Chapter 20: Overcoming the Elite (Fourth Update)

Xin Lang had been waiting for this moment. He immediately used one experience point to learn Luoyang Academy’s “Seventy-Two Tiger-Subduing Fists.”

After mastering the technique, Xin Lang saw that Shi Cheng’en no longer had any value standing on the platform. As Shi Cheng’en rushed toward him, Xin Lang suddenly shot out a straight punch—

Bang!

With a fierce momentum, Shi Cheng’en took Xin Lang’s straight punch right to the face. Blood spurted from his nose, and his body was flung high into the air, tracing a beautiful arc before finally landing among the crowd on Luoyang Academy’s side.

Fortunately, Xin Lang’s strike was precise—if Shi Cheng’en had hit the ground, he would have been half-dead from the fall!

“What… what’s going on?” the people in the martial arena exclaimed simultaneously.

Shi Cheng’en had clearly been on the verge of victory. In the blink of an eye, he was suddenly sent flying off the platform!

The Luoyang Academy students were dumbstruck. Though Shi Cheng’en wasn’t the strongest among them, his defeat was so inexplicable, it left everyone baffled.

“It must have been a fluke, right?”

“Maybe Shi Cheng’en accidentally ran into the guy’s fist!”

Whispers spread among the Luoyang Academy students. Shi Lang, the academy’s martial arts instructor and Shi Cheng’en’s own uncle, looked as though he could eat Xin Lang alive. Even Principal Luo Yuan’s face was grim, hardly any better.

Luo Yuan gazed thoughtfully at Xin Lang on the platform. “This student, Xin Lang… why does he seem so familiar?”

Shi Lang also struggled to recall, feeling sure he’d seen Xin Lang somewhere before.

“Well done! Fantastic! Xin Lang, you’re amazing!” Meng Chuchu stood up, calling out her praise to Xin Lang on the platform with excitement.

Of everyone present, Meng Chuchu was the most familiar with the power of Xin Lang’s straight punch. It was as if she had already foreseen this moment, making her the first on the Sunlight Academy side to react.

With Meng Chuchu leading, all the Sunlight Academy students snapped out of their shock. Cheers instantly rang out in unison, fully displaying the power of their home crowd.

“Damn, how is this transfer student so awesome?”

“Is this for real?”

“I just blinked and that Luoyang kid went flying!”

“Could it be that the transfer student and that Luoyang kid were putting on an act?”

“Who are you calling an act?” Fatty Gu, another transfer student from the academy, grabbed the speaker by the collar and angrily declared, “Say one more thing to slander my boss, and you won’t live to see tomorrow’s sun!”

The student recognized Fatty Gu as a fellow transfer student and was about to get angry, but feeling the strength of a level-four martial apprentice in Gu’s grip, he instantly wilted. In his heart, he cried out, “Level four! What’s going on? Why are all the transfer students suddenly going wild?”

Xin Lang looked at his upgrade device and the newly acquired “Seventy-Two Tiger-Subduing Fists” skill, feeling elated. Although he had spent one experience point to learn the skill, he had just defeated Shi Cheng’en in a single move and gained another experience point from him. The upgrade device still had four points remaining.

Xin Lang strode toward the senior members of both academies. His gaze swept briefly over Meng Chuchu and Meng Linglong, then settled on Principal Luo Yuan and instructor Shi Lang. Standing on the platform, Xin Lang addressed Luo Yuan: “Principal Luo, you once told me that talent determines a warrior’s future! You said that even if I trained for a lifetime, I’d never become more than a level-three martial apprentice! Today, let my fists show you—and all of Jiuyang City—just how ignorant you and your Luoyang Academy have been! How blind you all are!”

“You’re…” Shi Lang finally recognized Xin Lang, exclaiming, “You’re the one who knelt outside our academy for three days, begging to be admitted?”

“It’s you!” With Shi Lang’s reminder, Luo Yuan also realized who Xin Lang was.

“That’s right! It’s me! My talent may be poor, but I firmly believe that with hard work, I can defy the odds!” Xin Lang continued, “Send out those so-called gifted students of yours! Don’t be stingy—why not send out all twelve of your academy’s elite?”

The twelve elites were Luoyang Academy’s trump cards, students Luo Yuan had painstakingly cultivated for years in hopes of making a splash at this year’s Jiuyang City Inter-Academy Martial Arts Tournament. But now, there was no room for holding back. If Xin Lang wasn’t driven from the platform, Luoyang Academy’s reputation would be ruined, and Luo Yuan himself would be branded a fool.

“Li Ying, your turn!” Luo Yuan called out personally.

“Yes, Principal!” A scrawny, sharp-featured student stepped forward from the Luoyang Academy ranks.

Xin Lang eyed Li Ying as he leapt onto the platform. “If I’m not mistaken, you’re the ‘Spirit Monkey’ among Luoyang Academy’s twelve elites, right?”

“That’s right, that’s me!” Li Ying replied.

“Good. Today, let’s see what makes Luoyang Academy’s elites so remarkable!” Xin Lang taunted.

Though only a level-three martial apprentice, Li Ying was exceptionally nimble. On the platform, he darted left and right, his movements so quick they were hard to follow. He switched up his approach, circling toward Xin Lang.

Now’s my chance! Li Ying saw Xin Lang’s gaze flick toward his feint on the left, and he lunged in for a sneak attack, hands shaped like claws, aiming to scar Xin Lang’s face.

“Ah!” Meng Chuchu covered her eyes in fright from below.

Bang!

When Meng Chuchu finally dared to look, she saw Xin Lang standing with his leg raised high, while “Spirit Monkey” Li Ying had already been kicked clean off the platform.

“Lin Song, you’re next!” Luo Yuan called out again.

But as soon as Lin Song got up there, he was sent flying by a single side kick from Xin Lang.

“Wu Chong, your turn!”

…

“Song Qian, go!”

…

“Yan Jiang, your turn!”

…

“Shi Qing, go!”

…

Luo Yuan’s face was turning green. He’d sent up six of his elites, but each was defeated by Xin Lang in a single move. Most galling of all, Xin Lang hadn’t even used any martial arts skills—just basic straight punches, jabs, front kicks, and side kicks…

Xin Lang stood on the platform like a god of war, a lone hero holding the pass against a thousand men. Not one of Luoyang Academy’s six elite students could withstand a single blow.

With Meng Chuchu and Fatty Gu leading the cheers, Sunlight Academy erupted in celebration!

PS: Fourth chapter delivered! Give me your votes, clicks, and favorites, brothers! No more words—see you in two hours!