Chapter 51: Eighth Level of Martial Arts

Chapter 51: Eighth Level of Martial Arts

Ji Xinghuo was a little surprised.

While watching the previous match, he had heard that Tu Hongda was a Martial Arts Master and the actual person in charge of this branch.

Based on the reaction of the etheric energy, Tu Hongda's strength was also top-notch among superpower users, just a step away from advancing to the legendary level.

Against such a powerful opponent, Ji Xinghuo knew he didn't stand a chance.

"Every new member's first opponent is me," Tu Hongda explained. "Only by sparring can I truly gauge your martial arts level and provide appropriate guidance for your training."

This reason was justifiable.

However, it also served as a subtle show of dominance, a way for Tu Hongda to establish his authority as a coach.

Without hesitation, Ji Xinghuo replied, "Then please, Coach Tu, teach me."

Tu Hongda's gaze swept over Ji Xinghuo's Leichi, then pointed to the side of the field where various weapons were racked, of different sizes, weights, and styles, most of them blunt and specifically designed for martial arts training. "Choose a knife."

Ji Xinghuo picked a battle knife similar in size and weight to Leichi.

Tu Hongda also came over and selected an identical battle knife.

"My preferred weapon is the spear," he said. "However, there's not much point in using it against you, so I'll use a knife as well."

Ji Xinghuo nodded.

The advantages of a spear were well-known to all, especially below the legendary level, where other weapons paled in comparison.

In his usual sparring with Zhonglin, he lost more often than he won, and apart from the difference in their ranks, it had a lot to do with Zhonglin's choice of weapon.

Facing a spear with a knife was often a deadly proposition.

It was commendable that Tu Hongda chose to spar with him personally, and using a knife instead of his specialty would have been taking it too far.

The two returned to the field and stood twenty meters apart.

"You attack first."

Tu Hongda said, assuming a single-knife defensive stance, his posture relaxed despite his far superior strength compared to Ji Xinghuo.

Ji Xinghuo bowed with his knife tip downward as a sign of respect, then began.

He immediately started moving his feet, advancing at a pace that was neither fast nor slow, like a slow jog, quickly closing the distance to Tu Hongda. His gaze was locked on his opponent, not on the knife tip, but on his shoulders and feet. When the distance closed to just two or three meters, his speed suddenly surged.

The knife flashed, leaving a horizontal shadow in its wake.

A simple horizontal cut.

A glint of surprise flashed in Tu Hongda's eyes. Just from this first move, he could sense Ji Xinghuo's extraordinary skills.

He took half a step back, his upper body also retreating a short distance, allowing Ji Xinghuo's knife tip to pass harmlessly in front of him. It was only a moment, and as his retreating right foot landed, he used the momentum to bounce back, closing the distance and taking advantage of the fact that Ji Xinghuo's knife had not yet been retracted, he swung his battle knife upward.

Unexpectedly, Ji Xinghuo also took half a step back, causing the knife to swing empty.

Before he had struck, he had not used all his strength, leaving himself room to retreat.

Tu Hongda was clearly prepared for this change as well. As his right foot landed, he lifted his left leg and delivered a vicious knee strike, taking Ji Xinghuo by surprise.

Bang!

Ji Xinghuo could only block with his arm, and his whole body flew backward, retreating four or five steps before he could stop.

Tu Hongda stood in his original position, not pursuing.

"Not bad."

Tu Hongda's face showed approval.

In these two or three exchanges, their knives had not clashed, but their skills were evident.

Ji Xinghuo had claimed to be a seventh-level martial artist, and Tu Hongda had been skeptical, but now it seemed there was no exaggeration. Moreover, Ji Xinghuo displayed exceptional mental fortitude, showing no sign of panic against a far superior opponent and always making the right choices.

"Again," Tu Hongda said loudly.

Ji Xinghuo shook his numb arm, slightly stimulating the rotating magnetic field, instantly recovering, and raised his battle knife again to close in on Tu Hongda.

Again, the two figures approached and separated in quick succession, with Ji Xinghuo being pushed back.

In this round, the knives still did not clash.

But there was a dull thud.

He looked down at his chest, and there was a mark on his armor, made by Tu Hongda's knife, not using full strength or "star force," but it still made his chest ache.

"A Martial Arts Master is indeed extraordinary." Ji Xinghuo's eyes lit up. "Your skill is amazing!"

He immediately rushed forward for the third round of attacks.

In the middle of the martial arts field, the two figures approached each other every few seconds, then immediately separated.

Tu Hongda remained on the defensive throughout, his steps never exceeding a three-meter range, yet he easily repelled Ji Xinghuo's attacks. However, after a few minutes, Tu Hongda noticed something amiss. Although he could still repel Ji Xinghuo, it was clearly becoming more difficult.

At first, Tu Hongda only needed two or three seconds to complete his defense and counter.

Five minutes later, it had extended to about five seconds.

Although he had only used a fraction of his strength, for an intermediate power user, he would still suffer minor injuries and pain, and his stamina would quickly deplete.

But Ji Xinghuo showed no signs of fatigue; instead, his fighting spirit was high.

After ten minutes, Ji Xinghuo had attacked more than a hundred times. He was repelled time and time again, yet he kept swinging his knife and moving forward, growing stronger with each setback.

The watching members were all amazed.

When they had first arrived, they had all sparred with Coach Tu, but they could only last a minute or two, and the best had only lasted about three minutes.

"Is he really an intermediate ranger?" they wondered.

Tu Hongda was also astonished. The strength and speed Ji Xinghuo displayed were indeed those of an intermediate ranger, and his fighting style was flexible and varied.

Although his imitation was crude and untrained, it was surprisingly effective.

"A genius among geniuses!"

"Given time, he will undoubtedly become a Martial Arts Master, perhaps even a Grand Master!"

Tu Hongda's expression remained unchanged, but his mind was abuzz with thoughts. "Such a talented martial artist must be recruited into the Extreme Martial Arts Gym, and ideally, he should become my disciple..."

In the heat of battle, one must never lose focus.

As Tu Hongda's thoughts wandered, a flash of blade light caught him off guard. Reacting half a beat too slow, he found himself barely avoiding a downward slash from Ji Xinghuo's battle knife.

A sharp tearing sound rang out.

Ji Xinghuo sheathed his knife and retreated without pressing the attack.

The entire room fell silent as everyone witnessed Tu Hongda's shoulder being slashed, the cut extending from his shoulder across his neck, leaving a pale mark on his skin.

If this had been a life-or-death battle against an opponent of the same rank, Tu Hongda would have lost his head.

"Cough!"

Tu Hongda's face reddened as he realized his mistake. He had allowed his emotions to distract him, resulting in such a basic error.

In the world of martial arts, unexpected twists and turns were common.

A higher-ranked practitioner didn't always guarantee victory over a lower-ranked one. Even Grand Masters could stumble and fall. However, losing to an opponent three ranks below him, and in front of so many witnesses, was a blow to his pride.

"Coach, you don't need to go easy on me..."

Ji Xinghuo was also puzzled by the turn of events, but he didn't gloat. Instead, he offered Tu Hongda a way to save face.

Tu Hongda waved away his words, acknowledging, "You don't need to make excuses for me. I lost focus, and you bested me this time."

The expressions on the faces of the onlookers were priceless.

They had just witnessed a seventh-ranked martial artist defeat a Martial Arts Master. Although Tu Hongda had won over a hundred consecutive bouts before this, a single loss overshadowed all his previous victories.

It was common knowledge that Coach Tu had never lost to a member, not once!

"No one can win forever," Tu Hongda said, guessing what everyone was thinking. "I've lost countless times in the past—to friends, fellow disciples, fellow coaches, and other Martial Arts Masters. But it is through these losses that I've learned and grown, achieving the rank I have today."

"It's okay to lose in practice, but what matters most is winning the battles that determine your life path, and even your survival!"

"Let's continue."

After sharing these words, Tu Hongda proceeded to critique Ji Xinghuo's performance.

He pointed out Ji Xinghuo's shortcomings and areas for improvement, offering guidance on timing and techniques for delivering powerful strikes.

Ji Xinghuo listened intently.

Chi Zhonglin, approaching the rank of Martial Arts Master himself and also a spear user, lacked the wealth of experience that Tu Hongda possessed, and he was not as skilled at teaching.

Not every Martial Arts Master was suited to be a teacher, but Tu Hongda was undoubtedly an exceptional one.

Tu Hongda lectured for over ten minutes before arranging for others to take the field.

Ji Xinghuo watched and learned, absorbing and digesting the lessons he had just received. Half an hour later, it was his turn again.

This time, his opponent was not Tu Hongda but another member with the rank of seventh-ranked martial artist.

Their bout lasted less than three minutes.

In that short span, they clashed seven times, with Ji Xinghuo emerging victorious in each exchange. His opponent was unharmed, but his confidence was shattered, prompting Tu Hongda to call a halt to the match.

Half an hour later, Ji Xinghuo faced a new opponent—a martial artist of the eighth rank.

They fought five times, with Ji Xinghuo winning four and losing one.

The sole loss came at the cost of his opponent's injury. Ji Xinghuo held back, refraining from using the 'Myriad Phenomenon Array,' but he still couldn't secure victory.

The eight-hour practical training session flew by.

Ji Xinghuo had fought fifteen rounds, winning more than he lost, with an overall win rate of about 65%. While his win rate wasn't the highest in the room, it was still impressive.

Only two people had higher win rates, and they were both ninth-ranked martial artists.

Ji Xinghuo's progress was evident to all. Tu Hongda had arranged for him to face opponents of the eighth and ninth ranks, seasoned veterans with extensive combat experience, all of them Advanced Transcenders.

These individuals were minor celebrities in Olympia, typically serving as captains of hunting teams.

As the training session concluded, several people invited Ji Xinghuo to join their squads. Upon learning that he already had a team, they expressed their regret but still exchanged contact information.

"Five hundred Asian dollars per hour—money well spent!"

Ji Xinghuo was pleased with the day's results. The Extreme Martial Arts Gym had indeed lived up to its reputation.

As he prepared to leave after a quick wash, a staff member approached him and said in a low voice, "Mr. Xin, Coach Tu invites you to his office."

Ji Xinghuo was not surprised. "Please lead the way."

In the manager's office, he met with Tu Hongda, who wasted no time in asking, "Liao Yuan, are you willing to join the Extreme Martial Arts Gym?"

"Do you want me to become your disciple, Coach Tu?" Ji Xinghuo countered.

The Extreme Martial Arts Gym had started as a private martial arts gym but quickly grew into a large corporation, going public and expanding its scale and market value. It had established branches in every country around the globe.

Although Tu Hongda no longer pressured him about becoming his disciple, he still favored Ji Xinghuo immensely.

After each day's practical training, he would spend half an hour giving Ji Xinghuo a private lesson, sparring with him and offering meticulous guidance, holding back very little.

Ji Xinghuo's martial arts skills improved by leaps and bounds.

After participating in practical training for half a stellar month, when facing opponents at the eighth level of martial arts, he could achieve a win rate of ninety percent. Although he still lost more than he won against ninth-level opponents, his martial arts level had firmly stabilized at the eighth level, and with a few more months of practice, he would likely reach the ninth level.

As his martial arts level increased, so did Ji Xinghuo's star power, steadily rising to 185 points.

Clang! Clang! Clang! Three consecutive metallic clangs rang out.

Accompanied by flying sparks, Ji Xinghuo slashed three times with his knife, each strike faster and heavier than the last, advancing three big steps forward.

His opponent was forced to parry the three strikes and quickly retreated, finally losing his strength.

The alloy longsword was knocked aside, and his stance crumbled.

Ji Xinghuo took another step forward, skillfully twisting the knife handle with his right hand, turning the knife so it was pressed against his arm. He pressed the blade to his opponent's neck, elbow pressing against the knife back, and came to a steady stop.

"My apologies, Brother Qi."

Ji Xinghuo immediately sheathed his knife and took a step back, letting out a soft breath.

This victory had not been easy. His opponent, Qi Zhaofeng, was a ninth-level martial arts master, and they had sparred dozens of times, with Ji Xinghuo winning less than two out of ten matches.

"Amazing!"

Qi Zhaofeng rubbed his slightly sore neck. "Today, you beat me twice, both times because I made small mistakes that you seized upon. Looks like I'll have to be even more careful when facing you in the future."

"It's because Brother Qi didn't use his full strength. Otherwise, I would have lost again," Ji Xinghuo replied humbly.

"You two don't need to keep complimenting each other," someone from the sidelines joked. "Hurry up and get down so we can switch opponents."

Everyone present was a one-in-a-million martial arts expert. They sparred with each other multiple times a day to improve together. Except for a few individuals who were either eccentric or introverted, most of them got along well.

The winners were not arrogant, and the losers remained undiscouraged.

Ji Xinghuo and Qi Zhaofeng stepped off to the side as Tu Hongda gave them a few pointers, then announced the end of that day's practical training.

After everyone else had left, Ji Xinghuo stayed behind for another half-hour of training with Tu Hongda.

As usual, he washed up and left the gym, about to board the bus home when a voice called out from behind him, "Liao Yuan, please hold on a moment."

(End of Chapter)

Chapter end