Martial Artist: Stronger by Coasting Along-Chapter 337 - 85: Body Refinement Evolution, Third Round Charge!
Especially for the martial arts students from the three Fourth-tier Provinces.
In a sense, they were the ones overlooked in the third round, as no one thought they could make it that far.
Even they thought so.
Except for Zhang Lingfeng, of course.
No matter what, both Ming Cheng and Jiao Mei didn’t want to lose too badly, so when everyone gathered together, Zhang Lingfeng and Ming Cheng looked at Jiao Mei, and she looked back at them.
"Let’s work together!"
Ming Cheng and Zhang Lingfeng went over to Jiao Mei and said.
"Okay."
Jiao Mei nodded. Her face was freckled, perhaps due to long-term cultivation in a polluted environment, causing physical damage and pollution, even her teeth were a bit yellow.
Her weapon was a longsword,
but she also had two butterfly knives on her waist.
With short, neat hair and calloused fists, she didn’t seem like someone who could reach the third round, a martial arts student from a Fourth-tier Province.
Yet, the more she seemed like this, the more misleading it was; neither Zhang Lingfeng nor Ming Cheng dared to underestimate her.
"My master says your physical fitness is over 530.0, and your combat power is between 2300.0 and 2400.0, and you were originally the strongest martial arts student in a Fourth-tier Province."
Jiao Mei said.
"What do you mean ’originally’? Am I not the strongest now?"
Zhang Lingfeng asked curiously, finding Jiao Mei interesting.
"Don’t you know? Lin Zhenliang successfully opened the Seventh Layer Dharma Aspect yesterday, and his combat power has already exceeded 2500.0, and his physical fitness has surpassed 550.0?"
Jiao Mei asked, puzzled.
"What?"
Zhang Lingfeng and Ming Cheng were caught off guard.
They couldn’t help but look outside the venue.
Immediately, they saw the King of North of the River, Ao Dagang, and the Huo family each carrying gifts as they approached Zheng Ningbo.
"Congratulations, Mr. Zheng, congrats to Lin, and congrats to the entire Jiangnan Province for having the strongest high school martial arts student," said the King of North of the River.
"A martial arts student who opened the Seventh Layer Dharma Aspect, if he could participate in the third round, might even break into the fourth,"
sighed the Huo family member.
"Since the Great Crossing River Era, no martial arts student from a Fourth-tier Province has ever reached the fourth round in the national exam. It’s a pity for Jiangnan Province. Lin, you should have opened the Seventh Layer Dharma Aspect earlier,"
Ao Dagang lamented and then complained, even giving Lin Zhenliang a hard slap on the shoulder, angrily saying, "If you had opened the Seventh Layer Dharma Aspect earlier, you might have let everyone know that martial arts students from Fourth-tier Provinces are not inferior to those from Third-tier Provinces at all." 𝓯𝓻𝓮𝙚𝙬𝓮𝙗𝒏𝙤𝒗𝙚𝙡.𝒄𝒐𝓶
"If I had opened it earlier, would your Jiangbei Province still have any martial arts students making it to the third round?"
Lin Zhenliang was furious.
Originally, he did not want the news of him opening the Seventh Layer Dharma Aspect to spread, but unfortunately, after he opened it, he inadvertently drew attention by hitting the ground too hard.
So the news got out.
Everyone felt it was a pity for him.
The King of North of the River felt uneasy and had Ao Dagang and the others prepare gifts in advance to come and express their condolences.
Hearing Lin Zhenliang’s voice, the King of North of the River, broad-minded, couldn’t help but say, "If we’d known you could open the Seventh Layer Dharma Aspect and bring glory to all Fourth-tier Provinces, while trying for the fourth round, what harm would it do if Zhang Lingfeng and Ming Cheng were eliminated by you?"
"Compared to the glory of all Fourth-tier Provinces, the honor of Jiangbei Province is nothing,"
added the Huo family member.
"Right, it’s better for everyone to be happy than just a few. If we knew you could achieve this, it would be fine for Ling Feng and Ming Cheng to voluntarily surrender."
Ao Dagang vowed earnestly.
"Fuck your mother!"
"Who doesn’t know what you’re up to, what bullshit gifts, just throw them all away, get lost!"
"The martial arts students from Third-tier Provinces are so strong, if you don’t want to be embarrassed, then you’d better have Zhang Lingfeng and the others voluntarily withdraw from the competition!"
...
Originally, Zheng Ningbo and others just looked grim, feeling angry inside but still able to hold it in, until Ao Dagang’s words slipped out, finally making them flip the table in rage.
They threw away all the gifts brought by the King of North of the River and the others.
A big fight was about to break out, fortunately, the responsible personnel stopped it and the King of North of the River and the others knew when to stop, preventing the situation from worsening.
"Leader, aren’t we going a bit too far by doing this?"
asked a member of the Huo family.
"Not at all, on the contrary, we were too merciful,"
said the King of North of the River with no guilt.
"Chang Shanhu!"
As Zhang Lingfeng prepared to enter the examination site, he couldn’t help but search for the figure of a person named Chang Shanhu among the martial arts students from Third-tier Provinces after seeing the actions of the King of North of the River and the others.
Although the King of North of the River did not tell him and Ming Cheng about Lin Zhenliang’s breakthrough in the Dharma Aspect this morning, he did tell him to be wary of a martial arts student from a Third-tier Province named Chang Shanhu.
The Zheng family, to ensure that Zhang Lingfeng could not reach the fourth round and affect Jiangnan Province’s chance of becoming a Third-tier Province, to avoid them from losing out on more cultivation resource subsidies, specifically arranged for an old guy named "Lao Yang" to set up a martial arts student from a Third-tier Province named Chang Shanhu to take Zhang Lingfeng out in the third-round assessment.
That’s the reason why the usually calm King of North of the River, along with Ao Dagang and the Huo family, publicly humiliated Zheng Ningbo and others, making the related personnel of Jiangnan Province look bad today.
"Hmm."
Right then, Zhang Lingfeng caught a sharp gaze.
Right behind him.
He turned around, only to see a burly young man grinning at him. It was none other than Chang Shanhu.
The information about him had already been given to him by the King of North of the River.
He had already opened the Seventh Layer Dharma Aspect.
He possessed an Advanced Great Peng Bloodline, a Bloodline Power beyond the Five Elements, rumored to awaken the innate talents of the Great Peng race, with speed as fast as lightning, and in crucial moments, his bloodline would activate, making his hair cling to the surface of his body like armor, providing his physique with two extra layers of protection.
His skills were the same as Lin Zhenliang’s Fist Technique.
His Fist Intent had reached the Second Layer.
He possessed the Power of Wind and Thunder.
He also had a Spiritual Realm and resonance with the Earth Element.
His physical fitness was close to 600.0.
His combat power was as high as 3500.0.
He was an outstanding presence among martial arts students from Third-tier Provinces, capable of slaying a Great Demon at the Qi Realm on his own.
The Zheng family had invited Chang Shanhu to defeat Zhang Lingfeng to ensure he wouldn’t affect Jiangnan Province and the family’s rise, which shows how excessive they were.
No wonder the King of North of the River seized the opportunity to humiliate them.
"His eyes are so strange, it feels like he’s seeing through me,"
Ming Cheng said nervously while standing with Zhang Lingfeng.
With a combat power difference of two thousand points, Ming Cheng couldn’t help but lower his head in front of Chang Shanhu.
"Did you offend him?"
Jiao Mei asked out of curiosity.
She had also noticed the grinning Chang Shanhu.
"Hmm."
Zhang Lingfeng didn’t conceal it.
"He’s coming for me, although we’re together, when he deals with me, you don’t have to step in."
Zhang Lingfeng reminded them.
Although it was almost impossible for Jiao Mei and Ming Cheng to make it to the fourth round with their strength, there was no need for them to take risks for him.
"What are you saying? We made it to the third round with your help,"
Ming Cheng refused.
"You are a Mental Telekinesis Master, if he goes after you, he definitely won’t let you fly away,"
Jiao Mei neither agreed nor refused but instead reminded.
This made Zhang Lingfeng pause.
He couldn’t help but think, could it be that the Great Peng Bloodline transcends the Five Elements and allows Sky Flight?
That shouldn’t be possible.
Even the Realm Traveler Bo Jincheng relies on the Power of Heaven and Earth Resonance to achieve Sky Flight, how could Chang Shanhu, a martial arts student from a Third-tier Province, be so overwhelming?
But why was the Zheng family certain he could take him out?
After thinking it over, Zhang Lingfeng felt the most likely scenario was that Chang Shanhu might have other helpers, like a fellow Three-tier Province martial arts student who is also a Mental Telekinesis Master.
They could help Chang Shanhu fly and easily catch up to him.
"If the information Mr. Zhao gave me is accurate and he hasn’t hidden his strength, I shouldn’t be afraid of him. But I still have to be careful."
Zhang Lingfeng thought to himself.
"Candidates, take your positions!"
Suddenly, a voice echoed through the venue.
A big gate opened in front of Zhang Lingfeng and the others, dry wind and a pungent smell wafted in from outside that door.
(Three updates, asking for support with monthly votes and recommendation votes! Please, we’ll continue tomorrow, and of course, if I can’t do it, please no personal attacks!)
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