Feeling the surge of power coursing through his body after the breakthrough in ancient martial arts, Ishikawa let out a long breath.
"Finally, I've broken through."
Ever since his ancient martial arts reached Level 2, he had maintained a daily practice routine. He didn't rush for speed or compromise on quality, instead gradually integrating it into his training regimen.
In the end, this secondary profession naturally progressed to the next level.
**[Ancient Martial Arts: Level 3 increases Strength by 1 point, Level 6 increases Speed by 1 point, Level 9 increases Technique by 1 point. Each level-up boosts explosive power.**
**Current Level: Lv3]**
At this point, Ishikawa's understanding and mastery of ancient martial arts, if translated into tennis terms, had reached a national-level standard (for middle schoolers).
"It's about time for the second enhancement."
The breakthrough in ancient martial arts allowed Ishikawa to maximize his physical potential.
After nearly 20 days of training, Ishikawa's level had also risen to 40. In addition to strengthening his existing techniques, he had created some new ones and earned 2 additional secondary profession points.
Immediately, he allocated all 5 secondary profession points to ancient martial arts. The remaining 93 skill points were mostly distributed among his mastered tennis techniques.
*Buzz!*
In an instant, as the level of his ancient martial arts increased, the stamina he had expended during the day's training was largely restored.
With a thought, he focused his attention on his personal stats panel.
**[Name: Ishikawa Shin]**
**[Age: 12]**
**[Identity: First-year student at Hyotei Middle School, Regular Member of the Tennis Club (Experience Gain +5%), Training Advisor of the Tennis Club (Experience Gain +5%), Street Tennis Legend (Experience Gain +50%, limited to this court)]**
**[Main Profession: Tennis Lv40 (2335/12000)]**
**[Secondary Professions: Kendo Lv9, Go Lv9, Ancient Martial Arts Lv8]**
**[Attributes: Speed 3.5, Strength 3.5, Stamina 2.5, Technique 4.5, Mental Strength 4.3, Total: 18.3]**
**[Basic Techniques: Serve Lv6 (9327/10000), Drive Lv6 (9145/10000), Topspin Lv6 (8719/10000), Smash Lv6 (4396/10000)]**
**[Advanced Techniques: Star Trace Lv6 (4256/20000), Twist Serve Lv6 (943/20000), Gale Lv5 (951/2400), Awakening Lv5 (896/2400), Bear Counter Lv5 (112/2400), Mind Shift Lv5 (0/2400), Dawn Break Lv5 (0/2400), Super Volley Lv5 (0/2400)]**
**[Special Ability: True Meaning of Kendo Lv2]**
**[Secondary Profession Points: 0]**
**[Skill Points: 39]**
**[Item: Inui Juice Recipe]**
**[Evaluation: A top-tier national-level player with immense tennis potential.]**
Compared to his stats during the regional preliminaries, Ishikawa's strength had undoubtedly undergone a qualitative leap.
At this point, he could confidently say he stood at the forefront of national-level middle school players.
To put it into perspective, even Tezuka, after entering Japan's U17 training camp and mastering techniques like the Tezuka Zone, Phantom, Zero-Shiki Drop, Zero-Shiki Serve, and unlocking two doors of Muga no Kyouchi, only had a total attribute score of 19.5.
Moreover, the Tokyo Metropolitan Tournament hadn't even started yet.
There were still at least four months before middle schoolers entered the U17 program. Realistically, among current middle school players, the only one who could truly pressure Ishikawa was Yukimura.
In the blink of an eye, two months had passed since Ishikawa transmigrated into this world. By now, he had accumulated enough strength and no longer needed to lie low.
"Tokyo Metropolitan Tournament."
Looking up at the starry sky, a glimmer of anticipation flashed in Ishikawa's eyes.
---
**The Next Day.**
Friday.
One day remained until the Tokyo Metropolitan Tournament.
Hyotei's training was on track, and Ishikawa no longer needed to supervise as the advisor. This gave him more time to hone his own techniques.
Meanwhile, schools across Tokyo were also busy preparing for the tournament starting the next day.
**Yamabuki Middle School.**
Known as the undefeated champions of doubles, they were putting in extra hours of doubles practice every day.
"Yawn!"
A pale-skinned boy with grayish-white hair leaned against the wire fence, yawning before turning to leave.
"Akutsu, aren't you going to practice?"
A tanned boy wearing sunglasses frowned. "The Tokyo Metropolitan Tournament starts tomorrow."
"That stuff is meaningless to me."
Akutsu shoved his hands into his pockets and coldly glanced back. "Also, are you trying to tell me what to do?"
"N-no, of course not!"
The sunglasses-wearing boy immediately shook his head in denial.
"Tch."
Seeing his reaction, Akutsu sneered and walked away.
Watching Akutsu's retreating figure, the boy, Muratsu Juuji, muttered to himself, "Is it really a good idea to have someone like him on the team?"
"It's fine."
A gentle voice chimed in.
Muratsu turned to see Yamabuki's coach, Banji, standing behind him with a smile. "Akutsu is highly talented. What he lacks is a desire to win. Once he faces strong opponents at the tournament, he'll change."
"I... I hope so."
The coach's words lifted Muratsu's spirits a little. But imagining someone as ill-tempered as Akutsu actually changing was beyond him.
**St. Rudolph Academy.**
A team secretly undergoing closed training to prepare for the national tournament was also hard at work.
**Fudomine.**
Having lost to Seigaku, they were now determined to make a strong comeback at the Metropolitan Tournament.
As for Seigaku, the atmosphere was somewhat different.
While the regular members were training as usual, the regulars were gathered together, quietly discussing the absence of their captain, Tezuka Kunimitsu, and the newcomer, Echizen Ryoma.
Meanwhile, about 10 kilometers away from Seigaku, beneath a railway overpass, inside a tennis court, Tezuka was engaged in a unique training session with Echizen Ryoma.
The Seigaku captain was using his own pressure to draw out the full potential of his young opponent.
---
As the sun set, dipping below the city skyline, the sky gradually darkened. Across Tokyo, the young players preparing for the Tokyo Metropolitan Tennis Tournament drifted off to sleep, filled with anticipation for the matches to come.
---
(End of Chapter)