Zhao Tianxing's lips twitched as he heard those words, silently thinking, "Qian Shen, you really didn't need to say the last part. Now, I'm even more of a clown."
Lan Ling's eyes grew cold as he looked at the freshman, Qian Shen, who had dared to defy his senior. He spoke indifferently, "Zhou Ke, why don’t you guide this junior for a bit?"
Just as Zhou Ke was about to step toward Qian Shen, a bolt of lightning flashed through the air.
In the midst of everyone's astonished gaze, Bai Zhenzhen had already appeared before Zhou Ke, accompanied by a gust of wind.
Zhao Tianxing frowned slightly, thinking to himself, "Didn’t I tell them not to come? Why are they here again?"
He seemed to recall the image of Bai Zhenzhen being sent flying by Lan Ling a few months ago.
Although Bai Zhenzhen's strength had soared in these past few months, the students in their second year were also progressing in their cultivation. To Zhao Tianxing, the gap from one year of cultivation was something that could not easily be bridged.
"You want to fight, huh?" Bai Zhenzhen snorted coldly, staring at Zhou Ke. "I’ll fight you."
However, Lan Ling intervened, saying, "Zhou Ke, take a rest and recover your strength."
Lan Ling's reasoning for this was that, based on Bai Zhenzhen’s previous performance in the physical training contest, Zhou Ke might not be her match.Lan Ling obviously couldn’t allow Bai Zhenzhen, a freshman, to teach a second-year senior a lesson in front of everyone.
So, he casually made up an excuse to send Zhou Ke away and stepped up to meet Bai Zhenzhen’s gaze.
Lan Ling smiled slightly and casually said, "Junior, it’s been a few months, let me guide you again…"
Boom!
Without giving Lan Ling a chance to finish his words, Bai Zhenzhen’s right leg disappeared into the air as if it had vanished, exploding into a wave of energy at Lan Ling’s abdomen.
Just like the sparring session a few months ago, it was Bai Zhenzhen’s kick that hit Lan Ling, but the results were completely different.
Lan Ling's expression shifted slightly, and his body, which had been as steady as Mount Tai, staggered back two steps.
"Senior, it seems you’ve underestimated me."
Bai Zhenzhen spoke as she vanished from Lan Ling’s sight.
Lei Jun, standing to the side, brightened as he thought to himself, "I haven’t seen Bai Zhenzhen go all out in a while. She’s already gotten this strong?"
"Nice sneak attack," Lei Jun commented sincerely. "Remember, in real combat, surprise attacks are a big deal. It’s the best way to defeat someone stronger."
The next moment, it seemed as if electric sparks were flashing across the air.
Bai Zhenzhen’s figure flickered and darted around, like a ghost.
In the astonished eyes of many first- and second-year students, Bai Zhenzhen transformed into a raging storm, completely overwhelming Lan Ling.
Lightning and energy waves continuously exploded on Lan Ling's body, like a barrage of cannonballs bombarding him, forcing him back step by step.
Lan Ling protected his vital spots with both hands, his eyes filled with shock as he thought, "This Bai Zhenzhen has already reached this level of power?"
"In just a few months, she’s already at a level where she can fight me?"
This thought filled Lan Ling’s heart with extreme jealousy.
How much had he spent? How many hardships had he endured? How much time had he sacrificed to reach this point?
And this poor soul had spent even less money and time and had almost caught up to him?
With a loud boom, Lan Ling’s entire body surged with energy, his right palm swelling with intense power, doubling in size as it turned red.
This was the 5th-level push of the expert-grade technique, the Heart Elemental Handprint!
Not only did it cause his muscles to bulge, but it also gathered all his circulating blood and qi into this palm.
A light push, and Bai Zhenzhen felt a wave of force crash toward her, as if a wall had pressed down on her, the overwhelming pressure making it hard to breathe.
"I can’t match his strength head-on," Bai Zhenzhen retreated swiftly, evading the palm.
In the blink of an eye, it seemed as though the two were fighting from a distance, with Lan Ling unable to catch up to Bai Zhenzhen, and Bai Zhenzhen refusing to engage in a direct clash with him.
At that moment, Lan Ling shouted, "Junior, you won’t even dare take my palm?"
"A classic provocation," Lei Jun analyzed. "Remember, provoking the opponent to disrupt their mindset, even making them give up their advantage for a short strike, this is a key part of provoking in real combat. It’s something you’ll even need to know for theoretical exams."
The first-year students nodded repeatedly.
Lan Ling frowned slightly, glancing at Lei Jun.
At this moment, Bai Zhenzhen’s cold laugh cut through the air, "Lan Ling, with your level, you can’t even defeat a first-year student like me? I think you’re already halfway to becoming a junior college student. All those years of studying were wasted."
Lan Ling gritted his teeth as his blood and qi surged once more.
"Such an insult!" Lei Jun continued, "Did you hear Bai Zhenzhen? Not only is she aggressive, but her words are also tailored to directly target the opponent. This makes the other person lose their calm and act rashly."
"Sneak attacks, provocations, insults—these are the basics of real combat. They’re the focus of theoretical exams. Watch closely and remember it well…"
Lan Ling’s anger only grew as Bai Zhenzhen’s words seemed to mock his very existence.
He’d studied so hard since childhood, and yet, now he was being told he would only end up in a junior college? That was a disgrace he couldn’t tolerate.
Roar!
As Bai Zhenzhen approached him again, Lan Ling let out a furious shout, and a torrent of power surged from his mouth.
Waves of visible sound waves rushed in all directions.
This was another expert-grade technique—the Lion’s Roar!
The surging sound waves swept toward everything around Lan Ling.
Just as Lan Ling thought this attack would surely hit Bai Zhenzhen…
Bai Zhenzhen, as if having anticipated this, shimmered with electric light. The moment Lan Ling unleashed his Lion’s Roar, she had already changed direction and shot off into the distance.
Bai Zhenzhen’s eyes were filled with disdain. In her view, Lan Ling’s frantic attempt to launch his big move was too obvious.
The further the sound waves from the Lion’s Roar traveled, the weaker their power became, allowing Bai Zhenzhen to easily absorb them and retaliate.
By this point, Bai Zhenzhen could tell that after Lan Ling had used the Heart Elemental Handprint and unleashed the Lion’s Roar, his body and energy reserves were no longer at their peak. Every move he made now was filled with openings.
Boom! Boom! Boom! Boom!
The explosive sounds echoed as Bai Zhenzhen and Lan Ling clashed fiercely.
Their palms and fingers collided, sending shockwaves of wind and thunder throughout the area.
With a whoosh, Bai Zhenzhen retracted her attack, stepping back, and looked at Lan Ling with a faint smile. "Still want to fight?"
Lan Ling snorted coldly, swallowing the roar that had almost escaped his throat, and said, "Junior, are you scared?"
At that moment, Lei Jun exclaimed, "Nice!"
"This move—insulting, slapping in the face, directly attacking the heart. You all should take notes."
Lan Ling’s eyes widened, and only then did he realize the damage. Looking down, he saw the fabric over his chest torn, revealing a wound with a trace of blood.
The wound had been caused by Bai Zhenzhen when they had just clashed—she had used the Piercing Sword Aura combined with the Formless Sword Technique, and her True Spiritual Root had made the strike even sharper.
The wound wasn’t serious, just a superficial cut, leaving a few traces of blood.
But the cut had formed several characters: "Junior College Student."
Fury surged in Lan Ling’s chest.
Meanwhile, Lei Jun kept speaking, "Do you see? The effect is great, right?"
"I’ve told you all before—the college entrance exam is like fighting the Yellow-Turban Enforcer. You can go all out, and just hit hard. But in real combat, it’s different. Don’t always think about how to injure or kill your opponent. Even if you win, you’ll be losing money. The more you win, the more you’ll lose."
"True combat masters don’t injure their opponent physically. They attack the spirit, not the body."
"For example, an insult. You may think it’s useless during exams, but in real combat, it has great value."
"A true master of insult can leave their opponent unscathed, yet after the battle, their opponent’s spirit will break. They might even end up with depression."
Lan Ling shot a fierce glare at Lei Jun and shouted, "Teacher, haven’t you said enough?"
Lei Jun laughed, "It’s rare for a second-year student to guide a first-year student. I can’t waste this opportunity to give a detailed analysis."
Lan Ling took a deep breath, staring at Bai Zhenzhen with gritted teeth. "Childish tricks, let’s continue."
"Still want to fight?" Bai Zhenzhen said indifferently. "Forget it, I don’t feel like carving words into you anymore."
Lan Ling's face flushed with rage. "Bai Zhenzhen! You only managed to scratch me while I wasn’t paying attention! How could you ever match my real strength?"
"Getting desperate," Zhao Tianxing muttered, shaking his head. "When you’re desperate, you just become a complete clown."
With the experience of being humiliated countless times, Zhao Tianxing knew all too well that when you’re at a disadvantage, you must act calm and collected.
If you get desperate, even if you don’t lose, you’ve already lost in the eyes of others. Even if you don’t look foolish, you are.
"Well, now the clown role is passed on to Lan Ling. What I did earlier doesn’t seem like such a big deal anymore."
On the other side...
"Forget it, Senior." Bai Zhenzhen shook her head, saying indifferently, "Look, you’ve already broken your defense."
At that moment, outside the training hall, Zhou Chechen leaned against the wall, shaking his head in helplessness. "Sigh, look at you, getting desperate."
Then, with a slight smile, he turned to Zhang Yu and said, "Junior, your gaze is making me uncomfortable."
Bai Zhenzhen, who had taken a step outside the training hall to join Zhang Yu, now turned to look at Zhou Chechen. "Senior, you want to give me some guidance?"
Zhou Chechen, exuding an aura of coldness, took a step toward Zhang Yu, looking down at him as he slowly said, "Rather than you, I’m more interested in your master, Zhang Pianpian."
"Junior, don’t overestimate yourself."
"Even if I do something... it will just be like kicking a barking dog, making it shut up, and seeing whether it's a wild dog or a pet."