CHAPTER 110: CHAPTER 110: DUST FREE_1

Despite their concerns, they couldn’t help but speculate.

"No matter what, with a score nearly double that of second place, he’s destined to leave everyone else in the dust. As long as Wang Zhan doesn’t make any mistakes, first place is surely his."

"Yes. It’s rare to see someone from outside the top four claiming first place. I’m just worried that something unpredictable might still happen..."

The two whispered, but their conversation was overheard by Yun Tianyi and Edward, two old-timers.

Yun Tianyi wasn’t bothered; he had already chosen to support Wang Zhan from Chu State Martial Arts Academy. Whether Yuan Mengru could win first place was inconsequential to him.

Edward, however, just snorted coldly, silencing them. Fortunately, King Xiong wasn’t drawn into any misunderstanding and simply sat in his chair, unperturbed.

「...」

「Death Forest, heading east.」

In a dense forest, an intermediate soldier-level beast was rolling and screeching continuously, trying to tear the annoying and rampant human before it to shreds.

"Military Way Killing Fist!" Wang Zhan shouted, his Essence Energy surging around his body like a river in full flow.

After evading the intermediate soldier-level beast’s attack, he thrust himself directly in front of it. His fists danced, filled with killing intent.

A punch landed harshly on the beast’s skull. It collapsed immediately, slumping helplessly onto the ground, motionless.

’Strength +8’

Wang Zhan capitalized on his advantage, showing no mercy. His fists, legs, elbows, and even his head were all used as weapons. Punch after punch, move after move, punctuated by occasional Killing Fist strikes, kept the beast in a constant stupor, unable to recover.

’Agility +3’

’Physique +4’

BOOM!

The final punch created a shallow crater in the ground, within which lay a bloody and lifeless beast.

Wang Zhan looked ragged. His clothes were tattered, his hair was a mess, and his face was covered with sweat and blood. But as he calmed down, his lean, muscular body, chest rising and falling slowly, made him appear incredibly dominant and strong.

Yao Yao, who had been politely waiting nearby, handed him a towel to wipe his face.

As for his clothes, she didn’t have many to offer. Besides, her spare sets included some private items. The thought made her blush, especially after seeing Wang Zhan’s masculine physique.

Well, the base attribute points are maxed out. The next step is to frantically farm extreme attribute points, Wang Zhan thought. Oblivious to these subtle changes in Yao Yao, he thanked her.

"Thanks, beauty!"

By now, he could handle any intermediate soldier-level beast, unless it was exceptionally powerful. To advance, however, he would need to kill an upper-class soldier-level beast.

Those creatures, the weakest of which were at least at the fourth-tier Martial Master level, were far out of his reach, at least for now.

Fortunately, Yao Yao was by his side, diligently acting as a reliable support throughout the whole ordeal. This allowed him to save his energy and focus on delivering the final blow.

I wonder how Song Dongming and Huang Pufeng, those bastards, are doing. Are they still shivering under the terror of intermediate soldier-level beasts?

However, Wang Zhan’s greatest gain wasn’t an intermediate soldier-level beast core; it was the Military Way Killing Fist!

I initially thought this fist technique would be useless after reaching the Warrior realm and developing mental energy. Who would have guessed that combining mental energy with the Military Way Killing Fist actually tempers the physical body?

One should know that powerful individual abilities require a robust physique. So, although the progress of the Military Way Killing Fist was slow, it was steadily advancing.

If it hadn’t been for the agitation caused by the influence of the original organization, I might have accidentally missed this opportunity.

「...」

「Oceania, wilderness, west direction.」

It sounded as if someone was continuously trampling the earth, accompanied by a thunderous rumbling. Upon closer inspection, it turned out to be Song Dongming’s team attacking an intermediate soldier-level beast.

Song Dongming, Huang Pufeng, and Chen Mengshu were the main attackers, while the Zhou Weiya brothers seized opportunities for sneak attacks. Sun Kelan, having the weakest combat abilities, was reluctantly keeping watch.

It was hard to believe that anyone would dare to consume Mixed Essence Pills on the battlefield, recklessly extracting their potential without properly refining the pills’ energy. Song Dongming, Huang Pufeng, and Chen Mengshu were precisely those people. Especially Chen Mengshu; she usually appeared timid, but on the battlefield, she fought like a woman possessed, even outperforming the two men.

"They’re really going all out," Zhou Weiqing said, puzzled. "Our academy has already secured first place through Wang Zhan, so why are they pushing themselves to the limit like this?"

Zhou Weiya remained somewhat silent before replying, "That’s because Wang Zhan is the one securing first place, not us. What they’re doing is ensuring that Chu State Martial Arts Academy isn’t underestimated."

There are thousands of Martial Arts Academies in the Federation. Why should Chu State Martial Arts Academy rise to prominence just because of one Wang Zhan, while everyone else just rides on his coattails and reaps the benefits?

Misfortune befalls those unworthy of their position. If the students of Chu State Martial Arts Academy fail to realize this, true disaster awaits them; retaliation will come sooner or later.

"Who’s there?"

While Song Dongming and his team were fighting for their lives, Sun Kelan, who was on watch, suddenly turned towards a certain direction and shouted, drawing the attention of the Zhou Weiya brothers. One brother continued the sneak attack while the other quickly went to support Sun Kelan, lest they be ambushed.

At this moment, a group of shadowy figures slowly materialized before Sun Kelan. The leader was a man with a gloomy complexion and highland features similar to Sun Kelan’s. He gazed intently at Song Dongming’s group, then at Sun Kelan and Zhou Weiya.

"You’re the team from Chu State Martial Arts Academy?"

It wasn’t strange that he recognized them so easily. Wang Zhan was so famous that Chu State Martial Arts Academy had become well-known too.

Sun Kelan’s heart sank. Fearing ill intentions, she quickly signaled Song Dongming and the others to finish their fight quickly. "What if we are?" she replied, unafraid, though her eyes were filled with caution.

Unexpectedly, the man cracked a somewhat awkward smile. "Do you need our help? We’re from the Federation Martial Arts Academy. My name is Hanqing. I’m a senior, a level 1 Warrior. My teammates include two other level 1 Warriors and four level 9 Martial Artists."

Sun Kelan was stunned. What kind of tactic is this?

However, she immediately shook her head, firmly rejecting his offer with a polite yet distant tone. "No, thank you. My teammates are preparing for a breakthrough and don’t need external aid."

Hanqing’s eyes narrowed slightly. A life-and-death trial? Even though Chu State Martial Arts Academy is full of second-rate talents? he mused.

But seeing Sun Kelan’s guarded stance and Zhou Weiya’s eagerness for a fight, he nodded. "In that case, we’ll take our leave. We hope to see you inside Death Forest. Oh, and please pass my greetings to Wang Zhan. I, Hanqing, am looking forward to a battle with him!"

Just as they turned to leave, the battle took a sudden turn. Chen Mengshu’s entire body jolted, her aura surging. The mental energy, a natural manifestation of breaking through to the Warrior realm, slowly radiated from her.

She broke through!

Following Wang Zhan, Chen Mengshu, the top junior at Chu State Martial Arts Academy, had finally advanced to the Warrior realm, becoming the second person from their academy to do so, surpassing Song Dongming.

Hanqing gave Chen Mengshu, this woman fighting like a demon, a deep look. He nodded silently in approval before quietly turning away.

This is very good!

「...」

Not long after Chen Mengshu broke through to the Warrior realm, Yuan Mengru, who was disheveled and far from the Death Forest where Wang Zhan was, nearly lost her mind upon hearing the news from her classmates. Wang Zhan himself hadn’t received this update yet.

"Boss! Chu State Martial Arts Academy’s points have officially broken through ten thousand!"

How could it be so fast? Yuan Mengru, initially pleased with her own success in killing several intermediate soldier-level beasts, suddenly looked gloomy and depressed.

Seeing her apparent dissatisfaction, everyone else fell silent, offering shaky words of comfort. "B-Boss, we just need to do our best. I think... if the Dean knew, he definitely wouldn’t blame us..."

Their attempt at comfort only seemed to fuel her anger. Yuan Mengru completely lost control. "AHHHHHHH!!!"

She was like an adorable, well-behaved little girl whose favorite snack had been stolen, with the thief flaunting a lollipop right in front of her. The thought alone was maddening!

However, just as Yuan Mengru was flailing about in a frenzy, a figure appeared at the edge of the battlefield. This person was Wang Zhan, wearing a baggy set of clothes he had seemingly procured from somewhere.

Seeing them—or rather, her—ranting and raving like a child having a tantrum, Wang Zhan asked curiously, "Hello, are you all contestants in the Martial Arts Academy competition?"

Suddenly, their team all looked over as if by telepathy. Their attention focused on Wang Zhan. Among them, one face, Yuan Mengru’s, though somewhat dirty, revealed clenched, pearly teeth.

Wang Zhan felt a sudden tension. He carefully pointed at Yuan Mengru, then at his own head, and asked, "Are you guys okay? Or is there... something wrong with her?"

I recognize her, he thought. She was the one jumping around and screaming just now. There must be something wrong with her head.

Everyone was stunned, especially Yuan Mengru.

Me? The pinnacle of contemporary young martial artists, an innocent, pure, and beautiful genius from a distinguished family, being told I have something wrong with my head?

Yuan Mengru’s face instantly darkened, and her teammates quickly backed away.

She pointed at Wang Zhan and shrieked, "It’s none of your business if I’m a contestant! I just want to ask you, who do you think you are, talking to me like that? Apologize! Apologize right now! Or this young lady definitely won’t let you off easy!"

Her teammates exchanged glances. Has the Boss been driven mad by anger? ’This young lady’? Doesn’t she know she’s already twenty-one, practically an old auntie?