Chapter 952: Chen Zhu

Chu Jian never would have imagined he could defeat his opponent.

Everyone had just witnessed the opponent's strength: overwhelming sword energy and masterful techniques. Even three of Chu Jian combined wouldn't be a match. He originally had no confidence to fight, only hastily responding after recalling the dean's lecture. The dean had explained how to fight someone almost perfect in physical prowess, swordplay, and reaction time. However, Chu Jian had never taken it seriously, thinking he'd never encounter such an opponent. He never dreamed that attacking exactly as the lecture described would yield such a miraculous effect!

Knocked to the ground with a single finger... Was that real? It seemed too easy! Was this truly the super strong opponent whom even Zhao Zhongchuan couldn't last three moves against?

“What happened? What’s going on?”“I don’t know either, but it looks like Martial Master Xu Tai was defeated…”“So many of us couldn’t even withstand three of his moves, yet this guy defeated him?”“Didn't they say Hongyuan Academy students were very weak? What… what just happened?”

While he stood dazed on stage, utterly confused, the audience below had gone wild. One by one, they stared in dumbfounded disbelief, as if they had seen a ghost. Yunxu Academy, Luoqing Academy, and Qingzhu School had all demonstrated their skills upon arrival, giving everyone a good understanding of their respective strengths. This Chu Jian, who couldn't even rank in the top 50 among 80 participants, had just knocked Xu Tai down with a single finger after stepping onto the stage... The disparity was simply too immense!

“You cheated!” After spitting out a few mouthfuls of blood, Xu Tai finally recovered, stood up, and glared coldly at the young man before him, like a ferocious beast. A dignified Martial Master, knocked down by a single poke from someone inferior in vital energy, strength, and reaction speed... The fury in his heart was unimaginable.

“I…” Chu Jian was stunned, wanting to say something but finding no words. He hadn't cheated, yet he truly didn't understand how he had defeated his opponent. To claim cheating would be absurd; they were engaging in a fair duel on the stage, and his opponent was even using a long sword. By all counts, it was an undeniable, legitimate victory…

“Do you dare to fight me again!” Xu Tai gritted his teeth.

“Alright, why not!” After a moment of hesitation, Chu Jian nodded. In fact, not only Xu Tai thought this way; many in the audience shared the same sentiment. If Xu Tai were declared defeated now, he certainly wouldn't accept it, and Chu Jian's victory wouldn't be honorable.

“Let’s begin. This time, I won’t hold back…” Upon hearing the agreement, Xu Tai let out a long cry, his body swayed, and his long sword transformed into a colossal dragon, shooting straight toward Chu Jian. This time, he unleashed his strongest power from the very first move, more terrifying than before. Before the long sword even reached him, its sword energy ripped through the ground of the combat stage.

“It’s the same situation as before… The dean also explained this type of attack…” Watching his opponent unleash an incomparably powerful sword strike, Chu Jian's mind went back, once again recalling the dean's instruction. He lightly twisted his body, formed his fingers into a sword, and pointed in a specific direction.

Pffft!

His fingertip pierced flesh, his vital energy like a dagger. The next moment, the formidable Xu Tai was once again lying on the ground, his face pale, spitting large mouthfuls of blood again. He looked even more pitiful than before. It was as if he had an endless supply of blood to vomit.

“He lost again?”“This time he used all his strength, yet he was still defeated by one finger. Could this Chu Jian have been hiding his cultivation all along?”“I don’t understand it either; his techniques are far too profound…”

A silence fell over the audience; everyone was speechless. The top-ranked students from the three major academies exchanged glances, cold sweat trickling down their brows. Previously, they hadn't even considered Hongyuan Academy seriously, believing that if the top 20 were selected, Hongyuan might not have a single representative. They never imagined that this relatively low-ranked student from Hongyuan would so effortlessly defeat a Martial Master from the Martial Master Hall.

“You… you…” Struggling to his feet, Xu Tai gritted his teeth. To be honest, he didn’t even know how he had lost! As a formidable Spirit Unification Realm expert, someone who practically had no rivals, being defeated without even understanding how it happened was driving him mad.

“Enough, Xu Tai, haven’t you embarrassed yourself enough?” Zhuo Qingfeng coldly snorted.

“Captain, I…” Xu Tai hastily turned his head.

“This young man's vital energy and strength are indeed inferior to yours, but his understanding of martial arts and his grasp of combat timing are far superior. That single finger strike just now appeared simple, but it actually required him to have a complete understanding of your sword techniques and vital energy circulation to execute!” Zhuo Qingfeng, with his astonishing insight, saw the crux of the problem and explained: “He used his finger as a sword to lure you into exposing a weakness, and then attacked… Such discernment is certainly worthy of a Martial Master!”

“Yes…” Seeing his captain speak, Xu Tai dared not say more and merely nodded before retreating.

“I… passed?” Having originally felt utterly hopeless, Chu Jian's face was filled with disbelief upon hearing he had passed the selection.

“Our assessment states that anyone who can withstand three moves will pass. You defeated our Martial Master. If that doesn’t count as passing, then who can?” Zhuo Qingfeng smiled.

“Yes!” Chu Jian nodded and jumped down from the high stage.

“Alright, Xu Tai, take a rest. Chen Zhu, continue the assessment!” Although Martial Masters were powerful, they were not truly invincible. At least when he was at the same cultivation level, Xu Tai was no match for him. Therefore, it wasn't a big deal for a genius from one of the four academies to occasionally defeat him. Zhuo Qingfeng wasn't particularly surprised and ordered the assessment to continue.

“Yes!” Chen Zhu nodded and jumped onto the stage, his gaze sweeping over the crowd: “Is there anyone who dares to fight me? Likewise… if you can withstand three of my moves, you can become a Martial Master!” He wielded a long saber, its sharp glow, combined with his vital energy and imposing aura, made people tremble before the fight even began. This guy seemed even more formidable than Xu Tai, perhaps even stronger!

“If I’d known he was more formidable, I should have gone up just now…”“It would be useless even if you went up. Even Zhao Zhongchuan couldn't withstand three moves from Martial Master Xu Tai, so going up would be pointless!”“Indeed, I wonder who can withstand three moves against him this time…”

Seeing Chen Zhu unleash his immense and unparalleled power, everyone in the crowd once again wore worried expressions. If Xu Tai was already so difficult to handle, what about this person?

“I’ll go!” A young man jumped onto the stage.

“It’s Luoqing Academy’s top-ranked student, Zhang Qingshan!”“His strength is formidable; perhaps he can withstand three moves…” Upon seeing him, all eyes in the audience focused. Zhang Qingshan, the strongest first-year student at Luoqing Academy, was so powerful that the aforementioned Zhao Zhongchuan couldn’t even withstand two moves against him. With him stepping forward, success seemed assured.

Whoosh, whoosh, whoosh!

Amidst the whispers, the battle on stage had already begun. Zhang Qingshan spread his five fingers, his vital energy surging forth like the relentless tide of a great river. Any other person would surely be torn apart by such furious vital energy within a single move. Yet, Chen Zhu, facing him, was like a small boat amidst the waves, drifting with the current without sinking, no matter how fierce the storm. In the blink of an eye, two moves had passed, and the two were still evenly matched, neither giving way.

“It’s not that easy to withstand three moves!” Seeing no progress after two moves, Chen Zhu's eyes narrowed. With a cold snort, his long saber suddenly flew from his hand, transforming into a bolt of lightning that cleaved straight forward.

Whoosh!

The speed was blinding; the air instantly split. Before Zhang Qingshan could even react, he felt a scorching wave of energy wash over him, as if it would cleave him in two.

“Oh no…” His pupils constricted, and his body involuntarily recoiled. Simultaneously, he flipped his weapon to meet the attack. The long saber and weapon collided, unleashing a powerful force that shattered a large section of the arena floor, centered around the two combatants. Zhang Qingshan's face flushed, blood spurted from his mouth, and he was sent flying backward, landing off the stage.

“I lost? How could I have lost?” Lying on the ground, Zhang Qingshan’s face was ashen, unable to believe what had happened. He was Luoqing Academy’s top-ranked student, possessing such formidable strength, yet he couldn't even withstand three moves… The intense sense of failure from not passing the Martial Master assessment was unbearable for him.

“What did I instruct before we came? No forbidden moves! Chen Zhu, what are you doing?” As he lay there dejected, he heard Zhuo Qingfeng's face darken as he reprimanded loudly. Had it been a standard three-move exchange, Zhang Qingshan would undoubtedly have won easily. To Zhuo Qingfeng's dismay, his subordinate had, at a crucial moment, used a forbidden move, which was utterly against the rules.

“I…” Chen Zhu’s face flushed. Having personally witnessed Xu Tai's defeat, he had become agitated and, in a moment of desperation, resorted to a forbidden move.

“My apologies, Dean Shen. My subordinate used an improper move. While Zhang Qingshan from your academy was defeated, he is still qualified to become a Martial Master!” After reprimanding his subordinate, Zhuo Qingfeng turned to look at Shen Pingchao.

“Then I shall trouble Martial Master Zhuo!” Hearing that his student still had a chance to become a Martial Master, Shen Pingchao breathed a sigh of relief and couldn't help but cup his fists in gratitude. The other party's action was clearly a show of respect, and he had to accept this kindness.

“Let’s continue!” After settling Zhang Qingshan's matter, Zhuo Qingfeng continued.

Chen Zhu scanned the crowd with an arrogant gaze: “Who wishes to come up?” His previous saber strike that sent Zhang Qingshan flying was simply too overwhelming. The examinees who had harbored some hope now cowered, one by one. They lacked Zhang Qingshan’s reaction speed and strength. If Chen Zhu truly unleashed such a furious saber technique, they would likely be severely injured, or even… cleaved to death on the spot, before they could even react!

“What? No one else is stepping up? If I’m not mistaken, Hongyuan Academy has only sent one person forward this entire time! Is there anyone else who dares to fight me?” His gaze fixed, Chen Zhu said coldly. His friend Xu Tai had been severely injured by a Hongyuan Academy student, and Chen Zhu intended to retaliate, to give them a stark display of power. He wanted them to understand that the true strength of a Martial Master, even when only using three moves, was far beyond what mere rabble like them could contend with.

“This…” Hearing his open challenge to Hongyuan Academy's students, everyone hesitated. A moment later, a young man gritted his teeth and stood up.

“I’ll go!” As he spoke, he was about to jump onto the high stage.

“Zhu Xi… you’re the last ranked participant in the selection. Going up there like that, aren’t you just seeking death?” Someone in the crowd yelled out.