Chapter 8 - 8 8 Fight for Meat

8: Chapter 8: Fight for Meat 8: Chapter 8: Fight for Meat In reality, everyone had originally planned to issue a challenge the next day, but due to the exhaustion from training, they were in so much pain that they couldn’t stand it and ended up waiting until the third day. The collective decision to challenge An Jing was not because of the One-eyed Instructor’s words, “Champion Leader.” Over the past half a month, everyone had clearly seen for themselves what An Jing was capable of. Simply put, he excelled both intellectually and martially. Those who were more literary than him were not as martial, and there truly was no one more martial than him. Not to mention, during a practice session at Hanging Fate Manor, a tall youngster named Zhan Feng clashed with other children. Although he was only twelve years old, he stood eight feet tall, and his opponent, who seemed thin and dark, was surprisingly strong. When the two fought, the force of their blows was so fierce that nobody could get close. Yet An Jing had pinned each of them down to the table with just one hand, leaving them immobilized and begging for mercy. So, even though it was initially ‘by default,’ after more than half a month, everyone had recognized An Jing as the de facto Eldest Senior. The results of the extreme test also showed An Jing had the best physical strength among all those present. seaʀᴄh thё NôvelFire.nёt website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality. But this acknowledgment was built with no stakes involved. On the day of the test, An Jing’s dinner included an extra bowl of braised pork ribs and a bowl of bok choy tofu soup. The aromatic steam of the pork ribs was incredibly rich, the brown sauce seemed slightly spicy and medicinal, which was highly tantalizing. The bok choy tofu soup, while plain in appearance, appeared to be made with bone broth, emanating a rich aroma that could be considered a gourmet creation even outside the manor. Hanging Fate Manor had ample food supply—a chestnut corn meat soup, as well as rice with beans, and occasionally eggs and tofu—scant, but consistent. And that was about it. A large bowl of braised pork ribs, the fragrance of the oil, and the aroma of the sauce all caused a stir in the dining hall the moment they appeared. An Jing didn’t even turn around, but from the rapid breathing around him, he knew nearly everyone looking at him had green eyes. In fact, his eyes were green too. Without any hesitation, An Jing quickly devoured the meat in front of him. That night, a content An Jing heard double the usual amount of teeth grinding in the dormitory, and all the sleep talk was about ‘roasted meat’ and ‘pork ribs.’ A nearly tangible resentment filled the air, keeping him nearly from slipping into slumber—out of joy. He was well aware that for some time to come, there would be no peace for him. But An Jing was not the least bit afraid. Compete with him for food? Ha, what a joke! No matter who it was, he was not going to lose! An Jing got to eat meat for three days straight, and after everyone had recovered, under the supervision of the instructors, out of the thirteen who completed the full test, ten requested to challenge An Jing. “A series of battles?” Upon hearing the rules announced by the instructor, Gu Yeqi, who was following An Jing, opened her already large eyes even wider. She asked somewhat puzzled, “Instructor Li, doesn’t this seem a bit unfair? Does An Jing… does An Jing have to consecutively defeat all challengers to continue being Eldest Senior?” This girl, who came from the same place as An Jing, was very lively. Every time she saw An Jing, she would cheerfully call out ‘Jing’ and, after training, would bring a bowl of water for him. Having never had a little sister, An Jing found this feeling quite novel and was therefore willing to take care of her, often providing extra guidance on her martial skills, hence the two of them had a good relationship. Of course, An Jing also knew if he really had a little sister, it would be impossible for her to be as warm and uncomplicated as Gu Yeqi. “Yes,” Zhang Ying, who was following An Jing with a bruise still on his forehead, said with dissatisfaction, “And this gives too much advantage to those who challenge later, doesn’t it? Even if someone really wins, I doubt anyone will acknowledge their victory!” “If you can’t keep up physically, it just means your cultivation isn’t enough. If anyone else isn’t convinced, they can continue to challenge next week.” The One-eyed Instructor, surnamed Li, looked at An Jing with a rather playful gaze, clearly intending to test An Jing’s foundation: “For you apprentices, it won’t take much time to decide the winner. It’s impossible, and you don’t have the ability, to engage in long battles. One mistake is enough to determine the result.” “If you really have the level, defeating ten people in a row shouldn’t take more than half an hour.” “Wanting to be the Eldest Senior Brother, the ‘Champion Leader’ of this generation, is not so simple.” Instructor Li was right, and An Jing didn’t think it was unfair. On the contrary, he saw it as a good opportunity. A perfect opportunity to subdue everyone who didn’t accept him! In this challenge, weapons weren’t prohibited; everyone could choose their preferred wooden sticks, wooden knives, wooden swords, and other training equipment. After all, Da Chen boasted a strong martial tradition, and many young people who grew up immersed in it were skilled with weapons. An Jing chose a short stick to use as a weapon, primarily for blocking the challengers’ attacks. The first challenger used a knife, likely a family heirloom from a butcher’s family, and struck with ruthless precision. It wasn’t that he harbored a strong hostility, but rather he was well aware of An Jing’s strength. He knew that if he didn’t give it his all, he might be knocked down in one blow. He didn’t believe he could win, but he was willing to fight hard for the meat! After exchanging courtesies, the challenger made the first move, stepping forward as his long knife carved an arc, aiming a tricky diagonal slash at An Jing’s inner circle. However, An Jing immediately saw that his knife technique was suited for a pointed, meat-cutting knife, not a long one; that’s why he needed to close the distance for close combat. Yet, with his long knife already extending far enough, lunging made his swings clumsy and shifted his center of gravity. Seizing the right moment, An Jing took action. With one swing, he deflected the challenger’s long knife, and with a stride and a push, he toppled the off-balance opponent. The second challenger likely had a lumberjack ancestor, given how well he wielded his axe. With a weapon that fit him perfectly and swung with fierce power, a strike from that axe would surely break bones and muscles. If An Jing were to take a hit, he’d be out of breath on the spot. The only problem was, An Jing was neither firewood nor a tree. He could move. Effortlessly dodging the powerful blow, An Jing struck the opponent’s underarm and side with his stick, causing him to stagger and give up voluntarily. The third and fourth challengers were not much of an issue either; one with a sword, the other with a short spear. After a brief struggle, An Jing found their flaws and defeated them in turn. They might have good physical stamina and remarkable talents, but those who survived the Frost Calamity mostly did so with parental protection or luck. Even if they had killed people, it was mostly by chance; their martial skills were just ‘fine’. But An Jing had been practicing martial arts since he was a child, on the Northern Border’s wild plains, fighting horse bandits with his mother, even eliminating crazed refugees four or five times. Whether it was ambushes or head-on confrontations, he had plenty of real combat experience—much more than they could match. Even now, An Jing had to constantly hold back, or else his stick would instinctively aim for vital points like the heart or throat. This was also why he only chose a short stick. Becoming the rightful meat-eating Eldest Senior Brother after defeating many challengers was one thing, but accidentally killing a classmate or peer was entirely another. “Too much of a gap.” Instructor Li watched as An Jing dispatched the fifth and sixth challenger with ease, almost like slicing through vegetables. He couldn’t help shaking his head: “I thought to test this kid’s abilities, but I didn’t expect the gap to be so big.” He glanced at the remaining four challengers with dissatisfaction: “None of them is good enough.” Among these four challengers, only one had decent martial skills—the others were only good for bullying other children. But even so, compared to An Jing’s demonstrated level, they were at least three or four grades behind. And from the way that girl was looking at An Jing, utterly in awe, it was clear she had no will to fight, and would likely concede immediately. By then, An Jing had already defeated the seventh challenger—he hadn’t even used a weapon this time, simply caught the incoming long stick with his hands and kicked the opponent back, who then coughed and waved a conceding hand while stepping back. The time had just passed fifteen minutes, and ten people were not likely to last half an hour, let alone forty-five minutes. Instructor Li furrowed his brows. He had come with a mission this time. It was good that An Jing’s level was high, but crushing everyone’s morale did not align with his goal. He scanned the crowd of over two hundred Children of Calamity. There were definitely people whose talent was no less exceptional than An Jing’s, but because of their high talent, they had already recognized their lack of real combat experience and knew they were no match for An Jing. Those with real combat experience and decent strength could also see the disparity with An Jing. Instructor Li’s gaze swept over several potential talents he favored, but none showed any desire to fight. After looking around, he finally found someone who, despite watching the battles, wasn’t intimidated but excitedly clenched their fists, showcasing decent strength that might pose some threat to An Jing. “You.” Instructor Li walked directly to the young man, clapped his shoulder, and then pointed at An Jing: “Go and knock him down.”