Li Qing?
Jiang Ning was astonished. So Senior Sister Li Qing had been making a final sprint toward entering the ranks of Martial Dao. No wonder he had not seen her these past few days.
He had not expected Senior Sister Li Qing to look so young, yet already be on the verge of attaining the strength to enter the ranks of Martial Dao.
It seemed Senior Sister Li Qing was one of Wang Jin's predetermined candidates for a personal disciple.
"What is Junior Brother Jiang thinking about?" Cheng Ran's voice rang out beside Jiang Ning's ear, jolting him back to his senses.
Then—
Jiang Ning smiled. "I was just wondering how mighty that fierce tiger will be five days from now. At four meters long, a single swipe of its paw must carry a thousand jin of force, right?"
"It does!" Cheng Ran nodded. "And more than that! That is precisely why only those senior brothers who have entered the ranks of Martial Dao are qualified to fight this tiger to the death! If people like us encountered it in the wilderness, all we could do would be roar loudly, so we could at least die a heroic death!"
Hearing this, Jiang Ning could not help smiling faintly.
Then Cheng Ran's face lit up with excitement.
"Five Animals Fist was born from the tiger, bear, ape, crane, and deer! Five days from now, if I observe the tiger's divine might and posture, perhaps I can grasp the form and spirit of Tiger Form Fist. Only when form and spirit are both present can one reach the realm of great mastery in a fist art!"
"It is just a pity that we are far too weak to take the field! If we could personally fight the fierce tiger, perhaps we could seize that faint thread of qi in the unseen and push Tiger Form Fist to the realm of completion!"
"Once it reaches completion and condenses Fierce Tiger Force, it can unleash strength far beyond one's own limits, no weaker than certain mid-grade Martial Dao techniques!"
At that moment—
A dashing man clad in a white training uniform walked over. He was none other than Xiao Peng.
He was also the absolute central figure of Blue-Wave Martial Academy's outer courtyard at present.
In everyone's eyes, among all those here, Xiao Peng was the one most likely to enter the Inspection Office three months later and accomplish the great feat of leaping through the Dragon Gate like a fish.
Before one possessed unrivaled strength, the importance of power was beyond question.
What was more, the Inspection Office not only held power, but also possessed Martial Dao techniques and precious medicinal treasures.
For anyone, it was a heaven-sent opportunity.
As long as one could join it, one would certainly travel farther down the road of Martial Dao.
Thus, Xiao Peng's every move naturally drew everyone's attention.
As they watched Xiao Peng approach, all eyes gathered upon him.
"What is Senior Brother Xiao Peng going to do?"
"No idea!"
"..."
Several people whispered among themselves some distance away.
Xiao Peng passed Jiang Ning and arrived before Cheng Ran, a faint smile curling his lips. "Junior Brother Cheng, among the entire academy, you are the only one who can stand shoulder to shoulder with me. How about we exchange a few moves?"
Looking at Xiao Peng, Cheng Ran said coldly, "Fine. Since you want a fight, I will grant your wish!"
The two walked past Jiang Ning and arrived at an open stretch of ground.
At the same time—
The crowd became excited at once upon seeing this.
"Who do you think will win, Senior Brother Cheng Ran or Senior Brother Xiao Peng?"
"I think Xiao Peng will win. Senior Brother Xiao Peng has mastered Tiger Form Fist, and his explosive power is extremely strong. He has also achieved minor mastery in Ape Form Fist, making his body as nimble as an ape's. His strength must be formidable!"
"I see it differently!" someone refuted. "Senior Brother Xiao Peng may have the advantage in fist arts, but Senior Brother Cheng Ran has reached Blood and Qi Completion! When blood and qi flow through the entire body, one possesses five hundred jin of strength!"
"With one punch, minor mastery in Tiger Form Fist is enough for Senior Brother Cheng Ran to unleash more than two thousand jin of force. As the saying goes, one force can subdue ten techniques—Senior Brother Cheng Ran naturally holds the advantage in this regard!"
"Meanwhile, Senior Brother Xiao Peng has only achieved great mastery of blood and qi, with strength exceeding three hundred jin. Even if he holds the advantage in his fist-art realm, there is still a vast difference between their strength!"
At this moment, in the academy's outer courtyard—
Listening to the discussion in the distance, Jiang Ning secretly clicked his tongue.
Senior Brother Cheng Ran, with Blood and Qi Completion, could throw a punch carrying more than two thousand jin of force. This completely surpassed the limits of humanity in his previous life.
He still remembered a set of figures.
In his previous life, even a boxing champion could at most throw a punch with sixteen hundred jin of force.
Yet Senior Brother Cheng Ran, whose build did not even seem particularly burly, could throw a punch with more than two thousand jin of force.
"Is this the charm of Martial Dao? The legendary Martial Saint of Great Xia—just how terrifying must his strength be?"
Jiang Ning could not help yearning for it.
At that moment—
Xiao Peng and Cheng Ran had already begun exchanging blows.
With a movement of his body, Cheng Ran became like a soaring crane in flight, sweeping toward Xiao Peng.
"Good!" Xiao Peng shouted.
His body sank, his feet arching slightly as though sharp claws were gripping the ground.
The next moment—
Cheng Ran, sweeping forward with the momentum of a fierce tiger descending the mountain, pounced straight at Xiao Peng.
Xiao Peng, meanwhile, lowered his body slightly, like the king of beasts poised to strike.
As their blood and qi surged—
Roar—
A tiger-like roar burst from Xiao Peng's mouth, and his crouched body suddenly erupted.
The moment they made their move, both unleashed their full strength.
At this moment, faced with Cheng Ran, whose blood and qi had reached completion and whose strength and physique surpassed his own, Xiao Peng did not choose to retreat. Instead, he chose to meet needle with needle, awl with awl.
He met Cheng Ran's strongest strike head-on.
Bang—
A dull impact rang out as both figures staggered backward.
Xiao Peng retreated more than two zhang, while Cheng Ran retreated only one and a half zhang.
Yet at this moment, surprise flickered in Cheng Ran's eyes.
In a head-on collision, he had actually gained little advantage. This greatly exceeded his expectations.
One had to know that he had reached the level where blood and qi flowed through his entire body. At this level, one began with no less than five hundred jin of immense strength.
Those born with divine strength could possess seven or eight hundred jin of force.
Yet Xiao Peng's blood and qi were one level below his, having merely reached great mastery, the level where blood and qi flowed through the limbs. His strength was generally only a little above three hundred jin.
With such a vast disparity between them, yet so little difference in a head-on clash, there could only be one explanation.
Cheng Ran immediately spoke. "It seems Senior Brother Xiao is not far from the level where blood and qi flow through the entire body!"
Xiao Peng's lips curled upward. "My strength now exceeds four hundred jin. I am indeed not far from Blood and Qi Completion and the circulation of blood and qi through the entire body. Does Junior Brother Cheng still wish to fight?"
"Of course I do!" Cheng Ran shouted.
His body moved again, and in an instant, he closed in on Xiao Peng.
Then the two clashed together. As fists and feet collided, clouds of dust rose in waves, while their sleeves rubbed against the air and gave rise to tiger roars that tore through the sky.
Not far away, Jiang Ning watched the scene, a strange glint flashing through his eyes.
"Blood and Qi Completion, blood and qi flowing through the entire body, five hundred jin of strength—every movement can unleash a thousand jin of force. But it does not seem all that strong?"
After reaching minor mastery of blood and qi, Jiang Ning had tested his strength again.
He could lift a two-hundred-jin stone lock with one arm, though the two-hundred-and-fifty-jin stone lock was still somewhat difficult.
That meant his strength had already approached two hundred and fifty jin.
Though it was only half the strength of someone at Blood and Qi Completion, with blood and qi flowing through the entire body.
The number did not seem large or exaggerated, but as far as he knew, the peak record held by humans in his previous life seemed to be lifting just over three hundred jin with one hand.
In other words, his current ability to lift a stone lock of more than two hundred jin with one hand could already be considered an exceptionally high standard.
In his previous life, even professional athletes would struggle to accomplish it.
After all, that record had been achieved only by one innately gifted individual among hundreds of millions, combined with professional and hellish training acquired afterward—training that squeezed out the body's potential to its utmost—before reaching the pinnacle of human achievement.
At this moment, Jiang Ning felt that if he fought Cheng Ran and Xiao Peng, he could also trade a few rounds with them.
Because in his current eyes, although Cheng Ran's strength was powerful—at least twice his own—he lacked agility, and his movements were not swift enough. Xiao Peng, on the other hand, moved quickly, with limbs as nimble as an ape's, but his strength was much weaker, and the footwork beneath him was visibly riddled with flaws, exceedingly crude.
"No wonder Wang Jin once said that cultivating all Five Animals together was the proper path!"
"I have only attained minor mastery in fist arts and blood and qi, yet I am already close to half of Senior Brother Cheng Ran's strength at Blood and Qi Completion, with blood and qi flowing through his entire body. This is clearly the effect of Bear Form Fist! And cultivating all Five Animals together does not merely grant powerful explosive force and great speed—its footwork is also nimble, outstanding, and without flaws. It is a technique balanced in all five aspects, truly an excellent foundational Martial Dao art."
"Looking at it now, it seems I may have underestimated my own strength!"
As he watched the two fight, this thought arose in Jiang Ning's mind.
(End of Chapter)
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