8: Chapter 8: Beating Zhou Lizhe Up!

In the arena.

Homeroom Teacher Zhao Zhenshan and Liu Haifeng stood on either side, acting as witnesses and referees.

Homeroom Teacher Zhao Zhenshan said loudly:

"This sparring session will be light contact. Do not intentionally injure anyone, and do not use contraband."

"Whoever falls out of the arena, admits defeat, or loses the ability to fight shall be considered the loser."

"Do you both understand?"

"Understood." Zhou Lize said coldly.

Lu Cheng also nodded.

"Alright."

"Then start."

As soon as the words fell, Zhou Lize moved first.

Swish!

He shifted his feet, and his whole body darted out, almost skimming the ground; his speed was even faster than what he had shown during the test.

Exclamations erupted from the crowd.

"So fast!"

"Is this the A-grade Talent bonus?"

"It's not his talent; he has actually practiced before!"

The next moment, Zhou Lize had closed in on Lu Cheng, throwing a punch straight at his face!

The wind from his fist was sharp, and his strike was ruthless; it was clearly not a street brawl, but something he had practiced routines for.

Lu Cheng's eyes narrowed slightly, he deployed his Wandering Step, shifted his body to the side, and seemed to dodge the punch by a hair's breadth.

"It's about the same as that guy Black Dog. For a non-martial artist, it's quite strong..."

The thought flashed through Lu Cheng's mind, but his body didn't hesitate at all; he backhanded a Crushing Fist in retaliation.

Bang!

The two fists collided, and it was Zhou Lize who took a step back instead.

His gaze darkened; this guy's strength was indeed immense.

But the next second, a cold sneer curled the corner of his lips. He spread his arms, and his entire punching momentum suddenly changed.

Like a snake slithering, like a shadow clinging.

Punch after punch, the angles were tricky, the routes were bizarre, giving people a cold and greasy feeling.

"Snake Fist!"

Someone in the audience exclaimed.

"Zhou Lize has actually mastered the prototype of a martial skill?!"

"It's not really mastered; it's just a framework, but it's still very exaggerated!"

Zhou Lize's punching style was completely different from before, like a venomous snake flicking its tongue—sometimes left, sometimes right, illusionary and real—if one wasn't careful, they would be exploited.

Bang! Bang! Bang!

In just a few seconds, the two had clashed several times.

Only then did Lu Cheng realize how ridiculous the so-called F-grade function of Seeking Good Fortune and Avoiding Bad Luck was; every one of Zhou Lize's attacks could be perceived in advance.

Lu Cheng relied on Wandering Step to constantly dodge and move, occasionally using Crushing Fist to clash head-on.

Liu Haifeng stood at the edge of the arena, his brows furrowing tighter and tighter.

Sure enough.

Zhou Lize had practiced martial skills in advance.

Although he hadn't entered the martial artist realm, the martial skill he was using was still just a prototype—only seeing its form, not its true power. But at the level of a non-martial artist, it was already a quite formidable method.

If an ordinary student ran into this, they wouldn't be able to block it at all.

Seeing this, a faint smile appeared on Homeroom Teacher Zhao Zhenshan's face.

What if he has strong power?

If he doesn't know how to fight, it's ultimately just brute force.

On the arena, Zhou Lize fought more and more smoothly, and the pent-up frustration in his heart gradually turned into pleasure.

"Lu Cheng, aren't you very arrogant?"

"Is this all you've got?"

"Having strong fist power doesn't mean you can win!"

As his words fell, he took a sudden step forward, his right arm like a long snake coming out of a hole, heading straight for Lu Cheng's chest!

This punch had an extremely tricky angle and extreme speed!

The crowd suddenly erupted in exclamations.

However, at this very moment, Lu Cheng's eyes suddenly changed.

The previous exchanges weren't him being suppressed; he was observing.

Observing Zhou Lize's rhythm, observing the changes in the Snake Fist, observing the effect of Seeking Good Fortune and Avoiding Bad Luck, and observing where his own current limits were.

It's a pity, Zhou Lize is too weak... Although Snake Fist is also just a D-grade martial skill, why is there no power in his hands at all?

Lu Cheng's feet sank, and his breathing suddenly changed.

His entire aura actually converged in an instant.

The next moment!

Wandering Step changed direction!

He didn't retreat but advanced, his body cutting in diagonally, sliding inside the side of that punch by a hair's breadth, directly closing in on Zhou Lize's center.

Zhou Lize's expression changed.

Too close!

Before he could pull away, Lu Cheng's fist had arrived.

Crushing Fist!

The first punch smashed into his ribs!

Bang!

Zhou Lize let out a muffled groan, his body slightly hunched.

The second punch followed closely, hitting his chest!

Bang!

The power stacked layer upon layer, as if the force accumulated from the previous punch was directly pressed into the next.

Zhou Lize's face turned pale instantly, and his footsteps became chaotic.

And a flash of brilliance crossed Lu Cheng's eyes; the third punch exploded!

This punch was faster, more ruthless, and heavier than the previous two!

Bang!!

A dull impact sounded, and Zhou Lize was knocked back several steps, finally losing his footing and falling directly to the edge of the arena.

The whole place went quiet instantly.

Zhou Lize sat on the ground, clutching his chest, his face full of disbelief.

"Impossible!"

How could he lose?

He had higher blood energy, a stronger talent, and had even practiced martial skills; how could he lose to a piece of trash with an F-grade Talent?!

"I don't believe it!"

Zhou Lize let out a low roar and lunged up again, his punching momentum fiercer and more chaotic than before.

"Still able to move?"

I have to say, this Zhou Lize has thicker skin than Brother Black Dog.

But with this chaos, a flaw appeared.

Lu Cheng's gaze was calm; he dodged with Wandering Step, seized the gap, and smashed a straight punch hard into his face!

Bang!

Zhou Lize's head tilted, and he staggered backward.

Lu Cheng followed closely, sweeping his leg into his supporting leg.

Thump!

Zhou Lize was knocked directly out of the arena, hitting the ground in a sorry state.

Silence.

Dead silence.

After a full two seconds, the surroundings suddenly exploded!

"He won?!"

"Lu Cheng won!"

"Holy crap, he actually beat Zhou Lize?!"

"Is this the Three Styles of Crushing Fist?! He learned a martial skill before reaching the martial artist realm??"

"What is going on with this guy? Can an F-grade Talent be this ridiculous?!"

Liu Haifeng was stunned for a moment, then an undisguised surprise flashed in his eyes.

This kid...

The Three Styles of Crushing Fist is the first martial skill every high school student must learn. They have been practicing it every day since the second year of high school, but it is the consensus of almost everyone that you cannot use martial skills without being a martial artist.

The previous practice was just to lay a foundation for the future; I didn't expect Lu Cheng to actually use it!

The smile on Homeroom Teacher Zhao Zhenshan's face froze completely.

And in front of the crowd, Su Wan's eyes lit up bit by bit.

She stared at Lu Cheng on the arena, and a not-so-small wave rose in her heart.

He has mastered a martial skill without even stepping into the martial artist realm?

No wonder the system arranged for him to be the first object she bound to.

Martial skills are things that need blood energy to trigger.

Before stepping into the martial artist realm, even if you learn them, you often only display the form and cannot exert their true power.

Like the Snake Fist that Zhou Lize just displayed, it was just a prototype; you could see its form, but not its power.

But even so, it was already considered extremely strong among non-martial artists.

And Lu Cheng's Three Styles of Crushing Fist was already close to 'Proficient'!

Under the arena, Zhou Lize struggled to crawl up, his face flushed red, his eyes full of humiliation and resentment.

He lost.

In front of so many people, he lost to Lu Cheng.

He lost completely.

Lu Cheng stood at the edge of the arena, looking down at him, and caught his breath.

"The potion."

Two simple words, like the final finishing move.

Zhou Lize's expression twisted, he clenched his fists tightly, and finally took out that high-grade blood energy potion from his pocket and threw it hard on the ground.

"Lu Cheng, you wait for me!"

"This matter today is not over!"

After speaking, he didn't even bother to dust himself off, turned around, and left.

That back, looking as pathetic as a dog running away with its tail between its legs.

Homeroom Teacher Zhao Zhenshan's expression was ugly; he snorted coldly and followed him quickly.

Lu Cheng bent down to pick up the potion, watching Zhou Lize's retreating figure, and grinned.

"You talk tough, but you run pretty fast."