30: The challenge continues

“Holy crap! So ruthless! This new Junior Brother friend I made really has some skills, not at all weaker than that other cold-faced S-rank! My old Zhu’s judgment is indeed excellent!”

Zhu Yulin was beaming. He had opened a betting pool for both of Chen Qing’s fights, and without exception, most people bet on Chen Qing’s opponent.

He was happy not only for the money he made but also for his star-bright judgment.

“Hehehe, it’s good to build one’s own faction. My old Zhu hasn’t joined a faction yet, so let my old Zhu join in the fun too!” He toyed with his credit card, a simple smile on his face.

Beside him, a second-year student watching the battle couldn’t stand it anymore and said, a little indignantly, “Zhu Yulin, whose side are you on? Don’t forget you’re a second-year. Our second-years are getting beaten up, what are you so happy about?”

Zhu Yulin glanced at the person next to him and said grumpily, “What’s it to you? I’ll support whoever I want to support. If you don’t like it, let’s have a go?”

The person deflated. He was no match for this guy. Zhu Yulin was on the second-year Martial Dao ranking list. He liked to show off but he did have the strength.

“Hehe, a bit interesting. This batch of second-years of yours is indeed a bit useless! They’re far too inferior compared to us!”

A boisterous voice suddenly rang out, and the newcomer plopped down beside Zhu Yulin.

“Little Zhu, it seems you made a lot of money today. Finders keepers, share some with me!”

“Get lost! Li Qingshan, do you have any shame? If you’ve got the guts, go open your own betting pool. If not, then scram!” Zhu Yulin was not at all polite, retorting.

Li Qingshan wasn’t angry, patting his shoulder: “Heh, Little Zhu, I, your young master, just went out and completed a big mission recently and struck it rich. I don’t even care for your little bit of money! Flatter your Brother Li, and maybe one day I’ll take you out to enjoy the good life! What’s the point of always staying in school and arguing with this bunch of incompetents?”

Zhu Yulin said indifferently, “My strength is low, and my Martial Skills are not yet proficient. I haven’t made plans to go out for now, so I won’t trouble you.”

“Also, are we very close? Calling me ‘Little Zhu’ over and over. My name is Zhu Yulin. If you call me ‘Little Zhu’ again, don’t blame me for publicly calling you ‘Little Li-zi’!”

Li Qingshan didn’t care; let him call him whatever he wanted. When had Li Qingshan ever cared about face?

“Isn’t it uncomfortable to hide your strength all the time? If you went all out, who among the entire second-year would be able to withstand even one move from you? What? Are you planning to ambush someone?”

“Among your current second-years, only you, Zhu Yulin, are worth my attention. Get away from this flock of sheep early. A wolf should have its own ferocity!”

Zhu Yulin did not answer, merely continuing to watch Chen Qing in the Martial Arts Arena.

— — — —

“Chen Qing, are you still challenging? If not, come down, we still need to challenge.” A freshman asked from below the stage.

Chen Qing nodded: “I still want to continue challenging. Fellow students, there are other arenas nearby that can also be used for challenges. You can try those other arenas.”

The person who asked didn’t argue. Although they all wanted to perform on the largest central arena, with Chen Qing as the gem today, even if they tried to show off, it would be difficult to overshadow Chen Qing.

“Who do you want to challenge next?” Someone else asked.

Chen Qing shook his hand and said with a smile, “Please inform the second-year Senior Brother ranked 88. I want to challenge him.”

These words were like a clap of thunder, resounding throughout the Martial Arts Arena.

“Second-year? Did I hear that right?”

“You heard right! He said a second-year Senior Brother!”

“Is he crazy? He really wants to challenge a Senior Brother on the second-year ranking list? That Wang He just now wasn’t even on the ranking list. Any random person from the second-year list could easily beat Wang He, and although Chen Qing also did that, does he really want to directly challenge a ranked student?”

“There are no Martial Artists below the first-tier high-level on the second-year Top 100 list!”

“This batch of freshmen is really crazy! Just now that guy named Fu something-Yun was clamoring to take on the second-years, and now this guy is actually doing it!”

“Should we go call people first? There’s a good show to watch! A first-year wanting to challenge the second-year rankings is rare in the history of Jinling Martial Arts University! In previous years, even if someone had the strength, they wouldn’t actually challenge.”

“Hold on! That, Junior Brother Chen Qing, you don’t quite understand the rules for challenging the rankings. Except for the first month for freshmen, during other periods, unranked individuals can only choose opponents from 91st to 100th place. Only after defeating them can they continue to challenge 81st-90th place, and so on. So, you must first defeat an opponent from the bottom 10 before you can challenge further.”

Chen Qing, upon hearing this, cupped his hands to the Senior Brother who reminded him, thanking him, and then said, “Then, Senior Brother, please, if you know a Senior Brother from the bottom 10 of the second-year Top 100 list, tell him that I, Chen Qing, challenge him, and I will wait for him here.”

These words were like a clap of thunder, resounding throughout the entire Jinling Martial Arts University.

Suddenly, the Martial Arts Arena became completely lively, with more and more people streaming towards the huge Martial Arts Arena.

Non-Martial Artists from the first-year who had gone back to Cultivate, most of the second-year students on campus, and even many third- and fourth-year students on campus, all came upon hearing the news.

Even some teachers who had no teaching assignments or external duties received the news and rushed to the Martial Arts Arena with melon seeds and tea.

— — — —

“Senior Brother, what’s going on with Junior Brother? Why is he suddenly challenging us second-years? Didn’t you say he was just a non-Martial Artist?” The mischievous Yan Ling frowned her beautiful brows, puzzled.

Tong Zhe sighed as he hurried along: “I’m not sure! Your Junior Brother has extraordinary talent. I suppose he recently received guidance from the teacher, achieved success in his Cultivation, and wants to find a strong opponent to spar with.”

Tong Zhe was truly helpless. He had only met his Junior Brother once, and that one time, even though he had been refined for many years, he couldn’t help but be startled by Chen Qing several times.

Later, he went back, and not believing it, he meticulously checked all the relevant information about Chen Qing.

He even found out which elementary school he attended when he was little and what color shorts he liked to wear.

But the results showed that Chen Qing had indeed only just achieved his ability Awakening before entering school, and his Martial Dao had only just begun then.

Could it be that Chen Qing had been too hasty in his Cultivation recently, lost his head, and mistakenly read “first-year” as “second-year”?

Shaking his head, Tong Zhe felt that the possibility was small. Junior Brother was still quite simple in nature and shouldn’t be so reckless.

“Senior Brother, do you think Junior Brother can win? Although the second-years as a whole aren’t too strong, those guys on the ranking list have done many missions and still have strength and killing intent. Will Junior Brother lose too badly and be so disheartened that he can’t recover?”

“Hey! Senior Brother Gu, what do you mean the second-years aren’t too strong? I’m also a second-year, so does that mean I’m just ordinary too?”

Gu Dao was speechless. You couldn’t even get on the ranking list, so you are indeed quite ordinary, Junior Sister.

However, with the Senior Brother present, he couldn’t say that.

“Junior Sister, you are exceptionally talented, of course you can’t be compared to them. It’s just that you enrolled a bit late last year, otherwise, you would have already punched the first place and kicked the second place!”

Yan Ling did indeed enroll midway, later than others.

Upon hearing this, she patted her “proud” little chest, looking smug.