Chapter 29: 29: The First Fight
After Yang Xiong and his opponent both entered the arena's preparation area, Yang Xiong got his first clear look at his adversary. His opponent was an extremely robust middle-aged man who towered at a height of over two meters. His entire physique appeared to be composed entirely of muscle, and he carried an enormous hammer strapped across his back.
In comparison, Yang Xiong's build appeared much smaller and more compact, resembling an ordinary person standing before a giant.
The arena host began his enthusiastic introduction: "Hello everyone, and welcome to this Spirit Grand Master level spirit fighting competition! The two sides competing today are the 'World Hegemon' contestant and the 'Great Earth Wild Bull' contestant!"
"The 'World Hegemon' contestant is participating in spirit fighting competition for the very first time today, with a current arena record of zero wins and zero losses. His martial soul is his own body, and his spirit power has reached the twenty-fourth level."
"The 'Great Earth Wild Bull' contestant possesses the Wild Bull martial soul, his spirit power has reached the twenty-ninth level, and his current arena record stands at seven wins and two losses. He has already achieved an impressive three-game winning streak."
"Will the 'World Hegemon' contestant, participating in spirit fighting for the first time, achieve his inaugural victory? Or will the 'Great Earth Wild Bull' contestant complete the remarkable feat of a four-game winning streak? Please watch and witness the outcome! Now, let both Spirit Grand Masters step forward onto the arena!"
The two fighters had been waiting in the preparation area and now gradually walked toward the center of the combat ring.
When the two opponents truly stood together, the dramatic difference in their physical builds became even more obvious. The 'Great Earth Wild Bull' contestant was completely bare-chested, proudly displaying his impressive musculature. He even beat his chest dramatically, causing the entire spirit arena to erupt in excited cheering.
Yang Xiong felt his nervousness increasing. He could clearly observe that this 'Great Earth Wild Bull' contestant was obviously a pure strength-type Spirit Master, especially considering the massive hammer strapped to his back, which appeared to possess extraordinary weight. Normal spirit fighting competitions allowed the use of personal weapons, but very few participants chose to carry such large and cumbersome equipment into battle.
The 'Great Earth Wild Bull' contestant looked down at Yang Xiong with obvious disdain and condescension. "Little kid, I can see that you're still quite young. This kind of brutal Spirit Master competition isn't something a child like you should be participating in. You should go home quickly before you get seriously hurt."
Yang Xiong, who had been feeling genuinely nervous, suddenly found himself calming down completely. "Once we're both on this arena, the only way to determine anything is through actual combat. I'm also very curious to see exactly how strong a three-game winning streak contestant really is."
The host continued his announcement: "Both Spirit Grand Masters have exactly one minute of preparation time. Please summon your martial souls and display your spirit rings."
The 'Great Earth Wild Bull' contestant released a thunderous roar, and immediately an enormous Wild Bull phantom materialized around his powerful frame, accompanied by two distinctive yellow spirit rings.
Yang Xiong showed no hesitation whatsoever. A subtle but unmistakable light emanated from his entire body, and two yellow spirit rings also appeared around him.
After the minute of preparation concluded, the host continued his excited commentary: "Both Spirit Grand Masters are fully prepared! The spirit fighting competition officially begins now!"
As the competition commenced, the 'Great Earth Wild Bull' contestant immediately charged toward Yang Xiong at surprising speed for his size. His massive fist hurtled forward, apparently filled with devastating power.
Yang Xiong demonstrated remarkable speed, directly using a precise hand blade technique to strike the side of the incoming fist, causing the powerful attack to deviate slightly from its intended trajectory.
Seeing that his initial attack had missed completely, the 'Great Earth Wild Bull' contestant began throwing a continuous barrage of punches, each blow containing tremendous force.
However, in Yang Xiong's experienced eyes, this 'Great Earth Wild Bull' contestant possessed abundant raw power but completely lacked speed, not to mention any real flexibility or finesse. Moreover, there appeared to be no systematic technique connecting his individual punches. He had probably never received formal training in proper fighting methods.
After the two combatants exchanged attacks continuously for approximately thirty seconds, Yang Xiong relied on his exceptional body control and extremely fast movement speed to successfully avoid each incoming punch.
This represented Yang Xiong's first experience participating in competitive spirit fighting. Real combat proved completely different from practicing against sandbags and wooden training dummies. Living opponents were far more unpredictable in their movements and strategies. Even Yang Xiong felt somewhat overwhelmed initially, so he focused primarily on defensive evasion.
The 'Great Earth Wild Bull' contestant appeared unusually frustrated and angry. "Can't you fight like a real man and have a fair spirit competition? Why are you constantly thinking about dodging my attacks? What's the point of fighting in such a cowardly manner?"
A confident smile appeared on Yang Xiong's face. "Very well, then let me see exactly what kind of strength you possess to dare make such boastful claims."
Now that Yang Xiong had successfully adapted to the rhythm and pace of arena combat, when faced with the 'Great Earth Wild Bull' contestant's next powerful fist, he also threw his own punch forward. The two fists collided dramatically in mid-air. Yang Xiong's body remained completely motionless and stable, while the 'Great Earth Wild Bull' contestant was forced to take two steps backward. Obviously, in terms of pure physical strength, Yang Xiong proved significantly superior.
The 'Great Earth Wild Bull' contestant felt extreme surprise and disbelief. This was the first time in any Spirit Grand Master competition that he had lost to an opponent in a contest of raw strength, especially against someone who appeared much physically weaker than himself.
The 'Great Earth Wild Bull' contestant released another powerful roar, and his first spirit ring flashed with brilliant light. His entire body transformed, becoming like a massive Wild Bull charging forward with unstoppable momentum. This was his first spirit skill: Wild Bull Charge.
Yang Xiong observed his opponent's attack approach and couldn't help but complain internally. "How did this reckless fighter manage to achieve a three-game winning streak? The arena is so spacious that it would be incredibly easy for me to simply avoid his charge completely."
However, Yang Xiong also wanted to test the true limits of his own power capabilities. Countless streams of spirit power condensed around his clenched fist, and he launched it forward with maximum force.
Yang Xiong's fist, completely saturated with concentrated spirit power, collided directly with the enormous Wild Bull phantom. The entire scene filled with the thunderous sound of a massive collision, even accompanied by the distinct sound of cracking bones.
When the arena returned to calm once again, Yang Xiong stood peacefully in his original position, while the 'Great Earth Wild Bull' contestant had been knocked completely away from the impact. His hand was even bleeding slightly, indicating that he had suffered significant injury from this single devastating blow.
A trace of genuine horror appeared on the 'Great Earth Wild Bull' contestant's face. He had never expected that his opponent, who possessed spirit power five levels lower than his own, could actually use pure physical strength to completely defeat his spirit skill. If this opponent decided to use spirit skills, how incredibly powerful would he become?
However, this moment of terror proved only temporary. He gritted his teeth with determination, and his second spirit ring flashed with intense light. His already robust body appeared to become even more imposing and majestic. This was his second spirit skill: Wild Bull Strength, obviously a strength-type enhancement ability.
Seeing his opponent attacking once again, Yang Xiong clenched both fists and continued fighting with full power. The two combatants seemed to be engaging in a pure contest of strength and physical endurance, with neither appearing to gain a decisive advantage.
However, everyone watching understood that the 'Great Earth Wild Bull' contestant had already utilized both of his spirit skills, while Yang Xiong hadn't activated any spirit skills whatsoever. The difference in spirit power consumption between them was absolutely enormous.
After fighting intensely for a full minute, the 'Great Earth Wild Bull' contestant finally recognized the true gap in their capabilities. He actually withdrew the giant hammer from his back and swung it toward Yang Xiong, appearing unwilling to easily admit defeat.
Yang Xiong had originally intended simply to test his physical strength. Since his opponent had escalated to using weapons, it meant the other party was no longer holding back any of his power, and Yang Xiong no longer needed to continue playing defensively.
Yang Xiong's five fingers formed claw-like shapes, and he actually grabbed the handle of the massive hammer directly. The entire giant weapon immediately became completely motionless in his grip.
Immediately afterward, Yang Xiong spun around and delivered a powerful kick, striking the 'Great Earth Wild Bull' contestant forcefully in the abdomen. The entire man was directly launched several meters away by Yang Xiong's devastating attack.
Before his opponent could react or recover, Yang Xiong sprinted toward him with incredible speed, moving several times faster than during their previous exchanges. He appeared in front of the 'Great Earth Wild Bull' contestant like a phantom shadow. This time, he delivered a direct punch to his opponent's chest.
The 'Great Earth Wild Bull' contestant felt that his opponent's fist contained overwhelming power, as if his bones were being completely shattered. He immediately coughed up a mouthful of blood and collapsed onto the arena floor, appearing to have sustained serious injuries.
The audience initially responded with surprised silence, then erupted in thunderous cheering and applause. They had never expected that the three-game winning streak contestant would be so easily defeated by an opponent whose spirit power was five levels lower, and the entire battle had concluded remarkably quickly. The 'World Hegemon' contestant hadn't even needed to use any spirit skills.
A wry smile appeared on Yang Xiong's face. He seemed to have significantly overestimated the intensity and difficulty of spirit fighting competition.
Yang Xiong had trained rigorously since childhood, pursuing ultimate excellence in strength, speed, and reaction capabilities. Even his defensive abilities weren't lacking compared to his other attributes. The opponent he had just faced was obviously strong in terms of raw power among Spirit Masters of the same level, but his other combat aspects were far inferior to Yang Xiong's comprehensive development, particularly regarding speed and flexibility.
The expensive medicinal baths and painful body refinement training had given Yang Xiong physical strength that was definitely the most powerful among all Spirit Grand Masters.
Most fundamentally, the difference lay in the quality of their martial souls. After all, the Wild Bull was merely an ordinary strength-type beast martial soul, and the gap compared to truly top-tier martial souls was absolutely enormous.
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