Chapter Seventeen: Rejecting All the Gaudiness

The Braced Frog managed to endure its pain, turning back with a punch, but Alpha's speed was too fast, dodging with ease.

Shi Yong wanted the Braced Frog to keep on with the assault, but the frog's lower back had been stabbed making it weak. It could only watch helplessly as Alpha once again distanced itself.

Frustrated, Shi Yong glared at Bai Qi, snapping, "That was low, resorting to sneak attacks. Can't you fight fair and square?"

Bai Qi looked somewhat wronged. He hadn't ordered Alpha to attack the lower back; it was all Alpha's own initiative.

That said, the result was pretty good.

No matter how high your martial arts, you're afraid of a cleaver. No matter how good your kung fu is, a brick can knock you out.

In the face of absolute speed, refuse all flamboyance.

"Alpha, don't just casually attack someone's lower back in a duel like that, only when sure they are an enemy. Understand?"

*clatter* *clatter*

"Alright," responded the obedient Alpha, nodding its head. It swiftly shifted to the front of the Braced Frog, the Bone Daggers firmly locking onto their opponent.

Upon seeing Alpha's daggers, the Braced Frog immediately felt a stinging pain in its lower back.

Nevertheless, as a Combat System beast, the Braced Frog had a strong ability to heal. Its muscles wriggled, and its wound slowly started to close.

"Braced Frog, be careful this time. Don't rush in to attack, beware of another sneak attack," warned Shi Yong, his earlier fury gone. He calmly assessed the current situation and gave the Braced Frog new orders.

*Ribbit!*

The Braced Frog nodded its head, its arms forward, ready for whatever came its way.

Alpha, restricted by Bai Qi, also refrained from any sneak attacks and slowly approached the Braced Frog, the pair circling each other like martial artists.

Finally, the two once again clashed - one forceful and mighty, the other swift as lightning. The fight now began to resemble a formal duel.

However, despite Alpha's extremely fast response, its frail build was a disadvantage. Coupled with the Braced Frog's specialized training, Alpha's attacks were easily blocked by its opponent.

Learning from its experience, the Braced Frog—instead of shattering Alpha's limbs—held them tightly, to be safe, it also gripped Alpha's legs.

"You definitely won't escape now."

Shi Yong nodded satisfactorily after seeing this, and just as he was about to boost his dojo's pride, he saw Alpha's skeletal form bizarrely fluctuate before the bones in its chest and abdomen turned into sharp blades and stabbed at the Braced Frog's joints.

*Ribbit* *Ribbit*

This thing, always aiming for the weak spots.

The pain made the Braced Frog lose control of its strength and it ended up shattering Alpha's bones. However, Alpha seized the opportunity to break free while appearing whole once more on the side.

*clatter* *clatter*

("Master, it's weak. The Screaming Mushroom was more fun.")

Bai Qi didn't know how to respond hearing this. They were here to fight, not play. It's fortunate the opponents couldn't understand Alpha's speech, or else they'd be furious.

"Sheath your daggers, remember what we are here for."

Bai Qi warned Alpha again, who reluctantly put away its daggers and chose to deal with the Braced Frog barehanded.

*Ribbit Ribbit*

("Beast Master, can I hit him with all I've got?")

Upon seeing Alpha sheath its weapon, the Braced Frog became less wary. However, it still requested permission from its Beast Master.

Having been bested three times, Shi Yong was quite upset and thus agreed to the Braced Frog's request.

This time he came to Gusu City representing his dojo. If he lost, his dojo couldn't open a branch there, then the dojo's master might beat him to death!

Getting the consent of its Beast Master, the Braced Frog's eyes shone brightly. Again it launched Double Kick, rapidly narrowing the distance with Alpha. Each of its arms used different techniques to attack Alpha's different parts.

"Able to handle two arm movements independently, this young lad's Braced Frog has been well trained."

The referee noted the value of the Braced Frog's technique and nodded appreciatively.

If the frog had used this skill earlier, the fast little skeleton might not have been able to damage it.

Indeed, faced with the uneven rhythm of the Braced Frog's attack, Alpha started to struggle and could only maintain its foothold through its superb speed.

However, soon enough, Alpha's frailty came to light. Whenever it couldn't dodge in time, it got its bones broken by the frog. Shi Yong purposely blasted the broken bones away to delay Alpha's recovery.

Seeing the Braced Frog finally gained an upper hand, Shi Yong smiled again. He looked at the silent Bai Qi and said, "You better surrender. The Braced Frog's usual opponent is the Steel Training Dummy, not a fragile skeleton like yours."

Steel Training Dummy?

Understanding Shi Yong's hint, a light bulb turned on in Bai Qi's mind, halting any further play with Shi Yong.

"We surrender."

Without hesitation, Bai Qi chose to surrender. He forcefully recalled Alpha and turned to look at the referee.

"Um, well, I declare the winner of this match is Shi Yong from Haoli Dojo."

The ref obviously saw Shi Yong's intentions but didn't mind throwing him some promotion.

After all, having a dojo in Gusu City would only benefit its development.

When Gusu City's rating went up, the treatment from the association would naturally improve as well.

However, he couldn't understand why Bai Qi suddenly surrendered.

Looking at the little skeleton, it seemed to be getting the hang of the Braced Frog's attacking rhythm. If it continued, it was hard to say who would have won.

Hearing the ref announce the result, Bai Qi promptly left. But instead of going home, he headed straight for the training equipment store.

"Boss, do you sell Steel Training Dummies for practicing fighting skills?"

The shopkeeper nodded, "Yes, we do. But the cheapest model will cost you 10,000 Federal Coins. Are you sure you can afford it?"

Bai Qi clearly looked like a student, presumably, he didn't have that sort of purchasing power.

"10,000 Federal Coins?"

Bai Qi winced in pain. He obviously couldn't afford it, unless he got another task, like the Screaming Mushroom.

No, better make it two tasks.

The shopkeeper saw Bai Qi's hesitation and pointed to a battered steel pillar in the corner. "If you don't mind, I have a damaged one that you could use. I'll give it to you for 1,000 Federal Coins."

Bai Qi examined the steel pillar and decisively responded.

"Deal!"