Chapter 191 - Main Phase First Match
When the dean finished his introductory speech, the word passed to Song Yazhu, who was the official referee of the tournament as he was the first-year teacher and, therefore, the teacher of the fighting students.
"The winners of Group 1 and 2 of Block A will open the tournament. The first to take the field is Hu Jie, son of the Hu Family's head, Spirit Emperor Hu Luoyang, whom we have the honor of having among the guests for this occasion."
Hearing the name of Hu Jie and that of his father Hu Luoyang, a buzz of excitement immediately murmured among the spectators. Hu Jie was undoubtedly one of the strongest fighters among the students of the first year and was also one of the favorites winning the whole tournament. The fact that the academy began immediately with a big shot like him made everyone waiting in anticipation.
Rumble! Rumble! RUMBLE!
Suddenly noises of drums were heard from every part of the stadium. At the same time, about twenty students dressed in tiger masks lined up in the open corridor that connected the changing rooms assigned to the fighters with the gigantic stage.
Boom! Boom! Boom!
Each of these students started firing fireballs from the hands that burst into the air, emitting sparks. It was as if they were creating fireworks. In addition to the fire, all of them were loudly screaming a single word, "HU! HU! HU! "
At that point, a masked figure from the locker room began to run along the corridor that separated him from the stage used for the fights. It was Hu Jie, and he also wore a tiger mask. However, unlike the others' tiger masks, which were yellow-colored with black stripes, his was white with black stripes - the symbol of the White Tiger.
"Hahaha, he did it again. I wasn't sure if he would do it or not, but apparently, the temptation was too strong." Long Tian laughed. Hu Jie's entry had put him in a good mood.
"Ah, and here I was hoping he wouldn't have done it. What a disgrace to the Eight Big Families. Why is he getting carried away by his emotions?" Feng Chen regretted by putting his hand on his face, not daring to look at Hu Jie.
"His emotions? What do his emotions have to do with this so theatrical entry?" Hei asked the two.
At the moment, Hei and his group were standing near Long Tian and his guards. Besides them, there were also Feng Chen and Huli Xieren. Even though they were opponents for the tournament, they had spent multiple occasions together since the forest trial. Even though there was a firm bond of friendship, they weren't strangers. You could call them more like colleagues or study companions.
"Hu Jie has a nerve problem. From what I remember, it has always been this way." Huli Xieren replied, recalling some scenes during the various banquets between the Eight Big Families. Although she wasn't part of the Big Big Families, as a member of the Huli Family, subject to the Feng family, she was the personal maid of Feng Chen, as well as his bodyguard. However, the relationship between the two was more complex than what should have been established between master and servant.
"Yeah, but as long as it stays within the Eight Big Families, it's fine. Yet he is doing it in front of everyone." Feng Chen added. He wasn't much in favor of that kind of attitude.
Luckily Long Tian stepped in to provide more detail, "As Huli Xieren said, Hu Jie has a nerve problem. When it comes to fighting in front of an audience, he becomes unusually agitated. For this, he devised these personalized entrances to take courage while on the field. But be careful, the more the entrance is eye-catching and attracts attention, the more his determination goes up. It is like a kind of self-delusion in which he places himself in a ridiculous situation, so the only way to change the memory of his entry is to win at any cost.
If he has come to make this entrance even in front of such an audience, it means that he desires to win. You can be sure that as the tournament progresses, he will become increasingly combative. I don't wish anyone to have him as an opponent in the finals because, at that point, it will be more fighting against a spirit beast than against a man."
Long Tian's explanation left Hei amazed. He didn't imagine Hu Jie had such a side. However, it seemed that it wasn't a bad thing. Long Tian and Chen Feng were composed and calm people, but in front of exuberant ways of Hu Jie, they also tended to loosen up. Indeed, Hei also felt more comfortable after this theatrical entry.
Meanwhile, Hu Jie had arrived in the ring with a series of somersaults in the air. After landing, he took off the robe that covered him revealing his naked body except for a pair of shorts. The shorts depicted the image of a white tiger with black streaks.
"Hu Jie has arrived and is here to win!" Hu Jie screamed as he took off the mask that covered his face.
The audience that had been stunned up until now recovered. A myriad of applause from spectators followed, who had appreciated the theatrical entry of the Hu Family's fighter.
"Group 1 contender has arrived. Now we welcome the contender of group 2, Fukuizumi Kenzo, belonging to the Fukuizumi Family. "Song Yazhu had been blown away by Hu Jie's entrance, but he decided not to give it too much weight. If this could help Hu Jie in the tournament, the young man had every right to behave as he wished.
Fukuizumi Kenzo also arrived on the battle stage. Unlike Hu Jie, he had merely walked down the corridor without any theatrical entry. After comparing the two entrances, it was difficult not to experience a sense of disappointment towards that sober entrance.
"The rules for the matches have already been explained to you. Remember that it is forbidden to kill or permanently injure the opponent. Keep this in mind. To win, you have to either make your opponent give up or make him unconscious. Now, you are free to start."
Song Yazhu gave the go-ahead for the first match that would open the dances for this tournament. There were many things at stake, and none of the participants were willing to go back empty-handed.
"Fukuizumi, isn't that family of Wind Law's users that stood out in the last battles against the demons?" Feng Qing asked to dean Long Jing.
"That's right, Fukuizumi Kenzo belongs to our family." replied another man seated at the back of the skybox reserved for the dean and the other prestigious guests.
Feng Qing and the other looked back and saw a young-looking man. He didn't appear to be more than twenty years old, but because spirit power blocked aging, it was normal. Except for those who had passed their flower of the years, the other high-rank martial artists all had youthful faces.
"A Spirit Grandmaster. Remarkable, considering your age," commented Feng Qing. Even if the appearance didn't age, attentive and expert eyes knew how to recognize who was young or who instead wasn't.
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"Thank you very much for your words. I hope my little brother can give you all a satisfying performance. Unfortunately, my father is still in a precarious condition because of his wounds in battle. I was sent to his place as a family representative and to support Kenzo." the young-looking man replied.
The eyes of those important figures then returned to rest on the battlefield where the two young fighters were. Hu Jie was standing with a smile of excitement on his face as Fukuizumi Kenzo looked quite annoyed. He thought that the antics of before were just a method for Hu Jie to show off.
"Even if you belong to one of the Eight Big Families, it doesn't matter. I will defeat you and bring honor to my family. Defeating you will be our calling card to rise in prestige among the families of the empire." said Fukuizumi Kenzo defiantly.
"Hahaha, then bring it on. Defeat me if you have the skill." Hu Jie replied while he didn't seem very concerned. No, he seemed not to put his opponent in his eye at all. However, the reality was quite different; Hu Jie was at the peak of concentration and was eager to exchange blows.
"As you like. Speed Technique, Wind Breeze." Fukuizumi Kenzo shouted as he launched himself against Hu Jie. Suddenly his body accelerated forward as if there was an air current that was pushing him. Indeed, rather than running or flying, it was being blown by the wind.
Whoosh! Slash!
Fukuizumi Kenzo's body landed in front of Hu Jie, seemingly catching unprepared the youngster of the Hu family. Soon after, Kenzo attempted to hit Hu Jie with the palm of his hand, but the latter dodged with a lateral movement. Yet, although it was evident that he had avoided the blow, Hu Jie's defensive layer of spirit power was dented.
Kenzo smiled and continued to launch other palm attacks with his hands. Hu Jie dodged all of them, but despite dodging, he was continuing to get hit. Those with a low understanding of the laws didn't know how Fukuizumi Kenzo managed to do such a thing, but others with more understanding recognized the trick behind his attacks.
'Wind Law. Thanks to it, he manages to lengthen the range of his attacks as if he had blades tied to his hands. Yet the execution speed is too high, considering he is fighting without using voice command.' Hei thought to himself as he watched the clash with Lian, his little sisters, and all his other companions.
It had to be remembered that techniques based on the Elemental Laws could be used in two ways - mentally or by voice command. Using a technique mentally assured stealth in the attack but significantly increase the execution time; the voice command instead canceled the surprise factor since the move had to be said aloud but guaranteed a power bonus and a faster execution. Therefore, only in rare cases would martial artists have preferred mental command rather than vocal.
Now, however, Fukuizumi Kenzo was using the mental command while maintaining his execution speed. With this, it was difficult to predict whether his next attack would be a simple palm or an attack based on the Wind Law.
After a series of exchanges, Hu Jie's defensive layer of spirit power featured various areas of lesser density. It was clear that he had suffered damage, but the young man didn't seem worried at all.
"I understand. Initially, I thought you used no weapons, but the truth is you had them on from the beginning. Gloves, huh? They are the ones that allow you to improve your execution speed." Hu Jie revealed.
"Even if you know it, it changes little. The victory is mine in any case." Fukuizumi Kenzo replied confidently.
The young man from the Fukuizumi Family used a particular type of battle gloves. These were not made of metal but human skin. The members who wanted to use this secret technique had to cut layers of their skin to create gloves that were like a second skin. Symbols would, therefore, be engraved on the palms of these gloves to improve the wind gathering ability.
Although this solution was somewhat macabre, it was the most optimal choice for them. After all, it was difficult and dangerous to embed formations on one's body due to rejection. In the same way, using another type of material wouldn't have worked because their techniques were based on touching the wind with their own hands. If it weren't something belonging to them, the most optimal affinity would never have been reached. It took years and years of hard research, but in the end, they had perfected the method of making their weapons.
"Wind Law, Air Crush!" Kenzo yelled as he clapped his hands quickly in the direction of Hu Jie.
BOOM!
A heavy gust of wind rose from his hands and pointed toward Hu Jie from above. The move contained the maximum amount of spirit power that Fukuizumi Kenzo could manage. The young wind manipulator wanted to quickly end the fight without giving chances to his opponent to fight back.
"Hahaha, now we are talking. Metal Law, Diamond Body!" Hu Jie loudly said as he raised his right fist in the air against that incoming gust of wind. His body began to take on a crystalline white sheen.
The gust of wind came down on Hu Jie. Inside, the wind had taken the form of small blades with the intent to chop the target's body. If Hu Jie had been imprisoned inside, he would have been continually attacked from all sides while being torn to shreds.
Peng! Peng! Peng!
Unexpectedly, Hu Jie stood motionless in his place, allowing himself to be swallowed up by the opponent's technique. There was still a determined light in his eyes, and he didn't seem to have given up. He simply stood there as the wind continued to blow against his body.
That choice dumbfounded Kenzo; as the user, he knew best of all the terrifying power of his technique. He didn't think there was anyone among his classmates who could resist his attack unscathed. Not even if it was the son of the Hu Family.
Whoosh!
A hand emerged from the gust of wind followed later by the body. Hu Jie broke free from the wind prison that kept him jailed. Although the power behind this technique was impressive for a spirit soldier, Hu Jie's body presented no wounds. It seemed as if he hadn't been affected by the technique.
"Impossible!" Kenzo shouted in amazement. How did Hu Jie not even suffer damage?
"Hahaha, your wind is pungent, but it isn't capable of piercing my diamond skin. Now it's my turn to attack." Hu Jie answered, smiling with confidence. On his face, there was pure rapture for the fight.
His body began to jump on his toes as he placed his left hand forward and his right hand back, attached to the shoulder.
"Fighting Style, Boxing. Tiger Assault. "
Hu Jie began to move quickly around his opponent's position. Kenzo tried to counterattack using gusts of wind that came from the hands. However, the footwork allowed Hu Jie to dodge every attack and, at the same time, release swift punches. Considering that Hu Jie never stood still for more than a few seconds, just for throwing a couple of punches, for Kenzo, it was challenging to find time to aim and charge his spirit power. It was true even when you consider that he had his special gloves to help him.
"No, I can't lose. It's not over yet!" Kenzo shouted with a bloody face. Hu Jie's assault had broken his defense. Although he had restored it soon after, he had still been damaged.
"Secret Technique, Wind Armor."
A whirlwind began to condense on Kenzo's arms. It was as if armor bracelets made of wind had formed. The young man, however, had a painful expression as if this technique had repercussions on his body.
"The wind intensity is still too much for me to handle perfectly. But it doesn't matter. Now you won't be able to hit me anymore."
At Kenzo's statement, Hu Jie smiled even more and resumed his punches' dance around his opponent. And, as Kenzo said, Hu Jie's fists could no longer touch his body. The wind armor bracelets blocked Hu Jie's fists before they came in contact with the skin and, at the same time, lashed against him. If it hadn't been for his diamond body, Hu Jie's arms might have been in tatters by now.
Hu Jie didn't give up with his attack and continued to attack while Kenzo concentrated solely on defense. The fight had become a battle of attrition between whom would have given up first.
'Now.' Hu Jie thought to himself.
It all happened so quickly. In the instant that Hu Jie was preparing for yet another punch, he instead moved behind his opponent. Then he surrounded the latter's waist with his hands. Kenzo tried to free himself by stretching his hands back and pointing directly at Hu Jie's face. Although it was risky for him too, Kenzo wanted to take advantage of this closeness to injure Hu Jie in the most delicate area - the head. But Hu Jie remained impassive and let Kenzo's wind gust hit his face. He, too, was aiming to end the fight.
"Tiger Suplex!"
Boom! Crack!
Hu Jie forcefully pulled Kenzo's body back. The young wind manipulator crashed into the hard battle stage. The crash had left him momentarily stunned, but he was still not unconscious. The problem was that Hu Jie hadn't let go of him.
"Tiger Suplex!"
Once again, Kenzo was brought backward, colliding against the ground. Hu Jie's arms continued to put pressure on his hips as they increased their grip.
"Tiger Suplex!"
"Tiger Suplex!"
"Tiger Suplex!"
Hu Jie raged again and again. At each Tiger Suplex, Kenzo lost clarity as his vision clouded. Eventually, at the umpteenth crash against the stage, he could no longer resist and lost consciousness.
Feeling his opponent's body go limp, Hu Jie stopped. He checked whether Kenzo had really fainted or was faking. Once he made sure that he had actually passed out, Hu Jie let him go while Song Yazhu proclaimed the winner.
"The winner of the first fight is Hu Jie!"