Nine o'clock in the morning.
Led by the city guards, Zhao Xuan and the other nineteen examinees arrived at the Hangzhou Sports Arena.
Once the lots were drawn, the provincial examination officially began.
No extra procedures, no unnecessary formalities—
Clean. Direct. Brutal.
Zhao Xuan drew Number 1.
His opponent: Number 20, a male student named Ruan Ji from Taicheng High School.
On the massive dueling platform, the two faced each other in silence.
FWEEEEET!
With the referee's signal, the first match of the Nanjiang Province 20-to-10 elimination round officially began!
The whistle had barely faded—
Tap! Tap!
Tap! Tap!
Both Zhao Xuan and Ruan Ji launched forward at the same time, using Shave (Soru) to close the distance in an instant.
"Ha!"
Midair, Zhao Xuan suddenly accelerated!
In the blink of an eye, his left leg swept out in a wide arc—
Cutting through the air with a thunderous boom, carrying an immense force as it hurtled toward Ruan Ji.
The air split apart with a shriek.
The sound alone was enough to make one's heart tremble.
"So fast!"
Ruan Ji's pupils shrank.
His feet pounded against the air—
He stepped upward as though climbing invisible stairs, his figure soaring four or five meters high.
But before he could even think of counterattacking—
"Ha!"
Another Tempest Kick (Rankyaku) slashed toward him.
The razor wind grazed his cheek, bringing a stinging pain that made him wince.
He quickly stepped upward again, rising two more meters, barely dodging the incoming strike.
But Zhao Xuan didn't relent.
"Ha!"
Another Tempest Kick!
"Damn it!"
Ruan Ji couldn't keep up any longer.
He stopped pressing forward and hastily retreated.
BOOM!
The attack missed, but the force of it struck the reinforced bluestone tiles that made up the ring.
CRACK-CRACK-CRACK!
The tiles splintered under the impact, spiderweb cracks spreading outward.
Seeing this, Ruan Ji's expression tightened.
"What terrifying power… He's only using Rankyaku and raw physique, without Haki or fruit power, yet he can shatter third-grade bluestone so easily? Could his Constitution already exceed 300!?"
"No good—need to change tactics!"
"If I take a direct hit, I'm done for!"
While his mind raced—
Whoosh!
The air screamed.
Zhao Xuan attacked again.
Same move. Same terrifying force.
"Ha!"
With a deafening boom, another Rankyaku came flying at him.
This time, Ruan Ji didn't hesitate.
He silently activated his Devil Fruit ability—
And sank straight into the ground!
More precisely—
He merged into the several-meter-thick layer of bluestone beneath the arena.
Effortlessly dodging Zhao Xuan's attack.
"What ability is this?" Zhao Xuan narrowed his eyes.
Then suddenly—
Crack! Crack! Crack!
The sound of shattering stone came from behind him!
He spun around just in time to see eight enormous tentacles made of bluestone erupting from the floor, all whipping toward him!
But these weren't random strikes—
The tentacles coordinated perfectly, weaving together into a massive stone net that sealed off every escape route.
"The Stone-Stone Fruit?" Zhao Xuan murmured, unshaken.
He didn't back down.
His body tensed.
The Master-level Iron Body (Tekkai) activated silently.
The next instant—
BOOM! BOOM! BOOM! BOOM! BOOM! BOOM!
The eight gigantic stone tentacles struck Zhao Xuan's body in succession, sending explosive echoes through the air.
Yet Zhao Xuan didn't budge an inch.
With a Constitution close to five hundred and a Master-level Iron Body, his defense was impenetrable.
From the audience stands, a wave of astonished murmurs broke out.
"Unbelievable!"
"That kid—Zhao Xuan, right? That's a Master-level Iron Body!"
"His Soru and Rankyaku are probably Master-level too!"
"Incredible! And judging from the force he took head-on, his Constitution must be over 400!"
"If Ruan Ji doesn't have something stronger up his sleeve, he's doomed! He can't break through Zhao Xuan's defense!"
In the waiting area, the other eighteen examinees watched the fight intently.
A few—four or five of them—frowned deeply, faces filled with tension.
The rest looked indifferent, even dismissive.
Those few with solemn expressions were clearly worried about Zhao Xuan's terrifying defense.
The others—the ones sneering—were confident they could shatter it.
Of course, they were only talking about Zhao Xuan's human-form defense—
The defense of a man using nothing but Iron Body.
"This guy's name is Zhao Xuan, right?"
"Yeah, that's him."
"Tch, that defense is really something!"
A few female examinees couldn't help whispering among themselves as they watched Zhao Xuan stand calmly under the rain of blows, unflinching.
"Pathetic," a blond boy nearby suddenly snorted coldly.
Instantly—
Dozens of eyes turned toward him.
Including those of the girls.
Feeling their gazes, the blond boy lifted his chin arrogantly.
"Defense? So what? What's the point of being a walking shield? All he can do is turtle up and take hits—useless trash!"
The room went silent.
No one spoke, though eyes flashed with disdain or interest.
Among them, Di Ruqing clenched her fists tightly.
Her gaze toward the blond turned sharp.
Beside her, Fu Jieyan was about to say something—
When—
BOOM!
A sudden change erupted on the stage!
Zhao Xuan, who'd been passive until now, suddenly counterattacked!
As one of the massive stone tentacles lashed toward him—
He reached out, grabbed it—
And tore it from the ground!
CRACK-CRACK!
With an ear-splitting roar of breaking stone, Zhao Xuan ripped the entire tentacle free and hurled it aside.
Then—
He grabbed another.
And another.
One after another, he ripped the stone tentacles straight out of the earth and threw them from the ring like they were nothing.
Within seconds—
Seven enormous tentacles lay scattered below the stage.
Only one remained.
As Zhao Xuan reached for it—
The last tentacle suddenly retreated, trying to burrow back underground!
"Trying to run!?"
No chance.
Tap! Tap!
Zhao Xuan stepped forward twice, instantly catching up.
He seized the fleeing tentacle—
And yanked hard!
CRACK!
He pulled it out completely, stone shattering everywhere.
BOOM!!!
At that moment, the tentacle exploded—
A human figure burst out from within, legs sweeping fiercely toward Zhao Xuan's face!
"I was waiting for you!"
Zhao Xuan's voice was calm—
As though he'd anticipated Ruan Ji's hiding place all along.
As Ruan Ji's Rankyaku kick slashed toward him, Zhao Xuan's Iron Body–hardened fist shot out.
BOOM!!!
He had already entered Partial Dragonization while tearing up the tentacles—
Fivefold amplification!
A Constitution of 2400!
One punch—
Was enough to shatter all resistance.
Ruan Ji was blasted straight off the arena!
THUD!
He hit the ground hard, carving a crater into the tiles below.
Dust filled the air.
He lay motionless.
FWEEEEET!!!
"One! Zhao Xuan—wins!"
The referee's whistle and announcement came one after another.
As Zhao Xuan and Ruan Ji left the stage, dozens of professional ability-engineers leapt onto the platform, swiftly beginning repairs.
The ring wasn't small—
Eighty meters across, a full 6,400 square meters in area—
About the size of a standard soccer field in Zhao Xuan's previous life.
And it still took dozens of third-tier engineers nearly half an hour to restore it.
That alone showed how devastating Zhao Xuan's and Ruan Ji's battle had been.
As soon as repairs were done, the next match began—
Two geniuses from Hangzhou:
One a Tremor-Tremor Fruit user,
The other is a Momo-Momo Fruit user.
Their fight was fierce, but in the end, the victory went to the Momo-Momo Fruit user—Wang Defa.
The Tremor Fruit was a powerful one—many top-tier users existed across Shenzhou, some even at the higher levels.
Its destructive power was immense—both for single targets and large-scale attacks.
However—
Its greatest flaw was stamina consumption.
A few strikes, and the user would be nearly drained.
Thus, Tremor Fruit users were often weak in the lower tiers.
But once they broke through to the fourth tier, their physical strength underwent a metamorphosis—
And that was when their true potential awakened.
…
Five minutes later, the third match began.
Number 3: the blond, Ye Chenliang from Licheng.
Number 18:Di Ruqing from Tongcheng.
FWEEEEET!!!
At the sound of the whistle, Di Ruqing moved first.
In the blink of an eye—
She was already in front of Ye Chenliang!
Her fingers turned into a spear—
And she thrust forward without hesitation!
Ye Chenliang didn't panic.
After all, there was a reason he'd dared to mock Zhao Xuan earlier.
As Di Ruqing's strike came, he exhaled softly—
His whole body loosened, turning as light and thin as paper.
Using the airflow from her attack, he slipped past it with ease.
Di Ruqing spun, kicking backward.
But Ye Cheng Liang's mastery of Paper Art (Kami-e) was evident—
He narrowly, yet gracefully, dodged again.
Another kick—
Another dodge.
Finally, Di Ruqing stopped her assault and retreated two steps, staring coldly at him.
"Heh… what's with that icy look? Smile a little," Ye Chenliang grinned.
"Hmph. You called Zhao Xuan a coward—
But you're the real turtle hiding behind dodges."
Her tone dripped with disdain.
Ye Chenliang's expression darkened instantly.
"You asked for this."
As he muttered coldly, a chill spread from his body.
In moments, frost crept across the floor.
So that was his secret—
Ye Chenliang was a Logia-type Devil Fruit user as well!
"Hah…"
He exhaled.
A blast of icy air erupted from his mouth—
And a frozen blade formed in his hand.
"Don't say I'm bullying a woman—you're the one who asked for it!"
Then he charged.
Di Ruqing didn't move.
Her face remained calm, almost indifferent, even as the ice blade came crashing down toward her.
And at the very last moment—
Her ability flared.
Her delicate hand turned into one of molten lava, blazing red-hot.
She caught the descending ice blade in one fiery grip.
Then—
BOOM!
Her right fist shot forward—
Black as steel, glowing faintly with Armament Haki.
The punch struck Ye Chenliang's chest before he could even react.
Her Haki was at the Proficient level—just like Zhao Xuan's!
URGH!
Ye Chenliang was blasted backward.
But before he even hit the ground—
Tap! Tap!
Di Ruqing used Shave (Soru) to flash in front of him.
Memories surged—
Of Zhao Xuan shielding her with his back that night—
Of this blond fool mocking him earlier.
A nameless fury ignited in her chest.
Her foot lashed out—
BOOM!
Another Rankyaku slammed into Ye Chenliang's abdomen, sending him flying again.
Then another.
And another.
And another!
She didn't hold back.
Didn't stop.
Didn't give him a chance to breathe.
Each kick drove him farther—
Until, finally, she kicked him clean off the platform.
At the edge of the arena, she looked down at the crumpled, groaning Ye Chenliang and said coldly:
"With this level of strength, you dare mock Zhao Xuan?
Pathetic."
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