All of the instructors from both academies were looking on with a gleam of approval in their eyes. These two students were truly worthy of their title as the number one prodigy of their respective academies. Their cultivation base, battle techniques, and battle instincts were completely unmatched among their peers. As they continued to clash over and over again, the platform that Celestial Being Warrior Academy had spent an exorbitant sum of money to construct trembled incessantly, resembling a boat on a stormy sea. All of a sudden, the two combatants roared in unison as their weapons clashed, and a cringe-inducing metallic grating sound rang out as both weapons flew out of their hands. Two of the instructors in the spectator stands immediately flew up in unison to intercept the weapons before they could fly into the crowd. The two combatants on the platform had already switched to hand-to-hand combat, clearly evenly matched in armed combat. Huang Yifan heaved a faint sigh. He knew that strictly speaking, Wu Zhibing had already lost. His spear was over 180 kilograms, while Shui Lianjiang's sword only weighed a paltry 4.5 kilograms![1] Given such a drastic weight difference, the fact that they were still equal in armed combat clearly indicated that Shui Lianjiang was the superior warrior, and now that they had switched to hand-to-hand combat, Shui Lianjiang's advantage was only going to become more apparent. Sure enough, Wu Zhibing was clearly beginning to struggle, while Shui Lianjiang was brimming with confidence. He could sense that Wu Zhibing's strength was inferior to his. "Just surrender, Wu Zhibing! Your White Cloud Warrior Academy can't defeat our Celestial Being Warrior Academy!" Wu Zhibing gritted his teeth tightly as he continued to fight with all his might. Shui Lianjiang continued to exert more pressure as he chortled, "Do you know what a celestial being is? A celestial being is someone who resides in the heavens above the clouds! In other words, white clouds are destined to be trodden on by celestial beings!" The expressions of all of the White Cloud Warrior Academy personnel present instantly darkened upon hearing this, and even the instructors of Celestial Being Warrior Academy were looking a little discontent, clearly of the opinion that Shui Lianjiang had gone too far. A furious look appeared on his face as he roared, "Celestial beings are not transcendent above all things! There are white clouds even above them!" All of a sudden, Wu Zhibing completely changed fighting styles, adopting a reckless, all-out-attack approach as he roared, "Even celestial beings will die someday, but clouds will always exist! White clouds are eternal!" After around a dozen consecutive fist-on-fist clashes, Wu Zhibing's knuckles were already beginning to bleed, while Shui Liangjiang's hands were only looking a little swollen. However, Wu Zhibing was completely unfazed as he charged headfirst at Shui Lianjiang, and the two of them continued to exchange blows. A punch from Shui Liangjiang struck Wu Zhibing in the face, and his handsome features quickly swelled beyond recognition, but in exchange, Wu Zhibing had also managed to land a punch on Shui Liangjiang's eye socket, giving him a black eye. The two of them sprang back in unison before throwing themselves at each other again. Wu Zhibing received another punch to the face, while Shui Lianjiang was struck in his right eye, giving him a pair of black eyes! After another flurry of exchanges, the two of them separated once again, and at this point, both of them were completely unrecognizable. Mo Ganyun and the others had risen to their feet, standing in a display of respect and solidarity toward Wu Zhibing. Wu Zhibing came from a prominent clan, and in a sense, he had already transcended beyond his peers, seeing as he had an official post in the Hall of Protectionists. However, none of that was stopping him from fighting with his heart and soul laid bare. For the sake of the academy's honor, he had no regard for his own image. Through his actions, Wu Zhibing was teaching all of his underclassmen that the glory of the academy was to be prioritized above all else! From the waning forces of their blows, everyone could tell that the battle was nearing a conclusion. Wu Zhibing was clearly in a worse state than his opponent, his defeat seemed inevitable. Shui Lianjiang took advantage of what seemed like a slight error from Wu Zhibing to put him in an armlock, effectively ending the battle. "You've lost, Wu Zhibing!" he declared in a triumphant manner. However, a smile suddenly appeared on Wu Zhibing's bloodied and battered face, and he abruptly swung around with a loud roar, snapping his own arm! Immediately thereafter, he mustered up all of his remaining strength to kick Shui Lianjiang in the lower abdomen, sending him flying off the platform. There was a stunned look on his face as he landed outside the platform, still holding onto half of Wu Zhibing's arm. Never had he imagined that a perfectionist like Wu Zhibing would resort to something . On the platform, Wu Zhibing threw his head back and let loose a triumphant roar, even as blood gushed out of his ruined arm. The remaining upper half of his left arm was hanging by his side like a twisted pretzel, and all of the stunned medical staff instantly rushed onto the platform. Never had they imagined that the cold and arrogant Wu Zhibing would secure victory in this fashion. That arm of his was clearly ruined. Even if it could be regrown by consuming natural treasures, there was no way it would fully recover anytime soon. Standing on the platform, Wu Zhibing loudly declared, "My time in White Cloud Warrior Academy is now fulfilled! I've lost for four consecutive years, but I've finally redeemed myself! I express my utmost gratitude to White Cloud Warrior Academy for these past five years of education! May the glory of White Cloud Warrior Academy remain eternal!" He extended a deep bow, only to topple onto his head, unconscious. "Carry him away for treatment! Hurry!" Huang Yifan yelled in a frantic manner. "Where's the Regrowth Pill? Bring it to me right now!" Taking the Regrowth Pill now would be sure to be more effective taking it later. An elderly man from Celestial Being Warrior Academy flew onto the platform with a brocade box. "Here's the Regrowth Pill! Feed it to him now!" "No need to thank us. A child like him must be saved!" With that victory, White Cloud Warrior Academy had progressed to the grand final. Mo Ganyun and the others remained silent, still stunned by what they had just witnessed. After a long silence, Yu Zhongge shuddered as he snapped back to his senses. "I'm getting chills!" "That was so badass!" Qiu Yunshang exclaimed with starstruck eyes. "Upperclassman Wu is my role model!" Mo Ganyun declared. "This is the White Cloud spirit!" "It's a pity Boss isn't here to see this." Mo Ganyun heaved a faint sigh. "We're up soon," Yu Zhongge said. "As long as we don't get matched up against Celestial Being Warrior Academy, we should have no problems reaching the grand final." "I really wish Boss was here," Jing Shuanggao sighed. They knew that they had no chances at all against Celestial Being Warrior Academy.. At the moment, Mo Ganyun possessed the loftiest cultivation base of the five, yet even he was only a fourth-rank General, while the Celestial Being Warrior Academy team had a fourth-rank General, two fifth-ranks, a sixth-rank, and a seventh-rank. It was a completely hopeless matchup. "Even if defeat is inevitable, we still have to fight!" Yu Zhongge declared with a look of resolve in his eyes. "We can be defeated, but we cannot surrender!" "That's right!" Mo Ganyun chimed in through gritted teeth. "We must follow Upperclassman Wu's lead. Even if we lose, we have to leave it all out there on the platform!" Dong Yunyu forced himself out of his unconscious stupor, only to faint again from relief upon learning that White Cloud Warrior Academy had emerged victorious. He was immediately taken away for treatment along with the four other members of the team. "Up next are the first-year semifinal matches! Lots will be drawn to decide the matchups. Captains, please step forward." As the captain, Yu Zhongge was tasked with drawing lots, and to his relief, he had drawn Great Divination Warrior Academy. Grim looks appeared on the faces of the Great Divination Warrior Academy and West River Warrior Academy first-year teams at this outcome. Celestial Being Warrior Academy and White Cloud Warrior Academy stood heads and shoulders above the rest as the two strongest teams, standing as insurmountable hurdles for all of the other teams. The only hope that the other two academies had of securing second place was if the two powerhouse teams came up against each other in the semifinal, but their hopes had been dashed. The two teams would just have to settle for fighting for third place now. Sure enough, White Cloud Warrior Academy and Celestial Being Warrior Academy were able to secure victory in their respective matches with ease, setting up a mouthwatering grand final. ɴᴇᴡ ɴᴏᴠᴇʟ ᴄʜᴀᴘᴛᴇʀs ᴀʀᴇ ᴘᴜʙʟɪsʜᴇᴅ ᴏɴ novel⸺fire.net White Cloud Warrior Academy's victory was met with a mixed chorus of cheers and boos. Their team name had attracted them a great deal of hostility. How could a bunch of first-year brats be so shameless as to refer to themselves as Heavenly Lords?! Among the five-man team, Mo Ganyun received the most attention, not just for his towering frame, but also for his red headband. All of the spectators were wondering why he was wearing the headband and who this Fang Che was. Mo Ganyun had been asked about his headband on multiple occasions by his opponents, but he refused to provide an explanation, keeping everyone in the dark. The next morning, before the sun had even fully risen, Fang Che made his way into Heavenly Capital City, looking as stunning and handsome as ever. 1. Roughly 397 and 10 pounds, respectively. ☜