"Keep in mind, this is only a spar boys…. So there is no need to kill or maim each other….


    Firstly, I won''t let you kill each other and will intervene if one of your lives is threatened. However, let''s assume that you do hurt each other permanently, identally or otherwise...


    the penalty that you will receive will be equal in severity as the pain of your opponent" Professor Mae warned, as looking at the sparks flying in the air between the two champions, she made sure to drive the point home, that permanent injuries were not allowed.


    "Yeah don''t worry Instructor Mae, I won''t kill this bald monk….. just humbling him will do-" Rocky said, as Zhi grinned at his remark, Rocky''s cocky attitude ring his own ego as well.


    "Amitabha, I have no intentions of taking your life either, however, I too shall try my best to humble you-" Zhi said, as it was Rocky''s turn to sneer now.


    "Alright, since you both understand the rules of this spar, let''s begin-" Professor Mae said, as she stood between the two champions and gave the signal for the fight to begin.


    "Begin-" she said, moving out of their way, as Rocky sprung into action immediately.


    As soon as Professor Mae gave the signal, Rocky surged forward, his twin swords gleaming as heunched a barrage of fast-paced strikes at Zhi.


    [ Sword Projection ]


    [ Wind de ]


    Coupling sword projection with wind de, Rocky unleashed a barrage of sword attacks towards Zhi as he charged and closed down the gap between them every second.


    The air around the duo hummed with the intensity of Rocky''s attacks as the power behind them seemed to be strong enough to cleave boulders in half, yet Rocky was able to unleash 7-12 such strikes every second.


    Zhi, calm and collected, responded with equal speed, his nunchucks whirling in a blur of motion. Each of Rocky''s strikes were met with a swift block or parry as he managed to neutralize Rocky''s attacks all the way until their weapons finally shed against one another physically.


    *CLANG*


    *CLANG*


    *CLANG*


    .


    .


    .


    .


    *CLANG*


    The metallic sh of weapons started to ring out across the arena, as Rocky''s sword strikes were deflected by Zhi with his nunchucks, as sparks flew every time that their weapons shed.


    Rocky put considerable strength behind each sword swing, his movements powerful and precise.


    Yet, despite the ferocity of his assault, Zhi''s defense held firm as the monk''s movements were fluid, with his nunchucks spinning and snapping with pinpoint uracy.


    At this stage it seemed like both fighters were testing each other and probing for weaknesses, as they both seemed to be surprised at the amount of strength that their opponent was hiding.


    Apparently both had the same idea of not going all out in this fight, however, after crossing weapons, both realized the folly of their thoughts and began to take the fight more seriously.


    The crowd watched in hushed anticipation, the initial jeers and taunts directed towards Zhi falling silent as the sheer skill of him as a fighter became apparent.


    Matching a freak like Rocky move for move, it was clear to everyone watching that Zhi was no ordinary fighter at all and that this fight was going to be extremely interesting as Rocky seemed to have finally found his match.


    Rocky could feel the strength and speed behind Zhi''s blocks and counters as he realized that the monk was no ordinary opponent.


    ''This guy is strong,'' Rocky thought, as a spark of excitement ignited within him.


    Zhi, for his part, was equally impressed with Rocky, as his opponent seemed to be everything that he hoped for and more, as just like Rocky, he too was gradually increasing the strength behind each of his blow, however, failing miserably in pushing Rocky back nheless.


    ''He''s holding back, just like me,''  Zhi realized as his fighting spirit red even brighter.


    As the tempo of their fight increased, the two warriors began to push each other harder, their strikes bing faster and more precise. Yet, neither could gain a clear advantage as even after Rocky started using over 80% of his newfound strength, he could still not push Zhi backwards.


    "What a freak…." Rockymented, as Zhi chuckled and replied " I could say the same thing about you….. I''m strong because I consumed a ten thousand year old ginseng, an invaluable treasure that helped my body reach the pinnacle of its potential as a mortal, however, you seem to be just naturally strong"


    Both fighters seemed to be pleased rather than horrified that their opponent was stronger than they had anticipated as their eyes turned serious.


    "Never thought I''d be forced to use this technique so early into the fight-" Zhi said, as he widened his stance and began to chant something under his breath.


    [ Twin de Hurricane ]


    Rocky used the move ''Twin de Hurricane'' to try and break through Zhi''s defenses, as he elerated his sword strikes beyond his natural limit to a freakish pace.


    However, much to Rocky''s surprise, as his moves were about to hit Zhi, the monk suddenly disappeared from in front of him as his entire form became a blur.


    Despite his keen senses, Rocky could not trace his movements at all as his opponent slipped unharmed under his offense and managed to teleport behind him.


    "ROCKY WATCHOUT-"


    Erin screamed from the crowd, as Zhi nted his counter-attack clean on Rocky''s back.


    [ Eight Nunchuck Strike ]


    *POW*


    *POW*


    *POW*


    .


    .


    .


    *POW*


    Eight powerful nunchuck strikes aimed to send Rocky''s body into temporary shocknded squarely on his back, as Rocky felt his body''s natural blood flow interrupted with his vision turning white and his brain feeling dazed.


    If not for his excellent constitution, he would most likely be stunned from this barrage, however, because of his racial enhancement, he somehow retained his consciousness and was able to evade Zhi''s match ending blow, aimed at the back of his neck.


    *********


    ( Meanwhile Principal Liam )


    Liam observed the match with keen eyes as while he did not show his bias towards Rocky on his face, he was secretly extremely pissed that his university''s student was unable to wipe the floor with his opponent.


    Beneath his facade of being cordial with Zhi''s master Mu Ban, Liam was desperately waiting for Rocky to establish an advantage as he was tired of sitting calmly and wanted to cheer for his student wholeheartedly.


    However, once the match began and he observed Zhi Cook''s skill, he was forced to admit that the kid was on-par with Rocky, if not better, as in terms of pure excellence in execution, or in terms of raw strength and speed, both those kids were far beyond their peers, as the fight between them looked like a fight between two peak tier3 fighters, although they were both only tier 1.


    While nothing seemed to separate the two during the initial phase of the fight, once Zhi started to rapidly burn his mana for a big burst in strength and speed, he began overpowering Rocky as he gained control over the tempo of the battle.


    While the kids in the audience beside him could probably not sense the change in flow of mana, for Liam it was as clear as day that Zhi was using the ancient Buddhist technique that used mana to enhance one''s natural strength to a high degree, however, the technique came with its significant drawbacks as once the mana of the user ran dry, the technique would leave them with a heavy penalty.


    " It seems like your student has taken a gamble, Mu Ban, he must finish this fight now within the next two minutes as if he cannot, then it would surely be his loss-" Liam said, as Mu Ban sitting beside him stroked his beard with a satisfied smile on his face.


    "You''re right Sir Liam, if my disciple does not finish this fight in the next 120 seconds the loss will indeed be his, however, as things are, it seems that he will finish it under the next sixty-" Mu Banmented, as he drew Liam''s attention back to the fight where Rocky was being absolutely pelted by Zhi.


    Liam watched on with a grim expression on his face as Rocky was hit after attack after attack by Zhi to which he had no answers in response.


    *GASP*


    The crowd of students sitting behind him gasped collectively when one of Zhi''s attacks aimed towards Rocky''s head narrowly missed its mark, as if that attacknded, it could have knocked Rocky out cold.


    ''Come on kid, don''t make me lose face, you''re stronger than this…. Don''t let him boss you around'' Liam thought, as he felt increasingly frustrated at how the fight was developing, but still clung on to the hope that Rocky would somehow find a way to turn this situation around and win regardless.


    —------


    /// A/N - Hey guys. I have an unfortunate announcement to make. I have fallen ill and am not feeling well at all, so there might not be any bonus chapters from my side for the next couple days till I feel better.


    My sincerest regrets for the inconvenience- ///