Chapter 125: Is This a Shennong? How Can He Be So Ruthless?!

As the second drumbeat echoed, the crowd surged around like a marketplace rush.

Zhao Xing also quickened his pace.

After the second drum fell, he finally arrived at the southwestern training grounds.

The vast number of people, over ten thousand, made the place feel like a sea of people.

The four main academies and the other divisions had instructors organizing the crowd, but for the moment, everything was still chaotic.

Moreover, there weren't just over ten thousand people here.

The Shennongs gathered on the northeast side of the field, while in the southwest, another formation had already been waiting for some time.

Their ranks were neat and orderly, each individual strong and imposing, their eyes fixed on the Shennongs with what seemed like malicious intent.

"That's the martial artist formation."

Zhao Xing took one look and understood because Lord Tian had already mentioned before that the first course of the training would forbid the use of spells and that martial artists would be sparring partners.

"But there seem to be fewer of them, around only three thousand, and they're all unarmed."

At that moment, Lord Tian appeared.

He stood nine feet tall, wearing armor, holding a long spear, and bellowed from a platform, "Shennongs of the Di Li Academy, assemble in front of me immediately!"

Zhao Xing rushed forward.

Out of the two hundred people who had passed the fourth trial, 115 were graded as Class B, and 85 were Class A.

Among the Class A, only twenty-one were top-tier talents.

The Di Li Academy had fifty people, the same as the Heaven School, Self School, and Pinghuai Academy.

However, only five from the Di Li Academy were top-tier talents: Zhuang Ziqing, Zhao Xing, Jiang Tianming, Cao Shuang, and Meng Song. Han Bing was only Class A Middle.

The Self School and Pinghuai Academy each had three top-tier talents.

The remaining ten were all from the Heaven School.

Class A Middle and Class A Lower were also mostly from the Heaven School.

So, while the four academies seemed to have equal numbers, their strengths were entirely different.

"Listen carefully!" Lord Tian shouted, "For the next month, all training courses will be Martial Arts Training, and the use of spells is forbidden!"

"And every day will involve actual combat!"

"Do you see the formation on the southwest side?"

"There are only three thousand of them!"

"Like you, they are also reserves, and their highest realm won't exceed the eighth rank."

"Now, those three thousand are your enemies."

"You must endure their assaults without falling!"

"The Shennong Division will record the time each of you falls. If, by the end of this session, you're rated Class C Lower, and you fall among the first hundred for three consecutive sessions, you will be downgraded and expelled from the reserves, sent back to your hometown!"

"The expectations for top-tier talents in the four academies are even higher!"

"If you are a top-tier talent in Class A Superior, you must remain standing until only twenty-one Shennongs are left in the field before you can fall."

"For Class A Middle, you must stand until fifty-three remain."

"For Class A Lower, you must stand until eighty-five remain."

"Class B talents must stand until two hundred are left."

"As long as you haven't completely lost your combat ability, you can rise and fight again."

Lord Tian's words stirred the crowd.

Endure until the very last moments in such chaotic combat?

In a battle like this, carelessness could easily lead to being surrounded by several people, and one might not be able to last long before losing all combat power!

"With high-ranking talents comes better treatment, but higher demands too." Zhao Xing thought to himself, unsure if he could last until only twenty-one were left.

But those who made it into the four academies were all highly talented.

Talents received more resources, allowing them to prepare better for this training. If they still couldn't outperform others, that would indeed be a problem.

One or two failures could be excused, but repeated failure would raise questions.

As the third drumbeat continued to sound.

The formation on the southwestern side of the field.

Several martial arts experts were addressing the martial artist reserves.

At the forefront of the formation stood a bald middle-aged man named Fang Wu, a master from the Azure Dragon Martial Division.

Pointing towards the Shennongs, Fang Wu shouted, "Do you see those weak, fragile Shennongs over there?"

"They have more than ten thousand people, outnumbering you three to one!"

"But they are just Shennongs, and they're forbidden from using spells. Numbers mean nothing!"

"You, on the other hand, have been practicing martial arts since childhood. Your martial techniques are far beyond the meager skills they've picked up over two or three years."

"You're unarmed, while they wear protective gear like raincoats and bamboo hats. Even if they fall, they can get back up to fight again. You must learn to incapacitate your opponent quickly and render them unable to fight!"

"But don't go too far. No killing allowed—only injuries. Your task is to knock them down, not kill them. This is a test of your control over your strength. The more precise your control, the stronger you will become."

"After today's training, rankings will be calculated based on the number of knockdowns."

"You are from the Azure Dragon Martial Division. I know some of you excel in weapon techniques, but even without weapons, you should still be the strongest!"

Fang Wu continued, "Knock down as many opponents as possible, but remember, if your performance doesn't meet your rating for three consecutive sessions, you'll be downgraded!"

"I don't want to see anyone from the Azure Dragon Martial Division eliminated, understood?"

"Understood!"

The third drum fell, and the field quieted.

The leaders from both sides had already explained the rules.

Soon, they ascended into the sky, boarding a pavilion ship.

On the ship were a group of officials overseeing the field.

Among them were high-ranking members of the four main academies, including Lu Bang, Ge Jinsong, Zuo Zizhi, and others.

The division heads of the Azure Dragon, White Tiger, Vermillion Bird, and Black Tortoise martial divisions were also present.

Surrounding the field were medical personnel and healers from various professions.

Fan Zhaoli, the Lord of Shennong who had received ten billion points, was also present as the Chief Minister of Shennong for the Di Li Academy.

He turned to Fang Wu and said, "General Fang, have the rules been made clear to your side?"

Fang Wu bowed and replied, "Rest assured, Lord Fan. I've made everything clear."

"Good, then let's begin."

Fan Zhaoli smiled.

After the third drum fell, the field was silent for about the time it takes to burn an incense stick.

A voice from the pavilion ship repeated the training rules three times.

Unlike Lord Tian's earlier explanation, this voice carried the weight of a Rites Practitioner.

The voice imprinted the rules deeply in their minds, making it impossible to forget.

The martial artists in the opposing formation were equally affected, remembering their training objective clearly: knock down, not kill.

This voice, resonating in their minds, would guide all participants for the next few moments.

Another incense stick's worth of time passed in silence.

Then a commanding voice echoed above the field.

"Training begins!"

As soon as the voice rang out, the formation of three thousand martial artists charged towards the Shennong formation.

They were separated by only a hundred meters.

At full speed, the gap was closed in just a few breaths, and the martial artists crashed into the Shennong formation.

No one was allowed to leave the field unless they were deemed to have lost all combat capability, in which case they would be teleported away by spells.

"The southwestern training field is barely six soccer fields large, about the same size as where I live."

"With over ten thousand people crammed into such a space, it's undeniably tight."

The two hundred talents from the four main academies were positioned at the front of the Shennong Division's formation.

As soon as the training began, Zhao Xing felt the immense pressure. In this field, they were entirely cut off from using spells.

Having lost their usual reliance on spells, and with thousands of martial artists charging like beasts, Zhao Xing still had confidence in his soundwave techniques, but the pressure was undeniable!

There were no guarantees in the rules laid out by the Shennong Division or the officials on the ship that no one would die!

"Charge!"

Zhao Xing knew he had to charge forward. Retreating would mean being outrun by the martial artists and likely overtaken by other Shennongs, who would slow him down even more.

"Charge!"

The talents from the four main academies all made the same choice as Zhao Xing. They knew they couldn't retreat. Retreating would mean falling even faster!

In this first clash, falling down could mean it would be nearly impossible to get back up!

The two sides clashed almost instantly after closing the hundred-meter gap.

In contrast to the Shennong formation, where the most powerful were at the front, the martial artists had their elites positioned in the back—another sign of higher expectations for martial arts talents.

"Purple Lightning Tiger Roar Fist!"

"Flying Dragon Palm!"

"Mountain-Crushing Fist!"

Three martial artists immediately targeted Zhao Xing, eager to knock him down first.

At the ninth rank, martial artists could release their inner energy outside their bodies.

In the blink of an eye, three streams of light appeared before Zhao Xing, with one punch resembling a tiger, another a dragon, and the last as heavy as a mountain.

Two punches and one palm, all coming straight at him.

"Folded Sound · Sound Thorn!"

Zhao Xing's lips trembled as he unleashed his soundwave technique.

In an instant, with the technique at the eighth transformation, eight diamond-shaped sound thorns appeared faintly in the air, shooting towards the three martial artists.

"Whoosh, whoosh, whoosh!"

"What?"

"Oh no!"

"Bang, bang, bang—"

Although they tried to evade, all three martial artists were hit. One was pierced through the shoulder, another through the abdomen, and the third had his chest caved in.

Two of the martial artists collapsed and were immediately teleported out of the field, reappearing outside to receive treatment.

Zhao Xing blocked the remaining punch with his Hundred Flower Hat, using it as a shield across his chest. Although his soundwave technique was faster, at such close range, one punch still connected.

"Bang!" The bamboo hat dented, slowing down the punch.

But after taking down the three martial artists, the pressure on Zhao Xing lightened. Once the formations clashed, each person only had to face a few opponents.

Moreover, with the Shennongs outnumbering the martial artists, each martial artist faced two or three Shennongs. While the Shennong formation was packed, the martial artist formation had to spread out.

After passing through these three, Zhao Xing quickly encountered members of the four martial divisions.

"Interesting, a soundwave technique?"

The short-haired youth in front of Zhao Xing glanced at him before swiftly changing direction to avoid him.

Like picking the softest targets, this martial arts elite immediately recognized Zhao Xing's prowess and chose to leave him alone.

After all, they needed to rack up knockdowns, not waste time on a single opponent.

The strong could be dealt with later.

As the martial artist avoided him, Zhao Xing found himself with a clear path ahead, with no one in front of him.

Glancing back for a moment, he saw that the two formations had already crashed into each other, with countless martial techniques exploding and filling the field with chaotic energy.

In just the first exchange, many Shennongs had already fallen.

Only a thousand or so managed to push through the initial charge.

"In battle, there's a chance to survive, but fleeing will lead to quicker death."

"The rule for the Shennongs is to stay standing, not to knock down martial artists. This gave many of them the wrong mindset... Hmph, do they think they can just survive by hiding? It won't be that easy."

"The more powerful you seem, the more others will avoid you."

Zhao Xing kept moving, with his bamboo hat in front of him. Then he turned and charged back into the fray.

From above the pavilion ship, Lord Tian quietly observed Zhao Xing's movements. Seeing his student's choice, a satisfied smile appeared on his face.

"Lord Tian," Zuo Zizhi said as he watched the scene below, "Zhao Xing has already reached the eighth transformation in soundwave techniques in such a short time?"

Lord Tian smiled lightly, "He's doing well."

Lu Bang, standing nearby, commented, "Judging by how he's doing, getting through the first phase should be easy. He'll likely make it to the end."

Lord Tian nodded, "Most of the top talents in the four academies have already reached the eighth rank. Even without spells, they won't go down easily. The key is who can last the longest in the final stages."

Zuo Zizhi agreed, "Yes, as long as they remain steady, it won't be hard to survive."

Lu Bang chuckled, "Steady? I don't think that kid has a steady bone in his body. Look at him—after charging through, he's turning around and chasing after people again."

Lord Tian responded calmly, "That's the right approach. The more aggressive you are, the more others will instinctively avoid you. The ones who fall the fastest are often the timid. If Zhao Xing stayed in the corner of the field, he'd likely face even more opponents thinking he was weak."

"Now that he's charging in, he only has to deal with one or two at a time."

The battle was not as intense as expected. As time went on, more and more Shennongs fell, losing their combat ability and being teleported off the field.

The martial artists from Yang City had all been handpicked from the elite ranks of the various military divisions.

They had mastered footwork techniques, martial techniques, and defensive skills—some even excelled in multiple areas. They also understood soundwave techniques far better than the Shennongs.

In the first fifteen minutes, more than half of the over ten thousand Shennongs had been knocked down!

Even though there were only three thousand martial artists, the gap between professions was vast. Most Shennongs, even with a three-to-one or five-to-one advantage, struggled to knock down a single martial artist of the same rank.

Conversely, the martial artists, with their superior skills and techniques, completely dominated the Shennongs.

"Damn it! Stop your yelling—do you think we don't know you've trained in soundwave techniques?"

"Small fry Shennongs, laughable! You're still holding on?"

"Hahaha, come on, lie down already, brothers!"

"What? You're from the Xuanjia Army too? Sorry, brother, I respect the army's Shennongs, but today you've got to go down!"

"Come on, hit me harder, don't just scratch me."

"You can't even break my secret technique, Ten Thousand Layers of Mountains? You've got to train more!"

"...."

The martial artists were all having fun, barely taking the Shennongs seriously.

Their real competition was with their fellow martial artists.

They were competing to see who could knock down the most Shennongs and who could do it the fastest.

"This training session is completely effortless," thought Zhang Jie, a Class A Lower talent from the Black Tortoise Martial Division, as he weaved through the battlefield.

Even though he was only wearing a thin training uniform, his body was covered in a layer of earthen yellow rock, a result of the Black Tortoise Martial Division's technique, Black Tortoise Shield.

In a situation where he was outnumbered, Zhang Jie completely abandoned defense. Even as he was hit by punches and kicks from three or four Shennongs simultaneously, he acted as though nothing had happened.

"The gap is just too big. We're basically here to act as sparring partners—or no, we're here to give these army Shennongs a lesson," Zhang Jie thought, catching a Shennong's punch from behind.

"Boom!" He casually threw the Shennong over his shoulder, slamming him into the ground.

Seeing the Shennong dazed and unable to move, Zhang Jie smiled, "That's my thirty-ninth."

"Argh!"

Annoyed by the noise, Zhang Jie blocked his ears, then quickly closed the distance between himself and another Shennong, ramming his body into the man's chest.

"Ugh~" The Shennong raised his arms to block, but Zhang Jie's strike was too powerful. Even though the man reacted in time, the force of the blow sent him flying.

"Swish~" Zhang Jie followed up before the Shennong even hit the ground, his fingers tapping the man's chest and abdomen. Spiritual Rhinoceros Finger, Break!

"Buzz~" The Shennong's body trembled as a glow around his body dissipated. His protective Inner Energy Shield was shattered with ease.

"Thud~" The Shennong landed outside the field, completely immobilized.

"That's forty." Zhang Jie dusted off his hands, turning to look for his next target.

His eyes scanned the field, but just then—

A figure suddenly flew toward him, nearly knocking him over.

"Hmm?" Zhang Jie dodged, only to see that it was a martial artist, not a Shennong, as the person wasn't wearing a raincoat but regular clothing.

"Thud~" As the young martial artist hit the ground, Zhang Jie's face twisted in shock.

"Chen Fang from the Vermillion Bird Martial Division? How...?"

Chen Fang was a talent of the same rank as him. Once you reached Class A, everyone was well-known, and the circle was small. After two months, they were all familiar with each other.

"Watch out behind..." Chen Fang managed to mutter while clutching his stomach, before being whisked off the field by a gust of wind.

"Swish, swish, swish!" Two more figures flew toward Zhang Jie, and he immediately used his footwork to dodge.

"Hou Bing, Shan Fei?! You two..."

They were from his own Black Tortoise Division—Class A Lower talents!

Zhang Jie's heart pounded in fear. He stared toward the direction they had flown from.

There, he saw a young man wearing a raincoat, holding his bamboo hat in front of him. The boy let out a deafening roar, shattering the protective techniques of the three martial artists. Then, he unleashed a deadly soundwave technique that pierced through their shoulder blades and abdomens.

"Thud~" The three martial artists lay pinned to the ground, unable to move.

"Wha... what..." Zhang Jie was frozen, staring at the young man ahead of him. "Is that a Shennong? Who on earth is he, and how is he this ruthless?!"