The next morning, at eight o'clock.
The central arena buzzed with voices.
Students from the three academies sat in three separate sections of the stands. Including instructors and staff from each academy, there were at least two or three hundred people present.
A burly middle-aged man stood in the center of the ring.
Holding a megaphone, he announced in a booming voice:
"The individual matches of the three-academy exchange tournament begin now!"
"First up is the Body Tempering division."
In the stands, Jiang Lan leaned back in his chair, casually watching the ring below.
The Body Tempering matches moved quickly.
Most of the competitors were evenly matched, trading blows back and forth. The fights were fairly exciting.
Chu Yun was the first from the Rocket Class to compete.
His opponent was a late-stage Body Tempering student from the Blazing Fire Academy, with a build almost as muscular as Chu Yun's.
They exchanged blows for more than a dozen rounds. Relying on his superior strength, Chu Yun finally punched his opponent out of bounds.
"I won!"
Chu Yun jumped down from the ring and gave Jiang Lan a thumbs-up.
Jiang Lan smiled and nodded.
Mo Han went up next.
As expected, he won as well.
After him came Bai Yu, Liu Shiyu, and Lu Qingshan.
Bai Yu won. Liu Shiyu and Lu Qingshan were less fortunate, drawing equally strong opponents and narrowly losing in the first round.
Three from the Rocket Class advanced, while two were eliminated.
That result was passable, at least.
An hour later, all the Body Tempering matches were finished.
The referee stepped into the ring again and announced loudly:
"Next up is the Meridian Opening division!"
The previously noisy stands quieted noticeably at those words.
Unlike the Body Tempering competitors, those in the Meridian Opening division ranked among the best at their respective academies.
Naturally, these matches carried more weight.
The referee opened the list in his hand and called out:
"First round, first match: Jiang Lan of the Ultimate Dao Martial Academy versus Zhao Ming of the Blazing Fire Academy."
Jiang Lan stood and walked unhurriedly toward the ring.
Across from him, a sturdily built young man stepped up at the same time.
Zhao Ming was a mid-stage Meridian Opening student from the Blazing Fire Academy.
The two took their positions in the ring without exchanging any pre-match trash talk.
Zhao Ming was visibly nervous.
After all, word that Jiang Lan had killed a third-tier ferocious beast had spread beyond the Ultimate Dao Martial Academy to the other two academies.
It had taken considerable courage just to step into the ring.
Watching the two, the referee raised his hand.
"Both competitors, ready."
"Begin!"
The instant the word left his mouth, Zhao Ming pushed off the ground and made the first move.
He had no confidence in dragging things out, so attacking first was his only option.
Driving hard through his legs, he launched himself at Jiang Lan. His right fist tore through the air, heading straight for Jiang Lan's face.
By Meridian Opening standards, it was a powerful punch.
An ordinary Meridian Opening martial artist would have suffered from taking that hit, even if it did not seriously injure them.
Yet Jiang Lan stood completely still, showing no intention of dodging.
Thud!
Zhao Ming's fist struck Jiang Lan squarely in the chest.
A flash of delight crossed his face, but a second later, his expression froze.
Jiang Lan had not budged.
Not even the slightest change appeared on his face.
Zhao Ming's pupils contracted, and a sense of disbelief surged through him.
What was going on?
He had thrown a full-power punch, and this guy had taken it head-on without even swaying?
Zhao Ming instinctively tried to retreat and create some distance.
But the moment he lifted his foot, a sharp rush of air sounded in front of him.
Boom!
The punch cracked through the air. As though struck head-on by a truck, Zhao Ming flew backward seven or eight meters and landed beyond the edge of the ring.
The entire arena fell silent.
The referee froze for two seconds before coming to his senses.
"Jiang Lan wins."
After a moment of silence, the stands erupted.
"One punch?"
"He just stood there and took a punch without getting hurt?"
"Then sent his opponent flying with one punch?"
"Is he really in Meridian Opening?"
Comments flooded the arena.
In the Ultimate Dao Martial Academy's section, Chu Yun leaped straight out of his seat.
"You're a beast, godfather!"
Jiang Lan glanced at Chu Yun and pressed a hand downward, signaling him to stop shouting.
Sure, he was pretty impressive, but in front of this many people...
Jumping down from the ring, Jiang Lan returned to the stands.
A short while later, the other three first-round matches finished one after another.
The referee then announced the second-round matchups.
"Second round, first match: Jiang Lan of the Ultimate Dao Martial Academy versus Zhou Han of the Heavenly Martial Academy."
Jiang Lan rose again and stepped into the ring.
The young man approaching from the other side was lean, with a steady gaze and firm steps.
Zhou Han was a late-stage Meridian Opening student from the Heavenly Martial Academy.
He had clearly watched Jiang Lan's previous match.
Once in the ring, he did not rush to attack. Instead, he lowered his center of gravity, spread his feet slightly, and assumed a defensive stance.
"Begin!"
At the referee's signal, Zhou Han began circling Jiang Lan while watching him warily, looking rather like a professional boxer.
Jiang Lan remained expressionless and motionless, merely following Zhou Han with his eyes.
Ten seconds passed. Zhou Han circled Jiang Lan twice but still found no opening to strike.
People in the stands began murmuring:
"Isn't that Heavenly Martial guy being way too timid?"
"He's being cautious. You saw what happened to the last guy who charged in."
While they were talking, Jiang Lan moved.
His speed exploded in an instant. Like a cheetah, he appeared directly in front of Zhou Han a moment later.
Zhou Han's pupils shrank, and he instinctively raised both arms to block.
But to Jiang Lan, that guard might as well not have existed.
He raised his fist and threw a punch, holding back his strength.
Boom!
Zhou Han's arms were knocked apart. He flew backward, slammed heavily onto the ring floor, and slid several meters before stopping at the edge.
Lying facedown, he struggled twice but could not get up.
That was with Jiang Lan deliberately holding back. Otherwise, a single punch would have killed Zhou Han outright.
The referee could also see that Zhou Han was no longer able to fight. He raised his hand and announced:
"Jiang Lan of the Ultimate Dao Martial Academy wins."
With that announcement, silence settled over the arena again.
Everyone in the stands stared at Jiang Lan as though he were a monster.
They simply could not understand how the gap could be so vast when all of them were Meridian Opening martial artists.
Neither Zhao Ming in the first match nor Zhou Han in the second had lasted even a single exchange against Jiang Lan.
Was this the strength of a martial artist capable of killing a third-tier ferocious beast?
Unlike the silent crowd around him, Chu Yun was brimming with excitement. He roared:
"Godfather! You're a beast!!!"
Hearing him, Jiang Lan shook out his wrist and jumped down from the ring.
Just the basics. Hold the applause.
Of course, he only said that in his head.
With this many people around, saying it aloud would have been far too embarrassing.