"Insane! Absolutely insane!"
"Holy crap, this Zhao Xuan guy—he's on par with that monster student from Nanjing First High, isn't he?"
"Easily! The guy's terrifying!"
"Yeah, this is beyond reason!"
Nearby, a group of examiners—those who had finished their rounds or taken breaks—crowded together, watching the duel with eyes wide in disbelief.
"Have you noticed?" one of them murmured. "That kid Zhao Xuan—his learning ability is downright monstrous."
Another nodded gravely. "Yeah. If this keeps up, Lu Sheng's going to get caught sooner or later… that is, if Zhao Xuan can keep up that insane level of output."
"..."
"Haah!!"
A sharp gust tore through the air.
Lu Sheng narrowly avoided Zhao Xuan's latest counterattack, skidding back several steps.
But this time, instead of darting around him using speed and agility like before, he retreated—quickly putting four to five meters between them.
His breathing grew heavier.
"No. No, no, no! I can't let this drag on! This kid's learning speed is too terrifying! If I let this continue, he's going to adapt completely—and then I'll be the one who gets caught! Damn it, I can't afford to lose face like this!"
Muttering under his breath, Lu Sheng's expression hardened.
A strange energy began to ripple outward from within his body.
The next instant—
His figure swelled.
Thick, coarse, dark brown fur erupted across his skin, covering him head to toe.
His hands twisted, transforming into powerful claws gleaming with a metallic sheen.
The air around him vibrated with a primal aura.
He had activated his Devil Fruit ability.
And it was clear—
he, too, was an Animal-Type Fruit User.
"Come on, then!" Zhao Xuan roared, his eyes lighting up.
He didn't retreat. He charged forward.
One punch!
Then another!
And another!
The air trembled as their fists collided.
For a moment, the entire arena seemed to transform into a boxing ring.
Neither man relied on Shave or Moonwalk anymore—
They stood their ground and fought with raw, brutal power.
BANG! BANG! BANG! BANG! BANG!
Fist met fist.
Fist met flesh.
Each impact echoed like thunder.
Every strike shook the air itself.
The audience could feel the force of each collision in their bones.
Crack! Crack! Crack!
Under their feet, the special reinforced tiles shattered one after another.
"Insane! They've both gone completely insane!"
"Holy sh*t, this is unreal!"
"Zhao Xuan actually forced Lu Sheng to use his fruit ability!?"
"This is still a college entrance exam, right? Not the National Martial Arts Tournament!?"
"This is insane—purely insane! I haven't seen Lu Sheng use his fruit power in nearly half a year! And now he's being forced to do it by a high school senior!?"
"Guess that saying's true after all—there are no weak Devil Fruits, only weak users!"
"Wait—wait! He's doing it! Lu Sheng's using that move! His signature technique!"
In the center of the field—
Lu Sheng suddenly stopped throwing punches.
Instead, he lunged forward—head first.
"BAM! BAM! BAM!"
He rammed Zhao Xuan over and over again, his forehead smashing into him like a wild beast gone berserk.
The force of his charges drove Zhao Xuan back, step by step.
Two words could perfectly describe Lu Sheng at this moment—
Savage. Unyielding.
"Badger Fruit… no wonder!" someone exclaimed.
"Yeah! That's the Honey Badger Fruit! The crazy one!"
"Completely insane—he's not even afraid to break his own bones just to hit harder!"
"I fought him once—I swear to god, he knocked me out cold with just a headbutt!"
That's right.
Lu Sheng's Devil Fruit was none other than the Animal-Type: Honey Badger Fruit.
And the honey badger—also known as the flat-headed brother—was infamous for its fearless, suicidal ferocity.
No matter who the opponent was—
even lions or tigers—
it would never back down.
That was why almost everyone in the martial world hated fighting Honey Badger users.
Because their ability came with a terrifying trait:
The more intense the fight, the stronger they became.
Their power scaled with battle itself—
and that meant even a stronger opponent could easily fall into their rhythm and lose.
Even if you won, you didn't walk away unscathed.
Every fight against a Honey Badger user ended in blood and bruises.
They didn't fear injury.
They traded blow for blow.
Life for life.
It was the definition of "reckless courage."
In the center of the arena, Zhao Xuan and Lu Sheng continued their violent clash.
If it had been any ordinary Animal-Type user,
their stamina would've long since burned out under such relentless combat.
But Zhao Xuan wasn't ordinary.
He possessed the Azure Dragon Fruit.
And under its partial transformation, his recovery and stamina were multiplied fivefold.
That meant he could maintain his state far longer than anyone else.
BOOM! BOOM! BOOM!
Fists collided.
Foreheads smashed together.
Bodies crashed like meteors.
Each impact shook the field, dust flying into the air.
The battle grew more savage by the second.
But eventually—
Zhao Xuan's breathing began to falter.
His body swayed.
He'd reached his limit first.
Finally—
THUD!
He collapsed onto the ground.
Yet barely a moment later—
BAM!
Lu Sheng fell too, his body slamming down beside him.
Both of them lay sprawled across the shattered floor, motionless.
For a long moment—
The entire field was silent.
No one spoke.
No one moved.
Even the wind seemed to stop.
They had just witnessed something no one would ever forget—
A high school student forcing a third-tier examiner
to fight to the point of collapse.
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