Martial Arts Master

Snap!

Ren Li shifted her position slightly and snapped three pictures of the arena. After browsing through them, she was content enough to upload them to the live-stream thread.

She watched the battle a little longer before refreshing the thread, curious about what other people thought of her photography prowess.

“@Schrodinger’s Tiger, it’s so blurry. [Sighing while covering face]” replied “Unparalleled Dragon King”.

“Little Tiger, are your hands trembling from excessive hand exercises? [Funny face]” replied “Okamoto’s Fan.”

“I can only differentiate them by the colour of their clothes…” replied “Above The Sky.”

Ren Li’s eyelids twitched with indignation.

“At the speed they were moving, it’s already the best I could do with a phone camera!”

Though her explanation wasn’t off, she made a mistake by adding the exclamation mark.

“…Little Tiger, are you in a bad mood?” replied “Wonton Seller”.

“I was wrong about you overworking your hands, it’s evident now that you have a lot of pent up frustration… [tears of joy]” replied “Okamoto’s Fan.”

“Get lost!” replied Ren Li. “Gross freak!”

No one replied for the next the ten seconds or so, until “Wonton Seller” broke the silence.

“D-did Little Tiger get hacked? [shocked]”

The Little Tiger today seemed as if he wanted to pick a fight with the whole world.

Ren Li gave the phone a reflective glance then deftly signed out of the forums and locked its screen, looking out at the arena as if nothing had happened.

…

By putting everything in his arsenal— formulas, moves, combat experience and fighting talents— together for harmonious perfection, Lou Cheng had outdone himself and suppressed Veigar from the get go, coming close to actually defeating him. Yet, the Inhuman monster managed to tough out the fierce assault and wriggle his way out of his predicament which brought the two back to the same starting line.

However, after the round of attacks, Lou Cheng vaguely felt as though he had made a breakthrough in his journey of Martial Arts, not in terms of stages, but rather his prowess in actual combat .

Bam!

With the “glove” of electricity on his right fist, Veigar’s punches struck heavily, forcing Lou Cheng to defend himself with his Dan stage explosions. He used “Force Concentration” to reduce the numbing effects of the electricity, moving around agilely while relying on borrowed strength.

Bam bam bam!

Veigar’s kicks and elbows and knees and punches rained down on Lou Cheng without a pause, like waves of a tsunami crashing down, but instead if water, it was all electricity. The immense pressure gave Lou Cheng neither a chance to activate the Nine Word Formulas nor any simplified version of physical invulnerability state, and he had to take the assault head-on by triggering Dan Stage explosions with the techniques from “24 Blizzard Strikes”.

Bang bang bang! Their limbs kept clashing, producing gust and serpentlike sparks. Many a time, Lou Cheng came so close to turning the tides by connecting seven to eight hits in a row with borrowed strength, but each time Veigar paused his perfect timing to disrupt the attacks with “Thunder explosion” and other similar moves that were often followed by strong punches and kicks preventing any chances for Lou Cheng to set up his killer moves. With his advantage in stage and power, he was slowly marching towards victory by wearing Lou Cheng out.

Lou Cheng saw little hope in the turnabout, and the hopeless situation made him feel like he was the subject of the “boiling frog” experiment. The terrors of an Inhuman mighty one was being deeply ingrained in him.

Without a miracle, it would indubitably be his loss! The realization began to dawn on him, yet he could not find a chance or method to break free from the suppression. The enemy was too strong, and the ending seemed to have been already set in stone.

It was all or nothing!

Once Lou Cheng had decided on that, his eyes grew more determined as he concentrated on his force and threw his weight into every step he made while swinging out with his bloating right arm.

Zzzzzap! Veigar lashed out with his left fist in its silvery glove, directing colliding into Lou Cheng’s fist.

Bang!

With a dull thud, sparks splashed all over the place. Lou Cheng reeled back from the recoil. All of a sudden he straightened his back and deliberately flew backwards, stanceless and vulnerable.

Veigar would never let such an opportunity slip. Bouncing his strong leg muscles off the ground, he chased after Lou Cheng and instantly closed the distance between them. He was planning on closing the fight next in the next couple of moves.

The speed of an Inhuman was akin to an upper Sixth Pin with in built effects of “Attainment Formula”.

At that moment, instead of finding his balance and stance, Lou Cheng raised his hands and formed another seal, visualizing an ancient character that conjured images of a horrifying battlefield that reeked of thick blood.

He had flown into the face of danger for the chance to use the Nine Word Formula!

One had to throw himself into the fire if he wanted to rise from the ashes!

“Army!” chanted Lou Cheng in a deep voice.

His bloodlust seemed to have materialized into a lance that stabbed at Veigar, stirring up his inner fear and cowardice towards death.

Veigar’s movements began to slow, but being an Inhuman mighty one that had sharpened his will through slaughters on the battlefield, he managed to snap out of it before getting hit by “Severe Warning”.

Lou Cheng’s mind was clear as ice. Holding back his disappointment, he decisively gave up the opportunity to strike his opponent’s stomach. He twisted and turned his waist as his muscles continued bulging, and in the blink of an eye he had slipped to the side of his opponent with the footwork of “North Wind”.

Boom!

His swift movements sliced through the air, sending blades of wind towards his opponent’s eyes.

“Ascension to Heaven’s Stars!”

Just as Veigar squinted, Lou Cheng formed another seal, pointing his hands towards himself.

“Fighting!” he roared.

His physique grew rapidly, muscles bulging and pulsating, in a ridiculous manner as if he was turning into a heavenly warrior from the tales. His right fist weighed down, ready to be unleashed.

“It really is the Fighting Formula…” mused Peng Leyun. He wasn’t sure for the first time since it all happened so fast, but looking at it again he was certain.

To think of it, Lou Cheng had acquired quite a number of the Nine Word Formulas.

Among the Japanese Representatives, Takeshi Yamashita frowned.

Against the explosive Fighting Formula, Veigar dared not let his guard down. The silver in his sparks intensified as he leaned sideways and spun circles of electric serpents, rapidly drilling towards his enemy.

Ultimate move, “Spark Drill!”

As if waiting for this moment, Lou Cheng straightened his back and evaded the attack, all while dragging his right fist. Veigar’s Spark Drill missed and landed nearby.

That was the outcome Lou Cheng was hoping to achieve at the cost of wasting his Fighting Formula.

In his mock battles with Peng Leyun, the latter duly mimicking Veigar’s battle style had given him a good idea of what the mighty one from Miluo was capable of. He knew that right after using “Spark Drill” or “Invincible Thunder Explosion”, Veigar couldn’t immediately attack again and had to take a moment to catch his breath.

That was his chance!

Snap! Lou Cheng shot forward like an arrow, appearing before his enemy in a snap. A thick layer of “Ice Armor” formed on his left arm. Raising it like a shield, he then formed a fist with his right hand, poised for attack.

At the same time, he had once again visualized the image of “Ice Spirit Holy Light”, that heatless void of darkness, and was ready to deliver a killing blow with another “Severe Warning”.

Dodging was not an option, neither was he ready for more explosive moves or in the position for blocking. A hateful look flashed across Veigar’s eyes, which were gleaming ever more cruelly.

Without a warning, he leapt high up into the air, slanting his legs and stepping towards Lou Cheng’s skull.

Come! Lou Cheng had prepared for this. Visualizing “thunderclouds” breaking through the ice, he straightened himself and flew upwards with an uppercut headed towards his opponent who could no longer change his direction.

Rocket-like punch! Severe Warning!

Had they they clashed like that, at worst Lou Cheng would recoil downwards and stagger. Veigar, on the other hand, would be knocked out of his mind and fall heavily on the ground. It was the perfect opportunity for Lou Cheng to win!

But at that moment, Veigar twisted his shoulders and crossed his legs, forming a silvery white ball of electricity that went sizzling downwards at the speed of a bubble. It hit Lou Cheng directly and Veigar rode on the impact to adjust his position midair.

That was an experimental move he had never revealed in real combat before!

Zap! Lou Cheng, who was flying upwards in an uppercut position, felt his body turn numb. His attack missed as they met side by side in the air.

Bam!

Veigar took the opportunity to deliver an elbow to Lou Cheng’s chest. Barely managing to block it with his left arm armored in ice, Lou Cheng flew backwards from the impact.

From the clash, Veigar gained a downward momentum and landed first. He sprang up towards Lou Cheng, dodging a huge fireball the latter had casted at him in desperation.

Boom!

Lou Cheng’s final move hit the ground of the arena, detonating a strong explosion that set off a scarlet sea of flames accompanied by strong gusts.

Bam! Right after Lou Cheng manoeuvred using the impact, Veigar was already a step ahead crashing into him in his “Spark Drill” form.

Blocking with both of his arms, Lou Cheng began seeing stars as he was immobilized on the ground.

When he had regained consciousness, a burnt smell filled his nostrils and from the corner of his eyes, he saw the silhouette of the referee with his right hand raised.

“Veigar wins!”

The deep and hoarse voice echoed through the stadium, and the crowd went wild.