In the office, even the high and mighty can feel the chill of being at the top.

Edward seemed tired. As a Martial Emperor, a mere sneeze from him could send Wang Zhan to his death. Yet now, he appeared to be lacking his former aura.

The people behind him looked at each other in silence. The atmosphere was heavy, and no one dared to speak.

Could it be that the decline of the Martial Arts Academy is their fault? Even if William and Ally hadn't ranked on the Federation's Genius List, they were still the Royal Family's privately nurtured top talents. Who could have expected them to lose to Wang Zhan? Besides, they aren't the ones in charge of the Royal Martial Arts Academy now!

Edward turned around, looking at the resentment and fear on everyone's faces, yet there wasn't a shred of shame. This sight made his back sag slightly, and a newfound understanding dawned on him as his gaze swept across the walls, where the honors of the Royal Martial Arts Academy hung.

Honor, if it fell into the hands of any talented individual after being obtained, would mean nothing.

"Heh..."

Following Edward's indifferent, faint chuckle, an unassuming man, one who might be easily overlooked in a crowd, finally stood up.

"Dean, Li Shiji's death isn't necessarily a bad thing. At least, the Royal Martial Arts Academy hasn't seen any changes for a long time. We've been handling matters for the Federation, but if we don't change, we're as good as dead."

As soon as these words were spoken, all eyes were fixed on his face, filled with contempt, disdain, and disgust. Apart from Edward and the mentor who had guided Wang Zhan today, almost everyone was thinking the same thing:

Who the hell do you think you are? We've at least made contributions to the Federation. And you? You've spent your whole life guarding a library, utterly useless. Now you've learned to suck up?

「...」

"Bo Tao, a fourth-year student of the Royal Martial Arts Academy, Level 4 Warrior, capable of breaking the Limit by 20%, dares to fight!"

Bo Tao, a fierce scar on his face, appeared before Wang Zhan, holding a big saber. His aura, unlike Wang Zhan's air of invincibility, was steeped in a strong scent of blood.

He's killed people, and not just a few! Wang Zhan thought, his eyes narrowing slightly. A Level 4 Warrior... This is an opportunity to test my own strength limits.

Currently, with his 3,500 basic attribute points and 70 extreme attribute points, his true strength was comparable to a low-rank Martial Master. If things went well, he could even push to the limit of a Level 9 Warrior and break through to the Martial Master Realm.

A Level 4 Warrior should be enough for me to gain quite a bit. A pity, a pity...

"Come on!"

Kill!

As soon as Wang Zhan spoke, a blade of light, devoid of any brilliance and even appearing somewhat dim, suddenly slashed out from Bo Tao. Nevertheless, Wang Zhan sensed a hint of threat from it.

The corner of his mouth twitched slightly. With a quick sidestep, he dodged Bo Tao's attack.

BOOM! A bluestone paving slab on the ground where he had stood shattered completely, exposing the earth beneath.

"Interesting."

CLANG! With a sharp sound, the Liyun Blade on Wang Zhan's back was unsheathed.

He currently lacked the Martial General-level defensive power he'd possessed when he had consumed the Blood Essence Pill, which had previously allowed him to face enemies with ease.

Therefore, seeing Bo Tao clearly aiming to eliminate him completely, pressing his advantage relentlessly even after his initial strike missed, Wang Zhan naturally wouldn't be polite. When it was time to draw his blade, he would.

Of course, he wouldn't need to use the Fatal One Slash.

CLANG! CLANG! CLANG!

The continuous, dense sounds of metal clashing echoed through the street, like someone hammering iron late at night, grating on the nerves.

Wang Zhan and Bo Tao moved and shifted, yet they both remained within a small, confined area, never stepping out of bounds. They seemed to be fighting to the death, yet they tacitly adhered to the rules of an arena. It was as if they were on a dueling platform, yet they fought with the determination of a battle to the death, unwilling to retreat.

CLANG!

Wang Zhan's movements were grand and sweeping. Though he used no specific battle tactics, his technique seemed perfectly natural. A strike descended from above, crashing onto Bo Tao's big saber, forcing his body to sink under the pressure.

Bo Tao roared, straightening up and directly parrying Wang Zhan's Liyun Blade. He aimed to close the distance and attack Wang Zhan's weak points in close combat.

Wang Zhan chuckled. "Close combat? Good. I've been waiting for you."

Unexpectedly, Wang Zhan had been waiting for this moment. His Fatal One Slash wasn't his own skill but originated from Wang Yidao's Saber technique. Consequently, his own Saber technique also contained elements of Wang Yidao's style.

However, his fist technique was different. It incorporated knowledge from numerous real and fake ancient books spread throughout the mortal world, the Military Department's standard Military Killing Fist, and, most substantially, the Eight Extremes Fist from Grandmaster Shi Jingtian.

This accumulation had led him to create a hybrid technique: the Eight Extremes Fist—Military Killing Fist Variation. In other words, close combat was Wang Zhan's true forte. Even if these were skills learned from others, they were at least skills he was intimately familiar with!

CLANG!

Essence Energy surged within Wang Zhan's body. With immense power, he directly knocked Bo Tao's big saber from his grasp, allowing Bo Tao to close in. Then, Wang Zhan tossed the Liyun Blade to Yang Qi, who stood behind him, and took a shallow breath.

"Military Style—Killing Fist!"

His fists were like sabers, like swords. One punch followed another; none missed their mark, each one beating down on Bo Tao as if he were trash.

Bo Tao's heart suddenly tightened as Wang Zhan landed four or five punches on him, his body emitting a series of dull thuds.

This is bad! This kid's fist technique is even more refined and ferocious than those of the warriors...

He had witnessed the Star War Battlefield. Although he knew his own limitations—that on such a battlefield, he was merely a minor character—he was still someone few could rival.

Moreover, the Wang Zhan before him was clearly just a student. Where did he acquire such terrifying killing intent, almost enough to coalesce the true intent of the Military Killing Fist?

"Hahahaha, your resilience is pretty good. But are you planning to just keep taking it? If you don't counterattack soon, I can't guarantee I'll be able to hold back." Wang Zhan laughed heartily, his arrogance undiminished.

Bow my head? Like hell! I, Laozi, never bow my head! Since you lot have pushed me to this point but don't dare to kill me, then let your students bow their heads for you!

After enduring dozens of punches and continuously defending, Bo Tao finally managed to regulate his breathing. He roared defiantly, "Kid, don't get cocky just because you're winning! Compared to the Royal Martial Arts Academy, you're nothing! Military Killing Fist? You're not the only one who knows it! Fight!"

BOOM!

Two powerful fists collided abruptly. But before Bo Tao could react, Wang Zhan let out a cold sneer. "If I say you're trash, you are trash! On the battlefield, who has time for your nonsense? The Royal Martial Arts Academy... apart from the older generation, none of the younger ones are worth a damn."

Military Style—Killing Fist!

Little did Bo Tao know, Wang Zhan had been waiting for precisely this moment.

Combat wasn't some petty squabble born of jealousy. This kid, Bo Tao, still thought in terms of soldier versus soldier, general versus general. He failed to realize that Wang Zhan's previous punches had been a clear build-up of power. If Bo Tao insisted on confronting him head-on without trying a different approach, he could only follow behind and eat dust. With this dynamic in play, Wang Zhan's punches became even more fierce, their force instantly doubling as they rained down on Bo Tao, pushing him back nearly ten steps.

Bo Tao, his face a mask of astonishment, stared at Wang Zhan, his gaze frozen in disbelief. "How is this possible? You still have strength to spare?"

Wang Zhan replied coldly, "That's because you're naive!"

「...」

Bo Tao was defeated.

However, Wang Zhan didn't cripple his Essence Energy. After all, Bo Tao was someone who had been on a battlefield, and to Wang Zhan, his experience was somewhat useful.

With a complex expression, Bo Tao watched Wang Zhan's departing figure. Then, without a word, he picked up his big saber and turned to leave, not even bothering to say goodbye to his fellow students.

He could see it clearly: he didn't even register in Wang Zhan's eyes. And what made him feel even more humiliated were Wang Zhan's words to him: "Even if you are losers, you are losers qualified to die on the battlefield. Enough said. If there's a suicide squad in the future, I'd very much like to see you in it. By then, however, you might have to pay me some hazard pay."

He was only qualified to join a suicide squad? Bo Tao seethed with anger but was powerless. He could only turn and walk away, trying to preserve what little dignity he had left. But one day, he would definitely make Wang Zhan regret this!

「」

The street was eerily quiet on both sides. Apart from the dim yellow streetlights and the shadowy buildings beneath them, it was deserted.

Only a man and a woman still stood blocking Wang Zhan's path.

The woman glared venomously at Wang Zhan, her voice shrill as she cried, "You will definitely die here today!"

Wang Zhan glanced at her, then at the Martial General beside her. A chilling smile tugged at the corners of his mouth. "Very good! I was wondering if you wouldn't show up. It seems the Royal Martial Arts Academy is truly out of people, sending only a woman to confront me."

With that, he looked towards some of the buildings on either side, as if he could see through to the people hidden in the darkness, his arrogance reaching an extreme.

"Tang Mingzhong of the Tang Family, a level 5 Martial General, having broken through the Limit by 18%. I request Young Master Wang's guidance!" The man beside the woman, Tang Mingzhong, stepped forward. He appeared ordinary, but his eyes were bright, and his hands were rough with thick calluses.

"Fine!" Wang Zhan replied, the Liyun Blade once again unsheathed.

Facing a Martial General, and one not from the Royal Martial Arts Academy at that, he couldn't be blamed for being ruthless. After this slash, the Royal Martial Arts Academy would surely no longer be an obstacle to his return to the arena. As for whether Tang Mingzhong survived, that wouldn't be Wang Zhan's fault.

"I will use only one slash. If it doesn't kill you, I lose!" Wang Zhan stated indifferently.

Tang Mingzhong's heart tightened. His Essence Energy instantly surged throughout his body as he prepared himself, on high alert. "Miss, please step back! I will try to take his slash. If I don't succeed, you must leave immediately!"

He could already feel that Wang Zhan's impending slash was not to be underestimated. He also understood the meaning behind Wang Zhan's words: if Wang Zhan lost, he would be at their mercy; if Tang Mingzhong lost, he couldn't blame Wang Zhan for any subsequent retaliation. He just didn't know how far this Federation hero, so famous online, had truly progressed.

At that moment, the woman hastily retreated. Tang Mingzhong stood ready, bracing himself. Yang Qi watched with a curious glint in his eyes. In the surroundings, the Royal Martial Arts Academy students hidden in the darkness, observing the fight, all felt a shiver run down their spines.

They, too, had heard about that night on the Jing State Battlefield: Wang Zhan had killed two men with two slashes, both of whom had already become Grandmasters.

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