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Chapter 17 - Sweeping Through Tongcheng First High School

"What… what's going on!?"

"What just happened!?"

"Wasn't Li Zhiwei dominating Zhao Xuan earlier? How did he end up losing after going all out?"

"Holy crap! Look—look under Li Zhiwei! The bricks beneath him are shattered!"

"Huh? No way! You're kidding!"

"The dueling ground is paved with reinforced blue bricks! Only a Tier-2 cultivator with a Dao Power Value above 100 could possibly break them!"

"Holy—so you're saying if Zhao Xuan went to take the Cultivators' Guild Tier-2 assessment right now, he could probably pass?"

"Seems like it!"

"Damn! People really do compare and make you feel useless. I've only got 15 Dao Power at best, and Zhao Xuan's already broken 100!?"

"…"

The dueling field erupted into a storm of chatter.

Zhao Xuan, however, paid no attention to any of it.

At that very moment, he was focused on feeling the benefits this fierce battle had brought him.

Almost the instant Li Zhiwei was sent flying, the familiar system chime rang in Zhao Xuan's ears:

"Ding-dong! You've just experienced a thrilling, all-out battle!

Your comprehension of Tekkai (Iron Body), Rankyaku (Storm Kick), Shigan (Finger Pistol), Armament Haki (Busoshoku Haki), and the Azure Dragon Fruit has advanced significantly!

Shigan proficiency +5, Azure Dragon Fruit proficiency +5, Rankyaku proficiency +10, Busoshoku Haki proficiency +10, Tekkai proficiency +20!"

Fifty points!

In just about twenty minutes, Zhao Xuan had gained fifty proficiency points.

What kind of concept was that?

A ridiculous one.

Normally, if Zhao Xuan trained the standard way, he might gain two or three points in ten minutes—six points in twenty at best.

But now?

It had increased eightfold.

Hearing the string of system notifications, Zhao Xuan's heart surged with excitement.

"As I thought—battle really is the best form of cultivation!"

His fists clenched tightly in exhilaration.

Before long, Zhao Xuan's intense duel with Li Zhiwei spread across all of Tongcheng First High School.

While the entire school buzzed with gossip, Zhao Xuan was already picking his next sparring target.

By the time classes were nearly over that afternoon, he'd made his choice—

Dai Jin, the top student of Class 3–1, ranked first in the grade from freshman to senior year.

When Dai Jin heard that Zhao Xuan wanted to challenge him, he agreed without hesitation.

Dai Jin truly lived up to his reputation as the best of the best.

Though he didn't possess a Devil Fruit ability,

and lacked Li Zhiwei's practical combat experience,

His mastery of the Six Styles techniques was second to none among the seniors.

He had achieved Master Level proficiency in Moon Step (Geppo) and Finger Pistol (Shigan)—

and with the aid of those two techniques, he managed to push Zhao Xuan back again and again,

even forcing Zhao Xuan to use his Azure Dragon Fruit powers.

Even then, relying on his masterful Moon Step, Dai Jin managed to hold out for several exchanges.

But in the end—

he still fell into Zhao Xuan's hands.

There was no helping it.

The Azure Dragon Fruit's power boost was just too monstrous—

a fivefold enhancement, and a full-body one at that.

After defeating Dai Jin, Zhao Xuan still wasn't satisfied.

Early the next morning, he sought out another well-known top student on campus.

By the end of the day,

Zhao Xuan had literally beaten every single one of the top ten students in the grade.

However, the rewards no longer satisfied him.

There was only one reason—

as his strength grew, the sense of danger those top students posed quickly diminished.

The battles ended faster, and the system's proficiency rewards naturally shrank as well.

After a day of sweeping through the entire top ten, Zhao Xuan suddenly realized—

he could no longer find a suitable sparring partner.

Everyone at Tongcheng First High School now knew just how terrifying Zhao Xuan was.

If even the elite students like Dai Jin had been crushed,

How could the rest possibly stand a chance?

And so—

something that nearly made Zhao Xuan cough up blood happened.

When he excitedly went to challenge another class's academic ace,

that student refused him on the spot—without a moment's hesitation.

And this didn't just happen once.

It happened again and again.

Only then did Zhao Xuan finally realize the truth—

He had already become the uncrowned king of the senior class at Tongcheng First High School.

Yes—

the uncrowned king.

At least, that's what Zhao Xuan called himself.

But among the students he had defeated,

they had another name for him—

"The Battle Maniac."

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