"Teacher, I challenge Grey to a ranking battle." The spiky haired young man jumped on the stage and pointed his finger a grey.
The teacher looked towards him indifferently, "Grey, do you accept the challenge?"
Grey also jumped on the stage before nodding his head.
"Place your identity tokens on the board."
As they placed inside the impression below the board which stood next arena words appeared on the board:
Grey: Unranked
VS
Jack: Overall Rank 1226 Qi Gathering Rank 226
"The rules are: No killing; No External strength and No attacking when the opponent gives up. Begin!" The teacher shouted.
Jack immediately drew a saber from its sheath, "You don't even have a weapon? Try not to die from one hit." But contrary to his words Jack was trying to end the fight with one swing of his saber, crippling or even accidentally killing Grey immediately and leaving with his promised reward.
Unfortunately for Jack however, this fight was not as simple as he first expected.
Narrowly dodging Grey immediately countered with an attack of his own. A suprised glint flashed across Jack's eyes as he quickly jumped back to his staring position, "You're actually at the 5th layer not the 3rd? How could you have risen 2 levels so fast with no pills?
Even if you are at the same level as me, you have only just joined the academy. You have no martial techniques. I will still win in the end."
Grey shrugged his shoulders with indifference. "Whatever you say."
"Since you're so confident lets see how you deal will my saber arts - Silver Carver!"
Grey instantly knew that this attack was too powerful and fast to dodge. He raised his hand sending his Profound Qi to his arm.
The crowd could see a fluttering sleeve appear on Grey's arm as he swung it toward the saber attack.
"Does he want to lose his arm?"
"He can't block such a powerful saber attack with his body, he's not a body cultivator." The crowd began to murmur such thoughts.
"Swish!"
"Bang!"
The two attacks collided creating a small shockwave.
Jack was sent flying backwards whilst the steel saber in his hand shattered into many pieces dropping to the ground.
"How can you be so powerful? That must be a weapon. Teacher disqualify him." He shouted in rage.
The teachers' eyes narrowed as he carefully looked at Grey's arm, "It's not a weapon. It should be a martial technique which creates a manifestation of Profound Qi, Continue the fight."
Jack wanted to continue complaining but he quickly calmed down. "Since you didn't evade my attack then you shouldn't have a movement technique yet and such a powerful martial technique will definitely use a extreme amount of profound Qi." He let out a confident sneer throwing the hilt of his broken saber away before his body flashed out of Grey's vision.
Jack began using weak yet fast punches which Grey could barely react to and once he did, he could not muster a full power counter.
"How is it? You will definitely tire before me if this continues. At that point this will be my victory."
Slowly beads of sweat began to form on Grey's forehead. His reactions grew slower and he began to stagger backwards at each attack.
His teeth gritted together and he began to look desperate. With each attack he looked more and more weary.
"He should just give up."
"He's already done well enough and he's still so young. Jack clearly wants to cripple him but instead he's risking his future for a losing fight. What a fool." Someone said.
Grey suddenly slipped backwards. The sleeve had grown faint looking as though it was about to disappear.
'Now's my chance' Jack thought to himself. He flashed towards Grey but this time using a full power attack aimed toward his lower stomach where the dantian was located.
Everyone looked away unwilling to watch.
"Bang!"
As they looked back everyones mouths opened wide in disbelief. Grey stood tall in the centre of the stage. The previous weary look nowhere to be seen whilst Jack laid flat on the ground twitching in pain.
His hands were held over his stomach as he looked towards Grey with a terrified expression, "y-yo-you were actually pretending to be tired." He stuttered in fear.
"What does that matter." Grey walked towards him before reaching out his hand.
"W-wh-what do you want? You can't kill me."
Grey sighed "Pay up."
"Oh right." Jack hurriedly said taking out a bag and throwing it to Grey.
Yan Ming expression turned extremely unsightly, 'I asked you to cripple him, not pay him!' He shouted in his mind.
Grey looked toward Yan Ming swaying the bag in the air before speaking coldly, "Young Master Yan Ming. I'll have to thank you for the.. Hmm. Gift it should be."
"Guards, carry me away." Yan Ming said angrily.
"Winner: Grey!" The teacher supervising the fight said.
As Jack was trying to supress his injuries he realised he could no longer circulate his Profound Qi, "You actually crippled me!" He said in disbelief.
"If you want to cripple someone then be ready to be crippled, or however the saying goes." Grey said taking his token from the board and walking in the opposite direction from Yan Ming.