128: Chapter 128 The senior's tradition needs to be changed!

3:00 PM.

Zhang Zhenheng called everyone to the center of the training area.

"Quiet."

Zhang Zhenheng raised his hand and pressed down.

"As you all know, a senior from the previous cohort has returned from the front lines today. Following academy custom, he will have a brief chat with you to talk about the actual situation on the front lines."

After speaking, he turned his head to look at Gu Yu.

"Gu Yu, come here."

Gu Yu nodded and stepped forward.

"Hello, juniors."

His voice was not loud, but his cultivation at the peak of the Meridian Opening Realm ensured every word was clearly delivered to everyone present.

"I am one of the official members from the previous cohort, and I just returned from my rotation on the front lines a couple of days ago."

Gu Yu paused, his voice turning slightly more serious.

"The sky there is gray all year round, and the air is thick with the smell of blood. Often, before you even clearly see what the enemy looks like, the person beside you has already fallen."

The training area became much quieter.

Gu Yu continued: "When I first went to the border defense line, I was rammed from the side by an Iron-Spined Boar, and my shoulder bone fractured on the spot."

"After that battle, I lay in a medical pod for two days."

Gu Yu's tone calmed down a bit as he reached this point.

"What's truly terrifying about the front lines isn't how strong the exotic beasts are, but that they have started to become unlike mere beasts."

"Some exotic beasts will probe the defense lines, some will feign injury to lure people into pursuit, and some high-level exotic beasts have even evolved forms that approach those of intelligent life. They know how to coordinate, they know how to sacrifice their own kind, and they also know to destroy communications first before attacking supply points."

"Furthermore... besides these creatures, there exists another race in the desolate zones."

"They have their own language, weapons, and tactics!"

Gu Yu looked down at his chest, as if remembering something.

"I have a scar near my heart that was caused by them."

"During battlefield cleanup, an alien hid under a beast carcass and suddenly attacked when I passed by. A bone blade grazed past here; if it had been half an inch deeper, I wouldn't be standing before you now."

"So, I'm standing here today not to scare you."

"I just want to tell you that the training in the academy is not just for show; when you reach a truly dangerous moment, it might just save your life."

"Talent is important, and cultivation realm is also important."

"But when you're truly at a life-or-death juncture, whether you can stay calm, whether you can judge the situation, and whether you can make the right choice in the shortest amount of time is more important than anything else."

"Sweat more during training, and you will bleed less during critical moments."

After speaking, Gu Yu slowly scanned the crowd, his tone softening.

"No matter how much is said, it's not as good as experiencing it yourself."

"The academy has always had a tradition where seniors occasionally spar with freshmen, letting you feel real pressure in advance."

"Don't worry, I will suppress my cultivation to the Source Gathering Realm."

"Which junior would like to come up and try?"

Gu Yu stood in the center of the training area, looking around at the freshmen present, a slight smile on his lips.

"This is also a long-standing academy tradition; we seniors occasionally spar with freshmen to let you experience real pressure in advance."

He paused, his tone carrying an ambiguous nuance, "Back then, my senior let me know what it meant to have people beyond people."

No one spoke in the training area.

The freshmen present were not fools.

A Meridian Opening Realm peak expert coming to "spar" with Source Gathering Realm freshmen—even if the cultivation was suppressed, the combat experience and physical foundation were all still there; it was simply not a contest on the same level.

They had already suffered from the instructors; it was impossible for them to come out and suffer a second time.

Several gazes subconsciously swept over Gu Yu and then withdrew; no one responded.

Gu Yu was not in a hurry; his gaze slowly turned through the crowd before finally stopping.

"Junior Lu Cheng." He smiled, pointing the spearhead directly at him. "I heard you are the top student in terms of points for this freshman cohort. How about I suppress myself to the Source Gathering Realm, and we have a spar?"

As soon as these words were spoken, the atmosphere around them instantly became subtle.

The freshmen looked at each other, recalling Lu Cheng's outrageous stats and combat power... If he really suppressed his cultivation to the Source Gathering Realm... could this senior beat Lu Cheng?

Silence was the answer.

These whispers were not loud, but the training area was only so big, and with Gu Yu's peak Meridian Opening Realm perception, not a single word was missed.

The smile on his face faded slightly.

"What?" Gu Yu retracted his gaze, his tone carrying a hint of mockery. "Looking at your reactions, is Junior Lu Cheng afraid to come on stage?"

This sentence was spoken lightly, but it couldn't hide the sarcasm in the tail end of his voice.

Lu Cheng stared straight at Gu Yu.

This guy.

This scheme was too obvious.

Naming him specifically to spar, saying it's tradition on his lips, but what he actually wants to do is clear to anyone with eyes.

If he isn't being instructed by someone behind the scenes, I'll eat Xia Xi tonight.

Xia Xi suddenly felt a chill on her back.

Lu Cheng withdrew his gaze and was just about to speak when a calm voice suddenly came from behind him.

"That's fine."

The one speaking was Shen Guhong. He didn't know when he had walked over from the perimeter of the training area, leaning on a thin cane, his hollow eye sockets tilted toward Gu Yu's direction.

"The academy does indeed have this tradition; Gu Yu is not wrong," Shen Guhong said indifferently. "Since it's a spar, stop when the point is made."

The smile on Gu Yu's face resurfaced: "Rest assured, Director Shen, I know my limits."

Shen Guhong didn't speak again.

Lu Cheng turned his head to look at him.

Shen Guhong's face tilted slightly toward this side, an extremely small movement—a nod that was almost imperceptible.

Lu Cheng pulled the corner of his mouth.

Understood.

He loosened his neck and walked toward the center of the martial arts arena.

"Alright then, please guide me, Senior Gu."

The atmosphere of the martial arts arena changed instantly. The surrounding freshmen retreated in unison, clearing a large open space.

The training area outside the Simulation Tower already had a ready-made sparring ring; Lu Cheng and Gu Yu stepped onto it one after another, the alloy floor under their feet reflecting a cold light.

Gu Yu stood in the center of the ring, pulling his aura back.

The cultivation fluctuations of the Meridian Opening Realm peak were pressed down layer by layer, and the Source Power fluctuations visibly shrank to the level of the early Source Gathering Realm.

"Don't worry," he smiled. "I keep my word."

Lu Cheng didn't respond, just flexed his fingers.

The next second, a burst of crimson light exploded on the martial arts arena.

Flame Demon Transformation!

The ring floor shook violently. Immediately after, the dual cores inside Lu Cheng resonated simultaneously.

The Source Core hummed, and the Blood Qi Core resonated like a drum. Pale gold Source Power intertwined with deep Blood Qi; a layer of even darker red patterns emerged on the red surface, and holy radiance and blood-colored light flowed between the gaps of the armor.

The smile on Gu Yu's face instantly froze.

Something seems wrong.

It shouldn't be like this.

"First move."

As Lu Cheng's voice fell, his entire body had already vanished from his original spot.

Thunder Step Boots!

A bolt of lightning exploded on the ring; Lu Cheng's figure tore through the air, dragging a golden-white afterimage, instantly rushing in front of Gu Yu.

Electric light crackled and jumped on his body, and his right fist was wrapped in scorching white electric arcs. Thunder Walk · Collapsing Fist - Three Styles: Origin!

Gu Yu's pupils constricted, and he subconsciously raised his arms to block.

Boom!

The moment the fist hit his arms, the lightning exploded, and a numbing sensation surged up along his bones.

The alloy floor under Gu Yu's feet cracked directly into a spiderweb pattern, and he was blasted backward, sliding two meters before barely stabilizing himself.

Damn!

Fuck, this punch—if I wasn't at the peak of the Meridian Opening Realm, I would have died in an instant!

"Second move."

Lu Cheng's actions followed his words.

As he threw his left fist, a blinding golden-white light blade condensed on his fist, cutting directly into the gaps of Gu Yu's defense.

Gu Yu dodged to the side, the light blade grazing his shoulder; his combat uniform was cut open on the spot, and deep blood seeped out from within.

Too fast.

As soon as this thought flashed through Gu Yu's mind, Lu Cheng's third move had already arrived.

This time it was a left knee strike. The knee was wrapped in dark red Blood Qi; under the drive of the Blood Qi Core, that Blood Qi carried an erosive, burning sensation, directly shattering the Source Power shield Gu Yu had hastily condensed.

Bang!

Gu Yu was shaken, staggering back three or four steps. No... I don't even have a chance to attack!

"Fourth move."

Lu Cheng's offensive did not pause for a moment. Thunder Walk and Shadow Assault were used alternately.

A punch to the face, a Blood Slash to block his retreat. The alloy floor of the ring was stamped with one dent after another, and the flowing light trailing from the armor drew streaks of afterimages in the air.

The freshmen's eyes could barely keep up with his speed. They only saw a mass of golden-white light frantically bombarding the ring, and with every punch, a bolt of lightning or a black shadow exploded.

By the seventh move, Gu Yu's Source Power armor already had cracks.

By the eighth move, the cracks had spread to his entire right arm.

On the ninth move, Lu Cheng slammed a punch onto his crossed arms; lightning and black shadows erupted simultaneously, and the armor exploded into fragments on the spot.

Gu Yu was blasted flying. Before he even landed...

"Tenth move."

Lightning flashed under Lu Cheng's feet, and he leaped into the air to pursue, his right fist raised high.

Serious Punch!

This guy doesn't even have protective Source Power left; if I used any other move, I'd probably kill him with one punch...

Boom!!!

Gu Yu slammed heavily into the barrier wall at the edge of the ring. The alloy wall surface dented into a shallow pit, and the barrier runes flickered twice before barely stabilizing.

Gu Yu slid down along the wall, kneeling on one knee. His combat uniform was torn in several places, and he looked incredibly disheveled.

The whole arena was silent for a full three seconds. Then, an uproar erupted, sweeping across the scene.

"Ten moves!?"

"He really only used ten moves!?"

"This isn't a spar, this is a crushing defeat!"

At the edge of the ring, Gu Yu propped himself up from the ground, the expression on his face already twisted beyond recognition.

Humiliation.

Naked humiliation.

Gu Yu gritted his teeth, his feet just about to move.

A gray-clothed figure stood in front of him.

Zhang Zhenheng didn't know when he had walked over from outside the field, his gray hair combed meticulously, the expression on his face even more somber than usual.

"The spar is over," he said in a very indifferent tone. "Stop when the point is made."

Gu Yu froze.

Zhang Zhenheng's gaze swept over him and then landed on Lu Cheng in the center of the ring, pausing for a moment.

"The test continues," he turned around and waved his hand at the watching freshmen. "Scatter, don't crowd around."

No one moved. Everyone was still staring at the ring.

Lu Cheng stood in the center of the ring, the Flame Demon Transformation dissipating. He loosened his wrist and turned his head to glance at Gu Yu, who was still standing at the edge of the ring.

"The senior's tradition needs to change."

After speaking, he walked off the ring. Behind him, there was dead silence.

Gu Yu stood at the edge of the ring, watching Lu Cheng's back, his expression so gloomy it could almost drip water. He would remember this debt.