Chapter 15: Cardi Qiu Li

When Jianchen heard this, his heart stirred, and he asked again, "Iron Tower, how strong are you now? For example, how heavy of an object can you lift?"

"When I was at home, I could lift a large rock weighing over four hundred catties," Iron Tower said with considerable pride, his face beaming with pride whenever he mentioned this.

Hearing this answer, Jianchen's expression froze, and his gaze towards Iron Tower became peculiar. Lifting a four-hundred-catty rock was an impossible feat even for an ordinary adult, yet Iron Tower could do it at such a young age, which left Jianchen in disbelief.

"Iron Tower, how old are you this year?" Jianchen's gaze towards Iron Tower had already changed.

"Sixteen years old," Iron Tower said, his mouth full of food, his words muffled.

Jianchen's gaze towards Iron Tower changed again. "Iron Tower, have you always been this strong?"

"Yes, I've always been stronger than others. However, I also eat more. In the past, I often didn't have enough to eat at home, so I would go into the mountains alone to hunt and then roast the game myself," Iron Tower said in a very calm tone.

Jianchen took a deep breath. Now he was certain that Iron Tower had innate superhuman strength. Otherwise, it would be impossible for someone so young to lift a four-hundred-catty rock. What surprised Jianchen even more was that Iron Tower used to go into the mountains alone to hunt. For a sixteen-year-old child to achieve this was truly remarkable. After all, the mountains were not just home to wild animals but also occasionally to magical beasts, whose power far exceeded that of ordinary animals.

At this moment, Iron Tower patted his belly contentedly, stood up from the stool, and grinned at Jianchen, "Changyang Xiangtian, I'm full. I'll go back to the dormitory to rest. There's a match tomorrow."

Jianchen nodded with a smile and said, "I hope you can place in the top three in tomorrow's final."

Iron Tower nodded firmly, his eyes filled with determination. "I will do my best to place in the top three. A first-stage magic core can generally sell for ten purple gold coins."

Not long after Iron Tower left, Jianchen hurriedly finished his dinner and returned to the dormitory. As he was about to close the door, a knock came from outside.

"Fourth Brother, are you there?" came the slightly deep voice of Changyang Hu from outside the door.

Hearing this, Jianchen was slightly taken aback. He hadn't seen his eldest brother for two whole days. He immediately opened the door and called Changyang Hu inside.

"Fourth Brother, I don't know if you successfully advanced in the freshmen martial arts competition," Changyang Hu asked eagerly as soon as he entered the room.

Jianchen nodded slightly and said, "I have already advanced to the top eight. The final match is tomorrow."

Hearing this, Changyang Hu's face lit up with joy. "Fourth Brother, you are indeed impressive. No wonder you came to Kagas Academy earlier than Second Sister and Third Brother." As he spoke, Changyang Hu took out a thumb-sized crystal from his pocket and handed it to Jianchen. "Fourth Brother, this is a first-stage magic core. I obtained it with a few friends by killing a first-stage magical beast in the forest behind the academy. I prepared it specifically for you. Use it. It's getting late, so I won't disturb your rest. You must do your best in tomorrow's final match and try to win first place." With that, Changyang Hu turned and left the room, gently closing the door behind him.

At the moment Changyang Hu closed the door, Jianchen's gaze inadvertently caught a three-inch-long wound on his right arm.

Holding the first-stage magic core in his hand, feeling the lingering warmth, Jianchen's heart could not remain calm. Although it was just a first-stage magic core, from it, Jianchen clearly felt his eldest brother Changyang Hu's concern. The wound on Changyang Hu's arm, which Jianchen could easily guess was from hunting the magical beast, warmed his heart. A new emotion, one he had never experienced in his previous life, suddenly welled up inside him.

After standing in the room for a moment, Jianchen finally took a deep breath, gradually calming himself down. He then sat cross-legged on the bed to continue his cultivation. As for the first-stage magic core, Jianchen did not use it but placed it in his spatial waist belt. He was confident that he could win first place in tomorrow's match. After all, in his previous life, he was a supreme expert standing at the pinnacle. Although he had lost his powerful cultivation after reincarnation, the various sword techniques and his profound understanding of swordsmanship were deeply ingrained in his soul and had not been lost. These would be his capital for dominating the continent in the future.

The next morning, after eating breakfast, Jianchen immediately went to the competition venue. Perhaps because today would determine the final winner, the number of spectators was much larger than the previous two days, with most of the additional people being older students.

The competition arena on the playground had been adjusted from five to four, each larger and more solid than before.

At this moment, Jianchen felt something and turned his head to look back. He saw his eldest brother Changyang Hu pushing through the crowd, heading in his direction.

Noticing Jianchen's gaze, Changyang Hu grinned and quickly pushed through the people in front of him, coming to Jianchen's side. He patted Jianchen's shoulder and laughed, "Fourth Brother, you must do your best today. I don't expect you to win first place, just make it to the top three." For Changyang Hu, the magic core as a prize was a minor matter; the most important thing was the ranking. Although a first-stage magic core was expensive, it was not something the young master of the Changyang family would care about.

Jianchen smiled slightly and said, "Eldest Brother, rest assured. I won't let you down."

The competition time soon arrived. This time, the match was to select the top four from the top eight. After the draw, Jianchen immediately went up to the stage. Soon after, his opponent for this match also slowly walked up to the stage. To Jianchen's surprise, his opponent was a girl, specifically the girl he had a conflict with before—Cardi Qiu Li.

Cardi Qiu Li was dressed in a dark red outfit. Although she was only sixteen or seventeen years old, her figure was well-developed, with all the right curves and slimness. The tight outfit perfectly outlined her slender figure, and combined with her naturally beautiful face and fair skin, she already had the charm to make ordinary men's hearts flutter. There was no doubt that Cardi Qiu Li would grow up to be a stunning beauty. However, perhaps because she came from a prominent family, there was always a hint of arrogance in her demeanor.

Jianchen stood unarmed on the stage. The freshmen martial arts competition was held to assess the potential of each new student, so the use of weapons was not allowed. Moreover, before reaching the Saint level, it was impossible to condense a holy weapon within the body. Therefore, all the freshmen fought with their fists and feet.

Cardi Qiu Li looked at Jianchen with a hint of arrogance and said, "You didn't disappoint us. You were so arrogant in the cafeteria that day. Today, I'll teach you a good lesson." Her voice was clear and pleasant.

Hearing this, Jianchen's face showed a hint of disdainful coldness. People from noble families often had no sense of their own limitations.

"Bang!"

With a loud bell, the competition officially began. Since there were four stages, the eight participants fought simultaneously on the four stages. With the bell, the students on the four stages all moved at the same time.

Cardi Qiu Li took a few steps and quickly ran towards Jianchen. When she was only three meters away, she leaped from the ground and kicked towards Jianchen's face. Although she was only sixteen or seventeen years old, her skills were not weak, and her Saint Power had already reached the ninth level.

Jianchen stood still, his face calm. Just as Cardi Qiu Li's kick was about to reach his face, Jianchen slightly turned his neck and tilted his head, narrowly avoiding the kick.

Cardi Qiu Li reacted quickly. Seeing her kick miss, she clenched her hand into a fist and punched towards Jianchen's nose. With the assistance of her ninth-level Saint Power, her punch was not only fast but also powerful enough to injure an ordinary adult. Cardi Qiu Li did not hold back against Jianchen, whether to defeat him and advance to the top four or to teach him a lesson.

Jianchen handled Cardi Qiu Li's attacks with ease. Although his Saint Power was one level lower than hers, he was not an ordinary child. The combat experience he brought from his previous life was extensive. If he wished, he could avoid her attacks without even retaliating and defeat her within five rounds.

After attacking dozens of times without even touching Jianchen's clothes, Cardi Qiu Li became extremely angry. She stopped her attacks, took a few breaths, and then, with her hands on her hips, glared at Jianchen angrily. "Hey, are you going to fight or not? If not, get off the stage. Don't just jump around here."

Jianchen looked at the angry Cardi Qiu Li with a smile and said calmly, "The one who should get off the stage is you, not me. You can't even touch me, how can you defeat me?"

"You..." Cardi Qiu Li's naturally beautiful face turned red with anger, and she couldn't find the words to say. But then she rolled her eyes and sneered, "Even if I can't touch you, so what? You're just as afraid to fight me head-on, only dodging around. You're a coward."

"Hmm, is that so?" Jianchen's face showed a mysterious smile, and his gaze towards Cardi Qiu Li became peculiar.

Cardi Qiu Li looked at Jianchen arrogantly and said confidently, "Of course. Otherwise, fight me properly."

Jianchen glanced at the other three stages. After a while, the other three stages were also about to determine the winners. He then turned to Cardi Qiu Li with a calm expression and smiled, "Since you want me to fight you properly, fine, I'll do as you wish."