Chapter 953: One Kick to Disable

Twenty first-year students from Hongyuan Academy participated in the selection competition, and Zhu Xi was ranked twentieth—in other words, dead last.

Among the eighty first-year students from the four major academies participating in the selection, he would likely also be ranked eightieth in terms of strength.

Even Luoqing Academy's top-ranked student was knocked away by a single blow. Going up there would be nothing short of suicidal.

Everyone stared at him as if he were an idiot, and some even covered their eyes, unable to bear witnessing what was to come.

"I'll lose either way..."

With a slight smile, Zhu Xi jumped onto the platform without much hesitation.

He already knew from the previous demonstration that, with his current strength, becoming a Battle Master was completely out of reach.

Even knowing he couldn't win, Hongyuan Academy was no place for cowards!

"Interesting. The strong ones are too afraid to come up, but a weakling dares to... Very well, let's see if you can last even a single move against me!"

Chen Zhu licked his lips, his long saber quivering in his hand as true qi surged, emitting a low whine.

"I hope I can last one move too..."

Taking a deep breath, Zhu Xi flicked his wrist, and a long spear materialized in his palm. Simultaneously, the lessons from Principal Zhang's lecture began to flow through his memory.

He had observed Chu Jian's fight with Xu Tai closely and concluded that Chu Jian had likely employed the techniques taught by the principal. At the very least, he wouldn't be selected, but he wanted to try them out himself.

"Begin!"

As the call echoed, Zhu Xi's eyes snapped open. He twirled his long spear and thrust it violently forward.

"The principal taught that when wielding long weapons like spears against shorter blades, one must fully exploit their reach advantage. 'An inch shorter is an inch more perilous.' While the opponent's saber is potent, its length is a disadvantage. I can use this to my benefit, drawing him in and making him underestimate me..."

The principal's words echoed in his mind as the spear cut through the air, leaving a phantom trail.

"Hmph!"

Chen Zhu scoffed, observing the attack.

With a light flick of his long saber, the air before him split once more as a sharp aura shot directly towards the spear.

"Now!"

Seeing that his opponent's response was precisely as Principal Zhang had described, Zhu Xi's eyes lit up. As his spear continued its forward thrust, he simultaneously kicked towards Chen Zhu's groin.

Combat requires a blend of feints and genuine attacks. While the spear's swift thrust appeared to exploit its reach, his foot was the true killing strike.

The principal had specifically detailed how to identify an opponent's weaknesses in battle. With Chen Zhu's saber whistling and all his power focused on his upper body, his lower half was bound to be exposed.

A squelching sound as his foot connected, and Chen Zhu's pupils immediately constricted. With a cry of "Ah!" he sprang up as if he'd been electrocuted.

Then... he crumpled to the ground, curled up like a shrimp.

Zhu Xi had put too much force into that kick, and since the groin was a critical weak point, Chen Zhu was left barely coherent.

"What...?"

Zhu Xi had approached the fight with a mere "let's try" attitude. He hadn't expected to hit such a vital spot with one kick and was now scratching his head, looking utterly bewildered.

Wasn't this guy supposed to be strong?

How could he be incapacitated so easily by a single kick?

It wasn't just Zhu Xi; everyone below the stage was wide-eyed, staring at each other in utter disbelief.

Didn't you all say this guy was ranked dead last?

The last-place student crippled Chen Zhu in just two moves?

"This... this..."

Even Zhuo Qingfeng was speechless.

While others might not grasp the profundity of that move, as a preeminent Battle Master, he certainly could.

Zhu Xi's full-force spear thrust forced Chen Zhu to focus all his power on his upper body, then, unexpectedly, he delivered a kick to the groin... It appeared simple, yet it demanded an incredibly high level of timing and control.

Even he, suppressing his cultivation, would find it extremely difficult to identify and exploit that weakness during a first encounter.

Yet a student from Hongyuan Academy, ranked only twentieth, achieved it with ease... What in the world was going on?

"You...!"

After a long moment, Chen Zhu finally recovered. He stood up, glaring at Zhu Xi, grinding his teeth, on the verge of exploding.

He had intended to avenge his friend, only to end up in a more pathetic state himself.

"I don't know how I won..." Zhu Xi scratched his head, "Do you want another round?"

He had merely applied the principal's teachings, only half understanding them, and wasn't entirely sure how he had managed to win.

If his opponent genuinely wanted to fight again, he would gladly oblige, if only to further test the principal's lessons.

"You're asking for death..."

Seeing that this guy dared to provoke him further, Chen Zhu gritted his teeth, veins bulging across his body. With a roar, he hurled his long saber forward!

It was the very same "forbidden move" that had just defeated Zhang Qingshan!

This time, fueled by rage, his attack was even more powerful. The saber's aura tore through the air, whistling menacingly, as if it could shred a person in an instant.

"So powerful..."

Zhang Qingshan, standing nearby, turned pale with fright and trembled uncontrollably.

If Chen Zhu had used that move on him earlier, he would have been utterly defenseless and likely severely injured.

It seemed Chen Zhu had shown him mercy before.

"So it is that move..."

Zhu Xi's eyes brightened instead of showing panic as the long saber cleaved towards him.

While observing from below the stage, he had meticulously analyzed this move, integrating it with the principal's explanations.

This technique utilized all of Chen Zhu's power, meaning that while his attack was formidable, his defenses were at their most vulnerable!

If one could pinpoint and exploit this weakness, breaking the opponent's technique would not be difficult!

Raising an eyebrow, he thrust his long spear out like a striking serpent, repeatedly tapping at seemingly empty points in the air.

*Clang, clang, clang, clang!*

A rapid succession of sharp clangs erupted as the spear struck the saber's attack nodes with each precise tap.

Although the saber's power was furious, it was entirely dissipated after hundreds of consecutive taps.

Deflecting force with speed!

This was another technique taught by the principal: when facing an irresistible, powerful attack, one should meet it with maximum speed. Small, precise impacts, accumulating rapidly, would create a torrent to dissipate the force.

He had only meant to test it, but to his surprise, it worked!

With his spear having neutralized the saber, Zhu Xi swayed and instantly closed the distance, delivering another kick, just as he had before.

His opponent had exhausted all his strength, leaving him at his most vulnerable. It was time to strike while he was down!

Battle opportunities are fleeting, so one must seize them without hesitation.

Chen Zhu was just thinking that one more saber strike would surely decapitate his opponent and cleave him in two on the spot. To his shock, Zhu Xi not only effortlessly blocked the attack but also delivered another kick. Chen Zhu's expression changed, and just as he attempted to dodge, he saw a slap descending.

The kick had been a feint; the slap was the real attack!

Focused on dodging the kick below, Chen Zhu left his face completely unguarded. The slap landed squarely, his cheek instantly swelled red, his vision blurred, and he was sent flying sideways.

Zhu Xi had put all his strength into that slap. Although his raw power and cultivation were inferior to Chen Zhu's, they were both in the Harmonious Spirit Realm, making the strike terrifyingly effective. In a single blow, he knocked out over a dozen of Chen Zhu's teeth, sending him tumbling headfirst from the platform to land on the ground, twitching uncontrollably.

"It actually worked..."

Zhu Xi's eyes gleamed, having defeated Chen Zhu once more.

Though he had memorized the principal's teachings firmly, he had never truly applied them, so he hadn't known their actual power. Now, having used them, he understood... They were incredibly effective and immensely satisfying!

It felt like taking an exam after having already received the answers and a thorough explanation.

Under the guidance of the principal's lessons, these supposedly superior Battle Masters were no more formidable than common dogs, utterly vulnerable!

"What...?"

"What just happened?"

Students and elders from Yunxu Academy, Luoqing Academy, and Qingzhu Garden exchanged bewildered glances, completely dumbfounded.

If Zhu Xi's victory in the first bout could be attributed to luck, then his overwhelming defeat of Chen Zhu, even after Chen Zhu employed his trump card in the second round, was deeply perplexing.

"Isn't this guy supposed to be Hongyuan Academy's worst?"

"If Hongyuan's weakest student can effortlessly defeat Battle Master Chen Zhu, how strong are their top students?"

"I don't know..."

They had all witnessed the earlier demonstration and noted that Hongyuan Academy was not only weak but also possessed a poor understanding of combat. How could they suddenly become so powerful once the competition started, as if they were entirely different people?

It was incredibly bizarre!

"Whether it's Zhu Xi or Chu Jian before him, their true qi and cultivation are far inferior to Xu Tai's and Chen Zhu's. Yet, they won with ease, suggesting that their mastery of martial techniques and combat timing has reached an astonishing level..."

Wu Tianqiong's eyebrows twitched uncontrollably.

He hadn't held high expectations for Hongyuan Academy during the demonstration, yet the results defied everyone's predictions.

His own academy's top students couldn't even endure three moves, yet the opposing academy's students effortlessly defeated Battle Masters...

"Indeed!"

Nodding, Shen Pingchao's brow furrowed into a puzzled knot; he couldn't comprehend it either.

Under normal circumstances, a cultivator's precise grasp of combat timing is a sign of talent. Two individuals possessing it might be unusual, but comprehensible. However, this situation was deeply intriguing.

"Zhu Xi... wins! He has passed the selection!"

Amidst the shock, Zhuo Qingfeng twitched his lips and loudly announced.

"I succeeded..."

Zhu Xi's eyes glowed with excitement.

He had originally held no hope, yet by fighting according to the principal's teachings, he had successfully become a Battle Master...

"Indeed, your grasp of combat timing is incredibly precise. Chen Zhu was no match for you, so naturally, you've passed the assessment," Zhuo Qingfeng affirmed with a nod.

Although he was reluctant to admit it, the facts were undeniable.

Chen Zhu had effectively lost the moment he was kicked in the groin during the first attack; his second attempt was merely a desperate struggle.

"Thank you..."

Zhu Xi nodded, about to speak, when he suddenly recalled something and couldn't help but look at Zhuo Qingfeng. "Battle Master Zhuo, there were only two Harmonious Spirit Realm Battle Masters. Now they're both injured. How will the subsequent assessments be conducted?"

There were thirteen individuals from the Battle Master Hall, including Zhuo Qingfeng.

The assessment covered six levels, from Harmonious Spirit to Half-Saint, with two individuals assigned to each level.

This meant there were only two Harmonious Spirit Realm Battle Masters available. Now, one was spitting blood constantly from Chu Jian's beating, and the other was lying with his head buried in the ground after Zhu Xi's attack... The Harmonious Spirit Realm Battle Masters were completely incapacitated!

"Well..."

Zhuo Qingfeng looked at his two subordinates, who were indeed in no condition to fight anytime soon, and a frown creased his brow.