"Yes, Master! I’ll go to the Great Xia officials and demand that they hand over that damned shepherd boy so we can cut off one of his hands as well!" Another disciple, Fujisai Jirō, suggested, "We can put pressure on Great Xia’s authorities to comply."
"That’s right! Every disciple of our Sword Sect is a carefully chosen treasure. That Great Xia farmer dared to cripple our junior brother Kawashima Shi—he absolutely cannot be forgiven!" Maeda Daisen also spoke furiously.
"Heh." A sneering, mocking laugh rang out from the side.
"Who’s there?" Asuka, Maeda Daisen, and Fujisai Jirō immediately turned, their eyes blazing with anger.
They saw Tōan Ritsu, the red-haired superhuman, slowly rising to his feet. He scoffed, "The so-called Sword Sect, the sacred martial sanctuary of Jiepeng, has enjoyed five hundred years of prestige... yet its disciples are nothing more than pitiful, immature children?"
The superhuman, with his striking red hair and smoky black eye makeup, did not bother to hide his disdain.
He looked scornfully at Asuka and the others. "A true warrior reclaims what he loses on the battlefield. And yet, your first thought is to pressure Great Xia’s government? Such disgraceful words, staining the very concept of honor. How do you even dare to say them out loud?"
"You lowly commoner! How dare you speak to us this way?"
Asuka and the others erupted in fury. In Jiepeng, only those of noble lineage were allowed entry into the Sword Sect’s sacred halls. Talent alone was not enough; one had to be of aristocratic blood. Commoners and upstarts were strictly barred from training in the sect’s swordsmanship.
Thus, every one of them, Asuka, Maeda Daisen, Fujisai Jirō, hailed from prestigious families with noble bloodlines stretching back hundreds of years. In stark contrast, most superhumans were born as ordinary people. Some were street thugs, some were gang enforcers and some were penniless students...
To Asuka and the other noble disciples, these superhumans were nothing more than representatives of lowly bloodlines. A class meant to be ruled and enslaved.
But after obtaining supernatural abilities, these commoners had dared to challenge the established aristocracy. They had dared to defy the rigid social hierarchy that had been in place for generations. It was unforgivable.
This was the instinctive reaction of the privileged class, their natural urge to protect their own interests and the source of their deep-seated hostility toward any challengers.
Tōan Ritsu said nothing more. He couldn’t be bothered to waste his time arguing with these fools. In his mind, the so-called Sacred Sword Sect of Jiepeng had already fallen to a level unworthy of his cooperation.
"For the second match, Yoshida-kun will take the stage." As the leader of the superhuman group within the new faction, Tōan Ritsu chose his most trusted comrade to represent them in the first supernatural battle of the exchange event.
Yoshida Maya was a twenty-six year old man from Hokkaido, born into a family of fishermen. His superhuman ability was water manipulation. Moreover, he had undergone a second awakening, elevating him to the Earth Level.
Yoshida Maya was not the one with the highest awakening rank among the Jiepeng Superhuman Exchange Delegation, nor was he the one with the most overwhelming strength. But he understood and controlled his abilities better than anyone else.
Additionally, Yoshida Maya had a calm and collected personality. He was bold yet meticulous. His early experiences of fishing in raging storms had forged an iron will and a tenacious combat spirit.
This was exactly why Tōan Ritsu trusted him. Unlike the arrogant, all-bark-no-bite swordsmen, Tōan Ritsu had no illusions about securing an easy victory in the first battle. He only cared about winning the overall match.
After all, their opponent was Great Xia. The birthplace of the Hua Xia civilization had never lacked experts. Even in this new era of supernatural abilities, Great Xia, a vast land teeming with people, was highly likely to produce countless powerful superhumans. Thus, arrogance must be cast aside and every battle must be taken seriously.
Yoshida Maya was the touchstone that Tōan Ritsu had chosen, a test subject to gauge the true caliber of Great Xia’s superhumans in the first supernatural battle.
"Yes, please rest assured, Ritsu-kun," said Yoshida Maya as he stood up and bowed respectfully. "I will give it my all."
"Who is willing to fight?" asked Li Xiaofei, looking at the superhumans in Great Xia’s waiting hall.
Unlike the ancient martial artists with their ethereal, sage-like appearances, the superhumans were dressed in modern, casual attire. One could often guess their previous occupations just by their physique and demeanor.
A middle-aged man with tanned skin, arms longer than his knees, calloused hands and a slightly hunched posture took a step forward.
He said, "Leader, my name is Zhao Guoqiang. I want to fight. Is that okay?"
Zhao Guoqiang was forty-five years old and a former construction worker. His last job before joining Great Xia’s Dragon Group was twisting steel rebar at a construction site. By sheer chance, he had awakened a strength-based supernatural ability.
Among the various types of supernatural abilities, the strength-based category was one of the most formidable in direct combat. Thus, Zhao Guoqiang had absolute confidence in his strength.
In reality, the situation in Jiepeng was not too different. Most superhumans rose from the ranks of ordinary people and carried a deep love for their homeland. As a result, they were far more eager to step forward compared to the likes of Daoist Sanjue and the ancient martial artists. They also displayed far greater unity than the traditional warriors.
Li Xiaofei stepped forward and lightly patted Zhao Guoqiang on the shoulder. He said, "Then I'll leave it to you, Master Zhao."
"Hehe, it’s no trouble, no trouble at all." Zhao Guoqiang grinned humbly. He hefted a woven snakeskin bag as he walked out of the hall.
Before long, both fighters had stepped onto the stage. Yoshida Maya wore a white tracksuit, the official uniform of the Jiepeng superhuman delegation. In his hand, he carried a large bucket of mineral water.
Meanwhile, Zhao Guoqiang casually tossed his snakeskin bag onto the ground.
The bag hit the floor with a heavy thud. When he opened the mouth of the bag, thick bundles of steel rebar, each about twenty centimeters long and as thick as a finger, spilled out.
The comical contrast of their preparations made Li Xiaofei both amused and speechless. The superhumans of Earth 1818 were truly dedicated to fully optimizing their combat abilities. They had clearly prepared for everything.
As the drum sounded, the battle instantly began.
"Here comes the little flying dart!" Zhao Guoqiang bellowed as he grabbed a bundle of steel rebars, yanked one out, and hurled it at his opponent with a flick of his wrist.
His unusually long arms, freakishly developed muscles and explosive strength-based supernatural ability granted him inhuman power. The twenty-centimeter steel rod left his hand with a sharp whoosh and sliced through the air like lightning.
Yoshida Maya instinctively rolled to the side to dodge.
A strange sound rang out. The steel rod pierced deep into the rocky arena floor, embedding itself more than halfway in. It quivered slightly as it vibrated from the impact.
Terrifying. A chill ran down Yoshida Maya’s spine.
That kind of force was comparable to a sniper bullet. If that had hit him, his body would have been instantly pierced through. Thus, he snapped his fingers without hesitation.
The bucket of mineral water exploded with a loud bang. Thick mist spread across the arena, engulfing Yoshida Maya in a swirling veil of vapor.
A faint dripping sound echoed through the air, masking the noises of his movements.
Now it’s my turn. Yoshida smirked silently in the mist.
Three razor-sharp water blades spun through the swirling fog, slicing toward Zhao Guoqiang.