"Go on! Hit him! Beat him to death with your fists!"
"Zhu He!"
"Kill him!"
"Kill that beggar! Kill that good-for-nothing!"
"Fuck! All this damn beggar does is run! Are you even a man? Get in there and fight! You coward, you chicken! You piece of trash!"
"Just die already! Stop wasting my time and costing me money!"
"…"
In the audience stands.
Faces flushed and eyes bloodshot, the crowd roared relentlessly, like a mob of frenzied gamblers shouting their lungs out.
"HUFF… HUFF…"
At this moment.
Zhu He's panting grew noticeably louder. He had a nagging feeling that something was wrong. Xu Qing was just too good at dodging. They had been fighting for so long, yet Zhu He hadn't even managed to touch the hem of his clothes.
"Kid, if you've got any guts, stop running."
Zhu He shouted, looking up.
"Alright."
Xu Qing smiled.
"DIE!"
With a furious roar.
Zhu He mustered his strength again and charged at Xu Qing, his fist, as big as a sandbag, smashing straight toward Xu Qing's face.
But…
Xu Qing simply bent his knees and squatted, effortlessly dodging the blow. Zhu He's fist flew right over his head.
BAM!
The next moment.
Xu Qing struck. He clenched his fists and, despite never having trained in any real Martial Arts, put all his strength into the attack, smashing both fists into Zhu He's abdomen.
"ARGH!!!"
Zhu He shrieked. His face turned beet-red as he felt a powerful force strike him, strong enough to nearly shatter his ribs.
THUMP!
Zhu He clutched his chest, his face contorted in agony. He collapsed to a sitting position on the ground, unable to get back up.
"What?!"
"Impossible! Impossible!!!"
"Zhu He! Get up! Get the hell up!"
"It's fixed! This has to be a fixed match!"
"…"
The spectators roared.
After all.
Zhu He was burly and muscular, while Xu Qing looked like a scrawny beggar. The difference between them couldn't have been more obvious.
Logically.
Zhu He should have been able to knock Xu Qing out with a single punch. But the result was the complete opposite: Xu Qing had downed Zhu He, the Black-Hearted Hand, with one blow, leaving everyone utterly stunned.
However.
The crowd refused to believe it. They thought it was impossible, that it was a fixed fight by the underground ring to cheat them out of their money, and they all started protesting.
"ARGH!!!"
Zhu He roared again, trying to get up and fight.
BAM!
Xu Qing kicked him, sending him rolling across the ground several times. He could no longer get up, had lost the ability to fight, and had lost the match.
"Contestant Number Two, Xu Qing, is the winner!"
Soon.
Yu Chen, recovering from his shock, walked over with a smile and announced the result of the match.
"Fixed! Fixed! Fixed!!!"
"Refund! Refund! Refund!!!"
"…"
The crowd shouted in a furious chorus.
"Insolence!"
BOOM!
A loud crash echoed.
Fan Yanbin leaped onto the fighting stage. He stomped his foot, creating a deep crater in the floor, with cracks spreading out like a spiderweb.
"Have you all forgotten the rules of the underground fights? Once a bet is placed, there's no such thing as a refund. If you must blame someone, blame your own poor judgment."
Fan Yanbin boomed in a deep voice.
"GULP…"
"…"
Instantly.
The arena fell silent.
Clearly.
Fan Yanbin's immense power had intimidated everyone present. On top of that, the underground fighting ring was backed by the senior disciple of the Cangying Martial Arts Hall, so no one dared to cause trouble.
"However."
At this point.
Fan Yanbin's tone shifted. He glanced at Xu Qing and said, "To protect the reputation of our underground fights, and to let everyone know that every match is a genuine life-and-death struggle—that we would never make money by fixing fights…"
"Therefore."
"A match will be held tomorrow, featuring today's winner, Xu Qing, against another one of our fighters, 'Pang De'."
"Pang De?!"
"It's that guy."
"*Hiss…*"
"I've heard that Pang De has actually trained in Martial Arts! And his methods are extremely brutal. He tortures and kills his opponents in every match."
"Yeah! That's right!"
"And…"
"Pang De has basically never lost a match. His win rate is as high as ninety-nine percent. This Xu Qing guy is a dead man tomorrow."
"Serves him right if he dies! He made us lose so much money!"
"Exactly! Exactly!"
"…"
The crowd began to buzz with discussion, their expressions turning to excitement. Fan Yanbin had successfully placated them.
"Fan Yanbin, you…"
Yu Chen's expression turned ugly. After all, he was the one who had discovered Xu Qing, and today's match had made them a lot of money.
"I'm cleaning up your mess. Don't be ungrateful."
Fan Yanbin said dismissively.
"*Phew…*"
Yu Chen took a deep breath. He hadn't expected things to turn out this way. He glanced at Xu Qing, a hint of apology on his face.
From the beginning.
Yu Chen had only wanted Xu Qing to fill in for one match. He never thought Xu Qing would be so strong, actually defeating Zhu He and causing such a huge upset.
Now.
To protect the reputation of the underground fights, Fan Yanbin was forcing Xu Qing to fight Pang De.
After all.
Pang De's strength was on a completely different level from Zhu He's.
Tomorrow's match would be a life-or-death situation for Xu Qing.
"Fan Yanbin, Lord Huo Yi personally sent Xu Qing over."
Yu Chen said.
"Don't try to use Lord Huo Yi's name to pressure me."
Fan Yanbin said.
However.
Whether to fight or not.
Xu Qing had no power to agree or refuse.
「Evening.」
In a room within the underground fighting arena.
"Xu Qing, I'm truly sorry. I didn't expect it to turn out like this."
Yu Chen sighed, took a money pouch from his robes, and placed it in front of Xu Qing. "This is the money you earned today. Take it."
"Thank you!"
Xu Qing nodded and took the pouch. He opened it and saw a full five taels of silver inside, a surprised look crossing his face. "This much?"
"Yes."
Yu Chen said, "You're a newcomer, and a beggar at that. Not a single person in the audience bet on you. They all put their money on Zhu He, the Black-Hearted Hand."
"You can imagine the result."
"The house made a fortune this time. As a newcomer, you would normally only get ten copper coins for a fight. But because the winnings were so huge, even with your small cut, you still get a full five taels of silver."
"Many thanks."
Xu Qing put the five taels of silver away.
This way.
He had already gathered half of the ten taels of silver he needed.
"It's a pity."
Yu Chen remarked with a sigh. "If you could actually beat Pang De tomorrow, you would earn at least ten times what you made today."
"Ahem…"
Yu Chen coughed lightly and waved his hand. 'I'm getting ahead of myself.'
"I want to know about Pang De's specific strength. Can you tell me? Since I can't refuse tomorrow's match, it would be good to understand my opponent's abilities as much as possible."
Xu Qing said.
"Alright."
Yu Chen nodded. "First, you need to understand one thing. To practice Martial Arts Cultivation, the most basic requirement is to have sufficient physical conditioning."
"If your physical conditioning isn't enough, you can slowly train and consume various Tonics."
"Also."
"The methods of practicing Martial Arts are divided into: Combat Techniques, Training Techniques, and Fundamental Skills."
"Pang De was born with a physique that surpasses ordinary people. Unfortunately, he's a bit slow-witted. Although he has mastered a Combat Technique, he has not mastered a Training Technique."
"Even so, relying on his superior physique and his 'Combat Technique: Bear Pounce Hand', he is basically unrivaled in the entire underground fighting circuit."
'Combat Techniques, Training Techniques, and Fundamental Skills.'
Xu Qing pondered for a moment, then asked, "What are the differences between these three?"
"Simply put."
Yu Chen answered Xu Qing's question, "Combat Techniques are fighting moves. Training Techniques are for tempering the physical body. As for Fundamental Skills, I'm not too clear on those."
"I see."
Xu Qing nodded. 'I think I understand a little now.'
"I actually have a Combat Technique here."
At this moment.
Yu Chen looked at Xu Qing. He thought about Xu Qing's performance on the stage, the fact that Lord Huo Yi had personally sent him, and finally, the faint guilt in his heart.
In the end.
Yu Chen took a dusty-looking book from his robes.
"Hm?!"
Involuntarily.
Xu Qing gave Yu Chen a stunned glance, his eyes falling on the dusty book in Yu Chen's hands. "This is…"
"This Combat Technique is called 'Baji Fist'. I got it by chance a while ago. Unfortunately, I have no Talent for Martial Arts. I practiced for a long time, but not only did I fail to master it, I even injured my body."
Yu Chen said, "I had no choice but to give up."
"*Sigh…*"
Yu Chen sighed again, a melancholic look on his face. "Many people think practicing Martial Arts is the only way out for common folk, but they don't realize that even this path is divided by Talent!"
"Those with Talent, when they practice Martial Arts, it's as if they have divine help. They can grasp all sorts of Combat and Training Techniques with ease, mastering them effortlessly."
"As for those without Talent, even if they train through the coldest days of winter and the hottest days of summer, it's useless. A year of your training might not even equal a single day of theirs."
"…"
Xu Qing remained silent.
"Of course."
Yu Chen added, "Although my Talent for Martial Arts is terrible, I do have some Talent for business. I basically manage all the affairs of this underground fighting ring."
"Consider this 'Baji Fist' manual my investment in you."
"If you get killed by Pang De tomorrow, that's your fate. But if you don't get killed, and you even manage to master the Baji Fist I've given you, that's also your fate."
"If you die, I'll take the Baji Fist manual back. If you live, you'll have to repay me in the future."
"Take it."
Yu Chen placed the Baji Fist manual in front of Xu Qing.
"Alright."
Xu Qing took a deep breath and accepted the Baji Fist manual. "I will remember what happened today. If I ever make something of myself, I will never forget this kindness."
"We'll see, we'll see."
But Yu Chen flashed the smile of a shrewd merchant. "A Combat Technique manual costs at least one hundred taels of silver. You now owe me one hundred taels of silver. This is an IOU. Please sign it and add your thumbprint."
As he spoke.
Yu Chen produced a pre-written IOU.
"Uh…"
Xu Qing was a bit speechless.
However.
Nevertheless, Xu Qing signed the IOU.
"I didn't expect this! A beggar who can write!"
Yu Chen said in surprise. "You really aren't an ordinary beggar."
"By the way."
Yu Chen carefully put away the IOU and added, "Starting today, you can live here. I assume you have nowhere else to go, so you might as well stay."
"Okay."
Xu Qing nodded.
After that.
Yu Chen left.
Xu Qing was left alone in the room.
'Record.'
Xu Qing held the Baji Fist manual, and with a thought, his consciousness connected to the Encyclopedia of All Things. As the Encyclopedia of All Things flashed with a silver light, the Baji Fist was successfully recorded.
[Baji Fist Level 1: 0/10 (This is a fierce and powerful short-range Combat Technique. Its movements are swift and unadorned, and its power generation is extremely explosive, channeled to the fingertips.)]
'Good.'
Xu Qing's expression was excited.
VMMM!
The next moment.
A tremor ran through Xu Qing's entire body. As soon as the recording was complete, the characters on the manual's pages seemed to come to life. Each character transformed into a small figure, flooding into Xu Qing's mind out of thin air.
In a daze.
Xu Qing felt himself enter a strange, mystical space. Within this space, he practiced Baji Fist relentlessly, gradually internalizing and mastering it.