Strong Man Locking Man

Uchiha Mai was simply too fast. Guy, who had leaped into the air, had no time to dodge or change his stance before he was struck head-on and sent flying backward.

The storm of his relentless offensive could no longer be maintained.

Uchiha Mai took a step forward and leaped high, locking Guy's waist with a Deadly Scissor Kick. He quickly seized one of Guy's arms, twisted his body, and sat down hard, pinning Guy to the ground.

The final position saw Guy lying on his back, his throat and chest each pressed down by one of Uchiha Mai's legs, while one of his arms was firmly held in a lock.

With his arm bent against Mai's abdomen and his wrist gripped in a vice-like hold, Guy found it impossible to exert any force.

Ho Kam-yin has locked the Senior Brother!

"Ah!!!!"

Guy let out a roar, pouring every ounce of his strength into breaking free. However, Uchiha Mai merely arched his back slightly, causing Guy's technique to crumble; a searing pain shot through his arm as if it were being torn apart, and he could no longer muster any strength.

"Give up, Guy. You can't break out of my Cross Armbreaker," Uchiha Mai advised.

There are many ways to apply a Cross Armbreaker, a technique that best represents the essence of jujutsu by perfectly demonstrating the principle of leverage.

Uchiha Mai's entire body acted like the back of a bow, while the arm he held was the bowstring.

For Guy to exert force, he would have to overcome the strength of Mai's torso and abdomen using only that arm, which was naturally impossible.

Even with the Space Gate open, Guy's strength had not been enhanced to such an absurd degree.

Watching from the sidelines, Might Duy saw his son trapped. He observed Uchiha Mai's positioning for a moment, and his eyes lit up—what a magnificent Strong Man Locking Man!

As long as Uchiha Mai exerted force through his waist and abdomen to straighten his back, Guy's arm would be finished; it would undoubtedly be dislocated at the elbow joint.

"I haven't... ungh..."

Guy still wanted to talk tough, but Uchiha Mai exerted a bit more force with his waist, causing Guy to break into a cold sweat from the excruciating pain and obediently shut his mouth.

"Guy, you have lost," Might Duy concluded, putting an end to the spar.

Hearing his father's words, Guy finally stopped resisting. He dispersed the Gate of Life and lay on the ground, breathing deeply as his chest heaved violently.

Only then did Mai release the Cross Armbreaker and stand up.

"Father, I lost again," Guy said, lying on his back and staring at the sky. Despite the defeat, his eyes remained clear, devoid of any disappointment or frustration.

"Yes, you lost again."

Might Duy nodded, pulled his son up, and continued, "But what does that matter?

Guy, we lack the talent for ninjutsu and can only practice taijutsu day after day, a path no one else is willing to take. We don't even know if this path has a future.

Yet, through your hard work, your youth, and your passionate heart, you are able to fight geniuses like Kakashi and Mai to this extent. That alone proves you have surpassed yourself.

A momentary failure is nothing. Once you feel your progress after further training, you can challenge them again. As long as you don't give up, one day you will win a spar against them.

Even if you never beat them, hasn't your strength improved in the process of chasing them?"

"Yes!"

Guy's eyes welled up with tears. He hugged his father and set a new small goal for himself, saying, "It must be because my training isn't hard enough.

I've decided: from today on, I'll run an extra 100 kilometers every day. If I can't finish that, I'll do 1,000 extra push-ups. If I can't finish the push-ups, I'll do 1,000 extra sit-ups. If I can't finish the sit-ups, I'll kick the tree 1,000 more times..."

Guy rattled off a list of training items like a performer reciting a menu, taking a full two minutes to finish.

Uchiha Mai stood to the side like an outsider, sighing repeatedly. Guy was absolutely a genius as well.

It was just that this genius's talent wasn't obvious—much like the abilities granted by his own damn system—requiring deep exploration and twelve times the effort to realize.

Never mind ordinary people; even any other ninja would find it hard to endure Guy's training regimen. This was Guy's unique, innate talent.

Once the father and son finished their emotional moment, they remembered the outsider standing nearby.

Might Duy let go of Guy, scratched his head, and said to Mai, "That's just how Guy is. Once he sets a goal or a rival, he won't give up until he has completely surpassed them.

Mai-kun, I'm sorry for the trouble. Guy will surely be pestering you quite a bit in the future."

Uchiha Mai smiled and said, "How could it be trouble?

Having a rival like Guy is something every young ninja dreams of. Healthy competition will promote mutual progress for both of us.

To avoid being surpassed by Guy, I will certainly put in twelve times the effort to train."

Just kidding—how could he possibly mind?

While the father and son were being sentimental, Uchiha Mai secretly glanced at the damn system. The Stylish Points he had spent were back up to 115.

115 points were enough for another half-star draw.

Furthermore, Uchiha Mai had a rough guess about how Stylish Points were actually obtained.

It likely had to do with the opponent, the spectators, and his own performance. Guy's importance couldn't possibly be lower than Asuma's.

However, there was only Might Duy watching this time, and his own performance hadn't been particularly outstanding, save for the bit of posturing with the Phoenix Kirin Asura at the end.

"I'm glad you don't mind."

Might Duy nodded, looked Uchiha Mai over, and added, "Through our spar just now, I already know what you wanted to learn from me.

The taijutsu style you've created is indeed qualified to be called a school. Although it is only in its infancy, its future is limitless.

I have some small insights into leg techniques. I only hope this simple leg technique I know will satisfy you and fill the gaps in your taijutsu style."

"That couldn't be better." Uchiha Mai felt very satisfied with the gains from this trip.

"I won't be going on any missions for the next few days. Just come to my house with Guy after school every day, and I will teach you the leg techniques of the Strong Fist style.

As for the future, Guy will naturally know whenever I return from a mission, and he will let you know. You can come whenever you want."

"Understood."

Might Duy gave a rough rundown of the specific training schedule.

With matters settled and a few more words exchanged, Uchiha Mai dragged his injured body home under the cover of twilight.

Guy was truly a beast; once he opened the Gate of Life, he was full of vigor and didn't care at all if others could handle it. He just went at it with a relentless barrage, leaving Mai with a sore waist, aching back, and bruises everywhere.

Lying in the steaming bathtub, Uchiha Mai fell into deep thought. He currently had 115 Style Points, enough for a half-star draw.

So, should he pull immediately, or save up 300 for a one-star prize pool draw?

The two half-star rewards he had obtained so far were essentially "keys to acquiring knowledge." Once deeply studied and applied, they could perfect his own knowledge system.

Without the half-star rewards from the damn system, could Uchiha Mai have created his own taijutsu system so quickly and fought Guy to a standstill?

Dream on.

One-star rewards were more akin to talents, innate skills, or passive abilities; they also possessed potential and could immediately boost his combat power.

Which one should he pull?