22: Chapter 22 Making the Gun King Cry

Teacher Wu didn't answer; instead, he looked at Ren Honglin, his eyes clearly saying: "Principal, where on earth did you find this greenhorn? He's so arrogant it's boundless!"

Ren Honglin cleared his throat and said slowly, "Ma Xiaofeng can rank in the top three in our school. You should try beating him first before saying anything else."

"Principal, it's not like I have to rely on a 'one-pot stew' to show off my arrogance," Yun Zhuo said, putting away his joking manner and speaking seriously. "The key is, if I beat him, will you give me the Martial Skill?"

"You know you're being arrogant?" Ren Honglin raised an eyebrow. "If you beat Ma Xiaofeng, not only will you get the Earth Rank Martial Skill, but I'll also add a Cultivation Technique."

"It's a deal!" Yun Zhuo clenched his fist. "Let's start? Oh right, do I need to transform?"

"Transform?" Teacher Wu glared at him irritably. "Your War Princess is only level two, while Ma Xiaofeng's is already level seven. Are you sure you want to transform to fight him?"

"Never mind then," Yun Zhuo waved his hand. "Lest others say you won unfairly."

"You damn…" Teacher Wu clutched his aching chest, turned his head, and shouted angrily at Ma Xiaofeng, "What are you still standing there for? If you don't beat him until his own mother wouldn't recognize him today, you're going to run fifty kilometers with a weighted pack!"

"Wait a second," Yun Zhuo suddenly spoke up. "Aren't we competing in spear techniques? I don't have a spear yet."

Teacher Wu was speechless for a moment. He raised his hand toward the weapon rack and gestured; with a 'whoosh,' a long spear flew over and landed in his hand.

He casually shoved the spear to Yun Zhuo and said impatiently, "Hurry up!"

After saying that, he even gave Yun Zhuo a push, sending him into the arena.

The students who were originally resting under the shade of the trees all perked up the moment they heard that a transfer student was actually going to challenge their Spear King.

"Truly, ignorance is fearless. Challenging Ma Xiaofeng right off the bat—does he not know how the word 'death' is written?"

"Maybe he's from No. 3 Middle School. I heard the Genius class over there already has people who have leveled up to ten."

"It's only been a few days, and they've already reached level ten? Is it really that exaggerated?"

"Why is it that kid?"

"Jiang Longji, do you know that kid?"

"I've met him once before, but I know he's not from No. 3 Middle School; he's from No. 8 Middle School."

"No. 8 Middle School! Are you kidding me? Isn't No. 8 Middle School all liberal arts students? Is he planning to write our Spear King Ma to death with a pen or what?"

"Look, look, look, it's starting."

Yun Zhuo carried the spear casually and walked onto the stage.

Opposite him, Ma Xiaofeng spun the spear with one hand to create a flourish, then rested it on his back. "You are a guest from afar, so I will let you make the first move, lest others say that we people of Seventeenth Middle School don't understand etiquette."

Yun Zhuo's eyes lit up. Look! Now that's a normal person.

Chuunibyou, still unaware of the sinister nature of the human heart—now that is a high schooler.

Yun Zhuo, however, wouldn't be polite to him. He glanced at the rubber spearhead, walked over, and very casually thrust the spear at Ma Xiaofeng's chest.

Ma Xiaofeng hadn't even reacted before he was poked into a stagger by Yun Zhuo. He immediately exclaimed in shock, "What are you doing?"

"What am I doing?" Yun Zhuo smiled. "You lost."

"Pah! I wasn't even ready yet. Besides, is there anyone who uses a spear like you?"

The watching students nodded one after another.

"Exactly. Who is as casual as him? Someone who didn't know better would think he was just greeting someone."

"He's just playing petty tricks. If they really fought, he wouldn't last a single exchange against the Spear King Ma."

Yun Zhuo was speechless too. He hadn't reacted—is that a valid reason?

If this were on the battlefield, the moment I thrust the spear over, you'd be dead.

But who told him to be a high schooler with clear, innocent eyes?

"Fine, fine, fine. Let's go again. I'm going to attack now, are you ready?"

Ma Xiaofeng took a horse stance and held his spear. "Come on."

Yun Zhuo raised his hand and thrust the spear, still as casual as before. Holding it with one hand, he poked him in the chest again, right in the exact same spot.

"Lost this time, right?"

Ma Xiaofeng was stunned. Feeling his chest aching slightly, he thought: How did I still not react?

No, something is definitely wrong. This kid must be cheating.

"You're cheating. By doing this, you can't ignite my fighting spirit at all."

"Alright, alright, alright. Then you go first. That's okay, right?"

"You said it yourself." As he spoke, he flicked his spear tip and thrust it toward Yun Zhuo.

But just as he was flicking the spear to build power, Yun Zhuo had already thrust his spear into his chest, again in the same spot.

He still hadn't reacted. His flat thrust should logically have been able to hit the opponent, so why did it end up falling short?

But the next moment, the sharp pain from his chest finally let him know why.

It was because just now, Yun Zhuo had poked him a step backward, and he hadn't realized it. Wasn't that why his own spearhead had fallen short?

"Are you convinced now?"

"This is impossible." Ma Xiaofeng no longer cared about Face or etiquette. How could he, the dignified Spear King of Seventeenth Middle School, be this weak?

He swung his spear and thrust again. Yun Zhuo immediately turned to the side, holding his long spear vertically in front of him. The moment the opponent's spear tip grazed his own shaft, he kicked the spearhead to borrow force.

The long spear in his hand suddenly whipped up like a lash, knocking Ma Xiaofeng's long spear into the air.

Before his spearhead could fall, Yun Zhuo's spearhead was already pointing at his throat.

This was the 'Deflecting Spear' from the Stance Step Flat Spear Style.

Originally, one should hold the spear with both hands and slightly swing the spear tip left and right, using the tip or the front part of the shaft to deflect the enemy's weapon to one side, changing its attack trajectory.

The deflecting action needs to be swift and nimble, finding the correct point of force.

But for Yun Zhuo, who has already reached Major Achievement in the Stance Step Flat Spear Style, he could execute the eight styles of spear techniques from the Stance Step Flat Spear Style the moment he raised his hand. Once executed, they were effective; he no longer needed to be constrained by form.

"Well, you should be convinced now, right?" Yun Zhuo said, pointing his spear tip at Ma Xiaofeng's throat.

"I'm not convinced!"

If I concede, would I still have the Face to call myself the Spear King?

Ma Xiaofeng shoved Yun Zhuo's spearhead aside and turned to execute a slashing spear strike in one fluid motion.

Yun Zhuo clamped the tail of his spear with his arm and held the shaft, gently deflecting to the left, knocking away the slashing spear tip, and once again pointed his spear tip at his throat.

"This is impossible!"

Ma Xiaofeng refused to accept it and came again.

Once again, he was neutralized by Yun Zhuo in one move, and the spear tip was pointed at his throat again.

This repeated several times; every single time, he was easily neutralized by Yun Zhuo, who then followed through to point at his vital spot.

Ma Xiaofeng was going crazy. He had already used all his skills, but the opponent was still fighting him one-handed.

Yun Zhuo was also going crazy. Is this ever going to end?

He turned back to Teacher Wu, who was watching in a daze, and said, "Hey, Teacher Wu, you don't expect me to beat him to death to count as a win, do you?"

Teacher Wu finally snapped out of it, rushed up, grabbed Ma Xiaofeng's spear shaft, and stopped him as his mentality exploded.

"Enough, you've already lost."

Ma Xiaofeng shuddered, holding the forward-thrusting posture, frozen in place, and slowly turned to look at Teacher Wu.

His eyes were filled with incredible bewilderment, followed by a surging wave of grievance, which made Teacher Wu feel guilty, wondering if he had spoken too harshly just now.

"Alright, victory and defeat are common occurrences in battle," Teacher Wu patted his shoulder, softening his tone. "No one wins forever, and no one loses forever. Practice hard, and you can just win it back next time."

This comfort from Teacher Wu made Ma Xiaofeng completely lose his composure. Tears flowed down like beads on a broken string, and he hugged the spear shaft, squatted on the ground, and burst into loud sobs.

Since elementary school, he had always been the 'other person's child' in the eyes of other parents. Before today, his life was filled with praise and envy.

He had never experienced the taste of failure. It seemed that besides crying, he couldn't find a better way to vent.

This left Yun Zhuo, who was on the side, completely stunned. He thought to himself: "Should I go over and comfort him, tell him, 'Child, don't cry, you have a long road ahead, you'll get used to losing more often'?"