Chapter 16: Diamond Head
Two muscular figures collided with a dull thud, the impact echoing through the training area.
Wang Zhong and Su Ke pressed against each other, neither yielding an inch as they entered a contest of pure strength.
As expected, having more arms was an advantage. Four Arms could exert greater force, and after a brief stalemate, he gradually forced Wang Zhong backward.
Su Ke had already gained the upper hand, but no one expected Wang Zhong to suddenly abandon any sense of propriety.
Wang Zhong abruptly leaned back and fell to the ground. Because Su Ke was exerting too much force, he also toppled forward, which should have resulted in him landing on top.
Instead, Wang Zhong kicked upward with both legs, striking Su Ke in the abdomen and using the recoil to launch him into the air before he crashed heavily to the ground.
"Hahaha! You fell for it!" Wang Zhong laughed.
"You're really despicable," Su Ke said.
"All's fair in war."
Su Ke didn't hold back either. He twisted the symbol on his shoulder and switched forms.
"Diamond Head!"
Diamond Head's entire body was composed of turquoise crystalline material. He could freely alter his molecular structure, shaping his body at will and even causing crystals to grow from nothing.
The Omnitrix symbol rested on his left chest.
The moment he transformed, the Panshi Armor on his body disappeared.
"So this is your new form?" Wang Zhong said. "It looks expensive."
"Unfortunately," Su Ke replied, "it's not actually real diamond."
Su Ke reshaped his arm into a diamond blade, paused, then changed it into a massive hammer.
"Take my Cloak-Swinging Hammer Technique!"
He swung the enormous hammer straight at Wang Zhong.
"Diamond is still stone," Wang Zhong shouted. "Take my Stone Shattering Fist!"
His right fist glowed as it slammed into the hammer.
Bang!!!
The collision erupted with an explosive sound.
Diamond Head was a silicon-based lifeform. In theory, the crystalline substance covering his body could be harder than diamond itself, but Su Ke's Realm was still too low to reach that level.
Even so, with the reinforcement of his Defense Aura, his hardness was still extremely high.
Wang Zhong's talent enhanced his muscle density. Combined with his Defense Aura and Panshi Armor, his durability was slightly inferior to Diamond Head's, but he held the advantage in raw strength.
In this clash, Su Ke was forced back several steps.
Wang Zhong seized the opening and followed up with another punch, but Su Ke instantly formed a shield from his arm to block it.
In response, Su Ke caused sharp crystal spikes to erupt from the ground.
Wang Zhong retreated rapidly to dodge, but the spikes pursued him without pause.
With no other choice, he leaped into the air—only to expose himself.
A gigantic crystalline hand suddenly rose from the ground and grabbed him midair.
Wang Zhong struggled, but he was completely unable to break free.
The massive hand then hurled him straight toward Su Ke.
"Aaaaaah!!!"
With no leverage in the air, Wang Zhong could only watch as Su Ke reshaped his right hand into an enormous frying pan.
Bang!!!
With a wide swing, Su Ke smacked Wang Zhong away like a fly.
The giant hand flicked again, sending Wang Zhong flying back toward Su Ke.
Back and forth, Su Ke and Wang Zhong happily played a game of human badminton.
Badminton required two players, and there were indeed two people present, so there was no problem with that logic.
The exchange continued until Su Ke's spiritual energy was completely exhausted, forcing him to revert to his original form.
Blegh…
The moment the fight ended, Wang Zhong staggered to a trash can and began vomiting.
"You brat… blegh… that was way too cruel!" he said weakly.
Lin Ning gently patted his back.
"Although the battle was… unconventional, the results are good. The spiritual energy in my body has been completely digested, and my Realm has advanced a little."
"Same here," Su Ke said. "After fighting for so long, my spiritual energy has also been fully digested."
"I was beaten into digesting it!" Wang Zhong retorted. "Blegh!"
"Pfft," Lin Ning laughed. "Actually, getting beaten is a very effective method."
After a while, Wang Zhong finally recovered.
"If I ever fight you again, I'm a dog," he said weakly.
"If you don't fight me, who else are you going to fight?" Su Ke asked.
"I'll go to the Underground Boxing Gym," Wang Zhong replied. "You can fight there and even get paid."
"Underground Boxing Gym?" Su Ke asked.
"That place is similar to the black market," Lin Ning explained. "But it has no official backing. It's controlled by a private force."
"You can fight unfamiliar opponents there to gain real combat experience," she continued. "If you win enough, there are rewards. But since it's underground, don't expect safety. Deaths are common."
"The authorities don't interfere at all?" Su Ke asked. "Is it really that lawless?"
"They can only manage what they're capable of managing," Lin Ning said. "The mayor of Yan City is Rank Four, which is already the highest combat power here."
"There are only three Rank Fours in Yan City: Mayor Ye Tian, General Gao Zhen of the military district, and the person in charge of the Underground Boxing Gym."
She added, "Everyone who enters signs a liability waiver. Even if someone dies, it's not illegal. They even pay taxes in full. On top of that, the place gives many ordinary people a chance to earn money, so no one wants it shut down."
"The state should have places like that too, right?" Su Ke asked.
"Of course," Lin Ning replied. "The state has official Martial Arts Arenas. You don't get money there, but you earn points that can be exchanged for high-level resources."
"I don't know the details," she said, "but the rank and rewards are far beyond what the Underground Boxing Gym offers. Unfortunately, cities like ours don't have them. You have to go to a major city."
"After the College Entrance Examination, if we get into a powerful university, we might get the chance to see it ourselves."
"I must get into Dijin University," Wang Zhong declared. "The best in the country. No one who graduates from there is weak."
"And no one who gets in is weak either," Lin Ning added.
"Alright," Su Ke said. "We still have a year. Plenty of time to prepare."
"With how hard we're working, we'll definitely get in," he continued. "Now, take me to the Underground Boxing Gym. I want to see it for myself."
"You want to box?" Lin Ning frowned. "That place is extremely dangerous. And you're not short on resources right now."
"I'm not lacking Advanced resources," Su Ke said, "but I'm short on Intermediate Spiritual Energy Potions. I need to save the Advanced ones for the seventh stage."
"I don't dare trade the crystal cores either," he sighed. "I might be the only protagonist who worries about low-level resources."
"It's just Intermediate potions," Wang Zhong said. "How many do you want? I'll give them to you."
"I can't do that," Su Ke refused. "That would make me a freeloader."
"More importantly, I need real combat experience," he said seriously. "Our goal is to fight Yao Beasts and reclaim our land."
"These friendly scuffles don't count," Su Ke continued. "When we face truly powerful Yao Beasts, if we start screaming from minor injuries, how can we talk about fighting them?"
"That wolf last time was just luck," he said. "We won't always be lucky. Fighting Yao Beasts head-on is unavoidable in the future."
"So adapting to pain and injury in advance is necessary training," Su Ke concluded. "Isn't the Underground Boxing Gym the best place for that?"
His words stirred something in Wang Zhong and Lin Ning.
"Old Ke is right," Wang Zhong said excitedly. "We've been too comfortable. If we don't adapt now, we won't survive later."
"Count me in. I want to fight too!"
"That's true," Lin Ning said. "Even setting Yao Beasts aside, just getting into Dijin University means we're still not qualified."
"Outstanding Grade and Earth Grade talents are impressive here," she continued, "but Dijin University is the best in the entire country."
"Earth Grades are everywhere there, and Outstanding Grades are nothing special. What they value most is combat power."
"With our current level, if we don't push ourselves, we won't even touch the threshold."
"Then we have to experience real combat in advance," Su Ke said. "Only then can we gain an advantage over those with stronger talents."
"Then let's go now!" Wang Zhong said.
"Let's go!!!" Su Ke and Lin Ning shouted together.
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