Who are you calling a stable boy?!

Upon hearing this, Zheng Jing gasped.

"Teacher, are you going to take my punch head-on? This...this isn't good. I've hardly ever used this punch to hit anyone before, I'm afraid I'll get injured..."

"Injure me? Hahahaha!"

Mr. Shangjing laughed heartily.

“Zheng Jing, do you know that all the teachers who teach at the True Central Spiritual Arts Academy are former elites of the Thirteenth Guardian Squad? Some of the current captains even teach there. You are exceptionally talented, and your eleventh-rank spiritual power is indeed remarkable, but in the eyes of us teachers, you are still a rough diamond.”

"Injure me? Heh."

Mr. Shangjing smiled and shook his head.

"Zheng Jing, you still have too little experience."

He waved to Zheng Jing, and even the bald patch on Teacher Shangjing's head seemed to shimmer in the sunlight streaming into the martial arts arena.

"bring it on!"

Having said all that, Zheng Jing put down the wooden knife in his hand.

"Here I come, Mr. Uei."

"Put out your punch."

"Oh."

Zheng Jing agreed.

Before he finished speaking, his figure swayed, like a tiger that had been lying in wait in the forest for a long time. Then, with a muffled sound of the wooden floor cracking, his tall figure left a faint golden trail in the eyes of many students outside the field. In an instant, he had already closed in on Shangjing!

As they drew nearer, Uesui immediately met those eyes that seemed to be burning.

Inside, he saw anticipation and excitement, like an innocent child finding an interesting toy.

The right fist, which he thought could be easily taken down with a single palm strike, was slammed towards his outstretched palm with a thunderous roar.

Can't stop!

—Although he had retired from the front lines for decades, Shangjing, who had never slacked off in his training, still keenly sensed that this punch was unstoppable.

At the very least, he couldn't possibly block that punch, which was as powerful as a slamming bell, with just his bare hands!

"Boom!!"

The collision that erupted in a flash was like a golden bell, over ten feet tall, being struck in the center of the martial arts arena. The resounding sound caused many students nearby to instinctively curl up, cover their ears, and back away.

"Mr. Shangjing, how is it?"

After moving his slightly numb and swollen fingers to make the golden color fade silently, Zheng Jing looked at the still-standing Professor Shangjing and asked.

"..."

Without immediately responding, Shangjing first looked down at the damaged wooden floor beneath his feet, then glanced at the half-broken wooden knife in his hand.

Just now, his instincts preceded his thoughts, and he reacted to Zheng Jing's fist.

The moment he drew his sword, he used all his spiritual pressure to subconsciously strengthen his defenses.

Even so, the wooden knife in his hand still broke.

and--

Shangjing looked at Zheng Jing.

Logically speaking, facing the defense formed by his full spiritual pressure, Zheng Jing, who possessed an eleventh-level spiritual power, would definitely be blasted away, and might even be injured.

But Zheng Jing not only remained completely unmoved, but also appeared to be unharmed!

How could such a bizarre thing happen...?

"Ms. Uei?"

"Oh, oh! Excellent, Zheng Jing. Have you received any training in hand-to-hand combat before?"

Ignoring the cold sweat streaming down his forehead, Shangjing, whose back was already soaked with sweat, finally realized what was happening and asked Zheng Jing a question with great curiosity.

He was a full-fledged teacher at the True Central Spiritual Arts Academy, and a senior faculty member. Naturally, he wouldn't feel embarrassed or angry over something like this.

On the contrary, Zheng Jing's performance in battle made him admire him even more!

"A free fight? No, but I used to have a nickname: the Devil Muscle Man."

"Demon Muscle Man?"

Ms. Shangjing muttered something in confusion.

"So you mean you've never learned freestyle fighting?"

Without delving deeper, it was simply assumed to be some nickname Zheng Jing had used in Rukongai. However, what Mr. Uesui cared more about was the first half of Zheng Jing's sentence.

Never learned how to fight without a fight?

So, was this child's performance just now also the result of self-taught talent?!

This goes far beyond just being a "potential talent"!

Ue-i even began to think that, given Zheng Jing's talent in combat, it might be a waste of his abilities to send him to the Fourth Division...

With a sigh of relief, Shangjing pulled himself out of the mess and nodded approvingly at Zheng Jing.

You pass!

Only then did hushed conversations begin to circulate within the dojo.

The older students responsible for maintaining order in the examination room did not go up to stop the students who were watching from whispering.

On the one hand, the end of this second stage means that Zheng Jing's entrance examination is over.

On the other hand, some of them were also eager to share their experiences of the day with their friends.

Amidst the commotion, Aizen adjusted his glasses, using the cool reflection to conceal his eyes.

However, judging from the wider upturn of his lips, he seemed to be in a good mood.

"Alright, Zheng Jing, please take a seat. Once the school's maintenance department has finished repairing the venue, we will continue our lessons. This morning's lessons will mainly cover the theoretical knowledge of Kendo, and we will have a sparring session at the end."

"okay!"

Zheng Jing jumped straight into the crowd.

"Excuse me, excuse me, excuse me, hehe!"

Zheng Jing spread his arms out, creating some space, and sat down cross-legged next to Aizen.

"Impressive, Lao Zheng. I didn't expect your hand-to-hand combat skills to be so outstanding. This is the first time I've seen Mr. Shangjing use all his strength to defend against a student's attack."

"Oh?"

Zheng Jing grinned and waved his hand.

"I have to say, Lao Lan, you taught me well. But we're like brothers, so let's skip the mutual praise and just ask for credit next time!"

Aizen smiled, his eyes behind his glasses subtly scanning his surroundings before he leaned slightly forward and whispered to Zheng Jing.

"Who knows, you might even be able to compete with that famous student from Shihouin among this year's freshmen for the top spot in the white-hat course."

Chapter 63: I know a little bit about everything

"Shifuin?"

Zheng Jingyi raised an eyebrow.

"Yoruichi Shihouin, the young lady of the Shihouin family, one of the four noble families, has excellent entrance exam results. Among our freshmen, she is currently recognized as the most promising person to win the top spot in both White-Handed Fighting and Shunpo at the end of the semester."

Upon hearing this, Zheng Jing looked at Aizen with surprise.

Wow, awesome.

So your ill-fated relationship started back in your student days?

Zheng Jing really didn't expect that Aizen and Yoruichi were not only colleagues, but also classmates.

"What about you, Lao Lan?"

Zheng Jing suddenly asked in a low voice, "Which subject are you planning to be the chief of? Let me think, how about you become the chief of both swordsmanship and ghost-related arts, and take it all down?"

"I?"

Aizen smiled and shook his head.

"How could I possibly be the chief? I'm already giving it my all just to keep up with everyone else."

Not at full strength.

Zheng Jing looked Aizen up and down.

Although Zheng Jing didn't know how big Aizen Lily's hexagon was now, he estimated that if he were willing to show his skills, Aizen would definitely be the top student in both Kendo and Kido.

Raising his eyes, Zheng Jing glanced around cautiously, then beckoned to Aizen with his finger.

Somewhat puzzled, Aizen moved even closer to Zheng Jing.

With a crane of his neck, Zheng Jing leaned close to Aizen's ear, covered his face with his four arms, and whispered to Aizen, "Hey, old Aizen, is being the chief clerk some kind of thankless and arduous job?"

Aizen was taken aback and glanced at Zheng Jing with some confusion.

"how you said that?"

"If someone as smart as you doesn't take the job, doesn't that just mean the chief position isn't a good job?"

"..."

Sitting up straight and turning his face to look at Zheng Jing, Aizen saw that Zheng Jing looked serious and didn't seem to be joking at all, and he couldn't help but laugh.

The laughter wasn't loud, but it still attracted the attention of many students nearby.

"Sorry, Lao Zheng, I didn't expect you to have this misunderstanding. Don't worry, being the top student in a subject is definitely not a thankless job. On the contrary, successfully becoming the top student in a subject not only allows you to enjoy many benefits provided by the academy, but also gives you the opportunity to receive personal guidance from the head student captain after the final exam."

"That's so good? Old Lan, I'm not as well-educated as you, don't lie to me."

Why would I lie to you?

"Then why did you say you wouldn't do it?"

"Old Zheng..."

Aizen sighed softly.

"Even if I want to, I have to be able to."

"Aww! I get you!"

Zheng Jing suddenly realized.

He patted Aizen on the shoulder.

"Showing off in front of others really needs a contrast to be cool! So, I concede defeat when it comes to showing off. From now on, you can leave the witty banter to me. After all, even stand-up comedy needs a straight man and a comedian, right?"

Zheng Jing raised all four thumbs and pointed them towards himself.

"Trust me, I'm an expert in all three arts: storytelling, singing, and comedy!"

Aizen could only lower his eyes in frustration.

"Alright everyone, pay attention, we're about to start class."

Just then, Mr. Uei, who was standing in the center of the martial arts arena, clapped his hands.

The efficiency of the school's maintenance department at the Shinigami Academy is astonishing. In just a short while, the school workers who arrived had already repaired the floor of the martial arts arena.

"Old Zheng, focus on the lesson first."

"Yes, listen to the lecture!"

Zheng Jing listened attentively for the entire morning.

Although he had learned some techniques before, they were ultimately different from the methods taught by the professors at the Shinigami Academy, which utilized extraordinary energy.

Perhaps because Zheng Jing was also there, Professor Shangjing's theoretical knowledge throughout the morning was very basic.

At least Zheng Jing listened to it repeatedly and didn't find anything difficult about it.

As for the sparring session in the last class, unfortunately, perhaps because they had witnessed Zheng Jing and Teacher Shangjing's sparring, not a single person in the entire class took the initiative to seek out him for sparring.

In the end, Aizen, whose smile was slightly bitter, was grabbed by Zheng Jing and confronted for the entire class period until Teacher Shangjing called a halt. Only then did Zheng Jing, looking refreshed, stop fighting with Aizen, whose clothes were somewhat disheveled.

After the morning classes, it's lunch and a break.