Chapter 495: The Martial Arts Competition, I Will Challenge You
As the first academy within the North Kingdom, the Buddha Academy boasted three thousand disciples. It had long been led by Lord North, who held the position of headmaster, and was strongly supported by Albert Sitwell, the ruler of the North Kingdom. Thus, in the North Kingdom, it was widely known, just as Kazimir had said, truly a sacred place for martial cultivation that everyone aspired to.
Take the Plainwater Town branch, for example. The major local families in Plainwater Town, as well as those in nearby cities and even the prominent families from the surrounding provinces, all took pride in having their children join the Buddha Academy.
Therefore! The Plainwater Town branch alone had hundreds of disciples, almost encompassing most of the young talents from the surrounding provinces, definitely deserving the reputation of a gathering place for talents and outstanding youths.
At this moment! All the academy disciples had gathered in the vast martial arts arena. In the center of the arena, there were three circular platforms, each with a diameter of over a hundred meters, known as the combat platforms. These were places where the academy disciples usually sparred and honed their skills.
People were on all three combat platforms, currently engaged in combat, each at different levels of proficiency in dark energy: early stage, mid-stage, and late stage.
Opposite the combat platforms, there was a viewing platform where several elders of the academy and over a dozen lecturers sat on rose chairs, enjoying the sparring matches on the combat platforms. They occasionally whispered to each other, offering their evaluations of the disciples’ performances.
Around the combat platforms, the crowd bustled with chatter and discussion. Suddenly! Someone shouted, “Look! The headmaster is here!”
Instantly! Everyone was taken aback. Then, they all turned around and looked in the direction indicated. They saw several familiar figures walking towards them from the corner of a building, a hundred meters away.
Seeing Headmaster Hastiff, the academy disciples were excited. Hastiff was not only the headmaster but also the only Bright Realm cultivator in the Plainwater Town branch. It was rare for ordinary disciples to see him.
“Mr. Sun and Master Clock are also here!”
“Who is that person?”
Soon enough! They noticed Sean, who was walking almost shoulder to shoulder with Hastiff. Sean looked very young and unfamiliar. Obviously, he was not an academy disciple. The fact that Sean, at such a young age, was able to walk alongside Hastiff, and even had Mr. Sun and Kazimir accompanying him on either side, aroused intense curiosity among everyone, leaving them all astonished.
“Could it be that Master Clock has found that Great Ape after searching for hours?”
Some of the disciples in the crowd had also participated in the city-wide search for the Great Ape, so upon seeing Kazimir walking alongside Sean, they immediately guessed Sean’s identity.
“Great Ape?”
“Damn!”
“Someone dares to take such a shameless name?”
“If Master Clock is searching, would he really dare to come?”
For a moment! The crowd seemed to explode with discussion, the voices overlapping. Sean, this “Great Ape,” had stolen the limelight from Hastiff, drawing everyone’s attention to himself.
However! The looks directed at Sean by the academy disciples were distinctly unfriendly! Or rather, they were resentful! Why? Most of the Buddha Academy disciples were descendants of major families, with their own prestige and extraordinary status. It was not easy for them to see Headmaster Hastiff, yet this Great Ape, this little brat, not only dared to come after being personally “invited” by Master Clock, but also had the nerve to have Hastiff personally escort him. This high level of treatment was something they didn’t even dare to imagine!
Yet! This little brat, Great Ape, managed to pull it off! Why?
Amid the complex gazes of hundreds of disciples-some surprised, some doubtful, some angry, some jealous-Sean raised his head high, striding confidently, lifting his extremely proud chin. He completely disregarded the reactions of those academy disciples.
“Headmaster!” The elders and lecturers on the observation platform stepped forward, bowing to Hastiff first and then turning to Sean, asking, “Headmaster, who is this young friend?”
“Correct!” Hastiff nodded and said, “He is the young master of the Gorillas, Great Ape!”
Immediately! The gazes of the elders and lecturers towards Sean became more solemn. Before they could ask more, Hastiff changed the subject, “How is the martial arts competition going?”
“Reporting to the headmaster!” One of the elders said, “The disciples of the three realms are sparring simultaneously. Twelve individuals have been selected from each realm. There are only six spots for the entire academy competition, so we only need to have a finalone-on-one round to determine the final candidates!”
Six spots! Excluding the main headquarters in the imperial capital, the Buddha Academy had a total of eighteen branches within the North Kingdom. With so many disciples, they naturally couldn’t participate as they pleased. Each branch and each realm had only six spots. Adding up the eighteen branches, this meant a total of 108 individuals!
And these 108 individuals were the cream of the crop from each branch!
It was a contest among cultivators!
Selecting the best of the best!
Only the elite among elites could shine in the academy-wide competition, securing a good ranking for their branch and receiving generous rewards!
“Very well!” Hastiff gestured, “Let them continue!”
Having said that! Hastiff led Sean straight to the opposite observation platform. As the headmaster, he naturally took the central position on the observation platform, and Sean, without any hesitation, took a seat beside Hastiff even before he was invited to.
Damn! This scene further infuriated the academy disciples who were already dissatisfied with Sean. Their eyes almost spewed flames as they looked at Sean, and the air was filled with resentment.
However! After Sean sat down next to Hastiff, the latter just smiled faintly and paid no attention. Although the academy disciples were displeased, they didn’t dare to do anything to Sean in front of Hastiff. They could only silently curse the name “Great Ape” countless times in their hearts!
Not only the academy disciples, but even the elders and lecturers who followed behind were very unhappy with Sean. Fortunately, they were not foolish. They understood Hastiff’s purpose in bringing Sean, so they could only endure for the time being, waiting to see how Sean would end up later!
As for the dozen or so disciples who followed from the gate, they spread the arrogant words that Sean had spoken in front of the academy gate. In no time, Sean had earned himself a considerable amount of animosity!
Regarding this! Sean seemed indifferent, as if he hadn’t heard anything, as if he hadn’t seen anything!
Not convinced?
Damn!
Come and challenge me if you’re not convinced!
Amidst this eerie atmosphere, the duels continued, one-on-one on three different platforms, with three matches at different levels taking place simultaneously. Sean arrived with the strength of mid-level dark energy, naturally paying attention to the battle on the mid-level dark energy platform.
Two mid-level dark energy academy disciples stood there. One was burly, muscular like a bull, and the other was more evenly built and shorter. Together, they looked quite mismatched.
“Junior!” Mr. Sun, seated beside Sean, pointed to the burly academy disciple and introduced, “This young man is called Ken, born with divine strength. After activating his bloodline, his strength is unmatched in the same realm. He stands there like a rock, with exceptional defense. Once he launches an attack, few can withstand his iron fists, let alone three moves. He’s truly formidable!”
Such praise was indeed remarkable. Ken, the person previously mentioned by the academy disciples, was undeniably a fearsome character within the academy and in the mid-level dark energy realm.
“Oh,” Sean politely acknowledged Mr. Sun’s praise. Yet, as Ken stepped onto the duel platform, he seemed to overhear Sean and Mr. Sun’s conversation. Suddenly, he turned to look at Sean, a strong disdain evident in his expression, clearly as displeased with Sean as everyone else.
Subsequently, Ken turned to his opponent, gesturing, “Come on, hit me!”
“What?” The smaller academy disciple was taken aback. What’s going on?
“Are you deaf? Come and hit me!” Ken’s voice thundered.
This situation immediately caught the attention of the surrounding academy disciples, including the smaller disciple, who quickly understood Ken’s intent.
Ken was clearly showing off in front of “Great Ape.” Well, now he was going to show whether Sean was extraordinary or if he was just plain ordinary.
“Ken, you’ve picked a fight!” Though the smaller disciple also disliked Sean and understood Ken’s intent, he wasn’t going to easily give up the chance to participate in the academy’s martial arts competition. He gritted his teeth, muttered under his breath, and lunged at Ken. His fist aimed fiercely at Ken’s chest, encased in vigorous dark energy, like a hammer, incredibly forceful.
Thud! Ken activated his dark energy to shield himself and stood there like a rock, unmoving. In just a few meters, his fist landed on Ken’s chest, unimpeded.
However, the force of the punch, while seemingly fierce, was somewhat underwhelming.
Step! Ken’s expression shifted slightly as he took a step back. Just one step.
“Come again!” Ken looked down at the smaller disciple and shouted, “Are you starved today? Acting like a woman!”
How could the smaller disciple endure such humiliation, especially in front of the entire academy, including Headmaster Hastiff and all the elders and instructors? Instantly, his anger towards Ken surpassed his animosity towards Sean. He unleashed three consecutive punches towards Ken’s chest, each delivered with all his might, holding nothing back.
Thud, thud, thud! Under these three punches, Ken retreated five steps, his expression darkening further. It seemed that acting so arrogantly would come at a cost.
“Idiot!” When the smaller disciple, unwilling to give up, threw another punch, Ken, whether he had finished showing off or felt unable to endure, suddenly lifted his right fist and engaged in a direct exchange of blows.
Thud! As expected, with no surprise, a single punch sent the smaller disciple flying more than ten meters, crashing onto the duel platform and struggling to rise.
A single blow! An instant defeat! Just as Mr. Sun had praised, with Ken’s innate divine strength, anyone who could withstand his iron fists was a rare find.
This result immediately caused a stir among the surrounding crowd of academy disciples. They were excited, their eyes shining, applauding and cheering. Simultaneously, they all looked towards Sean, as did Ken. He turned back, gazing at Sean once again, the disdain in his expression even more intense than before the battle. There was a blatant sense of provocation in his demeanor, though he didn’t speak aloud. His haughty expression clearly conveyed, “You think you’re impressive? Beating two practitioners in the same realm with one punch? What you can do, I can do just as well, if not better. You don’t deserve to sit in that position!”
Given Hastiff’s attitude towards Sean, Ken naturally wouldn’t be foolish enough to openly express these thoughts, as doing so would not only humiliate Sean but also disrespect Hastiff.
After a glance, Ken was about to step down from the duel platform when Mr. Sun, wearing a smug smile, turned to Sean and asked, “Young man, what do you think?”
Moreover, as he posed this question, Mr. Sun didn’t bother to lower his voice deliberately. It was evident that he intended to suppress Sean’s arrogance in public, asserting Buddha Academy’s authority through this indirect means. Hastiff and the other elders and instructors also turned their attention in their direction.
Sean understood the hidden meaning behind Mr. Sun’s question. Instead of answering directly, he countered, “Mr. Sun, do you want to hear the truth or a lie?”
Upon hearing this, Mr. Sun, Hastiff, and everyone present were taken aback.
“Heh heh.” After a moment, Mr. Sun awkwardly chuckled, “Speak freely, young man. I want to hear your honest assessment.”
“Well then,” Sean shrugged helplessly and casually remarked, “My strength is inadequate, and I lack explosive power. I seem feeble, almost as if I haven’t eaten in three days.”
Just like Mr. Sun, Sean didn’t bother to lower his voice either. “You wanted to hear it, right? Well, then, I’ll give you an earful!”
In that moment, Mr. Sun was dumbfounded, Hastiff was dumbfounded, and everyone else was utterly dumbfounded. Every pair of eyes glared at Sean, a mix of shock and anger, as if they wanted to rush onto the viewing platform and throttle Sean for his audacious and excessive arrogance.Contentt bel0ngs to N0ve/lDrâ/ma.O(r)g!
“Damn it! I’ll make you show off! I’ll make you show off! I’ll make you show off!!!”
Meanwhile, Ken, who had reached the edge of the duel platform, abruptly changed his expression, halted his steps, turned back, and for the third time, gazed at Sean sitting on the viewing platform. His fury overwhelmed him, disregarding Hastiff’s attitude towards Sean. He raised his right hand, pointed directly at Sean, and through gritted teeth, declared, “Get your ass down here! I challenge you!”