Chapter 5: Irregular Movement
The entire arena became silent after Huang Ming narrowly dodged Rex Hao's full-powered strike. Even the students who had been laughing moments earlier now stared toward Platform Seven with confusion written across their faces. Rex himself remained frozen briefly, his fist still extended forward while Huang stood only centimeters away from the attack that should have ended the match instantly.
"…He dodged it?"
"No way…"
"That wasn't luck…"
Whispers immediately spread throughout Training Sector Three while Huang himself looked slightly confused by what had just happened. His heart pounded heavily inside his chest while strange energy continued fluctuating throughout his body. The world around him still felt strangely clear, almost as though his senses had suddenly sharpened beyond normal limits.
Across from him, Rex quickly regained composure before immediately jumping backward to create distance. The confidence from earlier remained on his face, but now caution mixed within it as well. "That movement just now…" Rex muttered while narrowing his eyes. "You're hiding something."
"I wish I was," Huang answered honestly while trying to steady his breathing. "Because I also have no idea what just happened."
Several nearby students frowned after hearing that response. Most assumed Huang was simply pretending to be humble after getting lucky, but Kael Riven continued silently observing the platform with narrowed eyes because he noticed something everyone else missed. The moment Huang dodged, the spiritual flow surrounding his body shifted unnaturally. It didn't resemble a trained movement technique or controlled energy circulation. Instead, it looked as though Huang's body instinctively forced itself to adapt beyond its natural limits.
Far above the arena, the instructors inside the floating observation room also noticed the same thing. One older instructor leaned slightly forward while watching the holographic readings beside Huang's profile. "The fluctuation spiked during the dodge."
Another instructor frowned. "His reaction speed exceeded expected parameters. That movement shouldn't be possible for a Trainee Warrior."
Meanwhile, on the platform below, Rex Hao slowly exhaled before spiritual energy surged throughout his body once more. Unlike before, he no longer looked relaxed. "You got lucky once," Rex said calmly while tightening his fists. "Don't expect it to happen again."
"…That honestly sounds fair," Huang admitted.
The moment Rex moved again, the pressure surrounding the platform instantly increased. Spiritual energy reinforced his muscles while cracks spread beneath his feet from the force of his acceleration. This time he attacked continuously instead of relying on a single strike. One punch followed another with overwhelming force, each carrying enough power to seriously injure an ordinary first-year student.
Huang immediately found himself overwhelmed.
He barely managed to dodge the first attack before the second forced him backward again. Rex's fighting style was aggressive and direct, completely focused on overwhelming opponents through raw physical pressure.
BOOM.
Another punch narrowly missed Huang's shoulder before slamming into the platform behind him, scattering fragments of metal across the arena. Students throughout the crowd stared in shock at the destructive force behind Rex's attacks.
"He's not holding back anymore…"
"That Trainee Warrior is finished…"
Yet despite the overwhelming pressure, Huang somehow continued avoiding direct hits. Not perfectly. Not skillfully. But instinctively. Each time Rex attacked, Huang's body reacted moments before impact as though something inside him forcibly analyzed danger faster than his mind could process it.
Lyra's calm voice echoed inside his head once more.
"Your body is adapting to combat stimulus."
"…Can it adapt less painfully?" Huang complained internally while stumbling backward again.
"Pain levels are increasing due to unstable synchronization."
"…That sounds extremely unhealthy."
Rex suddenly appeared directly in front of Huang before throwing another heavy punch toward his chest. Huang instinctively twisted sideways at the last second, narrowly avoiding the attack before stumbling awkwardly across the platform. The crowd reacted instantly.
"He dodged again?!"
"No way…"
Even Instructor Zhao Ren narrowed his eyes slightly now. At first Huang's survival looked like luck, but after repeatedly avoiding attacks from a Combat Division student, it no longer seemed accidental.
Rex clearly realized the same thing.
His expression slowly became irritated. "You're annoying to hit."
"…Thank you?"
"That wasn't a compliment."
"I figured."
Laughter spread throughout portions of the crowd despite the tense atmosphere while even Xiu Meiying struggled to hold back a smile. Nearby students looked equally confused because no one understood how a Trainee Warrior continued avoiding attacks from someone clearly stronger.
Meanwhile, Luna Ling silently observed Huang without speaking. Her calm violet eyes focused carefully on every movement he made because unlike most students, she noticed the instability surrounding him growing worse. Each dodge increased the abnormal fluctuations spreading through his body. His breathing became uneven, his spiritual flow increasingly chaotic, and yet his reactions somehow continued improving.
On the platform, Rex Hao's patience finally began disappearing. Spiritual energy surged violently around his body as he clenched his fists harder than before. "I'm ending this now."
The pressure surrounding him immediately intensified.
Several nearby students instantly recognized the technique Rex was preparing.
"That's Iron Burst…"
"He's serious now…"
Dense spiritual energy condensed around Rex's right arm while his muscles visibly expanded beneath the pressure of the strengthening technique. The metallic platform beneath his feet cracked continuously from the force leaking from his body.
Huang instinctively felt danger.
Real danger.
Far greater than before.
Even Lyra's usually calm voice changed slightly.
"Warning. Incoming attack possesses high probability of severe injury."
"…That's comforting."
Rex suddenly vanished from sight.
The crowd gasped.
In the next instant, he appeared directly in front of Huang with terrifying speed, his reinforced fist rushing toward Huang's chest like an incoming explosion. For a brief moment, everything slowed again. Huang could see the attack clearly—too clearly. The movement of spiritual energy, the compression within Rex's muscles, the exact trajectory of the strike, even the slight vibration spreading through the air became painfully obvious in Huang's vision.
But this time dodging felt impossible.
The attack was too fast.
Too close.
Too powerful.
And in that instant, something deep inside Huang's body suddenly reacted.
The unstable energy spreading through his meridians exploded violently outward. The air surrounding Huang distorted while chaotic spiritual fluctuations surged across the entire platform. A powerful wave of unstable energy erupted from his body, causing nearby students to instinctively step backward in shock.
For the first time since the match began—
Everyone in Training Sector Three felt it.