Cui Tianfeng's heart had already sunk to the depths.
Compared to Zhong Lun, his status as a Grandmaster naturally demanded a much higher level of judgment.
During the recent battle, Cui Tianfeng had fully realized the terrifying power of Wang Zhan.
This student of the military martial arts academy had already become a level 8 Martial Artist.
Beyond that, it was evident that his physical body had been pushed to an incredibly advanced level, probably breaking the Limit by at least 30%. Otherwise, he wouldn't have been able to outmaneuver the elite Yanjing Martial Arts Academy sophomore.
We can't really lose... Cui Tianfeng thought, suddenly breaking out in a cold sweat.
He subconsciously glanced at Liu Zhenfeng and Lv Zhenglong by his side, only to notice that both of them were smiling at him.
"This student is…?"
"Wang Zhan, you must have heard of him," Liu Zhenfeng said cheerfully, "The genius who rejected the four major Martial Arts Academies and stayed in the Chu State Military Martial Arts Academy."
"He is…?"
"18 years old, freshman," Lv Zhenglong answered succinctly.
Cui Tianfeng's face fell even more. "You two really planned this well!"
"Heh, we can't just let you come to our door and slap us in the face, can we? After all, Yanjing Martial Arts Academy has been in the spotlight for two days already. It's high time our Chu State Military Martial Arts Academy reclaimed some face," Lv Zhenglong spoke calmly.
Things had reached the point where their true intentions were revealed. They weren't pretending anymore; this bet was a sure win, and it was time to show their hand.
Cui Tianfeng took a deep breath, suppressing his unease. "Who will win and who will lose is still uncertain. Wang Zhan may be talented, but he is only a freshman after all."
"Then let's wait and see," Lv Zhenglong nodded.
Time flew by quickly, and in the blink of an eye, half an hour had passed since Wang Zhan stepped onto the stage.
In just half an hour, he had already won five matches.
Five elites from the Yanjing Martial Arts Academy were unable to pose any threat to him.
"The so-called Four Major Martial Arts Academies seem to be no big deal," Wang Zhan lazily said, with his hands in his pockets on the stage.
This attitude enraged people like Zhong Lun even more.
"Impossible! Besides the Four Major Martial Arts Academies, how could there be such a character elsewhere!" Zhong Lun simply couldn't believe it.
He was the most powerful among the eight members of Yanjing Martial Arts Academy on this trip, but even he didn't dare to say he could defeat the rest as casually as Wang Zhan.
"Cheng Wei, you go up!" Zhong Lun looked at Cheng Wei and said, "Use every means necessary to defeat him! How dare a loser from Chu State Military Martial Arts Academy be so arrogant?!"
"Brother Zhong, you..." Cheng Wei wanted to say something, but stopped himself.
"Use all your means; show him that Yanjing Martial Arts Academy is the most powerful. Chu State Military Martial Arts Academy doesn't even deserve to compete against us!" Zhong Lun continued to vent his anger.
Even Dai Yanran, who was standing aside, could tell that something was off about Zhong Lun.
"Zhong Lun, get a hold of yourself, this is just a sparring match!" Dai Yanran, being as powerful as Zhong Lun, didn't need to be as cautious as the others. "What you need now is to calm down."
"I am calm!" Zhong Lun retorted, but ultimately heeded Dai Yanran's words. He took a deep breath and sat down silently.
Seeing this, Dai Yanran nodded to Cheng Wei, "I'll keep an eye on him. You go ahead, good luck."
"I will do my best," Cheng Wei said seriously, but deep down, he didn't have much confidence.
「On the stage.」
Wang Zhan looked at Cheng Wei and laughed, "I believe it was you who defeated Zhou Yi the day before yesterday, right? Are you a junior at Yanjing Martial Arts Academy?"
"Yes." Cheng Wei took a deep breath, his expression serious. "You are very strong, but what you just said was too much. I will not allow you to insult Yanjing Martial Arts Academy."
"Hmph, if all of Yanjing Martial Arts Academy are arrogant characters like you, I don't think I was wrong," Wang Zhan shrugged and said, "Besides, I was just repaying like for like. I'm responding in the same way you treated us. It's that simple."
Once he finished speaking, Wang Zhan waved his hand and said, "Enough talk, let's fight."
"Be careful!"
Cheng Wei acted without hesitation. Facing an inscrutable opponent like Wang Zhan, he had no intention of holding back.
He put in his best effort as soon as he made a move. His body crouched slightly, his right hand formed a knife-hand in front of him. The moment his toe touched the ground, he moved with a speed that was almost imperceptible to the naked eye.
In less than a blink of an eye, he was already in front of Wang Zhan.
"So fast!" Wang Zhan raised an eyebrow, then casually sidestepped Cheng Wei's knife-hand strike.
"Not so easy!" Cheng Wei was not surprised that his first strike missed. If Wang Zhan couldn't even dodge that, he wouldn't be a worthy opponent.
Just as Wang Zhan moved to dodge, Cheng Wei had already anticipated his movement. He quickly turned his palm sideways, and a cold light briefly flashed.
This time, even Wang Zhan couldn't dodge in time.
Trouble, I was too careless! Wang Zhan's expression changed slightly. He clearly recognized that Cheng Wei's palm was hiding a blade!
The sharp blade was fast approaching. Regardless of the outcome, if they clashed, Wang Zhan would definitely be injured.
With that in mind, Wang Zhan did not hesitate to retreat. However, despite his best efforts, he was still a beat slower than Cheng Wei.
But it was that slight advantage in speed that finally allowed Cheng Wei to reach Wang Zhan.
As his hand-chop fell, killing intent suddenly flared in his eyes. His hand transformed, revealing a gleaming blade that he plunged fiercely toward Wang Zhan's chest!
"You actually want to kill me?!" Wang Zhan could hardly believe it.
In this dire moment, Wang Zhan abandoned all pretenses of dignity and rolled backward without hesitation.
Seeing Wang Zhan retreating, Cheng Wei knew he couldn't completely defeat his opponent in one go. Therefore, he had to settle for the next best thing. Swiftly changing his attack from a stab to a chop, his blade struck harshly against Wang Zhan's chest.
Fresh blood splattered onto the arena, but Wang Zhan had successfully created distance from Cheng Wei again.
In their first clash, Cheng Wei had the upper hand.
"Didn't expect it, did you? I am also a speed-type Martial Artist." Looking at the gruesome wound on Wang Zhan's chest, nearly a foot long, Cheng Wei finally couldn't help but laugh out smugly.
Wang Zhan's expression was as still as water, and he simply watched his opponent.
"This is just a sparring match, is it necessary?" Wang Zhan asked coldly. "I've been holding back the entire time. I didn't even injure that wastrel Zheng Sikai!"
Cheng Wei's expression faltered, evidently not expecting Wang Zhan to bring this up.
However, he didn't care at all, responding, "Yanjing Martial Arts Academy cannot lose to Chu State Military Martial Arts Academy."
"Just because of this, you're resorting to any means necessary?" Wang Zhan could hardly believe it. "You clearly showed killing intent just then! You're actually trying to kill me!"
Wang Zhan couldn't accept this. Is it really necessary to go this far in a mere student rivalry?
Having just experienced a real Beast Tide, Wang Zhan had witnessed too many of his compatriots sacrificed. Although he knew that humans were not tightly bonded, he never thought that another student would actually try to kill him during a trivial sparring match.
Faced with Wang Zhan's questioning, Cheng Wei actually started to laugh.
"Heh, if you're afraid of dying, then just concede! Moreover, there are Grandmasters watching over there. It won't end in a loss of life."
"So you admit it? You were trying to kill me just now?"
"Yes, indeed," Cheng Wei nodded.
With this admission, the audience was in an uproar.
The students of the Chu State Military Martial Arts Academy had originally been proud of Wang Zhan's effortless victory. Now, seeing Wang Zhan injured by another's treacherous tactics, they shared a common resentment.
It didn't matter if they were from Yanjing Martial Arts Academy; insults flew freely.
Not only the students, at this moment, Lv Zhenglong and Liu Zhenfeng were also looking coldly at Cui Tianfeng.
"This is the so-called elite genius of Yanjing Martial Arts Academy?"
Cui Tianfeng was sweating profusely. "I've already stressed repeatedly that you must not take anyone's life…"
"Very well. The bottom line is not to take a life, right?" Lv Zhenglong nodded. Suddenly raising his voice, he said, "Wang Zhan! As long as you don't take their lives, do as you wish!"
"Alright!" Wang Zhan responded loudly, a dangerous signal now present in his gaze towards Cheng Wei.
"Cheng Wei, is it? You really taught me a lesson today," Wang Zhan said seriously. "You made me realize how naive and childish my previous thoughts were."
Cheng Wei felt a premonition of something ominous in his heart. Wang Zhan's mere tone made his hair stand on end.
Although Wang Zhan didn't exude the slightest hint of energy, nor carry any imposing aura, his quiet words alone instilled fear in Cheng Wei.
"What... what are you trying to say?!"
"What I am trying to say is, I won't be so naive in the future." A chilling smile appeared on Wang Zhan's face. "When it comes down to it, I should take action, regardless of whether you're a fellow human! To thank you for this enlightening lesson, I'll reluctantly have to cripple you."
As soon as he finished speaking, Wang Zhan's lean body suddenly began to expand. In just a few breaths, his physical body had doubled in size.
Muscles bulged all over his body, his loose practice clothes straining against his expanding frame.
"Are you ready?" A cold smile rose on Wang Zhan's face.
Before Cheng Wei could respond, Wang Zhan had disappeared from his sight.
Behind! The Martial Artist's intuition led Cheng Wei to sense Wang Zhan's movements.
Without hesitation, he swung his knife towards his back, but the moment he made his move, he realized that Wang Zhan's palm was already grasping his wrist.
CRACK!
"Ah!"
Cheng Wei's heart-wrenching scream erupted. Wang Zhan had instantly snapped his wrist in two, and shattered white bone pierced the skin and flesh, starkly exposed to the air.
"My…my hand!"
"Don't worry, there's still the other hand!" Wang Zhan sneered. Looking at Cheng Wei now, it was like looking at a beast in the wilderness!
From a distance, Cui Tianfeng's face changed dramatically.
"You dare!"
But before Cui Tianfeng could react, he was held in place by Lv Zhenglong's firm grip on his shoulder.
Lv Zhenglong's face remained expressionless.
"Didn't you say the bottom line is not to take a life? Just watch obediently! Open your damn eyes and watch!"
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