Who are you calling a stable boy?!

But Rin clearly remembers the old man's posture when he helped her.

The giant golem that Char and his companions couldn't fight even when they swarmed at it could be easily knocked to the ground by the old man with a single flying kick!

Although the old man did not accept her as a disciple, after learning the school and style of the boxing she had learned, in such a formal competition, Rin's etiquette education since childhood made her solemnly state the origin of her boxing style.

"Cosmic Fist Technique...that sounds like a grand school of thought."

Marissa stood up, seemingly unconcerned about the blow she had just received, which made Rin frown slightly.

She definitely held back with that punch.

After all, this is a martial arts tournament, not a life-or-death battle. Rin couldn't bring herself to kill Marissa, who had no intention of killing him.

Even with her strength held back, Rin was certain that that punch would have been enough to knock an adult ogre to the ground...

At the very least, it's impossible to stand up freely just by looking at the injury.

Rin thought to herself that she should not underestimate the heroes of the world. She stared at Marissa, pondering how to deal with the enemy next.

Meeting her solemn gaze, Marissa smiled, but sweat beaded on the back of her head; she knew the bitterness in her heart all too well.

Once her abdominal muscles are tensed, it's difficult to leave a mark even if you're shot at close range with a large-caliber slug.

However, Rin's seemingly small, white fist not only left clear fist marks on her taut abdominal muscles, but the force of that fist also penetrated her proud muscle armor, impacting her internal organs.

Marissa realized that she had been careless.

"Hey, it's really hard to imagine that such a petite body could deliver such a heavy punch with such simplicity."

Kyoko, who was watching the match while leaning on the railing, couldn't help but exclaim, "Cosmic Kung Fu, it's really amazing. I wonder how they train for it."

"Marisa is in trouble now."

On Team Wave's side, Ken shook his head: "That punch went really deep; even she couldn't have taken it. So..."

Zheng Jing, sitting in the preparation area by the ring, chuckled softly.

"It's time to decide the winner."

The opinions of the crowd below the ring could not influence the judgment of the two fighters on the ring.

After a brief pause, it was Rin who launched the first attack.

She believed in her fists, so she wouldn't give the already injured Marissa a chance to catch her breath.

Facing Rin's onslaught, Marissa had no intention of dodging or maneuvering. She raised her fists, each the size of a clay pot, and met him with a hearty laugh.

Rin's petite body was so agile; when she dodged, she was like a butterfly in flight, but when she threw punches and kicks, they were like the stings of a poisonous bee.

But Marisa was not to be outdone!

Having realized Rin's exceptional strength, she completely let loose, making full use of her physical advantages. Her heavy punches and kicks were like spears thrust out, while her bent arms and raised knees resembled sturdy round shields.

After fighting for more than thirty rounds, Rin suddenly took a step down and snuggled into Marissa's arms. She clenched her right fist and was about to strike Marissa's abdomen, which had already taken a heavy blow from her, in an attempt to break through the initial opening and completely destroy this ancient Greek fortress of flesh.

But Marissa seemed to have anticipated this, and instead of retreating, she advanced, reaching out with both arms to grab Lin.

This scene felt like a replay of the beginning of the competition.

This time, however, Marissa was fully prepared, both physically and mentally.

She knew very well that Rin's fist would hit her first.

But this time, even if she takes another punch from Rin, she will hold onto Rin tightly and throw this admirable little fighter out of the arena!

—However, it was Rin who took the next step.

She stopped her bluffing punch, leaped away from Marissa's hands, and then used her feet to push off Marissa's strong arms, using the ground as leverage to bring her right palm, fingers together, to Marissa's chin.

In an instant, Marissa's vision began to shake violently.

Then, she discovered that, in a dizzying moment, the arena suddenly rose up and pressed down on her.

No, that's not right.

It was she who fell onto the ring.

Before Marissa could get up, Rin had already delivered a heavy punch, slamming it into the back of Marissa's neck.

And this is the final blow that will determine the victor.

The big-nosed referee rushed over and, after confirming that Marissa had fainted, raised his hand.

"The outcome is decided! The winner of this round is Team Tohsaka, Rin Tohsaka!"

With a long sigh, Rin put away her stance and walked off the stage.

There will be a 40-second rest period between each round.

"Well done, little Rin!"

Zheng Jing smiled and bent down to give Lin a high five.

"Rin is really amazing."

Xueqing also praised her with a smile.

Rin looked at the two of them with narrowed eyes, recalling when the school held a sports meet and she saw the boys in her class achieve good results, and their parents would often surround them and praise them.

"...Come over here a bit."

She suddenly tugged at Zheng Jing and hid behind him.

Before Zheng Jing and Xue Qing could ask, Lin pursed her lips and shook her still sore little hand.

Marissa's body was too stiff; the blows hurt her hands, and the last one almost dislocated her wrist.

Rin seemed to have won easily and without a scratch, but she knew that if Marissa had fought as freely as she did in the second half, the outcome would have been very different.

"So what if it hurts? Why are you ashamed?"

Zheng Jing squatted down, gently took Lin's hands in his hands, and circulated his internal energy.

Feeling the warmth flowing from Zheng Jing's palm, Rin narrowed her eyes and let out a soft murmur.

"Let Xueqing play in the next match."

Rin's eyes widened in surprise.

"I can still play! This is only the first match, let's hold back a little bit—"

"No need, I, Lao Zheng, am here."

"Can......"

"Xiao Lin."

Xueqing patted Lin's little head.

"Don't be so nervous. Didn't you say that making it into the top three is a victory?"

Lin looked at Xue Qing, then at Zheng Jing, and sighed.

"when."

The bell rang, and both contestants returned to the stage.

"Due to Rin Tohsaka's withdrawal, the lineup for Team Tohsaka in the second round has been changed!"

Holding a sharp blade, Xue Qing lightly touched the ground with her feet and landed on the arena.

Looking at the pink-haired woman with a swan-like figure in front of her, Xue Qing held her sword and clasped her hands in a fist salute.

"Cao Xueqing from Cangjian Manor, please enlighten me."

Chapter 223: I've had enough of the red tape!

Xueqing's opponent, the mainstay of the Glory team, is named Mannong.

She is a renowned ballet dancer, artist, and model.

And, a world-renowned judo master.

Manon skillfully incorporated ballet into her judo, creating her own unique style. When she made a move, it was as if she was guiding her opponent to appreciate the beauty of ballet. With the swirling of her powerful skirt, she manipulated her opponent at will.

At the first World Martial Arts Tournament, she had a fierce judo match with Goro Daimon, a legend in the world of men's judo.

That clash is still talked about by people in the judo world and is regarded as the most exciting judo match in the past five years.

Despite her illustrious resume and early fame, Manong showed no contempt for the unknown Xueqing.

Not only because of her close friend Marissa's cautionary tale, but also because the moment she met Xueqing, she realized that Xueqing was just like herself...

A martial artist who integrates dance into martial arts.

Manon's judgment was correct.

The sword forms the shape, the dance the form, and the heart is the foundation.

Dance transforms into sword, sword and heart unite, heart and sword communicate.

Xueqing's seventy-two moves of Xiushui sword can indeed be described as a sword dance.

The two clashing was less a fight in the ring and more a dance on a stage.

One is poignant and charming, the other is heroic and spirited.

For most viewers around the world watching this tournament broadcast on their screens, it was a truly delightful experience. If they didn't know they were watching the World Martial Arts Tournament, they would probably think it was some kind of elegant artistic performance.

However, most of the people in the audience were knowledgeable and could tell at a glance that Manong was gradually losing ground as the two sides clashed.

Mannong's judo style was indeed extraordinary, but unfortunately, she encountered Xueqing.

The Seventy-Two Styles of Xiushui Sword is one of the signature martial arts of Cangjian Villa. When used, the energy flows like water around the body, allowing the user to calmly respond to any changes made by the opponent, making each move of the opponent fall into the flow of water and unable to touch the user.

If we were to use a metaphor, it would be like fish swimming in water. Whenever someone tries to catch them, those skillful fish can cleverly dodge by sensing changes in the water flow.

Simply put, the Xiushui Sword technique involves spreading energy with the sword to simulate a flowing water environment around the body. Whenever an opponent's attack invades this energy field, the user can respond freely by sensing the changes in the "flowing water".

Mannong, as expected of a judo master, noticed this characteristic of the Xiushui Sword after only ten exchanges with Xueqing.

But being able to detect something doesn't mean you can deal with it.

More accurately, it was Xueqing's Xiushui Sword that made it difficult for Mannong to deal with, even though she had noticed its characteristics.

Whenever Manon tries to disrupt Xueqing's dance steps, Xueqing will place the Dru in front of Manon's step, forcing Manon to change the rhythm.

Unlike her best friend Marissa, Manon's body, though trained, could withstand the damage from ordinary weapons. But how could the Drew in Xueqing's hands be regarded as an ordinary weapon?

Mannong had never underestimated Xueqing, but when they actually clashed, Xueqing's performance still exceeded Mannong's expectations.

However, Manong's tenacity was also beyond Xueqing's expectations.

If, setting aside technique, Xueqing's most obvious advantage in this battle was her Drew, then Mannong's most obvious advantage was her physical attributes.

Legend has it that in the world of jujitsu, there are some schools that emphasize technique at its peak but lack of physical strength, taking the technique of using the opponent's force against them to its extreme.

Manon's own style of judo was not so extreme, after all, one of the essential qualities of an outstanding ballet dancer is excellent physical ability.

Therefore, if we only consider physical fitness, Mannong is undoubtedly superior to Xueqing.

It was precisely because of her physical advantage that she was able to tenaciously contend with Xueqing.

Time passed by, second by second. In previous years, the two people would have fought until one of them was defeated.

However, the new rules of this conference set a three-minute time limit for each round.

Manong's idea was actually not complicated; she was waiting for Xueqing to reveal a flaw.

With her extensive experience in competitive sports, she knew that in this kind of team competition, having the advantage but failing to defeat the opponent for a long time often leads to the advantageous side getting anxious before the disadvantaged side.

However, Xueqing's performance surprised Mannong.

She's too cautious.

It was as if they didn't know there was a time limit in the competition; the flowing water, swirling with swords, never showed the slightest flaw from beginning to end.

Is it simply a strong personal style, or a firm belief that one can win through judgment?

Manong was unaware.

But she was certain that if the referee decided the winner in the end, she would not lose.

And the result was exactly as Manon had predicted.

"Pingju!"

When the three-minute bell rang, the big-nosed referee, who had rushed onto the stage, checked the condition of Mannong and Xueqing, and then decisively crossed his arms to deliver his ruling.