Chapter 225: Out! (Second Update)

Gasps of breath were heard one after another from within the crowd.

"Peak Fourth Stage!? So this is Heng Jingchuo's true strength!?"

"I couldn't tell at all before—how was he suppressing his realm like that?"

"I heard that certain secret methods or Origin Tools can hide one's strength. This is getting exciting! A duel between two Peak Fourth Stage combatants!"

"I originally thought he was the unluckiest, having to challenge Rong Jin at the very end, but looking at it now... who wins and who loses is still anyone's guess!"

The chaotic discussions reaching his ears made Rong Jin's expression grow increasingly grim.

For such a long time, he had failed to notice that Heng Jingchuo was hiding his strength!

Thinking back to the words Heng Jingchuo had just spoken, it was simply laughable!

"Guidance"?

He was clearly at the same level as him, yet he spoke like that—it was clearly intentional!

"I didn't expect that in just one year, your progress would be so rapid."

He remembered that last year, Heng Jingchuo was only at the early Fourth Stage.

In such a short amount of time, he had actually broken through to the peak of the Fourth Stage!

It was no wonder everyone was surprised.

Heng Jingchuo's smile deepened slightly

"I just had a bit of good luck; I only broke through a few days ago."

To Rong Jin, these words only felt more unpleasant.

When he had broken through from the early Fourth Stage to the peak, it had taken him nearly two full years!

Heng Jingchuo's words were clearly a boast!

"In that case, enough nonsense. Let's see what you're truly made of!"

Rong Jin didn't want to hear another word from him, so he circulated his Origin Power and struck first!

In that previous palm strike, he had only used seventy percent of his strength, but this time, he was going all out!

Heng Jingchuo met the attack head-on!

The two engaged in close combat! They were instantly locked in a fierce struggle!

One would have thought that although their levels were the same, Rong Jin had broken through much earlier and possessed greater strength, surely giving him the upper hand.

However, as time passed, the crowd realized that this was not the case.

Facing Rong Jin's aggressive onslaught, Heng Jingchuo accepted every blow unhurriedly, appearing almost effortless!

On the contrary, facing his successive failures, Rong Jin finally began to realize that Heng Jingchuo was actually stronger than he had imagined!

A match he thought was a guaranteed victory had instead fallen into a stalemate!

Rong Jin's heart grew increasingly anxious.

Watching the situation on the field, Sun Zhongyan gradually furrowed his brows.

"This Heng Jingchuo... I recall he wasn't considered top-tier before, was he? How did he make such great progress in just one year?"

Wen Yan nodded and said

"You are correct. The reason this person was able to rank sixth was actually due to good luck during last year's competition; he never encountered an exceptionally strong opponent. At that time, he seemed to be merely steady and methodical, but otherwise not particularly outstanding. I don't know what happened to him this year."

Sun Zhongyan stroked his beard.

"Perhaps... he encountered some kind of fortuitous opportunity. It's hard to say."

Wen Yan and the others exchanged glances, seeing the same look of worry in each other's eyes.

What they were most concerned about was not why Heng Jingchuo had suddenly become stronger within a year, but whether Rong Jin could win this match!

He was recognized as one of the strongest students of Tianlu Academy.

In this Qingjiao Assembly, they all hoped he would take first place.

And he himself clearly held the same ambition.

But if he lost this round, he would fall into the bottom five!

In that case, the best result he could achieve would only be sixth place!

That would be even worse than his fifth-place finish last year!

It would be one thing if someone else lost, but if Rong Jin lost, the entire academy would lose face.

Bai Chen's eyes darted around, and she actually smiled.

"Elder Sun, there's really no need to worry too much. Regardless, don't we still have little Yueyue!"

She was currently in first place!

As long as she could maintain this position, it would be a massive honor!

Sun Zhongyan hesitated to speak.

He actually had another layer of concern in his heart.

This Heng Jingchuo seemed to be holding something back...

Unlike the oppressive atmosphere over at Tianlu Academy, the people of Taiyan Academy were finally feeling revitalized.

Cheng Han laughed with considerable surprise

"This kid kept it well-hidden! Even I didn't know he had broken through to the peak of the Fourth Stage!"

Situ Xingchen's mood had already eased significantly. Hearing this, she smiled and said

"Master is busy with countless matters; it is normal not to notice such small details."

Although Cheng Han was the Dean, he did not personally oversee many things.

The vast majority of his energy was actually focused on Situ Xingchen.

Otherwise, Situ Xingchen wouldn't have had the ambition to secure the top spot in Heavenly Medicine during her very first participation in the Qingjiao Assembly.

"Haha! Regardless, this kid looks like a person of great potential now! Once the Qingjiao Assembly ends, we must cultivate him well!"

The several teachers behind him all nodded upon hearing this.

"The Dean is right."

Cheng Han looked at the stage with satisfaction.

How experienced was his gaze?

With one glance, he could see that Rong Jin was gradually falling into a disadvantage!

As long as nothing went wrong with Heng Jingchuo, victory was only a matter of time!

Although they had lost Situ Ziyue earlier, fortunately, they now had Heng Jingchuo!

He truly wanted to see if those people from Tianlu Academy could still act so smug once Rong Jin lost!

More and more wounds began to appear on Rong Jin's body.

Though they weren't serious, the blood staining his clothes made him look exceptionally disheveled.

However, Heng Jingchuo still maintained an effortless demeanor.

The contrast between the two was truly stark.

The voices of the crowd gradually quieted down as everyone watched the scene tensely.

Heng Jingchuo suddenly closed in!

Startled, Rong Jin immediately retreated!

However, he was injured; how could he possibly be faster than Heng Jingchuo now?

The distance between the two continued to shrink!

Heng Jingchuo finally struck out with another palm!

With no way to avoid it, Rong Jin could only brace himself and meet the attack! He threw out a punch!

*Boom!*

The power of the two clashed violently! Chaotic fluctuations rippled outward in all directions!

At that moment, Rong Jin suddenly sensed something was wrong.

A chill was spreading from Heng Jingchuo's palm directly into his own hand!

At the same time, the Origin Power within his body suddenly became turbulent and even began to drain rapidly!

His heart skipped a beat, and he immediately looked up!

"You—"

Heng Jingchuo's technique was incredibly eerie!

"It's time to end this."

Heng Jingchuo met his gaze without flinching; instead, he let out a meaningful smile.

The voice that had originally sounded humble and polite now carried a few degrees of chilling frost.

Rong Jin thought, *This is bad!* and immediately tried to retreat!

But Heng Jingchuo was faster!

Changing his palm into a claw, he directly gripped Rong Jin's wrist!

The strength in his hand was terrifyingly great; in an instant, Rong Jin's wrist turned a bruised purple!

"How dare you—"

Before Rong Jin could finish his sentence, Heng Jingchuo, having gripped his wrist, swung him out violently!

The crowd only saw Rong Jin's figure fly out uncontrollably!

With a loud *thud*, he crashed to the ground!

The crucial point was—he had fallen outside the arena!

Out of bounds means out of the competition!