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nThe sky was blue and there were not a single cloud.

nAt the entrance of the East Lake Martial Arts Academy, a street was filled with groups of young people who looked to be 15 or 16 years old. All of them were chatting non-stop.

n“Xiao Li, do you think the East Lake Martial Arts Academy can win?”

n“That can’t be! The recruitment standards of the two martial arts academies are too different. Furthermore, Jiangnan Martial Arts Academy also has the super rookie, Yuan Chengwei, holding the line.”

n“That Yuan Chengwei is much stronger than all the other martial arts students. He shouldn’t be participating in such an exchange competition, right?”

n“Even so, it will be tough. Unless someone can defeat multiple opponents on their own, I think it’s already very good if the East Lake Martial Arts Academy can win a few rounds.”

n“Sigh! If we can’t even win one round, that would be a little embarrassing. Our East Lake City is a place where one of the country’s martial masters live…”

nChen Yiming walked between the middle and high school students.

nThe people gathered at the entrance of the East Lake Martial Arts Academy were not students of the martial arts school or people from the martial arts factions. They were students from East Lake City’s middle and high schools.

nIt was clear how popular Yuan Chengwei was among the students.

nChen Yiming stopped for a moment in the crowd and found out two pieces of information from the students.

nYuan Chengwei had come with the delegation from the Jiangnan Martial Arts Academy.

nSomeone had secretly added fuel to the fire and used his status as the martial master to add Chen Yingying to the martial arts competition.

nChen Yiming frowned. He had a feeling that something was amiss. Perhaps it was a coincidence, or perhaps someone had done it on purpose.

nAfter all, he was a famous martial master. On the surface, he could not hold it against Yuan Chengwei.

nThinking of this, he had originally only planned to ruin Yuan Chengwei’s chance to get close to his sister. Now, he was interested in investigating Yuan Chengwei.

nTherefore, after Chen Yiming entered the martial arts academy, he contacted Zhu Song from a remote corner and made the necessary arrangements.

n…

nThousands of students were gathered in the martial arts academy’s stadium.

nA red banner that read “Welcome to the Jiangnan Martial Arts Academy Exchange” hung above the podium.

nOn the stage, the dean, Yang Xiaoman, and a large group of leaders from the martial arts school warmly welcomed the teachers leading the team from the Jiangnan Martial Arts Academy.

nJiangnan City, East Lake City, and Jiangdu City were the three cities that received the most attention at the moment. Therefore, the exchange between the two martial arts academies received unprecedented attention.

nNo matter the outcome, it would expand the influence of the East Lake Martial Arts Academy again and increase the quality of the next batch of students.

nIn the front row below the stage, Jiangnan TV Station and East Lake TV Station had sent reporters over to record this event.

nChen Yiming blended into the crowd of students below the stage and looked towards Yuan Chengwei.

nAlthough Yuan Chengwei was only a student, his status was higher than the teacher leading the team. The leaders of the East Lake Martial Arts Academy went up to shake hands with him one by one.

nAt the same time, the life force emanating from his body was like a ball of flames in the darkness. The others around him were not even comparable to the sparks that flew out.

nHowever, even without using his spiritual power, Chen Yiming could vaguely sense that the life force emitted by Yuan Chengwei was a little inconsistent.

nThis dissonance could be hidden from almost everyone, but it could not be hidden from the martial masters who could mobilize the power of nature with their spiritual power.

nHe thought to himself, “There’s indeed something wrong with this person.”

nA clear female voice sounded in Chen Yiming’s ears.

n“Student, the teacher has requested to organize the team. Are you a student of the Jiangnan Martial Arts Academy?”

nChen Yiming was interrupted from his thoughts. He turned around and saw a slightly chubby girl with a ponytail standing beside him.

nThe girl seemed to have misunderstood and continued, “I thought you were a student from another class. Sorry about that.”

nChen Yiming nodded and turned back.

n“I’m really sorry!”

nHowever, the girl did not leave. After apologizing, she asked, “Will Yuan Chengwei from your school participate in the competition?”

nChen Yiming didn’t want to bother with her, but his current status was problematic. He had no choice but to patiently chat with the girl.

n“I’m just an ordinary student. I don’t know if Yuan Chengwei will participate or not.”

n“What’s Yuan Chengwei’s personality like? Is he very easygoing? Is he very patient?” the girl asked nervously.

n“He’s alright,” Chen Yiming said casually.

nIt turned out that the girl was Yuan Chengwei’s female fan. He instantly fell speechless. He was annoyed, but there was nothing he could do.

n“What do you mean by alright?” the girl stammered.

nAt this moment, the head of the academy, Yang Xiaoman, announced the official start of the martial arts competition. The students representing the two martial arts academies walked up from both sides of the stage.

nChen Yiming ignored the girl and turned his gaze to the stage.

n…

nChen Yingying appeared in the team representing the East Lake Martial Arts Academy. On the other side of the stage, Yuan Chengwei was not in the team from the Jiangnan Martial Arts Academy.

nThis made the students of the East Lake Martial Arts Academy heave a sigh of relief.

nYuan Chengwei, who was known as a super rookie, had appeared on various television stations. If he took part, there would be nothing left for them to do. He would completely crush everyone else.

nThe rules of this friendly competition were that the two martial arts academies would each send out 10 students. The winner could choose to stay and fight the next opponent.

nNext, the leaders walked down from the stage and sat in the first row below the stage.

nOn the stage, both teams were ready. Each team sent out a student, and the others retreated to a corner.

nIn the first round, a tall boy from the East Lake Martial Arts Academy faced off against an equally tall boy from the Jiangnan Martial Arts Academy.

n…

nTwo hours later, the martial arts competition ended.

nChen Yiming, who was hiding among the students, thought to himself, “How boring.”

nInitially, he had been looking forward to Chen Yingying being beaten up. It would be best if she was beaten until she was on the verge of tears, then she would lose her good impression of the Jiangnan Martial Arts Academy.

nHowever, when it was Chen Yingying’s turn, the other party actually went easy on her.

nIn the end, Chen Yingying won three consecutive matches and became the only student from the East Lake Martial Arts Academy to defeat her opponents.

nThe East Lake Martial Arts Academy could completely accept this result of 7 to 3. The Jiangnan Martial Arts Academy was located in Jiangnan City, and the quality of its students was not something East Lake City could compare to. Under normal circumstances, it was not strange for them to lose all the matches.

nAs for Yuan Chengwei, Chen Yiming couldn’t understand him. From the beginning to the end, he sat quietly with the teacher from the martial arts academy and watched the martial arts exchange.

nHowever, since the enemy was out in the open and he was hiding in the dark, he had the patience to let the other party reveal himself first. Therefore, he did not pay much attention to it.

n…

nNight fell. In a forest in the wilderness,

nChen Yiming and Zhu Song met.

n“Are you saying that you want me to test Yuan Chengwei?”

nZhu Song was surprised to hear Chen Yiming’s plan.

n“It’s not just a test. Yuan Chengwei has a lot of life force. You have to be determined to kill him. Otherwise, there’s a high chance that you’ll return empty-handed,” Chen Yiming said.

n“This is a little too much! Even someone at the half-step master realm who has mastered materialized spiritual power can’t suppress Yuan Chengwei, who is at the peak of the warrior realm?” Zhu Song asked.

n“This is the problem with Yuan Chengwei. The strong vitality in his body isn’t derived from his physique. It’s more like a foreign object,” Chen Yiming explained.

n“A foreign object!” Zhu Song was dumbfounded and a little shocked.

nIf what Chen Yiming said was true, for an ordinary student of the martial arts academy to be able to break through to the peak of the warrior realm in a short period of time, such a treasure was indeed tempting.

n“Don’t tell me he wants to snatch it for his sister?”

nThis thought surfaced in Zhu Song’s mind. He knew that Chen Yiming had a sister with mediocre martial arts talent, but he only dared to think about it in his heart.

nChen Yiming keenly sensed the change in Zhu Song’s eyes, but he didn’t voice his deeper suspicions. He planned to test the waters first before adjusting his plan.

nAfter discussing it, the two of them continued to stay in the forest.

nYuan Chengwei also publicly announced that his desire to hunt mutant beasts far exceeded that of ordinary people. He took time out almost every day to enter the wilderness.

nThis was also one of the reasons why he was widely praised and thought of as a role model.

nThis morning, he had attended the martial arts competition. In the afternoon, the East Lake Martial Arts Academy had welcomed all the teachers and students from the Jiangnan Martial Arts Academy.

nThe day had passed just like that. If Yuan Chengwei wanted to leave the city to hunt mutant beasts, he could only choose to do it at night.

n…

nAt 8 pm, the bright moonlight fell on the hotel balcony.

nYuan Chengwei stood quietly, his gaze fixed on the city below.

nHowever, at this moment, his heart was beating faster and faster, and the life force emanating from his body had become even more unstable. There were even specks of green light that left his body and floated into the air.

nDuring the day, only the martial masters would be able to notice the abnormalities in his life force. But now, even those that were half a step away from the master realm could tell that something was amiss.

n“Knock! Knock! Knock!”

nSuddenly, there were knocks on the door, bringing Yuan Chengwei back to reality.

nThen, a pleasant female voice sounded.

n“Senior, the students from the East Lake Martial Arts Academy are treating us to supper. Do you want to come with us?”

nYuan Chengwei did not reply and turned to look at his room.

nThe room was dark without any lights on. He had brought dried mutant beast meat in his suitcase, as though it was the most delicious food in the world. His body emitted a strong desire to replenish its energy.

n“Senior, are you there?”

nThe voice at the door asked again.

nAfter waiting for nearly a minute, since there was no answer, the girl could only give up and the sound of footsteps gradually faded away.

nAt this moment, Yuan Chengwei entered the room from the balcony. He did not turn on the lights and quickly took out the dried mutant beast meat from his suitcase.

nAt this moment, something strange happened. Vines that were almost no different from internal force emerged from the skin of his arm, and there were thin barbs of hair on the surface.

nImmediately after, all the vines stabbed into the dried mutant beast meat. In less than half a second, they were all sucked dry.

n“I’ve wasted too much time today. The investigation can only be carried out tomorrow. Let’s feed it tonight,” Yuan Chengwei muttered to himself.

nWith that, his figure flashed and he leaped out from the balcony. He changed directions in the air a few times and landed lightly at a dark corner in the back street of the hotel.

n“Squeak!”

nA rat vaguely saw a black shadow and immediately ran away in fear. When it looked up again, the black shadow had already disappeared.

nAfter leaving East Lake City, Yuan Chengwei headed east to hunt mutant beasts.

nThe reason he had chosen to go east was because Chen Yiming had already killed all the powerful mutant beasts in Jiangnan province, causing them to be severely wiped out.

nIf he did not get enough food even after killing mutant beasts all the way to the beach, he could directly enter the sea and continue hunting until it was full.

nThe figure in his mind: The target is heading east away from East Lake City.

nAfter Chen Yiming met up with Zhu Song in the wilderness, the figure in his mind took on the task of monitoring Yuan Chengwei. After confirming the direction he had left in, it immediately sent the news back to his main body.

nWhen Chen Yiming received the news, he looked to the east and said in a low voice, “You can take action now! Yuan Chengwei is heading east.”

nZhu Song was almost frightened by Chen Yiming’s sudden words. Before he could think about how Yuan Chengwei was being spied on, he nodded and quickly disappeared from his spot.

nOn the way, he came back to his senses and thought to himself, “I can’t afford to offend him! I can’t afford to offend him! It’s a nightmare to make an enemy out of him.”

nAt the same time, he mourned for Yuan Chengwei. So what if he was a super rookie? No matter the reason, he was unlucky enough to be targeted by Chen Yiming. No one could help him.

nZhu Song decided to keep this matter to himself and not reveal his actions tonight to anyone.

n…

n“Ah!”

nA black panther that was nearly 10 meters long let out a cry and fell to the ground.

nIn the darkness, rustling sounds rang out as more vines crawled onto the black panther’s body. In a few seconds, the black panther had turned into a corpse with only its bones left.

n“Too weak! I don’t feel anything!”

nYuan Chengwei retracted his vines. The hunger from his body was almost the same as before he killed the black panther.

nSuddenly, in a flash, taking advantage of the fact that the vines had shrunk back into the gaps between his arms, the darts shot towards Yuan Chengwei in a triangular formation. Their speed and angle almost sealed off all escape routes.

nThe reason why he used the darts instead of the spinning wheels was to avoid being recognized.

n“Damn it!”

nYuan Chengwei realized how powerful the attacker was. He focused his attention on the vines and controlled them to wrap around the incoming darts.

nHowever, it was not his own ability in the end. His control was not perfect, and he was successfully ambushed.

nTwo of the darts hit the vines, causing them to freeze for a moment. The next dart successfully passed through.

n“Damn it! You’re courting death!”

nYuan Chengwei’s expression instantly turned sinister. He was forced to communicate with the mysterious seed in his body as he watched the last dart fly towards him.

nIn an instant, his life force appeared as a green glow from his body, turning into a layer of armor that protected Yuan Chengwei.

nThe dart bounced off his forehead, and black smoke rose from the point of impact. Zhu Song’s poisonous internal force was continuing its attack on him.

nHowever, the strange thing was that Yuan Chengwei was rooted to the ground in a daze. More than a second passed before he suddenly woke up. His head was buzzing, as if someone had hit him hard on the back of his head.

nSeeing that the poisonous internal force was trying to break through the armor, his back was instantly drenched in sweat. He had never encountered such an attack before.

nAt this moment, the seed in his body sent a thought to Yuan Chengwei. It roughly sensed that he had been affected by a spiritual attack.

nWhen Yuan Chengwei received it, his face turned pale.

nHe no longer cared about anything else. He pressed his palms together and shouted, controlling countless vines to rise from the ground. The scene was like the corals at the bottom of the sea being enlarged dozens of times, and the vines covered an area of hundreds of meters.

nAt the same time, the poisonous internal force on the dart was also destroyed by the life force that erupted from Yuan Chengwei’s body.

nZhu Song frowned in the darkness.

nMaterialized spiritual power was the sign that one was half a step away from the master realm from the peak of the warrior realm. This half step realm was extraordinary, and one had the ability to control their spiritual power well.

nWith the spiritual attack combined with the sneak attack from the poisonous internal force, the moment his opponent was distracted, he would definitely lose control of his protective internal force, and the poisonous internal force on the dart would successfully invade his body.

nHowever, unexpectedly, the sneak attack failed.

n“Come out!”

n“Damn you!”

n“A rat that only knows how to hide in the darkness!”

n“A sneak attack, right? If you have the ability, come at me again!”

nYuan Chengwei was surrounded by vines and regained his confidence. He immediately cursed and revealed his true personality.

nHalf a minute later, he realized that the attacker had no intention of showing himself. Anger welled up in his heart, so he controlled the vines to sweep through the surroundings, destroying everything they could, trying to force the attacker to come out.

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