Volume 2, Chapter 30: The Heavy Pressure
Yuhao sat on the wooden bench in the waiting room, staring at his shoes.
He was sweating. The air in the arena's underbelly was thick and sticky, like warm soup. It was the kind of heavy, humid afternoon that made your clothes cling to your back. He peeled a cheap, mint-scented medicinal patch off its wax paper and slapped it onto the back of his neck. It stung, but the cold burn helped distract him from the dull throb behind his eyes.
"You look awful," Tang Ya noted. She was adjusting the straps on her wrist guards. "Are you sure you can do this? The medic said you should stay flat for another day."
"I can walk," Yuhao said. He stood up, testing his balance. The room tilted a fraction of an inch, then settled. "I just won't run much."
Ma Xiaotao was already standing by the tunnel exit. She didn't say anything, but her jaw was tight. She kept glancing back at Yuhao. She hated feeling like she had to hold back. But she knew Yan Shaozhe was right. If she lost control of her fire today, Yuhao wasn't in any shape to pull her out of trouble.
"Team Anito," a staff member called out, poking his head into the room. "Platform One. You're up."
Yuhao took a deep breath. The air smelled like dirt, sweat, and cheap metal polish. Why did tournament organizers always make the arena floors out of packed dirt? It just got everywhere the moment someone fell hard.
He walked out into the blinding light of the stadium.
•••••
The Star Luo team was already waiting.
Ten thousand years ago, Star Luo had been an empire with its own harsh rules. Brothers and sisters fought each other for the throne. But after the Phoenix God Lakan abolished the old noble system and brought them into the Federation, those cruel cycles had ended. Now, ten thousand years later, their power had shifted from pure politics to culture and military strength.
They had become important centers of technology and cultivation.
They were now the hereditary high-councilors of their regions — like dukes in a republic. They didn't own the land, but they were the keepers of their lineage and traditions. Star Luo City had become a high-tech fortress where the strongest mechas were tested. The royal families lived in the upper tiers, acting as the city's board of directors. They had even built their own branch of Anito Academy.
They wore deep gold and black uniforms. They didn't have the glowing, pristine look of the Hall of Radiance, nor the mechanical hum of the Sun-Moon Empire. They looked like soldiers.
At their front stood their captain, Dai Huabin. He was tall, broad-shouldered, and had strange, mismatched eyes. One pupil was dark blue, the other a pale yellow.
Beside him stood Zhu Lu, his fiancée. She was graceful and sharp-eyed, with long, flowing black hair tied back neatly. Her figure was curvaceous and well-proportioned, with a slender waist, full hips, and an elegant, mature beauty that made her stand out even among the Star Luo team.
"Begin!" the referee shouted.
Dai Huabin didn't rush forward. He simply stepped wide and bent his knees.
The moment his boots hit the dirt, the entire platform seemed to shake. A massive phantom of a White Tiger Martial Soul flickered behind him. But he didn't roar or shoot energy beams. Instead, the gold and black light flowed entirely downward, locking into his legs and feet. A Shadow Tiger Soul Spirit manifested around him, its dark, powerful form merging with his stance, making his connection to the ground even stronger.
"Careful," Yuhao muttered, tapping his forehead.
He forced the Gaze of Openings open. The pain hit him instantly. He gasped, his vision swimming before snapping into the wire-frame map.
He looked at Dai Huabin's stance.
It was brilliant. The Star Luo lineage had taken Lakan's old teachings on grounding and weight distribution and perfected them over ten thousand years. The energy wasn't just sitting in Dai Huabin's muscles; it was anchored deep into the dirt itself.
It was the Tiger Steps.
Ma Xiaotao darted forward. Behind her, her Evil Fire Phoenix Martial Soul manifested in a blaze of corruptive orange-black flames, its wings spreading wide with dark, flickering edges. At the same time, her Crimson Flame Hawk Soul Spirit circled above her, adding its own controlled, bright fire power. The contrast between the wild, evil flames of her Martial Soul and the focused power of her Soul Spirit made her presence overwhelming.
She kept her flames banked, relying on the Sikaran kicks she had practiced. She aimed a heavy, sweeping kick at Dai Huabin's leading ankle.
Her shin hit his leg.
It sounded like kicking a solid iron pillar.
Ma Xiaotao winced, bouncing backward. Dai Huabin hadn't moved an inch. He just shifted his weight and threw a straight, heavy punch at her chest. The air compressed around his fist. His Shadow Tiger Soul Spirit roared silently, adding raw destructive force to the strike.
Ma Xiaotao crossed her arms to block. The impact sent her skidding backward through the dirt.
At the same time, Zhu Lu moved like a shadow. Her Netherworld Spirit Cat Martial Soul activated, giving her sleek, agile movements. A Nightstalker Panther Soul Spirit manifested around her, its black fur shimmering as she blurred forward. She aimed a precise claw strike at Tang Ya's side.
Tang Ya reacted instantly. Her Blue Silver Grass Martial Soul bloomed aggressively, wild emerald vines surging out like living whips. At the same time, her calmer Blue Silver Grass Soul Spirit appeared, its vines glowing with a steady, purifying light. The Martial Soul attacked with raw, aggressive growth, while the Soul Spirit provided control and purification, creating a perfect balance between wild offense and refined defense. The two girls clashed in a flurry of vines and shadow strikes.
"He's entirely grounded," Yuhao coughed. He tasted copper again. A thin line of blood trickled from his left nostril. "You can't throw him. You can't sweep him. His movement of energy is locked to the floor."
Dai Huabin watched Yuhao speak. The Star Luo captain narrowed his mismatched eyes. He recognized the subtle shifts in Yuhao's posture. The way the boy kept his center of gravity low, the relaxed tension in his shoulders. It looked exactly like the diagrams in the Royal Library's oldest combat manuals. But it was raw. Stripped down.
Who was this kid?
"I can melt him," Ma Xiaotao growled, rubbing her bruised arms. The orange-black glow of her Evil Fire Phoenix Martial Soul was starting to bleed outward. The heat around her spiked dangerously. Her Crimson Flame Hawk Soul Spirit circled above her, adding its own controlled power.
"No," Yuhao grunted. The headache was turning into a blinding white noise. "If you blast him… he'll just anchor deeper… and the recoil will break your Vessel."
Yuhao staggered. His knees buckled slightly. The strain of reading such a dense, perfectly refined movement of energy with an injured brain was too much. The wire-frame world started to fracture.
Before he could fall, something wrapped tightly around his waist.
It was a thick, glowing blue vine.
Tang Ya stepped up beside him. Her Baybayin 'Pa' (ᜉ) marking was glowing softly on her palm. She didn't use the Blue Silver Grass to attack. She used it to tie herself to Yuhao, her Soul Spirit providing stabilizing energy while her Martial Soul prepared for a counter-strike.
"Share it," Tang Ya ordered quietly.
She let her own pure, stabilizing energy flow up the vine and into Yuhao's meridians. She acted as an external battery, taking some of the physical pressure off his weak body.
Yuhao breathed out, the sharp pain in his head dulling to a manageable ache. His vision cleared.
"Thanks," he whispered, wiping the blood from his lip.
"Don't thank me. Just tell her where to hit him," Tang Ya replied, digging her own heels into the dirt to support his weight.
Yuhao looked back at Dai Huabin. The Tiger Steps were incredible, but Lakan had always said there was no such thing as an unbreakable wall. If a structure is too rigid, it becomes brittle.
"His joints," Yuhao called out to Ma Xiaotao. "He's locking his energy into the ground. That means his knees and hips can't bend quickly. He has no shock absorbers. Hit the hinges, not the pillars!"
Dai Huabin didn't wait anymore. He charged.
Even moving, his feet never seemed to fully leave the ground. It was a terrifying, sliding advance. He aimed straight for the weak link. He ignored Ma Xiaotao and lunged toward the anchored pair of Yuhao and Tang Ya.
Ma Xiaotao intercepted him.
She stepped directly into his path. Dai Huabin threw a massive, heavy palm strike aimed right at her face.
Ma Xiaotao didn't block it. She didn't dodge away.
For the last week, Yan Shaozhe had been yelling at her about the Soberanong Bakal at Hiyas(Sovereign Iron & Gem) technique — specifically the Part Ang Agos ng Bagwis (The Wing-Stream Meridians). Don't let the fire own you. Flow with it. Compress it. She had always hated those lessons. Fire was meant to burn loud and bright. But right now, looking at Yuhao bleeding from the nose just to keep his eyes open for her, something clicked.
She took a deep breath and began the cycle.
Inhale four counts — pulling the chaotic Evil Fire Phoenix energy inward.
Hold four counts — compressing it into her blood, bones, and meridians, stretching and toughening them like high-capacity crystalline pipes.
Exhale four counts — releasing only the controlled portion she needed for speed and power.
Hold four counts — resetting the rhythm, keeping her Crystalline Vessel from cracking under the pressure.
This was the core of the Sovereign Iron & Gem technique. It expanded and reinforced the meridians so they could handle sudden bursts without rupturing. Her Crimson Flame Hawk Soul Spirit circled above her, feeding its own focused power into the rhythm, helping her contain the wild Evil Fire Phoenix Martial Soul.
Ma Xiaotao's skin turned a terrifying, glowing cherry-red as she forced the massive, roaring fire deep inside her core. She didn't let a single spark touch the air. The fire hadn't controlled her. She had controlled the fire.
Dai Huabin's palm struck her shoulder.
Instead of flying backward, Ma Xiaotao pivoted. The sheer, compressed heat inside her body acted as a perfect engine. She moved faster than she ever had in her life. She slipped past his heavy arm, dropping low.
Hit the hinges.
She drove her elbow directly into the side of Dai Huabin's right knee.
CRACK.
The sound echoed across the arena. Dai Huabin's perfect connection to the earth shattered. His knee gave out sideways. The White Tiger phantom behind him flickered and died.
Ma Xiaotao didn't stop. With a fluid, spinning motion, she swept her leg up and struck Dai Huabin under the chin, sending the massive captain flipping backward through the air. He hit the dirt hard and didn't get up.
At the same time, Tang Ya's vines wrapped around Zhu Lu's legs, pulling her off balance. The Nightstalker Panther Soul Spirit hissed and faded as Zhu Lu was brought down.
The remaining Star Luo team members stopped in their tracks, staring in shock at their fallen captain and vice-captain.
Ma Xiaotao stood up slowly. She exhaled. A thin stream of superheated white steam escaped her lips. Her skin faded back to its normal color. The fire hadn't controlled her. She had controlled the fire.
"Winner, Team Anito!" the referee shouted, dropping the flag.
Ma Xiaotao looked back at Yuhao and Tang Ya. She gave them a tired, genuine smile.
••••
Up in the stands, Lakan leaned over the marble railing, clapping slowly.
"Look at that," he said to Mu En, who was dozing quietly in the next chair. "She finally figured out how to close the oven door. I told Yan Shaozhe his teaching methods were too boring. All she needed was a little pressure."
Lakan popped another chicharon into his mouth. The tournament was finally getting fun.
End of Volume 2, Chapter 30