The mentors were murmuring among themselves.

But Gao Neng had no time to waste. Seeing Chen Xiaoyun about to unleash his power, he shot forward and delivered a follow-up kick right to his crotch.

CRUNCH!

That was the sound of balls shattering.

Chen Xiaoyun dropped to his knees on the spot, tears streaming uncontrollably down his face.

Mommy...

’This bastard fights dirty!’

’I hadn’t even "transformed" yet, and he’s already kicking?!’

’This isn’t fair!’

With tears in his eyes, Chen Xiaoyun collapsed.

Gao Neng just kept on singing. He really had to wonder if these guys’ brains were rusty. ’Pantsless, and you’re still pretending to be Energy Warriors?’

He remembered what Fang Tangtang had said yesterday: on a real battlefield, who the hell gives you time to "transform"?

This world is a cruel place!

’Since you want to use me as a stepping stone, and you’re shameless enough to go three-on-one, don’t blame me for not holding back.’

An uproar swept through the crowd.

"With a kick like that, Chen Xiaoyun’s done for, isn’t he?"

"He’ll be bedridden for at least half a month..."

Seeing Chen Xiaoyun brought to his knees by a single kick, the other new students erupted.

This guy wasn’t just powerful; he was utterly ruthless. The "weaklings" who had planned on taking advantage of the chaos now instinctively took a step back.

In truth, most of them had never considered the consequences. After all, everyone had assumed this would be a one-sided beatdown.

A whole mob beating up one guy!

What’s there to be afraid of?

They even thought Gao Neng wouldn’t be able to fight back at all, that he’d just have to let them wail on him.

But things were different now...

Looking at Chen Xiaoyun kneeling on the ground, they finally understood one thing.

This is not a drill!

This is a real battle!

If you wanted to fight Gao Neng, you had to be prepared to get hit back.

「On the high platform.」

The mentors also noticed the shift in the new students’ mood.

Gao Neng’s last kick had already intimidated some of the weaker new students.

"He struck during the brief opening when his opponent was channeling energy? This kid is highly experienced. He’s definitely not some fresh-faced rookie from a normal high school who’s never seen a real fight."

"This is getting interesting. The kid’s not half bad!"

"Yeah, more than not bad. He’s decisive. He’s got potential!"

"He’s fast and has explosive power. I wonder what his hidden talent is like, though."

The mentors’ initial indifference began to shift.

Though Gao Neng hadn’t shown the full extent of his power, every move he’d made had been a masterclass in precision, striking directly at his opponents’ weak points.

"Dean Gu, how about we add some fuel to the fire? Let’s see what this Gao Neng is really made of," one mentor suggested, looking at the new students who were now intimidated by Gao Neng.

Gu Yi’s expression was thunderous.

He had originally thought this batch of new students was exceptional. But now, it seemed that while they had power, very few of them truly had the guts to fight for their lives.

In their minds, the new students were still treating the military academy like high school.

"A bunch of useless trash! Did you waste your time in high school?! Over a thousand new students, and you can’t beat one person? You shouldn’t be calling yourselves elites; you should all be scrubbing toilets!" Gu Yi roared.

"..."

The new students were stunned.

Then, a wave of anger finally washed over them.

"Take him down!"

"Everyone, all at once! Use your energy powers!"

"I refuse to believe he can beat all of us by himself! Don’t be afraid to die! Charge!"

Gu Yi’s words had successfully ignited the new students’ fighting spirit.

Wisps of energy flared up across the training ground. At least a hundred students began to channel their power, most of them forming gauntlets over their arms.

They came in all shapes and sizes.

There were simple gauntlets, gauntlets covered in hedgehog-like spikes, and even a few new students who brought out actual weapons. Over a hundred students, brimming with battlelust.

’In his head, Gao Neng cursed Gu Yi’s daughter a few dozen times over.’

’I had this whole mob intimidated.’

’And you had to go and provoke them?’

’Are you trying to get someone killed?’

Gao Neng knew he couldn’t rely on pure physical combat anymore. His opponents had drawn weapons. He quickly pulled out two high-dimensional capsules and crushed them in his palm.

"Two talents?"

"He’s physically gifted, but only two talents is a little underwhelming."

"Let’s just wait and see."

Seeing this, the mentors’ eyes held a trace of disappointment.

But Gao Neng had no time to worry about them. A howling mob of new students was already upon him, their energy-clad fists raining down on him with reckless abandon.

"Gao Neng, if you join my Death God Team right now, I can help you!" Fang Tangtang yelled from the sidelines, clearly trying to take advantage of the situation.

"Pulling up the turnip, pulling up the turnip, heave-ho, heave-ho... pulling up the turnip, heave-ho, heave-ho, can’t pull it up..." Gao Neng ignored Fang Tangtang, singing "Pulling Up the Turnip" at the top of his lungs as he threw punches to block their attacks.

’Join a team?’

’Join my ass!’

’How could a genius like me, Gao Neng, submit to some little loli?’

’If anyone’s joining anything, it should be her joining my team.’

Gao Neng’s fighting spirit soared.

Both of his hands were now covered in black iron energy, forming a pair of gauntlets. The rest of his body remained uncovered.

"Hmph, Tier One Early Stage!"

"He’s only magnetized his palms, and he’s still this arrogant?!"

"Kill him!"

The students were in a frenzy.

They had originally assumed Gao Neng was a late-stage Tier One, but it seemed they had overestimated him.

Just as they were shouting, another student went flying.

And this time, he flew even higher than the last.

At least ten meters into the air.

"What’s going on?!"

"Such overwhelming power! Such explosive force!"

"Is this guy really just Tier One Early Stage?"

The new students were stunned.

But as they stared in shock, they noticed the iron energy on Gao Neng’s gauntlets had turned red, and the temperature seemed to be rising.

"Is that the Military Department’s Flame Fist?" one mentor asked.

"Flame Fist is triggered by igniting one’s internal energy to continuously heat the iron energy, ultimately generating thermal kinetic force. But he’s only Tier One Early Stage. He shouldn’t be able to do that, right?" another mentor refuted.

"It’s phosphorus! He’s not using his body’s energy, he’s using phosphorus directly!"

"Compressing phosphorus energy inside the iron energy gauntlets? And then heating it? That would require oxygen... Where’s the fire?"

"There it is! Green fire!"

As the mentors spoke, green flames erupted from Gao Neng’s hands.

It really was green fire!

"It’s phosphorus!"

By the time the students reacted, it was already too late.

Because Gao Neng, mimicking how Chen Bai had once dealt with him, used the thermal energy to accelerate and slammed his fist into another student’s chest.

"CRACK!"

At least two ribs were broken.

More importantly, the immense impact sent a whole section of the surrounding crowd flying.

A thick gas billowed continuously from Gao Neng’s gauntlets.

Combined with the green flames, he looked absolutely murderous.

But the new students quickly clamped their hands over their noses, scrambling backward in horror.

Phosphorus burns, producing diphosphorus pentoxide.

’This bastard is using poison gas!’

"All Tier One Early Stage students, get back! Anyone Tier One Mid Stage and above with anti-poison gear, with me!" a student immediately yelled.

And then, dozens more new students joined the battle.

All sorts of protective measures appeared on their faces. Some pulled out gas masks, while others ripped strips from their clothing, sprayed them with some unknown liquid, and pressed them to their faces.

Diphosphorus pentoxide is not considered a potent poison.

In fact, it was a fairly common tactic in battles between Energy Warriors.

So, naturally, there were ways to deal with it.

The new students on the training ground quickly separated into three groups: one group watched from the sidelines, another retreated to a safe distance, and the third closed in on Gao Neng once more.

At this point, Gao Neng stopped holding back.

He unleashed his full power.

He wasn’t stupid enough to clash head-on with the mob. Instead, he continuously spewed out more diphosphorus pentoxide, and soon, the training ground was shrouded in a thick mist.

"Where did Gao Neng run off to?!"

"I can’t see him anymore!"

"Ow! What the fuck, who’s pulling down my pants?!"

With their vision obscured, the new students finally descended into chaos.

Gao Neng, however, was completely unaffected. ’Everyone around me is an enemy anyway.’ He just hit whoever he could grab, feeling no pressure at all.

’Poison gas?’

’Not at all.’

’My real goal was a smokescreen!’

’A smokescreen to obscure their vision.’

"Not bad. This kid is a real talent! That’s a well-deployed ’smokescreen.’ One against a hundred? He’s really going to cut a path straight through them!" Gui Zian, the bald, middle-aged vice dean of the War Academy who had been watching silently, spoke up again.

"He thinks on his feet. These new students are no match for him!"

"Look, ten more just went flying!"

"There go another two without pants... This kid’s methods are pretty vicious..."

While the mentors were discussing above, students were constantly being flung out of the area shrouded in diphosphorus pentoxide, all in various states of misery.

The new students were truly panicking now.

They couldn’t find a trace of Gao Neng in the smoke.

Gao Neng was too fast and his blows were too powerful. They couldn’t find him to attack, but he was having a grand time, taking them down one by one.

"Get out! Everyone, get out!"

"Don’t fight him in the smoke..."

"Stop pulling my pants... Please, I’m begging you! Don’t pull down my pants, I don’t want to run out of here with my ass hanging out! I’ll give you anything you want..."

The students fled one after another.

Gao Neng didn’t give chase. After all, he was only safe inside the smoke. If he went out, his voice would give away his position.

Of course, he also took the opportunity to snatch a gas mask.

His phosphorus energy wouldn’t hurt him.

But diphosphorus pentoxide itself didn’t "recognize its master."

’If he didn’t have a gas mask, trying to sing in the thick diphosphorus pentoxide smoke would probably choke him to death.’

"Pulling up the turnip, pulling up the turnip, heave-ho, heave-ho... pulling up the turnip... heave-ho, heave-ho, can’t pull it up... Little yellow puppy, come on, come and help us pull the turnip..."

Gao Neng’s haunting voice continued to echo across the training ground.

"A bunch of trash!" By now, Gu Yi’s face was so dark it looked like ink might drip from it.

The fight had been going on for nearly twenty minutes.

Gao Neng, one against several hundred, was still singing.

Yet the other new students were either injured or had fled. Gu Yi was beginning to lose face.

He was the one who had recruited this batch of new students!

’Is this year’s new student orientation really going to be completely wrecked by Gao Neng alone?’