Xu Junyuan's face was ashen.
Perhaps many of the freshmen present couldn't discern it, but as an upperclassman, Xu Junyuan naturally saw how formidable Wang Zhan's instant knockout punch against Ye Shan was.
"A level 2 Martial Artist... Even for the top genius of the College Entrance Examination, achieving this in just one month is quite something." Xu Junyuan marveled secretly.
He was starting to regret provoking Wang Zhan.
He initially thought that as an upperclassman and Martial Artist, he could easily suppress Wang Zhan. Little did he expect him to catch up in just one short month.
But now, it was too late for second thoughts. With Wang Zhan's public provocation, Xu Junyuan had no way out.
If Xu Junyuan avoided the fight, there'd be no way he could stay at the Martial Arts Academy, and the dozens of freshmen who followed him could never hold their heads high.
Without much hesitation, Xu Junyuan immediately stepped forward, standing opposite Wang Zhan.
"Junior Wang Zhan, you truly are impressive, breaking through to a level 2 Martial Artist in merely a month. Many sophomore-year students are still struggling at level 1." Xu Junyuan said with a smile.
His tone was quite amiable, showing no anger despite Wang Zhan's public insults.
He was clearly trying to ease the tension and felt that as an upperclassman, his concession should be enough for Wang Zhan to follow suit.
After all, the matter could conclude happily with just a symbolic spar.
Xu Junyuan thought he had it all figured out, but he had no idea what kind of character Wang Zhan was.
"Enough with the talk! I already said, once Boss Wang broke through as a Martial Artist, he'd be the first to attend to you!" Wang Zhan said eagerly, "You said you'd ensure Boss Wang wouldn't last at the academy, well, he's here now, so come on!"
Xu Junyuan frowned slightly: "Wang Zhan, it's not that I don't want to fight, but the freshmen are still in physical testing, and this place isn't suitable for a fight! Also, since you've just broken through, your realm might not be stable. Wouldn't it be unfair for me to fight you?"
No sooner had these words left his mouth than the surrounding freshmen, eager for a spectacle, rapidly dispersed and left a hundred-meter space around Wang Zhan and Xu Junyuan.
These freshmen might not be skilled, but their enthusiasm for drama was second to none.
Seeing this, Wang Zhan grinned. He always believed in taking action rather than talking.
Since Xu Junyuan was being evasive, Wang Zhan took no quarter.
"Xu, one of us has to be down today, come at me!"
With a loud shout, Wang Zhan unleashed his Essence Energy, sending dust swirling from under his feet, dispersing outward.
Then, Wang Zhan began his charge, swinging his fist toward Xu Junyuan.
There was nothing fancy about this punch; it was meant to throw down with him.
Xu Junyuan also understood this well, so he retreated unhastily, dodging at the moment Wang Zhan came close.
Meanwhile, Xu Junyuan lowered his voice and said: "Wang Zhan, don't be foolish!"
"I'm the fool? Just because I don't want to associate with you, you're targeting me? So ungrateful!" Wang Zhan scoffed, simultaneously pivoting on one foot and spinning to deliver a fierce kick to Xu Junyuan.
At this scene, Xu Junyuan's anger flared. He was one of the top figures among sophomore-year students; fighting Wang Zhan had no benefit.
Winning would do him no good, losing would make him a laughingstock.
Seeing Wang Zhan increasingly overbearing, Xu Junyuan finally couldn't hold back.
"Hmph, refusing my kindness!"
With those words, Xu Junyuan stopped dodging and attacked, grabbing Wang Zhan's powerful whip leg with astounding speed.
"What?" Wang Zhan was taken aback, clearly not expecting this.
Before Wang Zhan could react, Xu Junyuan exerted force, pulling Wang Zhan closer and delivering a hard kick to his chest!
A dull thud!
Wang Zhan was sent flying seven to eight meters backward.
Xu Junyuan's face showed a hint of triumph, but before he could revel in it, Wang Zhan astonishingly twisted in mid-air, with nowhere to brace against, landing steadily on the ground.
"How is that possible? I used at least eighty percent of my strength, how is he unscathed?" Xu Junyuan was shocked internally.
Meanwhile, on the ground, Wang Zhan smiled. He had heard the long-missed prompt sound.
'Strength +9'
"Finally got some reward, it's been a while." Wang Zhan exhaled comfortably.
In the month since he enrolled, he had been absorbing the residual medicine power and practicing the Killing Fist under Duan Kun's guidance.
In that month, Wang Zhan successfully broke through to a level 2 Martial Artist and stabilized his realm.
However, his Physique training had temporarily lagged, and as of now, his three main attributes were only at 260 points.
Compared to his Martial Student days with 250 points, it had only increased by a mere ten points, all through passive enhancement during training.
Wang Zhan had sparred with Duan Kun, but could never land a blow, as Duan Kun never retaliated and just fed him moves.
This way, the progress in practicing the Killing Fist was rapid, but he regretted the lack of attribute points.
So upon hearing the prompt sound, Wang Zhan looked at Xu Junyuan with an unprecedented brightness.
Dusting off his chest, Wang Zhan provocatively looked at Xu Junyuan: "Is that all you've got? Didn't you have breakfast?"
"Courting death!" Xu Junyuan's expression turned cold.
In the next moment, the two rushed at each other simultaneously, clashing in an instant.
...
On the high platform, the high-levels and mentors of the Academy were watching the battle with great interest.
The fight between the two Martial Artists naturally couldn't fully capture their eyes, but both Wang Zhan and Xu Junyuan had already displayed strength beyond their ages.
In other words, both were extraordinarily talented individuals and were the future pillars of the Military Academy.
"Not bad, Xu Junyuan has improved again. Among the sophomore-year students, his strength should rank in the top five."
"At the beginning of the school year, he was just a level 2 Martial Artist, and now he's vaguely touching the threshold of level 3. Impressive!"
Some praised Xu Junyuan, and naturally, some spoke for Wang Zhan.
"As expected of Chu State's number one talent, not only breaking the bottleneck from Martial Student to Martial Artist within a month, but he also advanced to a level 2 Martial Artist."
"Moreover, this kid's physique is extremely resilient, although he's being suppressed by Xu Junyuan, Xu Junyuan's attacks on him seem to have no effect at all."
Amidst the many mentors' discussions, Liu Zhenfeng at the front suddenly brightened his eyes.
"Wang Zhan has started to counterattack!" Liu Zhenfeng said: "They have been exchanging blows for over ten minutes, with Xu Junyuan continuously suppressing Wang Zhan. But now, Wang Zhan is suddenly able to fight back, unbelievable!"
...
On the playground, Wang Zhan took a punch from Xu Junyuan, then seized the opportunity to deliver a fierce kick onto the opponent's chest.
As Xu Junyuan staggered back, nearly falling, Wang Zhan grinned: "Heh, tit for tat!"
Xu Junyuan kept a cold face without speaking, but inwardly, he was stirred up with turbulent waves.
He was the one most clear about what happened; during the interaction of more than ten minutes, both he and Wang Zhan were fighting relying on physical instincts.
At the start, he could use his slight lead in realm and experience to firmly suppress Wang Zhan.
But now, he could actually feel a slight pressure from Wang Zhan, and if he wasn't careful, he might be overturned!
Feeling the pain in his chest, Xu Junyuan knew clearly that his physique was no match for Wang Zhan's, not even close!
"If this goes on, I will really lose!"
Xu Junyuan looked around at the surroundings; although the new students watching were just spectators, he felt they were secretly mocking him.
For a senior ranking among the top in the sophomore year to be evenly matched with a new student who had just enrolled for a month?
This was beyond embarrassing; if he couldn't win decisively, the team foundation he just built would definitely collapse.
Thinking of this, Xu Junyuan raised his head again to look at Wang Zhan.
"Wang Zhan, you are formidable."
"Do I need you to say that?" Wang Zhan sneered.
Xu Junyuan was momentarily stunned, not expecting this kid to be so stubborn.
"I was wrong; your mouth is even more formidable than you." Xu Junyuan shook his head, then said seriously: "I'm going to use martial arts next, and this move is very powerful. I can't control it perfectly, so if you can't resist, you'd better call for help loudly, the mentors won't stand by and do nothing."
Xu Junyuan solemnly reminded: "Don't take it head-on because of a bruised ego; our conflict isn't irreconcilable, and this battle doesn't have to end with anyone's life."
Hearing this, Wang Zhan was a little surprised, but upon thinking it through, it made sense.
Duan Kun had said similar things countless times.
The bloodlust of a Martial Artist shouldn't be directed at humans; if they truly wanted to kill, the wilderness area had countless beasts.
"Bring it on." Wang Zhan responded.
Xu Junyuan nodded. In just two seconds, a fierce wind rose around him.
In Wang Zhan's eyes, that wind was mixed with Xu Junyuan's Essence Energy, clearly the result of exerting all his strength.
"Wang Zhan, be careful!"
"Wind Breaking Palm!"
As soon as Xu Junyuan's voice fell, he struck a palm in the air, dispersing the fierce wind around him, which then gushed out from Xu Junyuan's palm!
Wang Zhan's pupils contracted; just as he was about to dodge, he felt a burning pain on his shoulder, already injured by the invisible wind!
If his physical body were weaker, it might have been directly penetrated!
At the same time, Xu Junyuan launched a second palm!
This time, Wang Zhan knew he couldn't just sit back and wait for death.
"It's not just you who knows martial arts!"
Wang Zhan suddenly closed his eyes, then charged towards Xu Junyuan.
At the moment the wind-breaking sound rose again, Wang Zhan suddenly sidestepped, unexpectedly avoiding it just in time!
Xu Junyuan's heart trembled.
But before he could react, a cold killing intent had wrapped around him completely.
And Wang Zhan was already before him.
"Killing Fist!"