C7 Challenge

As Zhang Heng finished his sentence, his gaze suddenly intensified. Despite having the lowest cultivation level among those present, his theoretical knowledge and Spiritual Energy were substantial. Coupled with his 300 years of prior cultivation, he was more than capable of handling these youngsters.

He began by concentrating his Spiritual Energy into his fist before launching a punch. The opponent, clearly not one to be underestimated, quickly dodged. Yet, unbeknownst to him, Zhang Heng's move was a feint. While his punch appeared fierce and powerful, it was actually a distraction for his other hand, which was quietly gathering strength.

In the moment the man dodged, Zhang Heng's other hand struck him squarely. This was merely the opening salvo.

The man was somewhat shaken by Zhang Heng's blow, but he managed to stand his ground.

"Is that the extent of your power? It's pretty much what I expected," he taunted.

"Oh?" Zhang Heng responded with a sneer, possibly infuriating the man in black.

"I've heard your cultivation level is the lowest, so you surely can't have mastered any significant Spiritual Arts. It seems you're limited to mere physical combat, which is quite unfortunate. Allow me to give you a taste of my own Spiritual Arts," the man in black boasted.

He then released a blue glow from his hand, which shot towards Zhang Heng. But Zhang Heng nimbly evaded, sidestepping the spell.

The Spiritual Energy grazed by him and struck the wall, which initially showed no signs of damage. Seconds later, however, a crack emerged.

Frustrated by his failure to hit Zhang Heng, the man repeatedly cast the same spell, sending a barrage of blue bubbles flying at Zhang Heng.

Although Zhang Heng's cultivation wasn't particularly advanced, his SS-grade Spiritual Energy allowed him to perform some basic spells.

As the number of bubbles increased, dodging became increasingly challenging.

"If only I could use the spells I had before," Zhang Heng mused.

One of his former abilities allowed him to automatically appear behind the spellcaster, an excellent tactic for ambushes. In this situation, employing that skill would be incredibly advantageous.

Another well-known ability was spell transference, but very few individuals were capable of executing it.

Before, such a feat would have been a simple task for Zhang Heng. But now, casting even a brief, ordinary spell was a rare occurrence for him.

Despite possessing SS-tier Spiritual Energy and a vast reserve of knowledge, along with the power from 300 years ago, his cultivation level was akin to that of a good-for-nothing. To the average person, he seemed like a decorative vase—pleasing to the eye but of no practical use. Owning such gifts without the ability to cultivate was like being a beautiful, yet empty, vase.

Then, an idea struck him.

Harnessing his Spiritual Energy, he conjured a staircase in the air. With his nimble body, he ascended the steps and positioned himself behind the man in black.

Using his Spiritual Energy, he transformed it into a fist and struck with force.

The man in black was clearly taken by surprise, not expecting this tactic, and the event unfolded too quickly for onlookers to grasp how it was accomplished.

The man collapsed to the ground, blood spilling from his mouth.

And with that, the fight was over.

His underlings hurried over, shocked that the man in black had been so soundly defeated by a Star God. They hadn't considered the consequences and rushed to his aid.

They propped up the man in black.

His gaze was vacant.

Gone was the divine weapon's presence, leaving him as pliable as a zombie.

"Guo Yuan, Guo Yuan!" they called out.

"Big brother! Big brother!" they continued to clamor.

Zhang Heng, however, listened in silence. He hadn't anticipated that the man in black was their leader. He pondered whether to demand that their "big brother" kneel. Such an act could unleash a torrent of violence, yet not doing so would leave his own thirst for vengeance unquenched.

While he deliberated, the man abruptly came to.

His eyes lost their vacant look and began to focus. Seeing the person shaking him, he seemed momentarily bewildered.

Then, with a flash of clarity, he exclaimed, "Stop shaking me, I'm not dead!"

The bystander, realizing he had come to his senses, stood back up.

The man in black, supported by his subordinate, faced Zhang Heng and said incredulously, "Impossible, how could you? How did you manage to teleport?"

The man exclaimed in disbelief, "Exactly! How on earth can he teleport? To pull off instantaneous movement, one must have a cultivation level of at least Rank Two. Here at the academy, most folks are either Rank Zero or Rank One, and even our big brother has only just reached Rank Two," chimed in another person nearby.

"You didn't use some kind of weapon or magical artifact, did you? With your current level of strength, do you really think you can take down our big brother?"

The group erupted into a frenzy of shouts and became visibly agitated.

Everyone was skeptical that someone could achieve such a feat, especially since his strength didn't seem to support the ability to teleport. It led them all to suspect he was cheating.

Their commotion, however, caught the attention of their leader.

"Enough! Quiet down, I want to listen to what he has to say," he commanded.

"Why should I tell you?" Zhang Heng replied, standing his ground. He certainly had no obligation to explain himself to Guo Yuan.

Guo Yuan was taken aback by Zhang Heng's response, having not expected him to withhold an answer. He pressed on, "I'm not questioning your integrity; I genuinely want to understand how you did it."

The idea that someone with a cultivation level of zero could defeat him was baffling, not to mention the mystery of how Zhang Heng managed to teleport instantly.

"Is your doubt really of any consequence to me?" Zhang Heng retorted.

"Aren't you supposed to honor your word?"