Martial Arts Sparring

September 11, 2005

8:30 pm

On the nearby side of the beach, many Japanese people, both adults and young, watched a group of people struggling to run. Most of them panted as they tried to keep pace with Le Mai Linh leading the way.

There were also individuals who weren't scouts but had joined the training out of curiosity about the type of martial arts Le Mai Linh would teach. However, the reality shattered their preconceived notions of martial arts. Instead, they were running tirelessly, starting from the base, to the safe zone, beast's sanctuary, then to the beach, and back to the base. Each round was more than 1 kilometer.

Currently on their fourth lap, they needed to complete one more lap to finish. They felt their bodies couldn't continue, but they had to. If they stopped, they feared Le Mai Linh, whom some saw as a devil, would force them onward.

Jonathan felt this acutely. In his mind, he'd cursed Le Mai Linh thousands of times. He felt this "old devil woman" was particularly targeting him.

After a few grueling minutes, they completed their fifth lap. Exhausted, Jonathan lay on the ground, gasping, "Haaaa… Haaaa… I can't anymore, haaah."

But Le Mai Linh promptly pulled him up. "Stand up. Lying on the ground after running might make you faint," she admonished, helping him and others like Xiao Yun to their feet.

'This old bitch,' Jonathan thought bitterly, glaring at Le Mai Linh. She seemed to sense his feelings and stared back coldly. "What are you looking at? Wanna fight?"

Jonathan shivered, memories of previous exercises flooding back. He averted his gaze, murmuring, "No."

Internally, he'd already labeled her an 'old witch' many times over.

"Hmph," Le Mai Linh snorted before walking away.

Catching his breath, Jonathan turned to Xiao Yun. "Are you tired?" he asked.

"Isn't it obvious?" Xiao Yun responded, rolling his eyes.

Jonathan recognized Xiao Yun from the scout program. "Don't all you Chinese know martial arts? Why not teach us? That old woman isn't teaching real martial arts at all," he whispered.

Xiao Yun looked irritated. "Do you really think all Chinese know martial arts? Is that how you foreigner regard us?"

"Aren't you?" Jonathan countered.

"Look at me, struggling just like you. Do I seem like a martial artist?" Xiao Yun retorted.

"Well, not really, but you kind of have the look," Jonathan mused.

"Are you being racist? I suddenly feel the urge to strangle you," Xiao Yun said, moving towards Jonathan.

Jonathan hastily raised his hands in defense. "Wait, I'm exhausted. Let me rest."

Elsewhere, Yamada, Kang Jihoon, Chen Xin, and others rued their decision to attend. They had been curious about martial arts training, but never expected it to be this taxing. Only an hour in, and they were already spent.

"Next time, I won't come here. Isn't it more enjoyable to train my beast? Why did I decide to put myself through this?" Kang Jihoon lamented.

"I agree," Chen Xin nodded, sighing deeply. She silently vowed never to return.

Floyd looked at them and then turned his gaze to Chen Yu, Ivan, Bianca, Le Mai Linh, Li Qin, and Hoang Mai Phuong, who remained calm. Surprisingly, in this run, women were actually the dominant ones.

He wasn't surprised by Bianca and Le Mai Linh. He had seen Ivan and Bianca's stamina when they fled from Mei Dao. As for Le Mai Linh, well, what would you expect from a martial artist who initiated the training?

However, seeing Li Qin and Hoang Mai Phuong was surprising. Floyd sighed and glanced back at the struggling men, as if to say, 'Aren't you ashamed?'

The men behind acted as if they hadn't noticed.

"Youngest, do you know martial arts?" Le Mai Linh approached him and inquired.

"Eh? No, why?" Floyd responded, confused.

"Really?" She scanned him from head to toe, making Floyd feel creep out.

"Sister Linh, what are you doing?" Floyd questioned.

"How about we spar?" Le Mai Linh, touching her chin, proposed. She couldn't believe that Floyd was unfamiliar with martial arts. While running earlier, she had noticed that he wasn't even panting, as though it was just an everyday activity for him. She knew that an ordinary person couldn't achieve that without rigorous training.

"Spar? You mean, you and me?" Floyd gestured between himself and Le Mai Linh.

"Yes, exactly," she confirmed.

"I can't possibly beat you; you're trained in martial arts," Floyd argued.

"Don't fret, I'll go easy. Come on," Le Mai Linh insisted, moving to a clear spot and beckoning him.

Many observers grew intrigued.

"I really shouldn't," Floyd hesitated.

"No matter. Join me," Le Mai Linh said, disregarding his refusal.

"Floyd, go for it! Remember when you took down nine hunters? Show them your strength. Beat her, I'm cheering for you!" Jonathan shouted. He had seen Floyd's previous fight and held a grudge against Le Mai Linh, thinking it would be entertaining to witness her defeat.

Everyone expressed their shock. The reputation of a hunter was universally known, and hearing Jonathan claim Floyd defeated nine of them seemed far-fetched, especially given Floyd's youth. They suspected Jonathan was exaggerating the truth.

Floyd mentally scolded Jonathan. The truth was, he couldn't have won without Axew's assistance.

"Keep pretending, are we? Youngest, you really like to pretend," Le Mai Linh remarked with a hint of sarcasm.

"He's exaggerating," Floyd mumbled, embarrassed.

"Give it your all, Floyd! Beat that old—" Jonathan's words were cut short by Le Mai Linh's icy stare. She made a throat-slashing gesture, signaling he was next on her list. Despite his trepidation, Jonathan shouted, "Go, Floyd, take her down!"

Floyd wanted to hide, but with all eyes on him, he reluctantly faced Le Mai Linh on the field. "Sister Linh, I warned you. I genuinely know no martial arts."

"Relax, it's just sparring. I won't go all out," Le Mai Linh responded while warming up. She then raised her leg and stomped it on the ground with a loud "Bang."

Assuming her stance, she urged, "Begin."

Floyd, slightly intimidated, randomly imitated the Dragon Claw stance he'd seen Fraxure use.

"Is that a tiger stance? No, it's different," Le Mai Linh observed, amused by Floyd's posture.

"I'll make the first move," she declared, advancing towards him.