88: Chapter 88 Battle against Nangong Li

Nangong Li's voice was not loud, yet it clearly spread across the entire arena.

Han Ming looked at him, the corners of his mouth curling slightly upward: "What are three million points? Do you dare to play for higher stakes?"

Nangong Li raised an eyebrow and asked curiously: "How do you want to play?"

Han Ming held up one finger: "Ten million points. If you win, I will give you ten million." He paused, his gaze fixed on Nangong Li, "If I win, you only need to say one sentence: 'I lost, I am willing to take you as my Master.'"

The entire audience was in an uproar.

"Ten million points? Where would Han Ming get so many points?"

"Are you stupid! With Han Ming's current strength, would he lack ten million points? Just challenging the later stages of the Trial Tower or completing a few beast-hunting missions would be enough."

"Again with the apprenticeship? What kind of hobby does Han Ming have? He made Ye Yunfeng take him as a Master before, and now he wants Nangong Li to do the same?"

"Could he have some weird obsession with taking disciples?"

Down below, Ye Yunfeng heard this, and upon hearing the classmates' discussions, his face darkened.

Nangong Li ignored the discussions and stared at Han Ming for a good while.

"Are you sure?"

"Sure." Han Ming nodded.

"Fine, I'll bet with you." A smile curled the corners of Nangong Li's mouth.

Ten million points—it would be foolish not to take them. As for losing and having to take him as a Master? He didn't think he would lose.

And even if he did lose, taking someone stronger than himself as a Master was nothing to be ashamed of.

The referee walked onto the arena; he was a teacher at the Peak of the Martial King Realm. His gaze swept over the two of them: "You both know the rules of the challenge, right?"

Both nodded.

"Are you ready?"

Both nodded simultaneously.

The referee retreated to the edge of the arena and raised his hand: "Begin!"

The moment the words fell, Nangong Li's Aura erupted violently.

He pushed his SSS-rank Heavenly Fire God Body to the limit, and crimson flames gushed out from within his body, forming a vortex of fire around him.

The temperature on the arena soared instantly, and the air was scorched until it distorted and warped.

A Three-Star Martial Ancestor, two layers of Fire True Intent, amplified by the God Body; its power was comparable to three layers of True Intent.

Han Ming did not retreat. He unleashed the Cloud Treading Step, his figure weaving through the flames like a ghost. His speed was extremely fast, and each time, he drifted away just as the flames were about to touch his body.

"Is that all you can do, just dodge?" Nangong Li snorted coldly and struck out with both palms.

Two fire dragons whistled out from his palms, roaring as they lunged toward Han Ming.

Heaven Rank Low Grade Martial Skill—Fire Dragon Burning Heaven, at the Major Achievement Realm, combined with the amplification of the Heavenly Fire God Body, its power was enough to instantly melt hard alloy.

Han Ming paused his feet and stopped dodging. He clenched his right fist, and lightning gathered at his fist tip. Wind and Thunder Heaven-Suppressing Fist, a Heaven Rank Medium Grade Martial Skill at the Major Achievement Realm, was fully unleashed with three layers of Wind and Thunder True Intent.

He threw a punch.

Lightning collided with the fire dragons, the blinding light forcing the people in the stands to close their eyes involuntarily.

"Boom!"

The arena shook violently, the defensive formation patterns flashed wildly, emitting a piercing humming sound. As the smoke cleared, both retreated three steps, evenly matched.

The stands erupted into chaos.

"Han Ming blocked it! He blocked Nangong Li's Fire Dragon Burning Heaven!"

"Heaven Rank Medium Grade Martial Skill! Han Ming is cultivating a Heaven Rank Medium Grade Martial Skill! And it's at the Major Achievement Realm!"

"He can Cultivate a Heaven Rank Medium Grade Martial Skill to the Major Achievement Realm as a Three-Star Martial Ancestor? Isn't this Comprehension Ability too terrifying?"

Meanwhile, when Han Ming used the Wind and Thunder Heaven-Suppressing Fist, in a secluded courtyard deep within Modu Martial Arts University, an old man with white hair and a white beard let out a sound of surprise.

"Oh? Interesting, this little guy actually cultivated the 'Wind and Thunder Heaven-Suppressing Fist'? And he even reached the Major Achievement Realm?"

It was none other than Gong Shuting's Master, Vice Principal Ouyang Hai of Modu Martial Arts University.

Above the challenge arena, a dozen figures stood in the air, watching the battle below with great interest.

Teacher Xue Muhan was among them. Seeing Han Ming's performance, the corners of her mouth curled slightly, and a hint of a smile appeared in her cold, beautiful eyes.

On the arena, a flash of surprise crossed Nangong Li's eyes. Although his Fire Dragon Burning Heaven was only a Heaven Rank Low Grade skill, when combined with the amplification of the Heavenly Fire God Body, its power was no worse than a Heaven Rank Medium Grade Martial Skill.

That Han Ming could block it head-on meant his Wind and Thunder Heaven-Suppressing Fist had already reached an extremely high Realm.

"Interesting." Nangong Li's mouth curled upward, his Battle Intent intensifying a few notches.

He moved, turning into a streak of fire as he charged toward Han Ming.

His palms flew, and flames poured down like rain. Han Ming was not to be outdone; he unleashed the Wind and Thunder Heaven-Suppressing Fist with full power, and lightning and flames collided wildly on the arena.

The two fought from the center of the arena to the edge, and from the ground to mid-air.

Every collision shook the defensive formation patterns so they flashed violently, and the arena was covered in scorched marks and shattered craters.

In the blink of an eye, the two had exchanged over a hundred moves, yet they remained evenly matched.

The freshmen in the stands were dazzled and mesmerized.

"Too strong! The combat power of these two has already surpassed the vast majority of second-year students!"

"Nangong Li's Heavenly Fire God Body combined with Fire Dragon Burning Heaven has terrifying attack power. But Han Ming's Wind and Thunder Heaven-Suppressing Fist is no less impressive, and his movement technique is even faster!"

"Have you noticed? Han Ming's Qi seems inexhaustible; he hasn't shown any signs of fatigue after fighting for so long."

Han Qingyue stood in the stands, her hands tightly gripping the hem of her clothes.

Nangong Li was her cousin, and Han Ming was her cousin; she did not want to see either of them get hurt. However, she could not deny that the brilliance of this battle far exceeded her imagination.

Ye Yunfeng's face was livid. He had thought that after breaking through to a Two-Star Martial Ancestor, he would at least be able to see Han Ming's back, but now he realized he couldn't even catch a glimpse of Han Ming's shadow.

Li Tianci and Gu Lingxi stood side by side at the highest point of the stands, both of their expressions unprecedentedly grave.

"His Wind and Thunder Heaven-Suppressing Fist has already reached the Realm of freedom and ease," Gu Lingxi said softly.

Li Tianci was silent for a moment before speaking slowly: "And his Qi recovery speed is faster than all three of us."

The two exchanged a glance, both seeing wariness in each other's eyes.

In the blink of an eye, the two had fought fiercely for another half hour. Nangong Li's breathing began to become heavy, and fine beads of sweat seeped from his forehead.

Although the Heavenly Fire God Body was domineering, its consumption was also extremely staggering. After such a long, full-power battle, he had already consumed over sixty percent of his Qi.

Meanwhile, Han Ming remained calm and composed.

The terrifying nature of the Ten Thousand Dao Scripture was fully revealed at this moment; the Qi recovery speed of an Immortal Rank Cultivation Technique was simply incomparable to that of a Heaven Rank Cultivation Technique.

Nangong Li's Qi became less and less as they fought, while Han Ming's remained above eighty percent throughout.

Nangong Li also realized something was wrong, a flash of horror crossing his eyes: "Your Qi... how is it possible that your consumption is so slow?"

Han Ming did not answer. This was the moment he had been waiting for.

"It's time to end this."

He unleashed the Cloud Treading Step; the Heaven Rank Low Grade movement technique at the Major Achievement Realm made his speed reach the limit. Nangong Li only saw an afterimage flash by, and Han Ming had already appeared before him.

Wind and Thunder Heaven-Suppressing Fist, twelve percent power! Three layers of Wind and Thunder True Intent and one layer of Ice True Intent exploded simultaneously!

Lightning and ice intertwined into a massive fist shadow, carrying an earth-shattering Aura as it slammed down toward Nangong Li.

Nangong Li's expression changed drastically. He exhausted his remaining Qi to push the Heavenly Fire God Body to the limit, and crimson flames condensed into a fire shield to block in front of him.

"Boom!"

The fire shield shattered instantly. Nangong Li flew backward, slamming heavily into the defensive light barrier at the edge of the arena, spitting out a mouthful of blood, his face pale as paper.

He struggled to stand up, but his internal Qi was completely exhausted. His legs went weak, and he knelt on one knee on the ground.

The entire audience was deathly silent.

"Nangong Li... lost?"

This sentence was like a stone thrown into a calm lake, instantly stirring up a thousand waves.

"Han Ming won! Han Ming really won!"

"The number one spot among the freshmen has changed hands!"

In the stands, Li Xuewei jumped up in excitement, and Lin Fan and Gong Shuting also smiled.

Qian Tong slumped in his chair, looking at the dense records of bets in the ledger, wanting to cry but having no tears. Just Han Ming's own three million points, doubled, would be six million, and adding the bets from others, he would have to pay out at least nearly twenty million points.

Han Qingyue let out a long sigh of relief, her tensed body finally relaxing.

On the arena, Nangong Li knelt on one knee, his head bowed, his fists clenched tightly.

He had lost. The dignified, once-in-a-century SSS-rank Genius of the Nangong Family had lost to a peer from Jiangbei.

But he felt no resentment.

Nangong Li took a deep breath and looked up at Han Ming. There was no hatred in his eyes, only a sense of relief and respect.

"I lost."

His voice was hoarse, but every word clearly reached the ears of everyone present.

"I am willing to take you as my Master."