Chapter 79

In the arena!

Chi Hanfei and Meng Yuan faced each other.

Chi Hanfei smiled: “Meng Shi-di, I never expected we’d be in the same group—it’s truly a pity.”

Meng Yuan looked at Chi Hanfei and said nothing.

“The eight martial academies’ quarterly competition is crucial; the top fifty spots determine how many resources each academy receives—the higher the rank, the more resources.”

Chi Hanfei stared at Meng Yuan, confident Meng Yuan was no match for him; Qingfeng Palm was no match for Mantis Fist.

Other martial academy disciples naturally felt superior when facing Mantis Academy.

His intent was to urge Meng Yuan to know his place: instead of stubbornly fighting him here, he should conserve strength and aim for a top fifty spot in the losers’ bracket.

The eight martial academies’ evaluation uses a point system.

Fifty-first place earns 1 point, forty-ninth earns 2 points, and so on upward.

The final rankings are determined by the cumulative points from each academy’s students who place in the top fifty.

With Meng Yuan’s strength, as long as he isn’t injured, a top twenty finish is certain.

Meng Yuan understood Chi Hanfei’s implication and smiled: “Chi Shi-ge is right—so are you conceding?”

Hearing this, Chi Hanfei’s face turned cold—he hadn’t expected Meng Yuan to be so foolish. Did he truly believe Mantis Fist could match him?

Sensing Chi Hanfei’s displeasure, Meng Yuan’s eyes held firm resolve.

Conceding? Not an option.

As a Mantis Academy disciple, he knew other academies had long looked down on them; Chi Hanfei’s condescending tone was just a reflection of their general attitude.

But today, he would prove to the other academies that Mantis Academy disciples were no worse than theirs.

At the referee’s signal, Chi Hanfei struck first, darting forward and unleashing Qingfeng Palm. Since Meng Yuan refused to yield, he would defeat him swiftly.

He had another tough match ahead; prolonging this one would only hurt him.

Chi Hanfei’s palm moved like a breeze brushing willows, whistling as it rushed toward Meng Yuan—the expert-level Qingfeng Palm was formidable.

Facing Chi Hanfei’s assault, Meng Yuan remained calm, drew a deep breath, and dodged with uncanny agility—like a swift mantis—slipping past the descending palm, then striking back with both fists like twin blades aimed at Chi Hanfei’s vital points.

Meng Yuan pushed Mantis Fist’s flexibility to its limit.

Feeling Meng Yuan’s speed, Chi Hanfei was startled—but not worried. He struck again, wind howling, palm shadows filling the air.

Amid Chi Hanfei’s relentless, continuous strikes, Meng Yuan moved with extraordinary agility, weaving through the palm shadows untouched, each punch forcing Chi Hanfei to change tactics defensively.

In just a dozen breaths, Chi Hanfei was forced into retreat—this sight sparked the arena’s first murmur of shock.

Both were Seventh Aperture—yet Meng Yuan of the Mantis Academy held the upper hand!

Qi He glanced toward the Mantis Academy’s vice-director, who returned a smile.

“Mantis Fist at minor mastery—didn’t expect the Mantis Academy to hide such a card.”

By now, Qi He could see clearly: Meng Yuan’s Mantis Fist had reached minor mastery.

Though Mantis Fist ranked lowest in power among the eight academies, that was only true at the same proficiency level; minor mastery Mantis Fist surpassed Qingfeng Palm in power.

On the arena, as Chi Hanfei unleashed a flurry of palms, Meng Yuan seized an opening—no longer dodging, he surged forward, unleashing the full power of his minor mastery Mantis Fist. His fists, like twin scythes, slammed into Chi Hanfei’s chest.

Chi Hanfei’s eyes widened in disbelief; his body flew backward like a severed kite, crashing hard to the ground several zhang away.

The entire arena fell silent—everyone was stunned.

Moments later, thunderous cheers erupted from the Mantis Academy side.

“Brother Meng is mighty!”

“Brother Meng is awesome!”

Mantis Academy disciples now stood tall, while Qingfeng Academy disciples stared, wide-eyed, still unable to accept reality.

Chi Shi-ge, also Seventh Aperture, had lost!

“Meng Yuan’s Mantis Fist at minor mastery—Chi Hanfei lost fairly.”

Chen Chunfeng shook his head: Mantis Fist’s power was inferior to Qingfeng Palm—but only at equal proficiency. Minor mastery Mantis Fist had vastly improved both speed and power; if Chi Hanfei had won, he’d be the one surprised.

Meng Yuan’s victory, aside from Qingfeng Academy, ignited fiery interest among disciples of the other academies.

Though Meng Yuan wasn’t a true dark horse, his win proved one thing: this tournament would be thrilling.

Who could guarantee no other academy had disciples whose techniques had reached minor mastery?

“Lin Shi-di is truly impressive!”

Fu Jingya praised Lin Chen, believing he’d predicted correctly only because of his resentment toward Qingfeng Academy—not because he truly saw Meng Yuan’s superior strength.

Lin Chen smiled without explaining. He’d predicted Meng Yuan’s win not out of dislike for Qingfeng Academy, but because the Mantis Academy’s vice-director’s expression hinted they had a hidden card.

He’d suspected then that Meng Yuan’s Mantis Fist had likely reached minor mastery.

Heroes across the land are as countless as fish crossing a river.

There’s no reason only I could bring Water Cloud Palm to minor mastery—the world doesn’t revolve around me alone.

After praising Lin Chen, Fu Jingya’s face darkened with worry: “With Meng Yuan’s Mantis Fist at minor mastery, Gu Shi-mei is in danger.”

In Group B, only Gu Qingqing and Meng Yuan remained; after defeating Chi Hanfei, Meng Yuan’s victory cheers were loud.

Most importantly, Chi Hanfei, due to underestimating him, hadn’t exhausted Meng Yuan’s strength.

The final match unfolded as expected—with no surprises—Meng Yuan emerged victorious.

Gu Qingqing had fought with all her strength, but Meng Yuan’s movements were too agile—like a mantis, leaping, his fists striking like scythes.

Unlike Chi Hanfei, who was flung away and defeated badly,

during his clash with Gu Qingqing, Meng Yuan held back at the last moment—his fists, originally aimed at her lower body, changed from strike to push, merely shoving her back a few steps.

Gu Qingqing’s cheeks flushed slightly; she knew Meng Yuan had held back.

“You won.”

Gu Qingqing spoke plainly. Though the rules allowed combat to continue until one fell, her pride wouldn’t let her persist.

“Thank you, Gu Shi-jie, for your mercy.”

Meng Yuan bowed, looking slightly embarrassed—he rarely interacted with women. He’d acted on instinct, only realizing afterward how inappropriate his intended strike had been. Fortunately, his minor mastery Mantis Fist allowed him to adjust mid-motion.

“Winning is winning—no mercy needed. You’re strong. If you get the chance, let’s spar more.”

With that, Gu Qingqing walked toward the Jingshui Academy side. Meng Yuan stayed put, scratching his head—he didn’t quite understand what she meant.

Sparring?

“Haha, good!”

Meng Yuan returned to the Mantis Academy side; the vice-director’s face beamed. Now, who would dare look down on them?

Most importantly, this boy had performed well—and it seemed the Jingshui Academy girl had taken a liking to him.

The Mantis Academy had long been looked down upon; if this boy could win Gu Qingqing’s heart, it would bring honor to their academy.

The seven academies had long competed secretly: whichever academy’s disciples won the most Jingshui Academy girls’ affections was deemed the strongest.

“Director Kong, I’ve brought shame to the academy,” Gu Qingqing returned to her team, her face filled with shame.

“Meng Yuan’s Mantis Fist at minor mastery—you lost fairly. This is only the first match; there’s another in three months.”

“Director Kong, rest assured—I’ll train harder after this and win back our honor in the next match.”

“Hmm.”

Kong Yinglei nodded. At that moment, the Wuzhengsuo referee announced Meng Yuan as the winner of Group B—the next was Group C.

“Director Kong, Instructor Shen, I’m going up,” Lin Chen said, seeing the referee declare Group C’s start.

“Just perform as usual,” Kong Yinglei nodded.

“Lin Shi-di, I believe you can win,” Fu Jingya clenched her fists to encourage him.

“Lin Shi-ge, you can do it!”

Li Xue and the other female disciples also cheered for Lin Chen. He smiled slightly, then turned toward the arena center—disciples from the other seven academies had already stepped onto the field.

“Thanks to the blessings of my senior sisters and sisters—I’ll give it my all.”

As Lin Chen stepped onto the arena, every eye turned to him—not because the other academies knew his background, but because he was Jingshui Academy’s only male disciple, naturally drawing attention.

On the arena center, Lin Chen scanned his seven opponents and noticed Qingfeng Academy’s disciple glaring at him with hostility.

Huh?

He didn’t recognize this person—where did the hostility come from?

Did Qingfeng Academy disciples think he’d betrayed them by joining Jingshui Academy?

This guy’s got issues.

From start to finish, aside from learning Qingfeng Palm, he’d taken not a single silver tael from Qingfeng Academy.

Even the Opening Meridian Pills—if Qingfeng Academy had refused him, with his mistress’s favor, other academies would have taken him anyway.

(End of chapter)