Chapter 131 — The First Fight

Chapter 131: Chapter 131 — The First Fight

Chapter 131 — The First Fight

Thirty minutes passed quickly.

Victor opened his eyes.

The Spiritual Energy surrounding his body slowly dissipated as he finished his meditation. His breathing steadied, and he rolled his shoulders before getting to his feet.

His first opponent was already approaching.

The Lava Rock Monkey looked fairly ordinary.

There was nothing particularly distinctive about him. His build was average, his features unremarkable, and nothing about his appearance immediately demanded attention.

His eyes were different, though.

They carried a hardened quality.

The kind of eyes that suggested he had experienced a lot of battles.

A small smile rested on his face as he approached Victor.

When he reached him, he extended his hand.

"Monkfallow."

Victor shook it.

"Victor."

They released each other’s hands and looked toward the dueling platform.

They walked toward it together.

Once they reached the platform, they took their positions and bowed.

Then the fight began.

Victor didn’t move.

Normally, his first instinct would have been to activate Flash Step and close the distance before his opponent had a chance to react.

But that wasn’t why he was here.

He couldn’t use techniques.

More importantly, Monkaster had specifically told him that his martial arts needed work.

So Victor waited.

Monkfallow charged first.

His footsteps were quick and controlled as he closed the distance.

His right fist shot toward Victor’s face.

Victor sidestepped.

The punch passed beside his cheek.

His movement wasn’t perfect.

His footwork was still slightly rough, and his positioning could have been better.

But compared to a week ago, there was a clear difference.

Victor’s body moved with greater control.

He shifted his weight. And he maintained his balance.

And the moment Monkfallow’s punch passed him, Victor rotated his body.

His leg swept upward.

Bang!

His heel struck Monkfallow on the side of the head.

Monkfallow stumbled sideways.

Victor expected him to retreat.

Instead, something changed in his eyes.

The hardened look became sharper.

Almost fiery.

Victor immediately understood.

He likes getting hit.

Monkfallow planted his foot.

Then he charged.

His speed increased.

Victor’s eyes narrowed.

He’s good.

His movements were polished and efficient, and he understood how to transition between attacks without leaving obvious openings.

He was also still relatively young.

Victor estimated that he was around twelve or thirteen.

He hadn’t even begun properly cultivating Monkey Fist yet.

From what Victor had learned, most Lava Rock Monkeys didn’t begin seriously learning Monkey Fist until they were around fourteen or fifteen.

Some started at thirteen.

But that was rare.

Their meridians needed to develop enough to withstand the Spiritual Energy required for the technique.

Attempting it too early could damage their future cultivation prospects.

He’s still this good without Monkey Fist?

Victor barely had time to finish the thought.

Monkfallow attacked again.

A straight punch.

Victor raised his arm to block.

But—

The punch stopped halfway.

A feint.

Victor’s instincts reacted.

But not quickly enough.

Monkfallow’s left fist came from the opposite side.

Bang!

The punch smashed into Victor’s face.

His head snapped sideways.

A sharp sting spread across his cheek.

Victor staggered.

Monkfallow didn’t hesitate.

He rushed forward.

Victor barely recovered before another punch slammed into his stomach.

Thud!

His body folded slightly.

Another punch struck his shoulder.

Then another caught his ribs.

Monkfallow kept coming.

Victor was currently being destroyed.

There was no other way to describe it.

Victor’s improved fundamentals were helping him survive, but they weren’t enough.

Monkfallow was simply better.

Damn.

This was exactly what Monkaster had warned him about.

His actual martial arts foundation was still developing.

And now he was fighting someone who had spent far more time mastering the basics.

Monkfallow saw Victor stumble again.

His eyes brightened.

He thought he had him.

Victor could see it.

He thinks I’m finished.

Monkfallow charged forward recklessly.

His attacks became less controlled.

He had become confident.

Victor forced himself to straighten.

His breathing was heavier now.

But Monkaster’s voice echoed through his mind.

Fix your posture.

Victor adjusted his stance.

His feet settled beneath him.

His shoulders relaxed.

His center of gravity lowered.

He stopped trying to force his body to move.

Instead, he waited.

Monkfallow rushed toward him.

His right fist came forward.

Victor watched it.

The fist approached.

Victor shifted.

The punch passed beside his face.

Victor stepped forward.

His hips rotated.

His shoulder followed.

And his fist traveled upward.

BOOM!

His knuckles connected directly with Monkfallow’s jaw.

The lace rock monkey’s eyes went wide.

Then the light disappeared from them.

His body went limp.

He collapsed onto the platform.

Victor stood over him, breathing heavily.

For a moment, he simply stared.

Then he couldn’t help but smile.

The good old-fashioned punch to the chin.

Still works.

Victor looked toward the edge of the arena.

Monkaster was sitting there.

The old monkey gave him a small nod.

"Good, Victor."

Victor straightened.

"You have about five minutes."

Monkaster gestured toward the platform.

"Your next opponent will be here after that. Start cultivating and prepare yourself."

Victor nodded.

"Yes, Teacher."

Monkasa climbed onto the platform and immediately went over to Monkfallow.

He carefully dragged the unconscious monkey toward the grassy area beside the dueling platform and laid him down.

Victor watched for only a moment before sitting down.

He crossed his legs.

Closed his eyes.

And began cultivating.

He didn’t have the luxury of resting for hours between battles.

He hadn’t used any Spiritual Energy during the fight, but his body had still been pushed hard. His muscles ached, his lip was split, and several bruises were already forming across his body.

Five minutes wasn’t nearly enough to recover.

As he cultivated, Victor replayed the fight in his mind.

He analyzed every movement.

Every mistake.

Every opening.

He understood something important.

His fundamentals weren’t suddenly good because he had trained for a week.

They were simply better than they had been.

There was still a long way to go.

But that was exactly why Monkaster had given him these fights.

Every opponent was another lesson.

Every mistake was something he could correct.

Victor opened his eyes.

One down.

He looked at the dueling platform.

And at least twenty two more today.

His expression became slightly bitter.

Every bit of energy was going to matter.

A few minutes later, Victor stood.

Another Lava Rock Monkey was approaching.

This one immediately caught Victor’s attention.

He had enormous ears.

They were easily the largest ears Victor had seen on a Lava Rock Monkey so far.

They flopped slightly with every step he took.

The monkey walked toward Victor with a calm expression.

When he reached him, he gave a small nod.

"My name is Monksonk."

Victor nodded.

"Victor."

Monksonk smiled.

"I look forward to our duel."

Victor glanced toward the ranking information.

Rank 199.

Victor’s expression flattened.

Another one.

He looked toward the dueling platform.

Then back at Monksonk.

The first fight had already left his body aching.

And he still had dozens ahead of him.

Victor took a slow breath.

This is going to be a very long day.

He stepped onto the dueling platform.

Monksonk followed.

They took their positions.

Then both bowed.

And Victor prepared for his second fight.