Fourth-Realm Martial Artist

There was no helping it. Even Li Xingyu was not completely confident he could enter the Joint Key Class.

Liu Simeng and Zhang Hengqi were even closer to the cutoff for the available slots.

Of Second High School's ten slots, First Class would probably take more than half.

"Time's almost up. Third Class, come with me."

Time passed slowly. Zhang Yan glanced at the classroom clock, then spoke to the students.

Everyone rose to their feet and followed Zhang Yan out in a grand procession.

First Class Martial Arts Training Room.

Everyone from First Class had arrived early, but the scene was somewhat strange.

Two young figures, a man and a woman, sat off to one side with their eyes closed, looking completely detached from the world.

The other forty-eight students stood nearby in silence, not one of them speaking.

At the front of the formation sat an elderly man with white hair. His cloudy eyes continuously swept over the forty-eight students.

Every student who met his gaze lowered their head, not daring to look him in the eye.

Suddenly, the old man's gaze sharpened as he looked toward the training room doors.

Ten seconds later, a group slowly appeared. At the front was a man with an ethereal air, looking like a frail scholar.

At the head of the students stood Lin Jie.

Second Class had arrived.

"Greetings, Teacher Jiang."

Zheng Si, Second Class's martial arts instructor, quickly stepped before Jiang Huaisheng and bowed.

"Mm. Teacher Zheng, you've brought Second Class."

Jiang Huaisheng did not rise. After glancing at Zheng Si, he closed his eyes again.

Zheng Si was not offended. After all, Jiang Huaisheng had worked at Second High School for over forty years and was also a Fourth-Realm Mid-Stage Martial Artist.

His seniority and strength both surpassed Zheng Si's.

No matter what, he deserved respect.

As Lin Jie entered First Class's martial arts training room, his gaze immediately landed on the two people seated off to the side.

As though sensing Lin Jie's stare, one of the boys opened his eyes and nodded at him.

The other girl ignored Lin Jie's gaze.

Lin Jie merely shrugged with a faint smile, then led Second Class to stand beside First Class's formation and quietly wait for the remaining three classes.

A minute later, Zhang Yan led Li Xingyu, Su Yuan, and the others to the entrance.

"Greetings, Teacher Jiang."

Zhang Yan likewise stepped forward to bow to Jiang Huaisheng first.

"Mm. Teacher Zhang, you've come too."

Jiang Huaisheng opened his eyes and gave Zhang Yan a glance, saying nothing further.

"Then I'll have Third Class line up."

Zhang Yan walked to Li Xingyu's side and gestured for him to stand beside Second Class's formation.

Amid the crowd, Su Yuan's eyes met Lin Jie's, seemingly by chance.

Then he sensed two more gazes resting on him. Su Yuan did not need to look to know they belonged to Cheng Chi and Qin Ming.

As for the two from First Class, Su Yuan had noticed them the instant he entered the training room.

The feeling those two gave Su Yuan was on an entirely different level from Lin Jie.

Could these two have already become First-Realm Martial Artists?

Su Yuan felt that something was off. The two simply sat there.

Even from so far away, he could sense the abundant Blood Qi faintly radiating from them.

After being tempered by Cocoon-Breaking Power, Su Yuan's eyesight had already improved by several levels.

The enhancement Cocoon-Breaking Power brought him was comprehensive.

By eyesight alone, Su Yuan could tell who was stronger or weaker among those close to his own level.

Su Yuan had his eyes on them, but they might not necessarily have had their eyes on him.

After all, Su Yuan was currently just a weakling with a Blood Qi Value of 78.3. The gap between their Blood Qi Values was too great for comparison.

Nearby, Cheng Chi and Qin Ming stood together, whispering to each other about who knew what.

Their occasional wicked chuckles left the Second Class students beside them utterly baffled.

They secretly wondered if those two had been provoked somehow. Why were they standing there grinning like idiots?

Lin Jie noticed their movements and could not help feeling helpless.

Today, Su Yuan's strength might be exposed.

When that happened, Lin Jie's place among the top three of Qianshan No. 2 High School would no longer be secure.

It would be impossible for him not to feel disappointed.

After talking with his father, Lin Zhenyan, Lin Jie had frequently sought out Su Yuan for sparring matches over the past five days.

The more they sparred, the more despair Lin Jie felt.

The more he fought Su Yuan, the more wrong it felt.

Yesterday, Su Yuan had made Lin Jie feel as if he had stopped holding back.

Su Yuan had flashed before him in an instant. Under Lin Jie's horrified gaze, Su Yuan flicked away the spear in his right hand with one finger, while his left fist stopped just short of Lin Jie's face.

The sparring match had lasted only two seconds.

So he had been instantly defeated?

Lin Jie felt bitter. He had not expected to follow in Cheng Chi's footsteps.

Yet amid that bitterness, Lin Jie eagerly wondered whether Su Yuan could stand against the two from First Class.

Soon after, the students from Fourth Class and Fifth Class arrived one after another.

All 262 students were now present.

Seeing this, Jiang Huaisheng slowly rose to his feet and walked to the center of the five class formations.

Fang Yan and Leng Xin, who had been seated nearby, quickly returned to First Class's formation.

Jiang Huaisheng swept his gaze across the rows of slightly immature faces, and a trace of nostalgia flashed through his eyes.

Youth was truly wonderful.

"The establishment of the Joint Key Class is an unprecedented opportunity for all of you."

"I've taught for forty-eight years, and this is the first time I've seen the Qianshan District Martial Arts Education Bureau make such a major move."

Suddenly, Jiang Huaisheng changed the subject.

"Most of you probably have no idea just how powerful a Fourth-Realm Martial Artist is."

"Zheng Si, Zhang Yan."

"Here."

Zheng Si and Zhang Yan answered in unison.

"They are both Third-Realm Peak Martial Artists. Next, I'll let you see the strength of a Fourth-Realm Martial Artist."

As soon as he finished speaking, Zheng Si and Zhang Yan exchanged a glance. Then, beneath the stunned eyes of more than two hundred people, they simultaneously launched a fierce attack on Jiang Huaisheng.

In an instant, the two vanished from where they stood. Everyone's vision blurred, and they appeared before Jiang Huaisheng.

Zhang Yan threw a punch while Zheng Si raised a leg. The terrifying gusts of wind made the training room shake continuously, as though an earthquake had struck.

Jiang Huaisheng's expression did not change. He lightly raised his right hand and made a casual block before him.

A pale blue barrier instantly appeared, stopping Zhang Yan and Zheng Si's attacks.

Then Jiang Huaisheng casually swept his right hand. Pale blue Astral Qi erupted, sending Zhang Yan and Zheng Si flying away like cannonballs.

At the same moment Jiang Huaisheng attacked, Yu Yi, Fourth Class's martial arts instructor, stood before all the students and did her best to withstand the shockwave.

Zhang Yan and Zheng Si crashed into the training room wall, leaving deep dents in it. Then the entire training room erupted in a tremendous quake.

Even with Yu Yi protecting them, most of the two hundred-plus students stumbled and fell to the ground.

Fortunately, Jiang Huaisheng had only targeted Zhang Yan and Zheng Si. Otherwise, even with Yu Yi protecting them, every one of Su Yuan and the others would have suffered a concussion.

"Teacher Zhang, Teacher Zheng, my apologies."

Jiang Huaisheng flashed over to Zhang Yan and Zheng Si, bent down, and handed them Recovery Supplements.

Recovery Supplements were energy liquids countless times more effective than Basic Recovery Liquid.

"Teacher Jiang, we're fine."

Zhang Yan and Zheng Si lay on the ground with faces as pale as paper, but their eyes lit up when they saw the Recovery Supplements in Jiang Huaisheng's hand.

After taking the Recovery Supplements, Zhang Yan and Zheng Si's complexions visibly became rosier, and their auras were even slightly stronger than before.