"I am Sanshui Lei, ranked thirty-ninth on the Hundred Battles List." "I am Sanshui Jing, ranked thirty-eighth on the Hundred Battles List."

Brothers? Qian Jin raised an eyebrow. No wonder the two looked about seventy to eighty percent alike. The surname Sanshui... it seemed they were also Bloodline Warriors, and furthermore, Earth Mole Bloodline Warriors!

Earth Mole Bloodline Warriors... Qian Jin rapidly recalled the records of this type of warrior from the memoirs he had read previously. They were a rare class of Bloodline Warriors, capable of both fighting and using demonic arts, though restricted only to earth-element magic. While their combat prowess was decent, their greatest advantage lay in assassination and intelligence gathering.

"Seniors, what brings you here...?"

"We challenge you! For the Hundred Battles List!"

Qian Jin paused upon hearing their exchange, then chuckled. So these two had come because they heard he was injured on the arena stage, hoping to take advantage of his weakness, right?

It must be that! Qian Jin's smile grew wider. His bloodied appearance on the stage at noon would indeed give the impression that he couldn't even defeat a three-year-old child. If he had been in that physical state from noon, engaging in a fight would certainly have been troublesome.

But now? Qian Jin shrugged. He really had to thank the mysterious apothecary, Teacher Oulala, for the long-term medication that had boosted his recovery rate far beyond that of other warriors. Combined with the inherent supreme recovery abilities of his Wind and Cloud Battle Qi, his body had already healed nearly eighty percent over the afternoon.

More than his combat power, Qian Jin felt his body was more like a monster's. Even with potions manufactured by an apothecary, others couldn't recover this quickly.

Of course, if it were an apothecary like Teacher Adams, the potions he created... Qian Jin grimaced. Perhaps to find a pharmacist close to Teacher Adams's standard in the True Strategy Dynasty, one would need to visit the Alchemists' General Guild of the True Strategy Dynasty.

"Naturally, you can refuse our challenge today," Sanshui Lei nodded slightly. "According to the rules of the Hundred Battles List, someone who has already fought on the List that day has the right to refuse a second challenge on the same day."

Qian Jin looked at the confidence radiating from the two men, sighing softly. Even if he refused today, they would clearly be back tomorrow. These two had calculated that he couldn't possibly recover quickly within a day or two. He truly hadn't expected such... gems among the Bloodline Warriors!

The academy's afternoon classes were electives. Qian Jin needed to digest and rest his body, so instead of choosing physical Battle Qi training like the other warriors, he opted for a course in the Art of War Command, using the class time to recuperate and adjust his physical condition.

The vast classroom was empty except for Qian Jin. Being intercepted at the doorway now didn't draw any attention or notice from other students.

"Sirs, do you really want to fight?" Qian Jin raised a hand to touch the bridge of his nose. "Then perhaps we should move somewhere else? Does our academy have a small grove of trees?"

A small grove? The Sanshui brothers' eyes lit up instantly. Fighting on the academy stage in front of other warrior students would indeed feel rather embarrassing. The news of Qian Jin's midday battle, which had instantly propelled him to the thirtieth spot on the Hundred Battles List, and the severe injuries he sustained after taking a punch from Iron Man, had already spread throughout the entire academy.

Currently, every student had their own opinion on the most popular warrior students, but when it came to who held the most clout right now, no one could surpass Qian Jin.

Reaching the thirtieth spot on the Hundred Battles List from unranked in just three days—that speed was astonishing even for a Bloodline Warrior. For an ordinary warrior, such news would immediately lead many to suspect a prank.

"Yes, we do! Yes, we do!" Sanshui Lei nodded repeatedly. "Classmate Qian Jin seems to prefer keeping a low profile. Then let's have a private, discreet spar for the Hundred Battles List ranking."

Prefer not to be high-profile? Qian Jin nodded weakly, a wry smile playing on his lips, and followed the two forward. He chuckled inwardly. Not high-profile? If he didn't want to be high-profile, why had he been fighting without restraint these past few days? The reason he chose the grove was to truly give these two a good beating.

The Iron Arm Mantis Bloodline Warrior had not appeared in the True Strategy Dynasty for a very, very long time. If someone used the Iron Arm Mantis Bloodline Battle Form, it might be easily recognized, but if an ordinary warrior used the Gold Splitting Slashes, many people wouldn't even consider that possibility.

A thorough beating wasn't the right application for the Gold Splitting Slashes. Although the battle sequence for the Slashes within his Battle Heart remained intact, Qian Jin felt uncertain, afraid that even minor use might cause another collapse. He planned to enter the Endless World tonight to ask Teacher Enlak for guidance.

The Exploding Bear Bloodline Combat Skill! Qian Jin genuinely wanted to test the practical capabilities of this newly acquired skill. Relying solely on his own speculation would never allow him to truly ascertain the might of the Exploding Bear Bloodline Combat Skill.

There were Exploding Bear Bloodline Warriors in the academy. If he were to use the Exploding Bear Bloodline Combat Skill openly in front of countless warrior students, not only might the mysterious apothecary show up, but the Exploding Bear Bloodline family might arrive at his door in the shortest possible time, using the leakage of the skill as an excuse to cause trouble for him.

Passing through the large area covered in trees, Qian Jin looked at the circular clearing, about fifty meters in diameter, and smiled. It seemed whether it was a high-tier academy or an ordinary one, the practice of settling private grievances in a small grove shared a surprising similarity.

Sanshui Lei rubbed his fists and feet with a grin, looking at Qian Jin. "Classmate Qian Jin, who do you plan to engage first?"

Sanshui Jing looked at Qian Jin with eager anticipation, afraid that Qian Jin might suggest fighting Sanshui Lei first. There was only one slot for the thirtieth rank on the Hundred Battles List; even if they were brothers, when it came to rankings...

"Classmate Qian Jin, how about sparring with me first?" Sanshui Lei stepped forward preemptively. "I am slightly weaker than my brother, Sanshui Jing, so I should be easier to deal with. Fight me first..."

"No, spar with me first!" Sanshui Jing also rushed forward, pushing Sanshui Lei's shoulder aside as he approached Qian Jin. "It's true that I am slightly weaker than my brother Lei."

"No way, I'm the weaker one; my rank is only thirty-ninth."

"No, no, no! I'm a bit weaker; you let me have that rank..."

"I'll go first..."

"Me first!"

The two shoved each other, and in a short span, their initial harmony dissolved into a situation where they were about to fight each other before even engaging Qian Jin.

"Gentlemen..." Qian Jin slowly raised his leg and stepped forward, instantly creating a collision of auras with the other two, establishing a battle perimeter that everyone could sense. His right hand naturally rested behind his back as he watched the pair. "I think you don't need to argue. Come at me together!"

The two who were fiercely vying for the priority stopped their bickering and stared blankly at Qian Jin, worried they had misheard. Come at him together? An ordinary warrior challenging two Bloodline Warriors? Was this... brainless? Or an insult?

"No matter which of you knocks me down, the other will likely be unhappy," Qian Jin said with a smile, looking at them. "Why don't you two join forces to defeat me first? Then you can fight each other, and the winner claims the thirtieth spot on the Hundred Battles List. Isn't that much better?"

The two Bloodline Warriors nodded instinctively. This was indeed a very, very good plan.

"Then what are you waiting for?" Qian Jin lifted his left hand, his palm gesturing inward towards himself with a slight beckon. "Come at me together."

Sanshui Lei and Sanshui Jing exchanged a look, their eyes blazing with excited fervor. The Battle Qi within their bodies immediately surged upwards.

"Very good!" Qian Jin strode toward the pair, the Battle Qi inside him rapidly sorting its sequence.

Demon Subjugation, Demon Suppression, Demon Execution...

The Sanshui brothers suddenly felt an indescribable discomfort as they watched Qian Jin. How could this physically strong warrior student's aura surge so violently in an instant? It was like a mountain being raised from nowhere and then dropped from a great height, an oppressive force capable of flattening this entire grove.

"Seniors, today will be very memorable for you."

Qian Jin smiled, his left hand opening its five fingers and slapping forward. The traces of air flowing between his fingers were clearly visible! A massive hand pressed down from above, as if this small world within the grove was entirely contained within his palm.

"This... this is... Mountain Upheaval!"

"How is that possible? That's the Bloodline Combat Skill of the Exploding Bear Bloodline family!"

"Seniors, go to the hospital and marvel over what you saw today."

"We'll fight you to the death!"

Boom! Boom! Boom!

The air in the small grove fractured with splashing Battle Qi. Sand, dust, broken branches, and weeds were flung into the sky repeatedly. Even the leaves on the surrounding large trees trembled slightly.

In a matter of a few breaths, the intense activity in the small grove settled into a profound calm. Even the flocks of birds disturbed high in the sky had fluttered back down into the woods.

Qian Jin still stood as quietly as he had initially, his right hand calmly resting behind his back. He looked down at the two Earth Mole Bloodline Warriors lying sprawled on the ground not far away.

"Impossible... How is this possible..."

"How could it be..."

Sanshui Lei lay on the ground, not only having broken every rib in his chest but also suffering fractures in his leg and arm bones. Gouts of blood sprayed from his mouth with every breath, and his mind was almost completely blank.

It wasn't true blankness, but an unwillingness to recall the scene from moments ago.

Sanshui Jing could not believe that the combined fight between the two brothers against Qian Jin had been such a one-sided rout. Qian Jin, at a glance, was clearly not exerting his full strength, yet they had been beaten to the point of having absolutely no strength left to retaliate.

It was like an adult fighting a child. The violence and savagery of the Mountain Upheaval technique from the Exploding Bear Bloodline Skill were staggering. Sanshui Jing simply could not comprehend how his opponent, who was severely wounded at noon and rumored to be on the brink of hospitalization, could now be this ferocious. Was he really injured and almost hospitalized? Was he truly just an ordinary warrior?