Fantasy, starting with a treasure bowl

"Shen Tianzhong? That name sounds familiar..."

"Right! Isn't this guy one of the villains on the list that Junior Sister Liu recruited back then..."

Outside the training ground, Dao Butong twirled his beard, then seemed to remember something and immediately turned to look at Liu Lanyu beside him.

"Unlike my senior brother, you can eat whatever you want, but you can't say whatever you want."

Facing the surprised gaze from Dao Butong, Liu Lanyu remained calm and said lightly, "It was not my intention to let Shen Tianzhong join Luoxing Academy, but Brother Chu's order. And I was just following Brother Chu's orders."

"As for whether Shen Tianzhong will become a scourge to Falling Star Academy in the future, there's no need to worry too much. If he dares to harbor even the slightest disloyalty, I will personally kill him!"

Liu Lanyu's tone was cold and sharp, and a hint of murderous intent flashed in her eyes, clearly not an empty boast.

"Hehe, Junior Sister Liu is right."

At this moment, Li Dazui, one of the three elders in charge of the area, stepped forward and grinned, "Besides, we are currently in the Cangmang Mountain, which is our Falling Star Academy's territory. Even if Shen Tianzhong really has ulterior motives, we three don't need to take action ourselves. We can easily deal with him by sending a few academy deacons."

"Unlike my fellow disciple, what are your thoughts?"

Li Dazui crossed his arms and spoke in a mocking tone, seemingly thinking that Dao Butong was being overly suspicious.

"Hmph, you fat cook certainly know how to change your tune, but what you say isn't wrong. A mere ant at the third level of the Spirit Soul Realm can't really cause any trouble..."

Dao Butong glanced at Li Dazui as well, then lightly twirled the tuft of goatee at the corner of his mouth, saying in a low voice, "However, I still have some doubts. Why would Senior Brother Chu allow these villains on the Evil List to join Falling Star Academy? This action violates the rules set by our founder..."

"Unlike you, Junior Brother, it's not just you and Junior Sister Liu who are puzzled; I, Old Li, am also very confused. But since this is Senior Brother Chu's idea, he must have his own considerations. Let's not speculate..."

Seeing that Liu Lanyu beside him remained silent, seemingly unwilling to discuss the topic further, Li Dazui also spread his hands outwards, immediately brushing off the subject, while simultaneously signaling Dao Butong to be quiet.

On the other side, at a certain arena in the martial arts training ground

Just as Liu Lanyu and the others were chatting, Wang Wu and Shen Tianzhong also jumped onto the arena and stood facing each other with solemn expressions, gradually filling the atmosphere with tension.

"West, West Courtyard, Wang Wu! Please, please enlighten me...!"

Although filled with fear, Wang Wu still gritted his teeth and stepped onto the arena, speaking haltingly.

After all, he was a senior student who had been in the college for seven or eight years, and he came from the West College, one of the four major colleges. He was not a newcomer from the North College like Yun Haoxuan, Wu Yunran, and Lu Feng. If he were to back down before the battle even began, he would undoubtedly lose face and might not be able to face anyone in the future!

Therefore, even when facing a formidable enemy like Shen Tianzhong, Wang Wu chose to confront him head-on rather than admit defeat.

"Fellow Daoist Wang, you are too kind. I have been a student for less than a year and am not very familiar with the academy's competition and many of its rules. I am afraid I will have to rely on your guidance in the future."

Compared to the tense and reserved Wang Wu, Shen Tianzhong on the other side of the ring grinned, speaking in a calm tone, showing no trace of the villainous demeanor on the list of bad guys. Instead, he seemed more like a gentle and refined gentleman.

"Strange, this guy doesn't seem quite like the ruthless Judgment Blade of legend. Is he really Shen Tianzhong, the Judgment Blade who was once ranked third on the list of villains...?"

Faced with Shen Tianzhong's politeness, Wang Wu was equally surprised.

He had originally thought the other party was a vicious and bloodthirsty person, but Shen Tianzhong in front of him did not have the slightest bit of the demeanor of a villain on the list of evil people. In fact, his temperament was very peaceful, which really overturned his worldview.

"Fellow Daoist Shen, you flatter me. I look forward to your guidance in the upcoming competition!"

Wang Wu released a wisp of Yuan Power to sense the situation and found that there was no killing intent on the other party. His tense and uneasy heart calmed down a bit, and he also felt more confident.

Although Shen Tianzhong was a master of the third level of the Spirit Soul Realm, whose strength and realm were above his, Wang Wu's Yuan Power cultivation had also improved after a year of training, reaching the first level of the Spirit Soul Realm.

Therefore, this battle is not entirely hopeless for Wang Wu!

"Fellow Daoist Wang, please."

Shen Tianzhong raised his hand again, his expression still calm. He stood still, seemingly not intending to make a move, but rather to let Wang Wu make three moves first.

"Moon-Treading Technique!"

Seeing that Shen Tianzhong did not take the initiative to make a move, Wang Wu also frowned slightly. He then stomped his foot on the ground and instantly transformed into a crescent moon phantom and disappeared. His speed was as fast as thunder and lightning, and ordinary martial artists could not even see his trace!

"Such speed! Is this Senior Brother Wang Wu's unique skill, the Moon-Treading Technique...!"

"I never expected that Senior Brother Wang Wu, who is quite fat, would be so agile. Could he be the legendary most agile fat man?"

"Nonsense! You brat, didn't you even go out and find out what Senior Brother Wang Wu is best at? Putting aside strength, just in terms of speed alone, there are very few people in the entire West Academy who can keep up with Senior Brother Wang Wu's Moon-Stepping Technique!"

"That's true, but I've heard that Shen Tianzhong isn't someone to be trifled with either. I wonder who will have the last laugh in this battle...!"

Below the arena, seeing the battle between Wang Wu and Shen Tianzhong about to erupt, a group of students watching also cast excited glances, including some unlucky ones who had been eliminated, all seemingly captivated by the fight between the two.

After all, Shen Tianzhong and Wang Wu not only both came from the West Academy, but were also both experts in the Spirit Soul Realm. It was not surprising that their battle would attract attention from all sides.

"The speed is indeed impressive, but unfortunately there's still a fatal flaw...!"

On the arena, seeing Wang Wu's trace vanish in an instant, Shen Tianzhong merely narrowed his eyes slightly. The next moment, he unleashed a powerful backhand strike, his surging Yuan energy transforming into a chilling palm strike that shot towards the northwest corner of the arena.

Boom!

A deafening boom resounded, and the Yuan Power palm strike dissipated in waves. Wang Wu's figure reappeared, his face deathly pale, a trace of blood faintly appearing at the corner of his mouth. "This... how is this possible!"

"You, you actually saw through the flaw in the Moon-Treading Technique at a glance...!"

Wang Wu slowly wiped the blood from the corner of his mouth, his eyes widening in disbelief.

He originally intended to use the movement advantage of the Moon-Stepping Technique to find the right opportunity to deliver a fatal blow to Shen Tianzhong and end the battle.

But to his utter surprise, his opponent seemed to have gained supernatural insight, and saw through the flaws in his movement technique at a glance!

Moreover, Shen Tianzhong's palm strike was not only sharp and cunning, but also aimed directly at Wang Wu's vital points. If the opponent had not dodged in time at the last moment, he would most likely have been either dead or crippled!