That familiar greeting, the same gentleness and warmth—yet Zhong Xian nearly panicked and turned to flee!
Her footsteps came to a heavy halt. Zhong Xian forcibly suppressed the urge to run and looked at the smiling face opposite her.
Just yesterday, after returning to the Combat Space for the first time in a month, she had been brimming with spirit, ready to challenge her limits. Then this man before her had hacked her into several pieces!
After that battle, Zhong Xian had nearly fallen into depression!
At the same time, it had taught her a profound Dao Principle.
If she wanted others to listen to her, she first needed the strength to make them listen!
Zhong Xian's chest rose and fell. The reprimand she had prepared was forcibly swallowed, turning into a dry explanation.
"It wasn't a coincidence. I'm going to Wu Yi City too. I was the one who arrived late."
Li Qingshan nodded in satisfaction, as if in approval. "You weren't late. I only just arrived as well."
"That's good." Zhong Xian let out a sigh of relief.
Both sides spoke calmly, as though this were an ordinary exchange of pleasantries.
Yet everyone around them was dumbfounded, unable to believe their eyes.
"Huh?" Zhao Hongzhou's mouth hung open as he exchanged glances with Yu Lei and Hong Qian, seeing the shock in each other's eyes.
Hadn't Senior Sister Zhong Xian rushed here without stopping to scold everyone senseless first?
How had it turned into such a boring exchange of pleasantries?
Since when had Senior Sister Zhong Xian changed her ways?
Compared to Zhao Hongzhou and the others' shock, Liu Haibing and the other four on the ground were even more frantic.
Was Senior Sister Zhong Xian blind? Hadn't she seen Li Qingshan brazenly attack and knock all of them down?
"Senior Sister, you have to stand up for us!"
Liu Haibing could no longer hold back. Crying and sniffling, she crawled toward Zhong Xian and reached for her thigh.
"Senior Sister, Li Qingshan has gone too far. He simply doesn't respect us Second Years at all."
"That's right, Senior Sister. It would be one thing if he only looked down on us, but he doesn't even hold you in any regard!"
"Exactly! He's only a First Year, yet he's already this arrogant, beating up senior brothers and sisters. What will become of him in the future?"
The other four followed behind Liu Haibing, weeping and wailing while adding fuel to the fire, doing everything they could to sow discord.
Their five pairs of eyes kept darting toward Li Qingshan, full of smug satisfaction.
They knew Zhong Xian well. With Zhong Xian's personality of always loving to be a teacher, she would never stand idly by.
"Bullshit! When did Brother Shan ever provoke you? You were clearly the ones who came looking for trouble!"
Zhao Hongzhou was enraged by their reversal of black and white and immediately wanted to step forward and kick them a few times.
Yu Lei grabbed Zhao Hongzhou and anxiously said to Zhong Xian,
"Senior Sister, don't listen to their nonsense. They were the ones who provoked him first. Li Qingshan only..."
"No need to say any more. I saw it all."
Zhong Xian's lovely brows furrowed slightly as she waved a hand to cut her off.
It was over. It was over.
Yu Lei, Zhao Hongzhou, and Hong Qian all went pale.
Here it came. Here it came.
Even if she gave both sides fifty strokes, Li Qingshan would not get away with it!
Liu Haibing and the other four perked up, their bright eyes fixed on Zhong Xian.
Liu Haibing's outstretched hand was kicked straight back, and her entire body toppled onto the ground.
Zhong Xian withdrew her foot and said coldly,
"If you cry and whine after losing, what martial arts are you even training for?"
"Huh?"
The five on the ground froze in place, utterly at a loss.
"Is the ground that comfortable? Or do you want to keep standing here at the station and disgrace our Martial Arts Class?"
As she spoke, Zhong Xian's right hand tightened around her sword hilt.
The five jolted and hurriedly climbed to their feet, cautiously studying Zhong Xian.
Wasn't she supposed to give both sides fifty strokes? Why had she only punished them? What about Li Qingshan?
Unfortunately, no matter how they looked, Zhong Xian showed no intention of acting again. Her icy gaze remained fixed on them, and she did not spare Li Qingshan a single glance.
Just then, a burst of hearty laughter rang out.
"Hahaha, you students are full of energy!"
Wan Keshan stroked his chin as he walked over from nearby, with Teacher Li following behind him wearing a helpless expression.
Li Qingshan's gaze shifted. He carefully observed Wan Keshan's slight click of the tongue and somehow sensed a hint of regret.
Thinking of Wan Keshan's past mischievous tastes, along with the helplessness on Teacher Li's face—
He could practically conclude that Wan Keshan had arrived long ago and had been watching the show from the sidelines!
Li Qingshan took the initiative to greet him, saying meaningfully,
"We were late and made the two teachers wait for a long time."
He stressed the words "wait for a long time" heavily, and a trace of embarrassment flashed across Teacher Li's face.
"Hahaha!"
Wan Keshan's expression remained unchanged, completely unconcerned.
"The train hasn't left yet, so there's no need to hurry."
With that, he waved a large hand and led the group toward the platform.
It only took two hours to travel from Luoying to Wu Yi City, and there were many departures, so the platform was not very crowded.
Before long, the Martial Arts Class group successfully boarded the train.
Once everyone had taken their seats, Wan Keshan reached out and pulled Li Qingshan up, calling to Teacher Li,
"Teacher Li, watch these little ones for now. I'll come over later."
Under many curious gazes, Li Qingshan followed Wan Keshan into the next carriage.
This carriage was quite empty, with only a few scattered passengers.
The moment they entered, Wan Keshan abruptly spoke.
"You've fought Zhong Xian before, haven't you?"
Li Qingshan nodded.
"That's right. We fought once in the Combat Space yesterday."
"I knew it. Otherwise, with that little girl's temperament, how could she possibly hold herself back!"
A smile curled at Wan Keshan's lips as he asked curiously,
"You definitely won, but what's your rank now?"
"23,874."
"Twenty thousand... Wait!" Wan Keshan's smile froze as he glared at Li Qingshan.
"You mean you're ranked somewhere in the twenty-thousands now?"
Li Qingshan nodded.
Wan Keshan sucked in a breath of cold air and lightly rubbed his temples.
"No, no. How could you have matched with Zhong Xian when you were ranked in the twenty-thousands?"
"Teacher, when I matched with Senior Sister Zhong Xian yesterday, I was still ranked around sixty thousand," Li Qingshan answered honestly.
"Uh..." Wan Keshan choked for a moment before reorganizing his words.
"You mean that yesterday, in the Combat Space, you fought all the way from sixty thousand to 23,874?"
"Teacher, there's no need to be so surprised." Li Qingshan's expression was calm as he said evenly,
"I just wanted to see what level I was truly at among the Second Years. Rank 23,874 probably isn't enough to secure the top ten, right?"
"You really think you're a Second Year now?" Wan Keshan was angered into laughter.
No need to be surprised?
A First Year martial arts student had already reached the very top tier among the Second Years. Who wouldn't be surprised?
Three months ago, he had thought it was merely an offhand remark. He had never expected Li Qingshan to truly intend to accomplish it!
At that thought, Wan Keshan's expression gradually turned serious.
"With a rank of 23,874, you should be at the Body Tempering fifth level. Your Wind Shadow Blade is at perfection, while your Mizong Step is still at Great Accomplishment and hasn't broken through yet, correct?"
"Teacher, you truly see every detail!" Li Qingshan casually flattered him, not at all surprised.
As a Martial Arts Teacher, it would have been strange if he could not infer even this much.
Wan Keshan waved a hand and analyzed carefully.
"You were right before. A rank of merely 23,874 truly isn't enough."
"To securely claim the top ten, your Mizong Step must break through to perfection, and your rank must be within the top 21,000."
"But now that we're going to Wu Yi City, the official competition is tomorrow. There's no time left for you to break through."
Wan Keshan shook his head and looked at his student.
"Forget about skipping grades. There will be other chances in the future for you to obtain a C-rank Martial Skill."
"How can we just forget it?!" Li Qingshan immediately grew anxious and hurriedly said,
"Teacher, don't worry. I've already gained some insight. I can break through first thing tomorrow morning!"
"Heh, you're quite capable now. You can even pinpoint a breakthrough that precisely?"
Wan Keshan sneered, not believing him at all.
"The final Marvel of Square Inch in the Mizong Step is mysterious beyond mystery."
"If you understand it, you understand it. If you don't, you don't. Even I was stuck dead at this step back then and had no choice but to give up on the Heavenly Net Mizong Step."
"Teacher!"
Li Qingshan's expression turned solemn. Looking at Wan Keshan, he said seriously,
"I really am confident!"
Before you continue