“How is this possible…”
Ye Qingxian muttered to himself, his face filled with shock. A drop of cold sweat slowly slid down from the corner of his eye.
Zhu Ping’an did not waste words with him. He swung his hand back and slapped him, as casually as swatting a fly, sending Ye Qingxian rolling away.
The entire Qingcheng High School fell into dead silence, as if a giant warrior had suddenly cast a silencing strike that left everyone speechless.
No one had expected that Zhu Ping’an would so effortlessly receive Ye Qingxian’s full-powered attack and then slap him flying in return.
“Zhu! Ping! An!”
Ye Qingxian’s roar shattered the silence. He climbed to his feet, his once handsome face twisted with ferocity as he stared fixedly at Zhu Ping’an.
For years, he had always been the favored son of heaven at Qingcheng High School, admired and surrounded by praise. When had he ever suffered such humiliation?
His dark eyes were filled with terrifying killing intent.
“So you’ve already lost your composure?” Zhu Ping’an was not frightened. Instead, he smiled.
“Lion King Finger!”
Ye Qingxian did not speak further. His five fingers formed a claw in the air. With a flash of pale yellow light, a gigantic lion’s head appeared at his fingertips.
“It’s a martial technique! Ye Qingxian has already mastered a martial technique!”
The students below cried out in alarm. The gap between a martial artist and a non-martial artist was like a chasm. One reason was that after becoming a martial artist, one could use extremely powerful martial techniques. Compared to non-martial artists who relied only on combat skills, this was like a divine beast sweeping through primitive tribes.
“I knew it. Brother Qingxian is the favored son of heaven. How could he possibly lose? He was just careless before.”
“That’s right! Zhu Ping’an must have just broken through not long ago. He definitely hasn’t had time to learn a martial technique yet. He’s bound to lose!”
“Brother Qingxian, go for it! Defeat him!”
Ye Qingxian’s supporters grew excited again when they saw him use a martial technique, cheering loudly for him.
Zhu Ping’an narrowed his eyes, a trace of seriousness appearing in his gaze. He indeed had not had time to learn a martial technique, but he did not fear Ye Qingxian. After all, his vitality and blood value exceeded Ye Qingxian’s by nearly 80 points.
As the saying went, absolute strength could crush all techniques. An eight-year-old child, no matter how many fighting skills he learned, could never defeat a 100-kilogram strong adult.
Facing the Lion King Finger, Zhu Ping’an clenched his five fingers together. Power gathered in his calves as he leaned back slightly to store force, then unleashed a fierce punch forward, striking directly at the phantom lion head.
Bang!
With a loud collision, many people covered their ears. Under Ye Qingxian’s incredulous gaze, countless spiderweb-like cracks appeared across the illusory lion head.
Crack! Crack! Crack!
The phantom lion head shattered violently. Zhu Ping’an’s punch did not lose momentum. It struck Ye Qingxian’s handsome face, twisting it out of shape. Ye Qingxian flew backward like a kite with its string cut and crashed heavily onto the ground.
The girls who had been cheering for Ye Qingxian fell silent at once.
Zhu Ping’an had not even used a martial technique, yet he sent Ye Qingxian flying with a single punch. Was the gap between them truly this great?
Yan Shubing’s expression flickered uncertainly. She had always stayed closer to Ye Qingxian while keeping Zhu Ping’an dangling at a distance, simply because she believed Ye Qingxian had a brighter future.
But now, did it seem that Zhu Ping’an had the greater potential instead? Perhaps she should adjust her strategy.
“Wait! Look, Ye Qingxian is standing up!”
Someone in the crowd cried out. Everyone turned to look. Ye Qingxian had somehow risen to his feet. His expression was calm, his eyes closed, and he was walking steadily toward Zhu Ping’an.
“Why has Ye Qingxian closed his eyes? Isn’t that courting death?” someone asked in confusion.
Even Zhu Ping’an was puzzled. This scene had not appeared in the plot.
Though confused, Zhu Ping’an would not show mercy. As Ye Qingxian approached, he punched without hesitation.
At that moment, Ye Qingxian’s body twisted into a strange angle, narrowly avoiding the punch.
Zhu Ping’an threw another punch, then another, his fists falling like a torrential storm.
Yet with his eyes tightly shut, Ye Qingxian seemed to have suddenly mastered supreme instinctive movement. No matter how Zhu Ping’an attacked, he avoided each strike perfectly. Meanwhile, his vitality and blood value continued to rise.
“It’s enlightenment! Ye Qingxian has entered a state of enlightenment!”
The principal of Qingcheng High School shot to his feet, his eyes burning with excitement.
Upon hearing this, the other students looked at Ye Qingxian with envy.
A state of enlightenment was a rare opportunity that every martial artist longed for. Once in this state, one’s comprehension of martial arts would rise rapidly. A single enlightenment could equal ten years of bitter cultivation.
Zhu Ping’an felt his scalp go numb. How could he fight this? Was the male lead always destined to have unfair advantages?
A thought gradually formed in his mind. According to the plot, he was supposed to give Yan Shubing a Vitality and Blood Pill. No matter what he did, he would inevitably possess such a pill.
Likewise, according to the plot, Ye Qingxian was meant to defeat him in this mock exam. But now that Zhu Ping’an’s vitality and blood had skyrocketed and Ye Qingxian was no longer his opponent, Ye Qingxian entered enlightenment instead?
Realizing this, Zhu Ping’an drew in a sharp breath. Was this the so-called inevitability of fate? He even suspected that if Ye Qingxian completed his enlightenment and still could not defeat him, a meteor might fall from the sky to crush him directly.
“I concede!”
Zhu Ping’an jumped off the stage without hesitation. Since the plot had already determined that Ye Qingxian would win this battle, why continue fighting? He did not want to die here, nor did he want to serve as Ye Qingxian’s free enlightenment tool.
Pfft!
The moment Zhu Ping’an conceded, Ye Qingxian spat out a mouthful of blood. His aura instantly weakened.
He had entered enlightenment due to the tremendous pressure from Zhu Ping’an. Now that Zhu Ping’an suddenly conceded, it was equivalent to forcefully interrupting his enlightenment, naturally causing backlash.
The weakened Ye Qingxian glared at Zhu Ping’an with venomous hatred. Then his eyes rolled back, and he fainted.
“Brother Ping’an, you’ve truly disappointed me. Even if you were afraid that Brother Qingxian would defeat you after completing his enlightenment, you shouldn’t have used such despicable means. I hate you!”
Yan Shubing stepped forward to support the unconscious Ye Qingxian, looking at Zhu Ping’an with disappointment. She had already confirmed it. Ye Qingxian had greater investment value. A martial artist capable of entering enlightenment undoubtedly possessed extraordinary talent.
“I’m sorry, Bingbing. I didn’t know it would turn out like this. I really didn’t mean it…” Zhu Ping’an looked flustered and at a loss. “Since you hate me… then… I’ll disappear from your sight in the future.”
As soon as he finished speaking, Zhu Ping’an closed his eyes. Two streams of hot tears slid down from the corners of his eyes, as if he had suffered an immense injustice.