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In three short hours the stadium had gone from 10% capacity to being overcapacity by nearly double. Patrons and commoners flooded the seats with people filling the aisles and walkways, some even sitting on the floor of the stadium itself. The air was abuzz with noise and high above skiffs gathered for the big wigs to catch a glimpse of the impromptu battle about to unfold.

“I think this is the largest crowd I’ve ever seen for an Iron Bracket match,” Gui Zu said standing next to me as we both peered through the locker room doors. “If you win tonight, your reputation would be well secured, brother. Or at least until your match for the number one spot begins anyway.”

I grinned. “That’s the plan, my man.”

My insides were roiling with a mixture of apprehension and excitement. It’d been weeks since I was back in the arena and this had turned out to be one heck of a homecoming.

“Do you know much about who you’re up against?” Gui Zu asked.

I recalled the quick briefing Bo Ren had given me earlier. “A Fourth-Tier Core cultivator named Fung Wang. Earth aspect so no real advantage either way between us. He’s relatively new to the Iron Bracket. Think this is only his third outing, but he’s not inexperienced. Bo Ren said he’d been training for about seven years before entering the Iron Bracket.”

“Not a pushover then,” Gui Zu said. “Are you ready?”

I’d just finished running a marathon from the wild and barely replenished a quarter of my Frenzy. Other than that, though, I’d had three days of bed rest to capitalize on all the Frenzy I’d been cultivating by building the wall. I was certainly a bit stronger in the body refinement category, but could I match this guy’s martial skill as well?

“Honestly I don’t know,” I said. “But I don’t care either…I have no choice but to win this fight tonight.”

It was the truth too.

Everything was riding on this now.

The same way a crowd this size could solidify my reputation throughout the city, it could just as easily break it. That got a whole new set of parameters flowing through my brain. This wasn’t a fight just for me, this was a battle I needed to win for the future of my clan.

The Terran Sect needed to dominate, and I needed to pull out all the stops.

Just the thought set the [Odds Against Me] and I drew on the fresh Frenzy of the technique to saturate my body with potency and stored excess in my Dantian.

A fanfare of trumpets played over the murmur of the crowd and suddenly the announcer’s voice broke over the speakers. “He was defeated in shame, but as the phoenix rises from the ashes, so too can great warriors return for a second chance at glory!” The crowd riled up as a drum roll started and the stadium light pointed in the opposite corner. “You know him as the Young Mountain King, the Earth Master with a point to prove. Can the old ways rival the new? He wasn’t able to the first time, but can he earn his way to glory yet again? Join me in welcoming back to the ring, Master Fung Wang of the Holy Mountain Clan!”

Fung Wang entered the ring riding a wave of earth made from the arena’s hardpacked clay floor, the stuff becoming like water under his influence. He was relatively short, barely five foot it looked like, which made him seem like a kid to me, especially with the baseball-sized prayer beads strung around his neck. His head was clean shaven like a monk’s and I guess he actually was one, judging by his flowing green and brown robes.

The crowd broke into applause as Fung Wang performed a flip atop his wave of sand and brought it to a halt at the center of the stadium. He possessed no weapon that I could see. Clearly this guy was more of a mage type like that idiot Li Gong Qui.

But that didn’t matter.

It just meant I’d have to be on my guard.

The cheers died down and the announcer came over the speakers again as the lights redirected towards me.

“But who can possibly stand in his way?” he said, laying on the cheese. “Fung Wang already faced the might of the ruling clan and failed. How can he redeem himself? To prove himself worthy of a second shot? Some would call Fung Wang an upstart too young to even represent the ancient principles of the Holy Mountain Clan. So perhaps then it is only fitting that another young upstart stand in his way for another shot at glory.”

I twisted my brow at the narrative. Were they making me out to be the villain here?

Before I could consider it further a drum roll began and Gui Zu slapped me on the shoulder. “Looks like you’re up. Good luck, brother.”

I nodded and fitted my bull mask and prepared to enter the stage.

“You know him from his meteoric rise up the ranks and his sudden disappearance from the Iron Bracket. But the call of this challenge was too great to ignore. You love him, you’ve missed him and now he’s finally returned. Join me in re-welcoming to the ring, the Irooooon… BULL!”

The crowd burst into roars and screams as I slowly made my way into the ring with a swagger of [Indifference] and [Struggler’s Resolve]. The reaction was everything I expected, a flood of lemonade from my supporters and anger from those who favored Fung Wang, but I cultivated it all the same. The crowd seemed evenly split to me, but from the score board the odds looked slightly in his favor.

And that was just fine with me.

Fung Wang vs The Iron Bull

Odds: 9:5

Time - 30:00

Fung Wang

Iron Bull

0

0

“This should be an interesting match,” the announcer continued. “Don’t you think, Ken Chu?”

“Yes indeed,” a second commentator, an older man with a gravelly voice answered. “Two very different styles. It will be interesting to see how the Iron Bull will keep up with Fung Wang’s Earth techniques.”

“Indeed,” the first announcer said. “Fung Wang certainly has the court advantage due to the arena being made of clay. But the Iron Bull is quite the wild card himself.”

“True,” Ken Chu said. “But he exited the Iron Bracket after reaching only 20th rank before. The competition at this level is tiers above what he left. Let’s see if he has what it takes to win this match.”

The narrative was shaping up even more.

The [Odds were Against me] for sure.

This wasn’t my comeback story, but Fung Wang’s.

I was the damn obstacle.

The idea pissed me off and sent red-hot Frenzy shooting from my Flame.

Half these people were against me, hoping for a quick win to see their hero Fung Wang back in the running. I grimaced inwardly.

Sorry folks, but I’m going to have to disappoint you all.

But for that I would need strength.

Frenzy in amounts like never before.

Like the announcer had said, the whole arena was Fung Wang’s weapon, no need for him to carry one like the cheap iron axe in my hand. I would have to fight fire with fire if I wanted to stand a chance. And that meant using lightning.

Tons of lightning.

And that meant tons of Frenzy.

I stopped in the center of the ring, a stone’s throw away from Fung Wang and slowly and deliberately reached for my mask. A series of gasps went up from the crowd as I prepared to do the unthinkable.

“What’s this?” the announcer shouted. “Is the Iron Bull doing what I think he is?”

There was only one way to secure my reputation in the streets and that meant ensuring everyone knew just who the hell I was. I removed my bull mask and greeted the crowd arms wide with a grimace of [Struggler’s Resolve].

The crowd went wild with screams and from my fans came a cascade of lemonade.

“I can’t believe it!” the announcer shouted. “An unexpected face reveal by the Iron Bull! Hang on to your wives, gentlemen! This fella is as handsome as he is strong! I hear he’s single too, ladies! Look out!”

High-pitched screams from the crowd reflected the egging on of the announcer. Women were jumping up and down ecstatically in the crowd, much to the chagrin of some of the men. Anger and lemonade mixed and I absorbed it all, filling my reserves for the battle to come. It all reminded me of what Fia had told me about the women in the high courts, how they lusted after the enigmatic Bull Man.

And now their fantasy fulfillment was complete.

I looked up at the flotilla of skiffs in the sky and wondered if Fia was there with them.

The odds on the scoreboard changed.

Fung Wang vs The Iron Bull

Odds: 9:7

Time - 30:00

Fung Wang

Iron Bull

0

0

Fung Wang smirked at me from across the distance.

“So you’re popular, so what,” he said, flexing his Qi as he raised the ground beneath him, bringing his 5-foot frame closer to my near seven-foot height. “What matters now is if you can fight.”

I placed my axe on my shoulder with [Indifference]. “Haven’t you heard? Looking good is the least of my talents.”

My statement caused a lick of anger to flare within him and I quickly consumed it to add to my growing supply of Frenzy that I was flash cultivating into solid form to store within my Dantian.

“We’re ready to start, folks,” the announcer shouted. “Earth Master Fung Wang versus the Iron Bull! Let the Second Chance Showdown… Begin!”

A gong sounded and I immediately sprang into action anticipating an attack from Fung Wang. It came in the form of a wave of earth that threatened to bury me like a tsunami. Spinning, I engaged my jing meridian and attempted to slice through it with a lightning-charged [One Chop Cleave].

The two techniques collided with a boom! and the air was suddenly filled with a shower of fine hail falling from the sky.

Hail? What the hell?

It took me a half second more to realize the hail was actually glass, the result of my lightning technique flash melting the sand. Fung Wang lifted his nose at me with the faintest hint of lemonade.

“So, it seems you can fight after all,” he said, adjusting his prayer beads. “Let’s have at it then!”

A torrent of rocks and debris flew in my direction as Fung Wang went into a series of martial palm techniques. I engaged [Iron Skin] and [Iron Core] and dove right into the attack, gritting my teeth with [Indifference].

It took all my Frenzy and wherewithal to not falter as the first rock hit me, so much power behind it that it would have easily shattered my bones if not for my techniques combined. Three more hit as I plowed through the attack to get within melee range.

My advance surprised him, but not enough to forget his defenses as I swiped my axe at his head with a lightning-charged technique. Instantly a wall of earth formed a shield around him and my axe bounced off of it with a flurry of glass shards and sparks.

Damn, I cursed inwardly. His Qi was strong.

I went on the defensive after that as Fung Wang sent a column of hard earth up from the ground beneath me. I shot into the air almost twenty feet before losing my footing and tumbling in midair. He wasted no time in slamming his hands together to perform a follow-up attack.

From either side of me, two giant boulders materialized out of thin air and quickly closed in on me. Panic shot through my Flame in a burst of Frenzy and I used it to deftly position my axe horizontally to form a wedge between the two slamming boulders.

They hit the weapon with a crunch, cracks forming on their surfaces, but the axe held firm, sparing me from being crushed. I was still hanging in mid-air, held aloft by Fung Wang’s technique. He must have realized it too, and a second later sent both boulders crashing to the ground with me hanging it between.

Wha—bam!

The weight of a building crashed on top of me as I hit the arena floor, rocks and debris flying everywhere. Blood instantly filled my mouth as my innards were crushed, but I pushed through it to get back on my feet.

Fung Wang smirked at me from the distance, his hands clasped together as he performed a little bow. “A thousand apologies. It appears our matchup is quite uneven.”

I glimpsed the scoreboard and was stymied by the results.

Fung Wang vs The Iron Bull

Odds: 11:4

Time - 27:49

Fung Wang

Iron Bull

7

0

Not freaking good, I thought.

Fung Wang had definitely won the first exchange and the slip in odds proved it. The reduction of lemonade from the crowd was another reflection of my poor performance. That meant my resources were growing as limited as my options.

The bastard had too much free rein with being able to manipulate the arena itself. Basically no place was safe.

As if to emphasize the point, Fung Wang threw both palms into the air and the ground mimicked him with two pillars rising at my sides. He slammed his forearms together and I jumped back just in time to miss being crushed by them.

My frontal assault hadn’t worked, but I had to give it a try. I had managed to get close, but even then he had decent defenses at close range. I needed a new strategy. I summoned the solid Frenzy in my core and sent it to my jing, lashing out with a lightning-charged strike at the pillars.

My axe hit and with a crackling boom of thunder and the pillars broke. To my chagrin, Fung Wang still had control and pushed his arms forward to make the pillars slam into me head on. I saw stars as I went flying backwards with the force of the surprise hit, another point adding to the scoreboard.

“You make this too easy for me, Iron Bull!” Fung Wang said with a laugh. “I thank you for your loss in advance! You have made my return to the Iron Bracket a quick one.”

Cocky bastard… I thought.

With a shake of my head, I righted myself, coming to my senses just in time to dodge a falling boulder from above.

“Looks like Fung Wang has the Iron Bull on the backfoot!” the announcer said. “This might be an easy second chance victory for the Mountain Master! Let’s hear it for him, folks!”

The crowd roared in response, and I felt my cultivation base slipping even further.

Damn it! I cursed again. I needed an advantage here.

And then I saw it.

The answer came in the form of an artifact frozen in time. A shock of molten glass had solidified mid-spray when I hit the two pillars with my lightning technique, looking now like an ocean wave paused at its crest. The logic clicked. Turning the earth to glass changed it to something Fung Wang could no longer manipulate with his Qi.

I had my answer, but the [Odds Were Against Me] still.

The cheers for Fung Wang proved it.

I was the underdog in more ways than one.

As the thought steeped, my Flame responded with a newfound Frenzy of its own.

It wasn’t much, but it would have to do.

I gauged I had just over a third of a Dantian full of Frenzy left.

It’s all or nothing, I thought.

I summoned my inner strength, triggering a waterfall of Frenzy to flow towards my jing.

“[Wrath of a Thousand Slain Souls]!”

Torrents of blue lightning arced from my body as I flew into a whirlwind, advancing towards Fung Wang with my martial axe forms. He responded with techniques of his own, but as his rocks slammed into me, my lightning technique instantly shattered them into clouds of glass hail that fell heavily from the sky.

I kept it up, my meridians straining with the constant flow of Frenzy.

I lost track of time, focusing on nothing but maintaining the technique.

Bits of rocks got through, slamming into me, but I endured the pain to keep going.

The remaining Frenzy within my Dantian became my only guide.

Keep going, I thought. Just leave enough for a final swing.

The announcers were going wild, but I couldn\'t care less.

My meridian felt like they were about to collapse and I knew after this I had to have maxed out the limits of my Internal Strengthening. I fixed on Fung Wang and leapt towards him at the last minute with a burst of Frenzy, dropping my [Wrath of a Thousand Slain Souls] technique completely.

I got close enough for a swing of my axe and as expected Fung Wang threw his hand into the air to summon his earth shield to protect him.

But nothing happened.

His eyes went wide with shock as all around him was now a glittering sea of molten glass and sand.

“Surprise, bitch!”

My axe slammed into him, leaving a massive gash across his forearm and sending his prayer beads flying as they broke from about his neck. He cried out in shock and pain, clearly not expecting the hit to land. I followed through before he could raise any other defenses, slamming him in the stomach with the back of my axe.

It was a non-lethal blow. As another crowd favorite, killing him would do the exact opposite of what I wanted to achieve. But although killing him was out of the question, absolutely dominating him was fair game.

I was bone dry out of Frenzy, but with my Muscle Strengthening at Stage VII or VIII now, I had more than enough casual strength to wipe the floor with him. I pummeled Fung Wang with a couple of quick jabs to the head, knocking him backwards and finally ending it all with a spinning heel kick to his jaw.

Whack!

The crowd went silent as he cartwheeled end over end and slammed hard into the glassy arena floor a good twenty feet away.

“That’s done it!” the announcer cried. “Fung Wang looks completely knocked out!”

The earth cultivator did his best to sit upright, eyes unfocused, but it was clear he’d put all his cultivation efforts into Qi manipulation rather than body strengthening techniques. I removed my mask and gave him a deep bow of respect, which caused only more screams and cheers from the crowd.

“An honorable end to a terrific match!” the announcer shouted. “The Iron Bull once again proves he is never to be counted out. The Second Chance Showdown is complete! Let’s hear it for our winner, the Iron Bull!”

I raised my axe in victory, although now it was little more than a twice-fried lightning rod of charred iron and scorched steel. I waved to the crowd and was amazed by the amount of lemonade coming from one and all.

I cultivated it greedily as I looked at the final score.

Fung Wang vs The Iron Bull

Odds: 5:14

Time – 11:16

Fung Wang

Iron Bull

47

23

The odds surprised me. Had the crowd shifted in my favor after seeing me use my lightning techniques? Maybe I had read the scene all wrong. Maybe they wanted a rematch against Lady Silver Sparrow more than anything else and had just figured Fung Wang posed the best chance to make that happen. But now that I’d proven my skill and strength, I was more than worthy to be the final contender to take his place.

I continued to cultivate their praise and adoration, replenishing my Frenzy reserves.

I’d gone down to zero.

Putting it all on the line.

But the results spoke for themselves.

I did it, I thought.

The Iron Bull…was back.