Under normal circumstances, the strong naturally aim for a higher ranking, so the lower-ranked students in the ring should be weaker. However, the overwhelming display of power by Chen Chu did not seem weak at all.
After the second challenger was defeated, the few students who had been observing the ring looked serious and hesitant. No one dared to step onto the stage.
Chen Chu scanned the area and inquired, "Is there no one else willing to challenge?"
"I'll do it."
At that moment, a boy wielding a colossal sword, resembling a door panel, approached from a short distance. Seeing that no one had taken the stage at No. 49, he enthusiastically leaped up.
"Class One, Yuan Chenghuang."
"Class Three, Chen Chu."
Both of them courteously announced their classes, and Yuan Chenghuang drew his massive sword, over 40 centimeters wide and more than two meters long, reminding Chen Chu.
"Brother, I practice the advanced technique, Tianque Giant Sword. It's a wide-open and forceful sword style. Be careful when we fight."
Unexpectedly, Yuan Chenghuang was straightforward and even mentioned the emphasis of his practice first. Chen Chu paused for a moment before disclosing his own background, "...I practice the low-level Dragon Elephant Kungfu, focusing on strength, which is relatively 'substantial.'"
"What... low-level martial arts."
Yuan Chenghuang was momentarily surprised and then relaxed, wearing a smile on his face. "Brother, although I don't want to take advantage of you, I must compete for your ranking to earn extra contribution points."
Chen Chu's gaze turned peculiar. "That's alright. If I lose, it means my skills aren't up to par."
"Let's begin. Let's have a match."
As Yuan Chenghuang pointed his sword, his entire demeanor changed suddenly. He exuded a heavy and overwhelming aura.
This kind of strength made Chen Chu narrow his eyes, and his expression grew more serious. He felt that Yuan Chenghuang might be as formidable as Li Meng.
Boom! Yuan Chenghuang stomped, causing the ground to tremble slightly. With both hands gripping the sword, he charged at Chen Chu in an instant, delivering a powerful sword strike.
Clang!
As the swords clashed, sparks flew, and the surrounding air was displaced by the collision.
Impossible! Yuan Chenghuang, who saw Chen Chu block his attack, was taken aback. Hadn't Chen Chu claimed to practice low-level skills?
In a show of respect, Chen Chu held the sword with both hands this time. After blocking Yuan Chenghuang's strike, he unleashed the immense strength in his arms, sending Yuan Chenghuang flying.
Then, he swung the sword again... Clang! Sparks flew.
Another horizontal slash.
Gripping the sword with both hands, he turned and slashed with all his might... Clang, clang!
After five consecutive powerful strikes, Yuan Chenghuang was driven to the edge of the ring, his mind in a daze due to Chen Chu's dominating power.
Just then, another blade sliced through the wind before his eyes. Without time to react, he instinctively swung his sword to defend.
Clang! Under the tremendous force, Yuan Chenghuang was sent tumbling off the ring.
Chen Chu let out a breath, sheathed his sword, and stood there, gazing down at the bewildered Yuan Chenghuang. He smiled and said, "Student Yuan, it seems that Ring 49 still belongs to me."
"Student Chen, are you truly practicing low-level techniques?" Yuan Chenghuang was still in disbelief.
Chen Chu nodded. "Yes."
Yuan Chenghuang's expression twisted in pain. "Mo Dan, if I had known, I wouldn't have challenged you. This is a huge loss for me."
Originally, he believed that the students at the front of the ring would be fierce competitors, so he deliberately sought an arena toward the rear to secure an easy victory. After all, the rewards for the top 50 were the same, and he didn't care about the rankings.
Who could have predicted that he would randomly choose an arena and encounter a martial artist who practiced low-level skills, yet possessed overwhelming absolute strength? Furthermore, each person was only allowed one challenge, which meant he would be watching from now on.
In light of this, Yuan Chenghuang felt even more regretful. Nevertheless, there was nothing to be done; a loss was a loss. He turned and walked away.
After witnessing Chen Chu's strength, no one in the surrounding rings dared to step onto the stage. They waited for a while, and eventually, another girl approached from the front.
Her intention was similar to Yuan Chenghuang's—she wanted to pick an easy opponent at the rear. However, upon noticing that Ring 49 was vacant, she excitedly leaped onto the stage.
Then... she was promptly defeated by Chen Chu in three strikes.
Winning four consecutive matches, Chen Chu firmly secured the No. 49 ranking.
"Hooray!"
Next door, on Ring No. 50, Liu Feng, who had just won a match, panted heavily. She gazed in admiration at Chen Chu, who was about ten meters away
Although most of these opponents were easily dispatched by him, their reactions and responses during the battles could still serve as valuable references.
Furthermore, the reason for his relaxed demeanor was his recent improvement in strength, with his strength attribute now at 68 points.
His arm strength had reached approximately 450 kilograms, which was nine times that of an ordinary person in terms of pure strength, surpassing the six times shown in the data.
It appeared that the higher the four attributes, the greater the growth in all aspects, rather than following a normal multiple.
In the auditorium, Xia Youhui was astonished and puzzled as he observed Chen Chu in Ring 49. "What's happening? Why has Ah Chu suddenly become so formidable?"
It was worth noting that there were over a hundred "geniuses" in the school who had broken through within a week. Except for a few unlucky individuals like Xia Youhui, all of them had secured a spot in the top two hundred.
Given this context, Chen Chu effortlessly dispatching four challengers from the ring, displaying overwhelming strength, was sufficient to place him within the top ten rankings for the grade.
Was this still the Chen Chu he knew? Was it the same friend who had barely established a foundation in half a month and practiced two low-level exercises?
Had Chen Chu been deceiving him during their practice sessions a few days ago?
Luo Fei smiled softly and explained, "It's due to Zhenwu compatibility. He mentioned that while practicing Dragon Elephant Kungfu in the past few days, his strength mysteriously doubled."
"...Zhenwu compatibility, no wonder," Xia Youhui suddenly realized. "I recall that when he established his foundation, Ah Chu had a high compatibility with physical and strength-enhancing exercises. I didn't expect..."
Xia Youhui paused at this point, a tinge of regret on his face.
This was because Dragon Elephant Kung Fu was only a low-level martial art, and its potential was limited. Even if Chen Chu could rapidly advance through the first and second heavens due to his high compatibility, there was still a substantial gap between him and someone who practiced advanced techniques.
This gap extended to the upper limits of the skills and included their enhancements and explosive techniques.
Currently, Yichongtian hadn't cultivated true power yet, and the martial arts were primarily focused on consolidating strength. Thus, the gap between low-level and advanced skills wasn't very noticeable.
At this stage, low-level skills doubled the increase, while advanced skills offered about a 1.5x boost.
However, after achieving true power in the second level, low-level skills only doubled the increase, whereas advanced skills tripled it. Some individuals with high compatibility could even achieve four or five times the boost.
This meant that in the early stages of the second heaven, when everyone's basic strength was at 400 kilograms, low-level strength exercises could roughly yield more than 2,000 kilograms of impact. In contrast, the advanced exercises' real power could easily generate over 3,000 or even 4,000 kilograms of strength with a single strike.
And this calculation was based solely on basic strength, without taking into account the explosive techniques inherent in advanced exercises.
Consequently, after the second heaven, the gap between individuals practicing low-level skills and those with advanced skills would rapidly widen.
Furthermore, individuals practicing advanced exercises experienced faster energy refinement from the heavens and earth, resulting in purer true power, among other advantages.
Thinking about all this, Xia Youhui couldn't help but feel regretful.
If only Chen Chu had possessed better initial talent, if he could have established his foundation within a week, he could have practiced advanced exercises. Now... Alas!
There was still noon ahead of them.