The post Bloodmoon, pre-dawn sky was streaked with orange and red as I approached the courtyard with axe and ive in hand. Sounds of the gathering crowd could be heard already, echoing off the stone walls of Du Grok Bhong as the air filled with excitement.
Chief Yora hade through with nearly everything I had asked for.
One match.
But with a full audience.
I’d seen how Jei Su Long had handled his defeat by Blue Rose and I wouldn’t put it past the punk toe up with some other means of discrediting me if I beat him now. But with an audience there would be no opportunity for a post-match exnation.
Everyone was here to witness the match for themselves in real time.
But it wasn’t like this was going to be a cake walk either.
I hadn’t had a tournament bout in ages and if what Chief Yora said was true, then Jei Su Long was no slouch in the martial arts department. And that was just the kind of challenge I needed to hone my skills for my battle toe with the Warden.
She was Diamond Bracket, after all.And if Jei Su Long was close to Jade, the [Odds were Against Me] indeed.
Taking him on like this was like jumping into the jaws of a Jolup of a different kind.
My reputation was on the line.
And so was his.
Neither of us was going to fold easily.
The courtyard had been transformed, fenced in with the addition of wooden barricades to make a wide perimeter ring. Just beyond them the crowd surged back and forth in anticipation. It wasn’t the full assembly, but it was close—Brown Robes mixed with Whites and cks.
On a small dais overseeing the makeshift ring, Chief Yora stood along with my old White Robe instructor, Yun Jen, who was there to keep score it seemed. The scoreboard was a simple chalkboard with our names written on it—a far cry from the arena billboards I was used to, but it would do.
Jei Su Long was already in ce at center stage.
He gave me a scowl as I stepped inside the ring.
“I can’t tell if you are overconfident or merely a fool,” he said with a spin of his dual <em>Jian</em> des. “Either way you will face defeat this day, Bull Man, but the mockery of which will be all of your own doing…not mine.”
“Yeah,” I said with [Struggler’s Resolve] “The pay per view match was my idea. That one’s on me.”
He squinted his eyes in confusion. “Your words don’t make sense and neither do you. Prepare yourself.”
I did just that, cultivating the Frenzy now bubbling from my me.
I swung my Axe and ive through a quick series of martial forms, warming up for the challenge.
I felt rusty in a way.
Too used to going ham with my Phnx ive to chop up giant monsters.
But I had made use of my meditation time to practice my forms daily.
Now, I just had to trust I had to skill to learn whatever martial form Jei Su Long used quickly enough to best him. The challenge of it had my me and nerves on edge. But there was somethingcking from the fight that I couldn’t ignore.
I didn’t hate this guy enough to truly kindle my me.
That’s why I needed the crowd.
They would have to be my main source of Frenzy.
And that meant I’d not only have to win, but also put on a show.
I cracked a grin at Jei Su Long. “Hey…for the record. This is nothing personal. Even though you tried to kill me multiple time, I really don’t respect you enough to really care.”
That sent his anger through the roof and he spat out a curse at me, but I ignored it with a snub of [Indifference]. It wasn’t just a goad either. In truth, petty shit like this was below me now. Haters were going to hate and Young Masters were going to Young Master. Getting bent out of shape over that was a form of control I refused to hand over to this blue haired punk.
“<em>En garde</em>, bitch,” I said and gave him a halfhearted salute with my Phnx ive.
Jei Su Long didn’t say anything, but the anger and hatred in his eyes spoke volumes.
<em>Maybe I wouldn’t need to rely purely on the crowd after all</em>, I thought as I cultivated his anger, making his strength my own.
“Attention!” Chief Yora shouted. “This morning’s special assembly wille as a surprise to most. It isplements of the Iron Bull, who despite my intentions of promoting him to ck Robe for his valiant ying of the Jolup, insisted that he earn his ascension the same as everyone else. Let usmend him for his honor in this regard.”
Yora then stared a round of apuse and the lemonade that filled the ring was exactly what I’d been hoping for. I waved in acknowledgement and used the free Frenzy to harden myself with [Steel Skin] and heighten my reflexes. I wasn’t going to be able to pull off using a [Mark] so it would have to be all skill this time.
That ced the [Odds Against Me] even more.
“He will be facing the famed Jei Su Long,” Yora said. “To most he needs no introduction. A prodigy of the <em>jian</em> de and a skilled master of the Twin Rivers Sect Style. I personally am most interest to see how the Iron Bull’s most unorthodox use of a Phnx ive and Axe will fair against Jei Su Long’s speed.”
That sent murmurs through the crowd and I could sense the bets being ced against me already. Even though unofficial.
“Normal examination rules shall apply,” Yora said. “A time limit of 30 minutes is set. Highest score at the end of time wins but the first to score 100 points can also be dered the winner. This is not a death match nor is it a measure of strength, but of skill. Thus, a knockout is worth only 10 points.”
That was a little different, but I wouldn’t have it any other way really.
My skill was on disy here, not my strength.
Jei Su Long closed his eyes and began to levitate off the ground as thin rivulets of water coursed around him and traced down the length of his <em>jian</em> des.
“I won’t kill you,” he said. “But I will enjoy bringing you to within an inch of your life. We’ll see how much these peasants still worship you then.”
<em>So there it was</em>, I thought. <em>What he was really pissed off about.</em>
The blue-haired bastard was jealous.
I could almostugh.
I’d have to use that against him if I could.
Silence fell as we both dropped into a ready stance.
Yora then cut the air her hand.
“Commence!”
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A spray of water hit me like a firehose, sending me right on my ass.
The biting sting of piercing des came next, punching straight through my [Steel Skin] with tremendous force.
“[River’s Ford]!”
“[Waterfall Strike]!”
“[Stream Flows to the River Delta]!”
Jei Su Long was going ham, annunciating technique after technique in quick session. It was all I could do to bolster my defenses as I slid backwards on the ground. His attacks were strong and the pain that came with them exquisite.
The bastard wasn’t holding anything back.
I finally channeled my Frenzy into [Steel Lightning], the ative technique disrupting his flow of attacks and allowing me a moment to spring back to my feet. Time slowed as I spiked my reflexes and fought back with deflecting parries using my axe.
I took a wild swing with my Phnx ive and missed him by a mile as he leapt out of the way. But that was my objective. To buy myself a bit of time and breathing space. I’d underestimated how aggressive he would be.
<em>Shit</em>, I thought. <em>That first bout was no joke</em>.
I nced at the score board and Yun Jen was still counting the hits, totaling over 27 already.
The bastard was over a quarter of the way to beating me now.
Gears shifted in my mind as he took to the air and then peppered downward with his des.
“[Spring Rain Swells the River]!”
I shieled myself with the broad side of my ive, charging it with [Steel Lightning] at the same time. The colliding techniques sparked off one another, causing small explosions of lightning and steam.
I countered with a double swing of my axe, sending arcs of [Frenzied Lightning] into the sky. He broke off his attack to avoid them deftly and then backflipping through the air, came to a hover about fifty feet away from me, hanging thirty feet off the ground.
The sucker began tough.
“Child’s y,” he said. “You see now you are as helpless as that Jolup being stuck on the ground against me. I’ll be doing you a favor by preventing your advancement, Bull Man. No one without flight can survive those Hell Worlds for long. And you can barely survive me.”
<em>Pompous prick</em>.
But he was probably right.
Still, I didn’t give a shit about being a fly boy.
A Berserker fought no matter what the terrain.
I threw a couple more lightning arcs at him and he twisted in the air to avoid them. No good. I needed to bring this fight down to my level to even the score and for that I needed to use my skills where they had their greatest advantage.
And for that…I would need patience.
I went into turtle shell mode, blocking his long-ranged attacks with my [Steel Lightning] technique and Phnx ive. He wasn’t scoring but neither was I. Futile minutes went by. I needed to push him a bit further if he was going to get him to move.
“Is Qi Techniques all you can do?” I shouted. “You’ve earned your matches with a crutch that way. Where’s the skill?”
Anger spiked within him just like I expected.
“Because my style is superior it doesn’t mean I hold an unfair advantage,” Jei Su Long said. “Every form in the Twin River Style is a Qi Technique. If you can’t deal with it, you need to do better.”
I chuckled to myself.
The bastard just said I needed to ‘Git Gud’.
“Alright then!” I shouted, charging forward. “Let’s see what you’ve got!”
He began peppering me with his water techniques from afar, but I paid them no mind as I ploughed through with [Indifference]. He racked up the score and I could tell he was getting giddy off the idea of making this a 100 to 0 fight. The score passed 50 and then I saw it, the slightest motion that he was diving in for the kill.
I stopped immediately and transferred all my momentum into an overhead swing with my Phnx ive. The timing was wless. Jei Su Long zoomed in fullymitted only to find the weighted tip of my ive crashing down on him in the ce he’d thought I’d be.
The move took the entire crowd by surprise and a collective gasp of shocked filled the air at the surprise reversal. He bounced off the ground in a daze and I used the opportunity to switch gears and close in with rapid strikes from my axe.
I chopped into him again and again, evening the score with Frenzy-heightened speed.
I could easily have killed him.
His body cultivation was nowhere near mine.
Unlike me, all his hits had been killing blowspared to my love taps, but I was out for score not death. By the time he came to himself I was up by 30. Sparks and lightning flew as he went into a series of quick parries to defend himself.
I switched it up going for heavy strikes with my axe to force him into another retreat.
It worked.
With a burst of water, Jei Su Long flew to the side to avoid the strike, but my overhead swing with my Phnx ive was already well underway. With a twist of my waist, I adjusted my aim at just thest second, redirecting the tip of my de tond exactly where his dodge took him.
The shock on his face was priceless as the ive came crashing down on him again.
He blocked at thest moment, but that gave me ample time to get in four or five more hits with my axe. I repeated the move once more, controlling him like a rat in a maze as my ive found him again.
The crowd roared with delight. A group of ck-Robed <em>Sullieds</em> threw their own Phnx ives in the air with a salute. Words of praise came with the lemonade now spewing from their hearts and souls.
“The Iron Bull is a ive master!”
“He must have been here before!”
“Spot on timing!”
The words encouraged even me more than the fresh Frenzy and I said a little prayer of thanks to the Great ive Master himself, Old Iron Pot Wong, for teaching me so well. Jei Su Long was now battered and bleeding, his hands low with fatigue.
We both nced at the scoreboard.<table><tbody><tr><td width="201">
Iron Bull</td><td width="201">
Jei Su Long</td></tr><tr><td width="201">
58</td><td width="201">
61</td></tr></tbody></table>
“You’re just like that woman,” he spat. “Full of honor-less tricks.”
“You’re one to speak.” I said, hefting my ive onto my shoulder with [Struggler’s Resolve]. “Going all out in a practice match with death blows? Nice form.”
“I’ll show you all out!”
Releasing a cry, Jei Su Long surged back towards me, luminescent water shimmering upon his des.
“[Heavenly River! Twin Tides Fall]!”
He came swooping in with des twirling with radiance.
I raised my axe to parry but as our weapons met with sparks, the luminescent water passed straight through them andnded on my chest. Ice chilled my body instantly as my me was nearly put out.
<em>Shit! A spiritual attack?</em>
It was so unexpected that the next three hits nearly did me in.
Jei Su Long sensed my weakness and pressed on with a cackle.
“You are weak in mind and spirit, Bull Man!” he cried in my face. “Your defeat this day will be permanent!”
<em>Son of a bitch!</em> I thought. The bastard was going for a killing blow of a different kind.
He was looking to damage my core.
Thoughts of Fia’s mom shed through my mind and the raw indignation of her suffering spurred me on. This wasn’t just an arrogant cultivator looking for a win. This was a vile bastard looking to inflict cruelty and suffering in the long term.
Just like Lo Fang.
I tapped into the memory like a mantra, summoned the root of my Dao.
“So you want to y dirty pool, huh?”
I cycled my Frenzy, summoning the [Soul Shield] technique.
Instantly it red around my me, protecting it from Jei Su Long’s attacks.
I then looked inward, slipping inside my own mind to summon my connection to the Struggler. My blue [Spectral Body] superimposed itself over my form and the crowd gasped again with the demonstration of power.
I nced at the score as he continued to get hit after hit.<table><tbody><tr><td width="201">
Iron Bull</td><td width="201">
Jei Su Long</td></tr><tr><td width="201">
58</td><td width="201">
63</td></tr></tbody></table><table><tbody><tr><td width="201">
Iron Bull</td><td width="201">
Jei Su Long</td></tr><tr><td width="201">
58</td><td width="201">
65</td></tr></tbody></table>
It didn’t matter.
I needed only one good hit now.
Dropping my weapons, I pushed straight into his attacks, taking a final hit to the chest that I brushed off with [Steel Lightning] and [Indifference]. Jei Su Long’s eyes went wide with confusion and terror as I jumped right into his face.
“Think you’re the only one skilled in the spiritual realm?” I shouted as I drew back my arm to strike. “Feel the [Struggler’s Fist of Fury], bitch!”
My blue-hued knuckles mmed straight into Jei Su Long’s jaw, sending a shockwave across the ring like thunder as my uppercut propelled him twenty feet into the air. He came crashing back down a few secondster,pletely out cold.
Silence fell as I looked to the score board.
Yun Jen was staring at the scene ck jawed and had to snap himself out of it to turn about and write the final score.<table><tbody><tr><td width="201">
Iron Bull</td><td width="201">
Jei Su Long</td></tr><tr><td width="201">
68</td><td width="201">
66</td></tr></tbody></table>
Cheers erupted from the crowd and I was rewarded with a wave of praise and fresh lemonade. I cultivated it quickly as I raised my fist in salute and the crowd went wild again.
On the dais, I saw someone else had joined Chief Yora now.
There, decked out in his ck robes with purple and gold trim was the academy president, High Marshall Tzu Li Zen himself. He stood with his arms folded across his massive chest, his one eye surveying the battlefield. He first looked down to Jei Su Long who was still out cold and drooling on the ground and then to me.
I straightened and gave him a respectful bow and the High Marshall responded with a simple nod before stepping off the dais. Chief Yora then beckoned me forward.
“A well fought victory, Iron Bull,” she said as she presented me with a set of ck robes. “It was an unnecessary match but an interesting one. Congrattions on your ascension to ck Robe.”
I bowed to her as I received my new robes.
Or my ‘old’ ones, if I were being more urate.
I was finally back to where I should have started from.
But as another round of apuse hailed me, I couldn’tin.
I’d had a little detour but I’d made some great gains along the way.
A few of which were in the crowd cheering me on now.
I waved to Tu’lok and Blue Rose along with Chu Ren and Lo Ren.
Pretty decent friends despite finding them in a damn prison.
The me had a funny way of working sometimes.
I wondered where it would lead me next.
“The real training begins for you now, Iron Bull,” Chief Yora said as if reading my thoughts. “You’ve proven you are capable, but now you’ll take your first step to bing a true Legionnaire.”
She then looked me briefly up and down.
“I’ll give you the day off to tend to those wounds,” she said. “But tomorrow, I expect you to be at the front of my ss. You’re dismissed.”