"What? Lu Chenzhou won against Huo Tianyu?"
"Fifth Rank defeating Sixth Rank, that doesn’t make sense. After all, Huo Tianyu is a noble family disciple, his strength isn’t something ordinary people can match, could it be a fixed match?"
"There’s no benefit to that, no need."
There were cheers and doubts among the audience.
"Low Class root bone made it to the top four, you’ve set a record, Chenzhou!"
Wang Gang spoke seriously,
"To win with a weaker position! This is the strength of Cross Training!"
Beside him, an analyist named Yu Shan commented,
"Huo Tianyu’s absolute strength is strong, but he’s not good at actual combat. Just now, when he saw Lu Chenzhou fall, he relaxed for a moment, giving Lu Chenzhou the chance to counterattack, grabbing Huo Tianyu’s ankle like he would a maiden’s, which threw Huo Tianyu into a panic."
Yu Shan’s analytical authority was strong, second only to Chen Yuan.
"Chenzhou is really going for the jugular."
"What’s there to fear, Huo Tianyu is not a delicate maiden."
Everyone’s discussion was heated.
Lu Chenzhou was also a bit stunned on the stage.
He just wanted to make the top ten, yet accidentally made it into the top four.
He looked at the list of the top four, knowing that this was as far as he would go.
In the next match, his opponent would be Liu Huan. In some ways, this was good luck... because the other two were both at Seventh Rank Cultivation.
Liu Huan grinned and clenched his fist, saying,
"Hehehe, Chenzhou, let’s see if you can take ten of my moves."
Lu Chenzhou answered earnestly,
Liu Huan stomped hard on the ground and charged forward with a punch, shaking the stage continuously. Lu Chenzhou focused intently, knowing better than to directly clash against the ferocious Black Tiger Fist.
After only a brief exchange, he nearly got blasted away. He timely switched tactics to the Flying Swallow Sea Flying pattern, hoping to use his movement technique advantage to last a bit longer.
But as it turned out, all his fancy tricks were useless in the face of absolute strength. After barely dodging a few dozen moves, Liu Huan found his opportunity and launched a punch that sent Lu Chenzhou flying.
Lu Chenzhou conceded defeat matter-of-factly.
"Not bad, you lasted thirty-nine moves, hehe."
Liu Huan relaxed his stance and returned to prepare for the next match.
The audience below said,
"As expected, how could a Fifth Rank defeat a Sixth Rank?"
"Huo Tianyu must have gone easy, could he have a secret crush on Lu Chenzhou?"
"Don’t talk nonsense, they have partners from noble families, watch out or you’ll get beaten up."
This match had no suspense at all.
One just entered Fifth Rank, the other at the pinnacle of Sixth Rank.
Liu Huan’s strength is renowned in Fangshan. Until Lu Chenzhou reached Sixth Rank, he wouldn’t stand a chance against Liu Huan.
The subsequent matches would decide ninth and tenth place from among the eliminated contestants. Wen Tiange and another senior from third grade made it through without any surprises.
When the final results were in, Liu Huan and two Seventh Rank seniors took the top three spots, and Lu Chenzhou, as a chosen one at Fifth Rank Cultivation, made it to fourth place.
After the competition, the school infirmary took the injured students for treatment. They were mostly minor and superficial injuries—everyone knew the limits during in-school sparring.
Therefore, these exchanges could not replace actual life and death battles. Once at university, the school would mandatorily arrange for students to participate in real combat training to exterminate the "three evils."
A greenhouse could never nurture a true Martial Artist.
At the award ceremony, the top ten students stood in a row, and the teachers surrounded an old man with white hair, piercing eyes, and an awe-inspiring presence, standing with his hands behind his back.
"This time, the performance of all at the Dragon City Martial Arts University has been commendable. Whether it’s strength or luck, Martial Arts Cultivation is determined by multifaceted factors. Those who didn’t win a place needn’t be discouraged, and those who made it into the top ten by chance should not be proud."
The old man’s compelling gaze fell on him, and Lu Chenzhou knew it was directed at himself. Could this elder who resembled the headmaster also be Qingtian Cang?
After the awards were given, Lu Chenzhou had two boxes in his hands.
One box contained Bright God One, and the other Nourishing Organ One, with a total value of 150,000—equivalent to Lu Guoping’s entire salary before he was laid off.
What they say about "the poor excel in studying while the rich excel in Martial Arts," this is it! If you can’t enter a Martial Arts School and enjoy free education, which ordinary family can bear this burden?
However, Lu Chenzhou heard that university resources are no longer free.
Whether it’s supplements or Martial Arts, they all require great merit or money. Great merit is the general term for "Martial Arts University Merits," and different schools have different names.
Where does great merit come from? Naturally, it’s from completing school missions.
Killing criminals, Void Things, Cults, etc. ... all can earn great merit, and representing the school to compete in national and international Martial Arts competitions and winning places also comes with great merit rewards.
In short, high school is still like an ivory tower.
University, that’s when you step into the jungle of the Martial Arts world!
Contending with others, flashes of blades and shadows of swords, survival of the fittest!
"Chenzhou, you’re doing well."
Hong Fu’s eyes were filled with satisfaction.
"Thank you, teacher!"
Out of all the teachers in the school, Hong Fu was the most optimistic about Lu Chenzhou, often offering selfless help, secretly giving him special treatment – Lu Chenzhou remembered all of it in his heart.
"Chenzhou, I’m increasingly convinced that you are a genius in learning Tiger Form Fist. You are as calm as a sleeping tiger and as fierce as a starving one when you move, and you kill like a fierce tiger. You can bend and stretch, and you have a strong obsession with Martial Arts. The path of Tiger Form must never be abandoned, no matter when."
Lu Chenzhou was so flattered he didn’t know where to put himself.
"Teacher, I will persevere."
Hong Fu let out a sigh of relief, then said,
"Many students, after reaching the Hua Realm, opt for the Dragon Form, the foremost of the hundred shapes. Dragon Form is powerful, but it’s not suitable for everyone. What suits you is the best! Those who start in disarray and end in abandonment, who cannot stay focused, often have limited achievements in the end."
"Teacher, how can I determine whether a Martial Arts style is suitable for me?"
Hong Fu laughed and said,
"If you learn it quickly, it’s suitable; if you learn it slowly, it’s not."
Lu Chenzhou nodded as if enlightened and thought to himself,
"I have the Martial Arts Tree, and it seems like I can handle any Martial Arts style... but as a beginner in Martial Arts, I should focus on Tiger Form, and consider other Sects later as a Martial Artist."
If he wanted to stack up Divine Seeds to increase his comprehension, chances are Dragon Form would be on the list.
Hong Fu seemed to guess Lu Chenzhou’s thoughts and said,
"Of course, with your talent and nature, learning Dragon Form wouldn’t be bad either. I’ve always believed that Dragon Form and Tiger Form complement each other. When Dragon meets Tiger, they can encompass all shapes under heaven, be offensive or defensive, be long or short – become omnipotent!"
Lu Chenzhou suddenly asked,
"Teacher, as a Class A talent, am I eligible to learn Dragon Shaped Boxing?"
Dragon Form Martial Arts all belong to the First Class, incredibly powerful.
Hong Fu’s gaze flickered as he hesitated,
"You can... but are you sure you want to learn it now?"
Lu Chenzhou shook his head.
"Not learning, just asking."
Hong Fu breathed a sigh of relief and laughed,
"That’s right, it’s better to focus on Tiger Form first. I have ’Tiger Roar Mountain River Fist,’ ’Tiger Spirit Divine Fist,’ ’Five Tigers Life-cutting Saber,’ and ’Tiger Shadow Mysterious Steps’ – four kinds of First Class Martial Arts... What do you say, want to learn?"
"Teacher, let’s not learn for now. I’m far from mastering ’Tiger Supreme Fist.’ Once I’ve nearly perfected it, I’ll come to learn from you!"
"Haha, you kid... Go on then."
Hong Fu was somewhat eager to teach Tiger Form Fist to Lu Chenzhou, afraid that he couldn’t resist the temptation to switch to Dragon Form Fist halfway. He didn’t expect the guy to withstand the allure.
After dinner, back in the dorm, Lu Chenzhou took out the "Nourishing Organ One" in front of him—four doses of the medicine, to be used sparingly, once a week, enough for a month.
Lu Chenzhou downed a bottle of the medicine in one gulp. The effect was far more intense than "Qi Boosting One" and "Bone Strengthening One," coursing through his body and into his limbs and bones.
He felt completely refreshed, each inch of muscle that he had painstakingly trained greedily absorbed the medicine’s potency, and even the hard-to-train internal organs were being sublimated. Newest update provided by NoveI[F]ire.net
He could even slightly feel a minute improvement in his Qi-Blood.
"A fifty-thousand-yuan medicine indeed has some substance!"