Zi Xue looked at me affectionately and said, "Of course I'm willing. But my father has only me and my elder sister as his daughters. We'd better not take that step unless it's absolutely necessary, okay? Just bear with him a little more for my sake."
I let out a helpless sigh and said, "It's inevitable for me to improve my strength, but I don't want to become an official in the imperial court. I have many difficulties."
Zi Xue said tenderly, "Do what you want to do. I won't force you. Didn't you say that if it really doesn't work, we can still..."
I took Zi Xue's little hand and said, "Thank you, Zi Xue. With your words, I feel at ease." It's impossible for me to become an official in Longshen, after all, I still have orc blood in me. Moreover, I'm a spy.
In the following month, in order to truly compete with Liwa, I reduced the time I spent with Zi Xue and devoted myself wholeheartedly to practicing martial arts. Zi Xue understood this very well. In today's society, no woman doesn't want her lover to be the most powerful.
Finally, on the eve of the competition, I successfully broke through the second level of the Berserk God Art and also learned the second move of the Berserk God Fist—Fierce Battle Under the Sky. The speed of my improvement in the Heavenly Demon Art was astonishingly fast. I was already close to completing the third level. However, at this point, I encountered an obstacle. No matter how hard I tried, I couldn't break through. The hardship was even greater than when I was practicing the first level of the Berserk God Art. This should be a bottleneck. There wasn't enough time for me to make another breakthrough. The competition was about to begin.
Teacher Zhuang stood on the podium and said to the whole class, "The day after tomorrow, the academy martial arts competition will start. Now, I need to determine the candidates for this competition. Those who are willing to participate, please raise your hands."
I guess everyone was well aware of their own strength, because only five people raised their hands. These five people were me, Feng Wen, Feng Juan, Huo Xing, and Luo Lei. What surprised me the most was Huo Xing. With his strength, it was impossible for him to surpass Feng Wen and Feng Juan, unless he joined forces with his elder brother. He actually also hoped to participate. Luo Lei hadn't been idle during this semester. Since he lost to me in the competition for the top spot, according to what Feng Wen and the others said, this guy had been practicing desperately on a daily basis, and his strength had increased very rapidly.
Teacher Zhuang smiled slightly and said, "Since five students are willing to participate in this competition, then let's have an internal competition first. And all of you will be the judges."
Feng Juan stood up and said, "Teacher, I'm the top student in our class. Do I have to participate? Anyway, I'm the strongest in the whole class. Let the other four compete. The winner can participate in the competition with me." Come on, is her face really that thick?
Teacher Zhuang said, "I'm afraid that won't work. After a semester of hard work, everyone has improved to varying degrees. I hope the five of you can have a fair competition."
Feng Juan said resentfully, "Then tell us, teacher, how are we going to compete?"
Teacher Zhuang said, "I've already thought about the competition items. They are respectively: strength, speed, and endurance. The classmates will give you scores. The full score for each item is 100. The first place will get 100 points, and the others will be scored by everyone according to the gap with the first place. The top two in the total score will represent our class in the competition. I wonder if everyone has any objections."
When Feng Juan heard the teacher's words, she immediately smiled and repeatedly said that she had no objections. She was very confident in her strength and speed. Although she was plump, we had all witnessed Feng Juan's terrifying speed. Naturally, the rest of us had no objections either.
Teacher Zhuang said, "Since everyone agrees, well, gather at Training Ground No. 4 this afternoon for the competition."
It was Training Ground No. 4 again, the place where I first ended up in the infirmary.
Just after the lunch break, all the students of our Magic Warrior Class 4 had arrived. Teacher Zhuang announced, "The competition will start soon. The participating players, please step forward. The first round is the competition of strength."
Feng Juan stood in front with full confidence, obviously determined to win this competition. She said to Teacher Zhuang, "Teacher, tell us how to compete."
Teacher Zhuang said, "It's all ready. God of Space, I beg you to teleport the items of the magic array." She made a gesture with her hands, drawing a golden hexagram in the air. The hexagram floated to the ground following her gesture. With a flash of light, five huge iron balls with a diameter of more than two meters suddenly appeared in the field.
Teacher Zhuang said, "The strength competition mainly tests how much energy you can burst out in an instant. The requirement of the competition is to try your best to damage your own iron ball. Only one strike is allowed. The iron balls are blessed with a magic barrier. Note that if you knock the iron ball into the ground, it will be invalid. The iron ball itself must be damaged. The teacher will calculate the damage rate for you. Whoever causes the most damage to the iron ball will be the winner of this round. Do you understand?"
The five of us replied simultaneously, "We understand."
Feng Juan said, "Teacher, let me go first."
Teacher Zhuang nodded with a smile and said, "Okay, you can start."
Feng Juan tightened her big sledgehammer in her hand, walked up to the iron ball, stretched her muscles and bones, and then held the sledgehammer with both hands and started swinging it around. The huge sledgehammer seemed weightless in her hands. After a while, Feng Juan's speed reached its limit, and her figure gradually became blurred. The circle she formed suddenly lifted off the ground. Feng Juan shouted loudly, "Giant Hammer Whirlwind Break." The shadow of the circle shot towards the iron ball.
With a loud "boom", everyone's hearing temporarily failed. Although the protective barrier wasn't broken, the originally huge iron ball had turned into a hemisphere. Strangely, with such great force, the iron ball wasn't knocked into the ground. She was really powerful.
Only I saw it clearly. Just now, when Feng Juan lifted her body upward, she released a stream of fighting spirit and placed it under the iron ball. It could also be said that she lifted the iron ball up, so she achieved such a result. But also because the force was dispersed, she wasn't able to cause further damage to the iron ball.
Teacher Zhuang said in surprise, "The damage degree is 50%. Feng Juan, you've done very well."
There was a slight sheen of sweat on Feng Juan's temples. Obviously, that strike just now had cost her a great deal of energy. Hearing Teacher Zhuang's words, she said proudly, "Of course. Teacher, I earned my position as the top student with my strength." She was plump, and now she was even panting. What a character.
Teacher Zhuang said, "Who's next?"
Huo Xing said, "Teacher, let me go." After saying that, he drew out his long sword and walked over.
I asked Huo Xingdao beside me, "What's wrong with your younger brother? Doesn't he know his own strength?"
Huo Xing looked at his younger brother who was walking up and replied, "My younger brother has endured a lot of hardship recently and has mastered a martial art move. Although he may not make it through, he will definitely surprise you. Just wait and see."
Huo Xing put aside his usual complexity and walked towards another test iron ball with a solemn expression. He squinted his eyes, held the sword with both hands, and murmured, "Great God of Fire, please ignite the fire elements around me and let the endless flames become my ultimate armor." Red flames began to burn around him as Huo Xing chanted, and the flames became more and more intense. Huo Xing, standing in the center, was like a god of fire, standing there quietly.
Huo Xing suddenly shouted, "Break free from the shackles, Blazing Light Flames." The red flames gradually turned white, giving off a strong brightness, as if he were using light-based magic.
Huo Xing suddenly opened his eyes, and there was a captivating divine light shining in his eyes. He slowly lifted the tip of the sword from bottom to top with both hands. A light long sword seemed as if it weighed a thousand kilograms in his hands, and he was extremely strained. I could clearly see that Huo Xing's sweat turned into wisps of smoke in the white flames.
I said in surprise, "With Huo Xing's strength, he shouldn't be able to command such powerful flames."
Huo Xing leaned over to my ear and whispered, "My younger brother has our family's heirloom, a Fire Protection Talisman that can protect him. He uses this to protect himself so that he doesn't have to worry about the backlash of the flames. In this way, he can use magic skills beyond his level. Although it's a bit strenuous, he can still do it. You have to keep it a secret for him."
I said, "Why are you telling me this? I'm Huo Xing's current opponent."
Huo Xing smiled slightly and said, "We're all brothers. What secrets should we keep? My younger brother is just here to go through the motions. After he finishes this move, he won't have the strength to participate in the following competitions. He just wants to prove himself. This kid is also very competitive."
At this time, Huo Xing in the field finally lifted the sword above his head. He pushed off the ground with his feet and leaped high, shouting, "Light Flame Slash." A white stream of light flew out like a chain along his long sword. The iron ball in front of him was instantly split into two under his powerful attack.
I said to Huo Xing, "This move is really good. The attack power is extremely strong. It's a pity that the concentration time is too long. If I were to fight against him, I definitely wouldn't give him the chance to use this move."
Huo Xing supported his body with his sword, gasping for breath as he asked the teacher, "Teacher, what percentage of damage do you think this is?"
Teacher Zhuang was so surprised that her mouth dropped open. She said, "Huo Xing, it turns out you can use such a powerful magic skill. You broke the barrier and split the iron ball in two. It can be counted as 100%."
Upon hearing Teacher Zhuang's words, Huo Xing showed a proud look on his face. Then, his body tilted and he fell to the ground, fainting.
Huo Xing quickly ran over and helped him up.
Feng Juan pursed her lips and said, "Overestimating his own abilities. He didn't even save some strength. If I had used my full strength just now, humph, I'm sure I could have achieved 100% too."
Feng Wen was the third to go. He kept it simple and successfully pierced the defensive barrier of the iron ball with the Spiral Sword Technique he had used against me before. However, the remaining power wasn't enough to damage the iron ball. Since the barrier had been broken, Teacher Zhuang judged his damage to be 80%.
Luo Lei was the fourth to appear. He didn't know where he had found another spear. It looked like its quality was even better than the previous one. Luo Lei used the same method as Feng Wen, which was a penetrating attack. But he still couldn't compare to Feng Wen's pure skill. Under this kind of test, the thunder-based magic couldn't exert much power either (of course, it meant that his current level wasn't high enough). In the end, he didn't break the barrier and only left a hole in the iron ball. Teacher Zhuang judged his damage to be 30%.
Finally, it was my turn. I naturally walked towards the last iron ball. Standing in front of the iron ball, I activated the fighting spirit of the second level of the Berserk God Art that I had reached. I lightly leaped up and came directly above the iron ball. Then I gently slapped the iron ball with my palm (I learned this move from my future father-in-law. Although I used to make a huge commotion every time I fought, which felt great, I always felt that I wasn't as elegant as my future father-in-law's moves, so I changed my way today). The iron ball was easily pressed into the ground by my seemingly gentle palm.
Seeing this, Feng Juan burst out laughing and shouted, "Handsome guy, brute force doesn't work. It's useless like this. I bet you don't even have 1% damage."
I was annoyed just looking at her. I gave her a glare and said coldly, "Shut your filthy mouth and watch for yourself."
When Feng Juan heard me scold her, she was about to flare up, but she was immediately stunned by the scene in front of her. The iron ball that had been pressed into the ground by me exploded instantly. With a loud bang, a big hole was blown in the training ground. The iron ball was gone, and there were only some scattered iron filings on the ground. I had used the "Tempestuous Onslaught" just now. I just condensed the fighting spirit into one stream, and it burst out from the place where I struck. Under the attack of the fighting spirit pressing in both positive and negative directions, it would be strange if the iron ball didn't turn into fragments.
I said viciously to Feng Juan, "Is your fat body harder or the iron ball harder?"
Scared by my powerful imposing manner, Feng Juan quickly said, "The iron ball is harder, the iron ball is harder."
I snorted in satisfaction and returned to the group.
Teacher Zhuang looked at me like I was a monster and announced, "Lei Xiang, 100% damage."
While taking care of his fainted younger brother, Huo Xing said to me, "Lei, you're really amazing. Your strength has increased so much."
I said indifferently, "Strength has always been my strong point. What's so special about that?"
Teacher Zhuang announced, "The first round of the test is over. Huo Xing and Lei Xiang are tied for first place with 100% damage. Feng Wen is third with 80% damage, Feng Juan is fourth with 50% damage, and Luo Lei is fifth with 30% damage. If there are no objections, the scores for the first round will be calculated according to the percentage of damage."
Feng Juan was very dissatisfied that she didn't get a high score in her strong suit. But with me standing there, she didn't dare to say anything. She knew that I was sure to qualify. She could only compete for the other spot. Although Huo Xing also got a full score in the first round, his body couldn't support him to participate in the following competitions, so he could be excluded from the calculation for the time being. Feng Wen got 80 points in the first round, which was 30 points higher than hers. She could only try to catch up with him. Feng Juan secretly held a grudge in her heart.
Teacher Zhuang said, "Okay, now the second round begins, the competition of speed. The distance from here to the school gate is less than 1000 meters. Whoever can complete three round trips at the fastest speed will be the first place. Which student is willing to go to the school gate to be in charge of the supervision there?"
Luo Lei suddenly spoke up and said, "Teacher, I give up this competition. Let me go over there to do the supervision." Luo Lei had just seen my powerful strength and his heart was completely disheartened. He no longer had the intention to compete with me. He ranked last in the strength competition, and his hope of advancing was already very slim. It was better to be generous and withdraw on his own.
Teacher Zhuang said, "Since you're willing to withdraw from the competition, then you can go to the school gate for supervision."
The three of us left stood on the starting line. At Teacher Zhuang's command, immediately, the three figures shot out like arrows.
Feng Wen took the lead, Feng Juan followed closely behind, and I was at the back. I activated the Flight Technique and tried my best to reduce the weight of my body. Even so, I still couldn't compare with Feng Wen's wind-based magic that he had practiced since childhood. I don't know how Feng Juan had trained. She was only as tall as my waist, and her weight was even more than mine, but she moved extremely quickly. She was just like a bouncing ball of fat.
The three round trips ended quickly. Feng Wen deservedly got 100 points, Feng Juan got 80 points, and I only got a pitiful 50 points.
After two rounds, Feng Wen topped the list with 180 points, I had 150 points, and Feng Juan had 130 points.
The third and final item was the competition of endurance. Teacher Zhuang said, "For the last test, for the sake of fairness, I've specially invited members of the Magic Warrior class of the third grade to test you." After that, she reached out and drew a small hexagram in the air, which seemed to be a simple space magic for close-range message transmission.
Students from the third grade? How are they going to test us?
After a while, nine people walked in from outside. Judging by their appearance, they should all be quite capable. Teacher Zhuang said, "These are your senior students from the third grade. They will assess you in the last test. They will attack each of you in groups of three. These nine students have been carefully selected by me and the teachers of the Magic Warrior class of the third grade. Their strength is very evenly matched, and it's definitely fair."
Feng Wen couldn't help asking, "Teacher, how will these senior students test us?"
Teacher Zhuang smiled slightly and said, "It's very simple. Each of you will withstand the attacks of three senior students. Whoever can hold out the longest will be the final winner."
Oh my goodness. Three against one, and the opponents are all senior students. Teacher Zhuang really came up with something amazing.
Teacher Zhuang said, "Okay, let's start now. For the sake of fairness, the three groups will proceed simultaneously."
Feng Juan held her big sledgehammer in her hand, let out a loud shout, and charged forward. Her indomitable momentum really startled the three senior students who were responsible for fighting against her.
Feng Wen was much more polite. He said, "Please give me your guidance, senior students," and quickly moved forward.
As for me, I walked over step by step with a powerful imposing manner exuding from my whole body. Among the three senior students facing me, two were magic swordsmen, and the other one used a strange-shaped weapon. It looked very odd. They were two long and large claw-shaped things that were put on his hands. Seeing me approach, the senior student with the steel claws launched an attack first. With a long howl, he soared into the air and spread his arms, looking like a soaring divine eagle. The other two senior students also brandished their magic swords and charged towards me.
They really lived up to their status as senior students from the third grade. Their martial arts skills were indeed much stronger than those of the students in our class. If it were a one-on-one fight, I should have a good chance of winning, but in a one-on-three situation, it's hard to say. I waved my hand and launched several ice cones towards the senior student above, and quickly stepped forward and threw a punch.
Suddenly, two bolts of lightning shot out from the steel claws in the hands of the senior student above, shattering all the ice cones I had launched. He still pounced towards me without changing his posture. But because I had taken a step forward, he ended up attacking my back.
I was surprised that I didn't slow down his speed. Although the power of my punch forced back the senior student on the left who was using a fire magic sword, I also fell into a situation of being attacked from both the front and the back. I gritted my teeth and shouted, "Tempestuous Onslaught." I punched the ground heavily. My target was the senior student in front. Just as my fighting spirit of the Berserk God Art was about to burst out from under his feet, he probably detected the fluctuation of energy and quickly leaped up, trying to avoid my attack. The power of my punch of the "Tempestuous Onslaught" splashed forward. Although he dodged the frontal attack, he couldn't withstand the aftershock. The ground exploded with a loud noise, and the violent energy, mixed with various debris, rushed forward, completely enveloping the senior student who had been forced back by me first and the one who had jumped up. The two of them desperately waved their magic swords to resist the attacks of the energy and debris.
Although my "Tempestuous Onslaught" achieved good results, I was also hit by the senior student behind me. At the moment when his steel claws grabbed me, I swayed my body sharply and Removed most of the power,At the same time, Tianlei unloaded his armor and sent out his fighting qi with a mad god.
The sharp energy caused a stabbing pain in my back, followed by a feeling of numbness. Ah, his attack had a lightning attribute. I let out a muffled groan. As soon as I turned around, I grabbed at his steel claws. This senior student was very agile. Although he was surprised by my defensive power, his reaction was not slow at all. After hitting me with one move, he quickly soared into the air again, just in time to avoid my counterattack.
I snorted angrily and cast the Flight Technique on myself. My body became much lighter. I tapped the ground with my toes and quickly rushed forward, charging towards the two senior students who were in a flurry due to my "Tempestuous Onslaught". Although the two senior students using magic swords were not weak in strength, they still couldn't withstand all of my previous attacks. Both of them, without prior consultation, suffered some minor injuries.
My greatest advantage was my powerful fighting spirit. I had to defeat two of them before they successfully encircled me in order to have a chance of winning. However, my well-laid plans didn't work out. The senior student flying in the sky rubbed his two claws together and launched a bolt of lightning straight down. It was already too late when I noticed it. The lightning hit my body precisely, and the intense numbness made me lose consciousness temporarily. At this moment, the Heavenly Demon Art in my body played a huge role. The icy feeling quickly spread throughout my body, allowing me to recover in a very short time. I was in a sorry state now. The clothes on my back had been torn by the senior student's steel claws just now, and after being struck by the lightning, most parts of my clothes were charred black, and my hair stood on end.
The two senior students using magic swords took a few steps forward. One of them said, "Junior student, admit defeat. Although you are strong, under our combined efforts, you have no chance at all."
I secretly glanced at Feng Wen and Feng Juan beside me. The two of them were still going on. Feng Wen was too cunning. Taking advantage of the superiority of his wind-based magic, he didn't confront the opponents head-on at all. He completely relied on his nimble body skills and played hide-and-seek with the opponents. On Feng Juan's side, it was rather terrifying. She was like a crazy tiger (a tigress?) and brandished her big hammer to form a powerful whirlwind. The senior students over there really couldn't do anything to her for a while. If I admitted defeat now, I was likely to be in danger of being eliminated. No, I still had to challenge Liwa. How could I admit defeat so easily?
I gave a cold snort and said, "Come on. I won't admit defeat. Tempestuous Onslaught." I punched the ground heavily again. The two senior students in front were so scared that they quickly flew backward, trying to dodge my abnormal attack. But they were wrong. This time, I wasn't going to deal with them, but the senior student behind, the "Thunder Eagle" (the nickname I gave him).
The senior student behind had electrocuted me just now. He originally thought that I would definitely admit defeat, but he didn't expect me to be so tenacious. Just as he was about to launch another attack, the ground in front of him cracked open, and the powerful fighting spirit rushed towards him. And my body also quickly turned around and rushed towards him following the fighting spirit at high speed. This senior student of the "Thunder Eagle" showed his extraordinary strength at the critical moment. While flying backward, he chanted, "Summon the divine thunder of the Nine Heavens, harness the suddenness of the earth. Come forth, the Wall of Azure Thunder." A thunder wall flashing with electric light quickly condensed in front of him. It not only neutralized my fighting spirit but also prevented all the debris from crossing the line.
When he was resisting my "Tempestuous Onslaught", I also arrived and launched a heavy punch. Since my hand was wrapped in the fighting spirit of the Berserk God Art, and his Wall of Azure Thunder had already been at the end of its strength after resisting my "Tempestuous Onslaught", it was easily broken through by me.
The senior student crossed his two claws in front of his chest, trying to block my punch. I gave a cold snort, and the fighting spirit burst out instantly. The senior student let out a shrill scream and was sent flying by me. I guessed that he wouldn't be able to move for a few days. This was still me showing mercy. Otherwise, even if he didn't die, his hands would definitely be crippled. You electrocuted me with lightning, and this is called an eye for an eye. All of this was completed in a flash. When the two senior students using magic swords came to their senses, the senior student of the "Thunder Eagle" had already crashed heavily into the wall of the training ground with a barrier.
It would be much easier now that I had dealt with him. Just as I was about to continue fighting against the other two senior students, Teacher Zhuang's voice rang out: "Lei Xiang, stop. You've already won." Hearing this, I was stunned and turned my head to look. Feng Juan's big sledgehammer had been knocked flying, and she was sitting on the ground, concentrating on circulating her inner energy. Feng Wen wasn't much better off than her. His clothes were as charred black as mine, and he had lost a lot of hair too. However, he wasn't electrocuted but burned. It turned out that while dodging, Feng Wen thought to himself that he was surely going to be the first place, and no one could hit him. As long as he held on until Lei Xiang and Feng Juan were defeated, he would succeed. But his evasive fighting style angered his opponents. They left two people to entangle him, and another senior student who was good at fire magic used a high-level all-round fire magic with the enhancement of a magic staff, and immediately took care of Feng Wen. And at the moment when he was defeated, it was also the moment when the senior student of the "Thunder Eagle" was sent flying by me. Seeing that I had already won, Teacher Zhuang was afraid that I would get injured, so she immediately terminated this test.
The one who was the most seriously injured was the unlucky "Thunder Eagle". After Teacher Zhuang announced that Feng Wen and I would participate in the grade competition, she immediately used water-based magic to treat him. The two senior students who had fought against me walked up to me. The senior student using the fire magic sword said, "Junior student, you have really good martial arts skills. The three of us joined hands, but you still managed to give us a hard time. It seems that the champion of your grade is surely yours."
The powerful strength of these senior students also won my respect. I said politely, "It's all because you senior students showed mercy to me. As for that senior student of the 'Thunder Eagle', I'll have to trouble you two to explain to him later. I really couldn't hold back my attack."
The two senior students looked at each other and smiled, saying, "The 'Thunder Eagle', this nickname really suits him. His name is Pu Rui, and he is the strongest among us. But we two are weaker, so we were grouped together. He will also represent our class in the grade competition. You will still encounter each other if there is a chance in the future. Don't worry. He definitely won't blame you. He likes to make friends with those who have strong strength the most."
I said worriedly, "Will his injury affect his participation in the competition?"
One senior student said, "No. This guy has a tough body. With Teacher Zhuang treating him, he will definitely be fine."
Except for Feng Juan who left angrily, all the other students came to congratulate Feng Wen and me. Even Luo Lei came over and said to me, "Lei Xiang, I admit that I'm really not your match yet. However, you have to be careful. I will keep working hard, and one day, I will defeat you."
I smiled slightly and said, "I'm always ready for a challenge. The martial arts skills of that senior student of the 'Thunder Eagle' are actually quite worthy of your learning. If it weren't for my good luck, I might not have been able to defeat him." Luo Lei's eyes lit up when he heard my words, and he turned around and left.
Teacher Zhuang asked everyone to disperse and called Feng Wen and me to the office alone.
Teacher Zhuang smiled and said, "Well, my eyes are sharp, aren't they? I knew that you two would definitely be able to defeat the others."
Feng Wen smiled bitterly and said, "Teacher, it wasn't easy for us to qualify. Look at me and Lei Xiang. We look like two black people." Feng Wen and I looked at each other. Seeing each other's sorry state, we couldn't help but burst into laughter together.
Teacher Zhuang said, "All right, stop laughing. The main reason for calling you here is to give you some guidance on fighting skills."
So she was going to teach us martial arts. Feng Wen and I immediately became serious. Teacher Zhuang continued, "Feng Wen, do you know where you failed today in the end?"
Feng Wen said blankly, "The opponent's magic was too powerful, and it was an all-round attack. I couldn't dodge it."
Teacher Zhuang gently shook her head and said, "No. The reason you lost is that you weren't fast enough. Teacher will teach you three words today. As long as you can fully understand them, you can remain invincible."