Too Much Nonsense!

Deeper within the forest, Shen Lian and Chu Yunhe appeared openly on the path.

They did not even bother concealing their presence. Shen Lian held his saber in his arms, his cold gaze sweeping the surroundings.

Chu Yunhe, meanwhile, leaned against a tree, lazily picking at his nails.

Their undisguised, provocative stance instantly enraged the hidden Human Realm Class students.

"It's Shen Lian and Chu Yunhe. There are only two of them!"

"What nerve! They actually dared to show themselves here!"

"Surround them! Don't let them get away!"

Amid the shouts, five figures darted out from different directions and surrounded the two.

The auras of these five were clearly stronger than those from before. The weakest were at mid-stage Yuan Guiding, while two had reached late-stage Yuan Guiding. They were the strongest small group in the Human Realm Class.

They were also the core force behind this interception.

The leader was a hard-faced youth. He stared fixedly at Shen Lian, fighting spirit rising in his eyes. "Shen Lian? I heard you're quite a fighter. Come on, let Ma Yong see just how sharp the border army's saber truly is!"

Another agile student locked onto Chu Yunhe and sneered. "Young Master Chu, this is no place for you to put on airs. Surrender without resistance. Otherwise, if we hurt you, it'll be difficult for us to explain things to Commander Chu."

Shen Lian slowly drew his training saber, its blade angled toward the ground. A biting killing intent spread outward as he cast a sidelong glance over the five, his voice icy.

"Too much nonsense."

Chu Yunhe finally straightened up as well. He casually picked up a branch from the ground and flicked it through a sword flourish, a playful curve tugging at his lips. "Explain? Beat me first. Then we can talk about explanations."

The battle was on the verge of erupting!

High atop a lush tree nearby, a pair of eyes watched the scene below calmly through the leaves. It was Zhou Mo.

Behind a boulder on the other side, Li Yuan, Yu Ling'er, Wu Yu, Cheng Zhao, and the remaining Pivot Star Class students had already taken up their positions in silence.

Li Yuan swept his gaze over the seven people facing off in the clearing, then murmured to Yu Ling'er beside him, "Proceed according to plan..."

Yu Ling'er nodded vigorously, tightening her grip around the short staff in her hand. Her doll-like face was filled with excitement.

Farther away, several instructors assigned to patrol were faintly visible.

Instructor Lu stroked his chin and chuckled. "Heh heh, these brats are pretty interesting."

He turned to Instructor Yang. "Looks like quite a few of your people got played, huh?"

Instructor Yang's expression was ugly. After a long moment, he snorted coldly. "Nothing but petty tricks. The core fighting force remains. The outcome has yet to be decided!"

Liu Hongyan folded her arms, the corners of her beautiful eyes curving almost imperceptibly.

At the center of the clearing, Ma Yong finally lost his patience and roared, "Go!"

The five figures lunged into the field at once. The sound of tearing air rang out sharply, force surged in all directions, and fallen leaves whirled through the air.

Almost at the exact instant they moved.

"Move!"

Yu Ling'er let out a sharp cry and sprang out from behind the boulder first. "Using numbers to bully the few? How shameless! Take this!"

Her short staff sliced through the air with a piercing whistle, striking straight for one student's side ribs—an attack he had no choice but to defend against.

At the same time, Wu Yu and Cheng Zhao charged out from both flanks.

Wu Yu's fist wind smashed directly toward another saber-wielding student, forcing him to defend, while Cheng Zhao's short staff moved in simple, vicious strokes, silently striking at an opponent's lower body.

What had been a five-against-two fight instantly became five against five.

"Hmph, perfect! I was just worried there wouldn't be enough to fight!"

Ma Yong snorted, sweeping his short halberd toward both Shen Lian and Yu Ling'er, actually intending to take on two opponents alone.

Yet Shen Lian's saber was faster. Carrying the brutal killing intent unique to the border army, its snowy gleam slashed straight at Ma Yong's face, forcing him to defend with all his strength.

The pressure on Chu Yunhe's side dropped sharply. As he wielded the branch in his hand, it unexpectedly carried a hint of exquisite technique, tightly entangling the last student.

Five clashes of battle erupted violently across the clearing.

For a time, the clanging of metal, shouts, and cries rang without end, while fallen leaves and dust were sent flying across the sky.

Still, the five Human Realm Class students were more experienced. After their initial panic, they quickly steadied themselves and gradually turned the situation around through their practiced coordination.

Zhou Mo, who had remained hidden in the tree, suddenly called out.

"The halberd wielder! Strike two inches below his third left rib. It's an old injury, and his strength stalls there!"

"The spear user once suffered a yin-cold palm strike to his right leg. Whenever he shifts his footing, his left shoulder unconsciously tilts forward half an inch!"

"The saber user's inherited Blazing Sun Saber Technique is fierce, but his breath recovery is slightly slow, especially after a horizontal slash!"

"The Water-Splitting Thrust user's movement technique is unpredictable, but his lower body is weak. He fears sweeping kicks and ground-fighting techniques!"

"The last one has something strange about his fist technique. It seems capable of strengthening his punches, but his wrists are his weakness!"

His voice carried clearly to Yu Ling'er and the others. This was the precise analysis he had made after staying up all night gathering intelligence from the Human Realm Class roster he had obtained yesterday, combined with his subtle observations of the present battle.

Yu Ling'er's eyes lit up as she shouted, "Wu Yu, attack his lower body! Cheng Zhao, sweep his left leg!"

Without hesitation, Wu Yu abruptly changed his originally steady fist stance. A fierce sweeping kick lashed straight at the saber-wielding student's ankle!

Cheng Zhao was even more direct. He crouched and rolled, his short staff sweeping close to the ground as it struck straight for the Water-Splitting Thrust user's legs!

At the same time, Shen Lian's saber attacks grew fiercer, every strike aimed at the halberd-wielding youth's left ribs. Chu Yunhe's branch also suddenly became elusive, specifically attacking the connection between his opponent's left shoulder and right leg.

The five Human Realm Class students immediately felt the pressure surge.

Every attack from their opponents landed at their weakest points, leaving them with strength they could not use and making their entire bodies feel awkward and constrained. The longer they fought, the more stifled they became, and their offensive momentum could not help but falter.

Each of them hated the person hiding in the shadows to the bone.

The fierce battle here finally alarmed the last seven Human Realm Class students scattered through the forest.

They immediately rushed over from different directions.

However, anything they could think of had naturally already been considered by the Pivot Star Class.

The instant two Human Realm Class students burst from a woodland path on the western side, a blue-clad figure slipped silently out of the shadows like a ghost. The sword hilt in her hand struck precisely against one person's nape.

The man gave a muffled groan and collapsed limply.

The other immediately sensed danger and swung his saber in a hurried slash, but the blue-clad figure had already melted back into the shadows of the nearby trees as though she had never appeared.

Just as he stood there uncertain and alarmed, Li Yuan suddenly sprang forth. Without any flashy moves, he chopped a palm blade infused with faint golden true qi at the man's wrist, swift as lightning.

"Ah!"

Pain shot through the man's wrist, and his weapon flew from his hand. Then his ribs went numb as Li Yuan struck him with another finger. Half his body turned weak and sore, and he staggered to the ground.

A slender figure in fitted martial attire stepped out of the shadows. Her name was Shadow, a female student of the Pivot Star Class who had always kept a low profile. Her talent was infiltration and concealment.

Within this mist-shrouded forest, she was like a fish in water.

She nodded to Li Yuan. The two quickly dragged the defeated students into a concealed spot and tied them up as well.

"Two are coming from the east, three from the south." Shadow's senses were extraordinarily keen.

"According to the plan, they should be able to hold the three in the south. We'll deal with the two in the east, then return to support them," Li Yuan said in a low voice.

The two sped toward the eastern side. Sure enough, beside the stream there, two Human Realm Class students were cautiously feeling their way forward.

This time, Li Yuan took the lead while Shadow supported him and launched surprise attacks. Working in perfect coordination, the pair cleanly dealt with their opponents once again.

Meanwhile, the last three Human Realm Class students had also been successfully intercepted by another five Pivot Star Class students led by Jin Duoduo.