"Begin!"

"Gao Neng, face my blade!" As soon as the headmaster of Beihai Military Academy gave the signal, Wang Nanlin moved, all traces of his earlier courtesy gone.

Any talk of letting his opponent go first or giving him a three-move handicap...

Wang Nanlin said nothing of the sort.

The military academy’s way of fighting was just that direct: go all out from the very beginning.

SWISH!

He brought his saber down in a single slash.

Wang Nanlin wielded his Guan Gong’s Saber with wide, sweeping motions. The slash looked simple and unadorned, but it carried a powerful attractive force.

It was difficult to describe in words.

If one had to put a name to it, it was a kind of "resonance."

A resonance between the saber and Gao Neng’s body made him involuntarily lurch toward the blade’s edge, as if he were being sucked in.

"Huh?" Gao Neng barely had time to let out a soft sound of surprise before he was pulled in.

But as he was pulled in, he drew his own saber.

The Elf Saber emerged, wrapped in blue electromagnetism that dyed the blade of the Elf Spirit a deep blue.

CLANG!

The two sabers clashed above Gao Neng’s head.

BOOM!

A shockwave billowed outward.

Almost simultaneously, they were both forced back five steps.

Wang Nanlin’s left leg seemed unsteady, while the force of the blow made Gao Neng’s blood churn, his expression shifting slightly.

Then, with a CRACK!

The blade of Wang Nanlin’s Guan Gong’s Saber snapped.

Wang Nanlin’s expression instantly turned ugly.

’Just one slash, and my Guan Gong’s Saber is ruined?’

’This Wang Nanlin is pretty strong!’ Gao Neng was actually quite surprised. He had no intention of feigning weakness only to launch a surprise counterattack; after all, Wang Nanlin wasn’t an idiot.

Gao Neng had just taken down He Yuan with a single slash.

His strength was already clear for all to see.

Trying to feign weakness now would just be asking for punishment.

He really had been pulled in by Wang Nanlin’s slash. Even though he had shattered Wang Nanlin’s blade in one blow, that only proved the Guan Gong’s Saber was just for show.

’Was it some cheap street-vendor junk?’

Of course, that single exchange had given him a rough idea of Wang Nanlin’s fighting style. If he guessed correctly, it involved controlling the attraction between metallic energy elements.

While Gao Neng was inwardly surprised, the surrounding students from Beihai Military Academy were all gaping in astonishment.

"Senior Brother Wang Nanlin’s saber was snapped in a single blow?!"

The crowd erupted.

"That Gao Neng can actually fight Senior Brother Wang Nanlin to a draw?! No... it’s more than a draw. He seems to have a slight advantage!"

The Beihai Military Academy students had all sensed Gao Neng’s arrogance, but now, seeing the two of them forced back an equal five steps and Wang Nanlin’s saber shattering, they had a new appreciation for Gao Neng’s power.

This guy really had the right to be arrogant.

After all, he was only at Tier Four Mid Stage.

And Wang Nanlin was at Tier Five Late Stage...

In a contest of strength...

The two of them were evenly matched?!

In terms of the deadliness of their fighting styles, Gao Neng even had the advantage.

"Go, Gao Neng!" At this point, Xiao Keke had truly picked a side. Faced with someone at Tier Four Mid Stage who could contend with a Tier Five Late Stage, she didn’t even have to think about it.

And most importantly, Gao Neng was also incredibly handsome.

"Gao Neng, want me to lend you the Number 4 Electromagnetic Cannon? You can blast him to bits!" Fang Tangtang chimed in from the side, rubbing her hands together eagerly.

Gao Neng ignored Fang Tangtang.

In truth, a dream had always been brewing in his heart: to fight someone head-on, just once. It was just that he’d never had the chance before.

Every opponent he’d faced had been stronger than him...

He couldn’t fight them head-on even if he wanted to.

But this time, their strengths were evenly matched.

A primal fighting spirit unconsciously surged within Gao Neng.

’I’ve broken the Fourth Human Limit, I possess lifeform transformation, and my Mid-Tier Fighting Skill is stronger than Wang Nanlin’s. If I still can’t win a head-on fight, then even if I win by other means, it’ll be a hollow victory!’ Gao Neng gritted his teeth. He didn’t wait for Wang Nanlin to attack again; instead, he launched his own assault.

"Senior Wang Nanlin, draw your real blades!"

SHING!

He used his Sword Drawing Technique again.

Half-Step Slash.

Wang Nanlin finally stopped holding back. Tossing aside the broken Guan Gong’s Saber, he drew two jet-black short sabers from his waist. With the saber in his left hand, he blocked Gao Neng’s slash.

BOOM!

Wang Nanlin’s left leg trembled, and he nearly dropped to one knee.

But he gritted his teeth, and as he blocked the blow, the saber in his right hand shot out toward Gao Neng’s throat in a classic slitting motion.

Gao Neng took a small step back, dodging the attack.

Then, he stepped forward and slashed again.

Another slash!

BOOM!

Wang Nanlin’s left leg finally gave out, and he sank to one knee.

Gao Neng showed no mercy.

He unleashed a frenzied series of slashes.

One slash, then another, and another...

Shockwaves rolled out one after another.

Streams of electromagnetism swirled into a storm, lashing at Wang Nanlin from all sides.

But just then, a suit of silver-white battle armor materialized around Wang Nanlin. When the electromagnetic currents touched the armor, they were partially repelled.

’This armor is electricity-resistant?’ Gao Neng was immediately reminded of Shen Ning’Er’s golden feathered garment, which seemed to have a similar effect and wasn’t afraid of electromagnetism.

It seemed this suit of armor on Wang Nanlin was the same.

However, while it was still electricity...

Gao Neng’s Supergravity Electromagnetic Storm wasn’t ordinary electricity. Even though Wang Nanlin’s armor possessed electricity-resistant properties, it couldn’t nullify the attack completely.

This was clear from Wang Nanlin’s pained expression.

On top of that...

Gao Neng’s domain also exerted an immense pressure.

If not for that, Wang Nanlin wouldn’t have been slashed down to his knees, unable to get back up.

"Oh no, Senior Brother Wang Nanlin is being suppressed!"

"How is Gao Neng this strong?"

"Senior Brother Wang Nanlin can’t even get to his feet in front of Gao Neng... He’s too strong!"

The Beihai Military Academy students cried out in alarm.

Wang Youyuan’s and Leidong’s expressions were grim.

The number one student of Beihai Military Academy was being pinned down and beaten by a Tier Four Mid Stage freshman from Eastern Capital Military Academy. How could they possibly look pleased?

If Wang Nanlin were to be severely injured in this battle...

...then in this coming reshuffle, it was very likely that not a single person from Beihai Military Academy would make it onto the list.

That would be an absolute disgrace.

"Wang Nanlin, get up!" Leidong barked.

"Go, Senior Brother Wang Nanlin!"

"Senior Brother Wang Nanlin, you must win! You must win!"

"Beihai Military Academy must win!"

The Beihai Military Academy students roared in unison.

"AHHH! I cannot lose!" Wang Nanlin’s eyes were bloodshot. Enduring the attacks, he swiftly shoved a pill into his mouth.

Immediately, a sheen of light washed over his silver-white battle armor, and the strength in his arms suddenly more than doubled.

Gao Neng’s next slash was completely unable to keep Wang Nanlin suppressed.

He was thrown back by Wang Nanlin’s sheer force.

Gao Neng was forced back three steps.

At the same time, Wang Nanlin’s entire aura changed.

His previous tenacity had twisted into a berserk fury.

"He’s cheating! He’s cheating! Wang Nanlin is doping!" Fang Tangtang had sharp eyes, and seeing this, she immediately started screaming.

"In a battle of life and death, how can you speak of cheating?! Since ancient times, the victor is crowned king and the loser is branded a villain! How do you think I got this broken leg?!" Wang Nanlin roared, his eyes red, and lunged at Gao Neng without a moment’s hesitation.

BOOM!

Just then, a black shadow erupted from the ground beneath Wang Nanlin. It stood a full three meters tall, its two wings spread wide as a pair of sharp scythes swung swiftly toward the back of his neck.

Wang Nanlin never imagined a monster would erupt from the ground.

Because he had never bothered to analyze intelligence on Gao Neng...

His targets had always been the top 300 on the Dragon List. Gao Neng wasn’t even in the top 500. In his eyes, someone like Gao Neng simply didn’t exist.

But at that moment, the expressions on Leidong’s and Wang Youyuan’s faces changed drastically.

"Energy Manifestation!"

"Dodge it!"

BOOM!

Wang Nanlin tried to dodge, but it was too late.

He only had time to twist away from the fatal blow to his neck, but he couldn’t protect his back. The two scythes slashed directly into his silver-white armor.

CRACK!

The silver-white armor split open.

Blood sprayed into the air.

At that same moment, Gao Neng charged forward again.

"’The victor is king, the loser is a villain’—those were your words!" Gao Neng had wanted a fair, head-on fight, but he couldn’t tolerate Wang Nanlin resorting to drugs.

’You’ve got pills? That makes you so great, doesn’t it?’

’I have a Flying Earth Dragon. Did I ever mention that?’

’Nope!’

’I’m definitely not going to tell you that I had my Flying Earth Dragon hiding underground before the fight even started. You’d already lost from the very beginning.’

SWISH!

His saber descended.

It was like a blue crescent moon.

Struck in the back by the Flying Earth Dragon, Wang Nanlin’s body pitched forward, leaving him completely unable to dodge Gao Neng’s full-power Half-Step Kill.

If this slash truly landed, he would be dead or, at the very least, severely wounded.

"Stop!" Seeing that Wang Nanlin was about to be cut down, Leidong could no longer restrain himself. With a great roar, an immense wave of Spiritual Power crashed down on Gao Neng.

"Leidong, you dare!" At the same time, from behind a nearby rock, Gui Zian’s voice rang out as a figure shot into the air. 𝓯𝙧𝙚𝒆𝙬𝙚𝒃𝙣𝙤𝒗𝓮𝓵.𝙘𝙤𝙢

But Leidong had acted first.

It was unrealistic for Gui Zian to completely block the Spiritual Power attack.

Just as Gao Neng was about to be crushed by Leidong’s Spiritual Power, a vast Soul Power erupted from the top of his head.

It was a Soul Saber, condensed entirely from Spiritual Power.

It was crystalline and translucent.

The moment it appeared, it slashed down on the incoming wave of Spiritual Power.

BOOM!

It was as if space itself had been torn apart.

Leidong’s eyes flew wide as his Spiritual Power was scattered.

And throughout this entire process...

...the momentum of Gao Neng’s slash toward Wang Nanlin never faltered. His saber fell from above, striking straight down from the top of Wang Nanlin’s head to the ground below.

CRACK!

A gash split the ground.

Wang Nanlin stood frozen on the spot, dazed.

The silver-white battle armor on his body began to fall away. The helmet, chest plate, and faulds split in two with a BANG, then clattered to the ground.

"Nanlin!!!" Leidong’s face went pale, his chest heaving.

PTUI!

A mouthful of fresh blood sprayed from his lips.