Three hours had passed in the competition hall.
The students inside, far from feeling tired, were extremely excited. Roars of cheers shook the hall.
"Ladies and gentlemen, the final match will officially begin shortly! Will the winner be Luc Du, the second-ranked in the prodigy class 11A01, or the dark horse Lam Minh, the newly emerged genius of class 11A10? Let's find out who will be the winner today!" The MC, standing on the platform with a microphone in hand, announced boisterously.
As soon as the MC finished speaking, the platform moved once again. The individual platforms rumbled powerfully, slowly merging to form a fighting stage hundreds of square meters in size.
At this moment, in the waiting area for the platform defenders, a tall, imposing figure slowly stood up.
It was Luc Du.
A young man with short brown hair, a solid physique that testified to his diligent training, and a height not inferior to Lam Minh's. If Lam Minh was a handsome scholar, then Luc Du was a warrior with a strong, rugged beauty.
He exuded a kind of pressure, the pressure of a true warrior.
He was a man of few words, picking up the long spear beside him. His eyes locked onto Lam Minh, his fighting spirit blazing, making the students sitting nearby hold their breath in suspense.
"Dear fellow students, our Luc Du has appeared! The second-strongest combatant of the 11th grade, one of the top geniuses of the school! This is expected to be a tense battle between a dragon and a tiger!" the MC roared, pushing the atmosphere to its peak.
The stands seemed about to explode.
Compared to Lam Minh, Luc Du's fan base in the school was much larger.
He was both handsome and possessed strong natural talent. Who knows how many girls in the school were head over heels for him.
"Luc Du! Luc Du! I love you!"
"Show that Lam Minh guy what a true prodigy is!"
"Luc Du is number one, no question about it!"
Thousands of cheers for Luc Du rang out.
There were also some who supported Lam Minh, but their numbers were truly insignificant compared to Luc Du's.
"And now, I invite the two contestants to step onto the platform to begin today's platform defense battle! I've just received some information: last week, Luc Du reached 948 blood essence points, a very high number that can be compared to any prodigy in the entire country!" the MC announced, his delivery extremely captivating.
This new information also sparked intense discussions among everyone.
11th grade, 948 blood essence points. Didn't that mean he would break through to the Body Tempering realm in 12th grade?
At this moment, both Lam Minh and Luc Du stepped onto the platform.
Luc Du's every step was extremely steady, demonstrating his rigorous training.
As for Lam Minh, he was light and graceful, his steps gentle.
His whole body seemed to be floating.
This was the effect of Wind Walking. Having reached the Great Achievement realm, each of Lam Minh's steps was like being carried by a gust of wind, lifting him with extreme lightness.
Seeing this, Luc Du's gaze also became solemn.
The two stood facing each other on the platform.
"I have never known who you are, nor do I know why a prodigy like you has appeared." Luc Du said, his voice slightly deep and full of power, "But I know that today, the last one standing on this platform will be me."
Lam Minh smiled. He could feel Luc Du's aura; it was much weaker than his.
948 points, compared to Lam Minh's more than four thousand compressed points.
Lam Minh didn't know how to defeat this guy in a reasonable and logical way.
"You can stay on the platform if you want, but instead of standing, I will make you kneel." Lam Minh replied, his own aura stretching taut accordingly.
The four drops of Golden Dragon Blood Essence circulated throughout his body. Every muscle fiber tensed.
Streams of kinetic energy from Lam Minh's arms, channeled by the Star Manifestation Sword Art, flowed into the wooden sword.
The wooden sword in Lam Minh's hand also hissed, as if reflecting his current mood.
"Is Lam Minh planning to fight a long spear with a wooden sword? Luc Du's spear is the Luc Quang Minh Spear, an heirloom of the Luc family. I heard it's made of heavy iron. Only those from the main lineage of the Luc family, who possess innate powerful strength, can wield it," a student commented upon seeing Lam Minh holding the wooden sword.
Other students also discussed animatedly. A wooden sword against a divine spear?
How many blows could it withstand?
Keng!
Just then, the starting bell rang.
At the same time, it seemed both of them made their move.
Luc Du didn't bother to probe. His body shot forward like a bullet, the long spear in his hand trembling as it thrust straight towards Lam Minh.
"Luc Quang Minh Spear Art!" Luc Du roared with majestic power.
The spear tip was extremely fast, so fast that even the people outside the platform could hear the sound of it cutting through the wind.
Lam Minh immediately activated his Wind Walking.
His body leaped up to dodge the spear tip, the tips of his toes lightly touching the shaft of the spear.
Crash!
The long spear plunged into the platform with a heavy thud.
It created a deep hole, enough to show the weight of the spear Luc Du was using.
Just as Lam Minh was about to counterattack.
Luc Du turned his spear into a kick, launching himself to kick towards Lam Minh's chest.
Lam Minh was taken by surprise and abruptly brought his sword back to defend.
Crash!
This time, it was the sound of Luc Du's foot making contact with the wooden sword.
Lam Minh was pushed back a few steps.
His eyes showed surprise. He had used 100% of his strength in that last kick.
Yet he couldn't even push Lam Minh back.
And Lam Minh was suspended in the air, with no firm footing to take the blow.
Lam Minh's sword trembled after the kick.
If it were an ordinary wooden sword, it would probably have shattered into pieces.
But in Lam Minh's hand, it was protected by the kinetic energy of the Star Manifestation Sword Art, leaving the sword completely unharmed.
Lam Minh now realized that Luc Du was a true combat expert. His moves were completely streamlined and effective, with no wasted motion.
"Lam Minh has pushed back Luc Du after just one exchange! It seems our Luc Du has suffered a hidden loss in that last blow!" the MC commented amidst the cheers from the stands.
Everyone had witnessed the exchange just now; it was clear that Lam Minh had the upper hand.
This made Luc Du's fans very upset.
"Now it's my turn." Lam Minh turned into an afterimage, his body vanishing into thin air.
Luc Du only had time to feel a gust of wind hit his face.
He used the shaft of his spear to block vertically along his body.
Bang!
Lam Minh's wooden sword struck the long spear.
Luc Du only had time to feel an unstoppable force transmitted from his arms.
His hands lost control, and the spear was pushed by the residual force, slamming into his body.
Luc Du was sent flying several dozen meters away.
His body rolled a few times on the ground, and he coughed up a mouthful of blood.
His eyes were wide open, staring at Lam Minh with a look of disbelief.
Luc Du had always been confident in his superior strength compared to students his age. He even believed he was stronger than the number one in class 11A01.
But today, he had been sent flying by Lam Minh with just one blow.
"What just happened?! Luc Du was sent flying with just one blow! What is Lam Minh's true strength?! Could it be that Lam Minh has already broken through to the Body Tempering realm?!" The MC questioned after seeing Luc Du get sent flying.
Lam Minh looked at Luc Du, his eyes filled with arrogance.
"I've been underestimated," Luc Du slowly stood up.
He gripped the shaft of his spear tightly.
He softly chanted, "Storm of Pear Blossoms Spear."
His hands rapidly brandished the spear, creating afterimages that enveloped his body. He quickly closed in on Lam Minh.
The blow had not yet arrived, but a gust of kinetic wind had already hit Lam Minh's face, making his hair dance.
"You want a direct confrontation?" Lam Minh knew it was time to end this match.
With his overwhelming strength, the fact that he had fought until now was to give Luc Du some face.
After all, Luc Du was still the top genius of the school.
Lam Minh's eyes sharpened, as if beams of starlight were shooting out from his black pupils.
All four drops of Golden Dragon Blood Essence circulated wildly.
"Star Manifestation Sword Art – Third Form, Seven Stars Chain Sword!"
The wooden sword in Lam Minh's hand trembled violently, as if under immense pressure.
Lam Minh swung his sword, and in an instant, seven sword images slashed out. Each sword image accurately struck the weak points of the spear image created by Luc Du.
Keng! Keng! Keng! Keng! Keng! Keng! Keng!
Seven impact sounds rang out at the same time.
The sword qi pierced through the spear image and struck Luc Du directly.
Crash!
Luc Du was hit. His body was thrown backward, and his hands lost control, dropping the spear.
If it had been a real sword, Luc Du would probably have died.
Before losing consciousness, he only had time to think one thing: "How did he break my Storm of Pear Blossoms Spear?"
This was the move Luc Du was most confident in. The gravity from the spear shaft combined with the exquisite application of kinetic energy in the move.
A very dangerous and difficult move to break.
Luc Du fell off the platform. The long spear fell to the ground at the same time, creating a heavy thud.
The stands were now dead silent.
The MC's heavy breathing could be heard through the microphone.
Then, a thunderous roar of cheers erupted from everywhere.
"LAM MINH!!! LAM MINH!!! LAM MINH!!!"
"Luc Du has been defeated! The winner is Classmate Lam! From today on, Lam Minh will be the number 2 genius of class 11A01! Congratulations!" The MC shouted with excitement.
"This Lam Minh guy... is insane!" Le Dao Khuc was still in a daze after Lam Minh's victory.
The sound of excitement seemed to announce the fall of one genius and the rise of another.
Lam Minh was now enjoying the cheers from the stands.
But not for long. Lam Minh calmed down.
"Winning against a guy because of superior blood essence, there's nothing to be proud of," Lam Minh muttered, stepping off the platform, ignoring all the praise from everyone.
At this moment, Principal Ma appeared and shook Lam Minh's hand.
"Lam Minh, truly outstanding! From now on, the school will focus on nurturing you, hahaha," Principal Ma said, shaking his hand and pulling him along.
"Yes, sir," Lam Minh replied.
For Lam Minh, the school's nurturing was not important.
What place could provide better training than the Bach Hoang Dojo right now?
There wasn't even a single Qi Refining cultivator in the school.
"Classmate Lam, can you come with me to check your blood essence?" Mr. Ma continued.
He was suspicious of Lam Minh's cultivation. This level of strength couldn't possibly be below 1000 blood essence points.
And it was also possible that he had already stepped into the Body Tempering realm.
16 years old, Body Tempering realm. He didn't even dare to imagine what it would be like if the Combat Universities found out about Lam Minh.
It could even be an early special admission.
"Alright, Principal. But I want to keep the information confidential. Only you will know the test results, okay?" Lam Minh said.
He didn't want to make too big of a splash.
Being a genius was great, but being too monstrous would attract attention.
Lam Minh followed Mr. Ma into a car.
The two of them left amidst fervent gazes.
Le Dao Khuc stood watching from a quiet corner, a smile on his lips.
This kid has really hit his growth spurt.