Chapter 38: 38 Chapter 37: Vicious duel

"You both understand the rules and terms of this duel, correct? You will not hold the other party responsible for any death or injury incurred during this match."

"Of course not," Qi Fu Ren replied, then grinned. "Not like I'm going to be injured, anyway."

I ignored him and nodded. "I understand the terms."

"Good." Teacher Cai then stepped back. He gave Qi Fu Ren a look of warning. "Don't go too far, even if you win."

"What are you talking about?" Qi Fu Ren drawled.

But he knew. Qi Fu Ren had built up a notorious reputation during his nine months here. He was famous for crippling his opponents' cultivation, destroying them utterly and going too far even when it was clear that he was the victor.

His battle against Luo Bin was a clear indication of that, nor was it the only time he went overboard during an official match.

However, as he technically did not break any rules, the academy couldn't punish him. And Qi Fu Ren had no intention of changing his modus operandi.

"…"

No matter. I just had to ensure I didn't lose to this bastard then.

By then I was inside the arena, so I didn't have to listen to the usual nonsense that non-playable characters and mobs uttered in the buildup to the fight, like how I was supposedly the trash of the earth who overestimated myself and refused to know my place, how I was going to lose in ten moves, etc. you know, the usual bullshit that wuxia authors loved to have their mob characters spout so that their self-insert Mary Sue protagonists could prove everyone wrong, and then get praised to high heaven for defying everyone's expectations.

However, there was a certain conversation that was of particular interest to me, especially since it would involve my future.

"Jiao Shi, what do you think?"

Far away from the students in the spectator box, located in a separate building – the headmaster building, to be exact – Principal Xiao Zhang watched the match with interest. It was being broadcasted to a gigantic holographic screen that took up an entire wall. Beside him, Jiao Shi leaned back in the couch and frowned.

"What do you mean? Are you asking me who I think would win the match?"

"And what is that same thing?" Teacher Jiao asked carefully, glancing at Xiao Zhang. He maintained a neutral expression, but there was some tension in his voice.

"Relax. I know you're fairly close to Fei Wu, but as a teacher, you shouldn't show favoritism." Xiao Zhang didn't sound very admonishing, though. "I was wondering if you've picked up the changes in Fei Wu's constitution. He seems a lot stronger than before. Do you think he managed to figure out the Heaven and Earth Formula while he was in the Sen Lin Forest?"

"That seems like quite a leap to make," Teacher Jiao replied. "And to be honest, I wouldn't know. I do not have firsthand experience of witnessing the Heavenly Destroyer Tian Mo in action, so I am unable to identify Heaven and Earth Formula even if I see it in front of me. Even so, what does Fei Wu's experience in the forest have to do with Heaven and Earth Formula? It could simply be that he adapted to the environment by gaining experience through fighting the magical beasts populating that deep region of Sen Lin Forest."

"Oh, you definitely have a point. But as you rightly mention about you not having witnessed the Absolute One's Heaven and Earth Formula firsthand, I, on the other hand…" Xiao Zhang's eyes narrowed. "Still, I don't have proof. It's just a feeling, though."

"…just a feeling?"

"I mean, I won't know until he actually uses it. In fact, he might even be using Heaven and Earth Formula right now, and I wouldn't notice it." Xiao Zhang sighed. "There are so many mysteries regarding Heaven and Earth Formula…"

"Hmm, but you're right about one thing, Principal Xiao." Beside Teacher Jiao, Teacher Yi Liao lay on the couch in an almost seductive manner. Her long hair fell past her pretty face as she looked up at the two men. "Student Fei Wu's constitution is completely different from before." She lowered her voice. "I would prefer not to leak this out, but his qi…contains huge amounts of demonic qi in it."

"That's…"

"Relax, Jiao Shi," Xiao Zhang raised a hand before Teacher Jiao could protest. "I've sensed that as well, somewhat. But I'm not going to penalize student Fei Wu for that." he traded a glance with Teacher Yi Liao. "Be sure to keep those transformations to yourself. Ensure that those old Traditionalist bastards never catch a whiff of this news."

"I'm way ahead of you on that," Teacher Yi giggled as she sprawled across the couch. She then indicated the holographic screen. "Well, it seems like the match is about to begin. Let's pay attention, shall we?"

"One more thing," Teacher Shu Xue spoke up. Everyone turned to him in surprise, as if they had forgotten that he was in the same room as them. Not caring about his lack of presence, Teacher Shu continued indifferently. "You tried to cover up Qi Fu Ren's attempt to murder Fei Wu, but you're allowing this duel?"

"Students have the right to challenge each other to duels," Xiao Zhang replied. "There is nothing the staff can do to revoke that right."

"Aren't you afraid of a backlash from the White Tiger Sect?"

"Oh?" Teacher Yi laughed. "Shu Xue, you sound like you're expecting Student Fei Wu to win."

"There is a slight probability that he might," Teacher Shu replied calmly. "Unlike most people, I don't dismiss possibilities just because they are highly unlikely. I consider each and every outcome very carefully."

"As expected of a mathematics teacher." Teacher Yi didn't sound like she was mocking him, just a little amused and impressed at the same time.

"Don't worry about the White Tiger Sect," Xiao Zhang replied with a smile. "In that case, because of a complete lack of evidence, my hands are tied. But this time, whatever happens is happening in front of everyone's eyes." he shrugged. "There's no way they can silence the outcome of this match, not when it's being broadcasted to the public. Besides…" he narrowed his eyes. "Whatever happens here is under my jurisdiction. Even the Martial Arts Alliance cannot interfere and bend the rules of Wu Ling Academy. Not while I remain in charge."

If you were wondering how I knew all this while being in a separate building and far away from the actual conversation, well…I didn't. Not at that time, anyway. I was merely making use of my special protagonist's privilege to give the readers a bigger picture that included not just my first-person perspective but those of the others around me.

"What the fuck do you think you're doing?"

I snapped out of my out-of-body narration experience and returned to my actual physical body in the present.

Currently Qi Fu Ren and I were standing about twenty meters away from each other. The former was glaring at me, probably annoyed that I was spacing out. He cleared his throat and began the formal ritual to initiate the duel.

"I am Qi Fu Ren of the White Tiger Sect. my specialties include Lightning Fist and other electric-affinity techniques. I have studied in Wu Ling Academy for nine months, and am currently at the fifth level of the Qi Essence Stage."

He then jeered at me, and scornfully beckoned for me to take my turn. I merely cocked my head to the side, and shrugged.

"I am Fei Wu from class 1-4. I…uh, specialize in Shadow Steps and kicking techniques. I've also been in Wu Ling Academy for nine months, though I was absent for two of those months."

"…"

There were a few laughs when they heard Shadow Steps. Evidently, everyone in the academy knew about the open-source martial arts, and that Shadow Steps was a mere level 1, entry-level martial arts.

However, some remembered how I used Seismic Step to destroy the level 4 test dummy.

"What's his level? His stage?"

"Is he also Qi Essence Stage?"

Even though I couldn't hear those questions, from the way the spectators were moving about agitatedly behind the transparent window, I could guess what they were asking. It was unusual for someone to not reveal their level or stage.

Honestly, that made no sense to me. Why the hell would I reveal my true strength to an opponent I was about to duel?

"Your level? Stage?"

Qi Fu Ren couldn't bear it any longer and demanded. I shrugged.

"I don't know."

"Huh? You screwing with me? How can you not know your own level or stage?"

"That's what I want to ask everyone. How do you measure a person's stage or level? Are you at a particular level because you have an exact amount of qi corresponding to it? How do you quantify their amount of qi? Do you just estimate based on your gut feeling, or do you have some sort of qi-measuring equipment to accurately quantify it?"

"What…what…what…?!" Qi Fu Ren spluttered. Then he drew his hand back as both his fists exploded to life with electricity. "Forget it! If you don't know your level and stage, then that's fine! You're most likely several levels lower than me anyway!"

Smirking, he unleashed his potent qi in an attempt to intimidate me. Static electricity spread across the arena, making my hair stand on end. This display of terrifying power was meant to intimidate me, to show the massive gulf between the both of us.

Not waiting for me to react, Qi Fu Ren kicked off the ground and launched himself at me. Throwing his fist forward, he yelled, "Lightning Fist!"

"What is it with people always yelling the names of their techniques just before their attacks?" I grumbled as I suppressed the urge to roll my eyes. Still, I couldn't afford to underestimate Qi Fu Ren. His Lightning Fist was a merciless attack that sent electricity throughout the target's body, electrocuting him from within and potentially destroying all his meridians and frying his nerves. Qi Fu Ren's version was one that particularly caused intense suffering.

As expected of a bully.

"Die!"

Qi Fu Ren's fist hurtled forward, intent on hitting the center of my lower body. Most likely he intended to destroy my dantian with a single strike and cripple me.

Unlike a certain Lu Fu Chen, I wasn't an overpowered Mary Sue who could defeat every opponent who challenged me with a single attack. I was forced to dodge, but Qi Fu Ren spun around and struck me with his other arm. Using Tui, I quickly retreated and expanded the distance between him and me.

"You…!"

Frustrated, Qi Fu Ren hurled a bolt of lightning at me, but I dashed to the side, making full use of my footwork to disappear. To Qi Fu Ren, I must resemble a blur, zigzagging across the arena and almost disappearing into the shadows.

"No way…to think that the Shadow Steps can be used like this!"

"Isn't Shadow Steps only a level 1 martial arts? How the hell is he using it to evade all of Qi Fu Ren's attacks in such a manner?"

Of course, these were all anecdotes that I heard later when Tong Xue provided me with a commentary of the audience's reactions, which he found hilarious. I couldn't say I shared his humor, though.

Qi Fu Ren, realizing that he wouldn't be able to hit me with long-range attacks, dashed forward. I recognized his maneuver as Jin.

So Teacher Jiao was telling the truth when he said that these footwork techniques were open to the public, for all the students to learn…

Furthermore, Qi Fu Ren had passed the level 5 test, so he would undoubtedly have access to this level 5 footwork technique. However, unlike me, he only mastered Jin. That was something I would learn later, but at the moment I assumed that he had learned all five.

Not that it would have made a difference.

I responded by retreating again, but Qi Fu Ren bounced off the floor and hurtled toward me, his electrifying fists closing in.

"Stop running!" he bellowed. "Fight me, you coward!"

"What do you think I'm doing?"

Qi Fu Ren answered with a devastating punch that blew out the wall from behind me. I dodged under his Lightning Fist, but he brought his knee up to cave my face in. fortunately, I was able to parry his knee with both my hands.

"!"

The lightning that clad his body sent shocks throughout me, almost numbing my hands and affecting my movements. Breaking contact, I quickly jumped back and used Tui to widen the distance between us again.

"Not this again!"

Furious, Qi Fu Ren matched my retreat with his advance, using Jin to close in on the distance. I was forced to duck under his Lightning Fist again. Spinning around, I countered with a Shadow Kick that he blocked with his forearm and hands.

"Kuh!"

I managed to send him staggering to the side, but I received a stun for my efforts. A bit of electricity gnawed at my foot, but I stomped on the ground and discharged the vicious electric currents into the earth, forcing them out of my system.

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"Huff…"

It's really troublesome, fighting someone who uses lightning techniques. Backing away, I wiped the perspiration from my brow and glared at Qi Fu Ren. He seemed equally frustrated at his inability to deliver a decisive blow, raising his eyes to meet mine.

Then he lunged at me again. I scraped my foot against the floor, and then retreated, but Qi Fu Ren anticipated that and changed his trajectory. I was almost caught off guard when he appeared in front of me, sending a vicious hook at my head.

"Whoa!"

I ducked backward, watching with wide eyes as Qi Fu Ren's fist sailed overhead, breezing past a few millimeters away from my nose. However, Qi Fu Ren suddenly bent his arm and rammed his elbow into my chest, sending me crashing down onto the ground while coughing out some blood. Instinctively, I tried to roll away, but Qi Fu Ren kicked me in the ribs, sending me flying across the air. I hit the wall and slumped down, stunned, as electricity coursed through my body.

"Hah!"

Qi Fu Ren mercilessly descended upon me, throwing a Lightning Fist as he landed. I tried to roll away, but without my feet firmly on the ground, I didn't make it in time. In reflex, I threw up a hand to parry his punch, and was forced to conjure my qi to defend against his electricity.

"Heh!"

As if he had anticipated that, Qi Fu Ren smirked. Then he suddenly switched his technique to counter my defense.

"Thunder Break!"

"Ugh!"

Using the esoteric principles of reversing positive qi to counter my negative qi, or some electric principle like that – I wouldn't know, since I never learned lightning techniques from the White Tiger Sect – Qi Fu Ren bypassed my defenses and electrocuted me from inside, messing up my qi flow and disrupting my qi circulation.

Smoldering, I dropped to the ground. Sniffing, Qi Fu Ren kicked me in the stomach and sent me flying into the air.

"How disappointing."

Qi Fu Ren strolled over as he shook his head, staring at my miserable figure in disgust. His lip curled.

"You're even weaker than Luo Bin. And you wanted to help him? You can't even help yourself, you trash."

He then leaped up and crashed down upon me with a stomp that would have obliterated me if I hadn't moved.

I waited until the last moment before I sprang up, and just like the Lunar Rabbit before me, cannoned both feet into Qi Fu Ren's jaw.

"Bwaaah!"
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Qi Fu Ren let out a strangled cry before he flew across the arena and slammed into the wall.

"You!"

Qi Fu Ren slowly crawled back to his feet and glared at me. He clenched his fists, lightning igniting to life and glowing brightly.

"How did you…?"

I had no intention of wasting words on him. If Qi Fu Ren wasn't attacking, then I would.

Using Jin, it was my turn to take the fight to him. Qi Fu Ren countered with a swing of his hand, but I gracefully stepped to the side to avoid it. Crunching my left foot against the floor, I swung my right leg upward and kicked Qi Fu Ren in the gut, causing him to double over. Before he could recover, I grabbed his head with both hands. Ignoring the defensive electric current that coursed through his body, I brought my knee up and smashed his nose.

"Gah!"

Qi Fu Ren staggered backward. I tried to press my attack, but his body suddenly glowed brilliantly and an electric storm surged to life, frying me and blasting me backward. Despite being hurled across the air, I flipped my body and landed on my feet.

"Huff…"

Still, the impact was too great for me, and I had to drop to my knees to stabilize my landing. Rising unsteadily, I watched as Qi Fu Ren lunged at me with a vengeance, his arms glowing golden from the sheer amount of lightning that he generated.

"DIE!"

Don't Chinese characters ever get sick of screaming that goddamned word?

I allowed Qi Fu Ren to get close, and could actually feel my body going numb from the sheer intensity of his electricity. Gritting my teeth, I endured the deadly effects and waited for the perfect opening. As Qi Fu Ren missed his attack again, my left foot snaked forward and tripped him up. Unable to halt his momentum, Qi Fu Ren toppled over.

It was at that moment that I exploited the opening to deliver a Shadow Kick that rocked him back to his feet, and then followed it up with a roundhouse kick that smashed his ribs in and sent him hurtling across the arena.

Bam!

Qi Fu Ren collided with the wall on the opposite side, the impact being so tremendous that he actually left a cobweb of cracks in the reinforced concrete. Groaning, he slid down the broken surface of the wall and slumped down onto the ground.

As for me, I winced and dropped to my knees. Lightning crackled and danced about me, imprisoning me within a coffin of immobilization. Breathing heavily and trying to endure the pain as the superheated currents scorched my flesh and burned my nerves, I rammed both hands against the ground and forcibly discharged the electricity.

"Huff…huff…"

I really hated fighting against lightning users. They were so troublesome to deal with. Even if I had successfully discharged the electricity into earth, I had expended quite a lot of qi to do so. This wasn't a battle I could emerge unscathed from.

"You bastard!"

On the other hand, Qi Fu Ren had taken more damage than me. For now, anyway. He was slowly rising to his feet and clutching his chest. With his other hand, he wiped the blood from his mouth and glared murderously at me.

"You were hiding your strength all this while, weren't you!?"

"I have no idea what you're talking about."

"Deliberately refusing to reveal your level and stage, you were withholding your information so that you can surprise me, weren't you?"

Shaking my head, I shrugged. "You're the one who assumed that I was weak. I never hid my strength – I displayed it for you to see. If anything, you should be the one telling me what level or stage I'm at. Go on, you're great at quantifying your opponent's qi and estimating his strength, aren't you? So tell me, what level am I?"

"…"

Qi Fu Re was speechless when he realized that he couldn't answer my question. Gritting his teeth, he the lunged forward to throw another Lighting Fist.

"I'll kill you, you bastard! You coward!"

"You can try."

I pivoted slightly on my foot, allowing Qi Fu Ren to hurtle past me, and then I brought my leg up and kicked him so hard he actually flew all the way to the ceiling. Crashing into the reinforced concrete, he broke the surface and was almost embedded in the structure.

Then with a yawning crack, he fell back to earth as gravity reestablished its hold on him. However, he managed to spring up in midair and land on his feet.

"You…you liar! That's not Shadow Steps, is it?"

"What?"

"That kick…many of those kicks you used…only one or two of them are the kicks from Shadow Steps! The rest…they're clearly not Shadow Steps! And Shadow Steps shouldn't be this powerful and sophisticated!"

"How do you know?" I countered. "Have you use Shadow Steps before?"

"Don't fuck with me!" Qi Fu Ren bellowed as he threw a Lightning Punch at me. "Everyone knows that Shadow Steps is just a level 1 trash martial art!"

I effortlessly dodged him, noting that his movements had slowed considerably, especially when compared to before. He obviously had taken a lot of damage from my attacks, and his injuries were affecting his speed and movements.

Good.

"Level 1 this, level 1 that. You see, that's the problem with you guys. You rely way too much on these stupid levels."

"What?!" Qi Fu Ren roared, but I easily dodged his attack again.

"You Traditionalists have this weird misconception…about originality, about history, about authenticity. You're always so obsessed with preserving the so-called 'pure' form of your martial arts, claiming that its history dates back for thousands of years. You assume that your martial arts have never changed."

"What are you blabbering about?!" Qi Fu Ren snapped as he threw another hook, which I spun away from.

"That you guys are either clearly deluded or horribly mistaken."

"Fuck you!"

"Every martial arts have undergone some form of change or another," I replied as I ducked under his swinging Lightning Fists. "It doesn't matter which it is, but there is no 'pure' or authentic form of martial arts. They change, adapt, and evolve along with the times. They will transform according to the needs of the contemporary battlefield, with the introduction of new weapons and technology, or the necessity of countering new styles."

"Shut up! You don't know what you're talking about!"

Qi Fu Ren was getting agitated, and I could increasingly see more of the gaps in his defenses as he desperately tried to land a hit.

"On the contrary, I know a lot more than you Traditionalists do. You see, you guys are so rigid, stuck in your stubborn mindset that your martial arts are pure and should never change. But we Experimentalists are different. We recognize the need to change, adapt and evolve our techniques according to whatever time period we're in. We don't leave martial arts as they are. If we see a way to improve it, then we'll work on that."

"I told you to shut up!" Qi Fu Ren yelled as he punched at me, but again, I evaded. "Stop blabbering nonsense!"

"As an Experimentalist, it's my job to experiment, try out new things and find ways to improve martial arts…even one supposedly as low-level as Shadow Steps."

Qi Fu Ren attempted to silence me with a devastating punch, bolts of lightning flying off his fist and frying the air about me. However, I seemed to disappear before his eyes, vanishing from sight.

"?!"

Qi Fu Ren whirled around in rage, flailing furiously as he clawed and struck at thin air. With a bellow, he stomped on the ground, scorching the concrete with his superheated electricity and generating ozone.

"Where the fuck are you?!"

"Up here."

"?!"

Qi Fu Ren looked up, only for me to land and plant a single foot on his face. Beneath the sole of my shoes, his eyes widened.

"You were belittling Shadow Steps earlier, calling it trash and level 1." I smiled darkly as I gathered qi into my foot. "Shall I show you the true potential of Shadow Steps then?"

Without wasting any time, I executed Seismic Step. The surrounding area exploded, the concrete ground crumbling to rumble from the sheer destructive force.

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