Chapter 108: Special Admission Recommendation
Enclosed in his spatial bubble, Yu Xian observed that Wang Xingnuo wasn't even breathing heavily. "Instructor Wang, please don't hold back! If it's possible, I want to see you go all out."
He was very curious about the state of mastery as described in the Qilin app. It mentioned that a deeper level of mastery could enhance combat power so much that the same amount of energy could produce far greater damage.
It was said that by enhancing sword intent, a sword cultivator could take a single strand of spiritual energy and amplify its power a hundredfold. Yu Xian wondered how much Instructor Wang's attacks would improve if she used fist intent. The combat test was important, of course, but right now, what he wanted even more was to experience for himself what a true state of mastery felt like.
Wang Xingnuo smiled. "All right. I will go all out!"
She clenched her fists, producing a crisp series of crackling pops. "Yu Xian, be careful."
Her fists lit up, and she threw a punch at him from across the distance. A massive fist imprint slammed straight into Yu Xian's bubble. Yu Xian could even see the energy flowing through the fist imprint. That energy maintained its shape like blood, keeping the fist imprint from dispersing.
He hurriedly created a smaller bubble to protect his head. The next second, the larger spatial bubble shattered with a crack. The light-formed fist slammed into the one-meter-long, half-a-meter-wide Dragon Shield, formed from several hundred dragon scales.
When he compared this punch with Wang Xingnuo's earlier barrage, shock stirred in his heart. He realized the punch, enhanced by fist intent, had far more concentrated energy and was much less likely to dissipate. Moreover, it had increased in power by at least fifty times, as compared to before. Fist intent was actually restraining, or rather managing, all of that energy, ensuring that every bit of it was used exactly where it mattered most.
Below the arena, the students were stunned. Wang Xingnuo's attack was terrifying, yet Yu Xian had managed to block it. The crowd erupted into a flurry of discussion, and quite a few students even pulled out their phones to film.
"Instructor Wang is so strong!"
"Fish God is the truly strong one. That punch just now was terrifying. Who else could have taken it head-on?"
"Do you think President Yu, Boss Qian, and the others can beat Fish God?"
"Not long ago, some people were saying Fish God just got lucky and that any student could have saved those people in his place. Well, that slap in the face came fast."
"I wonder if Fish God has joined a team yet. It would be great if I could team up with him."
He Xing stood beside Zhou Qingmei and let out a bitter sigh. He had originally been thinking that if he and Yu Xian were at the same rank, perhaps he could defeat him. But after seeing that punch, he knew it was impossible. Even if he and Yu Xian were at the same rank, he still would not be Yu Xian's match.
The world was vast, and the Supernatural Academy was only a tiny corner of it. No matter how strong someone seemed, there would always be someone stronger. On a stage far greater than this academy, the top twenty ranking he had once been so proud of meant nothing at all.
When Wang Xingnuo saw the Dragon Shield blocking her punch, her expression sharpened. Amid the students' discussions, she took a deep breath. Her breathing method began circulating naturally, and her hair started moving without wind. Although that punch had used fist intent, she had not truly gone all out.
After all, she was the instructor, and Yu Xian was the student. She was worried that her fist intent was too fierce and would leave a lasting psychological scar on Yu Xian. The arena platform could protect a student's life, but it could not repair a wounded mind. Because of that, she had held back.
Now that she had seen the Dragon Shield, she knew she no longer needed to worry. She did not know whether the Dragon Shield was a piece of equipment or one of Yu Xian's abilities, but after it appeared, a powerful instinctive feeling told her that she could not hurt Yu Xian. Not only that, there was a chance she would lose.
However, since she had stepped onto the arena, she would not allow herself to admit defeat so easily. I have a bright pearl, long buried away by dust and toil. Once the dust clears, its radiance awakens, illuminating ten thousand mountains and rivers! Eight Horizons Fist, Yama's Triple Strike!
The next instant, it was as though Wang Xingnuo had split into countless afterimages, launching attacks from every conceivable angle. For a moment, the entire arena platform was filled with her shadows. The students below stared wide-eyed at the countless Wang Xingnuos onstage.
Yu Xian, however, stood still. Red scales kept flashing around him. Because they moved too quickly, everyone could only see a red protective barrier around him.
Wang Xingnuo gritted her teeth. Her breathing method continued to circulate, and the blood inside her surged like a mighty dragon. Every punch and kick carried terrifying qi, but she could not break through Yu Xian's defense!
One moment, she had clearly seen an opening, but the instant she threw her punch, the dragon scales blocked it. His defense had no blind spots whatsoever.
Suddenly, she took a deep breath and stretched her right hand backward. "Spear!"
A long spear shot out from the teachers' office and landed in Wang Xingnuo's hand. "Divine Dragon Spear Art!"
The spear instantly transformed into a giant dragon, flooding the entire arena stage with its massive silhouette. The ferocious dragon attacked Yu Xian in a frenzy. Without the Dragon Shield, Yu Xian probably could have dodged by only teleporting between his bubbles, and he would have needed to put enough distance between them as well. But since the arena was limited in size, there really was not much distance he could create.
Yu Xian looked at the airtight dragon silhouette around him and mentally simulated the situation without the Dragon Shield. "Without the Dragon Shield, I'm probably no match for Instructor Wang. But if we were out in the wilderness, the situation would be the exact opposite. Instructor Wang probably wouldn't even be able to catch sight of me."
He felt he had gauged enough. While Wang Xingnuo was only at Serpent rank, with the enhancement of fist intent and spear intent, her attack far exceeded that of an ordinary Serpent-rank expert. She was even considerably stronger than Eagle-rank experts, roughly around the level of a lower Wolf-rank expert.
That was terrifyingly impressive. After all, Wang Xingnuo did not possess an extraordinary bloodline, nor did she have any cheats to exploit. Her strength was entirely the result of her own down-to-earth training.
Finally, Wang Xingnuo began to run out of strength. The dragon silhouette around her gradually dispersed. She held the long spear in one hand while pressing her other hand against her thigh, gasping heavily for breath. Sweat ran down her cheeks and dripped continuously onto the arena.
When she looked at Yu Xian, who was completely unharmed, she let out a helpless, bitter smile. She had thought she could have a proper fight with Yu Xian, but in the end, she had not even been able to break through his defense. The sense of defeat was a little too strong.
Steadying her breath, she looked at him and said earnestly, "Yu Xian, given your strength, you should be eligible for special admission into the Yanjing Vocational and Technical Academy. If you'd like, I’d be happy to write you a letter of recommendation."
Yu Xian was taken aback. "Special admission?"
Wang Xingnuo nodded. "Yes. Yanjing Vocational and Technical College has always had special admission slots. Any student under the age of eighteen who has reached Serpent rank or above can be recommended to take the special admission exam. If they pass, the school will reserve a place for them."
Yu Xian quickly glanced at Nora below the arena, then asked, "Instructor Wang, if someone has already had a place reserved through special admission, can they still take the regular exam?"
Wang Xingnuo smiled. She had noticed Yu Xian's subtle glance. After flashing Nora a smile belonging to a neighborhood aunt witnessing something interesting, she turned back to Yu Xian. "Of course. The two don't conflict."
Below the arena, Nora blushed when Wang Xingnuo looked at her, but she was incredibly happy that Yu Xian was being offered a recommendation. If Yu Xian passed the special admission exam, then they would be guaranteed to attend college together.