Chapter 18: Weak! Too weak!

All day long, Wang Teng immersed himself in the ocean of knowledge. Even when school let out at five-thirty, he still felt a sense of lingering excitement.

He felt that in his previous life, he must have been held back by his reputation as a "rich second generation" kid. Otherwise, he would have certainly been a studious, top-tier student.

Fortunately, although he had missed his chance in his past life, he had another opportunity in this one. From this moment on, he was determined to become a well-rounded student excelling in morality, intelligence, and physical fitness.

As he thought this, Wang Teng suddenly felt that the red scarf around his neck looked even more vibrant.

As soon as the bell rang, students poured out of the classrooms like a swarm. Having nothing to pack, Wang Teng simply tossed his books into his desk and was done.

After meeting up with Xu Jie, Bai Wei, and the others, the four of them walked toward the gymnasium together.

Unlike Wang Teng, who looked relaxed and without a trace of worry, Xu Jie, Bai Wei, and the third person kept exchanging glances, looking as if they wanted to say something but were hesitating.

Gathering her courage, Bai Wei smiled at Wang Teng and said, "Brother Wang Teng, how about we go grab a meal first? We'll have more energy to fight once we've eaten."

"Yeah, yeah, let's eat first."

"That guy Li Rongcheng is so idle; it won't matter if he waits a little longer."

"Maybe he went to eat too."

Xu Jie and Yu Hao nodded in agreement, the three of them chiming in one after another.

"??"

Wang Teng said speechlessly, "It's not good to exercise right after eating; it can cause gastric ptosis."

"Uh!"

The three immediately realized they had made a rather silly suggestion.

"Alright, don't worry. Although Li Rongcheng is an Advanced Martial Apprentice, he's still no match for me," Wang Teng comforted them, naturally seeing their concern.

"Brother Wang Teng, are you actually an Advanced Martial Apprentice rather than an Intermediate one?" Yu Hao asked in shock.

Wang Teng nodded.

The three were struck by an inexplicable sense of shock.

An Advanced Martial Apprentice!!

Wang Teng really was an Advanced Martial Apprentice!!

Although they had known Wang Teng was a martial apprentice, an Advanced Martial Apprentice and an Intermediate one were two completely different concepts. An Advanced Martial Apprentice could apply for martial arts majors, making it almost a certainty that they would become true Martial Artists in the future. By then, the gap between them and Wang Teng would only grow wider.

It was unbelievable! A peer—and a very familiar one at that—whom they thought was in the same boat, had actually soared into the heavens in secret!

A sense of complex emotion surged in their hearts: *We agreed to fail together, yet you secretly made it to the top!*

Before long, the four arrived at the gymnasium.

Every school placed great importance on students practicing martial arts. To provide them with training grounds, a specific floor would be reserved in the gymnasium.

Gymnasium, second floor.

Li Rongcheng was leaning against the wall with his arms crossed, looking impatient. Yuan Zhenghua stood beside him, acting like a total sycophant by fetching water and towels.

Xu Jie felt a surge of irritation seeing him like this. *This kid, instead of being a decent person, insists on being someone's dog.*

"You're finally here." Li Rongcheng turned his head, his eyes narrowing slightly as he stared at Wang Teng with a dangerous gaze.

"Young Master Li arrived quite early. You didn't skip class, did you?" Wang Teng teased.

"Cut the nonsense. I'm using a saber. Pick a weapon for yourself," Li Rongcheng said impatiently.

"I'll use a saber just like you!"

Wang Teng walked to the side and took a standard-issue long saber from the weapon rack. The spine wasn't particularly thick, and the blade was somewhat long, resembling a "Tang Dao" from his previous life.

He weighed it in his hand; it felt a bit light. He shook his head inwardly; it seemed he would have to find time to get a proper weapon. For now, he would just make do.

Taking the saber, Wang Teng walked to face Li Rongcheng.

Seeing that both were using weapons, Xu Jie and Bai Wei's faces instantly turned pale. "Why are they using weapons? What if someone gets hurt?"

"What did you expect? This is a martial duel, not a game of house," Yu Hao said, taking a deep breath. Although he said this, he had only recently become a Low-level Martial Apprentice and was seeing such a confrontation for the first time.

"Wang Teng, your strength is indeed not weak; you must have reached the Advanced Martial Apprentice level."

"To be honest, I'm surprised. Everyone misjudged you; you've been hiding deep."

"But, comparing sabers with me—I wonder where you get your confidence?" Li Rongcheng said with disdain.

He had practiced martial arts since the age of fifteen and became an Advanced Martial Apprentice within three years. During those three years, he had focused solely on the saber, having long since mastered basic saber techniques. Therefore, he had the capital to be arrogant! At the same time, he found it laughable that Wang Teng dared to wield a blade in front of him.

"Let's begin," Wang Teng said directly, without further ado.

"Fine!"

Li Rongcheng's eyes widened as he let out a loud roar. He stomped his foot violently.

With a dull *thud*, a wave of air seemed to ripple outward. Driven by the recoil of his strength, he lunged toward Wang Teng like an arrow released from a bow.

In that moment, his fierce momentum terrified Yuan Zhenghua, Xu Jie, and the others. However, Wang Teng, who was at the center of the charge, did not change his expression in the slightest.

Thinking Wang Teng was intimidated, Li Rongcheng's expression became even more contemptuous. He raised his long saber high and swung it down in a simple, heavy strike.

Just as the blade was about to hit Wang Teng's body, Wang Teng suddenly shifted, appearing at Li Rongcheng's right side.

As the strike hit empty air, Li Rongcheng's expression changed instantly. Forcing his body to twist, he swung the long saber in a 180-degree horizontal slash toward Wang Teng.

*Clang!*

The two blades collided, emitting a piercing metallic ring.

*Thump!*

Immediately following was another dull sound. Before Li Rongcheng could even realize what was happening, he felt a sharp pain at the back of his head and lost consciousness completely.

"Weak! Too weak!" Wang Teng shook his head.

【Basic Saber Technique * 20】 【Strength * 12】

He picked up the attribute bubbles dropped by Li Rongcheng, walked to the side, and put the saber back.

It was only then that Yuan Zhenghua, Xu Jie, and the others snapped out of it, staring at Wang Teng in stunned silence.

The exchange just now seemed simple, but the speed of an Advanced Martial Apprentice was so exaggerated that it left the four of them dizzy. As the saying goes, "the layman watches the spectacle, while the expert sees the technique." The four of them were purely watching the spectacle; even Yu Hao couldn't be considered an expert. Thus, they had the feeling of not understanding what happened, yet knowing it was incredibly impressive.

Especially since it had been so short! Three seconds? Or five? They hadn't even really fought before Li Rongcheng was knocked out!

They watched as Wang Teng put away his weapon and walked toward them, seemingly muttering something under his breath.

"Too weak. How can he be so weak? It's impossible..."

The four of them were collectively speechless. A dignified Advanced Martial Apprentice, one of the five strongest students in Donghai No. 1 High School, and Wang Teng actually thought he was weak!

*Brother, we're all old acquaintances, can you please stop acting so cool?*

However, this also demonstrated Wang Teng's power from another angle. Li Rongcheng might not be weak among the students of Donghai No. 1, but Wang Teng was stronger than him—and by a significant margin!

"Let's go, time to go home and eat!"

Wang Teng called out to Xu Jie and the others and headed downstairs. Xu Jie, Bai Wei, and the third person hurried to follow, leaving Yuan Zhenghua standing there blankly.

He didn't dare to greet Wang Teng. This version of Wang Teng felt like a stranger, and he was terrifying!

The old Wang Teng was unlearned and idle, but because his family background was better, Yuan Zhenghua hadn't dared to offend him. But now, he felt a genuine fear of Wang Teng himself. He had once betrayed Wang Teng; would he hold a grudge? What if he decided to cause trouble for him one day?

At this thought, Yuan Zhenghua suddenly panicked. He looked at the unconscious Li Rongcheng on the ground, realizing that Li Rongcheng could no longer protect him! For a moment, a sense of regret filled his heart...