BUTTERFLIES (Arc 2&3; The Undefeatable Class 192)

Chapter 71: Find That Girl!

  I kept on persevering. I was trying to understand how the movement technique actually works. Although I've been practicing it for 12 hours, I'd still been unable to make a breakthrough into the minor accomplishment.
  From my lessons with Old Ancestor Asher, Teacher Kira and Old Sage Muyu, I was taught that every technique, be it movement, fist, swordsmanship, archery... any weaponry use at all... and even in the Way of Disguise, there were several stages or accomplishments. There was the novice stage, minor accomplishment, major accomplishment and quintessence.
  In the Way of Disguise, due to my bloodline, I'd already accomplished major accomplishment — which was something unheard of for someone who had learnt disguising skills under just a week.
  In archery, I'd made a breakthrough to minor accomplishment, just yesterday.
  Teacher Kira's movement technique, however, was still extremely new to me, and I was in the novice stage. I was trying to apply my movement to an actual battle, since that was the most effective way to polish my battle knowledge.
  This puppet wasn't dumb at all. It quickly made an adaption to its fist technique in order to trap me in my movements. It was actually searching for my weak spot!
  ‘Poof!’
  It finally found a loop in my movement, striking me flying into the air. Blood spilled from my mouth just by that single punch.
  In my head, I heard myself screaming, ‘I thought he was supposed to be a puppet! He's even worse than an actual human! And what's with that fist technique? It's too flexible!’
  Crashing onto the floor, I did a fast Chinese-get-up and wiped my blood-stained mouth with the back of my sleeve.
  Funny enough, it didn't attack upon my being struck. It just stood with its back against me as though I had given up or something.
  “Arrrr!” I screamed, leaping into the sky and dashing for it with a fist that caused a rift in the space protecting the stage.
  The puppet acted swiftly in an inhumane mannerism. It took a roll in an attempt to avoid my punch from behind. Immediately, it turned and dashed towards me, moving its true essence into a peculiar cycle that made it seem as though its fist was developing into iron!
  One of the boys watching in the auditorium screamed, “She's a goner! Iron Fist is using the Iron Fist technique!”
  I wasn't shaken by that outcry. One thing I loved the most was a direct confrontation. In response to its incoming fist, I quickly channeled my United Heavens cultivation cycle towards my right hand, using true essence to even all my energy on this punch.
  ‘Boom!’
  An explosion rang out as both fists collided. The sound barrier around the stage shook a little, and unknowingly to me, that little soundwave was enough to draw the attention of some experts.

* * *
In a classroom...
  “So even though your arms are responsible for channeling your strength, it is impossible to just rely on that. The basic standard is having a resolved mind... which is totally unaccomplishable for teenagers your age. Mostly those with major accomplishments in a fist technique could be...”
  The teacher suddenly paused.
  “Teacher, anything the matter?” a student asked on noticing the sudden stop in his teacher's lesson.
  The teacher's eyes brightened as he dashed out of the classroom, leaving these words behind, “Iron Fist!”
  All the students exchanged surprised looks. They, of course, all knew that there was only one thing referred to as “Iron Fist” in the academy, and it was none other than the puppet in charge of the Fist Practice, in the training ground at the north.
  They all dashed after their teacher in total curiosity. They'd not heard or felt anything, but they were sure their teacher would never leave a lesson halfway without a valid reason.
  The same feat was happening everywhere around the vicinity of the Fist Practice training ground at the northern part of the academy. Crowds began to swoop towards the location with lightening speed.

* * *
  We were both sent flying backwards by the aftereffects of the collision. I was puking blood, but was already used to it with all the near-death practices and fights in JAG Special. To me, it felt as if I was in a virtual world, and my mind was totally concentrated on this fight.
  The puppet, on the other hand, appeared to be befuddled. Its man-made brows were furrowed. If it were to be human, it'd have had some blood trickling down its mouth.
  With my Meditation realm cultivation, I could sense that a sudden crowd was approaching. I quickly swooped out of the fighting ring and dashed out of the open air, since the place had no roof.
  The moment I stepped out, the automatic fight result (which I knew nothing about) pushed out my fight results (grades). Since I didn't know about it, I definitely didn't know I'd caused one of the greatest surprise in the new generation of the academy's students.

* * *
  Thud and Ali's hands were gripped hard on their seats. Perspiration and fear had already been smeared across their faces. The earlier collision started to make them wonder if what they were watching was some edited record player, or an actual real life battle.
  Suddenly, they noticed the girl on stage, which was now spitting blood, furrow her brows as if she'd seen something. Before they could even blink, she dashed out of the stage.
  The moment her legs stepped out, her result shone from the centre of the stage, as per normal to students who took the test. That was the duo's first attention, because they'd already been making guesses.
  Fighting with Puppet Iron Fist was a difficult challenge, due to its extraordinarily solid fist techniques. The puppet was a product of an expert who'd later left the academy to the higher parts of the Phantom Dynasty. This expert was known for his indomitable fist technique known as the Iron Fist, and most people knew him by such an alias. His life essence was infused into a lifeless puppet before he left, so that his legacy would not be forgotten. Hence, when one fought with it, it was never with the objective to win. Not like one shouldn't win, but that they just couldn't win — as long as it was solely under the fist arts challenge.
  The challenge took many things into consideration for its rating of the challenger. Movement's speed, agility, number of times the puppet's fist was dodged, and many more. In the history of students of the academy, the number that got an A-rating could be counted on a hand. Most final year students were only able to get ranked with a B...
  “I-It's a, a , a B-b-b-b-b!” both boys exclaimed in shock as they hugged themselves involuntarily.
  “That senior sister... ah, that grand senior martial sister... j-just left like that? What was an expert? This was an expert!”
  Suddenly, they noticed their presence cover with swooping figures.
  “You two! Who challenged Iron Fist with this B rating?” someone asked
  Ali quickly stood up. “It was a certain girl...”
  He and Thud then went on to narrate everything they'd seen, from start to finish, even adding some exaggerations to it. The listeners were all shocked off their wits.
  One of the teachers then shouted an order, after getting the “martial expert's” descriptions.
  “Find that girl! Everyone!”