Supreme Electromagnetic Tyrant-Chapter 54 - 33 Martial Arts Rank

"Alright,"

Ren Mian directed the attention of the three, "Xinghuo, even though you are just a primary Mutant, your strength already surpasses that of most advanced Mutants. You don’t have much experience, but you have an extremely keen talent for combat, very precise in seizing opportunities, and you have a great sense of the overall situation."

"You have very few Abilities, only two, right?" she suddenly asked.

Ji Xinghuo nodded.

Chi Zhonglin and Jiangnan Caiyi exchanged glances.

With just two Abilities he’s this formidable; if he were to advance to intermediate or advanced level and merge several more Abilities, Ji Xinghuo would be invincible among his peers!

Instantly, both of them felt enormous pressure.

"I’m not worried about your Perception; it has already been tested. As a Ranger, you are completely qualified for the job," Ren Mian continued, "However, the stronger a Mutant’s power is, the more well-rounded they need to be. Rangers themselves also possess strong melee capabilities. How is your melee combat strength?"

Ji Xinghuo hesitated for a moment.

To be honest, he didn’t even know himself.

If relying only on the conventional features of the Wanxiang Star Pupil, with its superior visual capture and detailed insight, plus inherent high-speed reflexes, and precise intuition for danger, he should not be too bad.

If he activated Myriad Phenomena, he would be almost invincible.

Of course, the precondition is that he needs to have sufficient melee lethality to break through an enemy’s defense.

Ren Mian changed the question slightly, "What is your Martial Arts Rank?"

"Amateur Third Dan,"

Ji Xinghuo replied somewhat embarrassingly.

The so-called Martial Arts Rank is an intuitive standard to judge a person’s martial arts level, established by the Global Martial Arts Association, with a history of over a hundred years.

The lowest is no rank at all.

People join the Martial Arts Association’s Virtual Platform and spar online; winners gain points and losers lose points, ranked by points accumulated.

Reaching 100 points advances one to Amateur First Dan.

And so on.

The higher the points, the higher the rank.

First Dan to Third Dan are amateur ranks and considered quite impressive among ordinary people;

Fourth Dan to Sixth Dan are elite ranks, only the most gifted ordinary people can reach these levels, and after a few years of training and accumulating battle numbers, most Mutants can reach Fourth or Fifth Dan, Sixth Dan then depends on the Ability and talent;

Seventh Dan to Ninth Dan enter the professional ranks, counted as martial arts experts.

The core members of the Class A professional league are generally required to be Seventh Dan or above, and for the Super League, every member must be at least Seventh Dan.

The points required for professional rank advancement are very high, with the lowest standard being 10,000 points, and there’s a victory rate requirement as well.

The Martial Arts Association holds offline promotion competitions for Seventh, Eighth, and Ninth Dan every quarter, half-year, and year, respectively, with very few advancement spots available.

Only a small portion of martial arts experts can pass through the promotion competition.

Besides online points and winning rate, or promotion competitions, there’s a third channel for rank advancement, which is to participate in martial arts competitions of various levels. Provincial, national, world level—each level hosts regular competitions certified by the Martial Arts Association, and winning a championship or ranking high can also lead to rank promotion.

For instance, winning at a provincial martial arts competition could directly promote one to professional Eighth Dan.

Placing second to fourth in a national level martial arts competition leads directly to Ninth Dan.

Above Ninth Dan is Grandmaster.

The Martial Arts Association holds a Grandmaster promotion competition once a year; in addition, winning a championship at the national level martial arts competition, regardless of previous rank, leads directly to the title of Martial Arts Grandmaster.

Above Grandmaster is Martial Saint.

One can ascend to Martial Saint through a promotion competition held once every three years, or by capturing the championship in the World Martial Arts Competition.

Zhao Manying became a Grandmaster at the age of 18 by winning the world championship in one fell swoop!

Above Martial Saint are even greater difficulties.

The true path of martial arts doesn’t divide into realms or possess any unique sword techniques—it’s all about rank. The realm is a personal enlightenment and understanding, while rank is solid combat achievements, climbing by stepping over others.

A Martial Arts Grandmaster signifies tens of thousands of battle experiences, promotion competitions time after time, and martial arts tournament after tournament.

As long as you can win, your martial arts level is strong.

If you can’t win, all the martial arts theories in the world are just empty talk, and no one is willing to listen.

Ji Xinghuo’s martial arts talent is very high, far superior to his archery talent, among the top of his peers, and even though he hasn’t devoted much time to martial arts training, focusing most of his time on physical training and even less on online battles, he still easily achieved Amateur Third Dan with an extremely high winning rate.

Of course, Amateur Third Dan is somewhat insufficient now.

When Chi Zhonglin heard that Ji Xinghuo was only Amateur Third Dan, he finally breathed a sigh of relief, and the pressure in his heart lessened a lot.

Such strong Abilities, such high combat talent—if his Martial Arts Rank were also high, then what would be the point of competing?

"Hehe..."

He chuckled smugly, "I’m a professional Ninth Dan, I plan to enter the Grandmaster promotion competition next year. Xinghuo, if you want to increase your rank, I can spar with you often and teach you some experience in fighting with a long spear."

"Okay, I’ll definitely ask for your guidance then," Ji Xinghuo nodded earnestly.

"Xinghuo-kun, I can help you too," Jiangnan Caiyi, gripping the hilt of the samurai sword at her waist, glanced at Ji Xinghuo’s Yan Chi Blade, "I also use a blade, professional Seventh Dan."

Ji Xinghuo smiled, "So Caiyi is that impressive."

"The most impressive is Sister," Jiangnan Caiyi said softly, "Although Sister doesn’t practice martial arts much, she is a Grandmaster."

Ji Xinghuo wasn’t surprised at all.

Ren Mian nodded slightly, "Amateur Third Dan is indeed a bit low, but with your talent, improvement should be quick. It’s also a method to rapidly increase your strength."

"As for the cultivation of Star Power..."

She thought for a moment and said, "I’ll prepare some ’Ether Tea’ for you later. Drink a cup before each cultivation session, it can accelerate the recovery and growth of Star Power."

Ji Xinghuo’s eyes lit up, Ether Tea—now that’s something valuable.

"Thanks, Sister Ren,"

"Ether tea trees are grown by me; they don’t cost much,"

Ren Mian said with a carefree smile, "Cultivation of Star Power can’t be rushed; you just need to keep at it. As for Abilities, you’re the Magnetic Field Madman and you don’t have any capacity-expanding wonders. You won’t be able to integrate more Alien Species in the short term, but I’ll help you keep an eye out."

Her beautiful face showed a thoughtful expression.

"Then only weapon equipment remains as an option," Ren Mian observed Ji Xinghuo from head to toe, "Your bow doesn’t need changing for now, it’s sufficient. Do you prefer to use this type of Flat-headed Goose Wing Knife, or other types of blades, or even swords are fine?"

"Heavier weapons are better, swords or knives will do." Ji Xinghuo wasn’t particularly fond of any weapon; as long as it was easy to handle, even a hammer would pose no problem.

"I understand."

Ren Mian seemed to have made up her mind. "Continue your training, I’ll be back soon." With that, she left.

Ji Xinghuo turned his gaze towards Chi Zhonglin, intending to spar with him.

"Next time for sure."

"I have to go out too, and I won’t be coming back for dinner today."

Chi Zhonglin had no inclination to reclaim the loss he had just suffered; he ran off in a flash, and one didn’t need to guess to know where he’d be off to loaf around.

Jiangnan Caiyi gently criticized, "Zhonglin’s hobbies are rather poor."

Yet Ji Xinghuo envied him.

This kind of free-spirited life is what most men yearn for, but unfortunately, it wasn’t yet time for him to enjoy life.

He envied in his heart but remained serious on his face, "Caiyi, how about we practice together?"

"Please enlighten me, Xinghuo."

Jiangnan Caiyi was eager to try, promptly drawing her samurai sword from her waist.

The sharp blade gleamed coldly, seemingly effortless in her grip, yet it posed a threat to Ji Xinghuo.

A Martial Arts Rank of Seventh Dan, already beyond the wildest dreams of most people in their lifetime.

Ji Xinghuo drew out his Yan Chi Blade, his gaze full of concentration.

The two faced off against each other.

In martial arts sparring, neither online nor offline, one wasn’t allowed to use Abilities with additional effects, such as fire, mental attacks, transformations, etc. However, Abilities related to skills and physical enhancement were exceptions, like Flash Step, High-frequency Thinking, and Star Force, which could be used.

"Xinghuo, I’m attacking now," Jiangnan Caiyi reminded him before suddenly moving forward, raising her samurai sword overhead for a heavy downward slash.

Clang!

Ji Xinghuo raised his blade to block, the clash of metal sparking as the two weapons met.

The Yan Chi Blade transmitted a giant strength, and despite having prepared for it, using his Thousand Spirit Skillful Hand to buffer the rebounding blade, he couldn’t help but take two steps back.

"Such strong strength!"

"And very fast too..." Ji Xinghuo marveled internally.

The Demon Refiner was an extremely formidable Professional Template, with its core Ability "Dark Matter Demon Body" enhancing the body on par with Rotating Magnetic Field, sealing a Dark Matter Demon within oneself, gaining the demon’s strength and Abilities. freewebnøvel.com

This was still the Demon Refiner without "Demonization" activated.

If Jiangnan Caiyi were to do so, her strength would only be greater, possibly splitting him in half with a single strike.

Even so, Jiangnan Caiyi had already caught Ji Xinghuo’s footwork flaw, closing in again, her slender blade gliding along the edge of his Yan Chi Blade towards his head and hands.

Ji Xinghuo could only raise his blade to parry and hastily retreat.

Jiangnan Caiyi was relentless, closing in once more, completely forgoing a defensive stance.

Clang clang clang!

Ji Xinghuo retreated three steps, his Thousand Spirit Skillful Hand fully utilized, swinging the Yan Chi Blade left and right to block three consecutive strikes. He barely maintained his balance, and even though he saw an opening in Jiangnan Caiyi’s guard, he couldn’t seize the opportunity to counterattack and instead found himself in a predicament.

The barrage of assaults suddenly dispersed, and Jiangnan Caiyi stopped and sheathed her sword.

"Xinghuo, you’re very skilled."

"Few people can withstand my Three Consecutive Slashes, yet you managed to do so. Your Martial Arts Rank must be higher than Third Dan, at least above Fifth Dan," she said sincerely.

Ji Xinghuo felt he didn’t quite deserve the praise, "If you attacked with one more strike, Caiyi, I would have lost."

"We’re just sparring in martial arts, not competing. There’s no winning or losing," Jiangnan Caiyi said with an understanding smile.

Ji Xinghuo nodded, "Let’s continue."

In the Martial Arts Arena, the sound of clashing blades echoed on, like blacksmithing.

Ji Xinghuo gradually adapted to his own state.

He absorbed Jiangnan Caiyi’s martial arts experience like a sponge, gaining a deeper mastery of the Wanxiang Star Pupil, using it effortlessly in battle as if it were his own instinct, with a lightning-fast progression in skill.

The two practiced with their blades until noon, and Jiangnan Caiyi was no longer able to suppress Ji Xinghuo with ease.

She went to prepare a meal, and after eating and resting, they resumed their clashes.

For the full 25 hours of the day, Ji Xinghuo and Jiangnan Caiyi remained in the Martial Arts Arena, continuously battling except for three breaks for meals and rest.

This kind of sparring was physically draining, consuming both their physical strength and Star Power. Even the recovery process promoted the growth of Star Power, albeit less efficiently.

Night fell.

Jiangnan Caiyi’s samurai sword was a Superpower Weapon, and it remained undamaged.

Ji Xinghuo’s Yan Chi Blade, however, had chopped notches into its edge, resembling a saw, and finally, during a collision, it snapped into two.

He looked at the broken blade in his hand and felt a pang of sorrow.

"I spent eighteen thousand on this blade yesterday, and it broke after just one day."

Jiangnan Caiyi was slightly out of breath, practicing with the blade for a full day had taken its toll even on her stamina. Ji Xinghuo’s rapid improvement was astonishing; it not only made her exert more effort in battle but also put immense mental pressure on her.

"One blade for the rise in Martial Arts Rank is well worth it, Xinghuo should be happy," Jiangnan Caiyi exhaled deeply, adding incredulously, "You must be at Sixth Dan now."

"Thank you, Caiyi." Ji Xinghuo thanked her sincerely.

Jiangnan Caiyi’s eyes shone with a bashful light, "We are teammates, you’re too courteous, Xinghuo."

At this moment, Ren Mian, who had been gone the whole day, returned, followed by a drunken Chi Zhonglin, who was clearly just dragged back from some club or bar.

"Xinghuo, catch."

With a smile, Ren Mian tossed two pieces of equipment toward him.