Supreme Electromagnetic Tyrant-Chapter 77 - 51 Martial Arts Eighth Dan

Ji Xinghuo was somewhat surprised.

While watching the fight earlier, he had heard others say that Tu Hongda was a martial arts master and the actual person in charge of this branch.

Based on the reaction from the Ether Energy, Tu Hongda’s strength was among the top of the Super Mutants, just one step away from becoming Legendary.

Such a powerful Mutant was of course not someone he could contend with.

"Every new member’s first opponent is me," Tu Hongda explained, "Only after a real exchange can I get a clear sense of your martial arts level, which will help me in guiding and instructing you."

This rationale was very legitimate.

However, it also carried a bit of a "show of force" to display his strength and establish the coach’s authority. freeweɓnovel.cøm

Ji Xinghuo no longer hesitated, "Then please enlighten me, Coach Tu."

"Go pick a blade," Tu Hongda’s gaze swept over Ji Xinghuo’s Lei Chi and pointed toward the weapon rack by the side of the arena, where all sorts of weapons were available, in different sizes, weights, and shapes. Most of them were blunt, designed specifically for martial arts training.

Ji Xinghuo chose a War Blade that was roughly the same size and weight as his Lei Chi.

Tu Hongda also came over and picked out an identical War Blade.

He said, "My weapon of choice is the long spear, but using a long spear to spar with you wouldn’t be very meaningful, so I’ll use a blade just like you."

Ji Xinghuo nodded.

The advantage of the long spear was well-known, especially for those below Legendary, where other weapons fell far short compared to it.

When he sparred with Chi Zhonglin, he more often lost than won, and apart from the difference in rank, it was also largely due to Chi Zhonglin’s use of a long spear.

One with a blade charging into spear attacks faced nine deaths out of ten.

For Tu Hongda to personally come down to spar with him, and to not use his best weapon, the long spear, would be somewhat shameless.

The two returned to the arena and stood twenty meters apart.

"You attack first."

Tu Hongda said, adopting a defensive stance with his blade, not relaxing his posture despite his far superior strength to Ji Xinghuo.

Ji Xinghuo held his blade tip down and bowed with his fist in respect before beginning.

He immediately stepped forward at a steady pace, akin to a jog, closing in on Tu Hongda quickly. His eyes were firmly locked onto the opponent, but not at Tu Hongda’s blade tip. Instead, he observed the other’s shoulders and footsteps. When only two or three meters remained, his speed suddenly increased.

A flash of the blade, casting a horizontal shadow.

A simple horizontal cut.

A hint of surprise flashed in Tu Hongda’s eyes; just from the first maneuver, he spotted something extraordinary about Ji Xinghuo.

He stepped back by half a step, also leaning his upper body backward a distance, and Ji Xinghuo’s blade tip just swept in front of him, causing the attack to miss. In an instant, he stomped his retreating right foot on the floor to rebound, advancing towards Ji Xinghuo while his blade had not yet retracted, lifting his War Blade upwards.

Unexpectedly, Ji Xinghuo also stepped back by half a step, causing the blade to miss as well.

Before he struck, he hadn’t used all his strength, leaving himself room to retreat.

Tu Hongda clearly anticipated this change. The moment his advancing right foot touched the ground, he lifted his left leg with a fierce knee strike, catching Ji Xinghuo off guard.

Boom.

Ji Xinghuo could only block it with his arm, and his whole body flew backward, retreating four or five steps before stopping.

Meanwhile, Tu Hongda stood his ground, not pursuing the attack.

"Not bad."

Tu Hongda looked impressed.

In these couple of exchanges, neither blade had collided, but their skills were evident.

Ji Xinghuo claimed to be Seventh Dan in martial arts. Tu Hongda had been somewhat skeptical at first, but now he saw there was no exaggeration. Moreover, Ji Xinghuo showed exceptional mental quality, facing an opponent far superior without any sign of panic, making the right choices each time.

"Again," Tu Hongda called out loudly.

Ji Xinghuo shook his numb arm. A burst of Rotating Magnetic Field, and he instantly recovered, raising his War Blade to close in on Tu Hongda once more.

Again, several flashes of attack and defense, their figures interchanging and Ji Xinghuo being driven back.

This round of sparring still did not result in blades clashing.

But a thud was heard.

He looked down at his chest where there was a mark on the armor, left by a strike from Tu Hongda’s blade. It wasn’t at full force and without using "Star Force," but it still caused pain in his chest.

"A martial arts master is really extraordinary," Ji Xinghuo’s eyes shone brightly, "Such high level!"

He immediately launched a third round of attacks.

In the Martial Arts Arena, two figures would come close every few seconds, then quickly separate again.

Tu Hongda maintained a defensive position throughout, his footwork never exceeding a three-meter range, yet he always effortlessly repelled Ji Xinghuo’s attacks. However, a few minutes later, Tu Hongda noticed something wrong. Although he could still drive Ji Xinghuo back, it was clearly becoming more difficult.

Initially, Tu Hongda could complete his defense and counterattack in two to three seconds.

After five minutes, it extended to about five seconds.

Even though he was only using a portion of his strength, for an intermediate Mutant, the body was bound to suffer minor injuries and pain, and their stamina would quickly exhaust.

But Ji Xinghuo showed no signs of fatigue, on the contrary, he was more eager to fight.

By the ten-minute mark, Ji Xinghuo had attacked over a hundred times. He was repeatedly driven back and equally often advanced waving his blade, failing and fighting again and again, his resilience and courage growing with each setback.

The members watching were all amazed.

When they first arrived, they all sparred with Coach Tu, but they couldn’t hold on for more than a minute or two, and the best had only lasted about three minutes.

"Is he really just an intermediate Ranger?" they wondered.

Tu Hongda was also surprised; Ji Xinghuo had exhibited the strength and speed of an intermediate Ranger sporting a nimble and versatile fighting style.