Through-Back Fist!"

His fist slammed down hard. The moment Zhao Feng attacked, Zhang He knew this fist art was at least a whole grade above the Wild Ox Fist.

Martial arts in the world were divided into nine ranks. The Wild Ox Fist could barely be considered a first-rank martial art, while the Through-Back Fist was at least second-rank.

His fists howled through the air, carrying astonishing force.

Zhang He immediately retreated to evade the attack. He didn't try to blunt its edge or meet it head-on.

"No matter how powerful it is, he's still in the Marrow Refining Realm. He hasn't cultivated True Qi, so it all amounts to nothing!" Zhang He watched the fists whistle through the air. In terms of combat strength, they were all show and no substance. But he also knew that his own situation wasn't much better.

If his physical constitution were as strong as Zhao Feng's, he would have beaten him flat long ago. Right now, his only advantage was his True Qi, which could let him unleash formidable fighting power.

"With the True Qi I have now, I can use it at most two more times!"

So Zhang He had to make sure that if he struck, he struck only once—and that his blow left Zhao Feng unable to fight. The situation had already gone far beyond what the instructor had expected.

He watched from the sidelines, his face dark.

Zhang He kept dodging. Zhao Feng couldn't land a single hit on him and grew irritated. "If you've got the guts, stop dodging!"

"Fine. I'll stop." Zhang He suddenly came to a halt.

Zhao Feng was overjoyed. He lunged forward, his right arm suddenly surging with power as he viciously attacked Zhang He's shoulder.

Zhang He really didn't dodge. He let the punch slam into his shoulder. But he naturally didn't let Zhao Feng hit him cleanly. As the fist struck, he jerked his shoulder backward, absorbing the force.

Crack.

Just as he had with Han Zhao, Zhang He grabbed Zhao Feng's arm.

Zhao Feng suddenly realized that Zhang He had deliberately let him hit him. With his arm stretched out, Zhang He had been able to seize it!

Zhang He was truly devious!

Thinking of Han Zhao's broken arm, Zhao Feng's face instantly turned deathly pale. He could already feel an intense pain shooting through his arm.

"Stop!"

A sharp shout came from behind, followed by a gust of force that struck from the rear.

The instructor had been ready nearby. Seeing Zhang He about to attack Zhao Feng again, he immediately intervened without hesitation. Zhao Feng was the academy head's own nephew. If Zhang He crippled one of his arms right in front of him, the academy head would certainly punish him.

So when the instructor saw Zhang He was about to strike hard, he disregarded his status and attacked directly. He showed no mercy. His hand formed a claw as he fiercely grabbed for Zhang He's shoulder.

This was his signature martial art, the Eagle Claw Skill. If he caught Zhang He by the shoulder, he might not cripple his arm outright, but he would leave it permanently disabled.

Zhang He's expression shifted. He abruptly sidestepped, but he didn't let Zhao Feng go either. As he turned, his fingers swept across Zhao Feng's ear.

"Nerve Flicking Technique!" It was an extremely powerful martial art. Unfortunately, Zhang He's strength was lacking, so at most he could make Zhao Feng suffer a little. With a bit more power, he could have crippled Zhao Feng on the spot.

Zhao Feng felt a stabbing pain in his ear, as if ten thousand horses were galloping past. A rumbling sound suddenly burst into his ears, and his vision went black. The world spun around him, and he toppled straight to the ground, landing face-first like a dog eating dirt.

Hahaha!

The other Martial Children couldn't help laughing at the sight.

Zhang He had already stepped aside and stood with his hands behind his back, watching the instructor help Zhao Feng up.

"Instructor, were you trying to cripple me just now?" Zhang He asked, his expression calm as he looked at him.

The instructor's expression changed slightly. "Hmph. Your attacks are vicious, and you have no regard for your classmates. I'll report everything to the academy head!"

The instructor helped Zhao Feng up. By then, Zhao Feng was already half-conscious.

"That's enough for today. Everyone, go back and study hard." After saying that, the instructor dismissed the class. He then called over several people to help carry Zhao Feng away.

The Martial Children looked at Zhang He, still standing on the Martial Arts Arena, as if he were some kind of monster. Just a few days ago, he'd been a rookie who couldn't fight back at all. Today, he'd taken down three people in a row—and one of them had even ended up with a broken arm!

"Wow, Zhang He, you're amazing! You even beat Han Zhao and Zhao Feng. They're both at the sixth level of the Force Martial Realm!" Fatty Tang had come back to life. He bounced around beside Zhang He, full of amazement.

Wang Dachui stood nearby, his gaze burning with interest as he looked at Zhang He. "Zhang He, how did your cultivation improve so quickly? Did you take some kind of spiritual pill?"

"What spiritual pill? I think Ah He just had a sudden realization!" Fatty Tang chuckled. Seeing how powerful Zhang He was made him genuinely happy. Then he suddenly remembered something. "Ah He, since you managed to beat Han Zhao and Zhao Feng, you'll definitely place well in the Martial Child Assessment. I heard the rewards are generous this time! They say the first-place winner will be granted Cold Gate status!"

"What? The right to join the Cold Gate?" Zhang He's eyes widened. Though the Cold Gate was the lowest rank of the aristocracy, its status was still higher than that of commoners. More importantly, becoming a member of the Cold Gate would open many doors!

The noble houses in this world were divided into ranks, from highest to lowest: royalty, nobility, the gentry, commoners, and slaves. The gentry were further divided into three ranks. The highest was the powerful clans, the second was the old families, and the third was the Cold Gate!

The Western Chu Kingdom offered extremely generous rewards to Martial Children with the aptitude to cultivate!

"To earn Cold Gate status, you have to take first place in the Martial Child Assessment. With our cultivation, how could we possibly do that? The top few names on the Martial Child Academy's rankings have already cultivated True Qi Seeds. Even Wen Liang, the first-place student, has reached the Brute Force Realm," Wang Dachui couldn't help saying.

"Aw, I was just saying." Fatty Tang smiled wryly. He knew, too, that first place in the Martial Child Assessment was far beyond the reach of their group.

Zhang He, however, said nothing. A glint flashed in his eyes. The others might lack confidence, but Zhang He believed that before the Martial Child Assessment, he had a good chance of reaching the Brute Force Realm!

"Looks like I really need to find some poison to cultivate with!"

Thinking this, Zhang He and the other two left the Martial Arts Arena.

Elsewhere, a few pairs of eyes were watching Zhang He leave.

"Tian'er, what are you looking at?" a girl suddenly asked curiously.

Gan Tian'er abruptly came back to her senses and said somewhat flusteredly, "I thought I saw someone I knew."

"Someone you know? Hehe, were you sneaking a peek at Zhang He?" Her companion gave her a mischievous grin. "By the way, weren't you and Zhang He pretty close before? Now's your chance—why not make a move? Judging by how he performed today, he'll definitely be a dark horse in the Martial Child Assessment!"

"Not at all! Stop teasing me! I have nothing to do with him!" Gan Tian'er forced a smile. Close to Zhang He? That had only been when they first entered the Martial Child Academy. Back then, Zhang He had helped her with something, so she'd thought highly of him. Later, because Zhang He was a commoner, she gradually drifted away from him.

"Oh." Her companion didn't give it another thought. She had only been teasing. She took Gan Tian'er by the arm and led her away, chatting as they went. "I can't believe Zhang He was hiding his strength all this time. The way he struck just now was so cool. Even Zhao Feng and Han Zhao were no match for him. He really is a dark horse. He'll definitely do well in the Martial Child Assessment."

"You still have a chance, so hurry up and get to know him. Hehe, I heard that after every Martial Child Assessment, all the girls throw themselves at the people who do well!"

Gan Tian'er felt a strange pang when she heard that. She looked past the crowd and saw his figure disappear into the distance. Suddenly, she felt a little unsettled.

Had her relationship with him really grown so distant that they were like strangers now?

"I can't believe Zhang He is so strong. I have to tell the family. With him, we'll have a much better chance in the family competition after the Martial Child Assessment."

Watching Zhang He leave, Wang Fengjie's thoughts raced.

"Eh? Isn't that Goddess Lian?" Fatty Tang suddenly pointed at a gorgeous figure in front of them.

The Martial Children nearby immediately lit up and looked ahead. Her breathtaking beauty and curvaceous figure made their blood surge.

Related information about Goddess Lian immediately surfaced in Zhang He's mind.

Goddess Lian's real name was Lian Yunbi. She was the jewel of the Lian Family, one of the three top first-rank lineages in Mengyin City. Born into a prominent family and beautiful enough to make flowers pale and the moon hide, she was the perfect dream lover of every talented young man.

But since she was called a goddess, how could she be approachable?

Soon after she entered the Martial Child Academy, someone became smitten with her and tried to court her. Goddess Lian didn't refuse outright. She merely told him to go to the Martial Arts Arena, saying that if he could beat her, he would earn the right to pursue her. He eagerly went—and the moment Goddess Lian made her move, the poor fellow lost the ability to fight. Goddess Lian then declared on the spot that anyone who wanted to court her had to surpass her in cultivation. Otherwise, there was nothing to discuss! With that, she strode off.

Once those words spread, everyone who'd had designs on her immediately fell silent. How could they possibly beat her? Rumor had it that she had reached the True Qi Seed stage at thirteen. Now she had reached the peak of the Brute Force Realm in the Force Martial Realm. She was only one step away from entering the True Martial Realm!

Among all the Martial Children at the academy, her cultivation was number one! Who would dare fight her? From then on, the title Goddess Lian spread far and wide.

"She seems really anxious," Fatty Tang said. "Did something happen? No wonder we didn't see her at the Martial Arts Arena today."

Fatty Tang looked a little disappointed.

Zhang He could clearly see the anxiety on Goddess Lian's face, as well as the fine beads of sweat on her nose. She came toward them, ignoring their stares, and hurried toward the gate.

The other lovestruck boys twitched their noses, sucking in the lingering trace of her fragrance.

"Just one sniff, and I feel refreshed!" Fatty Tang said with a blissful expression.

Zhang He was instantly sweating. Then he remembered what he needed to do and said, "Get me excused for the next few days."

"The Martial Child Assessment is coming up. Why aren't you focusing on cultivation? Where are you going?" Fatty Tang asked in confusion. Wang Dachui beside him also looked at Zhang He.

"Something's come up at home. I'm going back to take care of it," Zhang He said casually.

Fatty Tang nodded. "I heard things have been unsettled outside lately. Be careful. If you need help, just tell us."

Wang Dachui nodded too.

Zhang He felt a little moved. He nodded. "Then I'll be off. You two be careful at the academy, too. Zhao Feng and the others definitely won't let this go. If you run into trouble, wait until I get back."

With that, Zhang He parted from them and went straight out of the Martial Child Academy.

After leaving the academy, Zhang He first went home to pick up the Five Poison Beads he'd prepared. Then he told Mother Zhang that he would be staying at the Martial Child Academy to cultivate and wouldn't be back for a while. Mother Zhang didn't suspect anything. She only told Zhang He to work hard, then let him go.

After leaving home, Zhang He headed straight for the Wang Family Pharmacy.