Chapter 42: Exchanging Blows

The others quickly came to their senses and indicated they understood.

At this, Lin Tong finally reined in his imposing aura, a gentle smile appearing on his face.

He took out his phone and added the five of them as contacts.

He also told them that if they ran into any trouble over the next few days, they should contact him immediately.

Just as he was about to leave, Lin Tong seemed to remember something.

"Oh, right. Your coach may have mentioned this, but I feel I should remind you again. Even though you’ve qualified for the core class, you can’t slack off on your training.

A powerful physique will be of great benefit when you begin cultivating the Limit-Breaking Technique."

With that said, he turned and left without giving them any time to react.

...

After Lin Tong left, the group exchanged glances and prepared to go their separate ways.

Just then, a voice suddenly rang out.

"Hold on, everyone!"

Sims spoke calmly. His gaze swept over the other four before finally resting on Hu Qi, who wore a placid expression. A slight smile touched Sims’s lips.

"In a few days, we’ll be entering the core class. It’s nothing like this place. Everyone who gets in is a genius from one of the various branches.

I think we should band together. There’s strength in numbers, and it’ll keep us from getting bullied. What do you all think?"

Hearing this, the others’ expressions were mixed, but no one said a word.

The Red Scale Club wasn’t limited to this single location.

There were five branches within Qirong City, located in South City, West City, East City, North City, and Celestial Lake.

Beyond that, Red Scale Club branches were stationed in other cities as well.

Chen Wu had told them all this before.

However, for Sims to be bringing this up now clearly meant he wasn’t finished.

"Since no one’s talking, I’ll take that as a yes.

And since we’re banding together, shouldn’t we choose a leader..."

Sims continued speaking, but he stopped mid-sentence and glanced to the side.

He saw that Hu Qi had already walked over to the door and was reaching out to open it.

The next moment, a thick, dark hand slammed against the door, holding it shut.

At the same time, Sims’s voice, thick with suppressed anger, rang out.

"Hu Qi, didn’t you see I was talking?"

"Talking?"

Hu Qi turned to the side, looking up at Sims, who was a full head taller and standing right in his face.

A smirk played on his lips.

"Who the hell do you think you are, to make me stand here and listen to you talk?"

As soon as the words left his mouth, Sims’s face visibly twisted with rage.

"Fine! Fine! Fine!

Let’s see if you have the strength to back up that arrogance!"

As he spoke, his body shifted. He drew his right arm back like a taut bowstring, then suddenly shot it forward, whipping up a fierce gust of wind.

The instant he punched, his wrist lifted slightly, angling his knuckles. With no wasted motion, he smashed his fist straight toward Hu Qi’s face.

The three onlookers’ expressions changed at the sight, but none of them dared to step forward and intervene.

Excluding Hu Qi, the others had been in the club for at least six months and had all heard of Sims’s strength.

The guy was overbearing, but he definitely had the strength to back it up.

None of the other students could withstand his terrifying power.

Thus, they didn’t think Hu Qi was any match for Sims. All they could do was say a silent prayer for him.

Ye Li even looked away, unable to bear watching what was about to happen.

SMACK!

The sound of flesh colliding rang out.

The next moment, everyone present froze.

They saw Sims’s fist, stopped just inches from Hu Qi’s face, caught in a wide palm, unable to move forward in the slightest.

A flash of astonishment crossed Sims’s coal-dark face.

He already had his suspicions about Hu Qi’s strength after seeing his numbers in the testing room.

’So it really was him.’

’This guy was hiding this much strength?’

At that thought, he leaned forward, suddenly pouring strength into his arm to try and break free from the iron-like grip.

But it was useless. Veins bulged on his arm like small snakes and his muscles strained to the bursting point.

But the hand gripping his fist remained completely still, like an immovable mountain.

"Damn it!"

Feeling the others’ stares, his face burned with humiliation, and he cursed aloud.

He tucked his core, bent his knee, and lifted his leg.

His foot shot out in a fierce kick toward Hu Qi’s waist, trying to force him to release his grip.

However, his kick was only halfway to its target when a dark blur flashed before his eyes.

A sharp pain immediately shot through his abdomen. All color drained from his face; his dark complexion seemed to turn several shades paler in that instant.

THUD!

His tall, six-foot-plus frame folded like a cooked shrimp, and he crumpled to his knees.

Veins bulged on his neck and face, a clear sign of the unimaginable pain he was in.

"And you wanted to pick a fight with me with just *this* much strength?

What a disappointment. If you’d run into me earlier, you never would have qualified."

Hu Qi leaned down, his expression calm as he looked down at him.

Bending over, he reached out and gently patted Sims on the cheek.

With that, he turned to leave.

Watching Hu Qi’s receding back, Sims’s face darkened as he replayed the humiliating gesture.

The rage burning inside him threatened to consume what little reason he had left.

"AH! YOU’RE DEAD!"

He roared, pushed off the ground, and charged at Hu Qi like a battering ram, his arms crossed to protect his head.

As if he’d anticipated it, Hu Qi turned, his body sinking slightly. His knees bent, the muscles in his legs contracting and expanding in a rhythmic flow.

His foot shot out like a launched Arrow, kicking straight forward.

The next moment, a sound like tearing fabric whistled through the air.

It was followed by a dull THWACK.

The kick landed squarely on the charging Sims’s shoulder.

CRACK!

The sound of bone dislocating rang out.

The powerful counterforce lifted the charging Sims clean off his feet, sending him flying nearly ten meters before he finally came to a stop.

"What do you think this is, a video game? You think screaming louder gives you a power-up? If that worked, why bother learning to fight? We’d all just be practicing our vocal cords."

A cold sneer touched Hu Qi’s lips.

At this moment, he was like an unsheathed sword, his sharp aura utterly intimidating.

As he spoke, he tilted his head up slightly, his peripheral vision catching a security camera in the corner of the room.

Then, he strode over to where Sims lay prone on the ground, his face contorted in agony.

Sims was glaring at Hu Qi, his eyes bloodshot.

"What are you staring at me like that for? Still not satisfied?"

The words had barely left his lips when Hu Qi, without warning, lashed out with another lightning-fast kick straight to Sims’s face.

With a sickening THUD, Sims’s entire body went flying once more, only stopping when he crashed into the corner wall.

Several broken, bloody teeth even flew from his mouth.