Ji Xinghuo was somewhat surprised.
While watching the matches earlier, he had heard others say that Tu Hongda was a Martial Dao Master and the actual person in charge of this branch hall.
Judging from the Ether energy reaction, Tu Hongda ranked among the strongest Super Espers and was only one step away from advancing to Legend.
Against such a powerful Aberrant, Ji Xinghuo was naturally no match for him.
"Every new member's first opponent is me," Tu Hongda explained. "Only by actually fighting can I get a clear grasp of your Martial Dao level and better guide your training."
It was a perfectly legitimate reason.
However, it also carried a hint of establishing dominance. Tu Hongda was displaying his strength to establish a coach's authority.
Ji Xinghuo no longer hesitated. "Then I'll have to ask Coach Tu for guidance."
"Go choose a blade." Tu Hongda's gaze swept over Ji Xinghuo's Thunder Gallop before he pointed at the weapon racks by the edge of the arena. They held every kind of weapon, in different sizes, weights, and styles. Most were unsharpened, specially made for Martial Dao training.
Ji Xinghuo selected a saber roughly the same size and weight as Thunder Gallop.
Tu Hongda also came over and chose an identical saber.
"My usual weapon is the spear," he said. "But using a spear against you wouldn't mean much, so I'll use a saber like yours."
Ji Xinghuo nodded.
Everyone knew the advantages of the spear. Especially below the Legendary level, other weapons lagged far behind it.
In his usual sparring matches with Chi Zhonglin, he lost more often than he won. Aside from the gap in their ranks, it also had much to do with Chi Zhonglin using a spear.
A lone saber entering spear range was a near-certain death