The crowd instantly understood that Qian Jin was sending a challenge to Duan Feng'er. In that moment, all expectant eyes turned toward the young warrior who had so quickly made himself familiar.

“Good! For the glory of the warrior, I cannot refuse such a challenge!” Duan Feng'er straightened his back, and under everyone's gaze, suddenly bent over sharply, clutching his stomach and shouting: “Ow! My stomach hurts, it hurts, hurts, hurts, hurts, it’s killing me… Oh~~ No, I can’t take it anymore…” “Qian Jin, my stomach pain is critical—let’s fight another day!”

Duan Feng'er flung out a parting remark and turned, fleeing with the speed of a swift leopard, showing not the slightest sign of abdominal distress. In the blink of an eye, he vanished behind the military camp tents.

The crowd looked at each other, only then realizing that this overly familiar young man had shamefully fled when faced with Qian Jin’s challenge! All talk of warrior glory and pride was clearly just nonsense in his eyes!

Qian Jin managed a wry smile, looking down at his ankle, which had just spun. The practice of Wanying over the last two years had certainly not been in vain. The simplified Wanying technique he had created just now, while perhaps less flashy than the full version of Wanying, had efficiently accomplished what was needed while remaining subtle.

Rodriguez finally snapped out of his shock and rushed onto the ring, giving Qian Jin a bear hug: “Kid! You did it! Do you have any idea what you just accomplished? You defeated Fen Tu Kuangge! Fen Tu Kuangge! A descendant of the Fen Tu family!”

Rodriguez couldn't help but be ecstatic. The Fen Tu family had always been idols for non-bloodline warriors; every generation produced elites among the elite. Although they couldn't contend with top-tier bloodline warriors, they were the only non-bloodline warriors capable of challenging them!

Even the three great bloodline warrior families held the Fen Tu family in extremely high regard, praising them ceaselessly even as the era of ultimate warriors dawned.

Qian Jin had actually beaten a descendant of the Fen Tu family! Dark felt like he was about to burst with joy. Who would dare underestimate the Oakland Academy of Magic and Warriors in this assessment now? “Incredible! Yumoku, you cavalrymen value speed—what did that young man’s attack feel like just now?”

The contempt in Yumoku’s eyes for Qian Jin had completely vanished, replaced by a gaze of full appreciation. He replied calmly, “His move was beautiful, direct, and decisive. That dodge, in particular, was astonishing.” “Yes, we need to study that closely.”

“Indeed. The moment he struck, he used none of the standard battle formations, and the killing intent was so thick I thought I was back on the battlefield.” “Exactly.” Mu stroked his chin, then turned toward his own tent: “So skilled at such a young age, he holds great promise for the future… Huh?”

Yumoku and the other two Centurions suddenly felt someone tugging at their robes from behind. Bi Luo’s timid voice followed, her small hand gripping the three officers’ battle robes tightly: “I won! Pay up, one for a hundred, one for a hundred…”

Yumoku exchanged a wry look with the other two Centurions. They had just been trying to pretend to chat to distract others, planning to sneak away quickly once they had a chance, thus avoiding paying up. They hadn't expected this seemingly timid magic student to suddenly exhibit such strangely awkward courage.

“Haha… How could we go back on our word?” Yumoku said loudly, his old face flushing under the gaze of the surrounding soldiers. “I was just going back to get your gold coins. With so many people watching, do you think I’d default?”

The surrounding soldiers burst into loud laughter. It seemed such boasts as “one for a hundred” really shouldn’t be thrown around casually. These three Centurions would probably have to sell their underclothes to scrape together the money for this little girl.

Lost? Fen Tu Kuangge sat stunned on his cot, staring blankly at the scene of the breeze moving the grass outside the tent flap. The events of that single moment played repeatedly in his mind. Even now, he couldn't grasp it: how could he have been in a situation where victory was certain, only to lose in an instant? At that precise second, his palm should have made contact with Qian Jin’s skin—how had he suddenly vanished?

Fen Tu Kuangge calmly analyzed the defeat in the spar. He mobilized the aura of his Three Battles of Demon Subjugation, feeling the surging power within him. His own strength hadn't diminished at all, yet he had been instantly struck down. What exactly happened? Could he have used magic? Impossible! There hadn't been the slightest trace of spiritual energy on the man.

The more he analyzed, the less sense it made. As a descendant of the Fen Tu family, the first thing he learned was the fundamentals of command structure, but in terms of individual combat, they learned how to take a beating.

“Want to strike? Learn how to get hit first!” This was one of the Fen Tu family maxims. Every Fen Tu warrior first learned how to endure blows, training not only on how to receive strikes to minimize incoming force but also developing formidable resistance to impact.

Any warrior emerging from the Fen Tu family would possess significantly superior shock absorption compared to warriors of the same rank. Fen Tu Kuangge had grown up under the constant beating of countless staffs. Even Fen Tu Lang had once admitted that his resistance to blows was ‘passable.’

To receive even a ‘passable’ rating from Fen Tu Lang was enough to keep Fen Tu Kuangge awake with joy for days. Yet… the level deemed passable by the family head proved more fragile than tofu against Qian Jin? Was this Qian Jin some sort of humanoid magical beast? Or did he possess a special ability? Could he activate his bloodline power without letting anyone sense it?

“No! It definitely wasn't bloodline power!” Fen Tu Kuangge shook his head vigorously. “As a warrior, I must never deceive myself! If I lost, I lost! That man clearly did not use his full strength! He defeated me easily using only the same level of power as I possessed. I was thoroughly beaten this time! If I can’t even admit this, I cannot face anyone. I am not qualified to call myself a great warrior, nor a descendant of the Fen Tu family, and even less qualified to shake the mountain that is the bloodline warriors in the future.” “Exactly! Qian Jin is not just strong—he is unimaginably strong!” Fen Tu Kuangge strode out of the tent, asking every soldier he encountered for the location of the Oakland Academy of Magic and Warriors’ station.

He quickly located the tents belonging to the Oakland Academy of Magic and Warriors within the military encampment and immediately heard the voices of the students inside.

“Qian Jin is so strong! Even someone from the Fen Tu family couldn’t beat him!”

“This time, our Oakland Academy of Magic and Warriors is going to make a name for ourselves!”

“It’s a shame we aren't in Jinxizhou. Otherwise, if Qian Jin had beaten Fen Tu Kuangge in this assessment, how much glory would we have brought them.”

Crash! Fen Tu Kuangge violently ripped open the tent flap, causing the students of the Oakland Academy to freeze, staring blankly at the angry expression dawning on his face. “Where is Qian Jin!” The anger in Fen Tu Kuangge’s voice was undeniable. Under his intense glare, several Oakland Academy students dared not speak.

The ferocity in Qian Jin’s eyes might have seemed like that of a big cat to him, but in the eyes of others, it was still awe-inspiring, brimming with the true might of a fierce tiger.

“Who called me?” Qian Jin stood behind Fen Tu Kuangge, holding a pot of boiling hot water, watching him slowly turn around. He praised, “Your body recovers well. Much faster than I expected.”

The Oakland students behind Fen Tu Kuangge began frantically making hand gestures, hoping Qian Jin would find a place to hide. Although Qian Jin was powerful, Fen Tu Kuangge still had the entire Fen Tu family, admired by countless non-bloodline warriors, standing behind him!

Qian Jin looked strangely at Fen Tu Kuangge. The anger radiating from the young man was like a volcano ready to erupt, yet there was not a shred of killing intent present.

This was bizarre! Fen Tu Kuangge was not someone unfamiliar with battlefields; how could he display no killing aura in a fit of rage? Qian Jin couldn't comprehend it, but he wasn't afraid. Even if he set aside Wanying and relied solely on his other rough-and-tumble combat experience from the Three Battles of Demon Subjugation, he could still defeat him. Furthermore, he mastered the Nine Battles of Demon Subjugation—he could take him down with one hand.

“You…” Fen Tu Kuangge’s face was grim. “Which academy will you attend?”

Qian Jin blinked. In the short span of ten days, this was the second person to ask which academy he would attend. However, this man clearly wasn't planning to ask for cigarettes; if the Fen Tu family wanted cigarettes, acquiring them wouldn't be difficult.

“Zhenfa.” Qian Jin stated the name simply. “Zhenfa… Seventh ranked among the first-tier academies…” Fen Tu Kuangge wore a look of deep contemplation. “Understood! I will also enroll at the Zhenfa Academy for advanced studies!”

The waving hands of the Oakland students froze. They stood still like statues, secretly thinking, This is bad. It seemed Fen Tu Kuangge was determined to clash with Qian Jin. They regretted speaking so carelessly moments ago; they had just brought trouble upon Qian Jin.

“Furthermore.” Fen Tu Kuangge slowly lowered his head, placing his fist over his heart, and bowed slightly as he spoke: “Please instruct me on how to become stronger!”

The soldiers who had just arrived and hadn't managed to speak were also frozen in place. When they had seen the recovered Fen Tu Kuangge approaching Qian Jin with such an imposing air, almost every soldier assumed he was coming to reclaim his honor. Operating under the principle that it was best if neither side was injured, the Centurions had rushed over, only to witness a scene even more shocking than a challenge: the Fen Tu family’s most outstanding young warrior that year was humbling himself before Qian Jin to seek guidance!

Rodriguez watched nervously, fearing Qian Jin might agree. Fen Tu Kuangge was, after all, a young member of the Fen Tu family. If Qian Jin were to say something like, ‘I will instruct you,’ it would, in a sense, be slapping the Fen Tu family’s face. While the family head might not consider it much—just an exchange between youngsters—for the younger members of the Fen Tu family, this would create significant trouble. They might find that many Fen Tu warriors would later seek out Qian Jin demanding ‘instruction.’

A: Seventh chapter update, that’s right! This is December 24th in the high-rise buildings, and for the sake of grabbing double monthly passes, this is the seventh update. So what are you waiting for, everyone? Give me the kingly [Subscription] and the tyrannical [Monthly Pass]! Let our monthly passes fly today, let us sweep across the scene! What about the atmosphere, please log on… .m for more chapters, support F.