Chapter 11: Grade Champion
Chapter 11: Grade Champion
Teacher Zhuang Jing said, “Be swift as the wind.”
Feng Wen mumbled, “Swift as the wind, swift as the wind.”
Teacher Zhuang Jing turned and said to me, “Lei Xiang, although you didn’t lose today, you always exhaust yourself during your fights. You aren’t able to take advantage of your body’s superiority.”
I said in shock, “I didn’t use my superiority?”
Teacher Zhuang Jing nodded. “Do you remember the first fight you won in the battle for the position of chief?”
I said, “The one against Huo Xing?”
Teacher Zhuang Jing said, “That’s right. Do you still remember how you won?”
I nodded. “Of course. I purposely took his hit and then threw him off the arena. Are you trying to say…”
Teacher Zhuang Jing nodded. “That’s right. Although I don’t know what battle chi you have been practicing, I can see that your body’s defense is very high. Your natural physique, added to the astonishing defense of your battle chi, has so much potential, but you waste it. My three words to you are—steady as a mountain. Speed is not your forte. Instead, focus on your strength and defense. Understand?”
I nodded happily. Teacher Zhuang Jing’s words made me feel as though everything in my head had suddenly cleared up, as if I had grasped some profound truth.
Both Feng Wen and I were still pondering Teacher Zhuang Jing’s advice as we left her office. Just outside the office building, we ran into a group of first-year students from the magic track. When they saw our condition, they started laughing at us.
“Look, aren’t those two from that dumb class? How come they look like this? It looks as if they were struck by lightning magic and then burned by fire magic.”
“I’m guessing they did something bad and a teacher punished them.”
Feng Wen and I lifted our heads. Feng Wen whispered, “This is too embarrassing. Let’s hurry back to the dorm.”
Both of us made strange hissing sounds, startling the students watching from the side, and hurriedly ran back to the dormitory.
I took a quick shower and changed into a clean set of clothes. Feng Wen and I finally let out a sigh.
He said to me, “Old Lei, I can’t hold on anymore. I’m so tired. I need to rest.”
When did I become “Old Lei”? Am I that old?
I nodded. “Bye. I’m also going back.”
Feng Wen smiled. “The tournament will start the day after tomorrow. Let’s do our best.”
I said, “You too. I hope I run into you during the grade-wide matches.”
On the way back to the room, I thought about Teacher Zhuang Jing’s words.
Steady as a mountain… How can I make full use of my body’s high defense?
“Lei Xiang, you’re back.”
I turned and saw Zi Xue. I smiled at her. “You waited for me here?”
Zi Xue nodded. “It’s already so late. Don’t you usually return to the dorm early in the afternoon to practice? I asked Feng Yun, and he said he didn’t see you.”
I answered, “We held a test in class today to select participants for the end-of-term tournament.”
Zi Xue held my arm. “You were selected, weren’t you?”
I pinched her cute little nose. “Why do you have so much confidence in me? There are many people with great strength in this school.”
Zi Xue said, “I only believe in you, because you also have great strength.”
I nodded. “What about you? Are you going to join the tournament?”
Zi Xue said, “My magic level isn’t that high. How could I participate in the tournament? I’m only a second-year magic student, mainly practicing water magic. My older sister entered the second-year competition, though. Her light magic is very famous.”
I smiled. “She’s the brilliant student of the vice-principal. It’s inevitable she’ll participate.”
Zi Xue wrinkled her small nose. “My sister didn’t rely on connections to join the tournament. She entered based on her own strength. But Lei Xiang, if you become the grade-wide champion, are you really going to challenge Li Wa?”
My face darkened. “Definitely. If I become the grade-wide champion, I have to challenge him. If I run from him, it will affect my future cultivation, especially my mentality.”
Zi Xue sighed. “Although you are very strong…”
I smiled. “What? Do you also look down on me?”
Zi Xue hurriedly shook her head. “It’s not like that. I absolutely believe in you. But Li Wa is the number one fighter in the whole school, and he isn’t easily defeated. I’m worried you might get hurt.”
I said, “No need to worry. I’m very thick-skinned. If anyone wants to hurt me, it won’t be that easy. Relax. Even if I don’t win, nothing will happen to me.”
Zi Xue nodded. “Alright. If you promise your safety, I’ll be at ease.”
After seeing Zi Xue off, I returned to the dormitory, continuing to mull over Teacher Zhuang Jing’s words.
Two days later, the academy held the term closing ceremony. It was mostly a formality, talking about how the students had worked hard this semester and encouraging everyone to continue striving to become stronger.
After the ceremony, the Director of the Teaching Department walked onto the platform and announced:
“The Annual Martial Tournament of Tianshou Academy will now begin. All participants from each grade should proceed to their assigned arenas.”
Today was the first round of the competition.
The rules were simple. Twelve people would be divided into two groups. Grades with five classes would have ten people divided into two groups. The top two students in each group would qualify for the playoffs.
In other words, if everything went as expected, I would need to fight seven rounds to become the grade champion.
Feng Wen and I were placed in different groups. I looked around for a familiar face, but I had never seen any of the participants in my group before.
Since entering the academy and being confined due to injury, I haven’t seen many people.
Teacher Zhuang Jing called Feng Wen and me over before the matches.
“You two must be careful. Lei Xiang, if you encounter students from the warrior classes, you should be able to deal with them easily. But be careful with students from the magic classes. Magic students often have strange spells prepared. Feng Wen, as for you, you must fully utilize your speed. Don’t give your opponent any opportunity. Use the shortest time to achieve the best result. Although I haven’t taught many classes, I know that you two are among the most talented first-year students I’ve ever seen. Don’t disappoint me.”
I nodded firmly and headed toward my arena.
Since it was a round-robin tournament, each group would hold three rounds today.
My first opponent was from the warrior class. From his appearance he looked extremely tough—about 180 centimeters tall, his whole body packed with muscles.
The referee called us forward.
“Magic Warrior class Lei Xiang versus Warrior class Xili. The rules are simple. You cannot strike with intent to kill or inflict permanent injury. Restricted weapons are prohibited. If a participant is knocked off the stage or cannot continue fighting, they lose. Forfeiting is also allowed. Understood?”
I nodded quickly and began circulating the Berserk God battle chi throughout my body.
When Xili first saw me, his eyes were filled with surprise. I imagined he was thinking that someone like me shouldn’t be in the Magic Warrior class.
I stood proudly on the arena.
“Come.”
Xili snorted. “You’re not using any weapons?”
I raised my fist and waved it.
“This is my best weapon. You can use whatever you want.”
Xili thought I was looking down on him. Anger immediately appeared in his eyes.
“Fine. You asked for this. Don’t blame me later.”
He grabbed a fine iron spear from the weapon rack.
“Watch out.”
Fighting a pure martial warrior was much more comfortable. At least it wasn’t like last time, when I faced third-year Magic Warrior seniors and had to defend against both magic and physical attacks.
Although Xili looked boorish, he wasn’t purely a strength fighter. With a shake of his spear, numerous afterimages appeared and rushed toward me.
His power is decent, but his strength is dispersed. Against me, it won’t be enough.
I didn’t dodge. I simply stood there and waited for the spear to descend.
My reaction surprised Xili. Just as the spear was about to strike me, he suddenly withdrew it. All the spear shadows merged into one and thrust forward rapidly.
The spear wasn’t sharp.
I inhaled deeply and concentrated the Berserk God battle chi in front of my chest, receiving the attack head-on.
The spear bent.
Xili felt as though he had struck a metal wall. He couldn’t injure me at all.
A cold smile appeared on my lips. In the next instant I grabbed his spear, sending battle chi into my hand. My hand glowed with a faint yellow light as I bent the spear downward.
Soon the spear’s tip pressed against his shoulder.
“Do you still want to continue?”
Xili struggled, but the spear pressing down on him felt like ten thousand mountains. He couldn’t move at all. Cold sweat appeared on his forehead.
Seeing that he was still unwilling to give up, I pressed down harder.
Xili immediately dropped to one knee under the pressure.
“If you don’t want to embarrass yourself, admit defeat.”
Xili knew he couldn’t beat me in strength. Although he was unwilling, he had no choice.
“Alright. I admit defeat.”
I lifted the spear and tossed it back to him before stepping off the stage.
Xili shouted behind me, “If I face you again later, I won’t let you win so easily!”
I turned and gave him a disdainful smile.
“If you can make it that far, I’ll look forward to it.”
As I stepped off the field, Teacher Zhuang Jing walked over.
“You did very well. Your opponent had no chance to fight back.”
I smiled.
“This is all thanks to your advice.”
Over the following days, I passed three more rounds smoothly and achieved a record of four battles and four victories.
Today was the final round of the group stage. Regardless of the outcome, I would advance to the top four.
My opponent today was from the magic class. According to Teacher Zhuang Jing, she also had four battles and four victories. This match would determine who ranked first in the group.
In the other group, Feng Wen relied on his ghost-like speed to dominate the competition and finished first in his group.
I stepped onto the arena.
My opponent wore a standard magician’s robe. Only then did I realize that today’s opponent was a girl.
She was wrapped in a thick red robe, the hood pulled low so I couldn’t see her face. Only a pale hand holding a long magic staff was visible.
A snake made of some special material was carved on the staff. Its open mouth held a large magic crystal.
At a glance, I could tell it was a high-quality staff.
Teacher Zhuang Jing had said that this girl’s true strength was formidable. None of her previous opponents had been able to defeat her magic.
Since she was a girl, I nodded politely.
The female magician raised her staff.
As soon as the referee announced the start of the match, a long fireball shot toward me.
What a fast casting speed.
I hurriedly launched several ice cones, canceling most of the attack. The remaining fireballs approached me, but I smashed them apart one by one with my fists.
While I resisted the fireballs, she gently waved her staff and began chanting continuously.
Clearly, she intended to keep casting spells and prevent me from getting close.
I didn’t rush to attack.
Let’s see what she can do.
During these past few days I hadn’t encountered a true opponent. Winning too easily left me feeling unsatisfied.
Only difficult battles could truly help me improve.
Her magic was soon complete.
The staff in her hand traced a beautiful red hexagram in the air.
From what I had read in magic books at the library, this was at least a fifth-grade spell.
This won’t be easy.
As expected, her clear voice rang out:
“Dormant God of Fire, release your energy. Awaken, protector of the gods—Descend, Fire Dragon!”
No… this isn’t fifth-grade magic.
It’s sixth-grade.
I was alarmed. Although my defense was extremely high, it couldn’t withstand such powerful magic.
A dragon’s roar erupted from the red magic hexagram.
A small fire dragon burst out of the array, baring its fangs and claws as it hovered between us.
I circulated the Berserk God battle chi through my entire body and calmly stared at the fire dragon.
From the slight tremble of her staff, I could tell maintaining this spell was difficult for the girl.
She swung the staff and commanded the fire dragon to attack me.
The fire dragon had just begun moving toward me, and I could already feel the heat scorching my face. What powerful flames. No wonder it was ranked among the highest-grade mid-level magic.
I immediately punched toward the dragon, extending the reach of my strike with the Berserk God battle chi. The light-yellow battle chi struck the fire dragon’s head accurately. The dragon shrank slightly, but its overall form did not change, and it continued rushing toward me.
I was not shocked. Instead, I felt pleased. I was surprised that my battle chi could actually weaken the intensity of magic. I later learned that Teacher Zhuang Jing had already explained this to everyone, but because I had missed so many classes, I hadn’t known.
Whenever the dragon attacked me, I released waves of battle chi. The battle chi slowed the fire dragon and reduced its strength, but the girl magician continuously fed flames into it, restoring its power again.
I realized that if this continued, the match would become a stalemate. I could already smell the hair on my arms burning from my punches. If I were struck directly, my body might survive, but my clothes and hair would be burned away. Even if I wasn’t injured, I still couldn’t land a decisive blow on her.
Fighting a magician is really troublesome.
I quietly wrapped my Demonic Arts inside the Berserk God battle chi and released ten fusion waves in rapid succession. Because the Demonic Arts were concealed within the Berserk God battle chi, no one could distinguish this attack from the others I had previously launched.
I used all my strength in this strike. The clothes on my body bulged outward as pure yellow light rushed toward the fire dragon.
The dragon attempted to block the fusion attack with a wall of flames, but the Demonic Arts completely nullified the fire. The attack struck the fire dragon directly.
The form and spirit of the fire dragon shattered under the combined power of the Berserk God battle chi and Demonic Arts, vanishing instantly in midair. The female magician suffered the backlash and immediately went into shock.
This woman is too strong. I can’t let her cast magic again.
“Hurricane!”
I shouted as my fist struck the ground. Since I had used this technique before, the female magician already knew its power. She immediately cast a thick shield around herself while quickly dodging to the right.
My attack produced a battle-chi shockwave that swept across the arena from the center, raising clouds of dust. Although the magician reacted quickly, she barely managed to escape the attack’s range.
From within the dust clouds, debris suddenly flew toward her, battering her defenses from every direction. During the attack, the cloak she had been wearing was torn away.
I looked at her.
She was truly beautiful. I had never imagined that a sorceress could be so stunning. She was in no way inferior to Zi Xue. Her eyebrows were raised sharply, and her phoenix-like eyes revealed the power within her. It was obvious that she was furious at what I had done.
Although she was a woman, she was still my opponent. I couldn’t show mercy just because she was female. While she was still recovering, I rushed forward and threw a punch at her.
Just as I thought the strike had landed, she disappeared.
Not good. Mirror Image.
This girl was quite a mage if she could deceive even my instincts.
A clear voice sounded behind me.
“You really have no manners. Don’t you know your opponent is a girl?”
I turned around and saw her standing directly behind me.
“I’m a warrior, not a gentleman,” I said coldly. “Grace has nothing to do with me.”
She snorted, and her body suddenly accelerated until several identical figures appeared.
The spell was so perfect that I couldn’t tell which body was real.
I stood motionless in the arena, concentrating on locating her real position.
Suddenly, pain erupted across my back as a fireball struck me.
My clothes were destroyed, and my back was scorched.
I was furious.
I hated it most when people destroyed my clothes.
Roaring in anger, I swung my fists and released battle chi in all directions, covering the entire arena.
The arena instantly became a deadly zone.
A fierce killing intent radiated from my entire body. My battle chi surged violently, showing no mercy. Although the female magician was powerful, my strength and battle chi were far greater. My attacks were so ferocious that there was no way she could block them.
I had never used my battle chi like this before.
Only then did I realize that my Mad God battle chi seemed to possess an endless supply of energy. Previously, I always conserved my battle chi so I wouldn’t run out. Now I was throwing punches continuously without restraint.
It felt incredible.
“Student Lei Xiang, please stop. If you destroy the arena, you will be responsible for the repair costs.”
Hearing this, I hesitated briefly and stopped.
The female magician was curled up in a corner. The entire arena was covered with rubble and deep cracks. Even the spectators around the arena had retreated dozens of meters. Some of them were covered in dust.
As soon as I stopped attacking, I immediately became the target of everyone’s criticism.
They said I shouldn’t have fought so harshly against a girl. They said I had disgraced men everywhere.
But what did that matter?
In my opinion, victory was the only thing that mattered.
I walked over to the female magician.
“How are you holding up?”
She slowly stood and wrapped her torn robes around herself. She looked shaken.
“You’re terrifying,” she said slowly. “Going all out in a simple match. Ah! My clothes!”
Her robe suddenly tore further across the chest, revealing a glimpse of skin before she hurriedly covered herself.
My face reddened, and I quickly turned away.
The female magicians in the audience cried out in alarm.
With a flat tone, I asked, “Do you still want to continue?”
She shook her head frantically.
“Who would have thought there was a monster in this tournament who treats girls so badly?”
Holding her torn clothes tightly, she left the arena.
Fortunately only her clothes were damaged.
If my attacks had injured her face, that would have been a real shame.
And just like that, I entered the semifinals.
I thought Teacher Zhuang Jing would praise me for defeating such a strong opponent.
Instead, Zi Xue and my classmates scolded me.
Teacher Zhuang Jing said sternly, “Lei Xiang, you behaved terribly. Even in a tournament, you shouldn’t treat an opponent like that. What if you had permanently injured her? And tearing a girl’s clothes is extremely impolite.”
I was stunned.
“But you told me to become the champion. I had to defeat her to do that. Only her clothes were damaged. I didn’t expect that to happen.”
Teacher Zhuang Jing continued, “Even if you want to win the championship, you cannot disregard another person’s dignity. Several teachers have already come to me complaining that I’m teaching a mad student.”
Even Zi Xue, who had originally cheered for me, came forward.
“Lei Xiang, you didn’t behave properly today. How could you treat Zi Yan like that and humiliate her in public? She’s my best friend.”
I was speechless.
I was harsh? If I hadn’t fought like that, I would have been burned alive by her fire magic.
From that day on, I gained a nickname—Beauty Killer.
It meant that even against beautiful girls, I would never hold back.
My opponent in the semifinals was Feng Wen.
Originally, I planned to go easy on him. But before the match even started, he ignored me completely.
As soon as the referee announced the start of the match, he struck a dramatic pose and shouted,
“I am the symbol of justice! On behalf of all the beautiful women of this academy, I will defeat you!”
The female spectators screamed excitedly.
I nearly vomited blood.
It only took a few punches to knock him out of the arena.
I wasn’t sure whether Feng Wen lost on purpose to win the girls’ favor or simply because he was weaker. In the end, the female mage and I met again in the finals.
When we entered the arena, I intended to treat her more gently this time.
But she didn’t give me the chance.
She immediately surrendered.
Because of my overwhelming strength, none of the first-year students dared challenge me again.
Li Wa…
I have completely recovered from the humiliation you once gave me.
My heart burns with anger.
As Feng Wen returned to the dormitory, he whispered so quietly I could barely hear him,
“Zi Xue is looking for you.”
Judging from his attitude, he seemed angry with me as well.
Women’s anger really spreads far.
What had I done wrong?
I had simply used stronger techniques to win the match.
Was fighting seriously against a female opponent wrong?
I quickly left the dormitory.
Zi Xue was standing outside.
When she saw me, she walked over immediately.
“How nice of you to come looking for me,” I said.
Zi Xue looked anxious.
“You’ve caused a huge uproar. Zi Yan is very popular. Now all the first-year students hate you, and even some upper-year students have joined them. You need to be careful when you go outside.”
My eyes flashed with killing intent.
“I hope anyone who wants trouble with me is tired of living.”
Zi Xue grabbed my hand.
“What are you planning to do? You’re scaring me. Don’t act like this.”
“I won’t submit to them. I won’t live like a prisoner. If they want trouble with me, they’ll have to pay the price.”
Zi Xue released my hands, her eyes reddening.
“How can you say that? I came here to advise you to apologize to Zi Yan. I was even willing to speak on your behalf so this matter could end. But you only want to make things worse.”
My anger surged again.
“Even you don’t understand me. Do I look like someone who would bow and kneel to others?”
I turned and walked back toward my room.
Zi Yan…
She had stirred up trouble between me and my classmates and even caused conflict between Zi Xue and me.
If I met her again, I would show her how troublesome I could be.
Back in my room, I collapsed onto the bed.
Thinking about Zi Xue’s delicate figure softened my heart slightly.
Maybe I should go see her tomorrow.
If I took the initiative, the problem could probably be resolved.
No… that won’t work.
I would lose face.
Back and forth, the thoughts clashed in my mind.
In the end, I made a decision.
I would avoid Zi Xue for now. After I fought Li Wa, I would go see her.
The next morning, I went to the dean’s office to register my challenge against Li Wa.
Teacher Zhuang Jing didn’t say much when she saw me. After all, she was still my teacher.
But she did say something unexpected.
“Why are there two students challenging the fifth-year representative this year? Li Wa’s strength is not comparable to that of ordinary students.”
I was surprised.
“Who else is challenging him?”
The Director of the Teaching Department replied,
“A third-year student named Zi Yan.”
I was stunned.
Zi Yan?
Why would she challenge Li Wa?
“How will the academy handle two challengers?”
He thought for a moment.
“According to academy rules, if champions from lower years challenge higher-year champions, the lower-year champions must fight each other first. In other words, you and Zi Yan must fight before either of you can challenge Li Wa.”
When I left the dean’s office, my emotions were in turmoil.
Why would Zi Yan challenge Li Wa?
Wasn’t Li Wa always chasing after her?
Could Zi Xue have asked her sister to block my challenge?
That had to be the reason.
After classes ended and the holidays began, most students were packing their belongings to return home.
Zi Xue should have returned home as well.
I left the academy and headed directly to the duke’s mansion.
I needed to find Zi Xue and clear things up between us. I had worked so hard just to challenge Li Wa, and now another obstacle had appeared.
When I arrived at the mansion, I asked a servant to deliver a message.
After a while, Zi Xue came out.
Her complexion looked pale, as if even seeing me caused her pain.
“How did you come here?” she asked coldly.
I exhaled slowly.
“Aren’t you going to invite me inside first?”
Zi Xue looked at me for a long moment.
“Follow me.”
I followed her inside the duke’s mansion.