C22 Winning in the Arena

"I definitely learned a lot from our battle yesterday, but I can tell it's going to be tough to beat you," Zhang Nan said, smiling.

Wuji Zhan paused for a moment before responding, "Are you admitting defeat?"

Shaking his head, Zhang Nan replied, "Admit defeat? That's not in my vocabulary. I'm just stating the facts. Defeating you is indeed a challenge, but not an impossibility. As for you defeating me, the chances are zero."

Wuji Zhan burst into laughter at Zhang Nan's words and said, "That's the spirit I admire. Well then, let's have a proper showdown."

"Sure, we can try something different. We've already tested our spirit weapons, so how about we see who has the superior skills?" Zhang Nan suggested with a chuckle.

With that, Zhang Nan charged at Wuji Zhan, unleashing the Thunderclap Palm.

Wuji Zhan quickly stepped back and yelled, "Explosive Fist!"

As the sound echoed, Zhang Nan saw a massive fist hurtling toward him.

"The fist wind has been shaped into a tangible intent. Dean Wuji, you've kept this quite secret. Your son is incredibly strong, yet you've never mentioned it," Murong Le commented with a grin.

Dean Wuji laughed heartily and replied, "He's trained all by himself; it's not something to fuss over. I didn't even realize he had honed his fist wind to such a degree."

While they spoke, Zhang Nan was on the stage, retreating swiftly as the fist wind pursued him relentlessly. He frowned, hesitated briefly, and then unleashed the Thunderclap Palm once more.

"Shatter!"

The Thunderclap Palm collided with the massive fist, and a thunderous "Boom!" resounded.

The golden fist disintegrated, and Zhang Nan was sent flying to the edge of the stage by the residual force.

Once he regained his footing, Zhang Nan looked over at Wuji Zhan and saw that his genuine energy was nearly depleted.

"You're unharmed? That was my most powerful strike," Wuji Zhan exclaimed, astonished to see Zhang Nan was fine.

Zhang Nan was far from fine; he had merely drawn all his genuine energy back into his body. In fact, the level of genuine energy within Zhang Nan was scarcely greater than that of Wuji Zhan's.

"The strongest? It seems your most powerful skill isn't all that impressive," Zhang Nan commented with a grin.

Wuji Zhan's brow furrowed upon hearing this, but he remained silent. His genuine energy was nearly depleted, and he had no strength left to fight. What he didn't realize was that Zhang Nan's condition was no better than his own.

"I concede defeat," Wuji Zhan declared, shaking his head.

Hearing this, Zhang Nan breathed a sigh of relief and stepped off the stage, not sparing Wuji Zhan a second glance.

Wuji Zhan watched him go and chuckled wryly to himself. "Is it because I'm no match for you?" he muttered under his breath.

Zhang Nan didn't stay around the arena; he cut straight through the crowd and left.

Murong Wan, who understood Zhang Nan better than anyone else present, noticed something was amiss. Knowing Zhang Nan's character, she knew he would never scorn anyone, even in victory. Something was definitely wrong.

Silently, Murong Wan followed Zhang Nan.

"Haha, Dean Wuji, looks like we've won this bout. Do us a favor and dismantle this arena; it's just embarrassing to have it standing here," Murong Le said, bursting into laughter as he walked away.

Dean Wuji's frown deepened at these words. He shot Wuji Zhan a stern look and commanded, "Take down the arena." With that, he turned and departed.

Alone, Zhang Nan trudged down the road. Once he was out of sight, he could no longer stand and collapsed to the ground.

"Are you alright?" Murong Wan, who had been trailing him, rushed to his side with concern.

Upon seeing her, Zhang Nan managed a wry smile. "Why do you keep following me?"

"I sensed something was off with you, so I wanted to see what was really going on. It looks like I was right. If the match had gone on, would you have lost?" Murong Wan asked, her smile tinged with worry.

Zhang Nan nodded with a sense of resignation and remarked, "Yeah, I never anticipated Wuji Zhan being such a tough opponent. If it hadn't been for the arena rules, I might have actually lost."

"Enough about that for now. Let me help you get back," Murong Wan offered, assisting Zhang Nan back to his dormitory.

Once she was sure Zhang Nan was alright, Murong Wan left his room.

With Murong Wan gone, Zhang Nan closed his eyes and began to channel the Firmament Spell. Deep into the night, he opened his eyes and discovered, to his delight, that his genuine energy had significantly intensified.

"It seems that more combat is beneficial for me," he whispered to himself before closing his eyes once more to continue his cultivation.

At the break of dawn, Zhang Nan left the academy on his own. This time, he didn't ask Murong Wan to accompany him. He had realized that something was amiss at the academy, and it would be harder to slip away with Murong Wan by his side.

Zhang Nan ventured alone into the forest beyond the city. The previous day's battle had confirmed his belief that he was better suited to combat-based cultivation. Engaging in more battles would accelerate his progress, so he set out to challenge various Fellbeasts in the wilderness.

Before long, Zhang Nan encountered a python in the woods. The python didn't attack upon seeing him, and Zhang Nan wasn't particularly wary.

He was aware that pythons didn't typically initiate attacks on humans. However, just as Zhang Nan turned to leave, the python lunged at him. Sensing the malice from behind, he quickly accelerated and evaded the python's strike.

"Since you struck first, don't blame me for my lack of mercy," Zhang Nan declared, as he swiftly moved in front of the python and delivered a powerful Thunderclap Palm strike.

With a resounding "Bam!" the python was struck dead by the Thunderclap Palm. Zhang Nan searched the python's body briefly before giving up; this one had no Demon Core.

"What a waste, nothing at all. Why attack me if you have nothing to offer? You've just thrown your life away," Zhang Nan lamented, shaking his head in frustration.

After finishing his statement, Zhang Nan paid no further attention to the python and made his way deeper into the jungle.

However, it wasn't long before he found himself encircled by a pack of Razorclaws. "Wow, quite the turnout," he remarked. "But with so many of you, it's impossible for me to take you all on."

With that, Zhang Nan spun on his heel and dashed off without a moment's hesitation.

The Razorclaws, seeing their quarry attempting to flee, quickly intercepted Zhang Nan and launched an attack.

Realizing escape was futile, Zhang Nan reluctantly engaged in combat with the Razorclaws. But their numbers were overwhelming, and he stood no chance of overcoming them.

"Forget this, I'm not wasting my time with you lot," he declared. Without giving them another thought, Zhang Nan broke away and sprinted off.

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