Feng Qi's decision to have Mu Qing challenge Lü Yue left the other freshmen just as confused as Lin Ran.
The strength Lü Yue had displayed far surpassed his performance during the freshman training sessions. Even an upperclassman like Lin Ran had been defeated.
Sending an unnoticed member of the class like Mu Qing to face him now seemed, to everyone, like pure folly. Many feared that if Lü Yue couldn't hold back, Mu Qing might get hurt.
The students couldn't make sense of Feng Qi's mysterious actions.
As Lü Yue cast a puzzled glance toward Feng Qi, the latter responded with a smile.
"Lü Yue, go all out."
Hearing this, Lin Ran seemed to realize something and murmured under his breath,
"Qi-ge, could it be… is Mu Qing really that strong?"
Meanwhile, Lü Yue also began to sense that Mu Qing might not be as simple as she appeared. With a nod to Feng Qi, he turned to face Mu Qing.
"Senior Mu Qing, shall we begin?"
Mu Qing's expression revealed a hint of nervousness, as though she was worried about accidentally hurting Lü Yue.
Noticing her hesitation, Lü Yue frowned slightly and raised his hand. Sword energy coalesced into a blade and shot toward Mu Qing with sudden force.
The sharp, white sword energy streaked toward her. The other students watched with bated breath, curious to see how Mu Qing would respond.
What happened next stunned everyone.
Despite the destructive power of the sword energy, Mu Qing stepped forward—not to evade, but to meet it head-on.
Seeing this, Lin Ran hastily formed a seal, his face full of urgency as he tried to summon a spiritual shield to block the attack for Mu Qing.
But before anyone's efforts could materialize, Mu Qing suddenly raised her right fist and swung it forward.
In that instant, a whirlwind erupted around her, radiating outward with terrifying force.
To everyone's utter disbelief, her fist collided directly with the sword energy, shattering it instantly. The force of her punch sent Lü Yue stumbling backward in a rather sorry state, his stance momentarily disrupted.
As the whirlwind settled, the students stood frozen in place, their expressions a mixture of shock and awe.
"Just the wind from her punch carries such power… If that had landed, wouldn't someone be reduced to pulp?" Xia Long exclaimed, his eyes wide with disbelief.
"Big bro, I think so too," Xia Hu chimed in.
"Big bro, second bro, I agree! Senior Mu Qing is like a monster. She's terrifying!" Xia Bao added, his face pale.
The fight wasn't over yet.
Regaining his footing, Lü Yue looked at Mu Qing with a newfound seriousness.
"I haven't gone all out yet. If you can withstand my next sword, I'll admit defeat. But this strike will be powerful, and there's a risk you might get hurt."
"You're finally drawing your sword?" Mu Qing asked, tilting her head curiously.
"This sword won't be drawn against a fellow human. What I'll use next is my strongest sword technique without drawing my blade."
"Bring it on," Mu Qing replied confidently with a nod.
The students, hearing that Lü Yue was about to use his full strength, couldn't help but feel a renewed sense of anticipation.
Under their watchful eyes, Lü Yue's sword, which had been quivering behind him, began to resonate with energy.
As he raised a hand to the sky, a streak of blue light emerged from the sword, coalescing into a glowing energy blade above his head.
"This technique is called Void Severance. Senior, prepare yourself."
For someone who usually refrained from unnecessary words during combat, Lü Yue announcing the name of his technique signified his respect for Mu Qing as an opponent.
Mu Qing nodded in acknowledgment. She seemed to want to return the courtesy, but after glancing at her clenched right fist, she hesitated for a moment before muttering,
"This technique is called… Big Punch."
Hearing her name the technique, Lü Yue brought the blue energy blade before him with both hands, then launched it forward.
The energy blade roared through the air, radiating a storm of sword energy that carved deep, jagged lines into the ground.
As the blade advanced, it split into two, then four, then eight—multiplying until there were thirty-two glowing blue swords arranged in an intricate formation. The formation's power surged exponentially.
"What kind of monsters are these freshmen?" Lin Ran muttered, unable to take his eyes off the scene.
As the blue sword formation bore down on her, Mu Qing unleashed a punch she had been preparing.
A deafening gale erupted with her punch, so intense that Xu Hongyun and Hui Xu, standing far back, were swept off their feet and plastered against the wall.
When Mu Qing's fist met the sword formation, a loud crack echoed through the training field. All thirty-two interconnected blue energy swords splintered simultaneously, shattering into fragments of glowing energy that rained down like a blue mist.
The sheer force of Mu Qing's punch didn't stop there. It surged forward, grazing Lü Yue's side before crashing into the far wall.
The wall, crafted from reinforced materials designed to endure even the most rigorous training, couldn't withstand the impact. It crumbled into rubble.
The shockwave toppled the weapon racks lining the training field, leaving the entire area in disarray.
"I guess… my ranking in the class is third?" Lin Ran muttered, stunned. He turned to Feng Qi, seeking confirmation.
"Don't worry, you're still third," Feng Qi replied with a smile.
When Feng Qi looked back at Lü Yue, he saw that the latter's expression had turned vacant, as though questioning everything he knew about himself.
Lü Yue's confidence had been utterly shattered. If Mu Qing's punch had been aimed directly at him, it might have killed him on the spot. He realized that even if he had gone all out and drawn his sword, he still wouldn't have stood a chance against her.
That punch was unstoppable.
When Lü Yue looked at Mu Qing again, he saw that she remained completely calm, as though that devastating punch had been nothing more than a casual move.
His pride crumbled entirely in that moment.
"I lost," Lü Yue admitted, his voice tinged with bitterness.
Mu Qing nodded and encouraged him,
"Keep working hard, junior."
Mu Qing turned and ran toward Feng Qi, her face lit up with a cheerful smile, clearly pleased at having completed the task Feng Qi had given her. Her expression practically begged for praise.
"Senior Mu Qing, that was amazing!" Feng Qi, who had already anticipated the outcome, smiled and gave her a big thumbs-up.
Hearing Feng Qi's compliment, Mu Qing's face beamed with joy.
Feng Qi then walked over to Lü Yue, who was still in shock, and patted him on the shoulder.
"You okay?"
Lü Yue shook his head, as if clearing away his surprise.
"I'm fine, just a little taken aback. No wonder you told me to go all out. Now I understand—even if I had drawn my sword, I wouldn't have stood a chance against Senior Mu Qing."
Turning to glance at Mu Qing, now surrounded by the other freshmen, who were all bombarding her with questions, Feng Qi chuckled.
"Don't let this get you down. In fact, you should be happy."
Confused, Lü Yue furrowed his brows, prompting Feng Qi to elaborate.
"Shouldn't you feel glad that humanity has such an exceptionally talented powerhouse?"
Lü Yue's eyes widened in realization, and then he nodded earnestly.
"Her existence is a blessing for the human race."
"Alright, today's testing ends here. Let's head back."
As Feng Qi led Lü Yue toward the rest of the group, a man entered the arena with a grim expression. It was the gymnasium administrator, who emerged from the rubble of the collapsed wall and addressed Feng Qi sternly.
"What's going on here? Were you training or trying to demolish the place?"
Surveying the chaos—shattered weapons racks, cracked tiles, and a collapsed wall—Feng Qi couldn't help but feel a little embarrassed.
"Sorry, there was a bit of an accident during the testing."
"This is a 'bit of an accident'? Are you sure you weren't using explosive tech weapons and were only conducting a physical test?" the administrator asked with a mix of doubt and exasperation.
Feng Qi hesitated for a moment before offering tentatively,
"Would you like me to demonstrate again to prove it?"
The administrator froze, visibly at a loss, before shaking his head with a resigned sigh.
"Forget it. Just leave. I'll contact the maintenance department to handle this. Next time, if you're conducting high-intensity combat training, use the sandfield east of the main grounds."
"Really sorry about this. Thank you, and we'll be more careful next time," Feng Qi said apologetically.
With the test concluded, Feng Qi had gained a solid understanding of Lü Yue's capabilities. Although he couldn't compare to Mu Qing, Lü Yue's combat strength was undeniably among the best of his peers. This gave Feng Qi greater confidence in the upcoming freshman group competition.
When they returned to the classroom, the atmosphere among the students was noticeably friendlier. The sparring sessions seemed to have brought everyone closer, particularly in their interactions with Mu Qing. Discussions about her incredible strength filled the room, and many couldn't resist asking her questions.
It was clear that Mu Qing wasn't used to this level of attention, as she seemed a little uncomfortable with all the focus on her.
Feng Qi soon began teaching a lesson, starting with the basics of Tiger Fist. Among the students, the Xia brothers were the most enthusiastic, their passion for physical cultivation evident as they actively participated and asked numerous questions. Feng Qi patiently answered each one in detail.
The freshman group competition, scheduled for the following month, wouldn't just test individual strength but also teamwork. In a typical domain squad, there were key roles like main damage dealers, tanks (to absorb damage), controllers, medics, support specialists, formation experts, spiritual apothecaries, and long-range spellcasters.
While the freshman teams wouldn't require the full range of non-combat roles like spiritual apothecaries or resource identification specialists, basic team configurations were still crucial. A well-rounded team would significantly enhance their combat effectiveness.
Since Feng Qi was aiming for the championship, he wasn't planning to settle for anything less than excellence. He also viewed this competition as a valuable opportunity to train the students in teamwork, as they were likely to become key members of his future domain squad. He saw this as a stepping stone for preparing them to tackle the challenges of domain expeditions and resource extraction.
However, when it came to specific knowledge about team configuration and cooperative combat, Feng Qi realized he was still lacking. This meant that, for today, he would stick to teaching cultivation basics. His plan was to delve deeper into team combat strategies during his next venture into the Dream Realm and then pass that knowledge on to his students.
In the future, he also planned to customize his training for each student based on their individual strengths and talents, using data from the future database. For instance, Cai Guo, who came from a medical research background, was an ideal candidate for the team's medic. Feng Qi decided he would retrieve and adapt knowledge about "combat medical techniques" from the future database to train her.
There were countless things Feng Qi needed to prepare for, spanning a wide range of fields. To maintain his reputation as a prodigy, he knew he had to stay ahead of the curve.
His ultimate goal was to transition seamlessly from being a remarkable talent to being seen as an extraordinary genius—someone whose brilliance was simply expected.
[Pity the future version of yourself. The more you show off now, the harder he has to work. But hey, changing the future requires your relentless (and shameless) innovation to drive progress. Still, you might want to bow a few times to thank your future self for all his sacrifices.]
Ignoring the narration, Feng Qi remained focused on teaching the principles behind Tiger Fist. For most of the students, this was their first exposure to the future's concepts of physical cultivation. Aside from the monk, who seemed uninterested, the rest of the students listened attentively.
By the end of the lesson, they had begun to understand why Feng Qi, despite being so close to their age, was qualified to be their teacher.
When the class ended, it was already noon.
After Lü Yue and the other students left, Feng Qi headed to the academy cafeteria with Lin Ran and Mu Qing. Following lunch, he returned to his dormitory and placed an online order for materials needed to brew Clear Mind Brew.
Since there were no afternoon classes, Feng Qi planned to visit Le Ping'an to learn the art of brewing Clear Mind Brew in preparation for his next Dream Realm expedition.