25 Martial Arts

I grabbed the two iron daggers and headed towards the same corridor as Old Man Shui. He stood at the entrance waiting for me to catch up. As I neared we locked eyes, he had a gentle appearance almost like a kind elderly grandfather.

He smiled, "Young man let's have a pleasant match. As I'm sure you know there is no need to kill each other in the arena. Since we have no animosity, why not give this old man a chance to admit defeat if you manage to overpower me?"

I nodded at him, "Of course I will not kill wantonly, if it wasn't for Raven's Claw trying to kill me first he may have lived. As long as you extend courtesy to me I will extend mine to you"

Old Man Shui beamed, "Excellent in that case let's both do our best and give them a good show."

He turned heading down the corridor seemingly gliding across the ground This old man can't be underestimated his movements are mysterious and he acts with prudence. Others may not have noticed, but I could tell that he must be a martial artist. The movements he practiced earlier and the footwork he just displayed both reveal his origins as a martial artist.

Martial arts had been on the decline for centuries on earth. The advancement of technologies had made martial arts almost useless in warfare. Even for fitness people used technology that assisted them in building perfect bodies. Not to mention the world was mostly at peace and crime had dropped to an all new low. Martial arts were seen as a thing of the past that no longer served a purpose.

It wasn't until humanity came to Agartha that martial arts began to take the center stage again. Reclusive masters burst into the limelight and became revered as heroes. Children began to practice martial arts and seek out masters to teach them. Over the next couple years things like dojos and sects that taught martial arts would begin to gain popularity throughout the human population. Even some of the natives were interested in learning martial arts. Especially the Una, many martial arts focused on mimicking water and waves which Una had a high affinity for. Therefore, they became extremely proficient in some martial arts, vastly expanding their power.

Old Man Shui was clearly one of the people who practiced martial arts, I have to be careful when fighting him. I can't afford to lose, this is an excellent opportunity that I can't pass up, however, I must reach the last round or my plans will be ruined.

I went down the corridor and side tunnel to reach the entrance of the fighting arena. This time when we entered the arena there were about the same level of cheers for both of us. They might have started taking me seriously.

The officiator's voice sounded, "Competitors have a good fight and may the best man win! Begin!"

This time their was no burst of speed leading to a fast paced battle in the middle. Old Man Shui just looked at me from afar. Similarly I looked at him trying to see any weaknesses he may reveal.

After a few moments I decided I'd head over first, after all the crowd would be displeased if we just stood there forever. I didn't use any special technique and just walked over to Old Man Shui's side of the arena. After getting about 10 meters in front of him I came to a stop.

"Ready?"

"The young go first." he gestured towards me.

I dashed towards him brandishing my daggers. When I got about one meter away I used shifting sands to quickly dash left before taking a swipe at his side with my right dagger. I was about to bury my dagger into his side when a strong force hit my wrist forcing my dagger to miss. I used the force of the hit to gain a bit of separation. I looked down at my wrist, a red mark on it and a numbing sensation ran through it. My strength is an 11, I'm by no means weak. How did he manage to hit that hard? Is this old man really that strong?

Old Man Shui just stood there waiting for me to resume my attack. I dashed back towards him heading straight in with a thrust from my left dagger. I focused on Old Man Shui's movements this time. His arm traveled in an arc and struck my wrist while he spun in the opposite direction away from the dagger. I went past him with the same numbing sensation in my left hand as was in my right.

This time I was able to see how he did it. It's not that he is stronger than me it's that his technique allows him to gather momentum in his arms striking his opponent with more force. Because, of his palm strike the force travels into the muscles causing the numbing sensation. If I get struck many more times I might not have the strength to hold the daggers.

Clearly blindly trying to strike him wouldn't work. So far his defenses have been air tight. I will have to try using a unique method to defeat him.

I dashed towards him the same why I had before angrily saying, "Fight me like a man."

A glint appeared in Old Man Shui's eye, it seems this is the effect he was looking for. Most fighters would get frustrated having their strikes deflected like that, while their opponent nonchalantly waits for them to attack again. This would cause them to attack with abandon which is what the old man wants.

Pretending to attack with abandon I swung the dagger wildly at the old man. Just before his palm was about to strike I turned the dagger around allowing the pommel of the blade to strike his palm. Using the momentum from his palm strike I turned my body and struck out with my elbow hitting Old Man Shui in the side of his head. Clearly he wasn't expecting me to use his own force against him and to deliver a crafty blow.

Stunned Old Man Shui stumbled to the ground. I quickly dashed behind him and placed my blade at his throat.

Old Man Shui raised his hands in the air, "This old man admits defeat."

The crowd cheered although not as loudly as when I killed Raven's Claw. Such a bloodthirsty crowd, I guess this is what happens when a society that was sheltered for so long get's thrown into a chaotic world. A few even boo'ed wishing I had killed Old Man Shui.

I looked towards the Pavilion where Alexander Morrow sat and bowed, then I left the arena.