"Did you see that?"
The crowd buzzed with disbelief.
Moments ago, Master Ronin had leapt straight into the air—clean, controlled—and landed like it was nothing. Easily three meters high.
For the audience, it was shocking.
For the martial artists watching?
It was impossible.
"…That wasn't normal," one of them muttered.
"No kidding. That kind of jump… that's not training. That's physics giving up."
Even seasoned masters like Ip Man and Master Hong had gone quiet, their attention no longer on the foreign fighter in the ring.
They were watching Ronin.
Trying to understand.
Trying—and failing.
Across from him, the heavyweight boxer known as Tornado narrowed his eyes, clearly unsure whether what he'd just seen was real.
Ronin cracked his neck, settling into a stance.
"Come on," he said, gesturing casually. "Let's see what you've got."
There was a shift in the air.
Even Master Hong, who had been ready to step in earlier, took a step back instead.
Better watch this first.
—
The bell rang.
Tornado moved first.
A quick jab—sharp, fast, controlled. A probing strike to test his opponent.
Ronin didn't dodge.
He stepped forward.
His body moved with a strange, fluid power—something beyond technique. His palm shot out—
And connected.
The impact landed before Tornado's punch had even fully extended.
A dull, heavy sound echoed through the arena.
Then—
Tornado disappeared from the ring.
His body slammed into the far wall, unconscious before he hit the ground.
Silence.
Then—
"What?!"
The entire audience shot to their feet.
A knockout.
Instant.
No exchange. No buildup. Just… over.
A second later, the place erupted.
Cheers. Shouts. Chaos.
Martial artists and students rushed the stage, surrounding Ronin as if he'd just rewritten reality itself.
A reporter pushed forward, microphone in hand.
"Master Ronin! What just happened? How did you—"
Ronin grinned, straightening slightly.
"Hard work," he said confidently. "Nothing fancy. Just dedication."
Behind the crowd, Ip Man and Master Hong exchanged looks.
That wasn't hard work.
That wasn't even the same category.
The technique hadn't changed much.
But the power? The speed?
It was like watching a human body suddenly decide it had no limits.
—
Later that night—
Ronin had barely made it home before he was surrounded.
Every master in the area had shown up.
"Come on, Ronin," one of them said, barely holding back his impatience. "We've known each other for years. Don't mess with us. What did you do?"
Dozens of eyes locked onto him.
Hungry.
Curious.
Ronin rubbed his chin, then shrugged.
"Alright," he said. "I'll be honest."
He leaned back slightly, lowering his voice like he was about to reveal a secret.
"I met someone."
That got their attention.
"He taught me something new. I've been training it for a few months."
He spread his hands.
"That's it."
Silence.
"…You're serious?" someone asked.
Ronin nodded.
"Dead serious."
The room shifted.
If that was true—
Then what he had learned wasn't just valuable.
It was revolutionary.
One of the masters stepped forward, suddenly much more polite.
"Ronin… we go way back," he said carefully. "If I asked you to take me on as a student…"
Ronin snorted.
"I know what you're after."
He waved it off.
"I'll have to check first."
"…Check with who?"
Ronin gave them a look.
"The guy who taught me."
That didn't help.
"…You can still contact him?" someone asked.
"Of course," Ronin said, rolling his eyes. "We're tight."
The room fell silent again.
Half of them believed him.
The other half thought he'd finally lost it.
—
Meanwhile—
Inside the Interdimensional Chatroom—
Ronin's message popped up.
Master Ronin: @The Noble Blade, @Noah Vale — I'm thinking about sharing the original technique I learned. Just the base version. That okay?
A moment later, he added—
Master Ronin: Not the upgraded one. That's… a bit much.
Noah Vale glanced at the message and quickly pieced together what had happened.
Then he responded.
But not with words.
Files appeared in the chat.
[Upload Complete] — Energy Cultivation Manual
[Upload Complete] — Advanced Technique Compendium
[Upload Complete] — Universal Training Method 4.0
The entire chat lit up.
Everyone paused what they were doing.
Even Sasuke.
This wasn't just another update.
This was a leap.
Sasuke Uchiha: How strong is this version?
A second passed.
Then Noah answered.
Noah Vale: Much higher ceiling. Orders of magnitude beyond the previous version. If you stick with it long enough, you'll reach a level where most opponents won't matter anymore.
That was… vague.
But also not.
The implications hit immediately.
Everyone went quiet.
Because they understood what that meant.
This wasn't just improvement.
This was transformation.
Noah added one more line—
Noah Vale: Start with the fundamentals first. The system's been expanded. You'll need to adapt before moving on.
He didn't over-explain.
He didn't need to.
For those in the chat—
This was everything.
A path forward.
A way to catch up.
Or at least—
Try.