First Battle

Su Qingyang was the young master of the Great Passage Trading Company, born into a powerful family.

His opponent, Yan Lincu, was completely unknown.

The two were not far apart in age, yet their strength differed so greatly. The disciples from the various martial academies around the arena began discussing it among themselves.

However, Yan Lincu was older than Su Qingyang and looked much sturdier. Neither was considered a particularly formidable contender. Though there was plenty of discussion, it did not cause much of a stir.

Yan Lincu swaggered off the arena and walked up to the White Cloud Martial Academy disciples. Shaking his head, he said, "I didn't expect you to be so weak. I used a little too much force..."

The White Cloud Martial Academy disciples were all furious at his attitude.

Feng Yuancheng raised a hand with a smile, shook his head, and sneered without saying anything.

"Heh..." Yan Lincu curled his lips, gave Feng Yuancheng a half-smiling glance, and shook his head. Without another word, he turned and left.

As Feng Yuancheng watched the youth's departing back, his eyes narrowed slightly.

Chen Fan frowned.

When Yan Lincu fought Su Qingyang, he had merely thrown ordinary punches, using strength to overwhelm technique. He had not used any martial arts at all!

But not using martial arts did not necessarily mean he had not mastered them...

Chen Fan narrowed his eyes and could not help looking at Yan Lincu a few more times.

As if sensing something, Yan Lincu suddenly turned back and flashed a grin of white teeth!

Chen Fan withdrew his gaze without reacting. He had not yet had a chance to display his strength. He was just an insignificant nobody, incapable of attracting anyone's attention.

The White Cloud Martial Academy's overall strength was indeed formidable. Apart from the defeated Su Qingyang and Yong Shiyu, everyone else won their matches. By the end, only Feng Yuancheng and Chen Fan had yet to compete!

The sky gradually darkened.

A few arenas had even ended their matches for the day early. On Arena Five, only four people remained who had not yet fought.

Chen Fan and Feng Yuancheng were among them!

I'm not going to face Feng Yuancheng this early, am I?

Chen Fan felt a brief flicker of nervousness.

Though he was confident in himself, he had never seen Feng Yuancheng fight. Naturally, he did not want to encounter such a talented opponent so soon.

"The next match on Arena Five: Feng Yuancheng of the White Cloud Martial Academy versus Cold Plum Pavilion..."

A Cold Plum Pavilion opponent!

When Feng Yuancheng stepped onto the arena, Chen Fan noticed that more people had gathered around the nearby arenas.

Feng Yuancheng carried himself with exceptional poise.

Cold Plum Pavilion was also a famous martial academy in Flying Spirit County, with considerable strength. Their contestant was likewise a first-stage martial artist!

Of course, as a Cold Plum Pavilion disciple, his foundation was not something that person from the small martial academy Meng Qi had encountered before could compare to!

Yet against Feng Yuancheng, he could not even last ten moves before being knocked off the arena!

The difference in strength was far too great!

"Feng Yuancheng really is impressive!"

Chen Fan felt his fighting spirit stir.

After watching dozens of matches, Chen Fan had rarely seen anyone win so easily.

Even if the Cold Plum Pavilion disciple had only reached the martial path through a third-rate manual, he had still cultivated true martial arts. Yet the gap between him and Feng Yuancheng was this enormous!

My foundation is solid. With more than a dozen manuals stacked together, my foundation and physique may not be inferior to Feng Yuancheng's. What I lack is combat experience...

Chen Fan came to a realization. Children from great families received specialized training from a young age. Their families even had dedicated sparring partners. What made them strong was not merely their techniques and strength!

It was a complete, all-around strength.

His eyes grew increasingly grave. Even a small Arena Five had someone like Feng Yuancheng. What about the other arenas?

The dozen or so manuals he had cultivated were generally of poor quality. At best, they could offset Feng Yuancheng's two first-rate manuals.

As he pondered this, the final round began, and Chen Fan stepped onto the arena.

The final match.

With Feng Yuancheng's match over, more than half the spectators around the arena immediately left!

Though Chen Fan was also from the White Cloud Martial Academy, he was unknown. Naturally, no one paid much attention to him.

Looking at the sparsely occupied arena, Chen Fan inexplicably felt a touch of loneliness...

Other than the White Cloud Martial Academy disciples politely staying behind for Chen Fan's sake, nearly everyone from the other martial academies had left.

Below the arena.

Among the White Cloud Martial Academy disciples, Meng Fan cheered Chen Fan on.

Su Qingyang watched Chen Fan dejectedly, feeling increasingly unbalanced. He actually hoped Chen Fan would lose as well!

"Final match, begin!"

At the referee's command.

Chen Fan immediately charged toward the youth opposite him.

His opponent was a Four Symbols Sect disciple, around fourteen or fifteen years old, not much older than Chen Fan.

Seeing Chen Fan rush at him, the boy panicked. He hurriedly stepped back and threw a punch.

Smack.

The two exchanged a simple blow.

The youth staggered back four or five steps in succession.

Shock appeared on his face.

Chen Fan had cultivated more than a dozen strength-training manuals. Though he had been on the martial path for only a short time, his accumulated vitality was immense and his strength profound, far surpassing the youth before him!

The moment they exchanged blows, Chen Fan could tell that the youth's strength was average, and his combat experience was no better than Chen Fan's own.

Since this was not a fight to the death, after confirming that victory was assured, Chen Fan did not press his advantage. Instead, he slowly fought the youth while practicing his own fist techniques!

After repeating a set of Wind-Thunder Palm several times and exchanging thirty or forty moves, the youth on the other side kept retreating until he finally shouted that he conceded!

Even though Chen Fan had not deliberately pressured him, the gap in their strength left him unable to keep up, and defending himself became increasingly difficult.

Chen Fan stopped moving.

The two opponents cupped their fists to each other and stepped off the arena.

Chen Fan had used Wind-Thunder Palm in battle, yet this move did not break through, nor did he enter another state of sudden enlightenment...

That didn't count as actual combat? Was my opponent too weak, or... do I really need a true fight to the death before I can gain insight?

Chen Fan recalled the scene when he had killed Pi Liu and could not help feeling helpless.

Deep in thought, he walked off the arena.

Meng Fan was already smiling as he slung an arm around Chen Fan's shoulders. "Congratulations on your win!"

Unfortunately, Chen Fan's opponent had been average, and neither of them was a famous scion of a great family. No one present regarded this victory as anything noteworthy.

Meng Fan was the only one who congratulated him.

Yet the one whose emotions fluctuated the most upon seeing Chen Fan win was Su Qingyang.

They were both new students and classmates, while also representing two different social classes. Su Qingyang could not help feeling unbalanced. But as a loser himself, he was too ashamed and indignant to even meet Chen Fan's eyes...

Chen Fan's fist technique had progressed considerably.

His "talent" was special. Whenever his strength-training techniques broke through, the changes quickly manifested in his body.

Throughout the day, he could feel his blood and vitality surging through his entire body as his physique slowly improved.

Accordingly, his need for nutrients also increased. At dinner that night, he ate two extra large bowls of food!

With this breakthrough, his body would enter another brief period of rapid growth in the coming days, and his demand for nutrients would become even greater!

The next day, the competition continued.

There were not only further preliminary matches today, but also matches for the losers' bracket.

Defeated disciples such as Su Qingyang were also required to come.

Although they no longer had any chance of winning prize money, they still had to wait to participate in the losers' bracket matches.

The prize money was only motivation. The true purpose of the martial meet was to temper the disciples of each school!

A bronze gong rang.

The day's matches began once more.

Chen Fan, who had been scheduled last in the first round, was the first to step onto the arena this time. His opponent happened to be a Flying Tiger Sect disciple named Zhang Feihong!

He looked around seventeen or eighteen years old, tall and solidly built, dressed in a gray cloth jacket. He was clearly only a commoner disciple.

Generally speaking, age was the most common measure of strength.

Even students with poor talent would have trained several more years by the age of seventeen or eighteen, making them generally stronger than others.

"Go, Chen Fan!"

Meng Qi shouted encouragement for Chen Fan from below.

Nearby, among the White Cloud Martial Academy disciples, Su Qingyang watched Chen Fan take the stage. A complicated look flashed through his eyes as he silently muttered to himself, You have to lose. I refuse to believe you can stay this lucky!

Sometimes, one's own failure was not such a big deal. What was truly hard to accept was the success of someone one looked down upon!

On the arena.

Chen Fan nodded to Meng Qi below, then turned and solemnly looked at the Flying Tiger Sect disciple before him.

Confidence in his own strength did not mean he should underestimate any opponent.

No one's level was absurdly beyond the rest. They were still made of flesh and blood. In a battle at this level, anyone could turn defeat into victory!

Since several of Chen Fan's earliest techniques had originated from the Flying Tiger Sect, he naturally had a different feeling toward this sect.

The Flying Tiger Sect was also one of the few martial schools capable of competing with the White Cloud Martial Academy!

Combined with the deliberate provocation of that youth Yan Lincu yesterday, there seemed to be a special atmosphere whenever White Cloud Martial Academy disciples faced Flying Tiger Sect disciples!

The two exchanged glances, and Zhang Feihong charged forward, throwing a punch.

Smack!

Chen Fan also threw a punch.

Feeling the immense force carried by Chen Fan's fist, Zhang Feihong could not help taking a step back.

He could not help giving Chen Fan another look. Though the boy was not short, his face was clearly youthful, showing that he was not very old.

"This kid is incredibly strong!"

Chen Fan was also slightly taken aback.

He could tell that the fist technique this man used was none other than Tiger Fist. He could even sense that Zhang Feihong had cultivated inner breath!

Tiger Fist was certainly a widespread technique, but it was still a second-rate manual with a certain threshold. Zhang Feihong did not appear to have any sort of background, so it was no easy feat for him to cultivate this manual!

"He's a formidable opponent!"

Chen Fan raised his guard. Wanting to temper himself as well, he did not press his advantage. Instead, he steadily used Wind-Thunder Palm.

Smack! Smack! Smack!

Zhang Feihong had cultivated inner breath. His punches were vicious and decisive, and his movements were practiced. He was clearly different from those disciples who could only rigidly apply strength-training techniques, having evidently gone through plenty of real combat.

If Chen Fan had not possessed such a powerful physique and vigorous vitality, he likely would have been thrown into disarray as well!

Seeing that Chen Fan was not at a disadvantage, the White Cloud Martial Academy disciples were all encouraged!

Though they could not see Zhang Feihong's exact strength, they could tell from his age and build that he was not an easy opponent!

On the arena, sweat beaded on Zhang Feihong's forehead, and his hair fluttered in the wind. Unable to secure victory, he instead found the fight increasingly difficult, and anxiety rose within him.

I'm supposed to make it into the top thirty and win twenty taels of silver. How can I lose here?!

For a disciple from an ordinary family, twenty taels of silver was a windfall!

Even disciples who cultivated true martial arts could not ignore such a reward!

With his Tiger Fist inner breath and considerable combat experience, Zhang Feihong truly had a chance of making it into the top thirty.

Unable to break through Chen Fan's defense, Zhang Feihong's eyes reddened. He suddenly bent down and lashed out with a fierce kick aimed directly at Chen Fan's groin!

He had actually used a move from street brawling.

Chen Fan narrowly avoided it and frowned deeply.

After that, Zhang Feihong became even more shameless, resorting to one trick after another.

Chen Fan was indeed somewhat lacking in adaptability, but his strength surpassed Zhang Feihong's by a fair margin, allowing him to handle it.

He frowned and glared at Zhang Feihong. If this were not an arena match, the man would probably have already thrown lime powder and chili water at him!

Zhang Feihong's eyes were bloodshot, and a fierce glint flashed within them.

I can't lose!

When someone had no scruples and viewed victory as the only goal, they suddenly became far more difficult to deal with.

From then on, every move Zhang Feihong made targeted Chen Fan below the waist, using every possible means!

The rules of this martial meet did not impose many restrictions. As long as no weapons were used and no prohibited drugs were taken, any method was allowed!

Below the arena, Feng Yuancheng watched the scene, shook his head, and declared, "Chen Fan is going to lose..."