The moment the alert tone faded, waves of warmth surged from Jason Luo's very marrow, racing through his body. It felt as if he were bathing in a sea of stars—an indescribable bliss.
His heavy head suddenly felt light. The world before his eyes became bright and sharp again, and sounds flooded back into his ears...
The referee had just crouched down beside him to perform the routine check, though in truth, he had already lost hope.
From the way Jason Luo had collapsed, it seemed certain he'd been knocked unconscious by a head shot. Under such conditions, there was no way he could continue. At best, they hoped there would be no signs of a severe concussion.
But just as the referee reached out to lift Jason Luo's eyelid, Jason's eyes suddenly snapped open, and he shot upright.
The referee nearly fell over in shock. Jason Luo quickly reached out to steady him. The referee stared at him as though he'd seen a ghost.
"You... you're okay?"
Jason Luo felt incredible. His body brimmed with endless strength, his mind was razor-sharp, and some unknown energy churned within him, surging so fiercely it felt suffocating. He needed to release it. Fast.
"Yes, sir, I'm fine. Please restart the match," he said quickly.
He thought it was simple, but the referee dared not take this lightly. The scene was far too bizarre.
He had collapsed like a corpse just moments ago. How could he possibly stand again within two seconds? Yet Jason Luo was speaking clearly, his eyes bright, his spirit seemingly stronger than ever. The referee even began to wonder if this was a case of a dying man's last flare of strength.
The referee wasn't the only one stunned. The entire arena froze into silence. Everyone stared, wide-eyed. Some women even covered their mouths in fright. Commentator Wollers' voice, mid-sentence congratulating the Mexican fighter, suddenly cut off...
Pedro and Raul stood dumbstruck. Tony Huo, who had been running toward the ring, stopped dead in his tracks, rubbing his eyes furiously, convinced he was hallucinating...
Time seemed to stand still. The only one still celebrating was Morduk, perched on the ropes with his back to Jason Luo, still pumping his fists. But soon he noticed the silence, turned to look—and nearly fell off the corner post. Impossible!
The referee was the first to recover. No matter what, he had to perform the check properly. If anything was wrong, immediate treatment was needed—this wasn't a joke.
He pulled back Jason Luo's eyelids—no signs of bloodshot eyes. He asked him to spit—no blood. The referee exhaled in relief. He held up three fingers in front of Jason Luo.
"How many?"
Jason Luo couldn't help but smile, and he answered honestly.
"Three, sir."
The referee held up a single finger.
"Focus on my finger. Stay sharp."
He waved it side to side. Jason Luo followed it perfectly. All signs pointed to him being in good condition.
The referee could only shrug. He had done everything required. There was no choice now but to let the match continue.
During the examination, the entire arena held its breath in silence. When the referee finally signaled that Jason Luo was fine and the fight would resume, the place erupted in chaos.
"What the hell? That kid's fine? He's still fighting?"
"Damn, I've been a boxing fan for years, but I've never seen anything like this. Am I seeing things?"
"No way. Unless that knockdown was faked... Was this a fixed fight? But it looked way too real—it scared the life out of me..."
The buzz of voices spread. Wollers grabbed the mic, his voice erupting with excitement.
"My God! What did I just witness? Jason Luo is back on his feet after that knockdown! And after the referee's check, he's been cleared to continue! This is a miracle, folks! I swear, in all my years of commentary, I've never seen anything like it! Absolutely unbelievable! Every boxing fan here knows that getting back up after a heavy shot takes incredible willpower—let alone after such a devastating blow! How on earth did this young fighter do it? Who can tell me?!"
The referee guided Jason Luo back to the center of the ring, then turned and beckoned to Morduk, still perched blankly on the corner post. The meaning was obvious: Get down. The fight isn't over. Stop clowning around.
Morduk stared at Jason Luo, refusing to accept it. He had been the one in control—the first jab may have been light, but the second was a clean, solid heavy punch. Jason's eyes had rolled back as he fell, clearly unconscious. Morduk had fought countless matches—he knew what he saw. How could Jason possibly stand again, let alone fight?
Damn it! He had already started celebrating, and now his opponent was back? What a humiliation!
The laughter from the crowd stung. Morduk's face burned red with shame and fury. Damn that rookie. Fine, then. I'll knock you down again. And this time, you'll never get back up!
Once both fighters were in position, the referee signaled, and the match resumed.
Fueled by rage, Morduk charged forward, intent on ending it quickly. But Jason Luo, already brimming with pent-up power, had been waiting for this very moment. He didn't back down—he met him head-on.
"The fight resumes! Whoa, what is Jason Luo doing? He's taking the punches head-on? That's reckless! He just got back up! He should be protecting himself, buying time to recover. Why is he forcing it?" Wollers was bewildered.
"Wait—he's holding his ground! He's fighting back with incredible force—this... this..." For once, even the quick-tongued Wollers was at a loss for words.
The moment they clashed, Morduk realized something was terribly wrong. Jason Luo's condition was nothing like before. His Punch Speed and power were completely different, his body suddenly agile. Morduk's two heavy punches, long prepared, were dodged with ease. Worse, when Jason's fists landed, they hurt far more than before—nearly unbearable.
Jason's punches had always been heavy, but Morduk had faked indifference, relying on his toughness to mislead him. Now, with Jason's sudden surge in ability, the sheer power of his blows surpassed Morduk's limits.
Another fierce exchange, and Morduk could no longer keep up the act. A crushing punch left him slightly dizzy. Impossible! Had he taken some kind of strength pill?
Morduk stopped bracing and switched to dodging. He no longer dared to take Jason's punches head-on. Jason immediately noticed and breathed a sigh of relief. Good—his enhanced punches had broken through. If they hadn't, that would have been trouble.
He knew the Unyielding Body's boost would only last three minutes. This was only the second round. If he didn't knock Morduk down before the fourth, when weakness would set in, victory would be out of reach.
...
(40 Chapters Ahead)
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