As Nanako Ito pondered her thoughts, she found herself forced to retreat by her opponent.


    At this moment, she hadpletely abandoned any pursuit of victory in this match.


    She realized that despite years of martial arts training, she was unable tond even a single blow against a true master.


    This realization struck a severe blow to her self-esteem.


    It’s a harsh truth that anyone would struggle with in such a situation.<h3 style="background-color:DodgerBlue">


    Not only was her self-confidence shattered, but her long-held beliefs were also dismantled.


    For a long time, Nanako had believed she was merely two decades away from reaching the pinnacle of martial arts.


    She was convinced that in twenty years, she would evolve into one of the world’s top martial artists, perhaps even achieving the same mastery as her mentor, Yamamoto Kazuki.


    However, Charlie made her realize that the martial arts mastery she envisioned was insignificantpared to the reality of a true master.


    It became clear to her that for years, she had been limiting her perspective, akin to a frog in a well.


    Now, she understood that the realm of martial arts extended far beyond herprehension.


    Previously, she believed the world consisted of only what she could see, with the farthest distances being the ends of the earth.


    But today, she recognized that there was an entire sr system, a gxy, and even a vast universe beyond her own world.


    At this moment, a new question arose in her mind: how many years would it take for her to be a true top master like Charlie?


    She reflected on the force of Charlie’s palm strike; although her mentor was rendered powerless, the impact of that strike resonated with her at a profound martial arts level, akin to the brilliance of a full moon!


    This line of thought further distracted her.


    Meanwhile, her opponent seized the opportunity tounch an attack.


    In the first match, Nanako Ito, feeling unsettled, suffered a loss, causing an uproar among the audience.


    No one expected Nanako, the top-seeded yer of thepetition, to be defeated in the very first round of the quarterfinals by an unknown contender.


    When the referee dered the end of the first game, her opponent erupted in cheers of excitement.


    She never anticipated that she would triumph in a match she thought would end in defeat.


    It seemed that Nanako was not in her best form today, but this presented a significant opportunity for her opponent!


    As Nanako retreated to the rest area near the ring, her mind remained in a fog.


    Winning or losing had be irrelevant; her foundational beliefs had crumbled.


    At that moment, her assistant Koichi Tanaka urged her, “Miss, you can’t be this negative! You’ve reached the knockout stage. If you lose now, it’s over!”


    With a bitter smile, Nanako replied, “Tanaka, you witnessed Mr. Wade’s incredible power firsthand. The gap between us is like that of a firefly and the bright moon. There’s an old Chinese saying: How can a firefly’s lightpete with the glory of the moon?”<fn1cf8> Readplete version only at FindN()vel</fn1cf8>


    As she spoke, a sigh escaped her lips, “His strength shines like a brilliant moon in the night sky, while I am merely a firefly lost in the grass…”


    Koichi Tanaka’s expression mirrored her emotions.