Ke Xue exorcists demons and starts with immobilization

However, after the beach trip, Chu Zhong clearly realized that letting Xiao Lan and Yuan Zi recover too quickly was sometimes not a good thing.

The "Good Quality Aoki Stick" deals too much magical damage, and the frequent impacts can cause Ran and Sonoko to become mentally unstable.

During their two days at the beach hotel, Ran and Sonoko were incredibly obedient and well-behaved, saying whatever came to mind.

This kind of situation is fine once every ten days or half a month, but if it happens every few days, Chu Zhong is very worried that they will gradually develop strange habits.

Xiao Lan's physical fitness has always been good. From noon to the end of school, there are only three hours. Since she said she had almost recovered, Chu Zhong believed her.

"Then I want to watch Xiaolan train too."

The garden echoed the sentiment.

Before long, the three arrived at the karate club's training ground.

Unlike last time, the tiered stands in the karate club training ground were almost full today. Fortunately, Chu Zhong and Sonoko arrived early and were able to sit in the front row.

Today is the day the karate club coach is here to provide guidance, mainly to test whether the strength of several key members has improved.

The coach was a strong, muscular man in his thirties, with an imposing presence. He wasn't a school staff member, but a karate expert hired from a well-known martial arts school in the Kanto region, and he would come about once a month.

"Anyone want to challenge the captain today?"

Before the test began, the coach glanced at the members of the karate club.

If someone stands in front of the coach, chooses a captain to challenge, and wins, that captain will become the new captain of the karate club.

"I, Shigeru Yamazaki, hereby challenge Ran Mouri!"

As soon as he finished speaking, a male member raised his hand.

Chu Zhong looked over and saw that Yamazaki Shigeo was of medium height, thin build, and plain appearance, and seemed to be the type who was good at agility.

Upon hearing the challenge request, the coach cast an inquiring glance at Kazumi Tsukamoto.

The coach only comes once a month, so he's not very clear about the improvement in the skills of the non-key players.

Information needs to be provided by the person who usually guides the department members.

If the member who initiates the challenge performs poorly in regular training, they won't even have the chance to waste time.

After Tsukamoto Kazumi nodded, the coach said, "Alright, Yamazaki Shigeru, Mouri Ran, step forward!"

The two people who were called out quickly stood in the middle of the training field.

On the right side of the training field, in the spectator stands, students from all grades sat, having come to watch the excitement, and were discussing among themselves:

"What's going on with Yamazaki Shigeru? Why did he directly challenge Ran Mouri, the strongest karate player in the club?"

"What do you mean 'strongest'? Fujiwara-senpai is clearly the strongest!"

"Tsukamoto-senpai is the strongest, she's just too busy preparing for exams..."

Compared to ordinary students, the karate club members were more worried about Ran Mouri.

"Oh no, Ran Mouri is going to be in trouble!"

"What do you mean? Yamazaki Shigeru is somewhat skilled, but he's still far inferior to Mouri Ran, isn't he?"

"That's not necessarily true... I heard that Shigeru Yamazaki beat Tsukamoto-senpai in a private fight."

"Really? If I remember correctly, Ran Mouri and Tsukamoto-senpai are about the same strength..."

Just then, the coach's gaze swept over them, and the karate club members instantly shut their mouths, no longer daring to utter a word of gossip.

Hearing the discussion, Tsukamoto Kazumi frowned slightly, but didn't say anything more.

"Since you're from the karate club, you should know the competition rules."

"Best of three, loss is declared when the opponent hits the bottom line, stop when the opponent touches the target, no attacks to the head or vital organs are allowed, only karate attacks are permitted."

The coach gave a brief explanation.

After the two bowed to each other, the coach waved his hand downwards, which was positioned between them: "Round one, begin!"

Chu Zhong's gaze also locked onto the situation inside the arena.

"Drink!" Shigeru Yamazaki charged at Ran first, attacking her lower body directly.

Xiao Lan reacted quickly, dodging to the right and immediately launching a counterattack.

As it turned out, Yamazaki Shigeru's attack on the lower body was just a feint. As if he had anticipated the dodge trajectory, he rammed into Ran at almost the same time, and it looked like he was about to collide with her.

Fortunately, Xiaolan stopped abruptly, and the two passed each other by.

However, Shigeru Yamazaki changed his move very quickly. Taking advantage of the moment when Ran was stabilizing her body, he threw a straight punch at Ran's right chest.

Seeing this, Chu Zhong and Yuanzi, who were watching the battle, couldn't help but frown.

If Ran gets hit by Yamazaki Shigeru, she'll be at a disadvantage... especially with so many people watching.

Although some physical contact is normal in martial arts sparring, Chu Zhong had a strange feeling that Yamazaki Shigeru was doing it on purpose...

The next second, Xiaolan leaned back, trying her best to avoid the punch.

But his feet were already unsteady from the sudden stop, and with his upper body leaning back, he lost his balance and was about to fall to the floor.

"Oh no, Yamazaki Shigeru is going to take a point..."

Someone from the karate club couldn't help but gasp in surprise.

In the blink of an eye, Ran Mouri, who should have fallen, leaned back further, braced herself with her hands, and did a backflip.

While creating distance, he stood firmly with his upper body perfectly still, without making a ripple.

"What a quick response!"

Witnessing this scene, many people in the stands exclaimed in admiration.

Neither of them managed to land a single blow on the other, but this probing and strategic exchange was so intense that it kept everyone on their toes.

"Xiao Lan! Stop spacing out!!"

Sonoko shouted, "Defeat that guy!"

Chu Zhong also noticed that Xiao Lan, who landed after a backflip, was briefly surprised, as if she couldn't believe she had dodged the attack.

But more importantly, the words above Ran's head: [Demon King Level - Ran Mouri], just flickered and changed...

Equally surprised were his rival, Shigeru Yamazaki, and most of the members of the karate club.

To be able to perform a backflip to dodge when the balance is broken is an astonishing reaction speed.

To be precise, this is no longer a movement that can be completed by reaction alone; it requires the reflexive behavior of muscles.

How hard must Ran Mouri train to achieve that...?

"First set! Shigeru Yamazaki scores!"

The coach suddenly spoke up, stopping the two players who were about to fight again.

"what's the situation?!"

"Why did Yamazaki Shigeru get to score?"

The karate club members and students in the spectator stands all questioned the situation.

The coach pressed his hands down, and after the murmurs subsided, he explained, "This is a karate match. Backflips are not scoring moves. Remember that!"

"Excluding this move, Ran Mouri has already touched the ground, so she is disqualified."

However, this reason failed to convince the public, with many feeling that it was just a competition, not a formal contest.

But the coach ignored the discussion and had the two players return to the center. "Round two, begin!"

Before the words were even finished, both of them launched an attack, but Xiaolan was faster, and her fist was about to hit Yamazaki Shigeru's shoulder in the blink of an eye.

But Yamazaki Shigeru hunched his head and shoulders down, continuing his forward momentum, and in the blink of an eye, he crashed into Ran's arms again...

If he was only suspicious before, Chu Zhong is now basically certain that Yamazaki Shigeru is not using a conventional fighting style, but rather that it was premeditated.

Judging from Yamazaki Shigeru's offensive style, there is also a clear tendency to take advantage of others.

Fortunately, Ran was no pushover either. She swung her left hand, which was hidden at her waist, forcing Yamazaki Shigeru to dodge.

Xiao Lan seized the opportunity to press her advantage, raising her leg for a side kick.

But as if Yamazaki Shigeru had anticipated this, he dodged it in advance.

"This Shigeru Yamazaki is something else! He dodged so easily; his predictive ability is amazing!"

In the stands, some people exclaimed in amazement.

Someone nearby chimed in, "If this keeps up, Yamazaki Shigeru will definitely win. Ran Mouri won't be able to hit anything."

Chu Zhong sneered inwardly upon hearing this.

What prediction? It's obvious that Yamazaki Shigeru memorized Ran's habitual offensive moves during his daily training.

Having a plan but not the other way around, it seems that they have the upper hand now.

But Chu Zhong knew that Xiao Lan now, or rather, Xiao Lan today, was very different from Xiao Lan yesterday.

On the court, Ran and Shigeru Yamazaki made offensive moves against each other, but both were dodged.

But soon, Shigeru Yamazaki anticipated Ran's attack again, seized the opportunity, and dodged to the side, directly getting behind her.

Immediately afterwards, Shigeru Yamazaki threw a punch diagonally towards Ran's lower back...

Chu Zhong frowned deeply upon seeing this.

It looks like the punch is aimed at the lower back, but the fist is angled downwards. If nothing unexpected happens, it will land in a lower position—the buttocks!

The attack was dodged, and Ran, having missed her target, continued running forward, trying to create distance, but Shigeru Yamazaki was close behind.

"What a dirty trick!"

Most of the members of the karate club also noticed that Shigeru Yamazaki was trying to take advantage of the situation, and they all frowned.

In the middle of the field, Xiao Lan, who had failed to create distance, suddenly launched a spinning kick in an attempt to force Yamazaki Shigeru back.

Suddenly, Shigeru Yamazaki jumped up, dodging the spinning kick, and pounced on Ran.

This unexpected jump caught everyone off guard, including Ran Mouri.

With each breath, the lewd smile on Shigeru Yamazaki's face was clearly visible, and his hands were clenched into claws, as if he were trying to grab something.

Just when everyone thought that Shigeru Yamazaki would cling to Ran Mouri like a monkey, and even Chu Zhong was preparing to use a freezing spell...

Ran Mouri leaned back again, supporting herself with her hands on the ground. Her right leg, which had been used for a roundhouse kick, suddenly came together with her other leg and slammed into the air.

"Ugh—!"

With nowhere to dodge in mid-air, Shigeru Yamazaki was kicked and screamed as he flew backward.

Boom-!

Shigeru Yamazaki was sent flying several meters away, landing with a dull thud. He rolled several times until he reached the front of the stands, finally managing to dissipate the force of the impact.

Even so, Shigeru Yamazaki was already breathing heavily and looked extremely disheveled, unable to get up for a moment.

Chu Zhong also rubbed his eyes.

You read that right, the words above Xiaolan's head did change for a fleeting moment...

"What amazing skills! No wonder you're the captain of the karate club!"

"This Yamazaki Shigeru, he doesn't take the competition seriously, he's just thinking about taking advantage."

"You deserve it!"

Most of the spectators and members of the karate club applauded and cheered.

however,

"Second round! Shigeru Yamazaki scores!"

The coach then spoke up, "Ran Mori has lost two consecutive losses and has lost her position as the team's captain."

Upon hearing this, everyone was stunned and wondered if they had misheard.

The coach continued, "Ran Mouri has once again used an illegal move, showing a serious lack of training in karate."

"He struck too hard, causing serious injury, and his control over his strength was also poor."

He then scolded, "Ran Mouri, it seems you didn't listen to any of the training advice I gave you before!"