Both of them changed into their sparring uniforms. Leanne was given a rookie uniform, which was the same as Natanniel's except it was white. In the martial arts world, white symbolized a beginner, while black symbolized mastery. The ranking system was based on colors, with white being the lowest and purple being the highest. Black ranked second to the highest level of mastery, and to reach purple, one had to win against ten black-uniformed martial artists or one purple-uniformed martial artist. This requirement was the same for all ranks, and it was not possible to skip any ranks, even for a martial master.
In the center of the stadium was a fighting platform, and on the outer edge of the platform were sparring weapons from which they could choose. "I guess you won't be choosing any weapons, since your martial art is palm techniques," Natanniel commented as Leanne curiously gazed at the weapons on the rack. "Uh, no... it really depends on the situation. But palm techniques are not my main martial art," Leanne replied. "Oh, so what is your main martial art? I use staff arts, which is derived from the teachings of the monks." "Cool, I'll use the staff then," Leanne said.
Natanniel felt a surge in his veins as Leanne's sudden decision triggered him. He wondered if Leanne was joking, but seeing his nonchalant expression, he realized he was not. Natanniel felt like Leanne wasn't taking him seriously and underestimated him. "You know, in a real fight, anything can happen. Things can escalate differently, since real fights aren't fair. But since this is just a spar, we'll implement rules. Please take this spar seriously and treat it as a life-and-death battle," Natanniel warned. "Oh, I will," Leanne replied as he started testing out the wooden staff in his hands. He was surprised at how sturdy it was, despite being a sparring weapon. He started waving the staff and spinning it, and the students who were observing couldn't help but be amazed at how well Leanne handled the staff. It was as if the staff was just another limb in his body.
"So you're not joking after all. You really can handle the staff. Well then, it seems I'll have to take you seriously," Natanniel said with a grin as he pounded his staff into the ground, causing ripples of waves to echo around the stadium. The students in the back could even hear the loud thud.
"So, what are the rules?" Leanne asked.
"The rules are simple," Natanniel explained. "If you step out of the platform, you lose. You can choose to surrender. If you fatally injure your opponent or make them unable to fight, you win. There are no illegal moves since this is not a simple spar. Treat this as a real fight and prove to me that you're truly worthy of the seat of the Vice-President of the Fighting Committee. Does that sound simple enough?"
"Yup," Leanne replied.
The two of them took their battle stance and the fight began as soon as the bell rang. The students watched anxiously, betting on who would win. Of course, the majority bet on Natanniel to easily win, with the odds being 20 to 1 in his favor. Nobody expected a freshman to defeat or even leave a mark on Natanniel, who was considered the strongest martial artist in the university. They just wanted to watch the spectacle and hoped for Leanne to be beaten to a pulp so that their anger could settle down.
Both of them stood still, wary of what their opponent might do next. In reality, they were already clashing weapons in their minds in a form of battle imagery. They were imagining what possible moves their opponent would make and trying to find ways to counterattack. After a minute of staring each other down, Natanniel was the first to move. Holding his staff on the edge, he thrust it towards Leanne, but it was still a meter away. However, the thrust was imbued with qi that added a shockwave force, pushing Leanne back a few meters.
Leanne's eyes grew wide as he quickly struck the ground with his staff to stop himself from moving further away. His feet stopped just inches from the edge of the platform.
The students watching couldn't help but reveal a smirk on their faces as they murmured to themselves.
"You're in trouble now." "The difference between you and the boss is like the difference between heaven and earth." "You just got a reality check, buddy. There's no turning back." "I just hope you can survive another hit." "It's obvious who the winner is."
Natanniel didn't hesitate to dash towards Leanne, who was still dazed, and struck down with his staff like a batter towards his head. But in Leanne's mind, the shock on his face wasn't the result of being in awe at how strong Natanniel was, but rather the opposite.
'Why... is he unexpectedly... weak?'
Leanne had expected the martial arts in this world to be weaker than in his world, so when he heard that Natanniel was a martial master, he was wary of his abilities. In his world, martial masters were capable of turning the tide of battles and facing thousands of martial artists alone. However, Leanne soon realized that he was wrong. He was surprised to find that martial masters in this world were much weaker than he had expected, and that Natanniel was only a peak third-rate martial artist. Leanne was disappointed in himself for being too cautious.
As Natanniel flew towards him with his staff, Leanne didn't even attempt to dodge the attack. Instead, he counterattacked with a simple strike of his own staff. The spectators were shocked that Leanne would try to fight back against such a powerful opponent, especially since Natanniel's staff was imbued with qi that multiplied the offensive capabilities of his attacks.
However, Leanne was not afraid. He mimicked Natanniel's thrusting technique, but with a more refined and polished form. The result was a wave of air that blasted Natanniel away from the platform and into a padded wall. The speed at which Natanniel was thrown away was comparable to a cannonball being shot from a cannon, leaving the spectators in disbelief. The bell rang, announcing Leanne's victory on the flat screen monitor above the platform. The students who had bet on Leanne as a joke quickly collected their winnings, still shocked by what they had just witnessed. "LEANNE WINS!"
They stared at the words on the monitor, still in shock from what had happened. It was clear that Leanne had displayed the strength of a grandmaster, deserving of a purple uniform. Those who had doubted his martial arts skills were left speechless. Before, they had looked at Leanne as some sort of dark omen or harbinger of bad luck, but now, he was being revered as a grandmaster and powerful martial artist. Nobody would dare laugh at Natanniel now, as they knew too well what he was capable of, but with someone stronger than him in their roster, they couldn't help but feel lucky.
"We were so wrong about the kid," said one person. "To think such a young man could defeat boss with such ease, who is he?" asked another. "He could be a vagabond disguised as a bread shuttle," speculated a third. "Acting strong but hiding a weak true self," mused a fourth. "Maybe he's been testing us and had enough of the brutality he was suffering. But why did he do it now?" wondered a fifth. "We don't know what a true martial master has in mind, and each one works in different ways," noted a sixth. "We're lucky we never did any harm to him. If I had dared to mess with him, I might have voluntarily left this school for good," admitted a seventh. "Same here," said another. "Me too," said a third.
Everyone continued to murmur among themselves. Leanne walked over to the unconscious Natanniel and used his acupuncture technique to wake him up. Natanniel immediately woke up and saw Leanne staring at him with his deep brown eyes.
"I lost," Natanniel said. "You lost. So, did I pass the test?" asked Leanne.
Leanne asked and Natanniel grinned as Leanne supported him in standing up. Together, they walked towards the members of the Green Lancers' Fighting Committee as Nathaniel spoke loudly.
"Everybody, listen up. Starting today, Leanne Albaos will be the new Vice President of our committee. Is there anyone who wishes to object?"
There was silence, and Natanniel continued.
"Good. Now pay respect to your new Vice President."
In unison, everyone knelt and gave a respectful gesture to Leanne. Even Julius John, who was next in line for the position, simply bowed down and showed his respect. He didn't feel envious, but instead felt a strong sense of reverence for Leanne that was even stronger than the reverence he felt for Nathaniel.
"We greet our new Vice President!" everyone shouted in unison. As they knelt before him, Leanne was reminded of the feeling he had when he defeated the Azure Sword Dragon of the Cheonwoong Faction. At that time, every member of the righteous faction had given him reverence, as defeating the strongest martial artist in their sect in a fair fight was something to be highly respected and coveted.
"It's my pleasure," Leanne said with a light bow, as they celebrated. The position of Vice President was now officially Leanne's, and with the papers finalized, Leanne was given a week by his professors to make up for any assessments he had missed and retake any preliminary exams. After undergoing treatment for his dantian, his body and mind had become much stronger and clearer, so memorizing and taking the tests became easy for him.
A week had passed, and Leanne was satisfied with the grades he received, boasting a score of 1. He showed his grades to his mother, who was proud and couldn't help but smile.
"Seeing your grades, son, makes all my hard work pay off. I'm so proud of you," his mother said warmly. Leanne felt a heartache upon hearing her words.
"Don't worry, Mom. Once I'm strong enough, I'll make sure you have a life of relaxation, where you can live your life to the fullest and free from all the hard work and tiredness," Leanne promised to her and to himself