First-Year Internship—And You Went to Site 749 to Contain Monsters?!
Chapter 103: Xu Zui’s Divine Palace vs. Lu Ding’s Linghai—Very Fair!

Both were leaders, so Lu Ding had to exercise some restraint. But this guy wasn’t even paying attention—who knew where his soul had wandered off to?

Was it really so hard to understand that some steps were just unnecessary?

You know what you want to do. I know what you want to do. So why not just let everyone know what you want to do? Wouldn’t that make things simpler?

If this weren’t the Three-District Combat Trials’ viewing platform, Lu Ding would’ve gone full-frame-zero initiation already.

Talk things over with him?

Still want to follow procedure?

Xu Zui suddenly felt himself falling into Lu Ding’s rhythm. It was just like arguing—once you get caught up in someone else’s pace, you’re bound to get heated.

Lu Ding was arrogant, as if Xu Zui himself wasn’t. He wanted to show off!

“You...”

He was about to say something when Lu Ding threw a straight punch, cutting through the air with a sharp whistle. A faint cyclone formed around his fist, coiling up his arm before dissipating.

Xu Zui raised his hand to block in front of his chest.

Even though he knew Lu Ding’s physical body was terrifying, he never expected this level of terror.

It was like understanding that a moving car had force—but it had just started, the tires hadn’t even made a full rotation yet. How much force could it have?

Then you get hit.

Your shin breaks.

But all you see is a huge bruise.

That was exactly how Xu Zui felt.

His hand blocked his chest, so Lu Ding’s punch simply broke them both together.

Xu Zui was sent flying. Pain shot through his body. He glanced down—his chest had caved in. He tried to touch it, but when he looked at his hand, he saw his palm had collapsed, the bones on the back of his hand jutting out, his fingers twisted out of shape.

His hand now looked like a chicken’s claw.

He circulated his Qi to heal, muscles writhing as bones snapped back into place.

“You were supposed to count to three!?”

He fell into Lu Ding’s rhythm again.

“I never said I was counting for you.”

Xu Zui choked on his words.

Sitting to the side, the Qi Sword Sect Master watched as the situation completely ignored convention. How did they already start fighting up there?

All eyes—both on the stage and in the audience—locked onto them.

Even with his thick skin, he couldn’t block the bulletstorm of gazes washing over him.

“The man already called you out, what are you still doing up here? Get down there!”

“Step into the arena and greet Investigator Lu properly!”

Xu Zui leaped into the ring.

Lu Ding followed closely behind, soaring through the air. He moved after Xu Zui, yet landed before him.

Xu Zui was indignant. Even the Divine Palace Realm doesn’t have this kind of flying technique—how does a Linghai cultivator have it?!

The crowd’s focus instantly shifted to the ring.

“Qi Sword Sect’s Xu Zui? He’s fighting Lu Ding? Hasn’t he been cultivating for nearly twenty years? That doesn’t seem fair.”

“How’s it not fair?! This is exactly who Lu Ding should be fighting.”

“Just because you’ve cultivated for a long time doesn’t mean you’re strong. Turtles live long too.”

At the Viewing Platform of Yinlu Mountain

A young girl had her hair tied into two buns, watching the two below with curiosity.

“This is so unfair! I don’t know much about Lu Ding, but I know he only became famous recently.”

“And he’s so young!”

“But that Xu Zui guy has been well-known for ages, and he’s already at Divine Palace Fourth Layer. How does he even have the nerve? This is just bullying!”

A gentle woman beside her held her in an embrace, her delicate eyes curving slightly with a smile.

“He’s different from others. If we talk in terms of seniority, Lu Ding is on the same level as those trainee investigators below. But in terms of strength? Only the previous generation can compare to him.”

“For us Cultivators of Qi, strength is what matters—not age. So no one sees any issue with Xu Zui doing this.”

“As for bullying... No one here sees Lu Ding as just another junior investigator.”

“In fact, they’re treating Xu Zui as the challenger.”

The young girl looked around quickly, then asked, “Senior Sister, what’s Lu Ding’s cultivation level?”

“I don’t know. Probably Linghai. I can’t say for sure. But if he were Divine Palace, then Xu Zui really would be drunk.”

The girl suddenly understood.

A Divine Palace cultivator fighting Lu Ding’s Linghai? That’s fair.

A Divine Palace cultivator fighting Lu Ding’s Divine Palace? That’s NOT fair.

She tilted her head, giggling as she suddenly thought of something.

“Oh, I get it now, Senior Sister! Lu Ding’s cultivation is all plus levels, while everyone else is just normal or S-tier. He’s plus.”

“Good job! You’ve been paying attention in class.”

“Of course!” The girl’s face lit up with pride.

Suddenly, a loud announcement signaled the start of the match, followed by an earth-shaking explosion of ceremonial cannon fire.

Shouts and cheers filled the air.

The girl flinched and instinctively turned to see what was happening.

But what she saw—

Xu Zui embedded in the wall, head slumped forward, completely unconscious.

Lu Ding stood in the ring, dressed in sharp robes, arms outstretched. Behind him, a mountain rose from flat ground—steep as if carved by an axe.

The girl’s expression flickered through confusion, surprise, admiration.

“Senior Sister... he’s so cool...”

“Huh? It’s over?! How is it already over?! Wuwuwu, I didn’t even see it! Next time I watch his fights, I’m not talking at all! Wuwuwu...”

Just moments ago...

The two landed.

Xu Zui’s foot had barely touched the ground, not even steady yet, when he spoke:

“I won’t give you time to charge that technique.”

At the same time, he thought to himself, I’m ready for your physical strength this time.

This time, he played it smart. As he spoke, he was already channeling his Qi.

Qi Sword Sect. A sect that turned Qi into swords. It had unique cultivation techniques, allowing practitioners to master the swordless-sword style.

Not just their hands—

A glance, a movement, even their body’s apertures could form swords at will.

360-degree omnidirectional sword formation.

No weaknesses in ranged or melee combat.

Xu Zui knew Lu Ding had monstrous physical strength. So, the moment Lu Ding got close, he would unleash Qi swords from every aperture in his body.

“You’re gonna be a human pincushion.”

That was Xu Zui’s plan.

Here was Lu Ding’s:

He raised his hand and snapped his fingers.

Snap.

Six rotting, black coffin planks appeared out of thin air and sealed shut with perfect precision.

Darkness.

Panic set in instantly. Xu Zui unleashed his full power without hesitation.

The coffin cracked at one corner. He thought it was due to his overwhelming strength.

He didn’t realize—

That crack was precisely where Lu Ding had intended.

Xu Zui saw light again.

He wished he hadn’t.

Because in that moment, Lu Ding was already in front of him, surging forward with unstoppable force.

His right fist pulled back to shoulder height, his left palm extended forward.

As his body moved, a massive, blood-stained bear loomed behind him—baring its fangs, shredding through the wall between fantasy and reality.

One palm pressed forward.

Like moving a mountain.

“Sleep.”

In his mind, he saw the palm land.

In reality, the punch hit.

BOOM!!!

Xu Zui’s final thought before losing consciousness: Did someone turn off the lights?

His body crashed through the black coffin, flailed wildly in the air, then slammed into the wall—embedding deep.

A muffled thud.

Coffin shards rained down.

Lu Ding spread his arms wide.

Qi surged.

A white shockwave burst outward, brushing over every investigator’s head.

"BEGIN!"