Helpless...

Bai Cheng forced himself to his feet and staggered toward the edge of the arena.

"...You won."

As he passed Qin Yu, he muttered unwillingly in a voice only the two of them could hear.

That Earth Dragon Overturning had completely crushed Bai Cheng's fighting spirit.

He was still at the stage of simply outputting battle qi, while Qin Yu had already begun manipulating the earth itself. How the hell was he supposed to fight that?

Rather than being dragged out and beaten again in the future, he might as well make a clean break now.

"We can spar again sometime."

Qin Yu glanced at him, tossed out those words, and left the arena.

Bai Cheng stared blankly at the retreating figure. He could not help closing his eyes as a bitter curve tugged at his lips.

So Qin Yu had been using him to test moves from beginning to end.

He was just a whetstone, a whetstone used to test the power of new battle skills.

At that moment, he felt more defeated than ever before.

Of course, if Qin Yu knew what Bai Cheng was thinking, he would probably say:

You're overthinking it, kid.

Qin Yu had indeed used him to test his move, but he had also regarded him as a genuine opponent.

"What a move, Earth Dragon Overturning. Its power far surpasses my Great Coffin-Splitting Claw."

In the stands, three students dressed in upper-year uniforms had watched the entire match. The most burly among them could not help clicking his tongue.

"With the force of ten thousand tons, it crushes all of the opponent's resistance. Unless one is a Great Dou Master of four stars or above, the only option is to dodge."

"...I'm saying, you two, enough already. Why do you look like your lives are over?"

"If we run into him, we fight if we can win. If we can't, then we admit defeat."

The other two exchanged glances, then helplessly shook their heads and smiled.

The spectators were still discussing the match fervently. Some debated the grade of Earth Dragon Overturning, while others guessed at Qin Yu's true background.

"Hey... doesn't Qin Yu's Earth Dragon Overturning look a lot like the shockwaves in the mountains?"

Suddenly, someone blurted that out.

The students fell silent for a moment before erupting into even noisier discussion.

Qin Yu walked out of the arena and lowered his head to look at his palm. The power of Earth Dragon Overturning had exceeded even his expectations.

This was only a move he had initially created after combining the abilities of the Earth Sovereign.

If he could improve it further and combine the fluctuation frequency of the earth veins' power with the way force was layered in the Qilin Fist...

Countless new ideas flooded his mind, but if he wanted to continue improving, his top priority was still cultivation.

Comprehension ≠ cultivation talent. As far as cultivation was concerned, Qin Yu was still just an ordinary person.

After defeating Bai Cheng, Qin Yu's life returned to tranquility once more. There were only three things in it: classes, arena matches, and cultivation.

One month later, Qin Yu's cultivation advanced again, reaching the level of a Two-Star Battle Master.

And with an undefeated arena record throughout that month, he had shot up to ninety-eighth place on the points ranking.

Everyone ahead of him and behind him had a cultivation level no lower than a Five-Star Battle Master. Qin Yu alone stood out brilliantly among the top hundred with his cultivation as a Two-Star Battle Master.

"Brother Yu... We clearly cultivate together every day, so why did you break through to Two-Star Battle Master faster than I broke through to Three-Star Fighter?"

On the mountain path, Xiao Yu muttered as she walked. Qin Yu turned to glance at her and casually rubbed her head.

"Brother Yu! I just fixed my hair! You messed it all up!"

Xiao Yu sprang aside like a cat whose tail had been stepped on, shielding the top of her head with both hands as she glared at Qin Yu in displeasure.

Seeing her like that, Qin Yu's lips curled upward slightly.

This girl seemed to have loosened up lately. She used to blush occasionally when she was around him, but now she had started bickering with him.

"Is it messy? Let me see."

He pretended to reach out again, and Xiao Yu hurriedly hopped back a step, watching his hand warily.

"Don't touch it! Touch me again and I'll bite you!"

"Bite me? Since when did you learn to bite people?"

"Just now! I learned it on the spot!"

The two faced off on the mountain path for several seconds. In the end, Xiao Yu was the first to crack, letting out a snort of laughter.

She reached up to straighten the hair Qin Yu had messed up, shot him a glare, then stretched her long legs and continued up the mountain.

The two passed through the dense forest one after the other. Qin Yu pushed aside the branches before him, and his steps suddenly halted.

By the pool, Han Yue was sitting cross-legged on that familiar rock.

Her eyes were closed, and her breathing was long and steady. An icy blue battle qi glow surrounded her body.

But today, the fluctuations of that glow were clearly far more intense than usual. Like waves, they spread outward again and again before suddenly contracting back into her body.

"Senior Han Yue is... about to break through?"

Xiao Yu leaned close to Qin Yu's ear and asked in a lowered voice.

After cultivating here for so long, she had gotten to know this upper-year senior as well.

And perhaps because they were both girls, Han Yue spoke even more with Xiao Yu than she did with Qin Yu.

Qin Yu nodded without making a sound. He merely pulled Xiao Yu back several steps and watched quietly.

By the pool, the icy blue glow around Han Yue began contracting faster, and the air temperature abruptly dropped.

A thin layer of ice spread across the surface of the pool at a visible pace, accompanied by endless crackling sounds of freezing.

The next second, the icy blue glow abruptly contracted, all of it withdrawing into her body.

"Whew..."

Han Yue opened her eyes and stretched lazily, savoring the exhilaration brought by her breakthrough.

"You're here."

Han Yue's voice was still cool and clear, but her tone carried less of the distance she had initially shown.

"Congratulations on breaking through to nine stars, Senior Han Yue."

"Mm. Qin Yu, are you free right now?"

Qin Yu froze for a moment. Why was Han Yue suddenly asking that?

Xiao Yu, standing nearby, widened her eyes and looked back and forth between them.

No, sister, I'm standing right here!

"Uh, don't misunderstand. I just want to spar with you."

Realizing that her words seemed to have caused a misunderstanding, Han Yue hurriedly explained.

Over the past month or so, she had heard a little about Qin Yu's record in the arena and had long wanted to have a match with him.

Xiao Yu immediately let out a sigh of relief. Good, good. If Han Yue really had those kinds of thoughts, would she not become the helpless...

"Sure."

After clearing up the situation, Qin Yu agreed readily.

For one thing, he truly needed a powerful opponent to test his current strength.

Han Yue was a Nine-Star Battle Master, far stronger than Bai Cheng, making her perfect for the role.

And for another...

Qin Yu's gaze swept over the surrounding mountain forest, and the corners of his mouth lifted slightly.

In these mountains, this was his home ground.

Since he began cultivating the Mysterious Earth Qilin Formula, he had never fought anyone in an environment like this.

"Yu'er, step back a little."

Xiao Yu nodded obediently and retreated more than ten steps. She sat down on a protruding rock, ready to watch the battle.

Han Yue clenched her right hand, and a completely silver-white longsword appeared in her palm.

"I won't hold back."

"Same here."