My Apocalypse Territory

"How should we communicate?" Shay put away his playful grin and asked indifferently.

"Our Martial Arts Hall teaches combat skills, so if it's about comparing skills, it should naturally be a battle among the same tiers." Liu Shan smiled, "Behind me, these five individuals are students from our Martial Arts Hall, from First Layer to Fifth Tier of Awakening, who will compete against students from your Martial Arts Hall at each respective level."

"This is the fairest approach, and also the one that best demonstrates the students' combat abilities. What does Extreme Martial Arts Hall think about this?"

After Liu Shan had spoken, he stood with his hands behind his back. Though he was asking, he didn't wait for Shay's response and turned his head to someone behind him, "Le Yuanchen, you're up."

The youth standing on the far left from One Punch Martial Arts Hall, still having an air of naivety about him, nodded his head and quickly trotted forward. Reaching the edge of the Martial Arts Arena, he lightly tapped his toes and effortlessly jumped onto the arena that was about four to five steps high.

Le Yuanchen stood on the arena, his mouth corners slowly curved upward, his chin slightly raised, looking down at the students of Extreme Martial Arts Hall below him.

There were those eager to try,

Those angry,

Those indifferent,

And those watching the scene unfold merely for entertainment.

He slowly began to speak, "One Punch Martial Arts Hall, First Tier Awakener Le Yuanchen is here. Does anyone from Extreme Martial Arts Hall dare to fight?"

The atmosphere slightly tensed.

Inside the large hall on the first floor, all the students had ceased training at this moment, and in small groups, made their way near the Martial Arts Arena.

As students of Extreme Martial Arts Hall, they were paying customers here to train and attend lessons for just a few days, so their sense of belonging and identification with the Martial Arts Hall wasn't particularly strong.

However, the people from One Punch Martial Arts Hall were too domineering, and Le Yuanchen had an air as if he was looking down on everyone.

Many among the crowd were fuming inside.

After several seconds of silence, a shout came from the crowd, "I'll go!"

A burly man leaped onto the Martial Arts Arena, standing far across from Le Yuanchen.

...

"The guy from One Punch has an aura of the Middle Stage of the First Tier, our side is at the First Layer Peak; we should have an advantage, right?"

Down below, a student from the Martial Arts Hall was staring at the two on the platform and muttered.

Beside, Su Ran furrowed her brows, "Physically, we should have an advantage, but..."

Everyone knew that since One Punch Martial Arts Hall dared to come here and challenge, they must have prepared thoroughly. They were likely capitalizing on the fact that Extreme Martial Arts Hall had yet to develop a signature student during this gap.

Even if there were Awakeners among the students with inherently strong powers, this competition was about fighting within the same tier.

Awakeners could be divided into two factions.

One faction comprised mercenaries who had undergone bloody battles, and the other, students who specialized in combat skills.

There wasn't a precise dividing line between the two factions, but generally, mercenaries who often went on missions and hunted Demonized Beasts advanced through the Awakening tiers more quickly than student Martial Artists who focused on combat skills, inevitably delaying their own tier advancement.

However, true student Martial Artists with genuine substance possessed formidable combat capabilities, often able to surpass other Awakeners of the same tier… There was even a saying in the Sanctuary: studying martial arts solidifies one's foundation significantly. The most favorable proof is that those accomplished in martial arts usually breakthrough from Fifth Tier to Sixth Layer much more effortlessly than the mercenaries who only experienced battles.

On the Martial Arts Arena.

Neither of the two made a move immediately; they were in a standoff for a moment. The nameless student from Extreme Martial Arts Hall, unable to withstand the pressure, charged first.

His muscles tensed, and he swung his massive fist towards his opponent's face.

Bang!

Bang, bang!

Bang Bang Bang!

Le Yuanchen from One Punch Martial Arts Hall dodged the direct punch and grasped his opponent's hand during the opening, then followed up with several punches that struck the burly Awakener's solar plexus.

A mouthful of bright red blood spurted out, and the burly Awakener fell backwards.

"This…"

The spectators below the stage had anticipated a victory for the One Punch Martial Arts Hall disciple, but they hadn't expected such a decisive win.

The unconscious burly Awakener was carried off by the Martial Arts Hall guards, and although his life wasn't in danger, he was severely injured by the heavy punches. Even with an Awakener's robust Recovery Power, he wouldn't recover fully for ten days to half a month without medicinal assistance.

For any Awakener, this was a huge setback.

The Sanctuary had explicit rules that combat must not involve edged weapons nor result in death, yet it was clear to anyone that the One Punch Martial Arts Hall disciple had deliberately landed heavy blows.

A companion of the burly big man, angered, suddenly jumped onto the Martial Arts Arena, grabbed a wooden Combat Saber from the weapon rack against the wall, weighed it in his hand without a word, and charged forward.

This Awakener, also at the First Layer Peak, and more experienced, wielded his preferred large saber effectively, creating a fierce display with the wooden Combat Saber.

However, he only managed to hold out for a few seconds before being knocked down, his head striking the cold stone floor hard.

Fast! Accurate! Ruthless!

The people from One Punch Martial Arts Hall specialized in lethal strikes; the Martial Arts they practiced were no mere forms but genuine killing techniques.

Many Awakeners at the First Layer inhaled sharply, feeling a chill in their hearts, and no one dared to step forward anymore.

At the Gate,

several disciples from the One Punch Martial Arts Hall joked and laughed, their language dripping with disdain.

Outsiders who came in to watch the excitement discussed amongst themselves, some shaking their heads, disappointed with Extreme Martial Arts Hall.

Liu Shan, with his arms crossed over his chest, listened to the survivors' discussions, extremely pleased with himself.

The apprentices of the One Punch Martial Arts Hall, after meticulous instruction and lengthy training, starkly outperformed the disciples of Extreme Martial Arts Hall, who had only attended a few classes and trained for a short period.

This discrepancy was apparent to the onlooking survivors.

Yet often, people only recognize results, not reasons… This competition was indeed unfair to Extreme Martial Arts Hall, but as they continued to suffer defeats, even with many explanations, others inevitably felt disappointed.

By contrast, the onlooking Awakeners could better appreciate the strength of the One Punch Martial Arts Hall disciples.

This further showcased their teaching capabilities and Liu Shan believed that after today, their Martial Arts Hall's business would surge.

And he himself would gain more resources.

Liu Shan thought happily.

Time passed by the second.

On the Arena, Le Yuanchen, seeing no one dared to challenge him, grew even more arrogant.

Some students from Extreme Martial Arts Hall looked towards Shay, noticing he was in no rush, merely instructing the guards to take the two injured Awakeners away for treatment.

He stood there, flicking a cigarette from the pack, placing it between his lips, leisurely lighting it with a lighter, then after a moment said, "You don't think that Extreme Martial Arts Hall doesn't have their own cultivated core disciples, do you?"

Two young Awakeners hurried over from the back door of the Martial Arts Hall.

A man in his twenties, honest and kind-looking, glanced at the people from One Punch Martial Arts Hall, fire flashing in his eyes.

The girl was even younger, a teenager, looking about the same age as Le Yuanchen on the stage, and her face bore traces of youthfulness.

She lightly jumped onto the Arena, "Extreme Martial Arts Hall, Xia Wanru, please advise!"