Zhong Xian Is Here!

The next morning, at dawn.

The biting cold wind stung their faces. Outside the high-speed rail station, the passing crowds were bundled up tightly, hurrying along with brisk steps.

Screech!

A piercing brake sound rang out as a bus stopped in front of the station sign.

A young man in a thin shirt, carrying a black saber, jumped off the bus, drawing plenty of attention.

Li Qingshan ignored the surrounding stares and headed straight for the entrance.

Because of the Thunder-Pattern Blade, he was stopped at the security checkpoint.

However, after he proved his identity as a martial arts student, the security staff did not give him much trouble and even helpfully pointed him toward his companions.

Following the directions, Li Qingshan soon spotted seven or eight figures seated ahead, each holding a weapon.

An empty circle surrounded them. The other passengers sat several rows away, watching them curiously.

"Brother Shan!"

A tall, burly figure abruptly rose from his seat, waving as he strode over.

The man and woman seated beside him also stood up and followed behind.

A smile appeared on Li Qingshan's face as he went to meet them.

"You all got here pretty early. I left half an hour ahead of schedule, yet I still arrived after you."

The three before him were Zhao Hongzhou, as well as Yu Lei and Hong Qian, whom he had not seen for a long time.

"Hehe, we're going to the provincial capital. Of course we had to leave early. The last time I went to Wuyi was when I was in elementary school!"

Zhao Hongzhou rubbed his hands together with a grin. Li Qingshan nodded and did not laugh at him.

Come to think of it, whether before or after transmigrating, he had never been to Wuyi City, the provincial capital.

Hong Qian, standing nearby, asked curiously, "Li Qingshan, you've been training in seclusion for so long. You'll definitely take first place in the freshman division of this Rookie Tournament, right?"

Li Qingshan smiled and nodded, but did not say much. Instead, he asked, "Zhao Hongzhou is already ranked third in the class. You and Yu Lei should both be at Body Tempering Second Stage by now, right?"

Hong Qian nodded, though his expression was somewhat helpless.

"This Rookie Tournament has gathered the top students from all over the province. Body Tempering Second Stage is probably just the entry threshold.

Zhao Hongzhou and I are only going to broaden our horizons. The only one with any real hope of placing is Yu Lei."

Zhao Hongzhou had a good mindset and said cheerfully, "Brother Shan, Yu Lei is incredible. In the last test, her speed reached 15.3 meters per second. That's already beyond the Body Tempering Third Stage standard."

As he spoke, Zhao Hongzhou could not help recalling the past and said smugly, "Looks like we were right back then. For martial arts, you need a build like Yu Lei's. Someone like Liu Jingya..."

"Mmph!"

Li Qingshan clamped a hand over his big mouth, then looked at Yu Lei, whose face had darkened, and stiffly changed the subject.

"Uh... are you confident about making the top ten?"

"Other than you, who would dare say they're confident?" Yu Lei shot the two of them an annoyed glare and said helplessly, "My test results were only better because I recently mastered the Lost-Trace Steps, so I had a slight advantage."

The speed test assessed more than just speed; movement techniques and reactions were also included, and the Lost-Trace Steps provided a substantial boost.

"Martial techniques are part of one's strength. That doesn't count as taking advantage." After a brief pause, Li Qingshan said seriously, "As long as you use the Lost-Trace Steps flexibly in battle, reaching the top ten should not be a problem."

Movement techniques and martial techniques were usually only studied in the second year. The freshman Rookie Tournament mainly came down to physical attributes.

However, the differences in speed and punching power between Body Tempering Second and Third Stage were not particularly significant. Meanwhile, mastery-level Lost-Trace Steps could already be used in actual combat, giving her an enormous advantage.

As Li Qingshan and the other three caught up, they walked toward the seats.

Three men and two women were sitting there, all second-year martial arts students participating in this tournament.

"Well, if it isn't our top freshman?"

A heavily built woman deliberately pinched her voice into a coquettish tone and said, "You came so early. I thought you were going to make a grand entrance at the end!"

"Damn, what filthy thing is that?"

Zhao Hongzhou shuddered and leaped back a step.

Yu Lei and Hong Qian could not hold it in any longer and burst out laughing.

The fat woman's face alternated between green and white. She abruptly stood up and pointed her sword at Li Qingshan and the others.

"You freshmen, do you know what it means to respect your seniors?"

Yu Lei's smile faded. Looking at the sheathed longsword, she said solemnly, "Liu Haibing, are you planning to fight at the station?"

"What? Scared?"

Liu Haibing sneered, her eyes fixed on Li Qingshan as she said pointedly, "When the mountain has no tiger, the monkey becomes king. But even a monkey should know the height of the heavens and the depth of the earth."

As she spoke, the four people beside her also rose to their feet, each staring at Li Qingshan with amused looks in their eyes.

Li Qingshan defeating Yang Peng's group of four and taking the final private training room had been perfectly reasonable.

But... it had not suited their wishes!

Leaving aside Yang Peng and the others' relationship with them as classmates, Li Qingshan's one-against-four victory alone had slapped the entire second year in the face!

Previously, everyone had been occupied with their own training and had not had time to bother with Li Qingshan.

Now that they had run into him, they naturally had to teach him a proper lesson.

"Heh, the height of the heavens and the depth of the earth?"

Li Qingshan placed a hand on Yu Lei's shoulder and moved her behind him.

"Brother Shan, get them!"

Zhao Hongzhou looked fired up, placing absolute trust in Li Qingshan.

Hong Qian looked worried, while Yu Lei frowned anxiously. "You're going to fight? This is a station!"

A few months ago, she had learned about Li Qingshan's record from her older sister, so she naturally was not worried that he would lose.

But fighting openly at the station could mean they would not even make it to Wuyi.

Li Qingshan chuckled and shook his head. "Don't worry. It won't take much."

The moment those words fell, it was as though a powder keg had been ignited. Liu Haibing and the other four flew into a rage.

"Li Qingshan, who are you trying to impress?"

"You think beating Yang Peng and those few makes you invincible?"

"You don't know your own limits!"

Li Qingshan ignored their clamor and walked step by step until he stood before Liu Haibing, his gaze fixed seriously on the longsword in her hand.

"You should be thankful."

Liu Haibing froze for a moment.

"Thankful for what?"

"Thankful that your sword is still sheathed."

Whoosh!

A fierce wind howled, and the figure vanished.

A blade shadow emerged within the gale, attacking all five from every direction and every corner at once.

Wind Shadow Blade, perfected—wind and shadow moved as one!

Before Liu Haibing or the other four behind her could react, searing pain erupted across their bodies.

Bang! Bang! Bang...

The strikes came without pause. The five collapsed one after another, crying out in pain.

With a flash, Li Qingshan returned to his original position.

His saber was still sheathed as well.

Yu Lei and the other two stood dumbfounded, staring blankly.

It truly had not taken much. Only a few seconds had passed from start to finish.

If not for Liu Haibing's group screaming in agony, they would have thought they had just seen an illusion.

"Stop!" A feminine shout arrived belatedly.

Zhao Hongzhou's expression tightened as he turned toward the figure sprinting over from afar, a single ponytail swaying in the wind.

"Senior Zhong Xian is here!"

"It's fine. Senior Zhong Xian has always been fair, but..."

Yu Lei wanted to reassure them, but then she remembered Zhong Xian's habit of acting like a teacher.

Forget Li Qingshan—even the three of them who had merely watched the fight would probably get a scolding.

The five struggling on the ground also saw Zhong Xian approaching, and their cries of pain softened somewhat.

Still, all five brightened up.

After all, Zhong Xian was the leader of their second-year class!

Liu Haibing bared her teeth in pain and glared fiercely at Li Qingshan.

"Li Qingshan, don't get smug. Senior will see that justice is done for us!"

"Is that so?"

Li Qingshan smiled faintly and turned sideways toward the woman with the single ponytail, who had just arrived.

"Senior, what a coincidence!"