Months had gone by since my last duel I had fought in the City.

Throughout my time there I saw people duel each other all the time.

I felt a bit of a desire to start challenging people myself, but I knew with the reputation Kemoro had left me as a legacy, it was better if I just layed low.

Things usually never work out as you want them to though, after the extended period of peace, it was suddenly broken when one late evening, as I was carrying my wagon back to the house, I received a challenge to a duel by a random passerby.

Not only did he challenge me to a duel, he also proposed a wager of all my items in my wagon for a sack pound of “Martial Eye Sensitivity Salve”, a rare, but well known and popular buffing item, that’s actually an export of the City.

I didn’t really put too much value on the salve, but seeing as I had somehow stayed undefeated in all my duels up until now, there was no way I could refuse.

The young Martial Expert turned out to be a difficult opponent.

He was a young genius from the “Resonant Palm Outer Martial Arts Sect”.

He was a master at high pace, high damage moves, that had a large area of effect to whatever he made contact with.

Yupow had in passing explained to me that there were Martial Artists who practiced a Martial Art form called Outer Energy Martial Arts.

Unlike Inner Energy Martial Arts, these Martial Artists focused on harnessing the Dynamic Energy that surrounded the outside of the body to its fullest effect.

Yupow said that that type of energy can be considered a by-product or result of the motions of Inner Energy within the body that are created with every action and breath, so in a way these Outer Martial Artists could also be considered Inner Martial Artists, that have chosen a different approach.

By controlling the final second release of energy, that is last to be released from the body, through its direction and intensity, you can manipulate a good amount of the surrounding energy around the body as well.

This is the foundational key to Outer Martial Arts.

The only reason Yupow explained this to me was because the Inner Breath incorporated some aspects of this principle in one of its signature techniques “Expunging Breath”.

It was a technique I had yet to master, but knowing the principles behind it helped me in dealing with this Genius from the Outer Martial Arts Organization.

As it turned out the kid was eager to place himself with the Seeiers Ranking list, as despite his talent, he had yet to join the realm of Rankers.

His self declared and taunting plan, was to mop the floor with me, become rich with my stuff and magical items, and become the Hero of the City.

I had a feeling the kid came to challenge me against the will of his Organization, as before now almost everyone had left me alone despite their hateful stares.

I figured the allure of glory and power were too much for the kid to handle, and so tired of waiting he decided to take things into his own hands.

After a couple close calls were his high pressure style put me on the defensive, my superior in-fighting skill and mastery of clinch fighting, allowed me to parry one his dangerous attacks, and land a knockout Inner Energy fortified punch, after the style of one of the moves I had learned, from one of the the three Manuals I had bought at the Black Market on the first day I had visited it.

I had really taken a liking to the Manual that focused on fist striking, body positioning, clinch fighting and footwork the most, and now I had found the perfect opportunity to exercise some of the moves I had tried to learn from it.

At point blank range and combined with the forward momentum created by my perfect parry timing, as well as the added power of an Inner Energy strike executed with perfect technique, the kid was lucky I didn’t shatter his face as I held back some power just at the last second, sensing that any more power could result in a lethal blow.

The Kid was talented and strong, but compared to Fittino and Teloro, the kid just lacked too much experience and overwhelming power that the latter didn’t.

I didn’t even have to rely on my Ground Fighting Techniques, to overcome a disadvantage in strength, as I had done so in the previous fights despite the kids' powerful attacks.

The reason behind that, was that although his attacks were strong and fast, his moves were to obviously telegraphed and predictable, for the current level Expert I was, that in comparison to when I had fought my last two duels, was much more experienced and powerful, having just added Inner Energy Body Strengthening and Augmentation to my arsenal of Techniques and Skills.

My Victory was quick and decisive, and although it was late and the streets weren’t as full, there were still a good amount of spectators and witnesses in the surrounding.

Soon the news of Kemoro’s Infamous latest duel victory spread like wildfire.

And like how someone lighting a match on gunpowder, causes a chain reaction that leads to an explosion, the Greedy kids duel challenge to me, set off a chain of events that ultimately motivated all the pent up haters and would be challengers of mine, to one after another search me down and call me out to a duel one after another, in a sudden burst of aggression.