1 Zhao Fan

"As you all know, today is the day of the class tournament, where all of you will be able to showcase your talents and achievements over the first two weeks of your cultivation! Since there are only twenty of you, I will call out names and separate everyone into four groups based on your cultivation level. Each group will have individual battles until one person comes out on top in every group. Those winners will battle each other and the rewards will be distributed depending on how well you did. Does everyone understand?"

"Yes, Teacher Li!" Twenty students shouted in unison. Various expressions could be seen on their faces ranging from confidence to extreme panic.

"First place will be awarded a hundred spirit stones, second will be awarded seventy five, third fifty, fourth, twenty five. As for the groups, I will make them now so listen carefully"

"Group one, Chen Cai, Zhao Fan, Guo Shui, Kong Xiang… Group two, ….." The green robed instructor called out twenty names in total.

The groups were split according to cultivation rank with some overlap. Since there were eight second-level Qi Condensation cultivators and twelve first-level cultivators, the groups were formed into one group of five second-level cultivators and one group of three second-level and two first-level cultivators; the other two groups only had first-level cultivators. That way, there was a chance for a first-level youth to get in the top five and reap rewards even if he couldn't beat a second-level youth.

"Now, battles in group one will start. First battle, Kong Xiang against Zhao Fan!"

Two youths perked up and quickly went on stage. They both wore tattered clothes, with a wooden sword sheathed by their sides. Zhao Fan looked skinny and pale, but his ruffled thick black hair gave him a mysterious charm. Kong Xiang had some muscle and nearly no hair at all.

"Start!"

A loud voice reverberated through the class, and the two jumped into action.

"First, draw out qi from my dantian." Zhao Fan's pale face took on a look of concentration. The youth opposite him closed his eyes and focused.

"Then, direct it through my arm meridians and into the sword!"

The sword he was holding in his hand suddenly emitted a faint blue glow. In an instant, Zhao Fan leapt at Kong Xiang while brandishing his wooden sword.

"Zhao Fan wins!"

Kong Xiang opened his eyes and saw a glowing sword placed right next to his neck. A helpless sigh escaped his lips as both youths sheathed their swords and jumped down from the arena.

"Next battle, group two, Tian Rong versus Yao Bi"

Tian Rong was a burly young man while Yao Bi was a slender young lady who was taller than her opponent by a head.

"Start!"

Just like in the first battle, both opponents concentrated for a few moments. Yao Bi was slightly faster and leapt at her opponent like a phantom before the latter could react. Tian Rong wasn't weak either and managed to empower his sword just as Yao Bi closed in.

"Ahh!"

Yao Bi struck down and Tian Rong could only somewhat lift up his sword in time. His stance was weak, and when the swords collided, the wooden sword he held ripped out of his hand. The blunt edge slammed on his forehead producing a loud smacking sound which made the spectators faces twitch in pity.

"Yao Bi wins!"

Teacher Li jumped up onto the stage and effortlessly lifted Tian Rong before coming back down. His expression didn't change as he announced the next participants.

"Next! Group three, Li Peng versus Hao Tian"

Two youths both at the second-level of Qi Condensation jumped up on the field.

"Start!"

When the battle began, the two did not waste much time. They ran at each other, swords unsheathed and In just a fraction of a second, both of their swords lit up and collided together. As they clashed, a small wave of air was released resulting from the qi in both swords colliding.

This clash continued for a couple moments with each side striking and trying to find openings in the other. Their level of swordsmanship was not great, but the force behind it was real.

Suddenly, Li Peng pretended to retreat. Just as Hao Tian thought he was gaining momentum, Li Peng ducked and swung his foot up at the latter's groin.

At the crucial moment, Teacher Li's eyes contracted and he raised a finger. A stream of fast moving qi flew out straight at Li Peng's foot causing him to be thrown away lightly.

A blood curdling scream radiated followed by a bang from Hao Tian dropping on his knees. Even if the permanent damage was mitigated, the pain was still enough for him to froth at the mouth and faint.

"Li Peng, you went too far! Next time, your reward will be halved as punishment."

Despite this, a devious smile blossomed on Li Peng's face.

"Final group, Yao Zan versus Huang Jingyi"

Two youths quickly jumped up.

"Yao Zan, don't think you can win just because of that Spirit Dash of yours" Huang Jingyi pointed his sword at his opponent.

"You think that your father teaching you a couple hunter moves used for slaughtering boars is worth anything in the cultivation world?" Yao Zan scoffed.

"Start!" Teacher Li loudly declared.

"Spirit Dash!" Yao Zan already prepared the move before the fight even started. His legs became a blur as he accelerated in the direction of his opponent, sword drawn. It only took a fraction of a second for him to light up his sword and another fraction of a second to close the four meter gap.

"Spirit Cleave!"

Huang Jingyi shouted as he raised his glowing sword over his head and swung it down. A faint trail was left from the small amounts of qi dissipating in the air. Spirit cleave couldn't be said to be a difficult technique, but rather a simple movement of empowering a sword and cleaving it down. The reason it was a strong technique was because the force exertion was carefully refined over years of experience of his father.

It was the same principle as the technique to split an axe. Two people might use the same skill of raising the axe and striking down, but a true expert would produce a completely different effect from how they performed that simple motion.

BOOM

The two collided and both of their wooden swords exploded into pieces.

"What a pity, if he had an actual sword, maybe the battle would go differently." Some spectators in the crowd sighed. To them, the outcome of the battle was already decided.

Yao Zan closed the distance by using another Spirit Dash while wearing a smug expression on his face. His legs accelerated and swooped towards Huang Jingyi in a roundhouse kick.

Huang Jingyi put his arm up to block which made Yao Zan laugh.

"My legs are as strong as rocks if I amplify them with qi! How could you resist them with your fists? Wait, I better hold back a little so I don't shatter all his arm bones!"

When the kick finally landed, Yao Zan was flabbergasted. His opponent did not budge from his spot, and his leg felt a little bit of pain.

Is this guy's fist made of rock as well, how could it be?

"You shouldn't have held back," Huang Jingyi smiled. He didn't feel much pain since his opponent retracted a large portion of his strength at the last moment.

"Wait, that must be the spirit fist!" Yao Zan panicked and tried to back out but it was too late. A firm fist grabbed his leg before he could react. He suddenly felt weightlessness, but the approaching ground made him realize his situation.

"Huang Jingyi wins!"

"Next match, group one..."

Four rounds passed in a flash and three people remained in each group. None of the original four were called again as the next four passed and the only two people remained in each group. In group one, it was Zhao Fan and Chen Cai, group two had Yao Bi and Shi Meng, group three had Li Peng and Jin Cai, and group four had Huang Jingyi and Xiang Tao.

"Group one, Zhao Fan versus Chen Cai"

"I concede!" Chen Cai interjected before Teacher Li could finish his sentence.

"Brother Cai, why would you concede?"

"We have sparred multiple times and I was never able to win once, fighting you is only going to waste your qi which you need if you have any hope of winning the next fight!" Chen Cai replied in a resolute voice. Zhao Fan felt a bit touched, he had only asked to spar a few times and wasn't really friends with the latter but he ended up going out of his way to help him out.

"Okay, since you conceded, the next fight shall begin. Group two, Yao Bi against Shi Meng"

"Maybe I can break through!" Zhao Fan sat down and started to cultivate without wasting any time. He was close to the peak of level one and maybe the pressure would help him finally break through!

"Li Peng against Zhao Fan"

Without realizing it, almost ten minutes passed by and the rounds concluded. Zhao Fan hurriedly got up when he heard his name and got on stage. Although he did not manage to break through, Zhao Fan was at his peak.

Li Peng, who stood opposite him, inspected him up and down before smiling. His breath was a bit ragged since his opponent in the last round was not easy, but at least now that he was facing Zhao Fan, who was a level below him, he could finish the fight fast.