Senior Zhong Xian Is Here!

The next morning.

The biting cold wind stung people's faces. The crowds outside the high-speed rail station were wrapped up tightly, hurrying along with brisk steps.

Screech!

A harsh braking sound rang out as a bus stopped before the station sign.

A young man in a thin shirt, carrying a black longsword, jumped down from the bus, drawing plenty of attention.

Li Qingshan ignored the looks around him and headed straight for the entrance.

Because of the Thunder Pattern Blade, he was stopped while entering the station.

However, after he proved his identity as a martial arts student, the security staff did not make things difficult for him.

They even thoughtfully pointed him in the direction of his companions.

Following the directions, Li Qingshan soon spotted seven or eight figures seated ahead, every one of them 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 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 time, but I still ended up behind you."

The three before him were Zhao Hongzhou, along with Yu Lei and Hong Qian, whom he had not seen for quite some time.

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

Zhao Hongzhou rubbed his hands 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 the provincial capital, Wu Yi City.

Beside them, Hong Qian asked with a face full of curiosity, "Li Qingshan, after being in seclusion for so long, you'll definitely take first place in the First Year division of this Rookie Competition, 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 the Body Tempering Second Level by now, right?"

Hong Qian nodded, though his face carried a trace of helplessness.

"This Rookie Competition has gathered the top students from the entire province. The Body Tempering Second Level is probably just the 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 pretty good mindset and said with a cheerful smile, "Brother Shan, Yu Lei is incredible. In the last test, her speed was 15.3 meters per second. That's already above the Body Tempering Third Level standard."

As he spoke, Zhao Hongzhou could not help recalling the past and said proudly, "We really did have good judgment back then. For martial arts, you need a build like Yu Lei's. Someone like Liu Jingya..."

"Mmff!"

Li Qingshan tightly covered his big mouth. Looking at Yu Lei's darkening expression, he 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 a little better because I recently cultivated Mizong Step to mastery."

Besides testing speed, the speed test also assessed Movement Technique and reactions. Mizong Step provided a huge bonus.

"A Martial Technique is part of one's strength too. That doesn't count as taking advantage." After pondering briefly, Li Qingshan said seriously, "As long as you use Mizong Step flexibly in battle, taking the top ten should not be a problem."

Movement Techniques and Martial Techniques were usually only touched upon in the Second Year. The First Year Rookie Competition mainly compared physical qualities.

However, the difference in speed and punching force between the Body Tempering Second and Third Levels was not actually significant. On the other hand, a mastery-level Mizong Step could already be used in actual combat, giving a tremendous advantage.

As the four chatted about old times, they headed toward the seats.

There were another three men and two women there, all Second Year martial arts students participating in this competition.

"Well, if it isn't our First in the new intake?"

A large, burly woman pinched her throat and deliberately spoke in a coquettish voice.

"You came so early. I thought you were going to make a grand entrance at the very end!"

"Damn, what filthy thing is that?!"

Zhao Hongzhou shuddered and leaped back a step.

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

The fat woman's face turned green, then white. She abruptly stood up and raised her sword at Li Qingshan's group.

"You First Years, do you even know what it means to respect your seniors?"

Yu Lei's smile faded as she looked at the sheathed longsword and said in a deep voice, "Liu Haibing, do you want to make a move at the station?"

"What? Scared?"

Liu Haibing sneered, her gaze fixed on Li Qingshan as she said meaningfully, "When the mountain has no tiger, the monkey calls itself king. But even a monkey needs to know how high the sky is and how deep the earth."

As she spoke, the four people beside her also rose to their feet. Every one of them stared at Li Qingshan, their eyes brimming with mockery.

Li Qingshan had defeated Yang Peng and the other three, claiming the final Single Training Room. That was perfectly reasonable.

But... it did not sit well with them!

Leaving aside Yang Peng's group being their classmates, Li Qingshan's one-against-four stunt had slapped the entire Second Year across the face!

Previously, everyone had been busy with their own training and had no time to deal with Li Qingshan.

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

"Hehe, how high the sky is and how deep the earth?"

Li Qingshan reached out, rested 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, however, looked worried. Yu Lei furrowed her brows, somewhat anxious as she said, "You're going to fight? This is a station!"

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

But if he openly fought at the station, one wrong move and they might not even make it to Wu Yi City.

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

The moment he said that, it was as though he had lit a powder keg. Liu Haibing and the other four flew into a rage.

"Li Qingshan, who are you putting on an act for?"

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

"You don't know life from death, and you don't know your own limits!"

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

"You should be glad."

Liu Haibing froze.

"Glad about what?"

"Glad your sword is still sheathed."

The gale howled, and the figure vanished without a trace.

Blade shadows emerged from the raging wind, attacking all five from every direction and every corner at once.

Wind Shadow Blade at Perfection—Wind Shadow Follows!

Neither Liu Haibing nor the other four behind her had time to react before excruciating pain erupted from every part of their bodies.

Bang! Bang! Bang...

The sounds of strikes rang out one after another. The five collapsed in succession, crying out in pain without end.

With a flash, Li Qingshan returned to where he had been standing.

His blade, too, had never left its sheath.

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

It truly had not taken much. From beginning to end, only a few seconds had passed.

If not for Liu Haibing's group's miserable cries, they would have thought they had just seen an illusion.

"Stop!" A sharp feminine cry came belatedly.

Zhao Hongzhou's expression tightened. Turning his head, he looked toward the figure racing over from afar, her 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 thought of Zhong Xian's personality of always loving to lecture others.

Forget Li Qingshan—even the three of them who had merely "watched the battle" would probably get scolded too.

The five struggling on the ground also saw Zhong Xian approaching, and even their cries of pain grew a little quieter.

Still, the five perked up.

After all, Zhong Xian was the leading figure of their Second Year!

Liu Haibing grimaced in pain and glared viciously at Li Qingshan.

"Li Qingshan, don't get cocky. Senior will uphold justice for us!"

"Is that so?"

Li Qingshan smiled faintly and turned to look at the single-ponytailed girl who had already arrived nearby.

"Senior, what a coincidence!"