The hostile gazes on him made even a Cultivator like Zhuge Lian flinch. If looks could kill, he would have immediately reincarnated into another world, then reincarnated another hundred times just from the remaining internal damage.
Whispers started to emerge from the yellow belt and white belt crowd as soon as Zhuge Lian walked in the door.
"How'd that lucky bastard get a brown belt teacher this early?"
"Some toil for years, and some sprint past in days..."
While Zhuge Lian was guiltily enjoying some of the envious looks, his master interrupted. "Disciple Zhuge, it is time for you to test yourself against your peers."
◢Test? Disciple? Peers? What the hell, did I reincarnate into a Wuxia novel after all that hard work?◢
As Zhuge Lian was thinking, a snide remark emerged from the white belt group. "If you can't stand the heat, get out of the kitchen. Why do you deserve a brown belt master if I don't? Challenge me in the ring, and we'll see who's left standing in the end." The brown-belt master frowned but allowed the fight to continue.
Zhuge Lian didn't want to fight anyone before learning techniques, and he was about to decline. However, he saw both his master and the crowd of white and yellow belts standing in front of him, and he realized that he didn't have an option.
Refuse, and he would be disrespected and disregarded by all of his peers. As for his master's opinion, the expectant look on his face said it all.
◢No fear, Zhuge. You knew which route you were taking. "Fear is the mind-killer, fear is the mind-killer."◢
With no option to surrender, Zhuge Lian accepted the challenge and walked into the fighting ring positioned next to the entrance. It was a masterpiece, filled with engravings and a small, transparent cushioning layer on the floors and walls. The clear cushioning made him feel like you were genuinely fighting on a concrete ring, which only made Zhuge Lian more afraid.
Zhuge Lian and his opponent walked twenty paces apart, to the upper right and lower left corners of the fighting ring. The official, a brown belt, explained the rules. "All fighters must conserve their level of strength such that the opponent is not heavily injured. All participants will wear gloves, but if the opponent is heavily injured, all medical fees will be paid for by the person who injured them. You will not face legal action if the opponent dies, but we will permanently expel you from the MMA gym if such a situation occurs. To win, hold your opponent's body onto the ground for ten seconds."
◢This isn't what Er Gen taught me... This is scary as sh*t!◢
The official started the countdown, and as he ticked down the seconds, Zhuge Lian began to sweat like never before. Every movement seemed to slow, and he began thinking of strategies. Using the environment to his advantage wasn't an option, and neither was using advanced techniques. His opponent was a white belt, so he couldn't have developed enough techniques to conquer his raw power.
Zhuge Lian hadn't learned any fighting techniques or skills yet, but he did have his insane power. However, having heard the rules, he understood that he had to control his strength to avoid heavily injuring or killing his opponent. While he was thinking, his opponent had already advanced to the middle of the ring, and the white belt students surrounding him started to talk amongst themselves.
"This newcomer is surely going to lose. Look at him! He's like a deer in headlights, only less courageous."
One white belt disciple even dared to shout.
"I do not understand the intelligence level of some people... What kind of skill is this? Heavenly Hiding Sutra?"
The joke gained some laughs from the crowd, and it was just then that the opponent began his offense.
"Newcomer, I am Jiang Tian, and today, I will defeat you! For years, I have coveted a brown belt master, and I find it intolerable that you have one already, despite just joining."
He began to yell out the names of his movement skills, and Zhuge Lian seriously debated for a good second whether this Jiang Tian had a severe case of delusion.
"[Godly Cartwheel Momentum]!"
"[Heavenly Smoking Sprint]!"
"[Death God's Punch!]"
Zhuge Lian saw the opponent and entered into a state of deep concentration, much like what he felt when he took the Gaokao examination.
◢Behind all the fancy names and skills, all he is doing is cartwheeling, sprinting, and punching in my direction. I do not have the skill or movement to win him over in a battle of attrition, so this battle must end in one exchange.◢
All of a sudden, when Jiang Tian was three paces away, Zhuge Lian struck. Jiang Tian's reflexes allowed him to see the punch coming, and he quickly mounted a defensive block. When it almost looked like the two were going to collide, Zhuge Lian stepped to the side by one step. The defensive block seemed to crackle in midair as it missed the target completely, and Zhuge Lian punched out with a quick jab.
Jiang Tian's eyes rolled into the back of his head, and he collapsed like a wet sack of rice.
Zhuge Lian had experienced the first fight of his life - in two seconds. The official raised Zhuge Lian's arms above his head and announced that he was the winner of the match. It all felt like a dream.
◢Is this why there are battle maniacs in cultivation stories? This feeling is brief yet triumphant and ambitious. At this very moment, it feels like I can conquer the world.◢
Everyone went silent, and Zhuge Lian walked off the stage, step by step.
Even without noticing, he whispered into the dark: "I am no longer afraid. I am no longer weak, and I am no longer a failure. I will succeed. I must succeed."
"Since when did such a monster come to our gym? I was expecting a fight, not one jab..."
Jiang Ting floated in between states of conciousness.
"Am I... not the best? How could that be? I have always been... number... one..." His head finally lowered to touch the ground, his will having finally run out. A single tear ran down his face, and no one saw. As long as he had known life, he had been alone. If he wasn't number one, what was he worth anymore?