Chapter 10: The Ring Champion

“Yang Tong wins!”…

“Yang Tong wins! Yang Tong has achieved a perfect record of five victories and becomes first in his group,” the teacher in charge of recording the results announced.

Because the skill levels varied so much, the group matches ended quickly. They were all finished in just one afternoon, though a small number of groups hadn’t completed their matches yet.

“That’s all for today. The elimination rounds will be held tomorrow,” the referee and the recording teacher said before leaving.

Yang Tong went home after school. Soon after, Feng Xiaobo caught up to him and asked, “Boss, what kind of fist technique was that? It looked slow, but its power was no joke.”

“Taiji Fist,” Yang Tong replied. He knew the appearance of this fist technique would certainly attract some attention. But in this high-martial world, there were countless types of martial arts. One more, Taiji, wasn’t really a big deal.

“Taiji?” Feng Xiaobo nodded and didn’t ask more. However, in his heart, he really liked this fist technique. Mainly because it looked so cool and fresh when used to fight.

Back at the school, the teachers in charge of the exams gathered together to exchange information. The teacher responsible for Yang Tong’s group was specifically called over by Principal Long and questioned for a bit.

The two teachers told the story exactly as it happened, making a special point to mention the strange nature of Yang Tong’s fist technique.

After listening, Principal Long pondered for a moment and then said, “Based on what you’ve said, this student named Yang Tong seems to be an elite seedling. That fist technique of his can be considered top-tier. After you return, just keep an eye on him. There’s no need to spread this matter around.”

“Yes, Principal,” the two teachers replied respectfully.

Yang Tong arrived home.

“How did the exams go?” his mom asked nervously.

“Absolutely guaranteed to graduate,” Yang Tong answered.

“And the martial arts competition?” his dad asked next.

“I’ve already taken first place in my group. Tomorrow I’ll participate in the elimination rounds. The top ten this time all get decent rewards, and the top can also get free tuition. I’ll do my best,” Yang Tong replied with a grin.

“Just do your best, don’t push yourself too hard,” Yang Tong was quite open-minded and didn’t demand that his son achieve a specific ranking.

“Got it,” Yang Tong replied, then went to take a bath.

“Son, hurry up and wash. Mom will make something delicious for dinner.”

After eating, Yang Tong went to the yard to practice his fist techniques. He first performed the Wind Wolf Fist one hundred times, contemplating its essence. Then he performed Taiji Fist one hundred times, pondering its principles before going back to his room to sleep. Tomorrow was when the real test would begin.

And indeed, after the group stage was completed, those whose results were good enough to graduate could graduate. Participating in the later competition didn’t really matter anymore.

Early the next morning, Yang Tong arrived at school early. The school playground was still packed with people, even more than yesterday. Not only were the sixth-grade examinees present, but students from other grades had also come to join the spectacle.

The school didn’t prohibit students from other grades from entering like yesterday, because starting today, the matches wouldn’t affect the examinees’ grades.

Yang Tong went to the arena where he had competed yesterday. Feng Xiaobo and Ge Lu approached him, smiling. “Yang Tong, it’s the elimination rounds today. Good luck, don’t disgrace our Class Five, or our group.”

Ge Lu also said in his honest voice, “Yang Tong, you have to fight for my share too. After your matches are over, let’s have another spar.” Ge Lu really felt he had lost somewhat inexplicably.

The following exams were purely martial arts contests. All the remaining elites were divided into sixteen groups, with eight people in each group. They would compete in elimination matches within their groups. The champion of each group would then advance to participate in the subsequent elimination rounds of the Grand Final Tournament. The schedule was simple.

The previous small arenas were gone, replaced by two large ones. Combined with the original large arena, this group now had three large arenas where three elimination matches could take place simultaneously. There were more referees for this elimination round, four in total: one head referee and three assistants. The number of recording teachers also increased by two.

After the draw, Yang Tong drew number six. He would compete against the player who drew number five in an elimination match.

“Now, players number one and two, number three and four, number five and six, please take the stage,” the head referee announced.

Yang Tong and a skinny boy jumped onto the arena at the same time.

“So this is my opponent today?” Yang Tong looked at the boy in front of him, who appeared even skinnier than himself. One must note that among his many classmates, Yang Tong’s build was only average, even slightly below average. Ge Lu was the one you’d call sturdy.

“Put on your protective gear. The rules haven’t changed. No strikes to the head or groin. Exercise restraint; you are not enemies,” the referee reminded them. The school promoted practical combat, but that didn’t mean it promoted violence.

“Yang Tong, please,” Yang Tong said calmly, assuming a starting posture.

“Li Chuan,” the skinny boy replied and then came forward. He didn’t attack immediately but instead ran around Yang Tong at an extremely fast speed, seemingly searching for Yang Tong’s weak points.

Yang Tong simply maintained his starting posture quietly, paying no attention to Li Chuan’s actions.

“Impossible!” Li Chuan was shocked inwardly. Because Yang Tong seemed to have weak spots all over his body. How could that be? Even the lowest-level martial artist wouldn’t have weak spots everywhere.

The starting posture of Taiji, while seemingly simple, contained profound mystery. In this state, it appeared as if the entire body was vulnerable, but in reality, they were all traps.

If an enemy attacked these apparent weaknesses, they would inevitably be countered, falling into the trap and suffering a series of blows.

Gritting his teeth, Li Chuan increased his speed by a significant margin from Yang Tong’s side and rear, launching a side kick towards him.

Yang Tong seemed to have eyes in the back of his head. He sidestepped to avoid the kick, then immediately used ‘Grasp the Sparrow’s Tail,’ entangling Li Chuan. Following up with ‘Single Whip,’ he kicked Li Chuan in the soft ribs, disrupting the root of his power. Then, with ‘Raise Hands and Step Up,’ he pulled back Li Chuan, who was about to be sent flying, and delivered another ‘Single Whip,’ kicking him in the stomach and sending him flying three meters away.

Li Chuan fell to the ground in pain, unable to get up for a while. He couldn’t understand how Yang Tong’s strength was so overwhelming, nor how he had been knocked down so foolishly before even being able to fully display his own abilities.

Yang Tong’s moves were all very simple and not particularly fast. Everyone below the stage, as well as the referee on the stage, saw it all clearly. This fist technique was just too strange. The referee on the stage, in particular, saw it most clearly and felt it most keenly. Li Chuan’s attacks didn’t have any major flaws, yet it was as if he was hitting a ball of cotton. He couldn’t exert any force, and instead, was directly stunned by a series of connected strikes from his opponent.

“Yang Tong wins!” the referee announced.

Subsequently, Yang Tong eliminated his second and third opponents with the same efficiency, becoming the champion of his group and qualifying for the Grand Final Tournament.

Although Yang Tong was highly efficient, his group wasn’t the first to finish. Only half the morning had passed by that time.