Volume One, Chapter 19: Come on, Hit Me!
On the arena, the segment for assessing the fighters’ realms was underway.
Grizzly Bear was an eighth-tier Martial Disciple, no problem there.
However, when it came to Ye Cheng’s turn, his realm was measured as a fifth-tier Martial Disciple, one level higher than in the first match.
This result caused an uproar throughout the venue.
The audience’s reaction was even more astonished than that of Supervisor Nie, who was well-versed in these matters.
Only then did they truly realize that this fighter named Xing Tian was no ordinary competitor.
Perhaps, a miracle might unfold in this battle!
“Too bad the betting window has closed, or I’d really want to switch my bet to Xing Tian.”
“Don’t be foolish. Even with a last-minute breakthrough, the gap with Grizzly Bear is still huge.”
“Exactly. A recent breakthrough often means an unstable realm and little real increase in power.”
The spectators held various opinions, engaging in lively debate.
True to form, Grizzly Bear was the undefeated champion of the Black Iron Arena, his mentality exceptionally steady.
He paid no heed to the outside voices.
As the referee finished reading the rules and announced, “The match begins,” Grizzly Bear swiftly stepped back several meters, his eyebrows raised, eyes wide and round, letting out a fierce growl.
A surge of vigorous blood energy erupted from his blood sea, perfectly fusing with his physical body.
His muscles bulged, a faint crimson hue shimmering across his skin.
At a glance, it was as if he had donned a solid armor of blood-red steel.
“Grizzly Bear’s martial skill: Blood Armor!”
The spectators who had bet on Grizzly Bear jumped and shouted, spittle flying everywhere.
Blood Armor was Grizzly Bear’s signature technique, an intermediate martial skill refined to a high level of mastery.
At this moment, Grizzly Bear was impervious to blades and spears, comparable to a steel plate.
Confident in himself, he patted his chest and challenged Ye Cheng, “Come on, fight me!”
His strategy was simple: first use overwhelming defense to resist the opponent’s attacks.
Once the opponent’s attacks proved ineffective, their fighting spirit would wane until it was completely shattered.
Then, Grizzly Bear would turn defense into offense and seize victory from the jaws of defeat.
The elevation in realm signified a comprehensive enhancement in the martial artist’s abilities.
The so-called “martial shackles” only indicated his strongest domain; Grizzly Bear’s offense was equally fierce.
“Just stand there and take it? I’ve never heard of this before in my life,” Ye Cheng chuckled.
“Now you’re seeing it!” Grizzly Bear raised an eyebrow.
“Then I won’t hold back!”
Ye Cheng slowly approached Grizzly Bear, circling him while remaining alert to any sudden attack.
“No need to doubt it. I said you can hit me; I won’t fight back.”
“Hit me! Hit me hard!” Grizzly Bear’s stubbornness was evident.
“Alright then, I’ll satisfy you!”
Admiring Grizzly Bear’s courage, Ye Cheng gave up sneaking behind him and instead faced him head-on, delivering a mighty punch.
With his realm and strength elevated and locked, this punch was far stronger than the one he had thrown at Tyrannosaurus.
It sliced through the air with a sharp, brief sonic boom, striking Grizzly Bear’s chest with tremendous force.
Clang!
The clash of metal and flesh echoed as Grizzly Bear’s whole body trembled.
“Whoa! I’m holding on!”
Just as he was about to retreat, he gritted his teeth and forced himself to halt.
“Heh, don’t hold on too stubbornly!”
Ye Cheng slowly withdrew his fist and stood leisurely aside, waiting.
The camera focused on Grizzly Bear’s square face; now, even the slightest expression could be clearly seen on the big screen above the arena for all the audience to witness.
The entire crowd held their breath, tense with anticipation.
Between spear and shield, which was stronger?
“Hahaha, it’s nothing, you…”
Grizzly Bear brushed off the dust on his chest with a disdainful gesture, about to utter his usual words.
But after only a few syllables, his pupils suddenly contracted sharply.
His wide-open mouth twisted through several shapes, yet no word came out.
Only then did he realize his chest had gone numb.
The blood energy surging in his chest was overwhelming, and finally, he coughed up a mouthful of blood.
The blood armor no longer held its initial toughness; like shattered glass radiating from his chest, cracks rapidly spread across his body.
“Did I see that right? Grizzly Bear is coughing up blood?”
After a brief silence, the crowd erupted into a roar; ninety percent of the spectators leapt from their seats.
Many grabbed their heads, others slapped themselves to prove they weren’t dreaming.
Their exaggeration was understandable—the scene before them was truly incredible.
Since entering the competition, Grizzly Bear had never once been struck hard enough to bleed from a single punch.
Not even the arena champion, Giant Cannon, could manage that.
Yet now, it was happening in reality.
“Grizzly Bear, are you alright? Can you continue the match?”
The referee approached Grizzly Bear, scrutinizing him from head to toe.
“I can, I can, I can…”
Grizzly Bear’s teeth chattered as he stammered, words barely coherent.
The referee frowned. “But your condition looks off. Don’t stubbornly push yourself. Get down and get treatment; maybe you can still recover.”
“No, no, no…”
Crack!
Before he could finish protesting, Grizzly Bear suddenly stiffened like an electric fish, collapsed backward, and lost consciousness.
“Idiot!”
The referee cursed quietly, impatiently kicking Grizzly Bear toward the edge of the arena.
“Get the stretcher! Carry this useless fool out!”
He raised Ye Cheng’s arm and loudly declared:
“The winner of this match is still Xing Tian!”
“Damn it, him again! What kind of monster is he? Is the organizer running a scam?”
“Impossible. The underground boxing matches have been running for years without a single fixed fight.”
“Hahaha, lucky me for spotting Xing Tian as the winner—I’m gonna make a fortune!”
Those who lost their bets stomped wildly, and chaos erupted once more.
“Manager Shen, this young man’s impressive, isn’t he?”
In the VIP room on the second floor, Supervisor Nie respectfully addressed a sharply dressed man sitting opposite him.
Manager Shen was quite young, only in his twenties.
His face was lean, posture upright; his slicked-back hair was immaculate, shoes polished, and his tie perfectly straight.
“Hmm, not bad!”
He nodded slightly. “He has potential, but his cultivation level is too low. He might cause a stir in underground fights, but on the big stage, he’ll be exposed.”
“Old Nie, you have to know, the Manor has very strict requirements for its employees. Being a Martial Master is a hard standard—also the minimum. If you don’t meet it, there’s no way you’ll be accepted.”
He pondered for a moment. “Of course, his potential might be high, high enough to quickly reach Martial Master level. When that happens, let me know.”
“I’ll be in Yun City for another half month, so I have time.”
Supervisor Nie smiled wryly. “To go from fifth-tier Martial Disciple to Martial Master in half a month? Even an SSS genius couldn’t manage that—it’s too demanding.”
Manager Shen grinned. “Exactly. The Manor only recruits geniuses!”
“Hey, almost forgot.”
Supervisor Nie rubbed his forehead. This guy was a managerial figure at the Manor—a freak who had reached the Martial Sovereign realm at the age of 25, matching the city lord of Yun City.
And Lord Huo Xing was already in his fifties and nearing the end of his path.
Given that, it was understandable that Xing Tian did not meet Manager Shen’s standards.
...
In the time that followed, Ye Cheng fought three more matches, winning each with ease.
After five matches, the day’s schedule was full, and no more bouts could be held.
Ye Cheng received a total of three million in checks and happily left the Liang Martial Hall.
What a bountiful day!
“Bro, I didn’t expect you to be this fierce! You really surprised me!”
At the meeting spot agreed upon with the Chang father and son, the three removed their masks.
Chang Xi sincerely felt happy for Ye Cheng, abandoning his usual casual demeanor to give Ye Cheng a warm, enthusiastic hug.
When they parted, for some reason, Chang Xi suddenly felt a sting in his nose.
He quickly turned away and secretly wiped the tears from the corner of his eyes.
“Hey hey, you damn gay, you were doing fine, why the tears now?”
Ye Cheng mumbled.
“You’re the one crying!”
Of course, Chang Xi refused to admit it and quickly ran aside, turning his back to Ye Cheng to compose himself.