Chen You

The two academy masters stood side by side. Zheng Hongfeng stood with his hands behind his back, his expression calm.

"Brother Chen, I assume you came here for the joint training."

Chen Daqing laughed heartily.

"Old Zheng, you're always direct, so I won't beat around the bush either. If our two academies are joining forces for training, we should first see what cards each side has in hand so we know what to expect, shouldn't we?"

As he spoke, his sharp gaze swept across the Outer Court apprentices of Flood Peak Martial Arts Academy.

"Old Zheng, do you have any promising talents among this batch of Outer Court apprentices?"

"Each batch is worse than the last."

At those words, Chen Daqing's lips curled into a meaningful smile.

"The Outer Court apprentices in my batch are all outstanding talents.

"One of them in particular has advanced by leaps and bounds in his cultivation. Before long, he'll likely break through to Manifest Force and become a true Martial Artist."

Zheng Hongfeng neither confirmed nor denied it, merely saying calmly, "I have a few decent ones here as well."

His gaze fell on Zhao Jing and Su Yuhuan, his tone even.

"Zhao Jing has an Upper-middle-grade Bone Constitution. In three months since joining the academy, he has already condensed a strand of Blood Qi and brought the Gale-Breaking Fist to Major Accomplishment.

"The boy beside him is Su Yuhuan. His Bone Constitution is Upper-middle-grade as well, and he has reached Minor Accomplishment in the Gale-Breaking Fist. His foundation is solid.

"Both of them have a chance of breaking through to Dark Strength in the future."

When Zhao Jing saw both academy masters' gazes land on him at once, he subconsciously straightened his back and lifted his chin slightly.

Chen Daqing casually glanced at Zhao Jing. His gaze lingered on him for no more than a breath before withdrawing as he commented, "His Bone Constitution isn't bad. He counts as a promising talent."

This offhand assessment stood in stark contrast to the animated praise he had shown when speaking of his own disciples.

Zheng Hongfeng's expression remained unchanged, but inwardly, he sighed.

Flood Peak Martial Arts Academy truly lagged far behind Thunderclap Martial Arts Academy in overall strength.

"Old Zheng, let me introduce some of the promising talents on my side as well."

Chen Daqing pointed at a burly youth. "This is Iron Bull. He was born with immense strength, has an Upper-middle-grade Bone Constitution, has reached Minor Accomplishment in the Thunderclap Palm, and his fist force is four hundred and fifty pounds."

The youth called Iron Bull scratched his head, grinned innocently, and clasped his fists in salute to Zheng Hongfeng.

"Chen You has an Upper-grade Bone Constitution. He joined the academy only a few days ago, yet he has already trained the Thunderclap Palm to Minor Accomplishment. Such talent is truly rare. His future prospects are boundless."

Upper-grade Bone Constitution!

Minor Accomplishment in the Thunderclap Palm in only a few days!

Everyone turned to look at Chen You, their eyes filled with shock and envy.

Chen You slowly stepped forward before the two academy masters, bowed slightly, and offered a salute.

Facing the scrutinizing gazes of the two academy masters, Chen You remained calm and composed, as though he had long been accustomed to such scenes.

Zheng Hongfeng's gaze rested on Chen You for a moment, and a flicker of envy flashed deep in his eyes.

Among this batch of Outer Court apprentices, Zhao Jing, who had the best aptitude, possessed only an Upper-middle-grade Bone Constitution—one tier below Upper-grade.

Yet Thunderclap Martial Arts Academy had two apprentices with Upper-grade Bone Constitutions in its Outer Court alone.

Zheng Hongfeng shook his head inwardly, though none of it showed on his face. He merely nodded faintly. "Not bad. He truly is a promising talent."

Chen You clasped his fists in salute, then casually swept his gaze toward the apprentices of Flood Peak Martial Arts Academy.

His gaze moved slowly through the crowd, seemingly without concern.

Suddenly, his eyes stopped.

Within the crowd, he saw a familiar figure.

"Fang Han?"

Chen You's lips slowly curled into a chilling, meaningful sneer.

"What is it?"

A clear, pleasant voice sounded beside Chen You.

Qin Lingxi, the foremost disciple of Thunderclap Martial Arts Academy's Outer Court.

Seeing Chen You staring at someone among the Flood Peak Martial Arts Academy crowd with a cold sneer, she casually asked, "Did you run into someone you know?"

Chen You withdrew his gaze and replied respectfully, "Indeed, someone I know."

"But now, he can be considered an enemy."

Qin Lingxi raised her delicate brows slightly, surprise flashing through her eyes.

She followed the direction of Chen You's earlier gaze.

In the crowd stood a lean youth with a calm expression. His clothes were plain, his appearance unremarkable, and there was nothing extraordinary about him from head to toe.

She withdrew her gaze and asked evenly, "Do you want me to intervene? I can send word to Flood Peak Martial Arts Academy's Inner-Court Direct Disciple."

Her tone was casual, as though she were discussing a trivial matter.

The Qin Household had officially begun sponsoring Chen You, taking him in as a retainer of the Qin Household and providing him with fixed martial cultivation resources every month.

Furthermore, once Chen You broke through to Manifest Force, he would be able to marry a direct-line young lady of the Qin Household and officially become one of them.

Naturally, Qin Lingxi regarded Chen You as one of her own.

Since Fang Han was Chen You's enemy, he was the Qin Household's enemy.

At least, that was how she saw it.

Chen You gave a cold laugh and shook his head, his tone full of arrogance. "No need."

He stood with his hands behind his back, his gaze passing over the crowd to settle on Fang Han, as though looking down upon an insignificant ant.

"This man is nothing more than a mud-legged peasant. He can't stir up any trouble. And I will soon break through to Manifest Force and become a true Martial Artist. When that time comes..."

"Crushing him to death will be as easy as crushing an ant."

As he spoke, his gaze never left Fang Han, and the sneer on his lips grew increasingly sinister.

Qin Lingxi shrugged and said no more.

She glanced at Fang Han once more before completely withdrawing her gaze.

As though he were merely a stray dog by the roadside, unworthy of another look.

Meanwhile, within the crowd, Fang Han's gaze never left Chen You.

His expression remained calm, without the slightest ripple.

When he caught the cold killing intent rising in Chen You's eyes, Fang Han knew that now that this beast had learned he had joined the academy, he definitely would not let him go.

Strike first, or suffer later.

Fang Han withdrew his gaze and stopped looking at him, already placing the matter of eliminating him at the very top of his priorities.

Chen You was calculating and ruthless.

For the sake of a single Spirit Fish that day, he had dared to try to kill him and steal it away.

The longer someone like that lived, the greater the threat.

If Chen You were allowed to grow into a Manifest Force Martial Artist, or even a Dark-Strength Martial Artist, dealing with him then would not be easy.

"Slow! Too slow!"

"I must quickly grind the proficiency of the Gale-Breaking Fist up to Major Accomplishment. Once the Gale-Breaking Fist reaches Major Accomplishment, I can directly condense three strands of Blood Qi!"

"Then I'll use the Martial Soul Avatar to train the Nine Flood Dragon Palms to Perfection, allowing me to directly condense five strands of Blood Qi!"

"That will make ten strands of Blood Qi in total. By then, I can directly undergo Body Tempering Third Layer and temper one of my sinews, bones, or skin!"

Originally, Fang Han had planned to train steadily at his current pace and further solidify his foundation.

But after seeing his former enemy Chen You appear at Thunderclap Martial Arts Academy today,

a powerful sense of urgency surged up within Fang Han once more.

It was even more pressing than when he faced Zhou Dabao!

If Zhou Dabao was a vicious dog openly standing in the way, biting anyone he saw,

then someone like Chen You was a venomous snake hidden in the darkness, waiting for an opportunity—far more sinister!

Because you could never be sure when he would strike, nor what vicious methods he would use.

Only by getting rid of Chen You first could Fang Han train in peace.