World’s Best Martial Artist
chapter-198

Fang Ping stood proudly and swept a gaze across the crowd with a serene smile. “Anyone who thinks that I, Fang Ping, am unqualified for those credits, you can come up here now!”

His gaze targeted the few people who had taunted him. Their expressions changed, but no one said a word.

Chen Pengfei studied Yu Xianghua and Zhang Ziwei before he turned back to Fang Ping, asking abruptly, “If you don’t mind, can you tell me how high your Vitality is?”

“About 600cal.”

Chen Pengfei’s countenance changed slightly. He nodded and did not ask further.

A twice-honed Rank-2 martial artist’s Vitality would reach 500cal, at most.

In reality, 480cal was the limit for most people, and these were the Rank-2 bone-honed martial artists.

Fang Ping’s Vitality had reached 600cal. This meant that in combat, his moves would be more powerfully explosive, and could be sustained for longer. On top of that, he had entered Rank-3; his Vitality limit and constitution would have increased too.

Of course, this was not the reason why Yu Xianghua and Zhang Ziwei were defeated.

It was because, with a Vitality of 600cal, Fang Ping could replenish his Vitality constantly. There was no way to fight against that.

Yu Xianghua was completely constrained by the end of the match; he could not retaliate at all.

Even if Yu Xianghua had wanted to use a signature move, Fang Ping had not given him a chance for it. Fang Ping had delivered consecutive punches without pause, giving Yu Xianghua no break to pool his energy.

As for dodging and running away, the entire fight would have been meaningless if Yu Xianghua had done so.

The two seniors had already teamed up against one opponent in the first place. If they had retreated or ran away, it would have been even more mortifying.

Also, Fang Ping was not slow. The bursts of power that he used were not high; his advantage lay in being able to produce them consecutively without stopping.

Fang Ping had also put a lot of hard work into practicing his Stepping Techniques. Any free time he had over the past few days was spent practicing them.

In Fang Ping’s opinion, he had to be able to outrun his opponents even if he could not defeat them. With his constantly flowing Vitality, he could outrun quite a lot of martial artists that were otherwise on par with him in speed. He was fast, and he was capable of landing consecutive hits. Martial artists of his kind were extremely hard to deal with. If the fight had continued, Yu Xianghua would have no hope of winning unless he could injure Fang Ping severely with a single blow.

At his detractors’ silence, Fang Ping smiled mockingly but said nothing.

They thought that his victory over Gu Xiong was hard-won. It was true; they were not wrong. It was because Fang Ping did not spend any of his Wealth points during that battle, but had fully relied on his own strength.

Now, though, against two opponents, he would be incredibly stupid to have done that.

If not for his reservations about seeming too frivolous, he would not have needed to lure Zhang Ziwei into taking the bait by feigning injury. He could have tired both his opponents out directly.

Dealing with Zhang Ziwei swiftly and suffering slight injuries as a result was an acceptable aftermath for Fang Ping. This was also the reason why he ended the battle so quickly.

…

“My side will vote for you in the future.” Yu Xianghua picked up his staff and left without another word, hobbling feebly.

His left arm was fractured, and he had suffered serious injury to his chest. He would need to rest for at least a week before he could fight again.

Zhang Ziwei’s injuries were more severe. Fang Ping had not restrained himself as he had wanted to finish off one of his opponents quickly. Zhang Ziwei’s arms had not been fractured; they had been shattered.

Without effective Healing Pills and Rank-2 Bone-honing Pills, she would need more than a month to recover from that one critical attack.

As for the flurry of punches at the end…Yang Xiaoman and the others had strange expressions on their faces. Had he collapsed her chest?

Zhang Ziwei found speaking difficult. She glanced at Fang Ping and left slowly, supported by another female student.

Chen Pengfei laughed after the two had left. “Don’t look at me. I’m not your match. Voting is a small task.

“You, on the other hand, are destined to duke it out with Xie Lei one day.”

“Oh?”

“Zhang Ziwei’s his girlfriend. Tsk, tsk, given how badly you’ve injured her, if I were Xie Lei, I’d definitely be paying you a visit late tonight.”

Chen Pengfei laughed and laughed. Fang Ping certainly did not pull his punches.

Fang Ping had beaten up the other man’s girlfriend so badly her chest had collapsed. If it had been Chen Pengfei, he would probably immediately have sought revenge.

Fang Ping’s brow furrowed slightly at that. He then said calmly, “If he does come after me, so be it!”

If Xie Lei really sought him out and challenged him to a match, Fang Ping definitely could not take him on in straight combat. When the time came, he had better not blame Fang Ping for being disrespectful!

Fang Ping would definitely not agree to combat on the Battle Stage, so a chase it would be. They could run and run for hours; Fang Ping could tire Xie Lei out even if he could not defeat him.

Chen Pengfei laughed boisterously. He did not say anything more but took his leave.

Fu Changding watched, annoyed. Suddenly, Chen Pengfei turned around and asked, “Fu Changding, has your butt healed?’

“You a**hole!” Fu Changding was so furious he looked as if he wanted to take Chen Pengfei on, right there and then.

Chen Pengfei gave a shout of laughter and left quickly, avoiding confrontation.

Everybody else present prepared to leave after that. Fang Ping declared suddenly, “Before next semester starts, I will challenge the president of the Martial Arts Society. Everyone better pray that you’re not going to live under my thumb!”

With a snort, Fang Ping picked up his changdao and marched off.

What a gaggle of stuffy old bastards! Did they not know they should not bully young people?

Fang Ping was only a freshman! If he could not become president of the Martial Arts Society in his freshman year, there was still a chance in his sophomore year.

Those fellows in the Martial Arts Society would certainly not have graduated yet.

Now they were taunting him, but wait until he became president, then he would show them!

The spectators looked at one another in confusion. After a while, someone asked helplessly, “Is it possible to enter Rank-4 in the sophomore year?”

If Fang Ping managed it, he would definitely become president.

Another coughed dryly. “Keep the president in his position for a bit longer so he doesn’t resign before he graduates. We’re in our junior year now, so we won’t be affected when that young one takes the position.”

Everybody exchanged glances. Some of the juniors were in agreement with this plan.

This matter had nothing to do with them. If Zhang Yu did not resign before he graduated, Fang Ping would not be able to take the position, and they would not need to fear Fang Ping making things hard for them.

As for the current sophomores, they would have to fend for themselves. Who knows, there might even be some powerhouses among them. Xie Lei was more likely to become president though, compared to Fang Ping.

“Luckily he beat Zhang Ziwei up…”

Someone laughed. Fang Ping had found himself a bitter rival by challenging Zhang Ziwei.

If Xie Lei did not cause trouble for him now, he most definitely would when Fang Ping reached higher-stage Rank-3.

His girlfriend had been severely injured, and there was no telling yet if her chest had collapsed. No man would be able to stay calm in the face of something like that.

…

“Fang Ping, you’re okay, right?” Chen Yunxi asked anxiously, having noticed Fang Ping’s bloodied left hand and the bloodstains on his chest from across the way.

Fang Ping shook his head and said casually, “Some of my bones are broken, and my Vitality’s completely exhausted. I can’t afford Rank-2 bone-honing pills, so I’ll have to wait till they heal by themselves.”

“They were broken?”

“Mm, only a few bones. It isn’t a big deal.”

“Then…”

“Yunxi!” Yang Xiaoman shouted. She glared at Fang Ping, annoyed, “Can you not bully an honest person?”

Fang Ping looked startled. He said, perplexed, “What did I do?”

“You…”

Yang Xiaoman was speechless. What did he do?

Why was he trying to sell them such rubbish about his injuries? Did he really think that they would not see through him?

Fang Ping was at a loss. He said gloomily, “Who did I bully? Bones were broken, but they’re my bones. I’m just poor. You know, kids from poor families have to provide for their families early, so they can handle suffering. I’ve already gotten used to it…”

Fu Changding couldn’t stand it anymore. He interrupted, “Enough already. Don’t lie to Yunxi here. If your bones really were broken, you would have taken a couple of dozen Bone-honing Pills out and swallowed them immediately.”

He understood Fang Ping very well. The fellow did not skimp on things when he was seriously injured.

Chen Yunxi too had just realized this. Her face flushed crimson from anger.

Fang Ping felt helpless. ‘I was only saying. If I fool one person, then it’s just one person, not everyone else. I didn’t even succeed anyway!’

“None of you understand me at all. Fine, there’s nothing to say. I’ll just bear all the hardship and suffering on my own.”

“Stop!” Fu Changding interrupted him again. He did not continue with this topic, though, redirecting their conversation to something more important, “When did you breakthrough to Rank-3?”

“After I returned to school.”

“Why didn’t you tell us?”

“Isn’t it obvious? You didn’t ask. If I told you, wouldn’t that be too discouraging?’

“…”

Fang Ping was not wrong there. It really was discouraging.

“Rank-3…”

Everyone sighed. This was enough of a blow that some of them had lost hope.

Their freshman year had not even ended yet!

They did not pursue this topic any further. Fu Changding asked again, “What’s your opinion on team formation?”

Fang Ping replied as they walked, “What opinion can I have? We’re freshmen. Will our seniors accept us into their teams?

“If I wanted to, I wouldn’t have any problems. No one would refuse to have me.

“But that’s fine. It’s meaningless. Let’s continue being a team together.”

Fang Ping looked at the silent Zhao Lei and said, “Ask your mentor to open some doors for us. He oversees almost all the daily affairs of the university. Two of his students are in this team, after all, so giving us a few thousand credits shouldn’t be that hard…”

Zhao Lei did not look at him, nor did he reply.

Yang Xiaoman was speechless for a moment. “Go ask him yourself. If you don’t end up dead, then we’ll have a try.”

“Ha!” Fang Ping snorted. Did she think he was crazy enough to go and willingly court death?

After some thought, Fang Ping sighed. “Our mentors are really unhelpful. My mentor’s incredibly stingy…”

Zhao Xuemei defended Lu Fengrou, saying softly, “Mentor’s very kind. She sold me 10 Rank-2 Bone-honing pills at half price two days ago…”

Fang Ping was rendered utterly speechless for a while.

“This is bullying!”

The expression on Fang Ping’s face changed, then changed again. Old Lu was openly bullying him. She was giving him the opposite of preferential treatment!

Everyone struggled hard not to laugh. Fang Ping deserved it!

Lu Fengrou saw that he resold pills frequently, so she certainly would not give him pills at half price just for him to sell them again.

Zhao Xuemei was different. She was genuinely cultivating in earnest and had never done anything of the sort before, as evidenced by her character.

Fang Ping, though, was another matter.

He was not short of pills in Lu Fengrou’s eyes, at least. She had not seen an occasion where his progress was impeded due to lack of resources.

If Fang Ping had been struggling to ascend to a higher Rank because he did not have enough pills however, Lu Fengrou would not be treating him this way.

Mentors were there to offer help when there was a difficulty, not add onto a naturally impressive performance and waste limited resources.

…

As the group of friends walked back to their dormitories, news of Fang Ping’s victory over Yu Xianghua and Zhang Ziwei combined was spreading like wildfire.

…

In the Martial Arts Society’s office, Zhou Yan looked on as Zhang Yu organized his files. She could not help saying, “Fang Ping’s already at Rank-3.”

“Mm.”

“The year hasn’t even ended yet…”

“What are you trying to say?”

“He’s progressing too fast, faster than NMAU’s Wang Jinyang. I worry that he’ll be at Peak Rank-3 in no time…then…”

Zhang Yu put down his pen and lifted his head. “Are you worried that I’ll lose to him?”

“No.” Zhou Yan shook her head, but she continued, worried, “Why don’t you stop managing the club’s affairs and concentrate on cultivating instead? You haven’t entered middle-stage yet, and I hear that Wang Jinyang has already entered middle-stage. He broke through later than you too.”

Progress was always slower when one reached Rank-4.

Wang Jinyang had achieved his breakthrough last October. It was now April. In the course of half a year, he had already become a middle-stage Rank-4 martial artist.

Zhang Yu had broken through sometime during the previous May, and it had been almost a year since then.

His slow progress was partly due to his dedication to the Martial Arts Society.

Zhang Yu smiled calmly. “Are you afraid that Fang Ping will catch up to me? He’s barely Rank-3. Do you really think that he’ll surpass me?”

“This…” Zhou Yan had no answer to that, but pointed out immediately, “He can’t, but what about Qin Fengqing? That fellow’s already at Peak Rank-3 and could enter Rank-4 any time now. It’s nothing if you lose to Fang Ping, I feel.

“But if you lose to Qin Fengqing, you’re not going to have peace any time soon, given his temper. You’ve beaten him up more than once.”

Zhang Yu’s expression soured at that. That braggart!

If Qin Fengqing really were to enter Rank-4, it would take more than one fight to settle everything.

Zhang Yu had no doubt at all about the state of the Martial Arts Society if Qing Fengqing became president. It would definitely turn into a place noisier than a wet market, with battles happening every day.

Zhang Yu took a deep breath. He said with determination, “I should really settle down and cultivate, yes. It’s been a year since I’ve advanced to Rank-4.

“For now, take care of the Society’s affairs. I’ll take a trip to the Catacombs and breakthrough after I return!”

As for Fang Ping, he still had a ways to catch up to Zhang Yu.

He posed no threat to him before higher-stage Rank-3.

Zhou Yan nodded with a faint sigh. With mixed emotions, she said, “Qin Fengqing in your year, Xie Lei in the sophomore year, Fang Ping in the freshman year… President, I think you’ll find it harder to retain your position in the coming year.”

She was not looking down on Zhang Yu; the others never stopped striving to catch up.

Progress was already slow at Rank-4. If things continued as they were, someone would definitely catch up and challenge him.

President of the Martial Arts Society was not an easy position to maintain.

The handful of Rank-5 students in the university were all graduating after this semester.

If Zhang Yu, as president of the Martial Arts Society, was not able to enter Rank-5 before graduation, the stream of Rank-5 students in the school might be temporarily interrupted.

If the new students grew stronger and the old ones fell short year after year, Zhang Yu’s performance as president would be criticized.

Zhou Yan did not voice these thoughts, but Zhang Yu knew in his heart.

Yes, it was almost graduation season.

The few seniors that were at Rank-5 would leave soon. All of them were not in school, actually; they were all either in other provinces or down in the Catacombs.

They were still students of MCMAU however.

Once they graduated though, they would leave school and the number of Rank-5 students in the university would revert to 0.

As tangled thoughts went through his mind, Zhang Yu asked suddenly, “What do you think of asking Fang Ping to join the Martial Arts Society?”

“Join the Society?’

“As vice president. He and Xie Lei might enter Rank-5 before they graduate,” Zhang Yu said quietly, “It doesn’t matter if I’m president or not.

“The president of the Martial Arts Society in CCMAU is already at Peak Rank-4. NMAU’s Wang Jinyang has also entered Rank-4 middle-stage. The president at Sino Nation Martial Arts University will be entering Rank-4 middle-stage soon.

“There will be championship held at the end of this year. As far as I know, the competition will not be between freshmen, but between martial arts clubs.”

The first championship put the burden on the freshmen.

The second might not.

The strength of a school and the success of its training programs would be determined by its student powerhouses. The Martial Arts Society represented the best of those powerhouses.

Zhang Yu judged that the Martial Arts Society would most likely be participating in the championship this year.

Zhou Yan did not know what to say. Students from the lower years had started to demonstrate their strengths while the seniors fell somewhat short. Zhang Yu might have bitten off more than he could chew.

Zhou Yan gave Zhang Yu’s suggestion some consideration. “Let’s see what happens next semester. Also…please don’t lose to Fang Ping, or else…”

Zhang Yu chuckled. “I’m not that weak.”

He had made up his mind to go on a trip to the Catacombs. If he really was defeated…no, he could not very well lose his dignity like that before graduation.