Daily life of a teacher in the martial arts department

But... he made three mistakes, or rather, he got three things wrong.

First, he underestimated Ji Fenming in his awakened racial talent state. It is easy to mistake the Reverse Ghost for a non-human race without combat talent, which is a huge misunderstanding. Even among so many non-human races, the Reverse Ghost in its awakened state is only weaker than Kui and a few other minority races.

Secondly, he underestimated Ji Qiuming, who was no longer the same as before. Back in school, Ji Qiuming was merely a weak first-rate player. Moreover, he always seemed to be unable to defeat Fu Feihan, and even now, it appeared that he had been defeated by Fu Feihan. But in reality, from an omniscient perspective, Ji Qiuming's strength had even surpassed Jiu Yi and reached a level close to Yu Xietian's.

Secondly, he overestimated Shadow, who had been entangled with Ji Fenming for a long time and was no longer in good condition!

Before the Nephalem arrived, Shadow and Darius were already on the verge of being killed quickly, and Shadow continued to hold on throughout the subsequent battles.

None of these three mistakes were fatal on their own. The Nephalem probably even anticipated one or two of them, but the fact that all three mistakes came together made a completely different situation.

On Nephalem's side, facing Ji Fenming again was a brave move, which put him under tremendous pressure, but the pressure was even greater for Miss Shadow.

Her physical strength and inner energy were already nearly depleted. She had initially thought Ji Qiuming was just a weak first-rate fighter, someone she could easily overwhelm with speed. But after actually engaging in combat, she realized this guy was anything but weak; he was ridiculously strong, and looked to be only in his early twenties. Did she have this kind of strength five or six years ago?!

Of course, compared to the Nephalem, her situation was undoubtedly much better. Even a top-tier character with almost depleted mana was not someone a top-tier character could defeat; their health bar was almost empty, which was more likely. However, the pressure sometimes came not only from the battlefield. To buy him time, the Nephalem had taken the initiative to face that monster-like guy, only to find that she couldn't even defeat a child... The Shadow was under a lot of psychological pressure!

It's like your teammate is holding off four opponents on the high ground, and you're tasked with stealing the enemy base. You're the ADC who's been consuming all the resources in the game, and then the enemy support comes and stalls you... How could you not feel the psychological pressure?

"I'm here to help you!"

Fortunately, at this moment, Fu Feihan's inner energy surged, and he shattered the second-floor floor with one foot, falling down and attacking Ji Qiuming directly.

However, his earlier display of strength was merely a fleeting moment of brilliance. He had been defeated by Ji Qiuming in the first place, and even though he managed to turn the tide with a flash of inspiration using his unorthodox "Neurotic Blade," he hesitated and used the scabbard instead of his sword. This caused him to miss his final opportunity, and now he was only at half health and half mana. Even if the two of them joined forces to attack Ji Qiuming, they wouldn't be able to defeat him quickly.

Given a little more time, defeating Ji Qiuming wouldn't be difficult. Although Ji Qiuming's strength has increased dramatically, he's still within the top tier. But the problem is...

The teammate who was holding off four opponents on the high ground is about to collapse!

If the strength difference is two major levels, the opponent will likely be instantly killed; if the strength difference is one major level, the opponent will likely be quickly killed.

The Nephalem was originally only about one level below Ji Fenming. However, after Ji Fenming went berserk, his strength increased even further, giving the Nephalem a suffocating sense of oppression. Under the relentless onslaught, the Nephalem could only struggle to hold on. But it seemed that it wouldn't be long before Ji Fenming delivered a fatal blow.

Just as the Nephalem was about to collapse, a terrifying aura suddenly descended. Before anyone could react, the entire wall of the hotel was blown apart. The morning sunlight shone in, illuminating countless golden dust particles in the air. Among them, a man who seemed to radiate invincibility stood there, like an ancient, unyielding tree.

Ying Qin Pass is back!

Chapter Thirty-Six: The Encounter

Ji Fenming had never actually seen Ying Qinguan, but unlike most people, he knew Ying Qinguan.

As his younger brother's teacher, Ji Fenming had long been paying attention to this guy who seemed to be a peerless master. The successive defeats of Darius and Gu Xuan only strengthened his suspicions.

"Ha... I haven't met one in over twenty years, and suddenly two have appeared this year?"

Every unparalleled master, before encountering other unparalleled masters, believes themselves to be the only one in the world. When Himura Tan's first met Ying Qin Guan, she uttered the timeless classic, "Within a hundred moves, I might be able to defeat him," which now seems somewhat comical. But is it wrong for a master, someone who might only appear once in an era, to crush anyone openly known in their time, to consider themselves invincible?

no problem.

Ji Fenming felt the same way. In the first twenty years of his life, he had never met anyone who could match him. Then suddenly, Hishimura Tan's appearance appeared, defeating him by half a move, followed by Ying Qin Guan... Although he hadn't fought with him yet, it was certain that his opponent was a peerless master. Otherwise, he wouldn't have been able to instantly kill Darius and Gu Xuan. Moreover, if he wasn't a peerless master, even if he and Hishimura Tan's combined strength, they probably wouldn't be able to defeat the Earth Mother Goddess.

But now... we still have to let him try!

Ji Fenming kicked out, and Naifeitian used up his last bit of inner energy to protect himself with his arms and take the hit. He took the opportunity to leave the field. Seeing that he had no inner energy left and was leaving in a direction away from Ji Qiuming, Ji Fenming did not continue to pursue him and instead looked at Ying Qin Guan.

"You've got some nerve, daring to charge straight at me." Ying Qin Guan glanced around, taking in the situation. After confirming that his side had a significant advantage, he followed the tradition of martial artists and exchanged a few words before the battle.

The storytellers of Southern Qin especially loved this style, calling it the Ancient Phoenix Style. Ye Qu once made a rough summary of it, which was somewhat literary. To put it simply, it meant that before the battle, they would pose and talk trash, and then they would fight. Whoever put on the most pretense before the battle would win. Moreover, it followed the same rules as debates in classical Chinese: whoever said the last sentence was considered the winner.

Ying Qin Guan wanted to exchange a few words with the other party, but Ji Fen Ming had no such intention. His pupils were bloodshot, and he didn't bother to waste words with Ying Qin Guan. He took three steps in two and rushed forward, throwing a punch that created a howling wind and an astonishing force.

Ying Qin Guan wasn't overconfident. Even someone of his caliber, a peerless master, would have to take him seriously. Martial artists are categorized into three types: skill-based, speed-based, and internal energy-based. There's no such thing as a "muscle-based" fighter. Once a solid strike is landed, the battle is essentially over. Only a very few martial artists have a margin for error, and Ying Qin Guan certainly does. But this is something one shouldn't rely on too much. Even someone with Kui's strength and physique was almost killed by a single blow from the Sword Saint; how much more so for Ying Qin Guan, who is merely a mortal.

He looked up and saw that the Consciousness Slash had already been unleashed. Ji Fenming's world turned dark, and in that darkness, a light flashed. Ying Qin Guan suddenly drew his sword from the void and severed his head with incredible speed!

Any adversary in the past would be momentarily stunned when faced with this move. The powerful would react quickly, but would still be controlled. The weak would think they were already dead and only realize what was happening when they collapsed to the ground, a time that would be enough for Ying Qin Guan to kill them ten times over.

But... Ji Fenming is indeed different from all his previous opponents.

His eyes lost their luster, a clear sign of being struck. Logically, his body should have lost control, but... Ji Fenming's palm strike didn't deviate from its trajectory!

His will was strong, transcending death. Even though his brain thought he was "dead," his body still followed the most primal fighting instinct and launched an attack on Ying Qin Pass!

Ying Qin Guan had never encountered such an enemy before, but as a martial artist, he was prepared for any situation once the battle began. Although his Consciousness Slash failed to achieve the desired effect, Ying Qin Guan still launched a powerful counterattack.

His inner energy surged, and a violent power erupted. He actually chose to exchange a punch with Ji Fenming!

Ji Fenming's choice to launch a direct attack was actually a very unwise one.

Even the most skilled or top-tier martial artists have their strengths and weaknesses. For example, Himejima Tan's strength lies in speed and technique, while Ji Fenming's strength is trading injury for death, inflicting heavy losses on both himself and his opponent. However, he has 1600 health points while his opponent only has 1000, so he kills his opponent in a single exchange.

Specifically, when his opponent used a move that no one would normally be able to withstand, Ji Fenming chose to take it head-on. However, this fighting style is quite risky and is usually only suitable for dealing with low-level opponents. The reason he hadn't encountered any problems before was because Ji Fenming had never met a peerless master like himself.

But when he encountered Ying Qin Guan, who was a level above him and completely outclassed him, this fighting style... became Ying Qin Guan's style.

Just before their fists collided, Ji Fenming's eyes regained their clarity. Having studied Ying Qin Pass, he naturally knew that the move he had just made was the Consciousness Slash. He quickly realized this, slightly adjusted his posture and the force he exerted, and threw the punch!

As fists collided, Ji Fenming's expression remained unchanged, but his heart was in turmoil. The force of Ying Qin Guan's punch was much greater than he had imagined!

It's too heavy!

Like a mountain collapsing, a river flowing backward, or a waterfall surging backward, the force of this punch even made Ji Fenming feel that... it was Kui in disguise, having practiced some kind of bone-shrinking technique, and then throwing this punch at him!

Ying Qin Guan took a small step back. Ji Fen Ming was a peerless master in his peak condition; a head-on collision with him wouldn't have been enough for even him to escape unscathed. Ji Fen Ming's reaction was much stronger than Ying Qin Guan's; he took small, quick steps to dissipate the force. He still retreated more than twenty steps until he crashed into the wall, which didn't break through. However, spiderweb-like cracks spread rapidly, extending across most of the inn, even though the point of contact was only Ji Qiu Ming. The entire wall, however, resembled a poorly constructed, century-old dilapidated building, riddled with cracks, as if it would collapse at the slightest touch.

"This deceleration..."

Nefertari was secretly shocked. Ji Fenming's technique of deflecting force was beyond his imagination. He knew that Ying Qin Guan's punch must have contained unimaginable power, but actually... it was all deflected?

The crimson color in Ji Qiuming's pupils deepened. He took a step forward, and the wall behind him suddenly collapsed. Before the bricks and rubble hit the ground, Ji Fenming rushed out and covered more than ten meters in the blink of an eye. He turned and delivered a spinning kick to Ying Qin Guan's forehead!

Chapter Thirty-Seven: The Chase

To be fair, Ying Qin Guan felt that Ji Fen Ming was a bit more capable than what Fei Cun Tan Ying had said. In a one-on-one fight, he could kill the Earth Mother Goddess several times. Even if he fought Fei Cun Tan Ying, who had a sword, the worst outcome would be a life-for-life exchange.

Breaking through Ying Qin Pass's consciousness strike, perfect force-dissipating techniques, a powerful physique, and an indomitable fighting spirit... Apart from the battles against the Heavenly Army and the Earth Mother Goddess, this battle was undoubtedly the most challenging.

Ying Qin Guan naturally knew that this was the racial talent of the Rebellious Ghost, and he had heard about it before. However, he had never fought against Ji Fenming in his normal state, so he didn't know the extent of this amplification.

"With this level of strength, defeating them isn't difficult, but capturing them alive is almost impossible..."

Just as his opponent's spinning kick was about to hit his forehead, Ying Qin had this thought in his mind. He then raised his arm and blocked the opponent's amazing attack.

Although the force was blocked, it did not disappear into thin air. The ground beneath Ying Qin Guan's feet cracked and collapsed, which was also a technique to deflect the force.

Before Ying Qin Guan could think further, the opponent's second attack came. The right foot collided with Ying Qin Guan's arm, using the force to spin 360 degrees in mid-air, and with this momentum, the foot slammed down from above!

This kick is one we can withstand, but there's no need for it; Ying Qin Guan is not the strongest after all.

His footwork was unpredictable, a blur of solid and void; with a few quick steps, he retreated more than ten meters like a ghost floating on the ground.

Ji Fenming's second attack missed, but it landed with tremendous force. However, upon impact, he spun around again, converting all that force into forward momentum, accelerating from zero speed to top speed in an instant, and charging forward once more!

Nephalem watched clearly from the side, his pupils contracting. He had heard of Ji Fenming's footwork before. It was said to be the unique footwork of a top martial artist in ancient times, which was not passed down and was gradually lost. This footwork was extremely mysterious and had a strong effect on turning, unloading force, and changing the direction of force. To use a car as an example, it was like turning at 1100 km/h, maintaining this speed during the turn and still maintaining this speed after the turn, without slowing down at all.

This sounds impossible, and people have always thought this footwork was just a legend. But... is it really true?!

"Not bad!"

Ji Fenming's surprise attack was somewhat unexpected by Ying Qin Guan; perhaps the opponent had defeated many people with this move. However, such unconventional tactics, like trading injury for injury, would backfire when used against someone far stronger than oneself!

No one can breathe without any loss of energy. There must be some loss in the process of energy conversion, and according to the common sense of martial artists, what is lost can only be internal energy.

In other words, when an opponent who hasn't caught their breath and whose overall attributes are inferior to yours launches a surprise attack, what is the best response?

The answer, of course, is... a blood transfusion.

The fact that their overall attributes are inferior to yours means that you are physically stronger.

If you haven't caught your breath, it means the opponent's attack won't contain much internal energy, and its attack power won't be at its maximum.

Most importantly, if someone launches a surprise attack when they have no internal energy left, they cannot, and are unable to, change their moves mid-attack.

Ji Fenming made too many mistakes when he fought Ying Qin Guan. He maintained the mindset that he was the only unparalleled master, and the price he paid for doing so was...

Ji Fenming attacked like a whirlwind. From his perspective, everything happened in an instant. Ying Qin Guan didn't have time to dodge or avoid the punch in time. Therefore, his punch should be able to—

boom!

A deep, heavy voice rang out, and the crimson in Ji Fenming's pupils seemed to freeze.

A powerful surge of internal energy erupted, forming an indestructible barrier in front of him. Ji Fenming's punch, delivered with the force of a whirlwind, struck it... causing a slight crack to appear in the barrier. However, ultimately, because he hadn't had a breath left to catch his breath, the punch failed to shatter the barrier.

At this moment, Ji Fenming had no extra internal energy to protect himself.

It's often said that a difference of two major levels is needed for a consistent one-hit kill. But in reality, even between martial artists of the same level, one-hit kills can occur, and quite frequently. So, when typically does this happen?

— Right now.

Ying Qin Guan's inner energy surged, and he cleaved his hands into blades, slashing down from top to bottom!

Breaking the sound barrier, unleashing a sonic boom, a strike that surpasses the speed of sound!

Faced with this attack, Ji Fenming had no room to dodge or parry. Ying Qin Guan wielded his hands like blades and slashed down, severing Ji Fenming's collarbone. But this was not the end. Ying Qin Guan continued to exert force, unleashing his inner energy, attempting to directly destroy Ji Fenming's internal organs with his inner energy. For a martial artist of Ji Fenming's caliber, breaking a collarbone was nothing.

He was halfway there; his inner energy surged in, causing Ji Fenming severe internal injuries. But Ji Fenming was not one to be slaughtered. He took a breath, enduring Ying Qin Guan's strange inner energy cultivation method, and spat out a mouthful of blood, which contained several poisoned needles that shot towards Ying Qin Guan's pupils.

Ying Qin Guan lacked experience in dealing with this kind of method, but he reacted very quickly. He used his internal energy cultivation technique and was about to use his inner energy to block the two poison needles when he suddenly caught a look of horror in Nefertari's eyes out of the corner of his eye.

Nephalem knows his own strength, so why does he have this expression?

Before Ying Qin Guan could figure out why, the poisoned needle suddenly pierced through his inner energy barrier. This was impossible. Given Ji Fen Ming's condition at the time, and the fact that he spat it out with his mouth, how could he possibly have such attack power?

But it happened anyway, and fortunately, Ying Qin Guan's overall strength was extraordinary. Even though the needles were almost touching his eyelashes, he was still able to step back and sidestep, forcefully dodging these two poisoned needles that were almost guaranteed to hit!

Only then did the Nephalem's voice arrive, belatedly.

"Dodge! That's a Soul-Shattering Needle, specifically designed to break through internal energy shields!"

Wouldn't this thing be invincible if made into a weapon?

An untimely thought popped into Ying Qin's mind. He looked up and saw that Ji Fenming had retreated dozens of meters away. He opened his mouth and spat out a mouthful of blood, looking weak and listless, clearly suffering from severe internal injuries.

"Go!" He rushed towards Ji Qiuming, shouting sharply, "I'm no match for him!"

His speed exceeded Ying Qin Guan's expectations. Normally, someone with such severe internal injuries wouldn't be able to move so quickly; he must have forcibly suppressed it. But doing so will likely have even more severe backlash later on.

He charged recklessly, and when Shadow saw that he was injured, a bold idea came to his mind: he wanted to try to stop Ji Fenming. If he could only hold him off for a moment, Ying Qin Guan would arrive and perhaps be able to stop him.

But... when she saw Ji Fenming's scarlet pupils, an overwhelming and terrifying sense of oppression washed over her. Shadow trembled, and the words "life is one's own" inexplicably flooded her mind, even though she quickly broke free from her fear. But it was too late. Ji Fenming grabbed Ji Qiuming and rushed out like a whirlwind.

Despite his teammates' inaction, Ying Qin Guan still did not want to give up. If Ji Fen Ming had run away from the beginning, it would have been almost impossible for him to catch up. This big city was not a plain without any obstacles or obstructions. Even with Ying Qin Guan's strength, it would not be easy to catch up.

But the other party suffered internal injuries, which is why he ran away. His stubbornness and refusal to admit defeat gave him too many opportunities.