Zhao Tianxing’s lips twitched at the words. He thought to himself, “Qianzi, you really didn’t need to say that last part. Now I look even more like a clown.”

Lan Ling’s gaze turned cold. Looking at Qian Shen, who dared to defy a senior, he said calmly, “Zhou Ke, why don’t you also give this junior some pointers?”

Just as Zhou Ke was about to approach Qian Shen, a flash of lightning appeared in the air.

To everyone’s surprise, Bai Zhenzhen, accompanied by a gust of wind, materialized in front of Zhou Ke.

Zhao Tianxing frowned slightly, thinking, “Didn’t I tell them not to come? Why are they here again?”

He seemed to recall Bai Zhenzhen being flung away by Lan Ling several months ago.

Although Bai Zhenzhen’s strength had advanced rapidly in recent months, the second-year students had also been cultivating and progressing. To Zhao Tianxing, the one-year gap in training time was simply impossible to bridge.

“You want to fight, do you?” Bai Zhenzhen snorted coldly, looking at Zhou Ke. “I’ll fight you.”

Then Lan Ling said, “Zhou Ke, you should rest first and recover your strength.”

Lan Ling said this because, based on Bai Zhenzhen’s previous performance in the physical competition, he felt that Zhou Ke might not be her match.

Of course, Lan Ling couldn’t allow Bai Zhenzhen, a first-year student, to publicly challenge a second-year senior in front of so many people.

So, he casually found an excuse to dismiss Zhou Ke, then stepped forward to meet Bai Zhenzhen’s gaze.

Lan Ling smiled faintly and said casually, “Junior, it’s been a few months. Let me give you some more pointers…”

Before Lan Ling could finish speaking, Bai Zhenzhen’s right leg seemed to vanish into thin air, then exploded in a burst of air current against Lan Ling’s abdomen.

Just like their spar a few months ago, Bai Zhenzhen’s kick landed on Lan Ling, but this time the outcome was entirely different.

Lan Ling’s expression shifted slightly, and his body, which had been as steady as a mountain, was forced back two steps.

“Senior, it seems you’ve underestimated me.”

As Bai Zhenzhen spoke, she vanished from Lan Ling’s sight.

Lei Jun’s eyes lit up. He thought, “It’s been a long time since I saw Bai Zhenzhen fight with her full strength. She’s become this much stronger?”

“A good sneak attack,” Lei Jun praised sincerely. “Remember, sneak attacks are a profound art in real combat, and often the best choice for the weaker side to defeat the stronger.”

The next moment, electric light seemed to flicker back and forth in the air within the arena.

Bai Zhenzhen’s blurry figure darted about like a phantom.

To the astonished gazes of the many first and second-year students, Bai Zhenzhen transformed into a tempest, completely engulfing Lan Ling.

Electric flashes accompanied by air currents continuously erupted on Lan Ling’s body, like cannonballs striking him, forcing him back step by step.

Lan Ling protected his vital points with both hands, watching the scene in equal astonishment. He thought to himself, “Bai Zhenzhen actually possesses this kind of strength now?”

“In just a few short months, she… she actually reached a level where she can fight me?”

Thinking of this, an intense wave of jealousy surged within Lan Ling.

How much money, effort, and time had he spent to reach this point?

Yet this pauper, with less money and less time, was already nearing his level?

With a loud boom, Lan Ling’s internal energy surged dramatically. His right palm began to expand with a violent pulsation, quickly turning crimson and doubling in size.

This was precisely Lan Ling’s expert-level cultivation technique: Heart Essence Great Hand Seal, Level 5 Activation!

Not only did it involve the forceful expansion of muscles, but it also concentrated the power of his entire body’s circulating energy into this single palm strike.

With a slight push of the palm, Bai Zhenzhen felt the air pressing in like a solid wall, the oppressive force seemingly designed to suffocate her.

“I can’t directly clash with his power,” Bai Zhenzhen thought, retreating swiftly and evading the palm strike.

In an instant, the two fighters on the field seemed to be battling remotely. Lan Ling couldn’t catch Bai Zhenzhen, and Bai Zhenzhen refused to meet Lan Ling head-on.

At this moment, Lan Ling lightly shouted, “Junior, do you not even dare to take one of my palm strikes?”

“A classic opening provocation,” Lei Jun analyzed. “Remember, provoking an opponent, disturbing their mindset, and even making them abandon their advantages to play to their weaknesses—these are all profound aspects of provocation, and they’ll be tested in your theoretical exams.”

The numerous first-year students nodded repeatedly upon hearing this.

Lan Ling, however, frowned and couldn’t help but glance at Lei Jun.

Just then, the rapidly moving Bai Zhenzhen scoffed, “Lan Ling, with your level, you can’t even defeat a first-year student like me. It looks like you’ve already got one foot in a vocational college. All these years of studying have truly been wasted.”

Lan Ling gritted his teeth fiercely at her words, his internal energy seemingly boiling even more intensely.

“Excellent insult!” Lei Jun commented from the side. “Listen to how Bai Zhenzhen’s few short sentences are not only full of aggression but also tailored specifically for her opponent, immediately making him agitated.”

“Sneak attacks, provocations, insults – these are all fundamental knowledge for real combat, and key points for the theoretical exams. Pay close attention and remember them well…”

Lan Ling grew increasingly infuriated by the remarks. Wasn’t this implying he was destined for a vocational college?

To Lan Ling, this was an utter humiliation. He had studied diligently since childhood and had never once been told such an insulting thing as being destined for a vocational college.

Lan Ling watched Bai Zhenzhen approach again, then let out a furious roar as surging magical power mixed with air erupted from his mouth.

Layers of visible ripples spread outwards in all directions.

This was another expert-level technique: Lion’s Roar Skill, Level 5 Activation!

Roaring sound waves swept in every direction, launching an all-out attack on the space surrounding Lan Ling.

Just as Lan Ling felt his attack was sure to hit Bai Zhenzhen,

Bai Zhenzhen, seemingly anticipating it, shimmered with electric light. The instant he activated his Lion’s Roar Skill, she had already changed direction and darted away.

In Bai Zhenzhen’s eyes, Lan Ling’s exasperated expression, signaling a major move, was simply too obvious.

Furthermore, the farther the Lion’s Roar Skill’s sound waves traveled, the more their power diminished. Bai Zhenzhen easily withstood them and attacked Lan Ling once more.

At this point, after deactivating his Heart Essence Great Hand Seal and unleashing the Lion’s Roar Skill, Lan Ling’s stamina and magical power were clearly no longer at their peak in Bai Zhenzhen’s perception. Every move and stance was now full of openings.

Amidst explosive sounds of “bang! bang! bang! bang!”, Bai Zhenzhen and Lan Ling engaged in a fierce battle.

Palms and fingers clashed, unleashing thunderous roars of wind and lightning.

With a whoosh, Bai Zhenzhen retracted her attack and retreated, looking at Lan Ling with a faint smile. “Want to keep fighting?”

Lan Ling snorted, suppressing the Lion’s Roar Skill that was about to erupt from his throat. He then said, “Junior, are you scared?”

Just then, Lei Jun exclaimed, “Excellent!”

“This insult, a direct slap in the face that strikes at the heart—remember it well.”

Lan Ling frowned slightly, then reacted, looking down at his chest. His clothes were torn, revealing a wound with faint traces of blood.

That wound was inflicted by Bai Zhenzhen during their recent exchange, using ‘Body-Piercing Sword Qi’ combined with ‘Formless Sword Arts’, further amplified by her true spiritual root.

The attack wasn’t particularly powerful, merely breaking Lan Ling’s skin and leaving some bloodstains.

However, the wound formed a few characters: “Vocational college student.”

Fury!

It surged within Lan Ling’s heart.

Meanwhile, Lei Jun was still speaking. “See? Isn’t the effect excellent?”

“I’ve told you before, during the college entrance exam, you’re fighting Yellow Turban Warriors, so you just need to go all out and hit hard. I don’t require you to use real combat techniques in the exam.”

“But real fights in reality are different from exams. You absolutely cannot always think about how to injure or kill your opponent. Even if you win, you’ll still lose money; the more you win, the more you lose.”

“Truly formidable combat masters aim to hurt the spirit, not the body. They destroy morale, not flesh.”

“For instance, insults, which you might think are useless in exams, are highly effective in real combat.”

“A true master of insults can leave an opponent physically unharmed, yet after a battle, cause their resolve to crumble, even leading to depression and eventual demise.”

Lan Ling glared fiercely at Lei Jun and roared, “Teacher, haven’t you said too much?”

Lei Jun chuckled. “It’s rare for a second-year student to instruct a first-year, so I certainly can’t waste this opportunity. I need to give everyone a good analysis.”

Lan Ling took a few deep breaths, then glared at Bai Zhenzhen and said, “Tricks of no consequence. Let’s continue.”

“Still want to fight?” Bai Zhenzhen said calmly. “Forget it, I don’t want to engrave more words on you.”

Lan Ling’s face flushed with anger. He retorted, “Bai Zhenzhen! You only managed to scratch my skin when I wasn’t paying attention. How could your true strength ever be a match for mine?”

“He’s getting agitated,” Zhao Tianxing muttered, shaking his head slightly as he watched the scene. “Once you get agitated, you become a complete clown.”

Drawing from his past experiences of being made a clown, Zhao Tianxing deeply understood that when one is at a disadvantage, one must always appear calm and unbothered.

Conversely, if one loses composure, then even if not defeated, they are seen as having lost, and even if not a clown, they appear as one.

“Well, that’s good. Now the clown role has shifted to Lan Ling. What just happened to me doesn’t seem like much anymore.”

Meanwhile.

“Let it go, Senior,” Bai Zhenzhen shook her head, stating calmly, “You’ve already lost your composure.”

Just as Lan Ling was becoming agitated,

Outside the training ground’s main entrance, Zhou Chechen leaned against the wall, sighing helplessly, “Ah, look at you, getting impatient again.”

Then, Zhou Chechen smiled faintly and said to Zhang Yu, who stood before him, “Junior, your gaze makes me quite uncomfortable.”

Zhang Yu, who had arrived outside the training ground just after Bai Zhenzhen, now stared at Zhou Chechen and asked, “Senior, do you want to give me pointers?”

Zhou Chechen, emanating a chilling aura, walked step by step toward Zhang Yu. Looking down at him, he slowly said, “Compared to you, I’m actually more interested in your master, Zhang Pianpian.”

“Junior, don’t think too highly of yourself.”

“Even if I were to do something… it would just be like encountering a barking dog, giving it a casual kick to shut it up, and then seeing if it’s a wild dog or a house pet.”