Unlike the teachers, the students who had gathered to watch the duel—limited in both strength and experience—could only grasp what was happening on the surface.
"Holy sh*t! How is Li Zhiwei this strong?!"
"Zhao Xuan's getting completely crushed! He can't even fight back!"
"Hey, Class 2! Isn't Li Zhiwei supposed to be at the bottom of your class? What's going on?"
"Don't ask me! How the hell should I know?!"
"Damn, that guy's been hiding this deep?"
"Brother Wei is insane! Unstoppable!"
"..."
The noisy chatter of the crowd did nothing to affect the two at the center of the battlefield—Zhao Xuan and Li Zhiwei.
Li Zhiwei continued to rely on his vast combat experience to press Zhao Xuan down relentlessly.
At first, Zhao Xuan tried to counterattack. But after seven or eight failed attempts—each dodged in advance by Li Zhiwei—he gave up and focused entirely on using Tekkai (Iron Body) to defend.
"Fine, we'll drag it out then. Let's see who gives in first!"
Zhao Xuan was full of confidence in his recovery ability. He didn't believe that Li Zhiwei, a Superhuman-type Devil Fruit user, could possibly outlast him, a Zoan-type Mythical Beast user.
Sure, this kind of turtle-shell defense was shameless and time-consuming—
But!
Zhao Xuan was actually more than happy to prolong the fight.
After all—
The longer the battle lasted, the greater the reward from his system!
Gradually, Li Zhiwei began to sense that something was off.
He was panting now, while Zhao Xuan's breathing remained steady.
No good! I can't keep this up. If this continues, I'll definitely lose!
His eyes sharpened suddenly—he had made up his mind.
The sluggish aura of his Sloth Fruit ability dissipated in an instant.
And the next moment—
Li Zhiwei's speed exploded, more than doubling from before!
A razor-sharp Rankyaku (Tempest Kick) sliced toward Zhao Xuan.
"Thud! Thud!"
Though Zhao Xuan managed to take the hit head-on, the sheer impact still forced him back two steps.
The arena erupted.
"Li Zhiwei's no joke!"
"He wasn't even fighting seriously before!"
"He used the Sloth Fruit on himself? He's been fighting under the effect of his own ability this whole time?!"
"As expected of Li Hang's son—tiger father, no dog son!"
The teachers in the observation stand instantly saw through the reason for Li Zhiwei's sudden power surge and couldn't help but sigh in admiration.
"At this rate, Zhao Xuan's going to lose."
"Yeah. He was only defending before Li Zhiwei went all out. Now that Li Zhiwei's at full power, Zhao Xuan's completely outmatched!"
While the onlookers murmured among themselves—
At the center of the field, Li Zhiwei launched a frenzied assault.
Shigan (Finger Pistol)!
Rankyaku (Tempest Kick)!
The two offensive techniques of the Six Powers rained down one after another, driving Zhao Xuan back step by step.
So it's true—there's no useless fruit, only useless users. I can't believe he found a way to use the Sloth Fruit like this...
Taking another hit head-on with Tekkai, Zhao Xuan couldn't help but sigh inwardly.
But! If this is all the strength you've got... then you've already lost!
As he muttered to himself, the power of the Fish-Fish Fruit, Mythical Beast Model: Azure Dragon quietly awakened within him.
Since he had only just begun to develop the Azure Dragon Fruit, he couldn't yet transform—or even half-transform—into a dragon.
He could only partially draconify his body.
His once-dark eyes turned a deep azure-brown.
In that instant, his Spiritual Power, physique, and all bodily attributes increased fivefold.
At the same time, a mysterious, oppressive aura burst forth from his body, instantly enveloping Li Zhiwei—freezing him in place for a split second.
And at that exact moment—
Zhao Xuan moved.
With five times his normal perception, he easily read Li Zhiwei's attack trajectory.
With five times his normal speed and reflexes, he suddenly reached out—
And caught Li Zhiwei's sweeping right leg with one hand.
"What—!?"
Li Zhiwei's heart jolted in shock.
Before he could even react, Zhao Xuan's fist slammed hard into his abdomen.
With five times the power—
"Ugh!"
A muffled grunt escaped Li Zhiwei's lips as his body was sent flying dozens of meters, crashing heavily to the ground.
He didn't get up.
One punch. Instant defeat.
For a moment, the entire training field fell silent.
One second.
Two seconds.
Three seconds.
Then—
The crowd erupted like a thunderclap.
The roar of astonishment shook the sky.
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