Ma Peng's performance had boosted the morale of the Challengers. At the same time, it also brought the authenticity of the challengers and this whole arena to question.
Ikasa sighed and shook his head. What was done is done. At least the spectators were enjoying themselves. He continued according to plan and recalled Chu Qing.
When Luo Qiqi came on stage, many of the contestants had recovered from their fatigue. Seeing the girl's short stature, they were stunned and looked at Ikasa.
She was flustered by the blatant disregard the challengers showed her. When she was introducing herself, she forgot the two words Ikasa had told her a hundred times; 'Be Humble.'
"You think I am a shorty, eh? Then come up here! I'll show you what Nutcracker Kick is!"
She said with her usual bared fangs. The challengers looked at each other. They were angered by the provocation, but the case here was unusual. Victory did not bring any glory while the loss carried with it the burden of shame.
Yet, to some people, material gains are far more important than immaterial concepts like reputation and fame. Mo Ju, the girl who confronted Luo Qiqi, was one of those people.
Ikasa recognized the girl. She was the first person who had visited his stall on the prosperity street and left in a huff. All because he was unwilling to let her peruse the manual.
"I am Mo Ju, a disciple of Sky Bird Sect. I am eager to experience the prowess of your Nutcracker Kick."
Mo Ju introduced herself with cupped fists, and Luo Qiqi replied in kind. Ikasa sighed a breath of relief at this normal interaction.
As soon as the match began, Mo Ju was forced to face a barrage of kicks. Qiqi did not give her a chance to mount a counterattack. But Mo Ju was also not to be underestimated.
Despite being surrounded by kicks, she managed to dodge all of them with her efforts. When one unfortunate kick almost caused Luo Qiqi to tumble, Mo Ju chortled.
"What do you think of Swallow's Fleeting Steps technique of my Sky Bird Sect?"
Her question enlightened the people watching.
"No wonder she was able to dodge all those fierce kicks."
"So she was using a movement technique all along!"
"Hey, where is this Sky Bird Sect?"
"No idea. This is the first time I am hearing of them."
Luo Qiqi picked herself up from the ground. Mo Ju rushed to send her sprawling on the ground again. But Luo Qiqi was ready.
"If you are Fast, I am Faster!"
She dodged and reached the other end of the ring within seconds. Then she turned around and charged at the defenseless back of Mo Ju. She sent a high jump kick smashing towards her back.
The Swallow's Fleeting Steps excelled at dodging, but momentum generated by the straight-line acceleration from Fast-Faster-Fastest was no joke. Mo Ju lost her footing, trying to avoid the destructive kick.
Luo Qiqi front-rolled as she landed to mitigate the strain on her legs. She turned around and used the nutcracker kick, aiming at Mo Ju's knees.
Mo Ju had regained her balance but it was too late to dodge. She tried to meet the kick with a kick, but that was a fatal mistake.
Crack! Two stunning legs collided against each other, and suddenly the beautiful scene turned horrendous.
"Aaaargh!"
A heart-wrenching scream of agony resounded through the stadium. Mo Ju held her leg and collapsed on the ground. Her shins had broken in two.
Silence reigned in the stadium. The audience who were just talking and laughing a few minutes ago, all quietened.
Even during the battle royale, no one had suffered irrecoverable injuries. Mo Ju was the first one. Luo Qiqi panicked and looked at Ikasa for reassurance.
Ikasa signaled to her that everything will be okay. He hurried the medics to bring Mo Ju to Medicine Master Hao.
It was not that people had not seen injuries like this. They might've seen worse or in some cases, experienced it.
The reason for the silence was the gut-wrenching scream of Mo Ju. It somehow resonated with the people and made them empathize with her pain.
Once Mo Ju was taken out of the Arena, excited chatter returned.
"That girl is so strong even though she is so young."
"I thought she would be done for after her High jump kick failed. She made a superb comeback."
While those in the stands were enjoying the show, the challengers were sweating bullets. Their backs were cold from the battle prowess shown by the two so far.
Next, Hei Ying came to the ring. She followed Ikasa's instructions to the letter. His smile widened seeing her conduct.
'No wonder, Feng Yan favors her.'
Hei Ying's demure behavior helped the challengers regain their wits. They mistook her politeness for weakness, and several of the challengers stepped forward at the same time.
Huo Bao was the fastest of all, and he reached the ring before the others.
"Hello, I am Huo Bao. Please go easy on me."
Hei Ying also cupped her fists humbly.
As soon as the match started, Huo Bao rushed to attack first. Hei Ying did not play around and started off with Gazelle Punch.
One solid thwack and Huo Bao was on the ground unconscious. His eyes had rolled to the back of his head. The punch had hit him in the lower jaws.
Just a moment ago, the viewers were still chatting about who would be the victor of this match. Even before their speculations were over, the match had been decided and the victor was before them.
Those who were siding with Huo Bao swallowed their words. As Hei Ying went back, only one thought was prevalent in the arena; Is there no one ordinary among those five kids?
Pei Yuan entered the ring after Hei Ying. The challengers and onlookers watched with bated breath as he introduced himself.
When they heard his specialty was Movement technique, they sighed in relief. Many of them gathered the courage to challenge him once more.
Quan Fen prided himself for his swift punches. He wanted a complementary movement technique to close the distance between him and his target.
From the description, the Fast-Faster-Fastest seemed like a very good accompaniment to his Battle technique, Illusory Fists. He was also confident about taking on Pei Yuan.
So he bravely stepped up to Pei Yuan's challenge. Once the battle began, he started to regret his decision.
Pei Yuan ran circles around Quan Fen, maintaining a safe distance. As soon as Quan Fen let his guard down, Pei Yuan would smack his head or pull his pants.
It was as if he was prey and Pei Yuan, a predator. Quan Fen couldn't even touch the hem of Pei Yuan's robe.
Even his famed Illusory fists couldn't harm Pei Yuan. It was at that moment he realized that if the defeats of others were painful, his defeat would be humiliating.
He was exhausted from activating Illusory Fists, and he collapsed to the ground. Pei Yuan had not even landed a fatal blow, and Quan Fen was out.
The challengers all paid a silent tribute to Quan Fen's self-esteem, which was killed in action today. They all made a note to not pick Pei Yuan for the next round.
Even though the challengers were traumatized by the defeats they suffered, the veteran Path Forgers watching these battles had the time of their lives.
"Did you see the way he turned? That was ingenious of him to accelerate while turning."
"Yes. His skill level is much higher than that little girl who could only use the technique to get raw speed."
"Ha! You are talking as if you could do any better. That little girl would still wipe the floor with you."
When these whispers fell on Ikasa's ears, his lips twitched.
'It seems these oldies will be the founding members of Fan Clubs for these kids!'
Once Pei Yuan returned to the stands, Yan Xiao jumped into the ring.
"Hello. I am Yan Xiao." Then he looked at Xin Ruo and Ikasa with pitiful eyes.
"I… I forgot my lines."
A wave of laughter spread through the stands. Even the challengers couldn't help but smile. Xin Ruo turned red from embarrassment. She felt embarrassed on behalf of Yan Xiao.
Ikasa's brain overclocked and he came down to join Yan Xiao. He lightly flicked his forehead. Then he caressed Yan Xiao's back.
"I am sorry you had to see this. Our Yan Xiao gets stage fright. So please forgive him. As for his Battle Technique, he uses a Palm Technique called The Backhand."
Then he looked at Yan Xiao with concern and asked, "Are you ready to accept challenges? If you don't want to, we can make other arrangements."
"No! I only forgot my lines because of sister Qiqi. I still want to fight!" He replied with a sheepish grin.
His confidence was admirable, but it didn't intimidate any of the Challengers. Even though they were fooled four times in a row, humans had a short memory when a great reward was dangling before them.
What if all of the earlier ones seemed easy targets but were too strong to handle? I don't believe every one of those kids is this strong!
These kinds of thoughts were circulating through every challenger's mind. This fluke mentality was humanity's fatal flaw but the hope that emerged from it was also the greatest strength.
Even so, few dared to act on that hope. Mao Zhong was one of those guys. He decided to try his mettle against the youngest of the kids, hoping his inexperience would lead to his downfall.
Both took their positions; Mao Zhong readied his legs to kick while Yan Xiao put both of his palms on his shoulder and made an X.
Mao Zhong closed the distance and began kicking without giving Yan Xiao a chance to counterattack. He was following Luo Qiqi's strategy. But he chose the wrong opponent.
Yan Xiao saw through the attack and sidestepped most of the kicks while closing the distance even further. Once Mao Zhong was within the attacking range, he smiled and yelled, "Monkey Slap!"
His backhanded slap landed on the left cheek of Mao Zhong, and he spun on the spot. As soon as he regained his bearing another slap fell on his right cheek, sending him spinning again.
When Mao Zhong got his senses back, he saw another slap coming through his squinting eyes. The pain and humiliation came rushing to him.
Though unwilling, he still shouted, "I… I give up!"
But he was too late. The slap sent him for another spin, and he fainted on the spot.