I can gain insights into martial arts.

Chapter 231 Showing Off (Two Chapters Combined, 4.1K)

At this moment, Chen Mochuan was naturally unaware of the huge uproar he had caused in the outside world.

His entire attention was now focused on the eighth battlefield before him.

The white light faded, and vision became clear again.

The corpses of the stone lizard and the shadow-patterned jackal on the ground had disappeared, and the area before them was still a wasteland, but this time, the surrounding environment was more open and quieter than before.

There were no roars of ferocious beasts, no rustling of trees, and no attacks of any kind.

Only the wind howled across the wasteland, stirring up sand and dust from the ground.

Chen Mochuan remained vigilant.

He knew that the eighth level, as the ultimate challenge of the beast hunting trial, was far more difficult than the seventh level.

He stood there for four or five seconds, but still didn't see any trace of the ferocious beast, a situation that had never occurred in the previous floors.

"Could it be that the ferocious beasts on this level are adept at concealing their forms?"

He frowned slightly, his senses, enhanced by the spiritual power of the Innate Realm, operating at full capacity to capture every subtle movement around him.

The sound of the wind seemed to carry a faint, rhythmic noise.

This sounds like—breathing—or a heartbeat?

At that moment, the strongest crisis warning he had ever felt suddenly rose in Chen Mochuan's mind.

He felt a chill run down his spine, subtly adjusted his footwork, and quickly turned to the left.

As far as the eye could see, a huge figure slowly emerged from behind a broken rock.

Sensing the aura and oppressive force emanating from the other party, Chen Mochuan's gaze narrowed slightly. "This is—a second-tier ferocious beast?"

Two minutes later, Chen Mochuan had returned to the initial area of ​​the Beast Hunting Trial.

He frowned slightly and raised his hand to rub his temples, looking somewhat uncomfortable. However, thanks to the resilience of his Innate Realm spiritual power and the continuous nourishment from the Sun and Moon Imprint, he quickly returned to normal.

"This second-tier Bone-Splitting Mastiff is definitely beyond my current capabilities—"

Just now, in the trial battlefield on the eighth floor, Chen Mochuan used all his skills to fight against that powerful Bone-Splitting Mastiff.

The opponent's speed, strength, and even physical prowess far surpassed those of the first-tier ferocious beasts he had encountered before. Every attack was incredibly powerful, putting him under immense pressure, like walking a tightrope, constantly under high pressure.

Even though he was completely suppressed and in a difficult situation, Chen Mochuan managed to hold his own against the Bone-Splitting Mastiff for a while with his agile and versatile movements and powerful physique.

Even when he was struck by the mastiff's thunderous blow, he did not give up and wait to die. Instead, he threw a heavy punch before dying, leaving a large bloody hole in the other dog's body, before being killed by the enraged mastiff.

[You encountered an invincible opponent, yet fought valiantly for a long time, gaining a deeper understanding of martial arts. Simultaneously, under pressure, your mental strength was enhanced.]

【Hundred Beasts Fist Technique: Mastery (1%) → Mastery (2%)】

Feng Hu Xing: Da Cheng (1%) → Da Cheng (2%)

[Mental Strength: 86.38 → 86.39]

Chen Mochuan was quite surprised when he glanced at the message that appeared on the golden screen.

"This Mastiff with its split bones is truly a fine whetstone—"

Although the Beast Hunting Trial is far less realistic than his Mind Training, it can provide a free second-tier ferocious beast as a sparring partner at this stage, better helping him hone his skills.

Moreover, the side effects are minimal. The extreme pain of having one's chest pierced by the Bone-Splitting Mastiff's claw is fleeting, and the headache only lasts for a short while before almost recovering. Clearly, there is some kind of protective mechanism to prevent the new students participating in the trial from suffering real mental trauma.

Unlike the Mind Training Exercise, dying such a tragic death would be a huge blow to Chen Mochuan, not only consuming a lot of his mental energy but also causing him prolonged suffering.

With such high-quality free training partners, Chen Mochuan briefly reviewed the situation and considered how to do better before immediately embarking on another challenge.

Just as Chen Mochuan continued to devote himself to the eighth level of the trial, using the second-tier Bone-Splitting Mastiff to hone his martial arts.

Outside the gravity training hall.

Tie Wushuang had just finished a round of intense training. As he walked out of the gym, his martial arts uniform was soaked with sweat, clinging tightly to his body and outlining his lean and smooth muscle lines.

Although he was somewhat tired, his eyes showed satisfaction.

Today's gravity adaptation training was quite effective. He could feel that his agility in a high-gravity environment had improved slightly.

"Unparalleled!" His friend He Fan quickly came up to him. "Chen Mochuan—he cleared the seventh level of the Beast Hunting Trial in 6 minutes and 28 seconds."

Tie Wushuang paused slightly, his brows furrowing. "6 minutes and 28 seconds, only 13 seconds slower than me—"

As he spoke, he noticed a strange expression on He Fan's face, as if he wanted to say something but hesitated. Suddenly, he realized something was wrong.

"Wait, which floor did you just say?"

He Fan tried his best to make his tone sound calm: "The seventh floor."

"The seventh floor?" Tie Wushuang's eyes widened, feeling somewhat incredulous. This result was like a heavy hammer that slammed into his chest.

He was originally planning to go back later and challenge the fifth floor a few more times, hoping to improve his score and solidify his position at the top.

But now, his proud achievements seem so pale and powerless in front of Chen Mochuan.

In silence, Tie Wushuang unconsciously clenched his fists, his knuckles cracking.

He Fan looked at him with some concern, wanting to say something to comfort him, but not knowing how to begin.

After a long while, Tie Wushuang slowly loosened his fist. "I understand."

"Wushuang, are you alright?" He Fan asked cautiously.

"It's nothing." Tie Wushuang shook his head, his voice returning to normal.

His gaze drifted into the distance, seemingly piercing through layers of buildings, landing on the direction of Chenxing 1. "But—some things need to be reconsidered."

He paused, as if speaking to He Fan, yet also to himself: "Before, I thought that coming to Yunhan and getting rid of Fu Tiankuo would allow me to start anew—but now it seems that simply running away is useless."

"If I were to face him head-on at the Four Academies Martial Arts Tournament, with my current strength, I'm afraid—"

The meaning was clear even though the words were not fully spoken.

He then strode towards the dormitory area without stopping, his back straight as a pine tree.

He had made up his mind that he must contact his family and get enough support as soon as possible to try to break through the mental barrier and advance to the Innate Realm.

This was the only possibility he could think of that could surpass Chen Mochuan.

He Fan watched his friend's departing figure, opened his mouth, but ultimately said nothing, only letting out a soft sigh.

On a small path within the Yunhan Martial Arts University campus, Xie Xiqiong, who had been walking briskly, stopped, her eyes somewhat dazed, as if she were pondering something.

She had just learned about Chen Mochuan's grades.

There are always people more capable than you, and there's always something beyond your understanding.

She murmured to herself, "I really want to fight him."

The thought of having such an opportunity at the Four Academies Martial Arts Tournament, even though she was likely to suffer a crushing defeat in a direct confrontation with Chen Mochuan, filled her with no fear but rather a sense of anticipation.

A corner of a public training ground.

Shen Qinghe had just finished a round of intense sparring, and was drenched in sweat, his muscles aching so much that he could barely lift his arms.

He leaned against the corner of the wall, holding a bottle of recovery potion in his hand, taking sips here and there, and closing his eyes to rest.

Unlike Tie Wushuang's sharp edge and Xie Xiqiong's aloofness, Shen Qinghe has an ordinary appearance and a reserved temperament, the kind of person who would be easily lost in a crowd.

But no one has ever dared to underestimate his strength.

As the top student in the West Campus, his overall ranking has consistently been among the top four of this year's freshmen, on par with Tie Wushuang, Xie Xiqiong, and others.

"bite."

A message notification tone came from my personal terminal.

Shen Qinghe lazily opened his eyes, clicked on the message, and saw that someone had tagged him in a freshman group in the West Campus.

He didn't care at first, but after a casual glance, he instantly perked up.

"Chen Mochuan—the seventh floor?"

Shen Qinghe originally thought that his progress during this period was fast enough to improve his ranking before the Four Academies Martial Arts Tournament began, and that he would not necessarily be afraid of the people from the other three academies.

But now it seems he hasn't even seen anyone else's back.

"call----"

He let out a long breath, put away the half-finished recovery potion in his hand, and stood up, supporting his aching legs.

The muscles are protesting, the bones are groaning.

But he knew that now was not the time to rest.

"Again."

He whispered to himself, then walked back to the center of the training ground and resumed his practice.

North Campus, the top floor of the Academic Affairs Building.

In the spacious office, Fu Dongliu was sitting on an antique wooden chair, with several holographic projection screens floating in front of him.

The largest section was displaying live footage of Chen Mochuan's battle on the eighth level of the Beast Hunting Trial.

On the screen, Chen Mochuan's figure dodged and weaved under the fierce onslaught of the Bone-Splitting Mastiff. Although he was in great danger, he was still struggling to hold on and even managed to launch a counterattack occasionally.

"good----"

Fu Dongliu stroked his beard, his face full of a gratified smile.

His gaze was as sharp as an eagle's, observing not only his disciples' performance but also seeking areas for improvement.

"That change of direction was a beat too slow; it must be due to exhaustion—"

"The angle of this punch can be adjusted a bit more. Even if it doesn't hit a vital spot, it will still pose a greater threat to that beast." As he watched, he silently made notes in his mind, preparing to find an opportunity later to give his little disciple some pointers.

Fu Dongliu, who had already set Chen Mochuan as a special follower, received a notification just as Chen Mochuan was challenging the sixth level.

Moreover, unlike others, as the dean of the North Academy, he has extremely high authority and can directly access and view Chen Mochuan's real-time battle situation.

When Fu Dongliu saw Chen Mochuan break into the seventh floor for the first time and face the combined attack of the Stone Lizard and the Shadow-Patterned Jackal, he thought that with his disciple's strength, he would need to try at least two or three times to figure out the details and cooperative patterns of the two ferocious beasts before he could find a way to break the deadlock.

But to his surprise, Chen Mochuan succeeded on his first try.

"That kid—"

Fu Dongliu couldn't help but laugh out loud, his eyes filled with pride.

Afterwards, he watched for a long time the battle between Chen Mochuan and the eighth-level Bone-Splitting Mastiff.

That second-tier mastiff was far stronger than a first-tier perfected dog. Logically speaking, with Chen Mochuan's current cultivation level, he should have no chance against it.

However, his young disciple, relying on his remarkable physical strength, agile movements, and tenacious will, was able to hold his own against the Bone-Splitting Mastiff for more than two minutes each time, and even occasionally managed to injure it with his exquisite fist techniques.

Upon seeing this scene, Fu Dongliu was overjoyed.

He picked up his teacup, took a delicious sip, and then, as if remembering something, his eyes lit up.

"Having such a good disciple, it would seem like I'm being petty not to share him with my old friends."

He raised his hand and tapped a few times in the air, and his personal terminal began making video calls.

The first one is the Dean of the South Campus.

"Beep—beep—beep—"

The phone rang for a long time, but no one answered.

Fu Dongliu didn't take it seriously and continued dialing.

This time, the call was disconnected after only two rings.

If you dial again, the phone will be switched off.

"That old bastard must know about Mo Chuan's performance; he's deliberately ignoring my calls, afraid of losing face!"

Fu Dongliu pursed his lips, muttered a few curses, but his smile grew even brighter.

Not answering the phone is itself a sign of weakness.

The second is the Dean of the East Campus.

The result was exactly the same as the previous one: no one answered the first time, and the phone was turned off the second time.

Fu Dongliu snorted, but his mood remained unaffected.

The third is Ye Wenzhou, the dean of the West Campus.

This time, the call was answered quickly.

In the holographic projection, a middle-aged man with a resolute face appeared, with clouds flying by in the background behind him, clearly indicating that he was flying through the air.

"Old Fu, what do you want? I'm currently chasing down a level five beast, I'm really busy!"

Fu Dongliu smiled and said, "Do you remember I told you before that I recently took on a new student as my last disciple?"

"Is his name Chen Mochuan? The top freshman in your North Campus this year, the young man is indeed quite good, Lao Fu, you have good taste!" Ye Wenzhou casually complimented, but he felt a little strange.

Did the other party call specifically to say this?

Fu Dongliu couldn't hide his smile, and his tone carried a hint of boasting: "He challenged the Beast Hunting Trial today—and his results were decent. He cleared the seventh level on his first try and was able to hold his own against the second-tier Bone-Splitting Mastiff on the eighth level for more than two minutes—"

He was about to continue speaking when the tone on the other end of the line suddenly changed.

Ye Wenzhou in the projection suddenly frowned, his eyes seemingly filled with doubt, and muttered, "Hey, Lao Fu, are you still there?"

"Why is the signal suddenly so bad? I can't hear anything or see anything—"

"Alright, I'll hang up now, we'll talk later!"

As soon as he finished speaking, the screen went completely black.

Fu Dongliu looked at the "the other party has hung up" message, his smile froze for a moment, and then he shook his head with a wry smile.

With Ye Wenzhou's specially made personal terminal, he wouldn't lose signal even if he went deep into the underground world, let alone the fact that the other party was obviously in the sky with no obstruction, so the signal couldn't be bad.

This clearly shows that she didn't want to hear him continue "bragging" and just made up an excuse to hang up.

"This Ye Wenzhou is quite the actor—"

Although he only said half of what he wanted to say, Fu Dongliu was still extremely happy.

He could clearly see the look of utter dismay on his old friend's face.

"Looks like I'll have to give this kid a little something extra later—"

He turned his gaze back to the screen that was still broadcasting Chen Mochuan's battle live, his eyes filled with anticipation.