On the training stage, the two combatants were still locked in a fierce exchange. Unlike Rovel, Fu Hua employed significantly fewer techniques, her movents economical and precise.
She didn't need a wide array of skills. Her raw physical strength was imnse—easily on par with Kiana's—and it was more than enough to neutralize every attack the Kaslana threw at her.
They collided once more, the impact sending both skidding back two steps.
With perfect timing, Fu Hua struck with "Chaotic Thunder," a blur of motion aid at Kiana's center. Yet, Kiana seed to have anticipated it, her body already twisting to the side the very instant Fu Hua raised her hand.
At that mont, Fu Hua was one hundred percent certain. Kiana absolutely knew this fist style. The question was, where could she possibly have learned it?
Her gaze flickered to the side, sweeping over Rovel's calm figure. She recalled the distinct, familiar force she had felt from him earlier.
Was it him?
The thought was a splinter in her focus, a montary lapse. It was all the opening Kiana needed. She lunged, a punch rocketing toward Fu Hua's face. Fu Hua's arms snapped up in a cross-guard, blocking the blow, but the sheer force of the impact still shoved her backward.
The soles of her shoes screeched against the polished floor of the arena.
"No way! Kiana actually pushed the Class Monitor back!"
"Is this for real…?"
A wave of astonished cries erupted from the students watching below.
Fu Hua, however, rely gave her wrist a slight, dismissive shake before her fighting spirit flared once more.
"Inch Force: Mountain Collapse!"
The power behind the move, when executed by Fu Hua, was on a completely different level than when Rovel used it in his normal state. A wave of crushing force erupted from her fist.
Though Kiana was on guard, she hadn't anticipated the sheer scale of the attack. She threw herself aside, narrowly dodging the epicenter of the strike, but the resulting shockwave still caught her, sending her body tumbling through the air.
"The Class Monitor is getting serious!" soone shouted.
Kiana slid for several ters across the floor. The mont her feet found purchase, she exploded forward again, charging Fu Hua like a cornered cheetah. She launched herself into the air, aiming a powerful flying kick at Fu Hua's head.
"Dissipating Force: Ink Chrysanthemum!" Fu Hua's figure flickered, seeming to dissolve into thin air and vanishing from her spot.
In the next instant, Kiana felt a strange, redirecting force twist her body. Her world flipped upside down, and her head smashed directly into the ground with a sickening thud.
"Ouch~!" Kiana cried out, a genuine yelp of pain.
She scrambled up from the floor, rubbing the new bump on her head with a wince.
'Dissipating Force again,' she grumbled internally. She hated that technique more than anything; it was just too unfair! You couldn't land a hit, and even if you did, all your power would just lt away.
"Fu Hua wins," Hiko announced, her voice cutting through the stunned silence.
"A good match," Fu Hua said, performing a formal cupped-fist salute before extending a hand to her opponent.
Kiana placed her hand in Fu Hua's and allowed herself to be pulled to her feet.
"Uh… good match," Kiana mumbled, trying to mimic Fu Hua's gesture. The attempt, however, looked so awkward and clumsy that it was almost comical.
"Ah… I actually lost," Kiana muttered, returning to her friends and slumping onto the ground to rest.
She was just about to ask Rovel what in the world was going on when a group of girls sward over, their faces alight with excitent.
"Kiana, you were amazing! To think you could fight the Class Monitor to a standstill like that!"
"Yeah, yeah! I thought you'd be defeated in an instant, but you actually suppressed her for a little while!"
Kiana found herself blushing under the unexpected wave of praise. She scratched the back of her head, a bit embarrassed. "Hehe, really?"
"Classmate Ruobai," Fu Hua's voice suddenly cut through the chatter, "may I challenge you?"
The area fell silent. Every head turned toward the class monitor. This was the first ti anyone had ever seen Fu Hua take the initiative to challenge soone.
In the past, she would always wait for Hiko's arrangents or simply train quietly by herself. She had never proactively sought a match.
But now, Fu Hua felt an urgent, burning need to confirm sothing. Kiana clearly knew the moves of the Cun Xin Fist Style. The only person here who could have possibly taught her was Rovel.
Yet, in the depths of her mory, she was certain she had only ever passed this martial art to one person. And that person… who was it?
It seems… they passed away a long, long ti ago?
Then where… where in the world did Rovel learn this fist style?!
Or… had she taught others and then, for so reason, deleted that part of her own mory?
'No, that's not right,'she thought, her mind racing.'Rovel is a Descender. It's only been a month since he arrived in this world…'
As the implications settled, a thin sheen of sweat ford on Fu Hua's palms. Her breathing beca slightly ragged, a subtle sign of her inner turmoil. To the onlookers, however, it seed she was simply catching her breath after the intense bout with Kiana. No one noticed the storm raging within her.
"...Sure," Rovel said, standing up. For so reason, he found himself looking forward to seeing the expression on Fu Hua's face.
"Fu Hua, do you need to rest for a bit?" Hiko asked, her gaze concerned.
"No need. I feel fine."
Fu Hua took a deep, steadying breath, forcing her roiling emotions into a state of calm.
"Please guide ," she said, her eyes fixed on Rovel with a newfound seriousness.
"Yes, please guide ," Rovel replied, his tone even.
Then, in perfect synchrony, the two of them assud the exact sa starting stance.
As expected… Fu Hua's heart clenched.
"Begin!" Hiko's voice echoed.
Rovel raised his hand, striking out with "Dissipating Force: Flying Willow."
Fu Hua's pupils constricted into pinpricks. She mirrored his action, raising her own hand and unleashing the very sa technique.
The two ethereal forces collided in mid-air. For a mont they struggled against each other, and then Rovel's "Dissipating Force: Flying Willow" shattered like glass.
The gap in their raw power was imdiately obvious.
Rovel raised an arm to block the remnants of her attack, the force staggering him slightly. He then surged forward, closing the distance to engage Fu Hua in a close-quarters struggle.
Their every move, every block, every strike was identical. They were perfect mirrors of each other. But because Rovel's strength was so much less than Fu Hua's, he found himself at a disadvantage in every single exchange, his arms aching with the effort of parrying her blows.
On Fu Hua's side, her shock grew with every passing second. Not only had Rovel learned the Cun Xin Fist Style, but… he seed to have completely, utterly mastered it!
After Rovel comprehended the nature of Dead Force, the proficiency rank for his Cun Xin Fist Style had vanished, replaced by a simple, stark "MAX" indicator. Just like with his Hokushin Ittō-ryū, it signified that he had achieved the pinnacle of mastery.
"Classmate Ruobai," Fu Hua finally couldn't contain her curiosity any longer, her voice low and urgent amidst their flurry of blows. "This fist style of yours…"
"How about we talk after the fight?" Rovel suggested, his breath coming in short bursts.
Fu Hua nodded in agreent, her expression hardening as she refocused on the battle.
Rovel grit his teeth and took a step back, his hand reaching for the hilt of the weapon at his side. He had no choice. They were both using the sa martial art, and with his strength unable to match hers, he was completely outmatched using only the Cun Xin Fist Style. He drew the Prototype Pulse Katana.
"Swordsmanship Domain, Open!"
In an instant, the Sword Ki of Taixuan layered over his Lightning Sword Intent, and Rovel's aura exploded outward. His power surged, rising by more than a single level.
A flash of renewed shock crossed Fu Hua's eyes. She hadn't expected that on top of his peerless skill in fist techniques, he also possessed such a deep attainnt in the Way of the Sword.
The battle between the two was no longer sothing the students below could comprehend. Their forms blurred into streaks of motion. All the audience could perceive were the brilliant flashes of the blade and hear the deafening booms of their collisions.
"Hokushin Ittō-ryū: Ultimate Technique—Moonlit Shadow Dance!"
"Inch Force: Heaven Opening!"
The two terrifying ultimate attacks raced toward each other. The very training ground couldn't withstand the sheer concentration of power and began to crack and splinter.
A powerful gale erupted from the point of impact, forcing the surrounding students to crouch low and shield their eyes, fearing they might be blown away by the sheer force of the shockwave.
"Alright, that's enough!" Hiko's powerful shout cut through the chaos.
Only then did the violent wind pressure from their clash slowly begin to dissipate.
When the students dared to open their eyes again, they found that the once-pristine training ground had been utterly destroyed, a cratered wasteland of shattered tiles and twisted tal.
"Sigh…" Seeing the devastation, a long, weary sigh escaped Hiko's lips.
She was going to get scolded again.
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