The Favored Son of Heaven

A small stage would not be able to bear the fight between martial artists.

The organizers of the recruit tournament had simply rolled up the football lawn from the center of the stadium, revealing an enormous and solid reinforced concrete area.

This was the stage for the recruit martial artists. A standard football field that was a hundred and five meters in length and sixty-eight meters in breadth.

At this moment, three gold medal commentators were invited by the army to the commentary seats.

As the saying goes, while the connoisseur recognizes the artistry, the layman simply enjoys the show. In almost every martial arts tournament in the Federation, a few capable commentators would be invited for the commentary to stir up the audience.

“Fight the battle as I want…” Kyokushin Genichi silently repeated Qin Fen’s words as he asked himself, “What kind of battle do I want to fight?”

As Kyokushin Genichi’s name was announced through the microphone, he stopped asking himself temporarily and looked up at the distant Little Dragon King – Yang Lie, who was one of the favorite contestants of this recruit tournament’s martial arts event. The earlier depression in his heart had long disappeared, replaced by a heroic spirit that was gradually rising.

Opening his mouth and taking a deep breath, Kyokushin Genichi suddenly bellowed out a deep roar. It neither like a tiger nor a lion’s roar, yet this deafening roar carried an ambitious battle intent that made the listeners’ blood seeth.

From this roar, everyone could feel that the blood in his entire body had started to boil. As the battle intent erupted from his body, not even an ounce of frustration or timidity was felt.

When he finished roaring, Kyokushin Genichi stomped his feet on the ground as his figure launched towards the center of the field at an amazing speed. Every step he took, he used the basic footwork of the neo karate, the horse riding style. Looking at his upper and lower body moving up and down, it really gave the impression that a horse was galloping under his crotch.

Though the sudden rise in Kyokushin Genichi’s momentum wasn’t earth-shaking, Kyokushin Genichi’s aura of power, one that originally gave everyone the impression of being faint and dim, felt a lot stronger in an instant.

The appearance of Kyokushin Genichi drew the attention and praises of a large number of people.

Just now, when the drawing had ended, many among the audience believed that there wasn’t anything to expect from the opening match but gradually their opinion began to change.

A slight surprise flashed on that unperturbed face of Little Dragon King Yang Lie.

“When you run, your breathing has faint neighs of a horse. Your basics are much better than I have imagined. I underestimated you.”

Yang Lie’s gaze when looking at Kyokushin Genichi had a faint appreciation. His tone was as dull as an elder talking to a younger generation. He didn’t have the slightest bit of battle intent, nor were there any signs of his aura of power rising. His tone exhibited the attitude of a senior guiding his junior.

Same age but different attitudes, yet the side that wasn’t releasing any aura was showing the superior aura.

Seizing the chance!

Qin Fen narrowed his eyes to the point that only a slit-like gap remained. The martial arts tournament is indeed worthy of being the highlight of the recruit tournament. Little Dragon King, Yang Lie should be a very experienced fighter. Otherwise, he would not have been able to seize the chance and open up a gap between both sides just with a single comment of his.

Kyokushin Genichi, on the other hand, remained silent as he sized up Little Dragon King – Yang Lie. This mixed-blood from America had the broad skeleton and height of westerners. His height of one point nine meters didn’t give everyone the feeling of being too tall. And the white skin of westerners combined with the smooth skin of easterners added a little aesthetic feeling to it.

The outline of his face was particularly distinct. That coupled with those sapphire blue eyes of his, the merits of eastern and western blood were completely embodied in him.

Being handsome was strength in and of itself.

And Yang Lie brought this strength into full play. Seeing the calm and confident Yang Lie on the screen, the girls among the audiences screamed one after another.

“The bell is about to ring, do you have anything else to say?”

Yang Lie, holding his hands behind his back, stood in a very calm and poised manner, like an elder asking a junior.

“East Asian recruit, Kyokushin Genichi!”

Kyokushin Genichi shouted his name as he slowly pushed his one hand in front and pulled the other towards the back. His feet were a little spread apart, knees slightly bent. His right foot raised to his left knee, sole parallel to the ground and toes up. This was the most basic stance of the neo karate – The Crooked Raised Leg.

“Basic, he actually used the most basic stance of neo karate. What’s the matter? Has Kyokushin Genichi already decided to give up?”

The commentator finally couldn’t help but express his curiosity.

As professional commentators, the three commentators had given commentary to over a hundred matches. Yet they had never encountered things as strange as today.

At the same time, a confusion flashed in the minds of tens of thousands of spectators. Does this Kyokushin Genichi even know who he is up against?

In a case like this, generally, the contestant would start with their best finishing move to have a chance to create miracles.

Yang Lie pursed his lips into something that could not be described as a smile. Reporting your name, is it? If I remembered the names of every challenger, would I not be exhausted to death?  Pulling his legs apart in a Great Horse Stance, Yang Lie spread his shoulder to display the preparatory form of Arhat Fist in front of the crowd.

“Fitness exercise technique? What’s going on today? Can the opening match never escape from a dull beginning?”

The commentator’s voice rose and fell in cadence. His words struck a chord with the audience’s thoughts.

Fitness exercise techniques versus neo karate basic stance. One did not need to ponder to know how boring this kind of match was going to be.

At the sight of Yang Lie’s bearing, Kyokushin Genichi’s eyes immediately constricted. That smile was obviously a contemptuous smile. A long time ago, he used to give this kind of smile to others. It was a kind of contempt, showing that the challenger’s name was not worth remembering.

The bell rang right at the moment the audience was started feeling dejected.

Kyokushin Genichi, springing his knees, charged like a leopard. While at it, he also fired the neo karate – Horse Step Punch. His uniform flapped against the wind as he punched straight at Yang Lie’s chest.

The Horse Step Punch was the basic entry punch in neo karate. It might not be so exquisite, but it was more direct than those complex attacks.

Often, the simplest approach was also the most practical.

Kyokushin Genichi was very clear that in front of an expert like Little Dragon King – Yang Lie, his tricks would only result in humiliation sent back from the other side.

As such, he might as well fight in the simplest way rather than using finishing moves that could easily be broken by the opponent, which would only bring him humiliation. Over these days, he had been practicing new karate basic stances as required by Qin Fen every day. When he confronted his opponent, he simply didn’t need to think about anything, his body was completely in an automatic mode.

Yang Lie stood still where he was until the wind from Kyokushin Genichi’s punch blew on his face, whereat he promptly rotated his ankle! Using the impetus from this rotational force, he bent his waist as he easily dodged the neo karate’s Horse Step Punch, thereby appearing on Kyokushin Genichi’s side.

“Dragon Guard!”

“Oh my God! Dragon Guard!”

“Dragon…”

The three commentators exclaimed at the same time. At the sight of this, the listless audience in the grandstands had their eyes light up like light bulbs. Staring at Yang Lie’s movements, their jaws unconsciously dropped.

In the past, the recruit martial arts tournament had finishing moves flying about everywhere, dazzling the onlookers. But today, although this Dragon Guard belonged to fitness exercise techniques, Yang Lie used it with such finesse that it appeared as if a dragon was moving on the ground.

A bright gleam also flashed past Qin Fen’s eyes. Since his debut, it was the first time he saw someone else use the same Arhat Fist in a fight.

Having painstakingly practiced for many days, Kyokushin Genichi’s martial senses had grown a lot more than before. As such, he decisively ran up straight sensing that cold hostile intent by his side, while turning his right straight punch into a knife-hand strike, aiming at Yang Lie’s temple.

The neo karate battle style never leaned more towards defense than attack. It always took the lead step by step. That was also why when the bell rang, Kyokushin Genichi immediately launched an attack.

This time, neither the rotation of Yang Lie’s feet nor the movement of his body was obvious. His body moved sideways without any indication at all, like there was a rolling platform under his feet, dragging him along.

Dragon Guard! It was Dragon Guard yet again! Qin Fen began to understand why Little Dragon King – Yang Lie was called Little Dragon King. Apparently, the Dragon Guard this time was cast with much more finesse than before. The Dragon silhouette had truly appeared in his movement technique.

Immediately after, Yang Lie arrived right behind Kyokushin Genichi as the arm hidden in his sleeve suddenly leaped out. SWISH! Yang Lie suddenly struck a palm right behind Kyokushin Genichi’s heart. Before the palm could even come in contact with Kyokushin Genichi’s back, the pressure from the wind generated by Yang Lie’s palm had already formed a distinct palm seal on the uniform covering Kyokushin Genichi’s back.

Clenching his teeth, Kyokushin Genichi swiftly switched his legs as he charged forth like a warhorse. Immediately, the cold air pressing down on his back reduced by one third. However, a sharp crack rang out when just the wind from Yang Lie’s palm hit Kyokushin Genichi’s clothes.

Although Yang Lie’s Azure Dragon Breathing Cloud failed to land on Kyokushin Genichi, Yang Lie didn’t rush to pursue. Rather he stood where he was, quietly watching Kyokushin Genchi, who had finally stopped after having created a distance of twenty meters.

Having watched the attack and defense of both sides in such a short period of time, the audience no longer felt bored. Kyokushin Genichi’s performance was by far beyond everyone’s expectations.

The commentator, even more so, shouted in surprise, “Marvelous, truly marvelous! Surprisingly, Kyokushin Genichi wasn’t defeated as everyone had expected in this short exchange. Yang Lie’s calmness and indifference have shown us what an expert is. It seems this match is worth to watch.”

Beads of cold sweat had already appeared on Kyokushin Genichi’s forehead. From the beginning till now, Little Dragon King – Yang Lie had suppressed his strength to four-star peak, which was also the current level of Kyokushin Genichi.

What seemed fierce in other’s eyes simply didn’t require Yang Lie to use his true strength.

He’s not taking me seriously? A feeling of frustration rose in Kyokushin Genichi’s heart.  Is there even a small possibility to make the opposite party take me seriously?

Yang Lie advanced forward like he was walking in his own courtyard. When he was within a ten-meter radius of Kyokushin Genichi, he stopped and said, “I heard that you are Qin Fen’s disciple! I am a little curious about him. How strong is the martial strength of this recruit that he actually has the time to take on a disciple when he is rapidly improving? I am giving you one last chance to attack. You can boost your strength and technique with ease, I hope you can give me some pleasant surprise.”

Yang Lie’s voice wasn’t loud, but it was loud enough to be transmitted into the loudspeakers through the microphones installed in the surrounding.

Qin Fen? Tens of thousands of spectators curiously turned their gazes towards the seats of East Asian recruits, hoping to see what was so special about this young man that he drew the attention of Yang Lie.

Looking silently at Yang Lie, the feeling of frustration rose in Kyokushin Genichi’s heart once more. Finally, a faint wry smile appeared on his lips. “So, the reason why I could survive until now wasn’t because of my strength, but because I was Qin Fen’s apprentice. Do I really not have the qualifications to make others face me squarely?”

Kyokushin Genichi closed his eyes slowly as he circulated the true energy in his body. The scenes of him practicing martial arts quickly flashed past his mind.

The joy of becoming the official disciple of neo karate. The pride of passing with full marks. The happiness from defeating his juniors and seniors. The sense of loss when he was assigned to the recruit camp by his teacher. The humiliation when he could not even take a punch from an American recruit, as well as the cruel truth of new karate.

Joy, pride, happiness, loss, humiliation, heartache…

One after another, various emotions gathered together as Qin Fen’s figure began to appear in his mind. From blurriness to clarity, that overbearing punch from that day finally settled in his mind.

“Fight the battle as I want… fight the battle as I want…” Kyokushin Genichi muttered to himself with his eyes closed, “Just a moment ago, I still didn’t know what kind of battle exactly I want. But now I know. My request is not that high. I only want to punch, just once, like my teacher, that would be enough.”

Yang Jie’s calm face slightly moved. The four-star martial artist before him had a faint aggressive aura like that of a wild animal. Those drooping arm muscles of his were slightly twitching as if they were about to break out of the skin anytime.

Suddenly, Kyokushin Genichi fiercely opened his eyes as a crack appeared on the reinforced concrete floor under his feet. His figure suddenly skimmed five meters. As the soles of his feet came in contact with the ground, they made cracking sounds before the reinforced concrete floor cracked into several pieces once more. Once more, his figure skimmed another five meters. Under the high-speed movement of his body, his uniform flapped against the strong wind.

Following these two advances, the thumping sounds made by his two steps were amplified through the microphone by the loudspeakers, making them sound like the drumming of battle drums on an ancient battlefield.

The expression on that calm and poised face of Yang Lie quickly changed. How can a four-star martial artist raise his aura of power to such a level? This punch had not been fired yet, but the power gathered in this punch has already surpassed the peak of four-star. Even many five-star martial artists can’t do this.

Come out! My dream punch! I am risking everything on this punch! After this punch, this arm of mine will be disabled for life, please come out!

The true energy that had been pushed to the peak rushed into his arm like the Yangtze River. His muscles swelled in the blink of an eye, bursting forth with a muffled bang! Kyokushin Genichi’s left and right leg simultaneously shook the ground. At the same time, his left arm moved to the front of his abdomen while his right arm punched vertically from bottom to top through the inside of his left arm. Then, he flexed his elbow tip on his left fist eye, Soaring Cannon!*

With strength gathered to its peak, the punch gave rise to howling winds. Yang Lie’s uniform loudly flapped against the wind, giving off the feeling that the wind would blow him into the sky.

The punch had yet to land but the wind from the punch was already making Yang Lie’s face ache.

In the face of this fearsome blow, a slight happy expression appeared on Yang Lie’s face. His figure slightly quaked as he hurled his arm like a Dragon flinging its tail. Immediately after, the back of his fist ruthlessly slammed into Kyokushin Genichi’s Soaring Cannon!

As the Azure Dragon Flinging its Tail from the Azure Dragon Fist crashed into the Soaring Cannon, a muffled crack like a wooden stick whipping a quilt resounded.

Before the recoil from the collision between their respective muscles and bones could push their arm away, a red mist burst forth in the air, followed by the sounds of something hard shattering, rang continuously.

Kyokushin Genichi’s fist was dyed in red instantly. Even his entire sleeve was soaked in blood. His body was driven back under the recoil transmitted from his right arm. His figure only stabilized after he had back stepped twenty-eight times. Blood on his arm kept on dripping down his palm, while his arm muscles twitched involuntarily again and again.

Kyokushin Genichi’s rosy lips turned pale. His face and cheeks were covered in beads of sweat. His eyes kept on staring at Yang Lie while his chest heaved up and down continuously.

Did it, I did it! Kyokushin Genichi turned his gaze at Qin Fen as a sliver of a happy smile appeared on his pale lips.

Although he had been completely defeated after a single punch to a point where he could barely remain standing, he had indeed fired a punch that had surpassed the peak of that dream punch.

Three commentators who had seen many large scale battles were also staring blankly at Kyokushin Genichi. For a moment, they had forgotten their own jobs.

Yang Lie gently moved his five fingers to relieve the numbness in his palm.

How long has it been? Yang Lie thought really hard. It’s been too long since someone’s made my palm numb.

Qin Fen slowly raised his arm as he gently raised his thumb. His eyes filled with a smile of relief. If Kyokushin Genichi had not put everything on the line in that punch just now, he could only be an average martial artist in this life regardless of how that punch of his had turned out.

That punch had opened up his way of martial arts.

Kyokushin Genichi slowly raised his left hand as he said in a low voice, “I… admit defeat.”

The corners of Yang Lie’s lips lifted into a smile that also carried a slight appreciation.

Admit defeat! This was not an easy thing to do. Even though there were many people who had clearly given up in their mind, they would never say these two words, admit defeat!

Yang Lie had always looked down upon these kinds of people.

Trying to preserve their own face and having an unyielding heart were two completely different concepts.

Those who could advance and retreat usually had an unyielding heart.

The electronically synthesized voice echoed over the stadium, “The American recruit number one wins, East Asian recruit number two lost. Number one advances to the next round.”

While many among the audience had yet to recover from the shock of that last punch, Yang Lie had already arrived before Kyokushin Genichi. “Kyokushin Genichi, is it? Take care of your injuries, I am looking forward to the next match with you.”

Kyokushin Genichi’s pale lips cracked a smile. After having wagered everything in this match, his name had finally been remembered by his opponent. Immediately after, his body shook as he collapsed on the ground.

With all the tension released, how would Kyokushin Genichi have the strength to remain standing?

Doctors immediately rushed to the scene and put Kyokushin Genichi on a stretcher. At this moment, applauses came from the audience.

“Number two! Very good!”

“Number two! Get well soon!”

“Number two! You just had a stroke of bad luck, you are still very strong!”

Lying on the stretcher and listening to the encouragement coming from the grandstands, two lines of tears broke out from Kyokushin Genichi’s eyes.

“The result isn’t important, the important thing is the process.” Looking at the sky, Kyokushin Genichi mumbled to himself with a happy smile on his lips. “Teacher, I am beginning to understand, I have obtained a process.”

Yang Lie went down the stage and quietly sat on his seat. Recalling Kyokushin Genichi’s final burst with the Soaring Cannon, he could not help but wonder, If the apprentice is like this, how good is the teacher?

“Number thirty-two, please enter the stage.”

The synthesized voice slowly echoed in the stadium. Qin Fen slowly rose from his seat. At this moment, the gazes of all the audience were focused on him.