Sparring was not uncommon in the Master Teacher Academies. Frequently, there would be master teachers, who after receiving some inspiration or learning a new battle technique, would challenge a master teacher stronger than them so as to test out their skills and see where they stood.
Facing the challenge from Zhou Ye, the young man named Ruohuan was taken aback for a moment before replying with a slight smile, “I am more than willing to.”
Nodding, Zhou Ye took a deep breath as he began suppressing his zhenqi. It didn’t take long for his cultivation to reach Cosmos Bridge realm, the same as the opponent before him.
Zhou Ye smiled. “It seems like that you are skilled in palm strikes, so I won’t use a weapon either. Alright, let’s begin!”
After which, he flicked his wrist and charged forward with astounding speed.
Despite having suppressed his cultivation to Cosmos Bridge realm, Zhou Ye’s movements were incredibly nimble, as if a specter flitting across the battlefield. It was difficult for his enemy to determine exactly where he would strike.
“Not bad!”
Ruohuan’s eyes lit up in excitement. He raised his palm and adeptly struck the area right in front of him.
Principal Zhang had once said, if a cultivator panicked before a complex or foreign maneuver, he would be falling into his opponent’s trap. He would swiftly be pulled into his opponent’s momentum, and it would be extremely hard to turn the tables against his opponent by then.
As such, against moves consisting of many feints, one had to study it closely to peer right into its essence. No matter how complicated the opponent’s moves were, there was a limited number of directions in which the opponent could strike from. The best way for one to deal with such a situation was to wait and adapt accordingly.
“Not bad!” Seeing that the other party didn’t make a reckless move out of panic, Zhou Ye’s eyes lit up in admiration.
Just as the other party had thought, the motive of his move was to lure the other party into action. As soon as the other party moved, he would immediately find the flaw in the other party’s movement and strike at it.
Facing Ruohuan’s palm strike, Zhou Ye maneuvered nimbly to the other party’s side and thrust his palm forward.
He thought that as long as he exerted sufficient strength in this strike, he would be able to force the other party to admit defeat. However, before his palm could land, he suddenly felt a stifling sensation on his chest.
Narrowing his eyes in alarm, it was only in this instant that he realized the other party had already seen through his maneuver and placed a palm right in his path!
In other words, the other party’s initial strike had just been a feint to lure him in. As soon as he appeared to make his strike, the other party swiftly launched an assault with the other palm.
Peng!
At this point, it was already too late to dodge. An immense pressure struck his chest and sent him flying from the training ground before crashing onto the street.
“He subdued Zhou Ye in a single strike?”
“Could that man really be the person we are going to assess?”
“That is likely to be the case. Otherwise, how could he wield such great power?”
The group from the Combat Master Hall leaped in shock at that sight.
Liao Song’s eyebrows also shot up in astonishment.
He could easily tell from the previous battle that the fellow named Ruohuan was weaker than Zhou Ye in terms of zhenqi strength and reaction speed, but Ruohuan had still managed to easily achieve a victory against Zhou Ye. This showed that he possessed exceptional talent in the field of combat.
Most likely, Ruohuan was the genius that Zhuo Qingfeng had spoken of.
Otherwise, how could he be so powerful?”
At this point, Liao Song pondered for a moment before raising his hand and gesturing. “Hu Chen, go up and test him!”
To confirm the matter, he would have to continue assessing the other party.
“Alright!” Hu Chen nodded before leaping onto the training ground.
“I am awed by your profound moves, so I would like to spar with you as well!”
After saying those words, Hu Chen began suppressing his cultivation.
“Fine by me!”
Nodding, Ruohuan was just about to begin the fight when the young man beside him suddenly stepped forward and said, “Ruohuan, it is rare for us to have such easy opponents to practice with. Will you let me fight him instead? After all, I am the weakest of our group, and even after so long, I am still unable to fully comprehend the essence of Principal Zhang’s lecture. This is a good opportunity for me to try my hand!”
Hearing his close friend saying such words, Ruohuan smiled bitterly before nodding in agreement. “Alright then!”
Due to his lacking aptitude for combat, this close friend of his had been lagging behind the others. Due to the power gap between him and the other students, it was hard for him to learn anything in a battle against the others. Perhaps, if he could try his hand against this weakling who had come out of nowhere, he might receive an epiphany that could enhance his comprehension of combat.
Naturally, Ruohuan was the person who had come to the Hongyuan Master Teacher Academy along with Zhang Xuan from the Myriad Kingdom Alliance, Ruohuan gongzi. After training diligently recently, he had managed to advance his cultivation to Cosmos Bridge realm.
Having journeyed with Zhang Xuan from back when they were still in Myriad Kingdom Alliance, he had received Zhang Xuan’s guidance on multiple occasions, and this had helped to gain a deep comprehension of combat. On top of that, as one of the founders of the Xuanxuan Faction, he felt the dire need to work harder than anyone, or else he could very well be overtaken by others swiftly. Due to the great effort he had put in, he had managed to make tremendous progress in his eye of discernment and fighting prowess within this period of time.
In his view, these opponents who had popped out of nowhere weren’t exactly weak, and their maneuvers were innovative and profound as well, but compared to the insights that Principal Zhang had imparted to them, there was nothing to fear from them.
What Principal Zhang had imparted to them was the foundation of combat, and no matter how grand or majestic a battle technique was, they were built on this very foundation. Ultimately, battle techniques were means to attack another, and as long as there was movement, there would surely be flaws that one could exploit!
Ruohuan felt that his close friend had everything he needed to achieve a victory, all he needed was to internalize Principal Zhang’s teachings during combat.
“Easy opponents?” Hearing the conversation between the duo, Hu Chen nearly exploded out of sheer rage.
Pal, open your eyes and take a close look! I am a Chrysalis realm combat master! I am suppressing my cultivation to battle with you! Yet, you said that I am an easy opponent…
He wasn’t the only who felt that way. The other combat masters also nearly spurted blood after hearing those words. They had always been existences whose fighting prowess far exceeded their opponents. This was their very first time being looked down on by another like that.
A combat master who couldn’t hold back his rage anymore sent a telepathic message over. “Hu Chen, don’t go easy on him!”
“I understand!” Hu Chen replied as a savage glint flashed across his eyes.
He had been thinking that he would hold back a little if the other party couldn’t cope so as to spare his dignity. But since the other party was acting so arrogantly, he didn’t mind teaching him a harsh lesson.
“Let’s begin!” Hu Chen said as he beckoned his opponent.
“Un.” The young man on the opposite side nodded before stepping forward. “Principal Zhang has lectured us on the various combat techniques in dealing with certain situations, but I am a little slow on the uptake, so… if I accidentally injure you later on, I hope that you can forgive me.”
“Cut with the nonsense, come!” Unable to take the nonsense his opponent was spouting, Hu Chen pushed his feet against the ground and charged forward as he got into the stance to launch a palm strike.
His movements were large and forceful, giving an impression that he could overwhelm anything in the world.
Seeing Hu Chen’s move, the young man didn’t flinch in fear. On the contrary, his eyes lit up as he yelled, “Good move!”
After saying those words, under the shocked gazes of the crowd, he charged forward and faced Hu Chen directly with a fist.
Boom!
The fist and the palm collided, and Hu Chen suddenly felt a numbing sensation engulfing his arm before a massive force came crashing down on him with incredible momentum. Unable to withstand the massive force, his face reddened, and he was knocked flying.
Peng!
Just like the previous Zhou Ye, he tumbled across the training ground before his head was planted into the earth.
If Hu Chen hadn’t used his full might, the backlash could have been considerably weaker, and he would have suffered less severe injuries. However, with both sides going at full force against one another, Hu Chen’s arm ended up being severely injured under the immense pressure from both ends. In his current state, it would be impossible for him to use his arm for the next five days at the very least.
“This…”
“In a direct clash of strength, Hu Chen wasn’t a match for him?”
The combat masters were stunned.
Liao Song’s mouth began twitching as well.
He had seen with his own eyes how Ruohuan’s zhenqi strength was far beneath that of his subordinate. Yet, the person who had sought him for guidance had actually sent Hu Chen flying with a single fist. This was way too incredulous!
Just as the crowd was perplexed by the bewildering sight that had occurred, on the stage, Ruohuan suddenly shook his head in disappointment and began lecturing the young man before him. “Didn’t Principal Zhang emphasize that a battle isn’t all about brute force? Technique, you need technique! How can you be so dimwitted?”
Ruohuan gongzi was indeed very angry. That fellow had grasped the physical body cultivation technique and zhenqi condensing method imparted by Principal Zhang, but he had failed to comprehend the more important combat techniques. Precisely due to this, he lost every single battle against others. It wasn’t easy for them to find a person with a weak understanding of combat techniques for him to practice on, but… that fellow had still resorted to mere brute strength in the end! How could he be so dumb?
“I…” The young man scratched his head awkwardly. “I saw him rushing straight at me, so I couldn’t hold myself back, and… this just happened!”
After which, he turned his gaze to the combat masters and asked, “Do any of you want to battle with me? I promise that I won’t crush you with brute force this time around.”
“You…”
Hearing the young man’s words, the combat masters felt so enraged that they could lose their minds.
This was the first time that someone had dared say that he wouldn’t crush them with brute force…
Arrogant, he was being way too arrogant!
“Allow me…”
Unable to tolerate this humiliation, another combat master stood forth. It was the last Chrysalis realm cultivator of the group.
The combat master swiftly suppressed his cultivation before beckoning with his hand. “Come!”
“Alright!”
The young man nodded, but just as he was about to make his move, another student by the side suddenly uttered in displeasure, “Zhao Qing, are you planning to hog them all for yourself? This is a rare opportunity to practice, so how can you be so selfish as to keep them all for yourself?”
“I…” The young man scratched his head in embarrassment.
“Enough. These friends over here aren’t too weak, and opportunities to spar with others don’t come easily. Zhao Qing, you should step down and let Song Ying have a go!” Ruohuan said.
The young man, Zhao Qing, glanced at the combat master in front of him with a look of disappointment before reluctantly nodding. “Alright…”
“You…”
At this point, the combat masters were already nearly on the verge of tears.
What do you mean by not too weak?
We are strong, alright?
Just that… Looking at their two fallen companions, they couldn’t help but feel incredibly stifled within.
For them to have been defeated so easily… Could they really still be considered strong?
In the view of such powerful opponents, perhaps they were indeed only worthy of being ‘not too weak’!
Clenching his jaws tightly in anger, the combat master said, “Cut the crap, come!”
Walking onto the training ground, Song Ying took a look at his opponent before shaking his head in disappointment. “A perturbed mind, how can you fight in such a state?”
“You…” The combat master was provoked by Song Ying’s words, but he also knew that he had indeed allowed rage to cloud his mind, and he wouldn’t be able to display the full extent of his fighting prowess in this state. Thus, taking a deep breath, he suppressed the emotions deep in his heart before looking at his opponent once more. “Let’s begin!”
On the other hand, seeing his opponent suppressing his emotions so quickly, Song Ying was awed for a moment before nodding. “Alright.”
After which, he stepped off forcefully from the ground and charged forward.
Peng peng peng peng!
The duo began their clash.
On the third blow, Song Ying managed to exploit a flaw in the combat master’s movements and sent a forceful kick in.
With a reddened face, the combat master was sent flying before crashing onto the ground.
“This…”
Seeing how three of their members were no match for the Hongyuan academy’s students, the combat masters couldn’t help but glance at one another, flabbergasted.
They had thought that Zhuo Qingfeng had exaggerated the strength of Hongyuan’s candidates, making them out to be more fearsome than they were. However, after seeing them with their own eyes, they had no choice but to admit that Hongyuan’s students were indeed formidable.
One of the combat masters couldn’t resist asking, “Could you be the ones who will be participating in the Combat Master Selection later on, Zheng Yang, Liu Yang, and the others?”
“Zheng Yang? Liu Yang?”
Hearing those words, Ruohuan gongzi shook his head and said, “They are Principal Zhang’s direct disciples, and they are at least a hundredfold stronger than the rest of us. How can we possibly be them?”
“You aren’t? Then… could you all be among the hundred candidates who have cleared the Combat Master Selection this year?” Liao Song asked.
“Amongst the hundred candidates?” Ruohuan gongzi shook his head once more after hearing those words. “We are too weak, so we were unqualified to participate in the Combat Master Selection.”
Unqualified to participate in the Combat Master Selection?
Liao Song’s body staggered as a stifling sensation struck his chest. “Then, you are…”
“We are from the Xuanxuan Faction!” Ruohuan gongzi replied earnestly, looking straight at the combat masters.
“Our strength is nothing much. There are at least thirty thousand other members within the faction who possess fighting prowess on par with us!”
