The Marvel of Square Inch

On the southeast corner of the sports field.

The team from Wuyuan City stood in a circle around Yuan Hongyan.

Compared to the noise around them, it was very quiet here.

But the expressions on the students' faces kept shifting—clearly, their hearts were unsettled.

Finally, a girl with chubby cheeks couldn't hold back and spoke up.

"Teacher, this isn't fair! Wu Yi First High School's Wang Jie is at Body Tempering Third Level, with both his Movement Technique and martial skills at Mastery. Among First Years, who can compete with him?"

"Unfair?" Yuan Hongyan lifted her eyelids slightly and said calmly:

"Lin Mengxiao, your strength was cultivated by yourself. Wang Jie's Body Tempering realm, Movement Technique, and martial skills were also cultivated by himself. Where's the unfairness?"

"Besides, martial arts are about strength, not fairness!"

"When you face Fierce Beasts or Evil God Cultists later, can you argue fairness with them?"

Lin Mengxiao faltered, but her brows still showed defiance as she muttered:

"But... but..."

"Mengxiao, that's enough." Lin Fan spoke up, stopping his sister.

"You can take first place in Second Year, so of course you don't care about the rule change."

Lin Mengxiao grumbled under her breath. Lin Fan frowned and was about to scold her.

Yuan Hongyan shook her head, waved her hand to stop him, and looked at Lin Fan.

"You should have fought Fu Wu in the Combat Space, right? How did it go?"

"I've been matched with Fu Wu a few times. He's also at Body Tempering seventh level, with his Movement Technique and martial skills at Great Accomplishment. We've traded wins and losses."

Lin Fan gripped the long spear in his hand, full of confidence.

"Don't worry, Teacher. I've had some new insights into my spear technique these past two days. I should be able to beat him!"

Yuan Hongyan listened, and a thought flashed through her mind—Wan Keshan's meaningful smile. She couldn't help asking:

"By the way, have you encountered any martial arts students from Luoying City in the Combat Space?"

"Luoying?" Lin Fan was taken aback, recalling the morning's encounter, then shook his head.

"The strongest from Luoying should be Zhong Xian, but with her ranking, she hasn't been matched with me yet."

"This morning, I did run into someone named Li Qingshan. His Movement Technique was decent, but his Body Tempering realm shouldn't exceed the sixth level. He's no match for me."

"That's good."

Yuan Hongyan nodded, stopped overthinking, and returned to the main topic.

"Even if you're confident you can beat Fu Wu, this is a Free-for-All Mode. You might not get a fair fight."

Lin Fan said thoughtfully:

"Teacher, do you mean they'll group up?"

"What's there to fear about grouping up? If they can group up, so can we!"

Lin Mengxiao declared proudly, and the others around her puffed out their chests.

Their average strength wasn't weaker than Wu Yi First High School's.

Yuan Hongyan glanced at her students, shook her head, and turned to look at the center of the sports field.

Wu Yi City had more than just one high school.

At the center of the sports field, Lü Jing stood with his hands behind his back, looking at the thin young man in front of him.

"Wang Jie, are you ready?"

"Don't worry, Teacher. I've already contacted students from the other high schools. They've agreed to help me."

Wang Jie replied with a smile, looking like he had everything under control.

The rule change had been proposed by Lü Jing. As the ace of the First Year, he naturally got the news first.

Lü Jing nodded and added a reminder:

"Good. Just don't let your guard down."

Beside them, a burly young man with a stern expression frowned and spoke up:

"Teacher, if we group up in advance, what's the point of Free-for-All Mode?"

"Fu Wu, you've got some nerve!" Wang Jie sneered, taunting him. "What? Do you think you can take on a hundred by yourself?"

Fu Wu's expression turned cold as he stared at Wang Jie.

"Don't forget, you're only the First Year's top. Don't push my limits."

Wang Jie's expression stiffened, and he shut his mouth.

"Alright, this isn't the time for you two to be at each other's throats."

Lü Jing raised a hand to stop their argument, then turned to Fu Wu and said seriously, "Have you thought about what matters most in winning first place in a free-for-all?"

Fu Wu's lips twitched, about to say "strength," but seeing the teacher's expression, it clearly wasn't that simple.

"It's survival!" Lü Jing gave the answer directly. "In a free-for-all, you fight until only one remains. Your first priority is to find a way to last until the end."

Lü Jing paused, his gaze shifting between the two students. "I told you to stick together mainly for self-preservation."

"Self-preservation?" Wang Jie and Fu Wu were both taken aback.

"Tch, you'll band together, but students from other cities will too." Lü Jing shook his head with a sigh. "In fact, because you're from Wu Yi First High School, you'll likely face coordinated targeting from them!"

The big principles were for the meeting room. A chaotic battle of hundreds didn't mean you had to fight a hundred alone. At least, in the shallow waters of Wuyi Province, no dragon like that had been raised yet. This wasn't something only Lü Jing understood; the other martial arts teachers knew it too.

The change in the Rookie Competition's rules was more about cultivating true prodigies in future martial arts classes.

At those words, Wang Jie and Fu Wu's expressions turned serious. The situation in the Rookie Competition was grimmer than they'd imagined.

"Teacher, I'll go contact a few classmates I'm close with." Wang Jie gave a quick nod and turned to leave.

"Wait!" Fu Wu called out, stopping Wang Jie, and said coldly, "Tomorrow morning in the First Year Rookie Competition, teach a lesson to a martial arts student from Luoying named Li Qingshan."

Wang Jie paused mid-step and chuckled. "Heh, is that how you ask for a favor? Can't you teach this Li Qingshan yourself?"

Fu Wu frowned, speaking slowly and deliberately. "I'm telling you to teach him a lesson in the Virtual Combat Space!"

He didn't want to deal with Yu Yuanjun's matter, but he had no choice. However, with the Public Rearing Discrimination Law involved, Fu Wu didn't dare act rashly in reality.

Lü Jing didn't care about the conflict between his students—how could the path of martial arts be all peace and harmony? But when Fu Wu mentioned "Luoying," he couldn't ignore it.

"Luoying? Li Qingshan?" Lü Jing looked at Fu Wu and asked, "What year is this Li Qingshan? How strong is he?"

"Li Qingshan is First Year. Strength... probably pretty strong?" Fu Wu wasn't sure either. The main issue was that Yu Yuanjun was only at Body Tempering Second Level and got taken out instantly, so he couldn't gauge Li Qingshan's real power.

Lü Jing nodded and earnestly warned Wang Jie, "Be careful with this Li Qingshan. Don't get careless."

Remembering Wan Keshan's behavior in the meeting room, Lü Jing felt a nagging unease. He stood on tiptoe and peered toward the northwest corner of the sports field.

That was where the Luoying teachers and students were gathered.

A young man stood out prominently in the crowd.

Just as Lü Jing tried to get a closer look, a burly figure stepped into view, blocking his line of sight. That rugged face wore a meaningful smile.

Lü Jing had no choice but to look away, muttering a curse under his breath.

"Madman Wan!"

"Shorty Lü!"

Wan Keshan smirked triumphantly, then turned to face his students. The announcement of the new rules had hit the Luoying students hard too.

The ones most affected were Yu Lei and Zhong Xian.

Because this time, the two of them were truly determined to go all out and secure a spot in the top 10.

But some time had passed, and both had calmed down.

Now, everyone's gaze was fixed on Li Qingshan.

With the rule change, Li Qingshan was undoubtedly the biggest beneficiary.

Given Li Qingshan's strength, claiming first place in the First Year was a foregone conclusion!

Under the crowd's scrutiny, Li Qingshan still stood frozen in place, his eyes practically glowing with gold.

Wan Keshan's face darkened, and he stepped forward to deliver a slap.

"Kid, snap out of it! With that money-grubbing look, don't say you're my student if you go out!"

Li Qingshan rubbed his shoulder, grinning through gritted teeth:

"Teacher, that's 100 Million Star Coins!"

Even though the Thunder Pattern Blade was also worth 100 Million, it could only be looked at, not spent—far less tempting than this disposable 100 Million Star Coins.

"Just 100 Million?"

Wan Keshan shook his head, turned, and walked toward a secluded corner.

"Follow me!"

Li Qingshan's eyes flickered, and he followed behind.

Once there was no one around, Wan Keshan stopped, turned to face Li Qingshan, and said with a half-smile:

"What? Not thinking about skipping a grade anymore?"

"Teacher, wouldn't it be hard to contend for first place in the Second Year?" Li Qingshan hesitated slightly.

Skipping a grade or not didn't matter—he wasn't going to stay in the Martial Arts Class for the full three years anyway.

But his original plan was only to compete for the top 10 in the Second Year.

As for first place? Li Qingshan felt that even with a perfected Mizong Step, it seemed unlikely.

"Whether it's hard or not depends on whether you can truly grasp The Marvel of Square Inch and cultivate Mizong Step to perfection!"

Wan Keshan's piercing gaze made Li Qingshan's skin crawl, and he couldn't help asking:

"Teacher, I can naturally deliver on my word, but is Mizong Step really that strong?"

"It's not Mizong Step that's strong—it's The Marvel of Square Inch!" Wan Keshan shook his head lightly and sighed:

"It's one of the cores of the A-rank Martial Art, Heavenly Net Mizong Step!"

"The Marvel of Square Inch maximizes the ability to dodge and maneuver, making it perfect for chaotic battles!"

"So..." Wan Keshan's lips curled up, "You get it, right?"

"Thank you, teacher. I understand."

Li Qingshan's mind settled, and a smile spread across his face.

"Teacher, please prepare the materials for my grade-skipping application."

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