The mysterious girl in front of him was definitely not the so-called veteran sparring partner, Benson. Her combat skills were terrifying, leaving Bertram with no easy openings to exploit for a counterattack.
Faced with her punch, Bertram had no choice but to raise his own fist and meet her head-on.
Their fists collided!
The mysterious girl looked surprised.
She could feel the concentrated power in Bertram's punch.
Concentrated power involves channeling all muscle strength into a single, cohesive force. This requires professional guidance and long-term practice. It's a unique combat technique typically found only among the elite or within the notorious Dawn Army.
But this sparring partner in front of her couldn't possibly be an elite or a member of the Dawn Army. So how did he learn it?
Bertram, on the other hand, was thrilled. No wonder his combat skills had improved so dramatically after sparring with this mysterious girl in his life simulations.
Her combat techniques were filled with nuances, like the concentrated power technique. Bertram had encountered it briefly in the Dawn Army during his first simulation but wasn't proficient.
However, sparring with this girl brought many insights to mind.
It was as if she were a living combat manual. Each bout with her was like reading a new chapter, rapidly enhancing his skills.
Bertram shook his slightly sore hand.
The mysterious girl's control over her power was superior to his, putting him at a disadvantage in their recent clash.
But instead of feeling discouraged, Bertram became excited. He launched another attack on the mysterious girl.
The dojo master watched from the sidelines, silently counting their moves.
One move, two moves, three moves... Before long, they had exchanged ten moves.
Bertram had lost here before.
But this time, he was far from defeat.
"This guy really has a chance to meet the requirements!" the master of the dojo thought in surprise.
Since the mysterious girl had arrived at his dojo, no one had managed to withstand more than ten moves from her.
With such combat prowess and the fact that she wore a white dog mask to conceal her identity, it was clear she was someone significant in the city.
Even the dojo master dared not offend her.
He could only keep hiring new sparring partners, hoping to find someone who could meet her standards.
"You've got to last thirty moves! If even you can't last thirty moves, finding someone else to spar with her will be nearly impossible!" the master prayed.
Only by witnessing the battle between the mysterious girl and Bertram did the master realize how strong these two were among the younger generation.
Straight punches, hooks, jabs, short punches, side kicks, and combo kicks—all seamlessly executed by the mysterious girl, like a perfect fighting machine.
Who could possess such flawless combat awareness and skills?
Bertram was in awe.
The simple words in the life simulation couldn't capture the terror of the mysterious girl. Only by actually fighting her could he feel the vast gap between them.
"Thirty moves!" the master exclaimed in delight.
Bertram had now met the mysterious girl's requirement.
However, neither Bertram nor the mysterious girl showed any signs of stopping.
Bertram was struggling, his stamina and techniques waning, but the mysterious girl remained as steady as a mountain, her movements showing no signs of weakening.
Bertram wanted to hold on longer, constantly reminding himself of the mysterious girl's initial words. The girl, intrigued, wanted to see how long Bertram could last.
By the thirty-fifth move, Bertram was nearly defeated by a side kick, and the mysterious girl thought it might end there.
For an ordinary person to last this long against her was rare.
This young man had already done well to get this far!
But just then, a silver thread shot out from Bertram's wrist, swiftly wrapping around the girl's waist.
Using her waist as a pivot, Bertram dodged the girl's fast and fierce side kick.
"An ability?" The mysterious girl was slightly surprised.
She hadn't expected the person before her to possess an ability. The silver thread seemed like something she had never seen before.
The girl's previously extinguished interest reignited.
She launched another rapid attack at Bertram.
The silver thread in Bertram's hand acted like the most agile weapon, occasionally binding the girl's waist, wrist, elbow, and legs.
With this exchange, they reached the forty-fifth move.
"Almost fifty moves now. This should fully satisfy the mysterious girl!" The dojo master was grinning from ear to ear.
By the fiftieth move, Bertram finally couldn't hold on any longer. The silver thread was kicked away by the girl's toe, and he was defeated by the mysterious girl.
"Good!" The dojo master clapped his hands with a smile as the fight concluded.
It was rare to witness such an exciting battle, even he, the dojo master, was impressed.
"Not bad, you've passed the test. From now on, you'll be my sparring partner. I'll come to the dojo every afternoon to fight you, and your pay will be based on the number of moves you withstand. For each move, you'll earn 10 Dawn Coins!" The mysterious girl said as she landed gracefully beside him.
She took out a 500 Dawn Coin bill from her hand and handed it to Bertram.
"This is your payment for today!"
Bertram accepted it.
He hadn't expected to earn a small fortune.
Five hundred Dawn Coins in one day, and this was just the first day. Bertram was confident that he would be able to withstand more moves from this mysterious girl in the future.
"See you tomorrow!" Bertram said.
"See you tomorrow!" The mysterious girl pulled her sword from the side of the training ground and left through the back door.
Even though he lost, Bertram was satisfied. He had gained insight into another level of combat skills and successfully passed the mysterious girl's test.
Bertram wasn't disheartened at all. His life simulation had only just begun, and he was confident that one day, he would defeat this mysterious girl fair and square.
Bertram also left the Chaoyang Martial Arts School.
When he returned to his school, he went straight to his dormitory.
Everyone in the dorm was quite surprised. Bertram hadn't returned to the dorm for several days.
Under everyone's curious gaze, Bertram lay down on his bed and slowly drifted off to sleep.
The rest of the dormmates exchanged puzzled looks.
When Bertram woke up, it was already the next day.
It was time for the third mock exam.