Chapter 188

Lu Jing set down his utensils, picked up a napkin nearby and wiped his mouth.

Don't you know it's impolite to disturb someone while they're eating?

Several tall, burly youths had surrounded the two.

The yellow-haired youth leading them smiled, his gaze piercing as he looked at Lu Jing, "Oh, sorry, I was rude; this meal is on me."

After the yellow-haired youth spoke, Ma Houshi beside him was displeased—this meal was his way of getting closer to Lu Jing; what do these people want?

Do you need to treat us? Who are you trying to suck up to?!

The yellow-haired youth gave a smirk, ignored Ma Houshi, and continued to Lu Jing: "Lu Jing, I saw the video of you defeating Hao Yu with one punch yesterday; you're indeed strong, but you look down on us upperclassmen too much."

Hey, what do you mean? Clearly Hao Yu struck first, calling us freshmen trash, and then wanted to give us a lesson!

Ma Houshi saw they ignored him, jumped to his feet, and said indignantly.

Lu Jing waved his hand, signaling Ma Houshi to sit, then glanced at the yellow-haired youth and said, "Looking down on you—so what?"

He sighed, got straight to the point: "If you're here to help Hao Yu get revenge, then say so—don't waste time here; the cafeteria probably doesn't forbid fighting, right?"

If you're just here to chat, sorry, I'm not interested and don't want to waste words—could you please get lost?

The yellow-haired youth blinked, then his smile vanished completely: "You speak so boldly—no wonder you're the Martial Top Scholar, you're nothing like ordinary people."

Let me tell you this: the upperclassmen at Martial Academy aren't as simple as you think; the Hao Yu you beat yesterday isn't even on the Academy Rankings—he's just a nobody, not representative of all us upperclassmen—do you get it?

Huáng MáO's companion chimed in: "Exactly, your comment is pure blanket insult—the guy you were just talking to is ranked ninety‑five on the Academy Rankings, far beyond what Hao Yu can compare to!"

Hearing their bombast, Lu Jing frowned, a hint of irritation rising in his heart.

I don't know what's been happening lately, but clowns keep showing up uninvited.

Academy Rankings ninety‑five, that impressive?

Lu Jing slowly rose to his feet, a glint of gold flashing in his eyes as he looked at the yellow‑haired youth.

How so, you want to fight?

Huáng MáO youth was startled by Lu Jing's aura.

Lu Jing is about 1.9 meters tall; the yellow‑haired youth only reaches his shoulder, giving a strong sense of oppression.

Before, seated and eating, Lu Jing seemed harmless, but the moment he stood up, he felt like a drawn blade.

An aura as sharp as solid matter pressed hard against their throats.

Kid, don't be arrogant—you probably don't know the weight of the Academy Rankings; not to mention you're just a freshman, even upperclassmen consider making the Rankings an honor!

The yellow‑haired youth said coldly.

Really? With your trash, you could crack the top hundred—this ranking's value is indeed low...

Lu Jing's tone was full of mockery; this yellow‑haired youth's strength is indeed far above Hao Yu's, his realm should be at half-step Grandmaster.

The yellow‑haired youth's eyes were icy, he licked his lips, "Very well—I didn't want to bully a junior, but your mouth is truly foul; let you taste the true strength of an upperclassman!"

As his words fell, the yellow‑haired youth lifted his leg and kicked straight at Lu Jing's chest.

This heavy, powerful kick actually carried a wisp of the Martial Artist Realm's strong qi, tearing the air with a sharp whistle.

The onlookers in the cafeteria couldn't help but exclaim in surprise.

Holy crap, this is already a seventh‑realm Martial Artist, right?

Probably not—he's only half‑stepped into Grandmaster, his strong qi isn't complete...

The gust it kicked up made the nearby people's shirt flaps snap loudly.

Yet Lu Jing remained calm, as if he hadn't seen the kick at all.

All that could be seen was him slowly extending his right hand straight toward the yellow‑haired youth's head.

His outstretched hand and the yellow‑haired youth's furious leg looked utterly incomparable on the surface.

But just when everyone thought Lu Jing was done for, the yellow‑haired youth's face showed terror.

What?

The yellow‑haired youth gritted his teeth; his kicking leg felt as if stuck in a swamp, its speed suddenly dropping.

Furthermore, the leg hadn't even unleashed its force yet, and pulling back was already too late.

Seeing Lu Jing's hand draw nearer, the yellow‑haired youth simply gave up attacking, retracting the strong qi from his leg into his body and gathering it all atop his head.

Crack—

When Lu Jing's hand touched that layer of strong qi, it was like a hammer striking fragile porcelain—instantly it shattered into pieces.

Then, that large hand pressed firmly onto the yellow‑haired youth's head.

Smack—

Seeing stars, his Blood Qi surged.

At that moment the yellow‑haired youth's vision went black, completely losing control of his body.

Immediately after, Lu Jing's descending hand clenched with force, his five fingers gripping the youth's head and slamming it hard to the side.

Boom—

The cafeteria's hard granite floor cracked open, spider‑web fissures spreading across it.

Huáng MáO youth's butt sank entirely into the floor, twitching like a dead dog.

Everyone saw that, didn't they? He was the one who struck first.

Lu Jing expressionlessly wiped his hand on the youth's clothes, then sat back down as if nothing had happened.

Everyone eating in the cafeteria was stunned.

A half‑step Grandmaster ranked in the top hundred of the Academy Rankings—taken down in one move?

The others brought by the yellow‑haired youth were also dumbstruck, not knowing what to do for a moment.

All of this happened too fast; many didn't even have time to react.

If they went up to fight they'd lose; if they ran outright they'd lose face.

One of them reacted faster, quickly stepped forward and pulled the blond-haired youth up, then cautiously retreated backward.

As Lu Jing's gaze swept over, these tiptoeing people were instantly startled and hurriedly ran toward the exit.

"Come, let's keep eating."

Lu Jing greeted Ma Houshi to the side.

"Ah? Okay!"

Ma Houshi had just regained his senses, a bit dazed as he sat down.

"Boss, that person just now was a senior from the Shogunate Ranking; how could he feel so feeble?"

"Are the people of the Shogunate Ranking that strong?"

"Of course they're strong!"

Ma Houshi excitedly explained to Lu Jing: "The Shogunate Ranking represents the strongest combat force of the Shogunate Martial Academy, ranked according to the seniors' strength!"

Lu Jing glanced at Ma Houshi and said with interest: "It seems you know quite a bit about this."

"Of course, I've done my homework."

Ma Houshi, having been praised by Lu Jing, instantly felt a bit elated.