Martial Saint!
Chapter 123 - 0113 On the Martial Arts of Fangshan

Chapter 123: 0113 On the Martial Arts of Fangshan

That evening.

Lu Chenzhou finished his training and went to look for Liu Huan.

He wanted to compare skills with the class president and see how he stacked up against a Seventh Rank Hua Realm Martial Artist, but Liu Huan had to take leave due to family matters and wouldn’t even be participating in the Fangshan martial competition.

Such a pity, he had the potential to be in the top ten.

...

The following day.

Dawn broke.

As usual, after finishing his training and having breakfast, Lu Chenzhou hurried towards Fangshan.

Today was the day of the martial meeting, and the venue was at the zoo.

Master Wang, as a special guest judge, would watch the competition along with more than two thousand competitors from Su City—each a standout even among those with intermediate root bones. The quality of participation was so high that just a few contestants would’ve been able to achieve decent places in the exchange matches of a hundred academies.

Lu Chenzhou’s goal was not lofty.

Secure a place in the top hundred, vie for the top thirty.

Earn a little extra, and then bid farewell to his high school days completely.

...

Fangshan.

Tiger Brother yawned insufferably inside the cage.

The plaza in front of the Tiger Garden was bustling, filled with clusters of youthful faces, each looking capable of dispatching someone like him with stray punches—an utterly terrifying thought.

Five standard platforms had been set up on the square since yesterday. Due to the large number of participants, the two thousand were divided into five groups, with the top twenty-five from each group advancing to the finals. They would then go through elimination and revival rounds to determine the top twelve and thirty.

Around the platforms, spectator arrays from 24 high schools were arranged clockwise, including the Seeking Path Four Palaces, Buddhist Five Schools, Sword Discussion Six Colleges, and the Nine Greats of Tianxia.

Buddha Dao culture has had a profound influence on Martial Arts; in olden times, it was a major composition of the world’s sects, hence its long history and relatively high status within Martial Arts universities.

The Nine Greats of Tianxia were the youngest.

Of course, this didn’t mean they were the weakest.

On the contrary, Galaxy Martial University, a rising star, had caught up to Dragon and Tiger Academy in terms of comprehensive strength. Dragon and Tiger Academy had been the foremost among martial arts universities across the world for a long time.

Winter sun shone on the bleachers, where teachers, Martial Artists from the 24 schools, gathered rarely, their immense Qi-Blood and momentum mingling, dispersing the fog at the mountain peak.

Within the Dragon City array, students engaged in fervent discussion.

"So many Martial Artists in Fangshan, truly terrifying."

It was Lu Chenzhou’s first time seeing so many Martial Artists.

"Indeed, it’s quite shocking."

Living here, what Void Things would dare invade?

Their Qi-Blood was like a Great Wall, easily warding off all evils!

Before the start of the competition.

A young official from the Su City government gave an extremely brief speech; he knew Martial Artists detested official jargon and platitudes, showing good self-awareness.

"I declare the Fangshan martial meeting to begin!"

As his words fell, a dragon’s roar suddenly erupted from the summit of Fangshan, carrying an ancient and domineering aura. A figure floated over, surrounded by wind and clouds, with a visible Five-clawed Golden Dragon coiling in the void behind him.

"It’s Master Wang!"

"Forging a Golden Star Dragon!"

"Is that a dragon? Isn’t that something from mythical legends?"

"Of course, it’s fake. It must be Master Wang’s Qi Po, right?"

The divine wonders of the Grandmaster Realm are incomprehensible to ordinary Martial Artists.

They can only rely on conjecture and imagination.

Master Wang’s figure landed lightly on top of an odd pine near the stands, sitting cross-legged like a True Immortal nestled in the forest, his gaze calm.

"Proceed, I will watch."

The Grandmaster’s presence filled the competitors with a mix of anticipation and nervousness.

Lu Chenzhou was placed in the first group.

He looked at the list.

"Yuan Zhigang, Liu Quanhai... I hope I don’t match with my own people. Hmm, Ye Xiao from Magic City Martial University? Isn’t that the guy who tried to mess with my opportunity that day?"

Lu Chenzhou’s gaze sharpened, deep in thought. He had inquired about this person; now his Cultivation could at most be Fifth Rank, definitely not a match for him.

"I hope to be paired with this person."

Lu Chenzhou still held a bit of a grudge.

He wanted to seize the opportunity to teach the lad a lesson.

The intense knockout stage began.

In the first round, Lu Chenzhou’s opponent was a Third Rank Martial Artist from Senior Year One. Without any effort, he defeated him, as the person had already heard of Lu Chenzhou’s reputation and had long given up the struggle.

Then, the second round began.

A Fourth Rank enemy, still from Dragon City.

The man said with a smile,

"Senior Brother Lu, I’m Cheng Qing from Senior Year One, please show mercy."

If it hadn’t been for not wanting to lose face in front of his classmates, Cheng Qing would have surrendered earlier.

Cheng Qing took the initiative to attack, his movements flashy and intricate. His right arm shook like a nimble snake and then snapped straight in a flash, stabbing toward Lu Chenzhou’s face, only to be caught by Lu Chenzhou’s hand.

Bang!

With a light blow from his palm to the belly, Cheng Qing was sent flying out of the ring.

After finding his footing, Cheng Qing said with a cupped fist salute,

"Thank you for showing mercy, Senior Brother."

"No problem."

Because there were so many contestants, two rounds were fought on the first day, and the list of Top 100 from each group was determined at the end, with those above Fifth Rank Cultivation essentially securing their spots with ease.

Lu Chenzhou kept an eye on Ye Xiao in secret.

This person also successfully advanced, and it seemed his strength was quite decent.

Wen Tiange, Tiger Teeth Girl, and other Sixth Rank powerhouses all advanced easily. The first day of the tournament passed without much excitement, and the third and fourth rounds on the second day ended smoothly. Lu Chenzhou defeated a Fifth Rank enemy and advanced to the Top 25 of his group, having already secured the minimum reward. Two bottles of Bright God Number One, enough for one month’s use.

A few easy matches earned him 200,000.

Leaving high school, it won’t be this easy to make money.

To Lu Chenzhou’s surprise, Ye Xiao had dog’s luck; despite being only Fifth Rank, he’d managed to get into the Top 25 group made up of fighters of the Sixth and Seventh Rank Cultivation.

...

February 1.

Today is the day of the finals.

On this day, Ji Xuantong had notified the school and had also arrived at Fangshan Campus. Looking at Lu Chenzhou in the Top 100 waiting area, he felt extremely gratified.

"As expected, the Top 100 was a breeze for him."

Ji Xuantong knew that his disciple’s Qi-Blood was nearing Seventh Rank.

The only thing Lu Chenzhou was lacking was the comprehension of the Hua Realm, not because he lacked comprehension, but simply because his Qi-Blood improvement was too rapid, and his skill understanding had yet to catch up.

In fact.

Among the Top 100, Seventh Rank Martial Artists who had mastered the Hua Realm were likely only half; without the Hua Realm, just that little difference in Qi-Blood was not enough to create an absolute suppression.

"Chenzhou has the Iron Buddha Arhat Body as his hidden trump card. As a peak Sixth Rank who cultivates both internal and external skills, even against those who have mastered the Hua Realm, he’s worthy of a fight."

Ji Xuantong was shocked when he found out that Lu Chenzhou had achieved Small Success with the Arhat Skill; he remembered that Lu Chenzhou had just mastered it three months ago and hadn’t expected such swift progress.

What does it mean to be a cross-training genius?!

With all eyes on them, the first round of the finals began.

Lu Chenzhou was matched with his destined opponent.

When he saw the name, the corners of his mouth couldn’t help but turn up.

"Magic City Martial Arts University, Ye Xiao..."

His iron fist was already itching with anticipation.

The two came to the ring.

Ye Xiao looked at Lu Chenzhou, his expression changing several times.

"It’s actually him."

Because of Chen Yuan’s report, he had suffered a significant loss.

"I’m not his match."

Ye Xiao felt a twinge of cowardice inside.

He knew that Lu Chenzhou was already at Sixth Rank. He wanted to admit defeat, but no one had ever voluntarily conceded in the tournament until now, so he had to brace himself and fight, or else he would lose too much face.

Lu Chenzhou said with a slight smile,

"Classmate Ye... please proceed."