Ghost Dragon's expression was one of excitement and shock.
He saw it: the power originating from the foot, transmitted through the ankle, knee, and hip, finally pouring out into the fist without reservation!
Every joint's rotation, every muscle's contraction, was perfectly timed, without a single superfluous movement.
That was absolutely the realm of a martial arts grandmaster!
In an instant, scenes of him sweating profusely day after day in the dojo flashed through his mind.
His master's teachings—"Power from the ground up," "Waist and horse united," "Fist follows intent"—these were maxims he had heard countless times, believing he had fully mastered them.
At this moment, they truly revealed their profound meaning to him.
His "Gale Hundred-Rend Fist," which he had always been so proud of, pursued superficial speed and flashiness, but abandoned the fundamentals of martial arts.
Compared to this "simple and unadorned" punch before him, his own techniques were ridiculous!
The person before him, with the most subtle movements, pointed out every unnecessary aspect of his bodywork;
With the gentlest touch, he exposed the core flaw of his fist technique;
Finally, with this slow punch, he demonstrated the ultimate realm martial artists dream of!
What terrifying martial arts mastery! And what broad-mindedness!
Who... who exactly was this person?
Shame, gratitude, ecstasy... a myriad of complex emotions surged through him, causing Ghost Dragon's body to tremble slightly.
He opened his mouth, but found himself unable to utter a single word.
He subconsciously mimicked Lin Mo's movements, sinking his waist, rotating his hips, trying to throw that punch imbued with the new power-generating technique.
Although his movements were still stiff and awkward, the moment his fist swung out, he could clearly feel a unified force flowing from his feet directly to his fist.
The wind generated by his fist was heavier and more concentrated than any punch he had thrown before!
Seeing this, Lin Mo nodded slightly.
Teachable.
Then, he retracted his fist and stood calmly in place, making no further movements.
Ghost Dragon stared blankly at his own fist, then looked at the unfathomable man opposite him.
He knew that this so-called match was over.
If the opponent wanted to win, it would probably only take one move, or even half a move.
From beginning to end, the opponent had never truly attacked him once, yet he had learned more than he would have in ten years of arduous training in the dojo.
This was no longer a match; it was an incredible opportunity!
Ghost Dragon took a deep breath, and before the almost empty audience, he bowed ninety degrees to Lin Mo's game character, dropping all combat stances.
"I surrender."
Then, he unhesitatingly pressed the "surrender" button on his operation panel.
[K.O.!]
[Winner: A-777!]
Huge victory words appeared on the screen, announcing the end of this unnoticed match.
Ghost Dragon slowly took off his VR headset, the light of the real world making him a little uncomfortable.
He ignored the outcome of the match and immediately searched for player A-777 in the crowd.
However, Lin Mo had already turned and left the moment the match ended, silently merging into the distant crowd with Saitama and Genos.
Ghost Dragon stood rooted to the spot, finally finding an empty corner, trembling with excitement.
"So that's it... so that's it! This is how power is used... martial arts... this is what it truly is..."
He imitated the slow punch Lin Mo had thrown again and again, sometimes frowning in thought, sometimes beaming with ecstasy, completely lost in his own world, tears unknowingly streaming down his cheeks.
------
At Ring 3 in Zone C, this match, which should have gone unnoticed, simultaneously appeared on the monitoring networks of two individuals in the backend.
In the player lounge, Suiryu was idly watching the progress of various matches on a large screen.
He had already won three consecutive matches, each resolved within a minute, and the level of his opponents made him yawn constantly.
"Ugh, I knew I shouldn't have come; I'd rather watch movies at home."
He mumbled, about to turn off the screen.
Just then, his gaze was fixed on the footage from Ring 3 in Zone C.
On the screen, a character in black casual clothes faced a full-stance karate practitioner.
The karate practitioner's attacks were as swift as the wind, his techniques sharp and top-tier among amateur fighters.
However, the black-clad character merely used extremely subtle sidesteps to neutralize all attacks.
"Hmm?"
Suiryu's lazy eyes narrowed slightly. He sat up straight, an expression of interest appearing on his face for the first time.
"Completely seeing through the opponent's attack patterns, speed, and even intentions?"
Suiryu's martial arts intuition allowed him to instantly grasp the essence, his eyes slightly narrowed.
"A bit interesting. I really didn't expect such a master to be hidden in a competition like this."
Immediately after, the scene on the screen made him completely hold his breath.
Facing Ghost Dragon's aggressive "Secret Art: Gale Hundred-Rend Fist," Lin Mo's character extended an index finger, precisely touching the inside of the opponent's wrist.
Instantly, the storm of attacks came to an abrupt halt.
Then, Lin Mo, with extremely slow speed, threw a standard karate straight punch.
Amateurs watch the spectacle, experts watch the craft.
In Suiryu's eyes, this punch was practically a living martial arts textbook!
"This is what I came for!"
Suiryu felt his blood begin to boil, boredom and weariness swept away, replaced by the fervent excitement of meeting a worthy opponent.
"A-777... I'll remember you! Don't you dare get eliminated by anyone else!"
Meanwhile, at the other end of the venue, Garou also stopped.
He had just dealt with an unlucky opponent and was preparing to look for his next target.
A monitor screen hanging on the wall was also showing the match from Ring 3 in Zone C.
Initially, he merely glanced at it with disdain.
"Children's squabble."
But very quickly, his gaze changed.
From initial contempt, it shifted to scrutiny, and then finally to solemnity and excitement.
As a genius of Water Stream Rock Smashing Fist, he understood the terrifying nature of Lin Mo's subtle evasions even better than Suiryu.
And when Lin Mo extended that single finger, Garou's pupils sharply contracted.
"Neutralizing the strongest attack with the smallest cost!" Garou's lips curled into a cruel arc.
"Interesting... too interesting!"
That final slow straight punch appeared to Garou as an entirely different sight.
What he saw was a terrifying return to simplicity.
If this punch were thrown at normal speed, its destructive power would be absolute!
"I will... hunt you!"
A desire from the depths of his soul made all of Garou's cells tremble with excitement.
He had found the most worthy prey in this competition.
Thus, Suiryu and Garou both locked their gazes on Lin Mo.
------