Chapter 22: Battle Against the Student Union President

Hearing that the Student Union's people had been taught a lesson, the news spread across the entire Academy in less than ten minutes, as if it had grown wings.

Every student resting at the Academy rushed over eagerly to watch the show.

The once-spacious pond was now packed tight, layer upon layer of people, an uproarious, deafening crowd.

Chen Xiaohu held his spear, still firing off insults without pause.

"Damn it, you're the punk who called me a stinky loser just now, right? Before, when you called me a stinky loser, I didn't bother with you. Now you better call me Master Hu! Got it?"

"And you, little purple-hair, what the hell were you playing at with your Master Hu just now? Trash like you is only fit to shine my boss's shoes!"

About twenty minutes later, another ripple of commotion ran through the crowd.

Jiang Qin, who had been sitting on a bench with his eyes closed to rest, opened his eyes and looked toward a single figure approaching from outside the crowd.

The newcomer had a bear's back and a tiger's waist, stood two meters tall, with sharp eyes, and wore a red Student Union armband on one arm.

The moment he appeared, the crowd instinctively parted to make a path, their gazes filled with awe and reverence.

Zhenling Academy's number one second-year student, Han Wenqing.

When the third-years were stationed in the major cities, Han Wenqing could essentially be considered the strongest combatant among Zhenling Academy's students.

"Oh no, President Han is really here. This kid is going to have a rough time."

"What's there to fear? Even those six Spirit Sea Realm guys in the pond weren't a match for this freshman. Han Wenqing isn't necessarily going to win either."

"Huh? You're a freshman, right? Those guys in the pond aren't even in the same league as Han Wenqing. Han Wenqing broke through to the Spirit Sea Realm just half a year after entering the Academy, and reached Spirit Sea Peak two months ago. If it weren't for solidifying his foundation and strengthening his combat power, he'd have already broken through to the Divine Image Realm!"

"What kind of concept is the Divine Image Realm? Even among the third-year students, very few can defeat Han Wenqing."

"Now this is going to be a real show. Will the old king keep his throne, or will the new king ascend?"

While the crowd discussed, Han Wenqing had already reached the edge of the pond.

He calmly glanced at the Student Union members in the pond, then looked at Jiang Qin, who stood with his arms crossed, and spoke in a steady voice:

"You're not bad."

"Although those six are the weakest of the Spirit Sea Realm, they are still Spirit Sea Realm. The fact that you could deal with them without breaking a sweat speaks volumes about your strength."

"Interested in joining the Student Union? I can make an exception and give you the position of vice president."

No one expected that the first thing Han Wenqing did upon arriving wasn't to avenge his underlings, but to extend an olive branch to Jiang Qin.

Just as they assumed Jiang Qin would agree, he shook his head:

"Vice president doesn't interest me, but I'm quite interested in those Contribution Points you've collected."

"The fuss has already been big enough. How about this—one move to decide the winner. If I lose, you can do whatever you want with me. If I win, every single member of your Student Union has to give me half their Contribution Points. Deal?"

A hint of coldness appeared on Han Wenqing's face, and a flash of regret crossed his eyes.

He nodded and said, "Deal."

He genuinely admired Jiang Qin—at the very least, he couldn't have done what Jiang Qin had done when he was at the Spirit Guidance Realm.

Given enough time, Jiang Qin would certainly be no match for him. But unfortunately, Jiang Qin was only at the Spirit Guidance Realm right now. Since he was so arrogant, this senior wouldn't mind teaching this junior a little lesson.

His words fell.

The two tacitly erupted their Spirit Energy at the same moment, unleashing their full auras.

But anyone with eyes could see that Jiang Qin was clearly at a disadvantage in terms of aura—the gap in realm was laid bare for all to see.

The Spirit Energy around Han Wenqing was heavy as an abyss, brimming with sharpness.

It wasn't just the quantity—there was an insurmountable gap in quality as well. This was simply not a battle between the same level.

"Your name is Jiang Qin, right?"

Han Wenqing suddenly spoke, his entire body brimming with fighting spirit.

"If I gave you another half a year, I might not be your match. But right now… you better just lie down on the ground and behave!"

His legs exploded with force, his figure vanishing on the spot. His right fist carried an unstoppable momentum, faintly accompanied by the roar of dragons and tigers, and slammed toward Jiang Qin!

"Half a year? I can't wait that long."

Jiang Qin charged out as well, throwing a punch infused with his entire body's Spirit Power.

He did not activate the protective function of the Spirit Clothing on his body. This was a spar between Martial Artists, and he hadn't yet reached the point of winning by any means necessary. Besides, he didn't think he would lose.

Under the watchful eyes of countless onlookers, the two fists collided with a thunderous crash.

Boundless Spirit Energy surged outward, blasting the surrounding crowd back several steps. Even the green trees a hundred meters away were affected by the shockwave, their leaves shaking wildly and scattering everywhere.

The Spirit Energy contained within the fists compressed continuously, and finally… exploded with a boom!

Han Wenqing's expression changed the moment their fists met, filled with utter disbelief.

Jiang Qin's aura was clearly far inferior to his, yet the force transmitted through that fist was in no way weaker than his own. What kind of monstrous strength was this?

Under the gaze of everyone present.

Han Wenqing retreated three consecutive steps, while Jiang Qin only retreated two, barely stopping himself before a third step would have landed.

The result was plain for all to see.

Chen Xiaohu popped out from some unknown corner, excitedly saying:

"Hey, hey, hey, honor your bets! Han, you've lost!"

"You're the president of the Student Union, after all. So many people are watching. You're not going to go back on your word, are you?"

Suppressing the urge to beat the guy up, Han Wenqing took a deep breath to calm his chaotic breathing. He glanced at Jiang Qin with a complicated look, and finally spoke with a hint of unwillingness:

"You… won. The Contribution Points will be transferred to your account within a day."

With that, he no longer bothered with his underlings soaking in the pond, turned around, and left.

A moment later, the surrounding crowd finally reacted. Especially those students who had been thrashed by Han Wenqing before, their faces were full of disbelief.

That Han Wenqing… had actually lost to a first-year freshman who had just enrolled?

Had the world gone mad, or were their eyes playing tricks on them?

Jiang Qin's breathing was in disarray. He instructed Chen Xiaohu:

"You stay here and watch them. Don't let them come up until they've soaked for a full ten hours. If anyone dares disobey—even by a single second—and comes out early, next time it won't be as simple as a bath."

"Don't worry, Boss! I guarantee not a second short!"

A lewd grin spread across Chen Xiaohu's face as he snickered.

In truth, no threat was even needed. After seeing their own president defeated, Ji Yun and the others had completely lost any will to resist. After all, they were students of Zhenling Academy too—as long as they remained at the Academy, they would always have to live under Jiang Qin's shadow.

With the spectacle over, the crowd dispersed.

Jiang Qin headed toward the school gates, and the moment he stepped outside, he ran into Li Yunyan, who was waiting by the entrance.

She had changed into a tight-fitting outfit that accentuated her curves, exuding a few more shades of a woman's unique charm compared to before.

Li Yunyan glanced at Jiang Qin, took out a bottle of pills, and tossed it over.

Jiang Qin reached out and caught it.

"Pills for healing injuries. The effect's pretty good."

"……Thanks."

Thin trails of blood seeped from Jiang Qin's right arm—an injury sustained when he had clashed head-on with Han Wenqing earlier.

Relying on 【Dragon Cauldron Power】, he had narrowly edged out Han Wenqing in raw strength, but that was all it was—just strength. His body couldn't withstand the shock of that punch and took damage. If he had actually fought the man properly without using Spirit Clothing, he would certainly have lost.

This was what a genius of the Four Great Academies looked like.

They were both at the peak of Spirit Sea Realm, yet the gap between the people from the Gods' Sect and Han Wenqing was more than a hair's breadth.

In that instant, Jiang Qin's desire to grow stronger reached its peak, and he quickened his pace as he left……