Chapter 26 Imprint
Landon did not follow the others inside. Instead, he found an isolated spot and rested there.
After Polly sat down, she suddenly asked a subordinate to grab a set of clothes for Jonathan. “Change into those clothes. Your training outfit is way too old.”
Jonathan took a look at the clothes and saw it was a white training outfit.
He did not reject the offer and took the training attire over. Polly’s preparation was thorough. She had even already prepared a pair of white cloth shoes for him.
After grabbing the outfit, he went into the changing room.
Moments later, Jonathan reappeared in front of everyone and shocked them.
That was because, at the moment, he was wearing a snow-white training outfit that made him look elegant and composed. The one he previously wore was a mismatch when paired with his sports shoes.
With just a change of his wardrobe, Jonathan appeared like a master, as opposed to a perverted and carefree security guard.
Jennifer’s eyes sparkled at the sight of him, while Yasmin and Jessica wore similar expressions of shock on their faces.
As for Polly, she did not say a word but merely nodded in approval.
In the blink of an eye, the time for the meeting had arrived. Everyone stood up and prepared to head to Jade Fencing Club.
“Jonathan!” Jennifer suddenly approached Jonathan.
Just as he was stunned, she stood on her toes and gave a swift kiss on his cheek.
Her face was flushed with embarrassment when it was done.
He, on the other hand, was overjoyed.
It took her half a day to gather enough courage to kiss him.
She was afraid that she would have regrets if Jonathan lost. Initially, Jennifer was a lot more reserved because she was a divorcee as well as being several years older than him and the other women.
Still, she managed to get a kiss on Jonathan.
Jessica and Yasmin felt even more complicated when they saw that.
Although, that little incident was at least pretty joyous for Jonathan.
They arrived at Jade Fencing Club on time.
The floor of the hall was lined with an incredibly soft carpet that was adorned with gold threads.
There were bronze mirrors on all sides of the wall. All the decorations there were to make sure the hall looked lavish and fancy.
Jonathan’s gang saw Randy’s gang when they entered.
Randy and his group had already arrived at the VIP seats. They stood up when they saw Jonathan and his entourage.
Once the two gangs stood in front of each other, Polly greeted Randy’s gang, “Greetings, everyone. I am Polly McDaniels.”
Edric Barett, Rowan Fisher, Henry Rhodes, Randy, and the others turned their attention to her. They were all experts, and they knew from the first glance that she was not as simple as she seemed. Since Polly had initiated a greeting, they greeted her back, “Nice to meet you, Master McDaniels!”
“So this is Jonathan Lawson?” Edric looked at Jonathan and smiled.
Edric, Rowan, and Henry might be Randy’s friends, but they were also excellent individuals. Regardless of what they thought in their minds, they had to put up a pleasant facade.
Jonathan nodded and greeted back, “I am indeed Jonathan. How should I refer to you?”
Edric smiled. “The name’s Barett, Edric Barett.”
“It’s nice to meet you, Mr. Barrett.”
Edric proceeded to introduce the others to Jonathan.
In reality, Edric and the others were very famous in the country’s martial arts world. However, since Jonathan had been staying overseas all the while, he had no clue about what was going on in the martial arts world of his own country. Therefore, he had no idea who any of them were.
Still, he was able to tell how powerful they were after interacting with them for a while. For example, Edric practiced Universal Punch, which was also known as Omni Punch. Universal Punch was powerful, had a wide range, and was majestic.
The generals of the past would charge into battles with their universal spears.
The techniques of the spears gradually morphed into the Universal Punch over the centuries.
As for Rowan, he was the disciple of Coldbridge’s Shadow Punch. His entire body was filled with a well-rounded spirit. He was a true master who had perfected Shadow Punch.
Meanwhile, Henry practiced Octagram Palm Strike, while Randy mainly practiced Kung Fu.
Strikezone Martial Arts had many similarities with Kung Fu. It was basically a style that was splintered off of Kung Fu.
Randy’s techniques, including Steel Punch, Major Grab, Minor Grab, and Finger Bullet, had all been practiced by him to absolute mastery.
Jonathan could see everyone’s true strength.
He grew up with his master, which was why he had a very deep understanding of all kinds of martial arts.
When he started killing overseas, he learned a lot more different styles of fighting to compensate for his weakness. Jonathan knew that, while many schools of combat seemed different, all of them shared something in common. For example, Universal Punch, Octagram Palm Strike, and Spirit Fist all relied on the same principle, which was being ferocious.
All techniques and martial art styles could be traced back to a singular origin.
While Jonathan could tell what all of them were capable of, no one could do the same with him. If he was just strolling on the streets, they would have thought he was an ordinary bloke who did not know how to fight at all. Of course, they would not think that way at the moment since he was there to fight against Randy.
That was not to say Jonathan’s cultivation was unbelievably strong. Mainly, each of the masters of their styles had practiced their own techniques for so long that there was a spiritual imprint on their bodies. For example, someone who was born in the sixties would have a unique imprint that would show they belonged to that generation. People who were born in the nineties would have an imprint that reflected it.
The rolling torrent of history had left a special imprint on people from all generations.
However, Jonathan was different. It was as if the guy had no imprint at all.
“This is the liability waiver form. If you two have no issues with it, please put your signature here.” At the same time, Rowan pulled out two copies of the same form and placed them on a coffee table.
Randy picked up a pen and signed his name without looking through the details.
The form had no legal effect, but everyone in the martial arts world held it in high regard. If someone signed the form and caused a scene after the match was over, their behavior would be considered extremely foul. That was how the martial arts world operated.
Jonathan glanced at the form. The content on the waiver was straightforward. It simply stated that no one would be held responsible if they were injured in the match.
He promptly put his signature on the form.
Jennifer already knew that was going to happen, but she could not help but tremble as she watched Jonathan and Randy signed their names on the forms. It was going to be a gruesome match.
Yasmin and Jessica were a little shaken too. The reality of what was going on really settled in their minds as all the masters in the scene treated the liability waiver form seriously.
“Before we start, we have something we want to say.” Randy suddenly spoke. He was usually pretty cold, so when he said something out of nowhere, everyone’s attention immediately turned toward him.
“Go ahead, Mr. Tartal,” Edric said.
“If Jonathan loses today, then Rose Couture will still be our additional bet. I want everyone here to bear witness.”
Edric, Rowan, Henry, and others looked at each other. Then, Edric turned to Jonathan. “What do you say, Master Lawson?”
Jonathan was a little depressed. He had a much simpler view of the matter as he thought that even if he lost, Yasmin and the others would be able to deny their involvement. However, with those masters present to bear witness, there was no way around it. He would not lose, but Yasmin and the others did not know that yet.
Therefore, Jonathan was not sure what he should say.
At that moment, Polly spoke up. “I heard about the matter regarding Rose Couture. It’s not up to Jonathan to make a decision for the company, but if he loses, I’m willing to offer up two hundred million.”
The crowd took in a deep breath when they heard that. Two hundred million was a lot.
Jane and Cyclops’ eyes were filled with greed. Cyclops quickly said, “I think that’s acceptable, Randy.”
Randy nodded. “All right.”
Jonathan looked at Polly with great gratitude. She’s a smart woman. She knows I’ll definitely win, so she’s just doing a small favor for me.
However, there would always be surprises in a battle. Jonathan was bound to never forget Polly’s willingness to put up such a big bet with two hundred million on the line.
Yasmin and Jessica began to sweat when thinking about that.
Polly continued, “However, if you lose, Mr. Tartal, Cyclops must leave Horington forever.”
“I’ve got no problem with that,” Cyclops swiftly replied.
“Also, I know you and Cyclops are the disciples of Strikezone Martial Arts. Your school of martial arts was formed from the ground up. Every person there is united as one, and your master, Edward, had reached a cultivation level that many could only dream of. Now, Strikezone Martial Arts’ influence has even spread to other countries. We cannot afford to mess with people like that. That’s why I want all masters who are here today to bear witness. If Mr. Tartal loses, no one from Strikezone Martial Arts is allowed to look for any trouble with Jonathan. Otherwise, this fight will be meaningless.”
“What do you say, Mr. Tartal?” Edric asked Randy.
Randy readily agreed by adding, “If I lose, it means my skills are lacking. I promise that no one from Strikezone Martial Arts will look for trouble with Jonathan in the future.”
“Good!” Edric exclaimed, “All the masters here have borne witness to the promise. If you two have no other issues, please begin.”
At that moment, the atmosphere suddenly became heavy.
Jennifer, Jessica, and Yasmin’s hearts were pounding.
Landon stared coldly while Polly and the Xanthos brothers watched calmly.
Even though Randy was the one fighting, his expression was so indifferent that he looked as though he did not care at all. He stepped toward the middle of the hall before Jonathan followed him.
Both of them stood three meters apart from each other.
“Are you ready, Master Lawson?” Randy entered his stance.
Jonathan did the same as well, calmly. “I am, Master Randy.”
Both of them attacked at the same time the moment Jonathan finished speaking.
The crowd was awed by their skills. Their strikes were so powerful that the carpet they were standing on was instantly torn apart by their feet.
Jonathan’s eyes shone brightly as he stepped on the middle line before shoving his iron fist in the direction of Randy’s head.
His iron fists contained ten thousand volts of spiraling current. When Force exploded from his fist, it made the air around them ripple like waves.
That was Jonathan’s signature technique called Rolling Thunder Punch! It was based on the Universal Punch.
Rolling Thunder Punch was powerful, but Randy did not even blink as he stretched his finger out with Force.
It was the Finger Bullet!
His finger was like a bullet flying straight for a vein in Jonathan’s hand.
If his finger made contact, Jonathan would immediately lose the function of that entire arm. Randy was a cruel man for using such a deadly technique as his first big attack.
