When Huang Xiaolong arrived at the Cosmic Star Academy's main square, he ran into Li Lu.
"Xiaolong!" Li Lu had spotted Huang Xiaolong from far away. Feeling delighted, she ran into Huang Xiaolong's arms same as always and hugged him. He smiled bitterly as the square's passerby turned to look at them.
"Okay, everyone is looking," Huang Xiaolong persuaded.
Only then did Li Lu let go of him.
In the few months they had been apart, Li Lu had grown taller; her small face's features had become even more delicate and her dimples when smiling were even more mesmerizing. Intelligent and bright looking eyes showed cuteness and mischief.
Li Lu's looked down shyly from being stared at by Huang Xiaolong and a trace of a red blush appeared on her cheeks.
"Xiaolong, tomorrow is the class and year's competition so you must be careful of Jiang Teng." Seconds later, Li Lu raised her head and said to Huang Xiaolong, "After he was beaten by you last time, Jiang Teng was healed by the Principal and Vice-Principal. He has been training madly for the past few months and has advanced quickly. His current strength is already at peak late-Fourth Order!"
The peak late-Fourth Order? Huang Xiaolong was a bit surprised.
He didn't expect that little punk would break through to the peak late-Fourth Order so soon.
Suddenly, Huang Xiaolong frowned a little and his eyes squinted when he noticed Jiang Teng was heading his way with a group of students tagging behind him.
Li Lu noticed Huang Xialong's frown, she turned around, and her expression changed. Immediately, she hid behind Huang Xiaolong as if she was afraid of Jiang Teng.
Watching Li Lu's reaction, Huang Xiaolong's frown grew deeper.
Stopping in front of Huang Xiaolong, Jiang Teng glanced at Li Lu hiding behind Huang Xiaolong and the corner of his mouth curled up in a cruel sneer. He looked at Huang Xiaolong saying, "I heard someone say that you're back and I didn't expect it to be true. Huang Xialong, tomorrow is the class competition and this time, I will make you feel regret, regret forever!" At this point, he pointed a finger at Li Lu and spat the words out, one by one, "At tomorrow's class competition, I want to see if you can save her like the last time!"
When Jiang Teng said this, his eyes shone with a fiery fierceness, and it was obvious to everyone present how high the level of animosity Jiang Teng felt towards Huang Xiaolong.
The last time, it was on this very spot that Huang Xiaolong defeated him in the public eye, turning him from the Academy's most talented genius in a hundred years to the Academy's laughing stock.
That incident spread through the entire Royal City and was treated a juicy piece of gossip at the dinner table.
These past five months, he lived under mocking eyes and was ridiculed every day and he hated Huang Xiaolong for it! His hate spread to everyone and everything related to Huang Xiaolong!
Every single day during these past five months he trained like a madman-- everything was for defeating Huang Xiaolong in front of the Academy in the class competition, to cruelly crush Huang Xiaolong!
Looking at Jiang Teng's full of hatred face, like he (JT) wanted to swallow him (HXL) alive, Huang Xiaolong was indifferent as usual, "Tomorrow? No need to wait until tomorrow, summon your 'sick cat' martial spirit out now."
'Sick cat' martial spirit?!
The lackeys behind Jiang Teng had a look of anticipation on their faces towards a good show.
Huang Xiaolong's remark made Jiang Teng turn red with anger and a sharp, cruel light flickered across his eyes, "Good! Huang Xiaolong, since you asked for it, then there's no need to wait till tomorrow-- I will cripple you now!" After he finished saying that, his battle qi's dazzling light broke out from his body and his martial spirit, the Sacred Bright Tiger, emerged.
Jiang Teng's energy aura increased exponentially – first Fourth Order, then mid-Fourth Order to late, then it reached peak late-Fourth Order. Suddenly, it surged again and reached the Fifth Order!
"Fifth Order! Isn't Jiang Teng a peak late-Fourth Order? Heavens, he actually broke through to the Fifth Order!"
"This is too horrifying! Not even half a year has passed, and he already passed the Fourth Order and advanced into the Fifth Order!"
Everyone present was shocked, including Li Lu.
The rumors around the Academy said Jiang Teng had advanced to the peak late-Fourth Order; however, not one person knew that Jiang Teng actually reached the Fifth Order!
Jiang Teng's body burst out in full blast; hearing the shocked gasps and whispers around him, his heart bloated with pride. For the end of the year's competition, to astound the whole Academy, he who had reached the peak late-Fourth Order went all out and swallowed a treasured elixir his family had kept for more than a hundred years, and forcefully broke into the Fifth Order.
"Huang Xiaolong, are you shocked that I am now a Fifth Order?" Jiang Teng stared at Huang Xiaolong and sneered, "I don't believe you can reach my level!" In normal terms, even if Huang Xiaolong possessed a grade eleven martial spirit like his, it was impossible for him to have the same achievement.
From Jiang Teng's point of view, unless Huang Xiaolong took some precious elixir like he did, at the most Huang Xiaolong would be a peak late-Fourth Order.
However, the probability of that was almost nil.
Ruthlessness flashed in Jiang Teng's eyes, "Last time, you gave me fifteen palms! This time, I will return to you thirty palms, one hundred palms!" When Jiang Teng finished saying that, he suddenly leaped out and his fist struck out aiming at Huang Xiaolong. This attack contained all the hate he had been suppressing for the last five months.
"Tiger Flame Palm!"
"Tiger King reappear!"
A huge tiger and paw print pierced through space.
Out of sight, in a corner some distance away, stood Xiong Chu and Sun Zhang. Both were surprised at the strength Jiang Teng had revealed; clearly, the two of them hadn't expected Jiang Teng to have advanced to the Fifth Order in such a short period of time. The truth was, they had gotten to the square early on, and had seen everything that happened from the beginning, but neither had the intention to interfere.
Xiong Chu sighed, feeling comforted, "Jiang Teng truly did not disappoint us. In just five months, he has come this far. At first, I thought Huang Xiaolong would secure the first place in the class competition, but now, it seems it may not be so."
Sun Zhang's eyes looked deep and said: "I have been very curious about Huang Xiaolong's martial spirit and this time, with Jiang Teng's Fifth Order strength, he probably could force Huang Xiaolong to call out his martial spirit!"
"Principal, who do you think will lose and who will win?" Xiong Chu asked out of curiosity.
Sun Zhang's voice was deep and somber, "It should be a tie."
Huang Xiaolong stood on the same spot watching the fierce paw print aiming for him-- his expression was cold, but he didn't move much. A single palm pressed against the void and the Ethereal Palm already struck out towards the Tiger Flame Palm.
Jiang Teng, who was in midair when he launched the attack, felt a tyrannical, irrepressible power surge at him like a mighty wave.
"Hong!" A loud crash rang out, and Jiang Teng was akin to a small pebble hitting the great waves, and his body shook and flew out frantically from the impact.
Taking advantage of the time it took Jiang Teng's body hit the ground, Huang Xiaolong's body flashed and reappeared right below Jiang Teng. Cold eyes flickered as another palm struck the falling body.
"Stop!"
Both Sun Zhang and Xiong Chu shouted at the same time; two silhouettes rushed forward with rapid speed, but it was still too late.
Another one of Huang Xiaolong's palm hit Jiang Teng squarely in the chest. And with a muffled blast sound, Jiang Teng crashed to the ground from mid-air. Tremors traveled across the square ground as spider-line cracks spread out from where Jiang Teng landed.
Like a dead dog, Jiang Teng laid on the ground, limbs twitching and his opened mouth issuing a low groaning sound.
Two people came down from the air; Sun Zhang and Xiong Chu finally arrived, and when they saw Jiang Teng lying down on like a dead dog, their expressions ashened. Hastening towards Jiang Teng, both of them quickly ran their battle qi, transferring them into Jiang Teng's body to rescue him, just like last time.
The lackeys who came with Jiang Teng and the passerby were immensely frightened of Huang Xiaolong.
Several students who were on good terms with Jiang Teng ran away in fear, not daring to stay a moment longer in the square.
After smashing Jiang Teng down to the ground with one palm, Huang Xiaolong landed and sent the other side a cold look. This time, he was heavy handed for he wanted to let hi opponent thoroughly understand the gap that exists between them. Otherwise, the other side will always find opportunities to swagger foolishly in front of him in the future.