Chapter 176: Chapter 165 Qi Shock
The five people in the first tier, including Wei Xiangqian, had varying expressions; some with grim faces, some with helpless smiles, and some indifferent.
Being defeated one after another wouldn’t matter much in terms of face, but being reprimanded by their masters or superiors afterwards would be far worse.
As the strongest in the Lieutenant Camp at the Western Sea Martial Arts Academy, Wei Xiangqian felt tremendous pressure compared to the other four.
"How are you going to organize the sequence among the five of you?" the examiner asked.
The five had already decided that Wei Xiangqian would go last.
Their strengths were evenly matched, and Grandmaster disciple Tan Kaijie did not want to take advantage of anyone, insisting on clashing with a fully energized Zhou Leng in the first match.
Soon, the examiner announced the start of the tier test, with no breaks and continuous battles.
The students and instructors in the audience immediately smiled and watched the stage with great interest.
When the time arrived, Zhou Leng and Tan Kaijie walked onto the stage from opposite sides.
Both sides clasped their fists in salute.
"Please."
"Please."
Starting from the Vitality Stage, a martial artist’s destructive power greatly increases, often resulting in serious injuries with a single move.
Zhou Leng had no personal grudge with this person, so he said, "We are both of the Human Race, though we must compete, let’s try to keep it to a minimum."
Tan Kaijie didn’t expect that Zhou Leng, who clearly had strength far exceeding anyone in the Lieutenant Camp, would voluntarily suggest restraint, dissolving his caution and he responded with, "Keep it to a minimum."
The people from the Western Sea Martial Arts Academy frowned slightly; this wasn’t good news for Wei Xiangqian.
Zhou Leng circulated his Inner Qi fully, but didn’t unleash it completely, delivering a straightforward punch.
Punch with a salute.
Seeing this, Tan Kaijie also circulated his Inner Qi fully, without unleashing it, responding with a punch.
Their fists collided, and since neither used their full strength, their arms shook briefly, causing them to step back.
Then, their eyes changed, initiating their Stepping Technique, keenly observing each other as they moved rapidly.
Tan Kaijie carefully watched Zhou Leng but didn’t take a step forward.
Zhou Leng recalled how Elder Song, despite contributing to Power, Skill, and Qi at the mining tunnel of Shuizhou Demon City, adhered closely to the ethics of the Jianghu, never using full force.
Thus, he decided to learn from Elder Song.
He controlled his strength to about sixty or seventy percent, close to the power of Wei Xiangqian’s True Qi Weightlifting.
After they clashed, both Tan Kaijie and the audience noticed Zhou Leng not using full strength.
Tan Kaijie was going all out, throwing punches to counter.
Zhou Leng took the initiative with Overlapping Waves Palm, stepping with Eight Trigrams Step, striking repeatedly.
As soon as Zhou Leng made a move, Song Juesi noticed the technique, nodding slightly.
Some instructors and students secretly praised him; someone who could pierce through a Sea Siren, yet maintained ethics against weaker kin, had an extraordinary character.
After ten moves, Zhou Leng suddenly stomped his right foot on the ground.
A loud explosion reverberated throughout the venue.
Everyone widened their eyes, realizing Zhou Leng was about to attack with full force.
Tan Kaijie’s expression changed as well, stepping back defensively.
Zhou Leng’s upper body subtly swayed as he utilized basic Body Technique to shake and dodge, interfering with his opponent’s target.
Simultaneously, his feet advanced straight toward Tan Kaijie.
As soon as he got close, he unleashed an unremarkable Great River Entering the Sea palm strike.
Despite wanting to escape, Tan Kaijie was horrified to find Zhou Leng’s right palm transforming into an unstoppable tide, leaving no room for avoidance.
He had no choice but to bend over, kicking at Zhou Leng’s left leg.
Zhou Leng moved his feet, evading, and struck again with Great River Entering the Sea.
Tan Kaijie rolled on the ground, narrowly avoiding it once more.
Zhou Leng advanced, again employing Great River Entering the Sea for the third strike.
Tan Kaijie felt overwhelmed by the rolling tide and, losing momentum, continuously dodged.
Until after evading the seventh palm, the audience’s repeated sighs jolted him awake.
His face warmed, his expression steeling.
When Zhou Leng’s eighth Great River Entering the Sea approached, he shifted forward obliquely, left arm slamming toward Zhou Leng’s wrist, right fist aiming at Zhou Leng’s side face.
Zhou Leng immediately changed his strategy, turning his palms into claws, simultaneously capturing Tan Kaijie’s two fists.
Tan Kaijie was startled and was about to withdraw his fists.
Zhou Leng’s body and arms undulated like waves, suddenly shaking, unleashing a surge of True Qi.
Tan Kaijie’s arms followed Zhou Leng, trembling into wave-like motions, and his body shook too.
All his strength was instantly scattered by the wave energy, leaving him legless in midair.
Zhou Leng then slanted his throw, causing Tan Kaijie to fall to the ground like a ball of dough, rolling several times, and then suddenly got up.
He stared at Zhou Leng, dazed, recalling the sequence.
Song Juesi and Li Yuanhe smiled faintly, having used this Shaking Force during lunch break, often thwarting Zhou Leng.
"Thank you for letting me win," Zhou Leng said, clasping his fist.
"Impressive!" Tan Kaijie soon understood why. He didn’t expect the gap to be so vast.
Next, the second person went onstage.
"Keep it to a minimum."
"Keep it to a minimum."
This time, Zhou Leng did as before, maintaining his force between sixty and seventy percent for the first ten moves, signaling with a foot stomp thereafter, followed by full-force engagement.
Ultimately, using his powerful control over True Qi, he defeated the opponent.
The third person faced the same.
The fourth was a burly man with a full beard, clasping his fists, "I know I am far inferior. I also specialize in Palm Techniques, but I hope to go all-out with you for three palms, how about it?"
"Alright," Zhou Leng replied.
Zhou Leng thought, if he used his full strength, one palm could shatter the arm of a Mid-Stage Body Refining Sea Siren; if he were to truly exert full force, this person’s arm would be instantly crippled.
Thus, he struck his palm, using only eighty percent power.
The burly man struck with his full force.
Both unleashed surging True Qi, their arms struck directly, and their palms collided thunderously.
Boom...
The True Qi exploded.
Zhou Leng remained immovable.
The burly man’s body lurched backwards, falling with his right sleeve blasted into countless fragments, revealing robust muscles.
After falling to the ground, he couldn’t control his form and let out an "Ouch" as he rolled out of the ropes, landing off the stage.
"Hiss..."
He struggled to stand up.
The crowd looked at his right arm; it was red and swollen, as if stung by a swarm of bees.
The crowd recalled Zhou Leng breaking bricks into powder, and suddenly understood that not only did Zhou Leng control his strength, but he also dispersed his True Qi.
Otherwise, if the True Qi concentrated slightly, this person’s blood vessels and meridians in his right arm would be shattered.
"How much of your power did you use?" The big man couldn’t help asking.
"Eighty percent." Zhou Leng replied.
"Impressive." He said, then ran with a dark face to an Innate Instructor, "Instructor, save my life."
Everyone laughed.
The Innate Instructor smiled, placing his palm on the man’s hand, Innate True Qi flowed continuously, and the swelling shrank visibly.
Zhou Leng stood in the center of the ring, looking at Wei Xiangqian who was walking towards him.
Zhou Leng stood straight, his face calm, and said, "You know very well why you participated in the test this morning. If you admit defeat now, it’s all good, otherwise, I’m afraid I won’t be able to control my strength."
"Students of Martial Arts Academy of West Sea can lose, but they don’t lose without a fight." Wei Xiangqian replied.
"Please." Zhou Leng saluted.
"Please." Wei Xiangqian said.
As soon as the words fell, Wei Xiangqian unexpectedly took the initiative to punch towards Zhou Leng with a quick and fierce Spiral Fist.
The True Qi at his fist made a slight air-breaking sound, the reputation of a top student in Top Ten Martial Arts was well-deserved.
Zhou Leng stomped his right foot on the ground, his body suddenly shook, and he pushed out his palm.
The crowd saw Zhou Leng’s sleeves fluttering, driven by the forceful wind, like multiple whips waving wildly, making a dense whistling sound.
The mighty Sea Suppressing True Qi erupted from his right palm in vibrating waves.
The fist and palm collided.
With a bang, the two stopped.
Wei Xiangqian’s body jerked as if electrified, becoming stiff in place, with a dazed expression.
His exposed skin suddenly turned red, sweat bursting out of his pores densely.
The water beads were round, each the size of a soybean, completely different from normal sweat.
His face seemed to be wearing a mask made of water beads, densely packed, giving chills.
Qi shook, releasing the beads.
The sweat beneath his clothes appeared distinct, not yet wetting the fabric.
The beads lingered for a moment, gathering into streams, and slowly trickling down.
Wei Xiangqian’s face resembled a glass window in a rainstorm.
His clothes were instantly soaked.
Zhou Leng turned around and walked off the stage.
One step, two steps, three steps.
"Pfft..." Wei Xiangqian spat blood, his body softened, and fell to the ground.
The examiner hurried forward, carefully inspected, exhaled a sigh of relief, yet secretly in shock.
Zhou Leng’s palm just now actually dispersed Wei Xiangqian’s True Qi and Qi Blood, severely injuring him.
Even the water inside his body was shaken out.
Though it didn’t damage his root, at least he would be bedridden for a month and then need another three months to recover fully.
Song Juesi nodded slightly.
Generally, after the Vitality Stage, Qi Blood and body unite, allowing ordinary techniques like shaking and vibrating to further infiltrate the enemy.
Song Juesi spent years dedicated to cultivation, using his advanced skills, and mastered to wield True Qi in the Qi Blood Realm.
Though Zhou Leng was merely imitating, dealing with a Body Refining Stage opponent was not difficult.
Many didn’t know of Zhou Leng and the Martial Arts Academy of West Sea’s enmity, so they began to ask.
Soon, everyone learned about the commendation event at Eighth Middle School and sighed.
"Martial Arts Academy of West Sea missed out on a talented prospect befitting Yunhua Jinjing’s level."
"Not among the first tier, even ordinary Yunhua Jinjing at the Early Stage of Body Refining can’t win this easily."
"Qi shook, releasing beads, such a technique..."
A few students from the Martial Arts Academy of West Sea glanced at Zhou Leng’s back, sighed, and ran to Wei Xiangqian to check his injuries.
The examiner loudly announced: "According to the Staircase Lieutenant Competition Camp rules, Zhou Leng successfully completed three tests, crossing the camp in one day."
Wow...
Warm applause thundered across the arena.
The bright lights on the ceiling shone on Zhou Leng, and on Wei Xiangqian lying on the ground.
Li Yuanhe clapped vigorously.
Many students looked at Zhou Leng.
Crossing the camp in one day bears great honor.
If it were in the Demon City Army, he would surely become a contested talent among the forces.
The examiner led Zhou Leng out of the arena and into the office, handing him a "Competition Camp Resource Supply" agreement.
For the next six months, Zhou Leng would receive cultivation resources monthly, at the identity of the first rank, with a 20% additional supply for crossing the camp in one day.
Then, the examiner handed over a resource list.
"Every month from now on, you can claim cultivation resources up to a quota of 3, the materials are labeled with quotas, each month meet the quota of 3."
Zhou Leng took the resource list, seeing many Pills and cultivation resources listed.
Replenishing Essence Pills, 0.1 quota.
Strengthening Body Pills, 0.2 quota.
Great Returning Pill, 1 quota (maximum one).
Concentration Pill, 1 quota (maximum one).
...
Zhou Leng did some calculations; 1 quota equates to about a million, but when exchanging for higher-grade resources, the actual value might increase two or three times.
For instance, Concentration Pills may not be available outside even for three to four million, but here only cost 1 quota.
Zhou Leng asked, "Instructor, if you had this quota, how would you exchange?"
The examiner smiled and said, "Resources with limits indicate you can only exchange that much within six months."