"Huh?" The young man, who had been watching An Jing effortlessly dismantle his opponents with such gusto that he had almost shouted, "Put some muscle into it!" or "Flatten that guy!", was instantly dumbfounded. He pointed at himself in disbelief. "Flatten An Jing?"
"Me?"
This youth was Cang Linzu, one of the three who had completed the full course but refrained from challenging An Jing. His strength was indeed respectable; he had even attended the Dachen Martial Academy, and his eye for combat was sharp.
Precisely because of this, he knew full well that An Jing had likely just been a little "tired" the day before, whereas he himself had already been nearing his limit. That gap in physical stamina was not something easily bridged.
*Self-awareness is a virtue; why bother with the trouble?*
However, being singled out by the instructor actually piqued Cang Linzu's interest. He looked toward the arena.
At this moment, having defeated nine opponents in a row, An Jing did indeed show a hint of fatigue.
*Besides, it’s not like I’ll be seriously injured... This really is a good opportunity!*
"Fine, I'll give it a try."
*Don't blame me, An Jing. You're just too strong; I have to take advantage of this moment to stand on the same stage as you.*
With that thought, Cang Linzu stepped into the fighting circle—the original tenth challenger had already conceded.
An Jing turned his head to look at Cang Linzu.
He wasn't actually tired, but he had sensed Instructor Li’s subtle shift in demeanor when he defeated the fifth challenger. He wasn't dense; he understood that these "challenges," secretly encouraged by Xuanming Village, along with the meat he had been consuming, were all intended to foster competition among the disciples.
The training within the village would only grow more rigorous from here on out. The instructors would continue to push the disciples to challenge one another to identify the elite, both in skill and strength, eventually crowning a true "Senior Brother" before graduation.
But the premise was that the "first place" position had to be fluid to incite the disciples to fight for it. If he were too strong, it would crush the others' motivation; faced with an unbeatable opponent, everyone would just give up. It was no wonder Instructor Li was so frustrated.
That, however, was none of his concern. An Jing wasn't about to lose; the most he would do was pretend to be a little worn out to make the others feel that winning was a possibility.
"Offense meant!"
Cang Linzu did not take a weapon, and An Jing cast aside his short staff, clearly intending to spar hand-to-hand.
They bowed to each other, and in the next instant, a gust of wind rose. Cang Linzu stepped forward and unleashed a straight cannon punch.
Dachen Martial Academy had branches throughout the realm. The imperial court used these to hunt for talent and gather the nation's finest. Any apprentice who could enter the academy would at least reach the Inner Breath - Tidal Surge Stage, capable of holding their own in any region.
Cang Linzu hadn't spent long at the academy before the Frost Calamity struck, leaving him a refugee. Yet, precisely because of that, his martial arts had been forged in blood and fire. This cannon punch was utterly different from those of the other challengers—it carried a hint of malice, struck like a thunderclap, and aimed straight for the chest.
An Jing narrowed his eyes. He raised his left hand to deflect, meeting Cang Linzu’s strike head-on. Both their bodies swayed slightly, and while An Jing appeared to thrust his right hand forward, he actually stepped forward with his right leg, aiming to stomp on his opponent's instep.
But Cang Linzu’s footwork was equally solid. He pivoted his left foot to dodge the stomp while hooking his rear leg to prevent An Jing from retreating. Twisting his waist to channel his strength, he fired off another rapid, heart-crushing punch.
An Jing had anticipated this. Cang Linzu's technique and footwork were solid, clearly of professional pedigree and honed by real combat. Even with An Jing’s superior experience, he couldn't find a flaw to end the fight in one blow as he had before.
So, even before Cang Linzu had thrown his punch, An Jing had already shifted the force behind his outstretched right hand, targeting the other's right shoulder.
This exchange of blows was beyond Cang Linzu’s experience. Hit in the right shoulder, his energy faltered, ruining his aim; he only grazed An Jing's left shoulder, the contact feeling like punching a leather bag stuffed with hard gravel.
Having each landed a hit, the two stepped back. It looked evenly matched, but only a few could see who held the advantage.
*Bad move!*
Realizing he had lost the initiative, Cang Linzu simply crouched and rolled away. Sure enough, An Jing had already lunged, his knee-strike missing. As he took the opportunity to sprawl sideways, he was met with a horizontal elbow smash from An Jing, forcing him to block it head-on, leaving his body momentarily frozen in place.
This time, Cang Linzu was on the back foot. Just as he prepared to step back to avoid the brunt of the assault, An Jing slammed into him from the side.
Cang Linzu tried to kick at An Jing’s groin to force him back, but An Jing had already pinned his other foot, throwing him off balance. Simultaneously, An Jing leaned into him with a heavy, forceful shove that knocked the breath out of him, nearly rendering him unconscious.
"I concede!"
Stumbling and unable to find his footing, he eventually landed flat on his rear. An Jing did not pursue. Cang Linzu simply lay on the ground, calling out to the sky in a reckless tone: "Brothers and sisters, if anyone is still holding back, hurry up! If we're ever going to beat Brother An, today is the only day!"
An Jing caught his breath and looked around at everyone present with a smile.
But no one moved. No matter how much Instructor Li tried to nudge them with his gaze, no one was willing to step up.
From start to finish, the eleven-match streak, lasting less than a quarter of an hour, had ended. An Jing had become the undisputed Senior Brother with absolute dominance. The next round of challenges would be in ten days.
But everyone knew that even in ten days, no one would challenge An Jing. Unless someone made an extraordinary breakthrough, no one wanted to invite such humiliation.
"Sigh. That’s enough, that’s enough. An Jing wins!"
Instructor Li announced the victory with a sense of apathy. Amidst the cheers of Gu Yeqi, Zhang Ying, and the others, he growled, "Start training!"
He put the group of young people through a brutal drill. After making everyone cry for mercy—even An Jing, who was left with shaking legs from the targeted, intensive squat and horse-stance training—Instructor Li returned to the heart of Xuanming Village: the Medicine Pavilion.
"Deputy Envoy Yao."
He spoke respectfully to the old man on the fifth floor of the pavilion, who had been watching the entire challenge from above the Martial Arts Arena. "An Jing is indeed the most talented of this batch, but I never expected him to be so strong. The others aren't even willing to challenge him anymore."
"With first place fixed, what are we to do?"
"Fixed?" The old man turned, looking at Instructor Li as if he were an idiot. "If first place is fixed, why not let second and third place have the meat? Can't you just make those little things fight for second and third?"
"Or at the very least, let the top five have the meat. It's just a matter of increasing the portions."
"Are we really going to run out of a few scraps of meat?"
After scolding Instructor Li, Deputy Envoy Yao turned his gaze back to the Martial Arts Arena with genuine interest. "But it is true... the quality of this batch of disciples is truly exceptional. There have been some pleasant surprises."
After a moment of thought, the old man nodded. "Let's start ahead of schedule. Weed out the disciples with the worst physical stamina. Use the saved resources on the others."
"It's time to make them fall in love with the feeling of 'eating meat'."