Chapter 20

Zichen clenched his fists tightly, his body brimming with true energy, and in an instant, he transformed into a fierce tiger.

With a twist of his fists, the technique "Tiger Descends the Mountain" was unleashed, followed immediately by the second move, "Roaring Tiger," as if the king of the mountains was patrolling his territory.

After the second move, Zichen had no intention of delivering a third strike.

Because two moves were enough.

The iron fist came like a hammer, whistling through the air, aiming straight for Zichen's face, but after the "Roaring Tiger," Zichen's fist was also in front of the iron fist.

"Bang!"

The fists collided, producing a dull sound.

Under his powerful physique, Zichen's body only wavered slightly and then stood still. In contrast, Ke Xue felt a surging force from Zichen's fist, causing him to involuntarily retreat.

"Thud, thud, thud."

In the blink of an eye, he had retreated over ten steps, his internal qi and blood churning. By the time he took the last step, he couldn't help but spit out a large mouthful of blood.

"You—"

Zichen's overwhelming strength made Ke Xue's face change drastically. Besides his profound understanding of combat techniques, Zichen seemed to possess another force. Otherwise, he wouldn't have been defeated in one strike.

"Whoosh."

A white figure flashed before his eyes, and Ke Xue saw Zichen in front of him. Then, a pair of fists, as fast as a torrent of pear blossoms, came at him.

"Bang!" "Bang!" "Bang!"

Ke Xue swung his iron fist, defending repeatedly, but his speed was no match for Zichen's, and each of Zichen's punches was heavy.

Finally, one punch broke through the iron fist's wind and landed on Ke Xue's face. With a "bang," Ke Xue's eye socket instantly turned black.

One punch led to another, and with each punch, Ke Xue was forced to retreat.

After several punches, his face was a mess. Although Zichen's punches were heavy, they didn't cause much damage to Ke Xue's face, but they certainly made it swell.

"Look, over there at Zichen."

In the crowd, a voice called out. Those watching other battles inadvertently saw Zichen's fight and were immediately surprised.

Ke Xue's achievements were built on his iron fists, a true powerhouse, but he was defeated by Zichen in one exchange and then beaten to the point of being unable to fight back.

"This kid is not simple."

"He has even grasped two true meanings."

Zichen's ability to defeat Ke Xue left no doubt about his strength. The crowd was filled with exclamations of amazement, and the elders on the high platform were also surprised.

"This assessment is quite exciting," said an elder in red.

"Yes, ten have grasped true meanings, and four have grasped the true meanings of second-rate combat techniques. That's quite impressive," another elder added.

"The disciples in this assessment are more talented than in previous ones."

The elders glanced at Zichen, then turned their attention to another battle, where Wu Sheng was fighting.

Throughout the process, several elders had been closely watching Wu Sheng, showing great interest in this mysterious disciple.

"That's not certain," the grand elder suddenly opened his eyes and said, "In one assessment, there were more geniuses than this, but they were all overshadowed by one person."

The other elders turned to look at the grand elder.

Suddenly, an elder's eyes lit up, and he said, "Grand Elder, are you talking about—"

"Exactly, Chen Feng's class," the grand elder's eyes showed a hint of admiration. "In that class, Chen Feng grasped the true meaning of a complete set of second-rate combat techniques, sweeping through the young disciples of that generation, and was thus recognized by the sect leader and taken as a core disciple."

"The true meaning of a complete set of second-rate combat techniques?"

Some of the elders had witnessed that battle firsthand, while others had only heard about it. But hearing the grand elder's words today, those who hadn't seen it with their own eyes were visibly shaken. Such talent was far superior to theirs.

Chen Feng, the top core disciple of the Lingwu Sect, was also the most talented person in the sect. Only the most talented could inherit the position of the next sect leader.

After a fierce battle, the results were clear.

Wang Xiong, Wu Sheng, Miaokong, Lin Xue, and Zichen were the winners. Zichen kept his promise and beat Ke Xue's head into a pig's head, making it unrecognizable even to his mother.

"You wait!"

As he left, Ke Xue, with a pig's head, said fiercely, but his swollen face and mouth made his words sound comical.

Zichen's strikes weren't heavy; Ke Xue only had superficial injuries and no damage to his brain or bones. He would recover after a few days of rest and would not be affected in the next battle.

The next battle was for the rankings of the last five. Ke Xue, with a pig's head, defeated two people, turning them into pig heads as well, and thus secured the sixth place.

After winning, he waved his iron fists at Zichen, but seeing Zichen's faint smile, his face fell.

The last five places were decided, and then came the top five. Compared to the last five, the top five were just the appetizers; the real excitement was about to begin.

The top five would draw lots to determine their opponents.

Two would fight, and one would have a bye.

"Good luck."

In front of the lot box, Lin Xue clenched her small fists and her big eyes were full of encouragement.

"You too."

Zichen nodded.

The results of the draw were quickly announced, and they were quite dramatic.

Miaokong against Wu Sheng, Lin Xue against Wang Meng, and Zichen had a bye.

This was an incredible stroke of luck. The one with a bye was already guaranteed to advance, meaning he was already in the top three.

When the results were announced, the crowd let out a chorus of boos and expressions of disappointment.

"Xue'er is only at the fifth level of true energy. Although her understanding of combat techniques is good, she is certainly no match for Wang Meng. But making it to the top five is still impressive," Su Mengyao murmured from a distance.

"Making it to the top five is already good. That kid Zichen is just lucky to have drawn a bye," Chen Feng said calmly.

Looking at the number two lot in her hand, Lin Xue's young face showed a bitter smile. She was no match for Wang Meng, who was at the sixth level of true energy.

"The battle begins."

On the high platform, an elder said calmly.

Since these were the final few battles, they were conducted one by one. Miaokong, who drew the number one lot, fought Wu Sheng first.

At the start of the battle, Miaokong continued to use his light-footed technique, narrowly avoiding Wu Sheng's strike and then attacking the exposed opening.

After a series of battles, Miaokong achieved some impressive results.

The crowd cheered, clearly in support of the unassuming Miaokong.

"This kid is still holding back. Does he think that the fifth level of true energy is enough to win?" an elder on the high platform chuckled.

"Hehe, young people are always a bit arrogant," another elder added.

"Explosive Star Fist is just one step away from fully grasping the true meaning. Wu Sheng's talent is very high, rivaling Chen Feng's in his prime," another elder sighed.

The grand elder remained closed-eyed, but the second elder's face showed a hint of joy at the conversation among the elders.

In the battle, Miaokong did not fall behind but even had the upper hand.

Wu Sheng unleashed his full power, his aura suddenly surging to the sixth level of true energy. Then, the Explosive Star Fist was executed to its fullest, delivering a powerful strike.

"Bang."

After a dull sound, Miaokong flew back several dozen meters before stabilizing.

Facing the sixth-level true energy of Wu Sheng, Miaokong was defeated.

Wu Sheng's strength made the crowd exclaim in surprise. At that moment, many people felt they had misjudged the situation. They had thought Wang Meng was a sure first place, but Wu Sheng's strength made him Wang Meng's biggest rival.

Holding the number two lot, Wang Meng's eyes showed concern, not for facing Lin Xue, but for his chances against Wu Sheng.

But after much consideration, it seemed he only had a fifty percent chance, and Wang Meng's expression turned extremely grim.

Outside, Wang Xiong's expression was the same.

He hadn't expected a mysterious Wu Sheng to appear, reducing his ten percent chance to five. He was furious.

"Where did this damn guy come from?" Wang Xiong cursed angrily.

Zichen was talking to Lin Xue in a low voice, surrounded by envious glares.

"What, no hope of winning?" Zichen asked with a light laugh.

Lin Xue playfully stuck out her tongue and said, "Not much hope."

Zichen smiled mysteriously and said, "Good luck."

Lin Xue nodded, "Good luck."

The first round ended, and Miaokong returned disappointed but not disheartened.

"Not bad."

Zichen and Lin Xue both nodded in agreement.

Miaokong just smiled.

"The first round is over. Wu Sheng wins. The second round begins, Lin Xue against Wang Meng," the elder on the high platform announced.

Wang Meng sneered and walked to the battle platform.

Lin Xue was about to step forward but was pulled back by Zichen. Zichen shouted, "Hold on."

Zichen's voice drew everyone's attention.

"Zichen, what is it?"

Zichen had shown his strength in two consecutive battles. Although his words were interrupted, the elder did not get angry and remained calm.

"What is this kid up to?" Others were also very puzzled, but Su Mengyao's beautiful face showed a faint smile, as if she had already guessed.

And Lin Xue's eyes were full of amusement.

"Reporting to the elder, I would like to ask if I can switch my lot with Lin Xue's. I want to fight this round," Zichen said respectfully.

"!"

Everyone was stunned.

"Is he a fool? Facing Wang Meng means certain defeat, and not fighting guarantees a place in the top three."

"Hmph, trying to use this method to flirt with a girl, how despicable."

"Wow, so cool."

The disciples had mixed reactions, and some female disciples' eyes were shining.

The elders were also taken aback, then their gazes instinctively turned to the grand elder.