World's Best Martial Artist

Chapter 285: When Exactly Did I Borrow It?

Xie Lei stepped out of the crowd. Fang Ping did the same; he could not care less about other people.

“I’ll defeat you in 3 moves!” Fang Ping sneered, unarmed with his glaive stashed away. A long weapon like the guandao was cumbersome to be lugged around.

Xie Lei was pissed off. “Let’s see how much longer you can maintain that arrogant facade!”

They spoke no more. Fang Ping poised himself on the tips of his toes, and within a split second, he pounced up into the air, advancing like a tiger on the hunt.

Fang Ping gave a deep grunt as his palms turned crimson red while mid-air.

“Knock!” Fang Ping’s thundering roar rang through the spectators’ ears.

It took a moment before most of the onlookers snapped out of their shock and returned their gaze to the match happening in front of them, but most of their expressions had changed.

Fang Ping struck out with his hand like a blade, but Xie Lei refused to back down. He returned the strike with a punch.

Unfortunately for him, Xie Lei had just achieved Early-stage Rank-4 and he did not spend a long period at Peak Rank-3. He was not a match for Fang Ping even if they were at the same level, and now Fang Ping was even one stage above him.

Fang Ping used the seven collective slashes of Manic Explosion to deliver a blow. Xie Lei’s fist bled as his bones gave out with a loud crackle!

While the spectators were still in shock, Fang Ping gave out another loud roar! “Out!”

Xie Lei stoned upon the deafening roar. The next moment, Fang Ping curled his fingers into a fist, and struck a heavy blow flat on Xie Lei’s chest, which sent Xie Lei flying off before landing on the ground, motionless for some time.

“Senior Xie, thanks for the match!” Fang Ping appeared calm.

Xie Lei was defeated. All in all, it took three moves including Mentality intimidation.

The first move was just to let Xie Lei realize the difference between them. Otherwise, with Fang Ping’s Mentality of more than 600Hz, he could have given Xie Lei a one-hit-KO using his Mentality intimidation.

Silence filled the whole field.

Xie Lei was thrice-honed like Fang Ping, in fact he was his senior by a year, and was one of MCMAU’s brilliant talents deemed to be the next successor as the society president.

However, look at the situation now. In no more than two seconds, he was utterly defeated by Fang Ping.

The loss was too one-sided!

None of the students expected the scene that had unfolded in front of them. In fact, even the instructors had not predicted this outcome.

At the spectator’s balcony, Lu Fengrou looked indifferent and Li Changsheng sniggered softly, while the rest all had some minor change in their expression.

Those who were not in the know would think that this was a battle between two Peak Rank-3 martial artists. In reality, it was a battle between two Middle-rank powerhouses.

Indeed, one could be considered a powerhouse even at Middle-Rank.

How could it be that Xie Lei, one of MCMAU’s top geniuses, was defeated in two moves! And that was deliberately excluding the Mentality intimidation.

...

“Mentality intimidation...” Wu Kuishan raved quietly, while Huang Jing calmed his nerves before speaking. “His Mentality has become stronger than before. When Yao Chengjun was at Rank-4, he had just been able to release his Mentality, which reached more than 600Hz. Looks like Fang Ping is no weaker than him!”

Huang Jing knew exactly how strong Fang Ping’s Mentality was.

When they first met and Fang Ping tried to harass him, Fang Ping’s Mentality then was not that high yet.

During their second encounter, Fang Ping had a breakthrough to Upper-stage Rank-3, his Mentality also followed suit and had a breakthrough. At that time, Fang Ping had just reached the level to be able to release his Mentality.

Of course it was nowhere near the level of a Grandmaster, but he was still able to release it from his body and capture energy particles.

That was not too long ago.

By right, the progress of Mentality was usually very slow.

Unlike Vitality, which increased by hundreds or thousands of cal with each breakthrough.

It was difficult to increase one’s Mentality as there were neither pills nor cultivation methods to aid in the training...

Logically speaking, even if Fang Ping had reached Rank-4, the increment of Mentality would not be much.

However, the situation in front of them defied this logic. Fang Ping’s Mentality progressed extremely fast. He was able to cause intimidation to Xie Lei who was equally a Rank-4, rendering Xie Lei almost defenseless.

The lean figure of MCMAU’s last Grandmaster, Liu Polu chuckled. “Previously, this little fella went to Nanjiang and paid a visit to Zhang Dingnan. Zhang Dingnan had a good impression of him. Looks like the position for the President of the Martial Arts Society...will be his.”

Next to him, Old Man Li smiled as he responded. “Old Liu, it’s not just Zhang Dingnan. Even Vice-chancellor Chen from Jingnan had also sung his praises. In my opinion, there is no other choice for the president of the Martial Arts Society.”

On the other side, Tang Feng frowned as he questioned, “Can he manage the Martial Arts Society well?”

“Why not? I have seen that he managed his own enterprise quite well.” Old Man Li replied with a smile.

Tang Feng had nothing else to say. In his opinion, a martial arts university powerhouse always commanded respect.

If Zhang Yu was no match for Fang Ping, then it was only right for him to make way and step down as the President of the Martial Arts Society.

But... he was honestly not pleased that the position of Martial Arts Society President would be passed to that brat Fang Ping.

Well, it did not matter much to him anyway.

Seeing that Tang Feng had no more objections, and neither did the other deans, Wu Kuishan took a glance at Lu Fengrou who had been silent all this while. She still did not say a word.

...

At the front of the crowd, Xie Lei was still finding his bearings. Zhang Ziwei silently went forward to help him retreat to the back.

At times, success or defeat in a battle between martial artists could happen in seconds.

What transpired earlier had proven the difference in capabilities among the two competitors.

Zhang Yu sighed nonchalantly. Qin Fengqing pouted. This kid Fang Ping was getting more difficult to handle.

“Terrific!”

“Is this the capability of the number 1 of Rank-3?”

“Unbelievable!”

“...”

Xie Lei had a decent reputation. Before the arrival of Fang Ping to MCMAU, he was MCMAU’s one and only thrice-honed martial artist, the vice president of the Martial Arts Society to boot.

Xie Lei’s position in the Rank-3 combat strength ranking was quite high up previously. However, everyone had just witnessed the strength difference between Fang Ping and Xie Lei.

Fang Ping had easily defeated Xie Lei despite them being equally thrice-honed.

In front of the crowd.

Zhang Yu’s expression was solemn as he asked, “Junior Fang, are you a Rank-4 already?”

Fang Ping smiled and replied, “Senior Xie is also Rank-4. I didn’t oppress him with a higher ranking right?”

Fang Ping indirectly explained to the crowd that he did not bully an opponent of lower rank to avoid speculations. But his response provoked another wave of gasps.

“Rank-4 martial artists!”

“Both Fang Ping and Xie Lei are now Rank-4!”

“They’re all bloody geniuses!”

“That’s too quick. One is just in Sophomore year, while the other is only in Junior year!”

Xie Lei still had another two years before graduation, while Fang Ping still had three years... was the school going to have Rank-5 or 6 students?”

Regardless of whether it was Xie Lei or Fang Ping, now was their golden time for training.

Within these two years, it was possible for Xie Lei to step up another Rank and graduate as a Rank-5.

As for Fang Ping... he might reach Rank-6, or at the very least a Rank-5 upon graduation.

The fight between two Rank-4 martial artists ended unexpectedly fast.

...

“I suppose it’s our turn now, Senior Zhang?” Fang Ping smiled.

Zhang Yu sighed before stepping forward. He nodded and gestured, “After you, Junior Fang.”

“After you!” Fang Ping replied.

They both gave their martial art greetings to each other as the opening. After it was done and dusted, Fang Ping once again took a leap and released his Mentality!

Zhang Yu was slow for a moment but he managed to react on time; with a simple wave of his palm, he managed to block Fang Ping’s knife-hand, before stumbling a few steps back.

Fang Ping took the opportunity to gain leverage. He gave out a low cry and stepped forward, causing Zhang Yu to hesitate on his movements.

Right at that moment, Fang Ping’s palms turned crimson red, and he sent a blow toward his opponent.

Thud!

Zhang Yu’s movement was slower by a beat, but his body turned golden just in time to block Fang Ping’s sharp hand.

Fang Ping seemed undisturbed by what happened as he continued to overwhelm his opponent using his Mentality. Zhang Yu let out a low growl as the top of his head turned blood red, giving out a deathly aura.

“The incident with Ling Yiyi was different!” Fang Ping smirked. At that time, he was being suppressed by Ling Yiyi. In fact, his Mentality was being held back because he was undecided if he needed to replenish his Mentality.

Besides, he was not fully prepared when the first incident happened, thus his Mentality was not as strong as the present situation.

Now that Fang Ping was in a battle with Zhang Yu, he would not hesitate to replenish his Mentality if the need arose.

The deathly aura had the effect of suppressing Mentality to a certain degree, but Fang Ping’s Mentality seemed endless. It continued increasing to overwhelm Zhang Yu.

Zhang Yu groaned continuously as he tried to escape from the predicament.

Death was always just a blink away whenever martial artists fought.

Zhang Yu’s physique was muscular as he was a powerhouse who had trained on Bodybuilding Techniques.

Unfortunately, no matter how strong Zhang Yu’s physical body was, he was unable to withstand the repeated hits casted by Fang Ping’s crimson red knife-hand. Zhang Yu’s clothes began to get torn apart, blood dripping from his chest and arms.

Fang Ping did not want to waste more resources on this battle. With a roar, he increased the strength of his knife-hand by 3 notches.

Bash! Smash!

Zhang Yu stumbled backward as he was repeatedly bashed. Blood would not stop flowing from the wounds on his body, and his reaction speed could not match up to Fang Ping. All he could do was take the full brunt of the assault.

...

“Hey!” One of the instructors spoke up.

Zhang Yu was officially defeated. In fact, he was literally being held down by Fang Ping to be beaten, with no ability to fight back.

As the president of the Martial Arts Society, Zhang Yu was not that weak. At Middle-stage Rank-4, he was not too far from reaching Upper-stage.

However, his Mentality was not strong enough. Even if a Rank-4 was unable to feel the presence of one’s own Mentality, it still existed.

Unfortunately for Zhang Yu, his Mentality did not increase as he progressed through his ranking. Even though he had killed many people at the Catacombs and had quite a strong deathly aura, he was fully suppressed by Fang Ping right now.

His reflexes were not fast enough and he could only be on the receiving end throughout the whole fight.

In fact, Fang Ping did not even use his lethal move. Even though the Vitality outburst of seven collective slashes was not too great, Zhang Yu still could not withstand it for very long.

...

“Senior Zhang, this is just a friendly match, there is no need to go to the extreme!” Fang Ping urged when he noticed that Zhang You had no intention of yielding despite having suffered multiple attacks. He realized that Zhang Yu would not admit defeat so readily.

With that, Fang Ping did not hesitate any further. Both his hands turned crimson red, and with a shout, he charged forward with his palms outstretched, delivering his next attack.

Smack!

Zhang Yu landed with a heavy thud and left a deep sunken trail on the grass as he slid backwards more than ten steps away. Blood dripped out from the corner of his mouth, staining the grass patch where he stood.

Being further away, he was able to release himself from the suppression of Fang Ping’s Mentality. His mind was much clearer now, but his gaze was complicated.

Fang Ping’s Mentality was so strong that he was able to fully suppress equal level opponents to the point where they could not retaliate. It was possible that even an Upper-stage Rank-4 martial artist could be rendered immobile.

A Peak Rank-4 martial artist who had honed all the vital organs and had good control of his mind and spirit may not be fully suppressed, but would still be somewhat affected.

It was difficult to fight against a martial artist who had such a strong Mentality.

One martial artist who might be able to was Li Hansong. Not only were his vital organs fully honed, but even his skull was naturally well-formed. Fang Ping’s Mentality would not be enough to affect his reflexes or suppress him.

“I admit defeat.” Zhang Yu was not that stubborn, but he had some regrets all the same.

He was defeated by Fang Ping before he could display his true capabilities. He was on the receiving end of the fight from the beginning till the end. This was the cause of his regrets.

He had yet to witness Fang Ping’s real martial arts capabilities.

It was such a shame that Fang Ping had no interest in pure martial arts combat. On the other hand, Mentality was also a form of martial arts skills; there was nothing to complain about other than being made a fool.

“Thank you for the match!” Fang Ping made an obeisance by cupping one hand in the other in front of his chest. He tilted his head to look at the crowd and smiled. “Anyone is free to challenge me, even right at this moment.”

Qin Fengqing was nearly crying tears of exasperation; Chen Wenlong was rather hesitant.

After a moment, Qin Fengqing shouted back, “Wait for a few more days then I will challenge you!” He needed a few more days to complete the cultivation of his high-ranked Combat Techniques.

Without any high-ranked Combat Techniques, it meant that he needed to fight at close contact to be able to have an equal standing against Fang Ping. If he got close, however, he would also risk himself against the effects of Mentality intimidation.

Once he had mastered his high-ranked combat techniques, he could then battle Fang Ping at a distance. Regardless of weapons or Vitality that crisscrossed, they would then be competing on the true control of combat techniques, the strength of Vitality, and speed.

Qin Fengqing was not going to underestimate Fang Ping in regard to all these factors.

At this moment, Qin Fengqing was not confident enough that he would not be affected by Fang Ping’s Mentality. He did not want to be like Zhang Yu, who was only able to stand like a statue and be beaten up. That was not his style.

Of the two biggest competitors within the Martial Arts Society, Xie Lei had been defeated while Qin Fengqing raised the white flag.

None of the Martial Arts Society members made any comments or sounds.

Chen Wenlong took a look at Zhang Yu and hesitated awhile before backing out.

He would not be in the university forever. If he battled Fang Ping, and happened to win, then what would happen next?

MCMAU’s Martial Arts Society needed a powerhouse to hold up its reputation. Since he was not planning to stay on in the university, there was no need for him to challenge Fang Ping right now.

...

Nobody stood up to the challenge.

Xie Lei defeated, Zhang Yu was mostly beaten up throughout the whole process, Qin Fengqing gave up, and Chen Wenlong did not respond.

As for the other Rank-4 martial artists like Liang Fenghua and the likes, on one hand, they were already entering Senior year. Even so, they felt that they could not even gain an easy win against Zhang Yu, thus they did not say anything either.

Wu Kuishan ignored Fang Ping as he addressed the crowd, “Are there any more challengers?”

He waited for a few seconds, there was silence across the audience. Wu Kuishan then shifted his sight toward Zhang Yu. “Zhang Yu, is there anything that you would like to say?”

Zhang Yu wiped off the blood from the corner of his mouth and calmly shook his head.

Wu Kuishan then looked at the whole student body to ask, “Are there any objections from the students if Fang Ping were to step up as the President of Martial Arts Society?”

Amongst the crowd, those martial artists who were only Rank-1 & 2 had no say in this matter.

As for Fang Ping’s year, Fu Changding represented the sophomore students, “We have no objection!”

Liang Huabao, who just had a breakthrough to Upper-stage Rank-3, also responded resoundingly, “No objection!” For a junior year student to be at Upper-stage Rank-3, he was also considered one of the strong ones.

Ye Qinggao responded, “No objection!”

Wu Kuishan double confirmed once more. “Not a single objection, is that right?”

There was a small commotion among the crowd when a meek voice spoke up. “Fang Ping is ruthless toward his fellow students. He killed one of our students when he was just a freshman!”

Wu Kuishan shifted his gaze toward Fang Ping.

Fang Ping remained calm. “During a friendly match, punches and kicks do not have eyes. Besides, I had just entered as a freshman. Prior to that, I became a martial artist not too long ago. I do not have any familial training to teach me proper skills, nor have I joined any real competitions before. My opponent was an older student who was much stronger, thus I was left with a fight or flight response and gave it my all. It was not easy to avoid any injuries or death.”

“But that was still cruel!”

Fang Ping did not even look back, instead, he lifted his head to look at the balcony before responding loudly, “Once you enter the fighting ring, your life is your own responsibility. Or do you mean that we as the weaker opponent should not give our full effort?

“If our Vice-chancellor challenged a Rank-6 martial artist today, does it mean that he expects the Rank-6 martial artist to give a sub-par effort? When a powerhouse extends a challenge to a weaker opponent, death or injury as a result... should not be questioned!”

Wu Kuishan groaned inwardly as he spoke. “This has always been the rule: once in the fighting ring, you hold your own responsibility for your life.”

With that, the audience had no other comments and remained silent.

Once again Wu Kuishan spoke after he had a look over of the reaction from the crowd. “Zhang Yu and Fang Ping, kindly complete the handing over of the position by today.”

After a pause, Wu Kuishan gave a hard stare at Fang Ping and announced sternly, “I hope you can lead the students of MCMAU to greater heights and reach for further goals. Instructors and students co-govern the university, so we should support each other!”

“Thank you Vice-chancellor, I will not bring dishonor to MCMAU!” Fang Ping responded.

“End of meeting!” Wu Kuishan declared before he took his leave.

The other top management also left one after another.

Lu Fengrou did not speak to Fang Ping, but she made eye contact and gave him a smile.

None of the students came over to congratulate Fang Ping either.

Zhang Yu was still around. He was now the ex-president of the Martial Arts Society. To lose the position as the President of the Martial Arts Society after being defeated was not something worth celebrating.

Many still held an uncertain look in their gaze.

Qin Fengqing was the only person amongst the crowd who did not care about what was going on. He intoned loudly, “Fang Ping, your position is just temporary, I will come and claim it after a few days!” With that, he strode off.

Fang Ping smirked. “Before you challenge me, please pay up your 20 million debt, otherwise I would not accept your challenge!”

Qin Fengqing paused his steps. ‘All the students are here, Fang Ping this son of a b***h. What are his intentions of mentioning my debts? Besides, where am I to find 20 million?’ Qin Fengqing had a bad feeling about this. He retorted back, “The last time it was just 10 million...”

Fang Ping interrupted him mid-sentence, “Perhaps I remembered wrongly, it was 10 million. Remember to return it to me the next time. Everyone shall bear witness to this!” He then faced the crowd, “Everyone can take their leave now. For members of the Martial Arts Society, the meeting will be tonight!”

“I...” Fang Ping hurriedly left before Qin Fengqing could say anymore.

“@#￥...” Qin Fengqing cursed under his breath. He stared back at the surrounding crowd and angrily muttered, “What are you looking at? I didn’t owe him money!”

A blood-stained Zhang Yu walked past and teased, “It was fine enough that you owe me money, but if you owed Fang Ping money... that is a big headache!”

Fang Ping was not an easy negotiator.

Qin Fengqing got even more annoyed as he gritted his teeth. “I don’t remember borrowing money from him!”

Zhang Yu shook his head. “You said the same when you owed me money as well.” Qin Fengqing was a dishonest man. Forget that he tried to cheat Zhang Yu, but it would be a right mess if he tried to cheat Fang Ping.

“I really didn’t owe him any money!”

Sadly, nobody believed what Qin Fengqing said.

Both Qing Fengqing and Fang Ping were not good people anyway. Fang Ping purposely added another 10 million, but Qin Fengqing also tried to brush off the fact that he had borrowed 10 million. His denial was not accepted by the others who witnessed what had happened moments ago.

“I really did not owe...” Qin Fengqing said as he grieved. He really did not try to brush off any debts this time!

He was perplexed as to how he came to end up owing Fang Ping 10 million.

In addition, the whole university now knew about this.

“I really didn’t owe him anything!” Qin Fengqing grumbled as he tried to convince the others, but he could barely convince himself. “It couldn’t be 10 million, maybe just 1 or 2 million, I don’t remember...”

The 10 million amount could not be true, but if it was 1 or 2 million... he might have indeed forgotten about it already.

“When exactly did I borrow it?” Qin Fengqing racked his brains and sighed. He left the place and decided to ponder about this later.