[40.2m/s]
Shock flashed in Xiao Feng's eyes as he stared at the number on the timer.
He took a deep breath and looked up at Jiang Lan.
"Forty point two meters per second."
Silence fell over the room.
A moment later, Chu Yun blurted out a curse.
"Holy shit!"
Bai Yu raised an eyebrow as well, looking at Jiang Lan in a new light.
The others wore a variety of expressions.
Only Mo Han's sour expression grew even colder.
"Jiang Lan, your punching force is 2,188 kilograms, and your speed is 40.2 meters per second. Both meet the standards of a Meridian Opening martial artist." Xiao Feng looked at Jiang Lan. "Jiang Lan, I heard you only awakened a week ago?"
Jiang Lan nodded.
Chu Yun's eyes went wide. "How is that possible? Meridian Opening after just one week?"
Xiao Feng glanced at Jiang Lan and said:
"Because Jiang Lan awakened a special talent."
"A defensive special talent."
The entire class erupted again.
"A special talent?"
Mo Han's expression grew uglier still.
He had trained hard in the Rocket Class for a year, finally managing to claim the top spot in the class.
He was on the verge of breaking through to Meridian Opening and becoming the youngest Meridian Opening martial artist in the Rocket Class.
Then Jiang Lan showed up and utterly crushed every one of his scores.
Why?
Just because he had a special talent?
Mo Han took a deep breath. Unable to hold back any longer, he stood and approached Jiang Lan.
"I challenge you."
Jiang Lan: "??"
What the hell? Why was he challenging me?
He gave Mo Han a baffled look, wondering what had gotten into him.
Mo Han declared with complete seriousness:
"Jiang Lan, I'm the strongest in the Rocket Class!"
Jiang Lan: "..."
Jiang Lan: "......"
He finally understood.
This guy had a serious case of main-character syndrome.
Apparently, feeling his position in class was threatened was enough to make him issue a challenge.
Xiao Feng frowned slightly at Mo Han's words.
"Mo Han..."
Before Xiao Feng could finish, Jiang Lan spoke.
"Sure."
He had little interest in these childish contests, but the old saying still held true.
Throw one punch to keep a hundred more from coming.
He didn't want people pestering him every day, so he might as well settle this now.
Besides, this was a good chance to test how strong he was in an actual fight.
Xiao Feng looked from Jiang Lan to Mo Han and finally sighed.
"In that case, keep it friendly."
"If either of you goes too far, don't blame me for stepping in."
Mo Han nodded. "Understood, sir."
"No problem," Jiang Lan said.
With both of them in agreement, Xiao Feng stepped aside to give them room and said gravely:
"Begin."
Mo Han and Jiang Lan walked to the center of the training area and stopped five meters apart.
Mo Han loosened his wrists, his vital energy surging through his body. He raised his head and fixed his eyes on Jiang Lan, his gaze blazing with fighting spirit.
Jiang Lan simply stood there, his expression calm.
The next instant, Mo Han moved.
He pushed off the floor and shot toward Jiang Lan like an arrow loosed from a bow.
In the blink of an eye, he reached Jiang Lan and drove a fist toward his face.
His punch whistled through the air.
Chu Yun and the others held their breath, their faces tense.
But Jiang Lan remained utterly motionless. He didn't even raise his hands, simply standing straight where he was.
Thud!
With a muffled impact, Mo Han's fist landed squarely on Jiang Lan's face.
A second later, however, Mo Han's expression changed drastically.
It felt as though he had punched a steel plate. Pain shot through his entire fist.
"How... how is that possible?"
His eyes widened in disbelief.
Jiang Lan rolled his neck and said evenly:
"You can keep going."
Mo Han gritted his teeth and threw another punch, refusing to believe it.
Punch after punch followed.
Thud, thud, thud!
Punches, kicks, elbow strikes-he unleashed every move he had.
Yet no matter how he attacked, Jiang Lan stood completely still.
Not a single attack could get through his defenses.
Chu Yun and the others stared, dumbfounded.
"That defense... isn't it a little ridiculous?"
"Mo Han is at the Body Tempering peak! Even a Meridian Opening martial artist wouldn't dare just stand there and let him hit them, right?"
"So this is how terrifying a special talent is!"
After a dozen or so seconds, Mo Han was panting, fine beads of sweat gathering on his forehead.
He stopped attacking and stared hard at Jiang Lan.
Jiang Lan's expression remained calm, as though someone else had been taking those blows.
"Are you done?"
Mo Han fell silent.
Jiang Lan smiled and continued, "Then it's my turn."
As he spoke, Jiang Lan raised his right fist and swung casually at Mo Han.
Mo Han's pupils contracted, and he instinctively raised his arms to block.
Thump!
Jiang Lan's fist struck Mo Han's arm. An immense force slammed into him, sending him flying backward. He flipped once in midair before barely managing to land and steady himself.
He looked down at his trembling arms, his expression grim.
Xiao Feng immediately spoke up:
"Enough. That's the end of the spar."
Mo Han looked at Jiang Lan in silence for several seconds, then finally lowered his head and admitted defeat without reservation.
"I lost."
Jiang Lan wasn't particularly concerned.
"We're classmates. There's no need to make a big deal out of who won or lost."
He simply wanted to avoid more pointless challenges in the future. He had no personal hostility toward Mo Han.
Come to think of it, this cringelord was pretty pitiful.
Everything had been going fine for him, until he ran into a cheat like Jiang Lan.
Mo Han lowered his head and remained silent for a while.
At that moment, Xiao Feng walked over, patted Mo Han on the shoulder, and said:
"Mo Han, you're not weak. Jiang Lan's talent is simply unusual. Don't be discouraged. Keep working hard, and you'll break through to Meridian Opening before long."
Mo Han nodded. "I understand, sir."
Xiao Feng turned to Jiang Lan. "Jiang Lan, your defense is indeed strong, but I've noticed a problem."
Jiang Lan raised an eyebrow. "What problem?"
Xiao Feng said, "Your... strength is certainly impressive, but strength is all you have. You haven't learned any proper methods of applying it. Go to the Library Tower later and find some martial techniques for unarmed combat."
Methods of applying strength...
Jiang Lan paused.
He really didn't seem to know any.
His earlier punch had relied entirely on brute force.
Did his teacher mean martial techniques could also improve how he applied his strength?
If that was the case, he would have to take a look.
Conveniently, he had access to the Library Tower and could go whenever he wanted.
Just then, Xiao Feng seemed to remember something else.
"Oh, right. You haven't collected your cultivation resources for this month yet, have you? You can stop by the Academic Affairs Office later to pick them up."
Jiang Lan's eyes lit up. "All right. Thank you, sir."
Martial techniques or whatever else could wait when fierce beast blood essence was on the table.
Thirty bottles! Once he got his hands on them, he could level up again!
Xiao Feng waved a hand. "All right, that's it for today's class. You're free to do as you please. Just be here on time for class the day after tomorrow."
With that, Xiao Feng turned and left the classroom.