188: One move

Inokong Yukiko was slightly surprised to see Chen Du arriving late.

Seeing how confident he was earlier, she had expected him to be the first to reach the finish line on the No. 5 track, but she didn't expect him to be the last.

She had just been wondering how to battle Xiongfeng Kenjiro, but she didn't expect the third person to be Chen Du!

Although everyone was a No. 5 student, the academy's advantage gave her great confidence; after all, in clashes between Black Dragon and Qilin, Black Dragon had always won more than it lost!

Every Move at the finish line of the No. 5 track was quickly noticed.

Apart from Wang Dadi, who was the first to enter the second stage, the audience didn't have any particular reaction to the subsequent students who entered the second stage.

After all, it wasn't very exciting, but a head-to-head showdown was different.

This mode of competing to see who would be the second to enter the second stage was much more interesting!

Every pair of competing contestants had the same seat number, which made the freshmen very curious about which university was stronger!

As students in ordinary classes, they couldn't feel the difference.

In their eyes, the Three Great Academies were completely equal.

"Damn, Black Dragon University seems pretty fierce!"

"Earlier, I saw that girl named Zhou Xiaogu, she looked so pretty, I thought she was just a vase."

"I didn't expect her to beat our school's Xuan Yuan Tai Shan like a dog!"

Many students were whispering off the stage.

"It seems the No. 5 track is also about to witness a victory."

"Excluding Xiongfeng Kenjiro, who was the first to step into the Spirit Realm, the second spot to enter the Spirit Realm will now be decided between Inokong Yukiko from Black Dragon Martial Arts University and Chen Du from Qilin Martial Arts University!"

"Let us wait and see!"

"Damn! The girl will definitely win!"

"Every time I bet on the guy, I lose!"

In the audience, a sturdy man who was two and a half meters tall gritted his teeth and said firmly.

"Traitor! How can you not support your own school!"

The sturdy man replied angrily, "If I keep supporting my own school, my points will all end up working for you!"

"I'm going to win it all back this round; I'm going all-in on Inokong Yukiko."

"Once I win later, everything I owe you will be cleared!"

"Fine, I don't like winning your points anyway; I'll bet on Chen Du, just to support a junior!"

Pang Tian Ce, sitting in the front row, looked at Chen Du on the screen with a smile.

He knew that Chen Du didn't have any special strengths in terms of speed, so it was reasonable that he wasn't fast.

In previous Three-School Joint Martial Arts Competitions, Black Dragon Martial Arts University had always won more than it lost, and its strength was obvious to all.

"Ka Tu, why don't we have a bet to see who will be the second person to enter the Spirit Realm on the No. 5 track?"

"Let's bet one bottle of holy healing water."

"I'll bet on Chen Du, and you bet on Inokong Yukiko."

Pang Tian Ce suddenly spoke, saying this to Ka Tu, the Vice-Principal of Black Dragon Martial Arts University who was sitting to his right.

Ka Tu did not answer immediately upon hearing this, but blinked while looking at Pang Tian Ce's kindly face, and asked suspiciously, "Old Pang, you aren't trying to trick me, are you?"

"Could it be that this Chen Du has some extraordinary skills?"

Pang Tian Ce laughed, "You kid! What nonsense are you spouting!"

"I don't even know this student! I was just caught up in the atmosphere and felt like playing a little on a whim."

"Besides, it's just a bottle of holy healing water; it's not anything particularly precious."

"If I win, I'll take it and give it to Chen Du, and I'll say it was a gift from you; everyone will be happy."

"If you win, you can give it to Inokong Yukiko and say it was a gift from me; it's just for good luck!"

Ka Tu pondered for a moment; for someone of his level, holy healing water was indeed not very precious.

He was a person who found it difficult to accept failure, regardless of the form of failure.

Because of his work, Ka Tu had some knowledge of the seven Grade A students and knew that Inokong Yukiko was a practical combatant, and speed was not her strong suit.

Furthermore, Pang Tian Ce's work involved dealing with alien civilizations, so it was reasonable that he didn't know this student named Chen Du!

He roughly estimated that the probability of Inokong Yukiko defeating Chen Du should be over seventy percent!

He didn't care if Pang Tian Ce was acting on a whim, but his damn desire to win had flared up, and he couldn't suppress it.

"Fine, just one bottle of holy healing water; I'll play along with you!"

At the finish line of the No. 5 track.

Chen Du stood with his longsword, confronting Inokong Yukiko.

After the System confirmed that both were in position, a technological-sounding "Start" signaled the beginning of the battle.

The two did not say a word from start to finish, and Inokong Yukiko made the first Move without any hesitation.

She held her katana in a reverse grip like a kunai and attacked Chen Du with a low stance.

Chen Du saw at a glance that this was the first Move of the Holy Mother Sword Technique: Boundless Love!

It was a Move that looked like an attack but was actually defensive, mainly used to test the opponent's strength.

A test? There was no need for that!

Chen Du's eyes suddenly became incredibly sharp, as if they could pierce through all obstacles.

The energy within his body surged rapidly, and his Martial Skill was instantly elevated to its limit.

At the same time, his powerful Mental Energy surged out like a raging tide, tightly attaching itself to the surface of his body.

His 18.6-level Mental Energy, like an indestructible solidified armor, tightly wrapped around Chen Du.

At this moment, Chen Du exuded a heart-palpitating aura.

Inokong Yukiko, who was charging forward, stared at the scene before her in astonishment and couldn't help but exclaim, "Your Mental Energy... how can it be so powerful!"

You have to know, to make Mental Energy appear to be in a solidified state, you need to reach at least level 15!

But it had only been a month since school started; how could someone already be able to Cultivate their Mental Energy to such a terrifying level?

Could it be that this Chen Du is a Mental Energy Martial Artist?

Just as Inokong Yukiko was secretly speculating in her heart, the longsword in Chen Du's hand had already fiercely collided with her katana.

There was a loud "Clang," and sparks flew everywhere.

The moment the weapons clashed, an overwhelming, earth-shattering force came from Chen Du's sword.

Inokong Yukiko immediately felt a sharp pain in her palm; the crook of her thumb felt as if it had been struck by a cleaver, instantly splitting open and spurting blood.

Immediately after, she clearly heard a crisp "Crack" sound.

Her wrist had actually broken!

Inokong Yukiko's face instantly turned pale, and beads of sweat the size of beans rolled down her forehead.

This was definitely not the strength a Mental Energy Martial Artist could possess!

This power was far above hers!

The incredibly sharp katana, the moment it collided head-on with this powerful force, was like being struck by an invisible giant wave, and it flew backward at an astonishing speed!

Accompanied by the screeching sound of metal friction and flying sparks, the katana pierced straight into the track wall made of steel.

The entire blade was almost completely embedded in it, leaving only the hilt trembling slightly, as if recounting the terrifying power of that blow just now.

As for Inokong Yukiko herself, she was like a kite with a broken string, staggering back several steps before barely steadying herself.

Her eyes were wide open, her face full of disbelief, and she looked with panic at the man named Chen Du before her.

"One Move..."

"He actually defeated me in one Move!"

Inokong Yukiko said in despair, her voice trembling slightly; as a Grade A student, could she not even make it into the second stage?

She had always had absolute confidence in her own strength, and even in the strongest Black Dragon Class, she was one of the top students.

However, at this moment, the cruel reality dealt her a heavy blow.

At this moment, Inokong Yukiko's heart was full of confusion, as if the previous month had been spent living in a lie.

Who exactly told her that Qilin Martial Arts University was the worst?