The two stood facing each other in the center of the dojo, the air seemingly frozen.
Just as the atmosphere remained tense, Katsumi suddenly lunged forward, his right fist shooting out like a cannonball, aiming for Allen's head, hoping to defeat him in one move.
With the enhancement of Combat Intuition, Allen could clearly see the trajectory of this punch.
He slightly tilted his head, the fist grazed past his hair, and at the same time, his right hand struck out like a sharp sword.
"So fast!" Katsumi was startled, quickly retreating, but he was still grazed on the chest by this hand chop, staggering back five steps before stabilizing his posture.
Before Katsumi Orochi could readjust his state, Allen appeared behind Katsumi like a ghost, delivering an elbow strike to his back.
Bang!
Katsumi felt as if his back was splitting open from the pain; although the defensive power of his back muscles was ten times that of his front, this strike still made his vision go black.
"What terrifying power!" Katsumi sighed in his heart.
The crowd in the dojo was even more astonished, seeing this seemingly frail young man force back Curator Katsumi, and from the looks of it, he was even gaining the upper hand!
"Continue," Katsumi's fighting spirit grew even stronger in his eyes, as he adopted Shinshinkai's unique starting stance, his entire body's muscles tensed.
Shinshinkai's karate emphasizes the destructive power of a single decisive blow, with a strong focus on actual combat; as long as he could land one critical hit, the outcome would be immediately decided!
In the ensuing fight, the two engaged in a dazzling offensive and defensive battle.
Katsumi's karate moves were fierce and powerful, each strike accompanied by a whooshing sound, while Allen relied on Combat Intuition to counter each move, weaving through the gaps between punches and kicks, occasionally launching counterattacks.
What shocked Katsumi the most was that Allen's moves were evolving at a visible speed; moves that had initially been somewhat unpolished were now becoming fluid and natural.
Furthermore, the karate moves he imitated gradually began to show traces of the Shinshinkai style.
Facing such a terrifying Fighting Genius, Katsumi Orochi was both surprised and delighted; if this person joined Shinshinkai, it would greatly aid in the refinement of karate.
Katsumi Orochi believed that the test had gone on long enough.
Firstly, the young man's talent was too terrifying; secondly, he no longer wanted to be on the receiving end of a one-sided beating, as this kid's strikes were truly ruthless.
"Stop!" Katsumi suddenly jumped back, stopping the fight and shouting loudly, his forehead covered in sweat.
"Are you really touching karate for the first time?"
Allen calmed his breathing and nodded: "But my learning ability is quite strong."
As he spoke, he glanced at the progress bar; the Fighting Genius's progress bar had already reached 15%.
Katsumi wiped the sweat from his forehead, his eyes sparkling with excitement.
"Genius! You are simply a Fighting Genius born for combat!" He strode forward and vigorously clapped Allen on the shoulder.
"From today onwards, you are a special member of Shinshinkai!"
The students in the dojo gasped in admiration, looking at Allen with reverence.
"Special member? Doesn't that basically mean he's the curator's personal disciple?"
"What is this guy's background…?"
"Why do I feel like the curator lost the recent match?"
"Shh! Why are you speaking such a harsh truth!"
Although Allen had just joined Shinshinkai, all the students present could see his terrifying strength.
The Japanese people's adoration for the strong is almost pathological, so they had no objections to Allen's status in Shinshinkai immediately surpassing theirs despite having just joined.
Allen smiled slightly; this was exactly the outcome he wanted. Joining Shinshinkai would not only accelerate the evolution of Fighting Genius but also allow him to encounter more powerful fighters.
"Thank you, I will study diligently."
Katsumi nodded with satisfaction, then turned and announced to the students: "Today's training ends here, everyone dismissed!"
After the students left, Katsumi led Allen to his private training room behind the dojo.
"Allen, your reaction speed and physical fitness are excellent, but you lack systematic fighting techniques."
Katsumi took a thick notebook from a shelf.
"This is 'Shinshin-ryu Okugi' that my father compiled a long time ago. You should start by learning the basics. Although this thing is quite old, there are still many valuable things to learn from it."
Allen took the notebook, opened the first page, which was densely filled with the essentials of various moves and force application techniques.
"Thank you, I will study it carefully."
Katsumi showed a relieved smile; such a promising talent, who was clearly a blank slate, could not be wasted.
"Tomorrow, I will personally guide your training."
Allen bid farewell to Katsumi Orochi and, after leaving Shinshinkai, walked home, his mind constantly replaying today's combat scenes.
He could feel that Fighting Genius was subtly changing his body.
[Fighting Genius Evolution Progress: 17%]
"Faster than I imagined; it seems the speed of evolution is also related to the intensity of talent." Allen clenched his fist, feeling the changes emanating from deep within his muscles.
The next day, a Rolls-Royce Phantom slowly drove up to the entrance of Tokyo Den High School.
It instantly attracted the attention of students by the windows.
"Oh! It's a luxury car!"
"There are bodyguards wearing sunglasses in the car, are they from the Central Intelligence Agency?"
"It seems a big shot has arrived today."
The car door was slowly opened by a bodyguard, and a bald old man in a dark blue kimono stepped out.
He was Mitsunari Tokugawa, the thirteenth head of the Tokugawa Zaibatsu, and the manager of the fighting holy land, the Underground Arena.
He possessed profound expertise and passion for fighting and fighters.
Inside the classroom, Baki's homeroom teacher rushed in.
"Baki-kun! Come with me to the principal's office immediately!"
Upon hearing this, Baki knew that Mitsunari Tokugawa had come for him. Without thinking, he pulled up Allen, who was sleeping.
"Hmm? Ah?" Allen looked at Baki, who had pulled him up, somewhat confused.
"Allen-kun, come with me!" Baki's eyes sparkled with excitement; he definitely had to bring his good friend along for such a good thing as the Underground Arena.
Because Baki had no ill intentions, Allen's Combat Intuition did not activate, and he was groggily pulled up.
He was dragged out of the classroom by Baki before he could react. Allen had spent all last night reading "Shinshin-ryu Okugi," raising the Fighting Genius's evolution bar to 30%.
"Baki-kun, what happened?" Allen rubbed his eyes.
"Someone came to invite us to participate in underground fighting," Baki whispered.
Allen instantly sobered up upon hearing this; he immediately understood who had come for Baki.
Mitsunari Tokugawa was an important figure in the Baki world, and his Underground Arena gathered strong fighters from all over the world.
The two walked out of the classroom under the curious gazes of their classmates, while the homeroom teacher's expression was somewhat anxious.