172: Lai Min

“Oh my god…” Tong Jingshan’s mouth hung open, unable to speak.

“Now, take this information to Geng Rutai and Geng Yun, father and son. Tell them it’s from the mysterious person, and have them pinpoint the cultists’ launch site in advance. Then, they are to launch a surprise raid and destroy it once the mysterious person gives the order,” Long Yuan said.

Tong Jingshan nodded quickly and asked, “Should we arrest Li Yang and that woman beforehand?”

“The government needs evidence to make arrests. Both of them are people with status. If there's a lack of evidence, there will be a lot of trouble later, and other hidden individuals might escape. Moreover, Geng Rutai and Qi Huaiyi alone don't have a significant enough advantage. You must know that cultists have many ways to escape,” Long Yuan said, shaking his head.

“Understood! Your subordinate will go to the County Government now!” Tong Jingshan said.

“Wait a bit. They went to the airport to see someone off… If there’s any news, we’ll communicate immediately. Goodbye!” Long Yuan said, then stood up and left.

Tong Jingshan sat alone for a while, thoroughly digesting the information Long Yuan provided, before slowly walking towards the County Government.

When Long Yuan arrived at the selection camp, he found it was already a scene of bustling activity. Since the official competition was tomorrow, an internal selection match would be held today. Therefore, all the students had arrived at school early to warm up, and the atmosphere had become somewhat tense.

However, this selection match had nothing to do with Long Yuan. With his stunning performance in the Cloud Challenge Competition, he had already unarguably secured a spot on the representative team, and he was even the anchor!

But to his surprise, Lai Min, the student originally ranked first among the senior students, actually challenged him!

This attracted everyone’s attention, and even the teachers gathered around, all egging them on.

Long Yuan’s mind stirred, and Lai Min’s information panel appeared before his eyes:

【Name: Lai Min, Fengyang No. 1 High School Elite Selection Camp Member】

【Realm: Martial Artist Middle Stage; Talent: Gold Element, B-grade; Spiritual Root: Gold, Water, Earth Triple-element (Yellow Rank Low Grade)】

【Martial Skill: Great Ming School Exercise Fist (Yellow Rank Medium Grade, Proficient Realm); Shattering Stone Palm (Pseudo Yellow Rank, Minor Achievement)】

【Bloodline: Mighty Vajra Ape (Yellow Rank Low Grade)】

【Special Experience: Just awakened Family Bloodline yesterday, confidence greatly increased.】

Long Yuan suddenly understood. So he had awakened his Family Bloodline. No wonder he dared to challenge him today. This was a bit like those who were used to being poor but suddenly became rich; they would feel incredibly wealthy and immediately start spending lavishly, without even blinking.

Furthermore, he had long noticed that the selection camp truly gathered the elite from several student cohorts. Many of them possessed Spiritual Roots and could Cultivate, they just didn't know it themselves. For example, Lai Min had triple-element Spiritual Roots, which is a very good Aptitude for Cultivation. If combined with his inherited Bloodline, he would have a promising future in the Immortal Realm. Luo Ying also had triple-element Spiritual Roots, and Ye Xuan even had dual-element Spiritual Roots, all of them possessing excellent Aptitude.

He smiled and said, “Alright, I was just hoping to learn from you, Senior Brother!”

Lai Min was very pleased to hear this and laughed loudly, “Haha, you better be careful! My strength has soared recently. If I can't control my power, you'll have to shout stop quickly!”

“Okay!”

The two went up to the arena, and everyone gathered around. Lu Shijie and Yun Feiyan were also among the crowd. After all, today was an important day for selecting the representatives for the competition, so they naturally came to watch. They didn't expect to see a heavyweight showdown immediately.

Lai Min raised his boxing gloves and said, “Long Yuan, where’s your sword?”

Long Yuan also raised his fist and said, “My fists are enough!”

“You?! Good, good, good, then you better hold on!!!” Lai Min’s face flushed, and he roared, striking Long Yuan with a fierce punch!

“This Single Whip Hand actually generates such a strong gust of wind?!”

“More than that? I feel a powerful force of Qi and Blood!”

“Yes, look at his robe, it’s almost billowing…”

“Long Yuan probably can’t withstand it, right? After all, he’s only Martial Apprentice Late Stage, and he’s not even using his sword technique…”

“It was better when he had his gloves on earlier…”

An expert’s first move reveals everything. There were many sharp-eyed individuals in the selection camp. After seeing Lai Min unleash this Single Whip Hand, many people started to get restless, discussing animatedly.

In their opinion, Lai Min’s Realm had reached Martial Artist Middle Stage, which is the Profound Blood Realm. According to official standards, his Qi and Blood value reached 800 points, and his strength value reached over 1600 kilograms. Lai Min was significantly higher than the standard in both these aspects. After all, he was a B-grade talent and had Cultivated for several more years. Coupled with his good Family background, he didn't lack Cultivation resources, which allowed him to reach such a height at his age. Long Yuan’s Cultivation time was still too short. Although he performed excellently in the Cloud Challenge Competition, real combat is still somewhat different from the Cloud Challenge Competition…

Just when everyone thought Long Yuan might be in big trouble, they saw Long Yuan’s figure drift lightly with Lai Min’s punch wind, and his robe wasn’t affected in the slightest during his movement!

“Huh?!” Everyone was stunned.

Some strong individuals couldn’t help but nod slightly. From one detail, they could discern something about Long Yuan: the issue of their robes. Lai Min’s robe billowed continuously with the force of his Qi and Blood, while Long Yuan’s robe barely moved at all. This didn’t mean Long Yuan’s robe was unaffected by the punch wind, but rather that Lai Min’s punch wind was completely blocked by Long Yuan. Moreover, when Long Yuan moved, his robe wasn’t seen billowing back and forth, which showed his control over his power was extremely precise!

Of course, only a few people on the scene could detect such subtle differences. Most people still favored Lai Min more, as he clearly held the upper hand in Aura.

Seeing Long Yuan dodge, Lai Min continued his attack without hesitation. “Single Whip Hand,” “Heart-Piercing Claw,” “Cross River Lock,” “Chain Kicks,” “Swallows Flying in Pairs”… A series of dazzling offensive techniques had the crowd below cheering with enjoyment. His School Exercise Fist had reached the Proficient Realm, and when combined with his Martial Artist Middle Stage Qi and Blood, it was indeed incredibly powerful, roaring with wind!

However, just as the crowd below was enjoying the show, they suddenly realized: Lai Min was fighting so fiercely, so why hadn’t Long Yuan been knocked down or off the stage yet?

Many people began to pay attention to Long Yuan’s performance and found that he barely made any blocks or counterattacks. He was just dodging according to Lai Min’s offensive. This dodging footwork and posture were truly amazing. A seemingly inconspicuous small movement—a flash, a pause, a bounce, a jump, a bend, a twist—could perfectly evade Lai Min’s attack, neutralizing his powerful force and making all his attacks hit empty air.

Lai Min also felt something was wrong. After more than a dozen moves, every single one missed, which made him a little impatient. While fighting, he shouted, “Are you a rabbit, kid? Don’t just dodge! Can you win by only dodging? Won’t you still have to get off the stage in the end?!”

…