Forbidden Zone of the Human Race

Xiang Ning was still immersed in the joy of obtaining his exclusive technique, but Wu Rui and the rest were becoming very wary of him.

“No wonder you’re so arrogant! But you’re still too naive! Even if it was a double breakthrough, you just recently advanced!”

“That’s right! Attack him now! His foundation is still unstable. As long as we defeat him, we can go all out!” Zhao Huatai was shouting.

Wu Rui was somewhat shocked. To think the grudge between Zhai Huatai and Xiang Ning was so deep. Even if it was him, he wanted to rough him up a little at most. But Zhao Huatai wanted to cripple him! If Xiang Ning’s foundation was destabilized, that meant that his body would be unable to contain that power. Any impact on his physical body may damage it, effectively crippling the martial artist!

Wu Rui was looking at Zhao Huatai with displeasure. Even though he didn’t like Xiang Ning, that brat was going too far. But Zhao Huatai was right; Xiang Ning was now very strong, to the point that even he wasn’t confident in defeating him. This was their only chance. He didn’t want to cripple him, but he needed to defeat him. If anything happened during the fight, the responsibility would be far too big for him to handle.

......

Within Fortress Three, the headmasters were also shocked. To break through into tier two at his age wasn’t unheard of, but Marsh City hadn’t seen a genius like him for a very long time.

There was a reason why Wu Rui was the star student of Hanwu Academy. The other academies also had students as strong as Wu Rui, but every single one of them had the backing of their families and sponsors. However, regardless of physical or battle prowess, every single one of them was no match for Wu Rui.

Hanwu Academy was the dream of every single martial artist that didn’t come from a rich family. Instead of relying on cultivation resources, the students would rely on training. Most of their achievements were obtained through arduous training instead of relying on resources.

“It seems that Marsh City has been graced with many talented individuals. Hanwu Academy has a student that became a tier two martial artist, while Qiling Academy has a monstrous student that broke through and simultaneously became a tier two martial artist and tier two spiritual cultivator!” the headmaster of the First School praised. Though he hated Xiang Ning, there was no denying that he was indeed a genius.

“But I still think Wu Rui will be victorious. He’s focusing only on martial arts while Xiang Ning is focusing on both. Even if his talent is superior, he would have an even more difficult time compared to Wu Rui.”

“Yes, you’re right. Dual cultivation may be strong, but their cultivation speed will be very slow. They need to cultivate both their physical bodies and their Mental Power to advance at the same time, and it’s no easy feat. While many strong individuals did the same in the past, all of them had a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to break through. They stepped on countless talented individuals to achieve their current status.”

Everyone agreed with what he had said. Dual cultivation is exceedingly strong, but the price was steep. Even if the others had attained tier three or four, those who were dual cultivating may still be in tier two.

“Alright, let’s see who wins.” Qi Jiuming was laughing. Xiang Ning was a tier two dual cultivator, there was no reason for him to lose.

......

“Be careful. Wu Rui’s real weapon is a blunt weapon. The damage it can inflict is nothing to scoff at. It’s even scarier than the sword he’s holding now,” Li Zimo warned.

“Hmph, to think that someone would know that much about me. You’re right, I’m using the sword so that it's easier to cut open beasts’ hides. My real weapon is a class two iridium rod!” A two-meter-long rod appeared in front of everyone as he said that. A faint hum was heard as he stabbed it into the earth.

“Don’t be careless now,” Li Zimo warned again.

Xiang Ning nodded. He knew much about blunt weapons; it was much more devastating to receive a hit from one. A normal slash at worst would cut his arm off. But with the current technology, it was easy to reattach a limb. However, a crushing attack from a blunt weapon would destroy the meat and bones, making it extremely difficult even for medical professionals to heal it back to normal.

Xiang Ning saw how Wu Rui was looking down on them, and he turned to Li Zimo. “Why don’t I act as if I was on equal footing with him, then defeat him?”

Li Zimo was amused. Fang Rou just sighed. “Might as well let him think you’re weak, eh?”

“Hmm, I like it. Thanks for the suggestion.” Xiang Ning agreed to her joke. Now that he was a tier two martial artist, he needed more experience points.

Before he even finished, Wu Rui appeared in front of them and brought down the rod, directly aiming at Xiang Ning’s head. This was an attack to kill!

“Defense Break!” Wu Rui roared. This was his signature Awakened-level technique. The strength behind it was so strong that even some of his upperclassmen couldn't defend against it.

“Oh shit!” Xiang Ning used his sword to block it. A loud metallic screech exploded from the clash.

Xiang Ning was forced back a few steps and tried faking an act on how disheveled he was from that attack. Li Zimo, however, wasn’t buying into his act.

Zhao Huatai also seemed to catch on to something too. He knew that Xiang Ning wasn’t that weak, even if he had just awakened. Still, he believed that Wu Rui would defeat him and cheered Wu Rui on. “Keep going! He still hasn’t gotten used to his body yet! This is an excellent opportunity!”

Fang Rou and the rest suddenly realized that he was right. Xiang Ning had just advanced, naturally he wouldn’t be used to his new body yet!

Wu Rui heard Zhao Huatai and saw how Xiang Ning had been forced back by his attack. His pride swelled and he internally mocked Xiang Ning. Hmph! So what if you challenge people one versus five? So what if you could solo kill a tier two beast as a tier one martial artist? Against me, you’re nothing!

In just a few moments, they had crossed weapons against each other more than ten times.

Li Zimo was worried. He wasn’t sure if Xiang Ning was putting up an act or if he was getting destroyed. He saw how Xiang Ning was hanging on by a thread. Wu Rui easily defended against Xiang Ning’s attacks, but the same couldn’t be said in reverse. Xiang Ning was being beaten black and blue by Wu Rui, and only barely blocking the attacks that could take his life.

“Haha! Xiang Ning! I’ve said this before. You aren’t my opponent! I’ll now broadcast this live and let you apologize to everyone! Do that and I’ll spare you from more pain!” Wu Rui arrogantly laughed, his rod becoming much more vicious with each strike.