The middle-aged man heard Lu An’s words and began to scrutinize Lu An.
Unlike Bian Qingliu, he had noticed Lu An the moment he appeared; this youth didn't come directly from the stairs leading up, but from the stairs of the floor below, indicating that he had likely challenged his way up from the lower floors.
His face was not red, and he wasn't out of breath; this youth was very normal. Could it be that the people below hadn't caused him any harm?
“Are you also a new student?” the middle-aged man frowned and asked in a deep voice.
“Yes,” Lu An replied.
“That’s strange,” the middle-aged man’s brow furrowed deeper as he said, “In previous years, no new student would challenge directly up to me. This year, two have come at once. Could it be that this year’s new students are so strong?”
Lu An listened to the middle-aged man without speaking, instead taking a few steps forward and stopping not far in front of him.
Looking at the youth before him, who was a few years younger than the new student from earlier, the middle-aged man said indifferently, “Come on, let me see what you’ve got.”
Lu An still didn't answer, but his gaze became exceptionally solemn. He was currently a Fourth Layer Sky Realm, and this was the Fourth Layer; his opponent’s strength was comparable to his own, so he had to be extra careful and cautious.
Whoosh!
Lu An moved, advancing at extreme speed with a unique body technique, as taught by the Black Mist Person. This body technique seemed like a straight line, yet it gave people a blurred feeling, so much so that even the teacher’s eyes changed, widening as he watched Lu An!
Bang!
Lu An threw a punch, which the middle-aged man blocked with his arm. But with just one punch, the middle-aged man’s face changed!
Such powerful strength!
Such bone-chilling strength!
This coldness almost instantly broke through the Tian Yuan Power on the middle-aged man’s arm, reaching directly into his muscles and bones. The middle-aged man was unable to resist for a moment and could only retreat a step, trying to create distance to avoid contact.
However, Lu An didn't give the opponent this opportunity. The Black Mist Person had said that even with Lu An’s current strength, the coldness of Mystic Deep Cold Ice was something ordinary people couldn't resist, so in battle, he must not give the opponent any openings.
Whoosh!
Lu An charged forward, throwing a punch. This time, the middle-aged man didn't dare to take it head-on, leaning his upper body back and barely dodging the punch. Even so, the chill brought by the punch still made him shiver, and just then, he noticed that the charging Lu An had already leaped up, his knee heading straight for his chest, which he was about to straighten!
“Not good!”
The middle-aged man’s heart trembled. He forcibly changed direction, and instead of straightening up, he bent back down, arching his entire body, allowing Lu An’s body to fly over him!
Seeing Lu An’s attack sweep past him, the middle-aged man breathed a sigh of relief and quickly tried to stand up to face the next battle. But just as he was about to stand, he suddenly found a hand reaching out!
Slap!
Lu An’s flying body leaned back, and at the same time, he extended a hand, grabbing the middle-aged man’s collar!
This grab forced the middle-aged man’s body, which was about to stand, to be pushed down, instantly losing his balance!
“Ah!” Lu An suddenly roared, veins popping on his face. He was holding the middle-aged man by the collar, and with a single arm, accompanied by a roar, he actually swung the opponent around!
After a sharp half-turn, Lu An flung the middle-aged man out! The middle-aged man was completely helpless, his body crashing heavily into a wooden pillar, even hearing the cracking sound from the pillar!
“So strong!” Bian Qingliu stood at a distance, watching the battle in shock, not expecting that the teacher who had just forced him into helplessness would be so suppressed by Lu An!
The middle-aged man, after all, had profound strength and was currently fighting while suppressing his true power. If they were fighting at the same Realm, that collision just now would probably have left him dizzy and disoriented. Seeing Lu An charge, the middle-aged man also felt a surge of anger and raised his spirits to fight with all his might!
Soon, the two began to fight in the empty, huge tower. In just half an incense stick’s time, they exchanged dozens of blows. The intense fighting kept their nerves exceptionally taut, and even Bian Qingliu, watching from the side, felt extremely nervous.
The prolonged, intense battle began to wear on the middle-aged man. But slowly, to his astonishment, he discovered that his opponent showed no signs of fatigue or slackening. On the contrary, he consistently maintained the same level of combat, appearing as if he hadn't used his full strength, fighting with ease!
The opponent—was he using him to practice?
Indeed, Lu An was doing just that.
After the first few exchanges, Lu An knew that this person was not his match, but he could still provide a certain degree of pressure. The first two layers ended quickly, and in this layer, he wanted to fight longer, allowing his thoughts and body to perfectly integrate, achieving the state where intention moved the form. After all, this middle-aged man was not comparable to the wild beasts of the Gongxu Mountains.
Bang!
After exchanging a punch, both retreated several steps, neither panting, but rather watching each other warily.
“Are you toying with me?” the middle-aged man frowned tightly, clearly with a hint of anger, and said in a deep voice.
Lu An was startled, then understood that the other party was angry because he had noticed Lu An was practicing. He cupped his fists and said, “This Junior wouldn’t dare. I just wanted to learn a few more moves.”
“Stop with the smooth talk!” the middle-aged man waved his hand and frowned, saying, “If you don’t show your true ability, don’t blame me for being merciless!”
Seeing that the other party was truly getting angry, Lu An took a light breath and nodded, saying, “Alright.”
With that, a chill gradually rose from Lu An’s fists, and his fists were slowly covered by ice. This ice looked crystal clear, giving off an eerie feeling.
Whoosh!
Lu An’s figure blurred, and this time, his charging speed was actually double what it had been before!
The middle-aged man’s eyes widened instantly, looking at Lu An in disbelief, thinking, “So fast!”
In the blink of an eye, Lu An had already arrived in front of the middle-aged man and fiercely threw a punch. Before the fist arrived, the Qi had already reached, and the chill, like a tangible substance, went straight for the middle-aged man’s face. The middle-aged man didn't dare to take it head-on and quickly dodged to the side!
However, just as the middle-aged man was about to counterattack, he suddenly discovered that the chill that had just swept past him was actually solidifying into ice in mid-air, instantly forming an ice sword held in the youth’s hand!
Forming objects from energy?
This was something only a Seventh Layer Sky Realm, at least, could do!
However, Lu An didn't give the middle-aged man time to think. Holding the ice sword, he swiftly swung it, aiming to cut across the middle-aged man’s chest!
Not good!
Seeing the ice sword getting closer and closer, at such a close distance, he had no way to dodge. Feeling the powerful force on the ice sword, at the critical moment, he had no choice but to break through his restrictions, instantly restoring his true strength, and swiftly retreat backward, dodging the sword!
“Screech!”
The sword was dodged, but the chill was not. The cold Qi of this sword actually cut through the front of his clothes, and frost had already condensed on the torn opening!
Thump, thump, thump!
The middle-aged man quickly retreated several steps before steadying himself. He looked down in horror at his wide-open clothes, his eyes filled with disbelief.
The ice sword in Lu An’s hand gradually dissipated, turning into specks of ice crystals that floated in the air and disappeared.
“You concede,” Lu An said.
Hearing Lu An’s words, the middle-aged man looked up at Lu An. He saw that the opponent’s expression was unruffled, his face calm, as if there wasn't a trace of joy from victory. He couldn't imagine that he had just been defeated by this youth in one move!
That’s right, in just one move, he had lost!
“What’s your name?” The middle-aged man’s earlier anger vanished, replaced by calmness, as he asked in a deep voice.
“Lu An,” Lu An said, not concealing it.
“Realm?”
“Fourth Layer Sky Realm.”
“Fourth Layer?” The middle-aged man frowned and said, “The strength you just displayed is not what a Fourth Layer should have, and you said you are a new student, so who taught you before?”
Lu An’s expression finally changed. He frowned slightly, thought for a moment, then said, “No one.”
“No one?” The middle-aged man clearly didn't believe it. While a Fourth Layer Sky Realm could Cultivate on his own, the unpredictable combat techniques just now were definitely not something a child who had never experienced actual combat could comprehend!
However, just as he was about to ask something else, Lu An didn't give him the chance, speaking first, “If there’s nothing else, this Junior will take his leave.”
With that, he turned directly and walked towards the exit stairs without waiting for the middle-aged man to speak. Soon, he arrived in the lobby on the first floor. When he told the female staff member that he had cleared the Fourth Layer, her expression was exceptionally vivid.
However, Lu An had no interest in appreciating it. Just as he received four tickets that could be used to exchange for Heavenly Skill at the Heavenly Skill Pavilion, he turned around and found Bian Qingliu standing right behind him.
“Want to chat?” Bian Qingliu smiled and asked politely.