Free Web NovelChapter 55: Chapter 55: First in the Earth Dormitory
Lü Bingchen took his seat.
The Black-robed Steward stepped onto the high platform. "The ranking battle for the Earth and Celestial Houses will now begin. The rules are the same as before: each person has three challenges, and the rankings will be finalized at sunset."
"Let the challenges begin!"
As his voice fell, a dead silence descended upon the arena.
The Earth House disciples sized each other up, while the ten from the Celestial House stood quietly to the side, none making a move.
They all knew each other’s strengths and weaknesses. Without absolute confidence, no one was willing to waste one of their three precious chances.
After a quarter of an hour, someone finally made a move.
The thirtieth-ranked disciple of the Earth House challenged the twenty-ninth. After thirty moves, he secured a narrow victory, and their ranks were swapped.
Several more internal matches among the Earth House disciples followed, resulting in minor adjustments to the rankings. However, none of the top twenty stepped forward. Everyone knew the main event had yet to begin.
Liang Cheng stood silently at the edge of the field, his eyes closed as he regulated his breathing.
He was waiting for the Earth House’s internal challenges to conclude, at least until the first-place rank was finalized.
「An hour later」
The internal challenges within the Earth House gradually died down. Liang Cheng opened his eyes just as someone else stepped forward from the side.
It was Yun Jinghong.
He walked steadily into the center of the arena, his gaze sweeping over the back ranks of the Earth House disciples, and his clear voice rang out:
"Yun Jinghong, a disciple of the Human House, challenges the fortieth-ranked of the Earth House, Li Yan."
The named Li Yan’s expression soured. This Human House disciple clearly held him in no regard. With anger in his eyes, he mounted the stage, determined to teach Yun Jinghong a lesson.
"If you please." Yun Jinghong drew his sword, its blade gleaming like still autumn waters.
Li Yan wielded a saber. His Saber Momentum was fierce and powerful, and he launched an all-out offensive from the very start!
Yun Jinghong neither retreated nor dodged. His sword flashes were like a fleeting shadow as saber light and sword gleams clashed in a relentless, fierce battle.
The observers on the VIP platform cast frequent, surprised glances. Yun Jinghong’s strength was actually enough to fight the fortieth-ranked Earth House disciple to a standstill!
Gasps of surprise also rose continuously from the crowd. The Earth House rankings were set, their strengths publicly acknowledged. Who would have thought Yun Jinghong could be so formidable?
After nearly a hundred moves, with a CLANG, the long saber fell to the ground. Li Yan stood stunned, a single red mark on his wrist—his opponent had clearly shown mercy.
"I was fortunate," Yun Jinghong said, sheathing his sword.
Spontaneous applause erupted from below the stage.
The Steward announced loudly, "Yun Jinghong is victorious! He will replace the fortieth-ranked of the Earth House. Li Yan is now ranked forty-first!"
Instantly, the eyes of the Human House disciples lit up.
’If Yun Jinghong can do it, why can’t I? I just need to challenge the lowest-ranked Earth House disciples.’
For a time, the challenges were nonstop. Unfortunately, every single one of them ended in defeat. Not one person succeeded, which finally forced them to calm down.
It wasn’t that the Earth House disciples were weak; it was that Yun Jinghong was exceptionally strong.
Just as the crowd was settling down, Liang Cheng finally stepped forward.
"Liang Cheng, a disciple of the Human House."
His voice was calm, yet it silenced the entire arena:
"I challenge the first-ranked of the Earth House, Zhou Tianhao."
An uproar erupted!
"He’s challenging the number one directly?!"
"How long has he even been at the Martial Arts Academy?!"
On the VIP platform, Lü Bingchen stroked his beard and smiled. "The fiery spirit of youth. This is how it should be!"
Yue Shan also folded his arms and grinned. "He’s got guts!"
Shen Wenyuan nodded slightly, then suddenly turned to Wu Zhenshan, his tone profound. "Wu the Treasurer, what is your opinion on this match?"
Wu Zhenshan’s expression was impassive. "An ant trying to shake a tree."
In the left stands, Xu Zhi shot to his feet, his face full of scorn. "He’s courting death! How dare he overestimate himself and challenge the number one of the Earth House! He’s just asking for humiliation!"
Xu Zhang pressed a hand on his son’s shoulder, his own expression unreadable. "Sit down."
A Patriarch sitting nearby shook his head. "Young people these days don’t know their own limits. Do they think the top spot of the Earth House is so easily challenged?"
Below, Chen Bainian’s expression changed. He looked both expectant and startled. ’Liang Cheng, can you truly swim against the current?’
A few of the Commerce Association Stewards murmured amongst themselves, "If he can actually win, this boy is a true prodigy. He would be worth recruiting."
Qiao Zhi was stunned for a moment, then she let out a derisive snort. "He’s overreaching! Does he really think that beating some Liu Meng means he can run wild in the Martial Arts Academy?"
"Miss, be careful what you say," Uncle Wang whispered.
Qiao Zhi pouted. "Am I wrong? Zhou Tianhao is number one in the Earth House, at Transformation Force Perfection! What is Liang Cheng? Just as I thought, a country bumpkin who doesn’t know when to advance or retreat!"
Regardless of the crowd’s chatter, Zhou Tianhao stepped out from among the Earth House disciples.
He was powerfully built, with corded muscles and bronze skin that glinted with a metallic luster in the sunlight—the sign of having reached Great Success in the Rock Solid Skill.
"Junior Brother Liang," Zhou Tianhao said, clasping his fist in salute. His voice was deep and resonant.
Liang Cheng returned the salute. "Senior Brother, please grant me your guidance."
The two mounted the stage, facing each other from thirty feet away.
There were no probing moves.
Zhou Tianhao took a single step, and the green flagstones of the stage cracked beneath his foot. He threw a straight right punch, the wind from his fist booming like muffled thunder.
Rock Fist·Mountain Breaker!
Liang Cheng neither dodged nor evaded, meeting the attack with a punch of his own!
Fierce Bull Force, Mountain-Breaking Strike!
BOOM!!!
The two fists collided, and a shockwave of air exploded outwards!
Zhou Tianhao stumbled back three steps, the flagstones beneath his feet shattering inch by inch!
A sharp glint flashed in Zhou Tianhao’s eyes. "Good strength! Again!"
He unleashed a chain of punches, his fist momentum like a landslide and a tsunami. Each blow carried the force to shatter stone tablets. Liang Cheng met them with both fists, the Overlapping Waves Ninth Layer Force erupting layer by layer as he clashed head-on, punch for punch!
BANG! BANG! BANG! BANG!!!
The stage thundered with a continuous roll of thunder!
The two figures madly battered each other on the stage. Every collision sent tremors through the platform, unleashing sweeping shockwaves and sending shattered rock flying!
The disciples below watched, utterly dumbfounded.
"Is this still a martial arts contest?!"
"It’s clearly two Humanoid Fierce Beasts crashing into each other!"
Ten moves! Twenty moves! Thirty moves!
The longer Zhou Tianhao fought, the more horrified he became. He had already reached Great Success in his Rock Solid Skill. Empowered by his Inner Cultivation Method, his Fist Force was strong enough to shatter stone tablets. Yet when his blows landed on Liang Cheng, it felt like striking refined iron; the rebound force was making his own arms go numb!
’His Hard Skills are actually greater than mine!?’
"Excellent!" Zhou Tianhao roared, his body retreating thirty feet in a flash. He clenched his fists, and the aura around him suddenly surged!
Beneath his bronze skin, a faint, earthy-yellow radiance began to flow!
"Junior Brother Liang, take my final move—"
"Rock Solid Zhenyue!"
He stomped his feet, and the stage sank a whole three inches. He slowly drew his right fist back to his waist, the earthy-yellow Qi Force over his knuckles condensing until it looked solid!
This punch contained all of his power. Liang Cheng took a deep breath. His Iron Armor Realm Hard Skills activated, and a dark, black light flickered across his skin, as if he were covered in heavy armor.
The Qi Blood from his Broken Wave Technique surged within him as he condensed the Overlapping Waves Ninth Layer Force into his right fist. He too charged forward and threw a punch!
The moment his fist flew, it ripped through the air with a piercing sonic boom!
Overlapping Waves Force·Ninth Layer Unity!
The two fists collided with a thunderous crash!
BOOM!!!
The massive sound was like the heavens collapsing and the earth splitting asunder. A massive shockwave erupted from the center of the stage, ripping up layers of flagstones and sending a rain of shattered rock in all directions!
A figure was sent flying backward!
It was Zhou Tianhao, who had smashed through the guardrail and tumbled to the edge of the stage. His right arm hung limply, his fist a bloody mess with bone exposed!
Liang Cheng stumbled back three steps, the flagstones under his feet completely pulverized. He steadied himself amidst the billowing dust.
The entire arena fell deathly silent.
The dust slowly settled.
Zhou Tianhao struggled to his feet, bracing himself with his left arm. He looked across the stage to where Liang Cheng stood firm. Their eyes met.
Zhou Tianhao couldn’t help but give a bitter smile. "I have lost."
Liang Cheng clasped his fist. "Senior Brother’s Hard Skills are admirable."
Zhou Tianhao turned and walked back to the disciples’ seating area. The Earth House disciples rushed to support him, feeding him an Elixir and bandaging his right arm. Zhou Tianhao sat cross-legged to regulate his breathing, his face pale.
Nearby, Chen Yuan and Liu Qing exchanged stunned glances. They had interacted with Liang Cheng before and knew he was talented, but they had never imagined he was this strong.
The Steward was stunned for a moment before he finally announced in a loud voice, "Liang Cheng is victorious! He replaces the first-ranked of the Earth House!"
On the VIP platform.
Lü Bingchen shot to his feet, his eyes shining brightly. "Excellent! What an excellent duel of Hard Skills! A physique this strong is a rare sight in the Martial Arts Academy!"
Yue Shan slammed the table and roared with laughter. "Hahahaha! Now that was satisfying! That’s what I call a martial contest!"
Shen Wenyuan wore a faint smile, while Wu Zhenshan’s face was grim. He remained silent.
Xu Zhi was dumbstruck, his lips trembling. "How is this possible..."
The teacup in Xu Zhang’s hand turned to dust, the tea soaking his robes unnoticed. He stared intently at the figure on the stage, killing intent boiling in his eyes.
Not far away, Zhao Ming stood frozen, his palms sweating. He had thought Liang Cheng would at most make it into the top twenty of the Earth House. Who could have expected him to go straight to the top!
’My arrangements... they’re probably completely ruined now.’
On another side, Chen Bainian laughed out loud, too excited to form words. This time, his investment, his discerning eye for talent, had paid off handsomely.
Qiao Zhi shot to her feet, her pretty face as white as a sheet.
She stared at the figure on the stage, bloodied but standing tall like a pine tree. Her words, "He’s overreaching," were stuck in her throat, transforming into an indescribable, sour feeling.
She collapsed back into her seat, murmuring, "He... he really won..."
Qiao Zhi’s mind was in turmoil, and even Uncle Wang was too shocked to speak.
’My lady,’ he thought, ’you misjudged. It seems the young master has truly taken on a remarkable disciple.’
