50: Chapter 50 The Power of the Meteor

Iron Bull.

When that name was uttered by Thunderstorm, the atmosphere of the entire training ground changed.

From the crowd, a young man over two meters tall and built like a prehistoric giant bear stepped out, grinning to reveal a row of forest-white teeth.

With every step he took, the ground trembled along with him.

That was not an exaggerated description.

It was a genuine resonance between the earth and the surging blood qi within his body that was nearly overflowing.

Peak Third-Rank Early Stage!

And he was a monster specializing in strength and constitution!

"Hehe."

Iron Bull stepped onto the Sparring Platform and looked down at Wang Pingan, who was still kneeling on one knee and panting. He patted his chest, which was harder than an iron plate, with a hand as large as a cattail leaf fan.

"Kid, the Chief Instructor called my name, so I can't really refuse."

"But don't worry."

He grinned, a smile filled with beast-like pressure.

"Don't say I'm bullying you just because you finished a ten-thousand-meter run."

"I'll let you make the first move."

"If you can knock me off this platform, you win today!"

These words were arrogant, but not a single student present felt he was bragging.

Iron Bull's strength made him a notable figure among all the Third-Rank Martial Artists in the Special Recruitment Camp.

With his toughened muscles and bones, ordinary Third-Rank Martial Artists couldn't even break through his defense, let alone trade blows with him.

Making a rookie who just broke through and was physically exhausted challenge him?

This was no longer a spar.

This was a one-sided slaughter!

Everyone's gaze converged on Wang Pingan.

They wanted to see what kind of despairing expression this guy, who had just performed a miracle, would have when facing such an absolute gap in power.

However.

Wang Pingan only slowly stood up from the ground.

He patted the dust off his knees, looked up, and calmly gazed at the "human-shaped iron mountain" before him.

His face showed no despair, no fear, not even a hint of nervousness.

"No need."

Wang Pingan spoke, his voice slightly hoarse from the intense exercise but exceptionally clear.

"You go first."

"I'm afraid if I go first, you won't get a chance."

Whoa!

The crowd instantly erupted.

"Did I hear that right? What did he just say?"

"Arrogant! So damn arrogant! Who does he think he is, talking to Brother Bull like that!"

"Still acting tough when death is at his door! Let's see how he ends this today!"

The corner of Cold's mouth curled into a frigid arc once more.

Stupid thing.

Does he really think he can do whatever he wants just because he has good endurance?

Before absolute power, all techniques are a joke!

"Fine!"

"Very well!"

The smile on Iron Bull's face vanished, replaced by a provoked ferocity.

"Kid, you asked for this!"

Before his voice even faded.

The alloy floor beneath his feet suddenly caved in!

His whole body was like a cannonball leaving the chamber, charging straight at Wang Pingan with a whistle that tore through the air!

No fancy moves.

Just the simplest, most direct, and most savage lunging punch!

Before the fist even arrived, the violent wind from the punch already made Wang Pingan's combat suit flap loudly!

Too fast!

Too fierce!

If this punch landed solidly, forget a person—even a reinforced concrete wall would be blasted through on the spot!

Facing this world-destroying punch, Wang Pingan's body made a reaction that no one could understand.

He didn't dodge or evade.

He didn't even put up a blocking stance.

He just stood there quietly, as if he were scared witless.

"It's over!"

"He's dead for sure!"

This thought simultaneously popped into the minds of countless people.

The two lackeys beside Cold already had expressions of cruel satisfaction.

But in the fraction of a second before Iron Bull's massive fist was about to smash into Wang Pingan's face.

Wang Pingan moved.

His body tilted slightly to the left with an extremely small movement.

Just such a simple sidestep.

That heavy punch, capable of splitting stones, whistled past his nose, carrying a searing wave of air!

Boom!

The fist missed and slammed heavily into the ground behind Wang Pingan.

A clear fist print was forced into the hard alloy Sparring Platform!

Having missed once, Iron Bull didn't pause for a moment. Exerting force from his waist, his other arm swung out like an iron whip in a horizontal sweep!

A storm-like assault completely unfolded at this moment!

Lunging punches!

Hooks!

Elbow strikes!

Knee strikes!

Every one of Iron Bull's attacks was heavy and powerful, whistling with force, pushing his terrifying Peak Third-Rank Early Stage strength to its limit!

On the Sparring Platform, only his burly figure could be seen dancing frantically, creating waves of daunting air currents.

And Wang Pingan was like a small boat in a raging sea.

Forced to retreat repeatedly, struggling to cope.

He could only rely on that strange footwork to narrowly escape by a hair's breadth time and again within Iron Bull's airtight network of attacks.

He looked wretched to the extreme.

He looked completely powerless to fight back.

Mockery rose from below the platform once again.

"Pah! I thought he was something special, turns out he's just a loach that only knows how to hide!"

"It's useless. Brother Bull's stamina is famously good. If this keeps up, he'll be worn to death sooner or later!"

"As expected, he's just a flashy show-off, all talk and no action!"

Looking at the completely suppressed figure on the stage, the contempt on Cold's face grew even thicker.

He had completely lost interest.

This kind of trash that only knew how to run wasn't worthy of being his opponent at all.

However.

No one noticed.

Amidst the violent attacks, a massive flow of data was frantically flashing through Wang Pingan's always-calm eyes.

[Eye of Truth], operating at full power!

[Target: Iron Bull]

[Strength: 65.2]

[Speed: 50.5]

[...]

[Analyzing attack patterns...]

[Habitual movement captured: When throwing a right punch, the left foot subconsciously leans forward by 3.7 degrees, leading to core instability...]

[Blood qi circulation trajectory analysis: After every burst of heavy strikes, there is a 0.2-second stagnation when blood qi flows back to the Dantian...]

In Wang Pingan's vision, Iron Bull's violent attacks were no longer a threat.

Instead, they were crystal-clear programs composed of countless pieces of data.

He wasn't dodging.

He was analyzing!

He was waiting!

He was waiting for an opportunity!

A fleeting flaw that would be enough for a lethal blow!

"Roar!"

Unable to land a hit for a long time, Iron Bull had also completely lost his temper.

He abruptly stopped his attack and stomped his feet heavily on the ground, his entire skeleton emitting popping sounds like roasting beans!

Under his bronze skin, cords of muscle bulged high, and his entire body's blood qi erupted without reservation at this moment!

"Stay down!"

A roar.

He gathered all the strength and blood qi of his entire body into his right fist!

This punch was more terrifying than any previous attack!

The air around the fist even produced visible distortion due to the extreme power!

He wanted to use this strongest punch to completely end this boring game of "hide and seek"!

Facing this supreme strike that condensed all of Iron Bull's power.

Wang Pingan still didn't dodge.

He just quietly watched the fist rapidly enlarging in his pupils.

Now!

At the very moment Iron Bull swung this heavy punch—when the old force was spent and the new force had yet to be born.

In the vision of the [Eye of Truth], a red light representing a "flaw" suddenly lit up on Iron Bull's chest!

Wang Pingan moved!

The figure that had been like duckweed in a raging sea earlier vanished at this moment.

His whole being turned into a blurred afterimage, like a phantom; instead of retreating, he advanced, actively cutting into Iron Bull's embrace that was capable of crushing steel!

The blood qi he had been deliberately suppressing and carefully conserving erupted like a bursting dam at this moment!

His seemingly ordinary right fist, at an extremely tricky angle from bottom to top, lightly pressed against Iron Bull's chest.

Meteor Fist Technique, Inch Force!

Thud.

A dull sound that made one's heart feel uneasy.

The sound wasn't loud, yet it carried a terrifyingly destructive piercing power.

Time froze at this moment.

Iron Bull's burly body stiffened in place.

His fist, capable of smashing mountain rocks, stopped less than half an inch from Wang Pingan's face, unable to advance even a fraction further.

He slowly lowered his head.

He looked at his chest, which was harder than refined steel, with a face full of disbelief.

There was only a shallow, almost invisible fist print there.

But starting from that fist print, a condensed, tricky, and extremely overbearing hidden force erupted!

It instantly crushed all his defenses!

It destroyed everything within his chest cavity!

"Ugh..."

Iron Bull opened his mouth, wanting to say something, but a mouthful of fresh blood mixed with fragments of internal organs sprayed wildly from his mouth.

His over-two-meter-tall burly body was like it had been hit head-on by a battering ram.

Thump!

Thump!

Thump!

He retreated seven or eight steps in a row, each step leaving a deep footprint on the alloy floor.

Finally, his legs gave way, and he sat heavily on the ground with a thud.

He looked up at the figure not far away that still maintained its punching posture, with even its breathing not having changed much; his eyes held only deep shock and confusion.

One punch.

With just one punch.

He was defeated.

Defeated so cleanly.

Defeated so completely.

The entire training ground once again fell into a deathly silence.

If Wang Pingan completing that hellish weighted run was proving to everyone that he had the "qualification" to become a powerhouse.

Then this punch...

...was announcing to everyone that he possessed the "lethality" to threaten anyone!

High on the platform, a terrifyingly sharp light exploded in Thunderstorm's eyes, which were as sharp as knives.

And in the crowd, Cold's handsome face had completely darkened.

He stared fixedly at the figure on the stage that he found increasingly troublesome, the malice in his eyes almost condensing into substance.