Chapter 140 — The Diamond

Victor looked up at his teacher.

For several seconds, he simply stared.

He couldn't understand it.

None of this made sense.

He had been doing everything he had learned over the past eleven days. His fundamentals were better than they had ever been. His instincts had been sharpened through dozens upon dozens of battles. He had used Intermediate Flash Step and Intermediate Monkey Fist together exactly as Monkaster had taught him.

Yet he had still been completely overwhelmed.

Victor pushed himself off the ground, ignoring the pain spreading through his body. He looked toward Monkaster.

The old monkey hadn't moved.

He was simply waiting.

Victor stood there, breathing heavily as he tried to understand where he had gone wrong.

After a moment, Monkaster finally spoke.

"Victor."

Victor looked up.

"What changed?"

Victor stared down at his hands.

What changed?

Monkaster continued.

"You had so much confidence in yourself during the last several days." Monkaster's expression remained calm. "You fought Rank Ten opponents without hesitation. You fought people who had already understood the Advanced Monkey Fist. You didn't look at any of them as though they were above you."

He paused.

"But now…"

Monkaster looked directly into Victor's eyes.

"It seems like you've forgotten how to use everything I've taught you."

Victor's expression became even more confused.

What do you mean?

I'm doing exactly what you taught me.

How could he have suddenly forgotten everything?

Victor looked down.

He replayed the fight in his mind.

Something wasn't right.

Victor had fought dozens of opponents over the last several days.

Even when he encountered powerful fighters, he had never hesitated.

He had entered those battles believing he could win.

He had never thought about whether they were stronger than him.

He simply fought them.

But this time was different.

This time, the person standing in front of him was Monkaster.

His teacher.

The Prime Ape.

The strongest warrior in the entire Lava Rock Monkey community.

The very person who had spent the last eleven days refining Victor's terrible martial arts fundamentals and turning them into something resembling an actual fighting style.

Victor had placed him on a pedestal.

Far above himself.

Somewhere in his mind, before the battle had even begun, Victor had already decided that Monkaster was an opponent he couldn't defeat.

He had entered the fight expecting to lose.

Victor's eyes slowly widened.

That's it.

He had lost the battle before it had even started.

Not because Monkaster was simply too strong.

Not because Victor's techniques were inadequate.

Not because his fundamentals were lacking.

He had lost because he had entered the battle without conviction.

The realization hit Victor harder than any punch Monkaster had thrown.

He remembered Jacob.

He remembered the lesson the old man had given him.

When you make a decision, don't regret it.

Stand behind it.

Believe in it.

Victor had forgotten.

His confidence had disappeared the moment he stepped onto the platform.

He had spent the last several days fighting like a warrior who believed victory was possible.

But against Monkaster, he had started fighting like someone who was simply trying to survive.

Victor slowly lowered his head.

Then he bowed.

"Thank you."

Monkaster smiled.

He gave a small nod.

Victor straightened.

His mind became quiet.

The doubt disappeared.

He didn't need to know whether he could win.

He only needed to fight.

I will fight.

That was his decision.

That was his conviction.

Something inside Victor suddenly trembled.

His Core.

Victor's eyes snapped open.

A strange sensation spread through his body.

Then—

BOOM!

His Core erupted.

Spiritual Energy flooded through his meridians at an incredible speed.

Victor's body shook as the energy surged through him, rapidly filling every part of his body.

His muscles tightened.

His meridians trembled.

His Core expanded.

The barrier that had kept him trapped at Rank Nine for so long suddenly cracked.

Then it shattered.

Victor broke through into Rank Ten.

But the surge didn't stop.

The energy continued climbing.

It kept rising until it finally reached the peak of Rank Ten.

Victor stood completely still.

His eyes widened as he felt the tremendous energy flowing through his body.

He couldn't believe it.

His power had increased far beyond what he had expected.

It wasn't simply that he had broken through from Rank Nine to Rank Ten.

The true difference came from reaching the peak of Body Tempering.

The distance between Rank Nine and the peak of Rank Ten was almost like crossing an entirely different realm.

Victor had spent all this time fighting above his cultivation level.

He had been compensating for the gap with his techniques, his instincts, his bloodline, and Monkaster's teachings.

Now that gap had disappeared.

Victor could finally feel what his body was capable of.

Spiritual Energy pulsed through his veins.

His muscles felt stronger.

His movements felt lighter.

His senses felt sharper.

Everything was amplified.

Victor clenched his fist.

A smile slowly appeared on his face.

He looked toward Monkaster.

"Teacher."

Monkaster smiled.

Victor's expression became serious.

"I will be eternally grateful for everything you've taught me."

Monkaster nodded.

"Good."

He raised his fists.

"Are you ready?"

Victor lowered his stance.

"Yes, Teacher."

He dashed forward.

This time, everything was different.

Victor's fist collided with Monkaster's.

Bang!

Neither moved.

Victor followed with a kick.

Monkaster blocked.

The two fighters moved across the platform.

Punch for punch.

Kick for kick.

For the first time since the battle began, Victor wasn't being dragged along by Monkaster's rhythm.

He was creating his own.

Monkaster's eyes widened.

Then a grin spread across his face.

His blood was running hot.

He was excited.

It had been a long time since he had enjoyed a fight like this.

That was part of the reason he had taken Victor as a student in the first place.

Monkaster had seen something in him.

Victor possessed incredible instincts and talent.

He had the potential to become an incredible warrior, but he hadn't known how to use what he possessed.

Monkaster had wanted to see what Victor would become after that rough stone had been polished.

Now he finally knew.

The battle intensified.

Victor's attacks came faster.

Monkaster blocked each one.

Neither fighter was willing to give an inch.

From the side of the arena, Monkasa watched with wide eyes.

He couldn't believe what he was seeing.

He had watched Victor improve throughout the last eleven days.

But this was different.

Victor was pressuring the Prime Ape.

The Prime Ape.

The strongest warrior in the Lava Rock Monkey community.

And Victor was actually forcing him to fight seriously.

Monkasa's grin grew wider.

"Come on, Victor!"

He clenched both fists.

"Beat that old demon!"

There was no malice behind his words.

He respected Monkaster more than almost anyone.

But after years of suffering through Monkaster's brutal training, Monkasa couldn't help but feel a little satisfaction at seeing someone finally push his adoptive father.

Especially Victor.

Victor was practically his brother at this point.

And Monkasa wanted to see him win.

Victor continued attacking.

The battle slowly approached its climax.

Both fighters began gathering Spiritual Energy.

Victor's arm started to spiral with power.

Monkey Fist.

Monkaster's own fist began forming the same technique.

The two separated.

Victor's eyes sharpened.

He activated Flash Step.

His body disappeared.

Monkaster prepared to meet him.

Victor reappeared.

His fist moved forward.

Monkaster immediately launched his own Monkey Fist, expecting to collide with Victor's technique head-on.

But Victor shifted at the last possible moment.

A feint.

Monkaster's eyes widened.

Then he smiled.

Victor sidestepped Monkaster's Monkey Fist.

His body twisted.

His other fist was already moving.

BOOM!

Monkey Fist slammed directly into Monkaster's chest.

The force exploded outward.

Monkaster's body was launched backward.

He flipped through the air.

Then crashed onto the ground.

His body rolled several feet before finally coming to a stop.

Silence fell over the arena.

Victor stood in place, breathing heavily.

His fist slowly lowered.

He looked toward Monkaster.

The old monkey's eyes were open.

But his energy circulation had temporarily seized.

Victor's Spiritual Energy was still flooding through his body from the impact, disrupting his meridians.

Monkaster knew it would take him several minutes to circulate his energy and clear the excess Spiritual Energy before he could stand.

Victor walked over.

Monkaster looked up at him.

Then a huge, toothy grin appeared across his face.

"Good feint, boy."

Victor smiled.

"Thank you, Teacher."

Monkaster chuckled.

He shook his head.

His grin widened.

"That was a great fight."

Victor's smile grew.

"It was all because of your help."

Monkaster immediately waved him off.

"Nonsense, boy."

He looked at Victor for a long moment.

There was genuine pride in his eyes.

"You were a diamond all along."

Victor remained silent.

"You just needed a little polishing."

Victor looked down at his hands.

Then he looked back at Monkaster.

For the first time, he truly understood what his teacher had seen in him.

Victor smiled.

Monkaster smiled back.

The battle was over.