Translator: Larbre Studio Editor: Larbre Studio
The Jackson family had a very important standing in the whole of Geruga. Naturally, multiple mighty ones were among those who were invited to their banquet, providing an adequate pool of candidates to be the referee even with the exclusion of Brandon’s father, Adrian, for fairness’ sake.
Polk— who wasn’t from Msasi— came from an internal Sect of Geruga that emphasized combat. He had been a senior martial artist for over twenty years. His pale blonde beard had turned almost entirely white, and his eyes were a dark blue that seemed black. When he raised his head, he didn’t have any wrinkles.
He studied Lou Cheng, who turned back, with a quick glance. Unhurriedly, he finished the glass of champagne in his hand, then put the empty glass back on the waiter’s tray.
“I’ll do it!” he declared in a husky voice.
Without saying more— or displaying any gestures of contempt— he immediately took on his role as a neutral referee. He went out from the side door and walked to the center of the towering Roman stone pillars.
“After you!” Brandon invited gallantly with a smile and a bow.
Handing his phone over to Yan Zheke, Lou Cheng returned a greeting in a placid manner. Calmly, he followed the referee into the open air arena.
Brandon remained still for a moment. Suddenly, he stretched his arms, releasing a series of powerful cracks from his muscles, fascias, and joints. The window behind him, though he did not touch it, began to rattle and vibrate.
“Magnificent!” One by one, the guests began showing thumb-ups.
After the “warm-up”, the heavy Brandon walked out of the dining hall in agile steps like a man-bear. He stood opposite Lou Cheng and struck a boxing pose. Around them, the ancient towering stone pillars partially obstructed the view, making the arena seem forlorn and cavernous.
The smile slowly vanished off Brandon’s face. A star-like radiance flared in his eyes that were locked on his opponent, exposing his intense craving for battle.
Earlier on, his speech that deemed a referee unnecessary was not only his honest feeling but also a psychological trick. If his enemy couldn’t stand his taunt and opt for a battle between men, he would be in his comfort zone and his opponent would be in an awkward position that has to constantly fear for accidents.
On the other hand, if his opponent, fearing the risks, adamantly demurred to an ancient gladiator duel, then he will be dejected even when granted a referee since he would have already lost in spirit before the competition even began. Afterward, it would be hard for him to display any valor or courage.
Though he didn’t expect Lou Cheng to turn around and walk off without hesitating, the act was still normal and didn’t bother him.
Then, Referee Polk raised his right hand and gave a friendly reminder.
“Ready.”
Afterward, his hand swung down abruptly. His voice boomed through the window and into the dining hall.
“Begin!”
Before the words hit the ground, Lou Cheng saw a blinding light emitting from the surface of Brandon’s body. Immediately, he couldn’t see anything other than a white glow.
Awakening one’s “Own Spirit” was the beginning of truly become a practitioner of the Geruga Sect, and the key to becoming a martial arts student. From there on, the practitioner will perform unique training to strengthen their “Own Spirit” a step at a time. This complements with their physical growth and mutually benefit each other until the genes begin to mutate and generate special, Inhuman powers.
The Geruga Sect differentiates these abilities with mainstream names such as “ocean”, “stars”, and etc. There were too many to enumerate.
The father and son, Adri and Brandon, had both awakened to Stars, which had a heavy quality and granted a light emitting power.
At that moment, Brandon had unreservedly displayed the fruits of his training from the recent year.
Stars—Radiance!
A dazzling white filled Lou Cheng’s vision. At his ears, he could hear the loud whooshing his opponent made as he dashed through the air. Other than that, nothing was audible. He seemed to have completely lost the whereabouts of his enemy.
Brandon dashed diagonally before Lou Cheng at the speed of light. Exerting strength at his feet, he made a half-turn with his waist and swung his engorged right arm out, an arm covered in speckles of light. His arm flew up, forming into a perfect uppercut aimed at his opponent’s chins!
With the density of the Stars, and his own strength, he was confident that he could break any “non-Dan-Stage overdrive blocks” his opponent puts up.
Also, the essence of Geruga Sect’s empowerment moves was one’s “own spirit” and did not use what Chinese Martial Artists called “Force Concentration”. Though it loses the terrifying power of when one’s forces are concentrated as one, and the wonderful “Absolute Reaction”, it was faster to execute and gave the user sharper survival instincts against unpredicted dangers. In short, they each had their pros and cons. Right now, Brandon planned to use his strengths to the fullest while he was in a dominant position and completely suppress his opponent. He wasn’t going to give him any chances of controlling the pace of the battle and turning the tide around!
In a bang, Brandon’s punch pierced through the air currents, provoking a conspicuous patch of goosebumps at Lou Cheng’s chin.
Though he could not see or hear, he still landed an accurate right hook on the side of Brandon’s uppercut. With a minimal force of his own, he directed the heavy force away, causing the opponent’s muscular arm to divert from its trajectory and miss its target.
Having expected that, Brandon immediately followed up with a left straight. A cadence of crisp noises sounded as he launched a flurry of frenzied attacks during the period when Lou Cheng’s vision and hearing were impaired.
His martial arts techniques, not only bearing the mark of Msasi training, implemented martial arts features from countries such as Miluo and Nanzheng. His perfected knee thrusts and low kicks effectively filled in the gaps in between his punches.
Bam, bam, bam! Brandon worked his left and right fist in turns, sometimes forming hooks and uppercuts, and sometimes forming straights and jabs, generating speckles of light that limned the ice crystals on Lou Cheng’s hands, arms, and legs.
In that time, he mildly provoked his “Own Spirit”, sending tremors down his muscles and fascias , empowering him slightly. His punches hit hard with overwhelming strength, and was tightly connected at a rapid pace. Lou Cheng couldn’t find a chance to use Force Concentration and had to resort to channeling Ice Spirit Force. With every move parried, he took a step back. In order not give away that he was the Deliveryman, and also to familiarize what he learned before New Year, his plan was to cut down using Emperor Yan Force to a minimum while he was in public settings in America. It would serve as an element of surprise if he’s caught in a pinch.
Bam! Bam! Bam! Lou Cheng blocked three times—with a punch, a Zen move, and a low kick—and took three steps back accordingly. Each step left a vivid impression in the flagstone. The guests, spectating through the French window, sipped at their champagne with easy expressions.
Yan Zheke held a glass of water in her hand. She looked calm. Everything that had happened so far was within the scope of what she and Lou Cheng discussed at length during the day and the night before. Everything.
And indeed, after backing two more steps—right before he was about to crash into the Roman stone pillar—Lou Cheng stopped retreating all of a sudden and charged forward instead. He took a half-step leap and shot out a burst fist at his opponent’s abdomen.
Starlight enwreathed Brandon’s fists like a training glove. He blocked the attack with a fast hammer fist, producing a loud thump.
Boom!
The dull rolling sound of thunder spread in every direction. The two of them froze momentarily when their fists collided, then shook at the same time. The radiance turned white, then into frost mists and scattered. They matched in power!
After repeatedly borrowing strength through 24 Blizzard Strikes, Lou Cheng was no longer at a disadvantage. Even without using Force Concentration, he managed to ward off his opponent’s rush of slightly empowered attacks.
The coldness was insidiously seeping into Brandon’s body, and he began to feel numb. Realizing that, he immediately switched up his approach by provoking his “Own Spirit”, connecting his muscle and blood to swell up his muscle and fascias.
His body became huge in an instant. He raised his arm—which had enlarged by more than a few inches—high up into the air, then, imbued heavy starlight into it and chopped at Lou Cheng as though it was a terrifying greatsword.
The ferocious momentum of the slash seemed capable of splitting anything apart!
Adri was a senior martial artist renowned for his skills on the greatsword. As his son, Brandon did not deign to rely on weapons, but rather implemented the sword skills and corresponding use of Stars into his martial arts. It had become his favorite style of attacking when using strong empowerment.
Lou Cheng’s skin horripilated before the “greatsword” even reached him. Without being haughty, Lou Cheng channeled his Qi and blood in a split second, stimulating the corresponding parts on his body. His muscles bulged, visibly exposing the green veins on his fascias.
A simplified version of the Fighting Formula!
The instantaneous swelling stirred and led the surrounding air currents to go up together with his fist. It hit Brandon’s arm hard.
Boom!
Invisible ripple-like waves spread quickly. Hideous cracks unfurled below Lou Cheng’s feet, making crackling sounds. Brandon’s “greatsword” arm recoiled, bringing his body back.
Channeling his Qi and blood and stimulating his body again, Lou Cheng took a half-step, his face impassive. He clenched his fist at his chest and dealt a straight. His muscles, with intersecting green and black veins, was full of explosive power!
Such speed! Shocked, Brandon raised his left arm before fully charging its power. The plain and unsophisticated horizontal sweep of his “greatsword” contained the power of days and months of training!
Bam!
Their flesh collided and caved inwards. Their bones deformed slightly, then quickly turned back to normal. The massive and terrifying impact made Brandon lose his breath for a moment.
Rich in experience, he immediately straightened his waist and leaped backward like a bolt of lightning. He crashed into a Roman stone pillar with a bang, sending stone splinters everywhere. The thick pillar jerked unsteadily and came close to snapping and falling.
Lou Cheng would not let the chance slip away. Visualizing the Attainment character, he directly used his Qi and blood to stimulate his body once more, skipping steps in the middle. With a single step, he closed up to his enemy with a whoosh.
At that moment, Brandon seemed excited. A strong burst of light emitted from his body again, drowning the light from the surrounding lamplights and illuminating the entire open-air arena.
In the singular radiance, many shadows appeared, all in the form of Brandon. They pounced at Lou Cheng from every direction, provoking his Absolute Reaction!
Geruga Stars Technique—Phantom Light!
The Roman stone pillars in the arena weren’t ornaments—their positioning effectively altered reflections and refractions, causing Phantom Light to be more powerful and realistic.
And for Brandon, all seven of his shadows were products of light energy and were also capable of dealing damage. They weren’t mere illusions!