The young man with a heavy hammer on his back stood at an imposing 1.9 meters tall, boasting a burly figure. Upon leaping onto the ring, he looked at Chen Chu from a distance, his excitement evident as he introduced himself, "Class 19, Li Meng."
"...class three, Chen Chu," Chen Chu replied, providing his own name.
Li Meng offered a word of caution, "Brother, I practice the advanced technique Hunyuan Dali Hammer. If you find yourself struggling, consider surrendering early to avoid injury."
Gratefully, Chen Chu nodded. Not to mention advanced techniques, just the opponent's massive hammer likely weighed close to 100 kilograms. Anyone capable of wielding such a heavy weapon was undoubtedly formidable.
With a resounding bang, Chen Chu unsheathed a two-meter-long straight knife. While the strength of the first-tier only afforded him a basic advantage, winning in battle depended on more than just physical strength. Victory or defeat hinged on fighting awareness and skill.
Engage!
Li Meng's fervor ignited as he charged towards Chen Chu like a raging giant bear. The enormous hammer he swung emitted a piercing roar, exuding an astonishing momentum.
Chen Chu took a deep breath, activating the Dragon Elephant Power within his body. His muscles swelled instantly, exuding a violent aura. He stood his ground, refusing to yield.
Charging at an even swifter pace, Chen Chu met the attack head-on. He held the knife with both hands and slashed downward.
Clang!
As the knife and hammer collided mid-air, sparks flew and a piercing crash reverberated. A powerful counter-shock force erupted, causing Chen Chu's mouth to sting from the impact.
Li Meng, on the other side, fared no better, taking a step back, equally shaken by the counter-shock.
Despite the apparent stalemate, Li Meng's initial confidence waned. Heavy weapons already possessed a strength advantage, and when combined with the inertia of swinging and the kinetic energy of his charge, the impact it generated surpassed any limit.
In this context, Chen Chu, using only a knife, not only matched him but also exceeded him in pure strength. This was already an extraordinary feat.
Li Meng's enthusiasm flared as he exclaimed, "What immense power! Let's continue."
He activated his internal techniques, infusing more potent force into his arms. With the giant hammer, weighing hundreds of kilograms, he swung it in reverse, employing his waist as the axis. The subsequent blow was even mightier and swifter, producing a piercing screech and leaving afterimages above Chen Chu's head.
This time, however, Chen Chu didn't meet it head-on. His figure disappeared in a flash.
Boom!
The heavy hammer struck the ring with a force exceeding a thousand kilograms. Under the intense impact, the hard stone slab disintegrated, sending countless small gravel fragments scattering in all directions.
Clang!
Chen Chu reappeared beside Li Meng, delivering a horizontal slash. Li Meng used the handle of his hammer to block it, but a sudden twist from Chen Chu directed the sharp blade toward Li Meng's palm along the hammer's handle.
Startled by the change in tactics, Li Meng quickly released his grip, retreating to evade the knife's path and then kicking the center of the hammer handle.
With considerable force, the hammer's handle slackened and swept across the center of the hammerhead. Li Meng intended to wrest control back from Chen Chu, but Chen Chu's decisive strike caught him off guard.
Chen Chu didn't let up. He stepped forward, and his two-meter-long straight knife sliced through the air, its gleaming blade stopping suddenly, mere inches from Li Meng's chest.
Li Meng, still somewhat bewildered, looked down at the knife point now hovering near his chest.
Chen Chu retracted the knife with a slow, triumphant smile. "You concede."
"Amazing," Li Meng breathed out slowly, acknowledging defeat. He retrieved the heavy hammer and leaped off the ring.
"Ring No. 49, student Chen Chu is the victor. Would you like to take a break?"
"Yes."
This time, Chen Chu opted not to fight consecutively. He stood aside with his sword, focusing on calming the fervent blood within his body and reflecting on the lessons from the previous battle.
Li Meng was undeniably strong, with frontal strength not inferior to Chen Chu's even when wielding a heavy weapon. It was just unfortunate for him to encounter Chen Chu, who possessed equal strength, quicker reflexes, and overall greater power.
By initiating the first move, Chen Chu disrupted the rhythm with his strength, preventing Li Meng from leveraging the full potential of his massive hammer and the accompanying inertia and striking force. Otherwise, it would have taken at least ten exchanges to defeat him.
After a brief respite, Chen Chu engaged in his third battle.
His opponent was a bespectacled young man, whose strength was promptly subdued by Chen Chu's dominant swordplay. The young man swiftly yielded, shouting his surrender.
The fourth battle commenced, featuring a cute girl adorned with a beautiful hair ornament on her head, wielding a 1.5-meter-long rapier.
In a blink, just three lightning-fast strikes from Chen Chu, and this lovely girl found herself slashed and in tears, swiftly surrendering and leaping off the ring. Chen Chu couldn't help but feel a twinge of embarrassment. Had he gone too hard?
The fifth round followed, pitting Chen Chu against a student who had only recently laid the foundation a month ago. The moment the student stepped into the First Level, Chen Chu swiftly dispatched both the student and their weapon, sending them several meters away. This dominant display caused the boy to surrender immediately.
It wasn't until the sixth match that Chen Chu faced a more formidable opponent.
Once again, it was a girl. She entered the stage with an air of arrogance, as if everyone owed her a considerable debt, and wielded the same weapon as Chen Chu.
This girl wasted no time on pleasantries; Chen Chu didn't even deserve to know her name. In a flash, she appeared beside Chen Chu, leaving an afterimage in her wake.
So fast! Her speed exceeded the First Layer's capabilities, catching Chen Chu slightly off guard.
Clang!
Chen Chu deftly blocked the girl's rapid attack with a horizontal swing of his knife. A cascade of sparks erupted at the point of contact, but the girl's expression changed as she was forcefully pushed back by the impact.
At the First Level, true martial arts focus on strength, which results in a doubling of power, imbuing strikes with violence and might. Agility and speed, on the other hand, are relatively average. This approach relies on winning through sheer strength.
When practicing agility and speed, bursts of speed far surpass those of the same level, accompanied by agile and sensitive movements. However, such practitioners often lack the strength of their power-focused counterparts.
For example, Lin Xue, who specialized in swordsmanship, possessed fierce and powerful sword techniques and exquisite moves but exhibited mediocre strength and speed.
Each approach had its own strengths and weaknesses.
The girl facing Chen Chu emphasized agility and speed, which explained her astonishing swiftness.
In the blink of an eye, she retreated, maneuvering at an odd angle, and then reappeared beside Chen Chu with ghostly quickness, slashing at his lower body.
Clang, clang!
Chen Chu remained steadfast, his keen eyes accurately blocking her afterimages and the swift, elusive strikes of her blade. With each clash, sparks flew in all directions.
After just a dozen exchanges, the girl suddenly exploded in a burst of speed, distancing herself five meters away. Her arm trembled as she held the long knife, blood trickling from her mouth.
Despite her remarkable speed, her strength paled in comparison to Chen Chu's. With every collision, she felt the brunt of his overwhelming power. Her arms grew numb, and her palms ached from the constant shocks.
Chen Chu let out a sigh of relief and offered a faint smile, "You concede."
With a snort, the girl cast a deep, disdainful look at Chen Chu before turning and jumping off the ring.
"Ring No. 49, student Chen Chu is the victor. You have completed your matches; please leave the ring and await the results."
Aware of his impending advancement, Chen Chu set down his knife and hopped off the ring, a content smile gracing his face.
After soundly defeating six consecutive opponents with swift and precise victories, Chen Chu's performance had garnered the attention of several teachers on the main stage.
Pang Long, in particular, couldn't help but express some surprise. He recalled that this student named Chen Chu had established his foundation in just half a month. He practiced Dragon Elephant Kungfu, emphasizing explosive power, as well as a specialized sword technique known as the Mind Eye Bright Sword.
However, the combat prowess he displayed today seemed unusually potent, surpassing even the two 'geniuses' who had trained in advanced techniques.