37: Chapter 37 Head-on Collision

Deputy Regimental Commander Lu Chen threw a punch.

Li Zhengyang blocked it with his dragon gall golden spear horizontally.

Bang!

Both of them retreated at the same time.

This time, Li Zhengyang retreated three steps, while Deputy Regimental Commander Lu Chen retreated two.

The gap was still there.

Deputy Regimental Commander Lu Chen was a peak First-Rank Martial Sect, perhaps even touching the Second-Rank.

Li Zhengyang had just broken through; his Qi and blood were sufficient, but his control was still rough.

However, this was exactly what Li Zhengyang feared the least.

A realm bought with money was still a real realm.

Qi and blood control not precise enough?

No problem.

He would adapt after a while.

Deputy Regimental Commander Lu Chen attacked again.

Fists, palms, elbows, knees.

Close-quarters combat; the speed was so fast that the people in the stands couldn't keep up at all.

Li Zhengyang was forced to retreat repeatedly.

The spear was long, making it difficult to wield in close quarters.

Deputy Regimental Commander Lu Chen seized exactly this point.

"Your spear technique is not bad, but you rely too much on distance."

Deputy Regimental Commander Lu Chen pressed a palm onto the middle of the spear shaft, while his other fist struck toward Li Zhengyang's face.

Li Zhengyang suddenly released his right hand.

His left hand held the spear steady, and his right hand formed a fist.

The power generation method of the Collapse Technique was focused onto his knuckles.

Fist against fist.

Dong!

Their fists collided.

Deputy Regimental Commander Lu Chen's arm shook, and he retreated two steps.

Two of Li Zhengyang's right finger bones cracked.

But the broken bones immediately began to heal.

Li Zhengyang shook his hand.

"I've learned it."

Deputy Regimental Commander Lu Chen frowned.

"Are you using me to practice your moves?"

"Aren't you using me as a touchstone?"

Deputy Regimental Commander Lu Chen had nothing to say.

Li Zhengyang gripped the spear with his right hand again.

This time, he did not retreat.

When the domain pressed in, he used his own domain to push back.

The Qi and blood of the two Martial Sects collided head-on on the arena.

The formation patterns couldn't withstand it and began to turn red piece by piece.

The referee stood below the stage, shouting into a communicator.

"Formation team! Reinforce it! Reinforce it quickly! The arena is about to collapse!"

Deputy Regimental Commander Lu Chen struck with his palm again.

Li Zhengyang thrust his spear.

Collapse Technique.

The first strike was deflected by Deputy Regimental Commander Lu Chen.

The second strike grazed Deputy Regimental Commander Lu Chen's shoulder, tearing his military uniform.

The third strike forced Deputy Regimental Commander Lu Chen to raise his arm to block.

The fourth strike.

Deputy Regimental Commander Lu Chen retreated to the edge of the arena.

The fifth strike.

Li Zhengyang suddenly changed his move.

A sweep.

The dragon gall golden spear brought up a whole wave of Gang Qi, sweeping horizontally across the arena.

Deputy Regimental Commander Lu Chen brought his palms together to meet it head-on.

Boom!

The formation barrier flickered violently.

Deputy Regimental Commander Lu Chen's soles carved two deep gouges into the arena floor.

He had blocked it.

But Li Zhengyang was already there.

A point of the spear tip.

No tricks.

The Collapse Technique was pushed to the limit.

Deputy Regimental Commander Lu Chen hadn't withdrawn his palms yet and could only take it with his shoulder.

Pfft!

The spear tip pierced half an inch into his shoulder, held back by his protective Gang Qi.

Li Zhengyang pushed forward with both hands with all his might.

Deputy Regimental Commander Lu Chen let out a low shout, his internal Qi and blood erupted, forcibly shaking the spear tip away.

The two separated.

Deputy Regimental Commander Lu Chen's shoulder was bleeding.

Li Zhengyang had taken a palm strike to his chest; a large piece of his clothes was shattered, and two of his ribs were cracked.

Both retreated ten meters.

The timer had reached two and a half minutes, far exceeding the time limit.

Deputy Regimental Commander Lu Chen moved his shoulder.

"If we keep fighting, I might not be able to hold back."

"Then don't hold back."

"Commander Xiao Ding will give me trouble."

"He'll scold you? Worry about yourself first!"

Deputy Regimental Commander Lu Chen was choked up.

Someone in the stands laughed out loud.

To be able to banter at a time like this—you couldn't find many people like that in the entire Northern Border.

Deputy Regimental Commander Lu Chen took a breath.

He spread his feet apart and pressed his palms downward.

All the gravel on the surface of the arena floated up.

The Martial Sect's aura was fully unleashed.

"The last move."

Li Zhengyang raised his spear.

"Fine."

The air behind Deputy Regimental Commander Lu Chen twisted, and his Qi and blood condensed into a giant palm.

It wasn't a phantom image.

It was the externalized form of a Martial Sect's Gang Qi after being compressed to the extreme.

The giant palm descended toward Li Zhengyang.

The arena's formation patterns exploded one after another.

Li Zhengyang did not dodge.

He raised the dragon gall golden spear.

"Mountain-Splitting Spear Arts."

Collapse, Twist, Sweep—three forms blended together.

The air vortex on the tip of the spear compressed to the size of an egg.

Then, he thrust it out.

The spear tip collided with the center of the giant palm.

One second.

Two seconds.

The arena beneath Li Zhengyang's feet cracked.

His arms began to tremble.

Deputy Regimental Commander Lu Chen's face also turned pale.

"Break!"

Li Zhengyang suddenly took a step forward.

The spear tip drilled into the interior of the giant palm.

The Twist Technique exploded.

The giant palm shattered from the center, and the Gang Qi scattered in all directions, causing the barrier at the edge of the arena to flicker repeatedly.

Deputy Regimental Commander Lu Chen was hit by the backlash, his chest feeling stuffy.

Taking advantage of this gap, Li Zhengyang used the Startling Cloud Step to cover ten meters.

He swept the butt of the spear horizontally.

Bang!

Deputy Regimental Commander Lu Chen raised his arm to block.

But his center of gravity was thrown off.

Li Zhengyang struck back with his spear, the tip stopping half an inch in front of Deputy Regimental Commander Lu Chen's throat.

Deputy Regimental Commander Lu Chen's palm also stopped in front of Li Zhengyang's chest.

Both of them froze.

The gymnasium went quiet.

The referee looked at Deputy Regimental Commander Lu Chen, then at Li Zhengyang, stuttering for a long time.

"How is this counted?"

Deputy Regimental Commander Lu Chen withdrew his hand.

"I lost."

The referee was stunned.

"Deputy Regimental Commander Lu Chen, are you sure?"

Deputy Regimental Commander Lu Chen looked at the spear tip in front of his throat.

"He could have killed me first."

Li Zhengyang withdrew his spear.

He had no intention of killing; mainly because if he wanted to drag it out a little longer, it was one million for ten minutes.

"You conceded."

Deputy Regimental Commander Lu Chen rubbed his shoulder.

The referee raised his hand.

"The finals are over!"

"The winner is Fortress No. 13, Li Zhengyang!"

The next second, the gymnasium exploded.

Everyone in the Fortress No. 13 area stood up.

Commander shouted until his voice cracked.

"First place! First place! Fortress No. 13 is first!"

Commander Xiao Ding rose from the main stands and went down to the arena himself.

A group of officers followed behind him.

Lin Zhenshan was also among them, though his expression was not very good.

Commander Xiao Ding walked to the edge of the arena and raised his hand to press down, the noise of the crowd slowly fading.

"Li Zhengyang."

"Present."

"Champion of the entire military region selection tournament, a cash prize of five million, one quota for the Marrow Cleansing Pool, and reserve qualification for the military region's core combat team."

Li Zhengyang immediately grasped the key point.

"When will the prize money be issued?"

Commander Xiao Ding paused.

"It will be issued in a moment."

"The full amount?"

"The full amount."

"Before or after tax?"

Commander Xiao Ding looked at him.

Beside him, Chief of Staff Zhang Yuan almost laughed out loud and hurriedly coughed.

Commander Xiao Ding kept a straight face.

"Military achievement rewards are tax-free."

Li Zhengyang breathed a sigh of relief.

"Thank you, Commander."

Commander Xiao Ding took an appointment letter from his adjutant.

"Additionally, in view of your performance in the beast tide defense at Fortress No. 13, the reconnaissance at Bloody Canyon, and the military region selection tournament, with the approval of the Northern Border Military Region, you are awarded the rank of Sergeant Major and incorporated into the Northern Border Military Region's direct Blade-Breaking Force."

"Does a Sergeant Major get a salary?"

"Yes."

"How much?"

Chief of Staff Zhang Yuan couldn't hold back.

"Kid, you just got five million, and you're still thinking about salary?"

Li Zhengyang glanced at him.

"Salary is also money."

Commander Xiao Ding slapped the appointment letter onto his chest.

"The basic allowance is thirty thousand per month; missions are calculated separately."

Li Zhengyang took the appointment letter.

"Thirty thousand is acceptable."

Commander Xiao Ding looked at him and suddenly lowered his voice.

"Don't be happy too soon. The Marrow Cleansing Pool opens in three days. Before you go in, go to the military region's resource warehouse and pick three items."

"Three items?"

"Champion's treatment."

"Can I pick money?"

Commander Xiao Ding looked speechless and turned to walk away.

"Chief of Staff Zhang Yuan, take him to the resource warehouse. Don't let him pry up the floorboards."

Chief of Staff Zhang Yuan walked to Li Zhengyang's side.

"Come with me, Sergeant Major Li."

Just as Li Zhengyang was preparing to get off the arena, his phone vibrated.

A deposit notification.

[5,000,000 Yuan]