Era of Mist

HUUU... HSSS... Shi Tiexin took another deep breath, sweat beading on his forehead.

Of course, it wasn’t as if he’d had some profound, on-the-spot epiphany.

Spontaneous breakthroughs were a real phenomenon, but at his level, he was a long way from the kind of deep-seated foundation needed to trigger one.

「Three days prior.」

Situ the Bald had called him into his office and told him with the utmost gravity, "I have a move for you. If you’re truly willing to risk everything for a win, then take this and learn it."

Shi Tiexin thought of a name. "Is it that Cannon Fist your ’old comrade’ mentioned?" he asked.

"Fuck off! How could I possibly teach you Cannon Fist?!" Situ the Bald snapped before his expression turned serious again, his brow furrowed. "This is a small Scattering Hand technique I developed from Cannon Fist. It has no name and no set form—it’s just an introductory power-generation skill. You can use it with any move to boost your explosive power."

"But it’s not that easy to pull off smoothly. Even for a little trick like this, it’s best to have a solid foundation in the Nourishing Essence Technique. Your Nourishing Essence foundation is too weak, but your physical conditioning is decent enough, so I’m just letting you try it. No guarantees." Situ the Bald scratched his bald head. "I’ll teach it to you now, but whether or not you can actually use it when it counts is uncertain. Let’s just say it gives you a sliver of hope for a last-ditch effort."

Shi Tiexin asked, "What’s the technique called?"

"Explosive Chamber."

"That’s not a very auspicious name!" Shi Tiexin was at a loss for words. "Am I supposed to be hitting the other guy or myself with this?"

"Nothing comes without a price. If you want to win, you have to be willing to put it all on the line. Explosive Chamber is, by its very nature, a technique that harms the user. The only question is whether you can take your opponent down with you when it blows up in your face." A rare, inexplicable aura emanated from Situ Zhennan. "Learn it well. Whether you deal zero damage to the enemy or take them out completely—it all depends on whether you can master this move!"

[You have received a martial arts inheritance. You have learned the technique: Explosive Chamber. Current Proficiency: Unqualified]

[Explosive Chamber: A technique that enhances explosive power and lethality.]

[Unqualified: This technique cannot be used.]

The Explosive Chamber technique was incredibly difficult to use. The main problem was that each use inflicted massive damage on the limb that performed it. Even with his recovery rate boosted by a quarter and his physical fitness nearing the peak of a normal human, he could only just barely withstand the strain.

Over the past few days, it had been impossible to practice it much. Every time he tried, his arm felt completely wrecked and needed a long time to recover. At first, he could barely succeed at all. It got a little better later on, but each punch required a long period of calm focus and preparation. A technique like that was utterly useless in the heat of battle.

In the end, he had no choice but to use those two points of Celestial Golden Light, hoping that even such a small amount could make a big difference.

And the Celestial Golden Light truly lived up to its name. Even two points had an extraordinary effect.

[Proficiency in "Explosive Chamber" has been raised to Qualified.]

[Qualified: This technique can now be used successfully.]

「In the arena.」

HSSS... HUUU... Shi Tiexin couldn’t stop himself from gasping for air as sweat dripped from his forehead. His shoulders ached as if they were on fire. Shi Tiexin knew full well that his fundamental boxing skills were no match for He Chong’s Flying Sand Fist. If they traded blows technique for technique, he would be completely overwhelmed.

His only chance to hurt his opponent now was to force him into a direct, head-on clash, just like he’d done moments ago.

THUD. He Chong, who had been sent spinning, landed awkwardly. He touched the side of his face; his jaw throbbed with pain, and his hand came away covered in blood. He Chong glared at Shi Tiexin, his face a mask of disbelief. "Impossible... impossible... How can this be? You peasant..."

"Enough with the bullshit!" Shi Tiexin roared. "The more crap you talk, the more pathetic you look! Either kneel and call me Grandpa, or come up here and try to kill me! You dare, you piece of trash?!"

"Tra... trash? You peasant, you dare call *me* trash?" He Chong completely lost it. His face flushed crimson, then drained to a deathly white. The fractured aura of light around his body rapidly repaired itself, and with a vicious push off the ground, he charged forward, his face a twisted mask of rage. "I’m going to kill you!"

SNAP. The sound of a finger snap echoed out again as Shi Tiexin threw a punch.

This time, however, He Chong tilted his head and threw his upper body back, dodging the fist.

"Do you take me for a fucking idiot? I was ready for you!" He Chong laughed wildly. "I’m not falling for the same trick a third time—"

SNAP! THUD!

The sound of a finger snap and a heavy impact rang out simultaneously. A vicious kick from Shi Tiexin slammed into He Chong’s stomach. Having leaned too far back to dodge the punch, He Chong couldn’t recover his balance in time and took the full force of the blow.

SPURT! He Chong coughed up a mouthful of blood, his eyes bulging as he was sent flying backward.

He Chong rolled several times across the ground before coming to a stop. He stared at Shi Tiexin, his face a perfect picture of "How is this possible?!"

’A pity. He Chong must have some special Body Technique to be able to shift and disperse the force like that. I couldn’t break his intestines or grab hold of him,’ Shi Tiexin thought, though his face betrayed none of it. He continued to taunt He Chong, "You really are a fucking idiot. All I did was snap my fingers."

The "punch" he’d thrown had been nothing more than a feint, using only the sound of a snap to trick He Chong.

Feint where you plan to strike, and strike where you feint. Attack when they are unprepared; appear where you are not expected. What Shi Tiexin had learned from the short man’s Snake Form Fist was far more than just Profound Realm basic boxing.

SNAP. SNAP. Shi Tiexin deliberately snapped his fingers twice more. His blank face was a mask of cold provocation, enraging He Chong to the point that he looked ready to burst a blood vessel.

Inside the arena, the two combatants were locked in a deadly battle of wits and will. Outside, the crowd was in an uproar, buzzing with discussion.

Both semifinal matches were proving to be unexpectedly long and surprisingly thrilling, prompting continuous discussion from the examinees who, though defeated, hadn’t been knocked out and remained to watch.

"Isn’t that ’Soaring’ He Chong? He’s actually struggling! Who’s he fighting? They look like they know each other. Are they acquaintances?"

"That’s... that’s Shi Tiexin, from our Star Worker School." A student from the Star Worker School watched Shi Tiexin’s bloody battle in the semifinals with a complicated expression, a mixture of disbelief and a faint flicker of pride. "Three of the four semifinalists are from our school!"

The Star Worker School had always been looked down on by other schools, but with them dominating the semifinals, these students finally felt a surge of vindicated pride.

For some reason, however, it was his fellow students from the Star Worker School who were the most critical of Shi Tiexin. A few of them in particular, with shifty eyes and loose lips, were especially venomous.

"This Shi Tiexin guy seems pretty badass! Maybe he can actually take out that arrogant bastard He Chong!"

"Tch, him? Impossible. He’s only got a few tricks, that’s all."

"That guy is a tyrant at school, a real piece of work. It’d be for the best if Brother Chong just killed him right here on the stage!"