Chapter 20 — Section Nineteen: Tianjing, Struck While Lying Down

"What the hell has the principal gone crazy over? He's made life impossible for everyone." Fuda could not hold back his complaints.

A few days earlier, the principal had suddenly issued a hard order: if the school failed to achieve a good result at this year's Star Wind Martial Meet, the holidays for the next two years would be canceled entirely. The order was handed down to every student and every teacher.

The principal's prestige at Tianjing Academy was unmatched; no one questioned whether his orders would be carried out. Anyone who had spent time at Tianjing knew that the principal's word was never empty.

Tianjing Academy was instantly thrown into a chaos of chickens flying and dogs leaping.

Every teacher wound up like a clockwork spring, keeping vigil day and night, adding classes, inventing special training of every description, and drilling practical combat around the clock.

Every student at Tianjing Academy felt their suffering was beyond words. Never mind skipping class—even arriving late would now earn a severe punishment under such high pressure. In the past, a little money slipped to a teacher had bought a carefree life. But that trick was useless now; the teachers were like wolves with reddened eyes, showing no mercy at all.

Not a single class was spared. Every day, the punished students could fill the corridors.

Fuda had fallen victim today.

"It's all because of those three Jiaduo from that day." A close friend in the know lowered his voice. "Remember those three country bumpkins that day? When I saw them at our school, I knew something bad was coming. But I never imagined they'd stir up a mess this big!"

"Those three country bumpkins you mean?" Fuda was startled. He had seen the three of them that day too, but he had never connected the two things.

"That old man is the principal of Shaqima Academy. Of the other two, one is Amori and one is Tang Tang. You must have heard of them—they've caused quite a stir lately!"

Fuda nodded repeatedly. "I've heard, I've heard. The Mad Bull Amori transferred schools. But what do they have to do with our principal? And how did they offend him?"

"I don't know the details either. But I heard someone say the principal and that old man got into a shouting match in the principal's office. And then this mess came down on us!" The friend kept spilling the gossip.

"Impossible." Fuda looked utterly unconvinced, as though he had heard the most ridiculous joke imaginable. "What's there to argue about with a broken school like Shaqima Academy? Don't tell me they want to compete with us at the Star Wind Martial Meet. Their brains must be fried."

He was not boasting. What kind of school was Tianjing? The number one famous school in Yaochuan City! Shaqima Academy ranked third from the bottom. The two were utterly incomparable. If not for this transfer incident, Fuda had never even heard the name of that school.

"There are just that many Jiaduo in this world who don't know their own strength." The friend shrugged, his face full of misfortune. "Their brains are fried, and we're the ones who get stabbed while lying down!"

"You're right about that!" Fuda's mouth hung open in astonishment.

"It's true." The friend's face was bitter.

Fuda felt a surge of anger rise in him. "Those trash students—it's bad enough that their own heads are muddled, but now they've come to ruin us! No, we can't let this go."

"What do you want to do?" The friend perked up at once.

Fuda sneered. "They want to compete with our Tianjing at the Star Wind Martial Meet? Those toads should look in a mirror—do they even qualify? Ridiculous! I'll make them see clearly that reality isn't as laughable as they imagine."

"You mean you want to..." The friend's eyes lit up.

"Heh, there's no need to wait for the Star Wind Martial Meet. We'll find a few people and go teach them a lesson. Didn't they want to take part in the Star Wind Martial Meet? Then we'll beat them so badly they can't take part at all!" Fuda's gaze grew colder and colder, his face full of mockery. "They think one Mad Bull Amori is enough to turn the world upside down? Even Beast Academy doesn't dare challenge our Tianjing, and one Amori makes them this arrogant? Cripple them!"

"That's right, find a few people! Damn it, we have to vent this fury!"

Fuda's proposal quickly drew a response from many students. At the thought of their present hellish days, everyone burned with anger.

Fuda had not expected so many to respond.

But to avoid catching the teachers' attention and being punished, he finally picked the two strongest students, and the others covered for them.

Shen Yuan, a third-year student, ranked ninth at Tianjing Academy.

Yang Yong, a second-year student, ranked twenty-second at Tianjing Academy.

The two vanished without a trace.

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Perhaps because he had cultivated the Crane Body, Tang Yi did not feel the slightest bit tired from this round of bitter training. By now he had perfected the Flashing Fist and could unleash it in any manner he pleased.

After an hour of meditation, his fatigue was swept clean away. Since cultivating the Crane Body, the recovery speed of his true force had increased considerably.

According to the insights within the Soul General Card, the Crane Body was only the entrance to the Crane Qi Art, far from its end. Tang Tang's current Crane Body could only be called a fledgling form; he needed to keep activating more and more fine meridians before the Crane Body could be strengthened. Once strengthened, the crane form would come alive, and its power would grow even greater.

At a high level of cultivation, a single thought would transform the Crane Body, true force surging through the whole body and erupting in an instant, turning the utmost softness into the utmost hardness, indestructible.

Tang Cheng felt his luck was truly excellent.

The Crane Qi Art was a perfect match for the Southern Cross bitter training scroll; not only could it cultivate martial techniques, but his true force could also advance by leaps and bounds.

And all Tang Tang needed to do was train again and again, round after round of bitter practice.

What could be simpler than that?

Tang Min was full of anticipation for the future, wondering what the Crane Body would be like at its pinnacle.

Tang Tang laughed heartily and leaped up from the floor, dashing out the door. He could not wait to find Amori and test his hand.

Amori was drenched in sweat on the training ground, a giant wooden blade almost as large as himself in his grip, shouting and calling out continuously. Wei Zheng was, as always, nowhere to be seen.

For some reason, Tang Tang had a persistent illusion that Amori was more focused and diligent than before. In truth, Amori had always been extremely hardworking, but now, watching Amori's back, this thought rose in Tang Ke's mind unbidden.

Hmm, it was probably just an illusion.

Tang Tang shook his head and flung the absurd thought to the back of his mind. With a stir of his thought, true force poured into his legs, and his whole body shot forward like a cannonball, hurtling toward the training Amori.

"Fly Bull! On guard!"

Tang Yi roared in midair, twisted his waist, and threw a punch.

Amori had long since sensed Tang Duo's approach. The giant wooden blade in his hands suddenly flipped, and his enormous frame spun nimbly, with an agility beyond words.

"Basic Tang! Let me see how much you've improved lately!"

Amori laughed heartily, the giant wooden blade meeting the airborne Tang Tang in a sudden slash.

The giant wooden blade traced a dark, heavy arc of blade shadow, carrying a deep, moaning wind as it chopped toward Tang Tang.

Amori did not channel true force, yet the weight of the blade was like Mount Tai pressing down, creating a sense of unavoidable doom. Amori was born with divine strength, and this giant wooden blade, made of hard mountain wood, was like a door panel, weighing over two hundred catties.