"Muay Thai boxers like to aim low sweeps at the shin, fake moves to clinch with a neck knee strike, hide a heavy hit behind the elbow, and often use a stepping left hook after a whip kick..."
An hour later, Fang Qingyu sat beneath the stage, watching the reigning fighter. He had already figured out most of the opponent's attack patterns.
At the same time, the danger brought by the Dragon Sting Breath state... wasn't much.
So, after the opponent KO'd another person.
Fang Qingyu raised his hand.
The stage was still echoing with the joy of victory, as the staff came to take Fang Qingyu away.
"If you want to concede, just say it or raise your hand, the referee will..."
In the waiting room, the staff was explaining the rules.
Apart from being unable to attack cheap spots like the eyes...
Everything else is free game.
Even attempting low blows will lead to direct disqualification and being held responsible.
"It's almost your turn, alright."
The staff reminded from the side.
Fang Qingyu rose from the chair and began warming up.
A few pile skill movements could invigorate his entire body.
When the announcement for contestant No. 87, Fang Qing, to enter the stage came from the broadcast, Fang Qingyu took a deep breath and headed for the corridor.
LED lights cast blood-red ripples on the damp walls.
As he turned the corner, a wave of noise exploded ahead, countless hands surged in the white light flooding from the end of the corridor.
As soon as he appeared, the audience was in a frenzy of screams.
"Odds 1.07:9.6! The rookie is courting death! Hahaha!"
"Bets broke a million in five minutes!!"
"If this guy survives two sweeps from Shamasong, I'll eat shit on live stream!!"
Fang Qingyu ignored it all, walking straight to the edge of the stage.
As the iron gate lifted, the unique leather and blood-rust scent of the octagon hit him in the face.
Walking into the dazzling spotlight, Fang Qingyu could still glimpse scenes in the VIP box upstairs, where several tattooed men made a throat-slitting gesture toward him.
So, this is what it feels like to truly stand on stage...
Fang Qingyu found it quite fascinating.
No one believed in you.
Yet you are the one who fights back the hardest!
"Once the bell rings, it signifies the start of the match. Making a move before will result in disqualification. Crossing this line means a loss!"
The referee approached Fang Qingyu quickly, stating the final rules.
"...To win, there are only two ways: knock him down, or make him admit defeat himself!"
"Now!!!"
"Both fighters get ready!!"
Fang Qingyu flexed his neck, looking at the opponent through his mask.
The demeanor seemed relaxed, ready to pounce at any moment.
However...
There was no real danger.
As the bell rang, Shamasong planted his right foot on the ground, his upper body leaning down about 30 degrees, like a leaping cheetah.
But Fang Qingyu was even faster!
Expressionless beneath the mask, he instantly entered the Dragon Sting Breath state.
His left hand reached up to grip the opponent's right wrist, while his right foot stepped forward as a brace.
Then his entire right arm suddenly coiled around the opponent's elbow joint like a python strangling its prey.
The boos from the audience hadn't even fallen when his foot drew a semicircle on the ground, backing a step and twisting counter-clockwise, the force from waist to shoulder compounding like a tsunami.
Shamasong's pupils contracted sharply, years of ring intuition made him instinctively kneel and lean back, but he was shocked to feel intense pain from his trapped wrist!
The next moment...
"Bang!"
Shamasong's back crashed hard against the steel mesh of the octagon, the metal's tremor and the audience's gasps blending into an ear-piercing sound wave.
The announcer's cue cards scattered across the floor: "Hell! Shamasong was taken down by Fang Qing in seconds!! You read it right!! It was a one-hit takedown!!"
His entire body lifted, brutally slamming into the wire mesh, and then crashing back to the ground.
There was no way to get up again.
The referee beside them finished the countdown, looking at Fang Qingyu with astonished eyes, raising his right hand.
"The winner... Fang Qing!!!"
But instead of cheers, it was filled with a cacophony of angry curses.
The referee was already used to it.
Several gamblers would be meeting on the rooftop tonight.
"Do you want to defend the stage?"
"Yes."
Fang Qingyu nodded.
The ancient techniques haven't even been tested... how could he step down?
Had to see just how strong he was at this point!
"Fang Qing is going to be the new reigning fighter!!!"
"Now!!"
"You losers who lost money, here's your chance for revenge!!!"
The referee moved to the edge of the stage, looking down at the other fighters with a mocking glance, wildly taunting their and the audience's nerves.
Fang Qingyu didn't bother with what came next.
All he had to do now was wait for the next challenger.
He took a moment to glance at the profession panel.
The Muay Thai boxer just provided 16 experience points.
Not bad.
Fight a few more like that, and a new profession can be activated.
Thinking of this, Fang Qingyu couldn't help but look forward to what skills this profession would bring.
Amidst the audience's roars, a contestant in the waiting area couldn't hold back.
"I'm up!"
"Go go go, beat him to death!!!"
"Beat him, I've got a room ready for you!!!"
Fang Qingyu glanced at the stage.
[Boxer]
Sturdy build, steady stance...
But still no sense of threat.
Ultimately, the big guy couldn't get back up after Fang Qingyu's straight punch.
Although no punch force test today,
This punch must have been at least over 150KG.
If it hit the left rib, even Fang Qingyu probably couldn't bear it.
But after this boxer,
The speed of challengers slowed down.
Fang Qingyu looked at the time at the side of the ring, two-thirty in the morning.
Just an hour and a half until closing.
So, to activate the new profession before getting off work, Fang Qingyu directly moved to the edge of the stage, sat on the wire netting, and said to the people in the waiting area...
A phrase learned from a past life that easily provokes hatred.
"Just... this?"
This act completely enraged everyone.
Even guests in other rooms,
who originally didn't plan to join the fight, were sent down by their bosses one after another.
But after three battles...
Fang Qingyu had already accumulated five consecutive wins!!
Still, no one could even injure him, not even land a punch.
"Let me try."
In the increasingly frenzied atmosphere, a person slowly descended from the second floor.
Wearing training clothes in a different purple style.
[Martial Arts Apprentice]
The shiny profession tag, just like his own.
Fang Qingyu watched on stage, for the first time feeling... a sense of danger from the opponent.
But Qi Hao said...
Power just measures a person's level of danger, it doesn't determine the outcome.
Even if the opponent seems dangerous in my eyes.
There's still a chance to defeat him!
"Hoo..."
Fang Qingyu took a deep breath, relaxing his body.
"Finally, a chance to try the Ancient Technique."
"Ande Martial Arts Hall, please guide me!"
After getting on stage, unlike others who started with foul language, the opponent clasped his fists with both hands.
This...
Fang Qingyu hadn't learned this, could only mimic awkwardly.
The two didn't speak further.
Just waited for the bell to ring.
"Ding——"
The moment the bell resonated, the opponent vanished from his original spot.
Fang Qingyu, knowing beforehand not to underestimate this fight, simultaneously activated Dragon Sting Breath.
But just as the opponent's raised hand afterimage appeared in his pupils.
"Slap!"
The opponent's fingers, like a sword, jabbed at his chest, as Fang Qingyu blocked with his arm sideways, an unusual spiral force suddenly coursed through his forearm.
The entire arm instantly went numb as if hot molten lead had been poured into it.
The opponent learned Martial Technique!!
This bizarre scene immediately made Fang Qingyu realize the severity of the situation.
Thus, he no longer held back.
"Blood Burst, activate!!!"
The next moment, his eardrums filled with the roar of boiling lava, and his capillaries collectively burst, weaving spider web-like blood patterns under the skin.
Fang Qingyu's face twisted into a grimace...
This isn't Blood Burst, this freaking feels like an explosion!!!
He felt like his whole body was filled with power, needing to explode if not released!!!
Seeing the two fingers already reaching his chest.
Subconsciously, he threw a punch at the opponent!!!
Bang——
The whole place fell silent...