Chapter 14: The Bounty Fighter

“Still looking around? Hurry up and do as I said!” Zhang Wen impatiently waved his hand.

“Oh! Yes, sir!” Under Zhang Wen’s authority, Zack and Cloud reluctantly suppressed their confusion and assumed their fighting stances once again.

Although Cloud’s martial arts skills were not as good as Zack’s, he was still a top-level fifth-grade fighter. The moment Cloud infused his battle energy into his crystal-energy sword, the dark red blade immediately lit up with a buzzing sound. The pressure generated by the sudden burst of battle energy beneath Cloud’s feet sent dust swirling high into the air of the training ground.

“Haa!” With a fearless气势, Cloud swung his sword with all his strength, shouting loudly.

“Haa!” With fearless determination, Cloud swung his sword with all his strength, shouting at the top of his lungs.

Cloud’s impressive气势 didn’t attract much attention from Zack, because during their usual practice, Cloud’s power output was consistently like this when facing Zack.

“Hehe!” Zack smiled slightly, watching the incoming trajectory of Cloud’s crystal-energy sword with satisfaction. When Cloud reached the predetermined position, Zack executed the pre-planned move exactly as planned.

Pah! The two crystal-energy swords clashed head-on. Zack’s battle energy was naturally slightly stronger than Cloud’s, and the move he used happened to counter Cloud’s “V-cut” technique. Naturally, the result of the clash was Cloud being unable to withstand Zack’s fierce counterattack.

As Zack’s battle energy surged through the point of contact between their crystal-energy swords, Cloud was instantly pushed backward. His right hand, gripping the sword, was flung backward, leaving him almost completely defenseless at that moment.

Of course, Zack would not miss such a great opportunity for a continuous attack. Immediately following his previous plan, he launched another strike at Cloud. This time, Zack used the fourth move Zhang Wen had taught them—the spinning body, using waist power to make the crystal-energy sword slash downward in succession.

For Cloud, who had just suffered a setback, Zack’s continuous attacks were ruthless. He barely managed to block this move with all his might, but was simultaneously forced to stagger backward several steps by the surging battle energy.

Successfully landing two consecutive attacks thrilled Zack immensely. He quickly followed up, determined to press Cloud into submission. Watching Zack charge forward aggressively, Cloud indeed felt as though defeat was inevitable. However, as long as his crystal-energy sword remained in his hand, he had no intention of surrendering voluntarily. Thus, Cloud instinctively launched a thrusting attack.

When Amelia saw Cloud being pushed backward in disarray and then launching a thrust, the pretty girl also thought Cloud was certainly going to lose. After all, Zhang Wen had personally demonstrated the countermeasure for this move using Amelia’s hands earlier. Naturally, Cloud and Zack should have been most proficient in responding to this technique. However, what happened next left the pretty girl astonished, her beautiful eyes widening in surprise.

When Zack saw Cloud launch the thrust, he seemed to be under some kind of spell, hesitating involuntarily for a moment.

Zack’s hesitation wasn’t long, but his opponent was Cloud, a fellow fifth-grade peak martial artist. When two martial artists of equal rank fought, even a tenth of a second’s hesitation could be fatal—in the Empire, this proverb was something even a three-year-old could recite.

Although Cloud was also momentarily surprised when he noticed Zack’s odd behavior, the thrust was a move he had practiced countless times. Without even thinking, his body instinctively charged forward.

In just a single breath, the advantage Zack had painstakingly built up vanished. And when he tried to use the move Zhang Wen had shown Amelia to counter himself earlier, he had already missed the optimal timing. His crystal-energy sword, rising upward, failed to gain enough distance for a proper swing before colliding with Cloud’s blade.

The full-strength clash of battle energy from two fifth-grade masters not only caused a thunderous boom across the training ground but also unleashed a violent shockwave of air pressure from the point of contact between their crystal-energy swords.

In this single strike alone, neither Zack nor Cloud gained any advantage. Both were blasted backward by the immense force from the other’s attack. They each flipped back and landed about four or five steps apart.

Cloud, having regained the upper hand, did not wait for Zack to catch his breath before launching another attack. However, this time, instead of his usual thrust, Cloud used another common Imperial martial arts technique—the spinning slash.

“Hehe!” When Zhang Wen saw Cloud execute this move, an involuntary smile crept onto the corner of his mouth.

“Mr. Zhang, why are you smiling? Cloud is rushing in so recklessly! He hasn’t even steadied himself yet and is already using the spinning slash. He can’t even exert half his strength. Isn’t that just suicide?” Seeing Zhang Wen’s smile, Amelia’s curiosity was immediately piqued.

“Hehe. Cloud is clever. He’s discovered Zack’s weakness.” Zhang Wen chuckled and shook his head.

“Opening?” The pretty girl pouted, defiantly directing her gaze toward the two fighters on the training ground.

And this time, Zack seemed to deliberately act in accordance with Zhang Wen’s words, hesitating inexplicably again as Cloud attacked! If Zack’s first hesitation merely cost him a chance to win decisively, then this second hesitation came at an even greater price!

When Cloud had already taken two steps forward and fully committed to the spinning slash stance, Zack only hurriedly executed the move they had previously devised to counter the spinning slash.

However, due to his earlier hesitation, Zack had already missed the timing to contain Cloud. His move hadn’t even reached halfway when Cloud’s crystal-energy sword came slashing horizontally from left to right.

Clang! In a panic, Zack raised his sword to block, but was immediately sent flying backward by Cloud’s strike. Cloud, however, was able to press his advantage. His battle energy erupted once more, accompanied by a crisp crackling sound, as Cloud leapt into the air, tilting his body sideways, his right hand holding the sword raised beside his left shoulder.

Already at a disadvantage, Zack saw Cloud’s fully charged strike and became even more frantic. Helplessly, he abandoned the techniques Zhang Wen had taught him and, just like in the past, directly launched a final counterattack with a simple thrust.

Boom! Their swords clashed again, the explosive battle energy creating another thunderous roar. Cloud was blown backward several steps by the shockwave, while Zack was not only disarmed of his crystal-energy sword but also tumbled several times on the ground.

“You lost!” By the time Zack, dazed and confused from his fall, regained his senses, Cloud had already placed his sword against Zack’s throat.

“Aww! What bad luck! How could I forget such an important thing!” Zack stood up with a gloomy expression, muttering under his breath while brushing dust off his clothes. Meanwhile, the victorious Cloud also stood with his head bowed, looking rather unenthusiastic.

“Mr. Zhang, what exactly happened? Was there something wrong with the consecutive techniques we developed? But just now during the test, everything seemed fine… Anyway, Zack’s loss was so strange! Also, you mentioned earlier that Cloud noticed Zack’s weakness. What exactly was Zack’s weakness?” Sitting on a bench by the training ground, the curious Amelia once again clung to Zhang Wen like a piece of chewing gum.

“Hehe, actually, it’s quite simple.” Zhang Wen stood up, took a deep breath, and shook his head at the pretty girl. “Your methods for countering the Federation techniques weren’t wrong, but your experience was too limited!”

“Experience… experience.” Amelia softly repeated the key words from Zhang Wen’s explanation twice, and suddenly her expression changed to one of realization.

Amelia was no ordinary talent to have entered Almeyris Academy and become a member of the Shùn Department. Under Zhang Wen’s guidance, she immediately grasped the crux of the matter.

As Zhang Wen had said, Zack’s defeat wasn’t due to poor countermeasures against Cloud’s techniques, but rather because his practical application of these moves was far too limited. For a martial artist, the techniques used in battle were often moves honed through countless repetitions and memorized by the body itself. During combat, one could naturally execute them without any conscious thought.

The techniques Zhang Wen had taught them, although practiced by Zack for a significant amount of time, were still far from reaching the level of reflexive execution. This meant that when Zack saw Cloud’s attacks, he still had to think about what countermeasure to use.

Cloud had noticed this and, regardless of whether he had fully steadied himself, continued his relentless assault. This way, Zack had no opportunity to catch his breath. Each hesitation and mistake he made during his thinking process accumulated and grew larger.

“Mr. Zhang,” soon after, Zack and Cloud sheathed their crystal-energy swords and returned to Zhang Wen. From Zack’s slightly dejected expression, it was clear he had already understood the reason for his defeat.

“Mr. Zhang, we…” Cloud hesitated halfway through his sentence, only to be interrupted by Zhang Wen raising his hand.

“I know what you want to say.” Zhang Wen’s gaze swept over the two anxious figures before him, gradually softening into a smile. “Alright! Cheer up! Don’t look like a pair of drowned dogs! You’ve realized the problem, and that’s good!”

“But…” Zack hesitated again, wanting to speak but holding back.

“I know. We only have two days left. With such a short time, there’s no way to increase your practical experience using conventional methods. So, I’ve prepared a very interesting special training plan for you.” Zhang Wen casually snapped his fingers, and the playful glint in his eyes made Zack and Cloud instinctively shiver.

Kemal Arena—for most citizens living in the Empire, this was a name so familiar it couldn’t be more recognizable. For the martial-arts-loving people of the Empire, their passion for duels was comparable to the ancient Romans’ love for gladiatorial combat.

As the largest arena in the Empire, Kemal Arena’s reputation had spread to every corner of the Empire. In fact, there was even a saying in the Empire: “In an Empire city, there might be no mayor or police station, but there will definitely be a Kemal Arena.”

The only arena that could rival Kemal Arena was the Royal Arena, which belonged exclusively to the Imperial family and represented the highest honor for martial artists in the Empire.

However, unlike the Royal Arena, which was famous for hosting only one public competition annually and inviting only the most elite martial artists, Kemal Arena gained its reputation precisely because of its accessibility to the common people.

There were no restrictions on who could participate in the arena battles. Whether commoners or nobles, criminals or officials—even a dog could become an officially recognized “fighter” at Kemal Arena, as long as the required fees were paid.

For example, Zhang Wen and his companions, who had just entered Kemal Arena. After each paid 200 Imperial Marks, they quickly became “apprentice fighters” of Kemal Arena.

“Welcome, everyone, to Kemal Arena. Here are your registration cards—please keep them safe! In the future, all your match rewards will be directly deposited into these cards. These registration cards can be used at any bank or store throughout the Empire,” the female staff member explained while handing three exquisite念术 cards to Zhang Wen—excluding Zhang Wen’s own card.

In reality, while Zhang Wen was cultivating the Spring Water Technique, he had always regarded Kemal Arena as the best place to accumulate practical experience. Before hitting a bottleneck in his Spring Water Technique cultivation, Zhang Wen had fought at Kemal Arena almost daily. In the past six months alone, he had visited Kemal Arena more than a hundred times.

However, considering the school rules of Almeyris Academy, Zhang Wen always made sure to disguise his appearance whenever he visited the arena to prevent being recognized. Today was the first time he had walked in so openly. Hence, the female staff member failed to recognize him.

“Oh? Rewards? You can actually get rewards for fighting here?” After listening to the female staff member’s explanation, Zhang Wen, already well-versed in the arena’s rules, remained unaffected, but Zack, visiting such a place for the first time, immediately became a curious puppy.

Given Kemal Arena’s reputation throughout the Empire, its rules were practically more widely known than the Emperor’s name itself. Honestly, if someone else had asked this question, the female staff member might have rolled her eyes in annoyance.

However, seeing Zack and Cloud’s handsome faces capable of making women scream in delight, and Zhang Wen’s mature masculine aura, the female staff member’s eyes sparkled with stars. Not only was Zack asking a somewhat silly question, but even if he had asked what color underwear she was wearing today, she would probably have blushed and obediently answered.

Sure enough, the female staff member quickly, with sparkling eyes and infinite patience, explained to Zack: “Yes, becoming a fighter at Kemal Arena does come with rewards. And the rewards are quite generous! Haha! To put it simply, just making it into the top 64 of Kemal Arena’s annual rankings guarantees a prize of one million Imperial Marks per person! And if you win the annual final and earn the title of ‘Kemal’s Strongest Fighter,’ the rewards you receive would be beyond your imagination!” The female staff member winked mysteriously at Zack when she finished the last sentence.

Although Zack’s father, as the commander-in-chief of the Shinra military, was a high-ranking noble in the Empire, the strict family discipline of the Shinra family had always kept Zack’s allowance tightly controlled. Even to the point that Zack, the popular heartthrob of Almeyris Academy, hadn’t dared to date anyone yet. Now, presented with an opportunity to improve his dire financial situation, Zack was overjoyed.

“So, if we win our matches later, we’ll also get prize money?” He eagerly asked again with a smile.

“That恐怕 won’t be possible,” the female staff member replied with a smile, noticing Zack’s eagerness. “The rewards at Kemal Arena are generous, so we must set corresponding rules to prevent cheating. You’ve only just registered with Kemal Arena today, so you currently hold only the most basic ‘apprentice fighter’ status. Before you can be promoted to bounty fighters of the arena, you won’t be eligible for any rewards.”

“How come?” Zack frowned in disappointment but quickly smiled with renewed hope. “If that’s the case, all I need to do is become a bounty fighter, right? So what conditions are required to become a bounty fighter?”

“You want to become a bounty fighter?” The female staff member looked at Zack and Cloud again, smiling as she shook her head. Although she tried to hide her disdain, the upturned corner of her mouth betrayed her true thoughts—just by looking at their faces, it was obvious these two young men couldn’t possibly be martial arts experts!

Although the female staff member looked down on Zack in her heart, she was still quite willing to explain further for the sake of his handsome face: “Kemal Arena is different from other small arenas in the Empire. Here, the number of bounty fighters in each arena is fixed! Do you see that wall over there?” As she spoke, the female staff member pointed toward a stone wall standing in the center of the arena’s main hall.

“Yes, I see it,” Zack nodded.

In fact, when Zack and the others followed Zhang Wen into the Kemal Arena building, they had already noticed that stone wall placed at the most prominent location near the entrance of the building.

The stone wall was about two meters high and approximately three meters wide. The material wasn’t rare, just common marble. However, on both sides of the wall, there were four armed guards stationed. On the front of the wall, neatly carved were dozens of rows of square indentations of similar size. Most of these indentations contained identity plaques made from various materials.

“Those identity plaques are the symbols of our Kemal Arena’s bounty fighters,” the female staff member explained to Zack, her eyes filled with pride. “Each identity plaque corresponds to a bounty fighter. Currently, there are a total of one hundred and twenty bounty fighters in this arena. If you want to become a bounty fighter, you must challenge them.”

“Well then, what are we waiting for? Hurry up and arrange it for me!” Zack became excited again, eager to start.

“Hehe, don’t be in such a hurry. Challenging bounty fighters isn’t that simple! According to the regulations of Kemal Arena, bounty fighters are divided into five levels: Imperial Fighter, System Fighter, Planetary Fighter, Elite Fighter, and Honor Fighter. To challenge a higher-level fighter, you must first obtain the challenge qualification of the lower level. Therefore, the only level you can currently challenge is the Honor Fighter.” The female staff member continued with a smile, raising her eyebrows at Zack. “However, as you can see, we only have fifty-one Honor Fighters here. But there are thousands of apprentice fighters. If everyone could randomly request to fight against Honor Fighters, they would be worn out from exhaustion. Therefore, before challenging the Honor Fighters, you must first obtain the corresponding challenge qualification.”

“Right, right! Please continue!” Zack nodded eagerly.

“Hehe! Don’t underestimate the Honor Fighters just because they’re the lowest level in Kemal Arena’s bounty fighter hierarchy. They’ve all fought their way through countless challenges,” the female staff member couldn’t help but purse her lips in amusement at Zack’s excitement. “Alright. If you really want to challenge them, you must win at least ten out of the next fifteen matches against other apprentice fighters. Only then will you earn the right to challenge an Honor Fighter. Additionally, I must mention that if you fail the challenge, you will automatically lose your apprentice fighter status. If you wish to challenge again, you’ll have to pay another 200 Imperial Marks registration fee and start from scratch.”

“Got it! Got it! Hurry up and let me fight other apprentice fighters! What are you waiting for?” Before the female staff member had even finished speaking, an impatient Zack couldn’t help but shout out.

“Then follow me,” the female staff member shrugged indifferently and finally led Zhang Wen’s group toward the core area of the arena’s first floor.