199: The Prodigy of a Noble Family and One-Punch Man

Tianyuan City, Black Sha Guard Training Ground.

The training ground was exceptionally noisy today. Thousands of Cultivators in various armors gathered around the massive arena. Among them were not only the newly recruited Ascenders but also young disciples from the local clans of Tianyuan City.

Clearly segregated.

To the left was a group of Ascenders with fierce Auras, cold eyes, and mostly simple or even worn-out clothes. They were ruthless individuals who had fought their way through mountains of corpses and seas of blood in the Lower Realm, each bearing the legend of their respective world.

To the right was a group of clan disciples dressed lavishly, their Magic Treasures flashing with spiritual light. Although their cultivation wasn't weak (most were in the Soul Transformation Early Stage), their brows carried an innate sense of superiority, and their gaze toward the Ascenders was full of disdain.

"Are these the 'country bumpkins' who Ascended from the Lower Realm?"

A young man wearing a white robe with gold patterns and holding a folding fan scanned the crowd on the left with contempt.

"Tsk tsk, look at their gear. They don't even have a decent Spirit Treasure; it's all just junk."

"They're just a bit more durable in their Physical Bodies. They might be useful as 'meat shields' for us."

The surrounding clan disciples burst into laughter.

On the Ascenders' side, many people had fire in their eyes and clenched their fists, but they endured it. After all, they were newcomers, and a powerful Dragon does not suppress a local snake.

Zhou Wannian (Han Li) stood with his hands tucked into his sleeves. He had changed into a standard Black Sha Guard light armor and stood in the corner of the line, like an inconspicuous, transparent person.

"Brother Li, these bastards are too arrogant."

An Ascender from the Lower Realm next to him (a big man with a full beard named Lei Meng) cursed in a low voice, "Later on the stage, I swear I'm going to crush their balls!"

Zhou Wannian smiled faintly and did not reply.

He was observing.

The young man in the white robe with gold patterns was named Huangfu Ren, a direct descendant of the great Huangfu Clan in Tianyuan City, with a cultivation level at the peak of the Soul Transformation Early Stage. The white robe he wore was a top-tier Spirit Treasure, the Flowing Cloud Armor, and the folding fan in his hand was an even rarer Wind-attribute ancient treasure.

"The equipment is quite good indeed."

Zhou Wannian commented internally.

"Too bad it's flashy and full of flaws."

..."Silence!"

A thunderous roar interrupted the discussion.

Commander Zhao Wuji descended from the sky, landing heavily in the center of the arena.

"Today's assessment has very simple rules."

"Arena Defense Battle!"

"The winners stay, the losers get out! The final ten people remaining on the stage will be directly granted the official position of 'Black Sha Guard' and rewarded with a bottle of 'Azure Net Pill'!"

"Who goes first?!"

"I will!"

As soon as Zhao Wuji finished speaking, Huangfu Ren flew onto the stage.

He opened his folding fan and gracefully beckoned to the crowd below.

"Huangfu Clan, Huangfu Ren."

"Which 'mud-legged peasant' from the Lower Realm dares to come up and offer guidance?"

"I'll take you on!"

From the Ascender camp, Lei Meng roared and charged onto the arena like a cannonball. Although he didn't have a Spirit Treasure, lightning flashed on his fists, clearly showing he was also a Body Cultivator.

"Brute Ox Strength!"

Lei Meng punched out, and thunder rolled.

"Hmph, vulgar."

A hint of disdain flashed in Huangfu Ren's eyes. He didn't move at all, merely waving the folding fan in his hand lightly.

"Wind Bind."

Whoosh—

Several azure wind ropes appeared out of thin air, instantly binding Lei Meng tightly.

"What?!" Lei Meng was greatly alarmed. He struggled desperately, only to find the wind ropes constricting tighter and tighter, even cutting through his protective lightning Aura.

"Get down."

Huangfu Ren gave another light wave of his fan.

"Wind Sweeps the Remaining Clouds."

Boom!

A violent hurricane immediately swept Lei Meng up and tossed him off the arena like garbage. He crashed heavily onto the ground, unable to get up for a long time.

"Is that all?"

Huangfu Ren shook his fan, looking disappointed.

"Is this all the ability an Ascender from the Lower Realm has?"

"Who else?"

The next half hour was practically Huangfu Ren's personal show.

Relying on the powerful ancient treasure in his hand and his profound family education, he defeated five Ascenders in a row. Each time was effortless and served only to maximize humiliation.

The morale of the Ascenders was suppressed to the bottom.

"This is too much bullying! This isn't an assessment; it's clearly showing off wealth!"

"That fan is too cheap!"

Zhao Wuji sat on the high platform, his brow slightly furrowed. Although he appreciated the ruthless spirit of the Ascenders, he had to admit that the native Cultivators of the Spirit Realm had too great an advantage in resources and Cultivation Techniques.

"Is there no one else?"

Huangfu Ren stood on the stage, laughing wildly, "If no one dares to come up, then this title of 'Newcomer King' will be mine to accept!"

Just then.

"Um..."

A plain, unremarkable voice rang out among the silent crowd of Ascenders.

"I'm in a hurry."

"Can we speed this up?"

The crowd automatically parted.

Zhou Wannian (Li Feiyu) walked out slowly, his hands in his pockets.

He looked too ordinary. He had no powerful Aura, no cool Magic Treasures, and even his steps were somewhat lazy.

"Who are you?" Huangfu Ren frowned.

"Loose Cultivator, Li Feiyu."

Zhou Wannian walked up the steps one by one (he didn't even fly).

He stopped.

Looked up.

Looked at Huangfu Ren.

"You just said that Ascenders from the Lower Realm are meat shields?"

"Aren't they?" Huangfu Ren sneered.

"Since they are meat shields..."

Zhou Wannian nodded.

"Then try hitting me once?"

"You're courting death!"

Huangfu Ren was enraged by this dismissive attitude.

"Wind Blade Storm! Decimate!"

He frantically waved the folding fan in his hand, and dozens of azure Wind Blades, enough to cut metal and jade, shot towards Zhou Wannian like a deluge.

Facing this dense attack.

Zhou Wannian did not dodge.

He simply stood there, allowing the Wind Blades to strike him.

"Clang clang clang—"

A series of rapid, crisp sounds.

The Wind Blades, which were capable of slicing through a Soul Transformation Stage shield, struck Zhou Wannian's seemingly ordinary black armor (which actually concealed a Physical Body that had achieved sainthood) and only sparked a flurry of fire, failing to leave even a white mark.

"What?!"

Huangfu Ren's eyes nearly popped out of his sockets.

Is this still a person?! Is this hardness higher than his Flowing Cloud Armor?!

"The power is decent, but the aim is a bit off."

Zhou Wannian patted the dust off his shoulder.

"Are you done hitting?"

"Then it's my turn."

Zhou Wannian took a step forward.

As this step landed, the ground of the arena violently shook.

"You..."

A huge sense of crisis arose in Huangfu Ren's heart, and he instinctively wanted to retreat.

But it was too late.

Zhou Wannian had already appeared before him.

There were no fancy Spells.

There were no unnecessary movements.

Just a simple, straightforward punch.

Unadorned and simple.

Yet as fast as running thunder.

"Shield! Activate!"

Huangfu Ren screamed in terror, and the Flowing Cloud Armor on his body erupted in dazzling white light.

"Bang!"

The fist smashed onto the shield.

The shield shattered.

The fist continued forward, smashing into the Flowing Cloud Armor.

The armor dented.

Finally, the force of the punch passed through his body.

"Pfft—"

Huangfu Ren flew backward, his entire body hunched over like a cooked shrimp.

He traced an elegant parabola in the air, flew directly out of the training ground, crashed into a distant wall, and was buried in a pile of rubble.

One punch.

Instant kill.

The entire venue... was dead silent.

The smiles on the faces of the clan disciples froze.

The Ascenders opened their mouths wide, their eyes filled with fanaticism.

Zhou Wannian retracted his fist and blew away non-existent dust.

He didn't even glance at Huangfu Ren, instead turning to look at the stunned clan disciples below the stage.

"Next."

"Does anyone else think..."

"...that Ascenders are soft persimmons?"

"Come up together, I'm really in a hurry."

...On the high platform.

Zhao Wuji suddenly stood up, startling light erupting from his tiger eyes.

"What a lad!"

"A Physical Body breaking a Magic Treasure! This is at least the 'Tenth Layer of Body Refining' Realm!"

"This is far from simple farming techniques..."

"This is clearly a... Humanoid Tyrannosaurus!"

Zhao Wuji laughed heartily.

"We've struck gold!"

...The rest of the assessment was without suspense.

Zhou Wannian was like a tireless pile driver.

No matter who came up, no matter what Magic Treasures, Talismans, or Formations they used.

It was all settled with one punch.

If one punch wasn't enough (for example, one guy brought a turtle shell), he would follow up with a kick.

In the short span of an incense stick's time.

Only Zhou Wannian was left standing alone on the arena.

Because... no one dared to step up anymore.

"Boring."

Zhou Wannian shook his head and looked at Zhao Wuji.

"Commander, is the assessment over?"

"It's over! It absolutely must be over!"

Zhao Wuji jumped straight onto the stage and heavily patted Zhou Wannian's shoulder.

"Li Feiyu! Starting today, you are the Vice Captain of the Black Fiend Guard Seventh Squad!"

"And furthermore..."

Zhao Wuji pulled a golden token from his embrace.

"This is a Cultivation Order for the 'Tianyuan Tower'."

"With this order, you can Cultivate inside the tower for one month!"

"The Spiritual Qi concentration inside is ten times that of the outside!"

Zhou Wannian accepted the token, the corner of his mouth slightly lifting.

"Thank you, Commander."

He didn't pay much attention to the position of Vice Captain.

What he cared about was that with this identity, he could finally... Zhou Wannian turned his head and looked towards a certain direction deep within Tianyuan City.

There, lay an extremely subtle Aura, yet one that was as familiar to him as a beacon in the dark night.

"Wan'er, I've got the entry ticket."

"Tonight..."