Day after day, training was tense and monotonous. But Jason Luo's longing for a better life gave him the determination to endure. He would fight against fate—his destiny was his to decide, not heaven's!
Time passed quickly. Nineteen days later, Jason Luo finally welcomed the opening of the Golden Gloves Tournament. Because of the massive turnout, the preliminaries had to be split by weight class.
The super middleweight preliminaries were scheduled for two days later. Each fighter would compete in three bouts: winning all three meant direct advancement to the main event, two wins allowed a chance as an alternate, and one win meant elimination.
Amateur boxers from all over the world had flocked to the city, filling hotels to capacity. Many of them were poorly educated and hot-tempered, which seriously strained public order. Police cars wailed through the streets, and the entire city bristled with tension...
Inside the training gym, Jason Luo studied his system panel with a faint smile.
System Binder: Jason Luo
Age: 18
Height: 184 cm
Reach: 187 cm
Weight: 76.8 kg
Occupation: Amateur Contracted Boxer
Reputation: Somewhat Well-Known
System Talents:
Greedy Wolf Power (Beginner)
After defeating an opponent, permanently absorb 15% of their superior attribute points.
Agile Physique (Intermediate Minor Talent)
Long-term training has made your body stronger, more flexible, and resilient. Joints and vital points have greater durability, recovery speed after injury increases by 20%. Your physique is more athletic, enhancing attractiveness and charisma, while also providing a slight boost to male vitality.
Unyielding Body (Beginner Minor Talent)
In official matches, the first time you're knocked down, all Stats fully recover. For the next three minutes, all Stats increase by 15%. Afterward, however, you enter a weakened state where all Stats drop by 20%.
Strength: 9
Stamina: 10
Boxing Technique: 8
Footwork: 9
Reaction: 7
Punch Speed: 7
Coordination: 8
Explosiveness: 9
Recovery: 7
Dodge & Anticipation: 8
Toughness: 11
Jab Power: 7
Cross Power: 10
Free Attribute Points: 0
Overall Evaluation: Average technique, solid physical conditioning. System analysis places you in the lower-middle tier of amateurs. However, with multiple system talents, your overall strength is not weak. Fight boldly!
Thanks to the careful guidance of two coaches, over twenty days of intense training, Jason Luo gained eight Attribute Points: two in Explosiveness, two in Boxing Technique, and one each in Dodge & Anticipation, Jab Power, Stamina, and Coordination.
But Attributes weren't the only gains. More importantly, Jason now had a solid grasp of boxing tactics, rules, stamina management, and power generation. He was no longer the reckless novice charging in blindly.
Coach Pedro gave him his pre-match advice. "Jason, the tournament has begun, which means our training phase is over. With so many participants and such a tight schedule, we'll suspend regular training for the next two days. Just keep up with your morning runs and stay active."
"I've already said plenty before, so I won't repeat myself. Just remember this: even the preliminaries must be taken seriously. I know you've always trusted your toughness, but against truly strong opponents, it won't be enough! Don't rush in recklessly. Stay steady, use your techniques, and fight smart. Understand?"
Hearing that training was canceled, Jason felt a wave of relief. He was exhausted and bored. "Don't worry, Coach. I've been dying for this—I'm ready for the tournament!"
Seeing his excitement, Pedro didn't want to dampen his spirit. "Alright. My only requirement this time is that you must get through the preliminaries. That's all you need to keep in mind."
"No problem! I guarantee it." Jason brimmed with confidence. He felt that if he faced Morduk again now, he could beat him even without relying on Unyielding Body.
Pedro shook his head slightly. Young men were always fearless—only after real setbacks would they learn humility. But some lessons could only be learned through experience...
"Training is canceled. If you're interested, go watch today's matches at the beach venue. They're running featherweight and lightweight preliminaries. Lighter divisions don't hit as hard, but the technical level is very high. You could learn something."
"Oh, I'll definitely go, Coach."
The turnout was so overwhelming that the indoor arena couldn't handle it. Every year, the preliminaries were held on the beach, lasting ten days straight—an incredibly packed schedule!
When Jason and Tony arrived at the venue, they finally saw what "spectacular" really meant.
The entire stretch of beach was packed with people, stretching for miles!
A few poles were planted in the sand, with red cloth tied around them—that was a ring. Inside, referees oversaw the matches.
The beach was divided into countless small squares, each surrounded by crowds of spectators, contestants' families, and fighters waiting their turn...
Some matches ended quickly when the gap in skill was obvious—the winners celebrated wildly while the losers slunk away in frustration. Others were evenly matched and fiercely fought, drawing spectators closer, their cheers and shouts rising. Jason and Tony were drawn in too.
Squeezing into the crowd, they saw it was a featherweight bout. With the 52-kilogram limit, both fighters looked lean and short, but the fight had its own flavor.
In these lighter divisions, heavy punches carried less force, but the fighters were lightning-fast. Both moved with agility, switching between offense and defense at high speed, weaving and dodging constantly. Unlike heavier divisions where defending against power punches was crucial, here taking a hit usually just meant losing a point. The pace was wide open, with speed and defense deciding the fight. Knockouts only happened when there was a huge skill gap...
This fight lasted all four rounds before ending. The winner, ecstatic, flipped four times backward on the sand in celebration!
Damn, was this kid an acrobat before boxing?
Jason felt a twinge of envy. Maybe he should come up with his own celebration—after all, every young fighter wanted to look cool.
Tony kept filming, uploading videos. He'd made some money from his last upload, so of course he wasn't going to miss this chance.
"Jason, look! Some fans are asking when your match is. Come on, show your face and give them an update."
Jason didn't shy away. He looked at the camera. "Thanks for remembering me, everyone. My super middleweight preliminary is the day after tomorrow. Honestly, I'm a little nervous—I don't know what kind of opponent I'll face. But I'll give it my all. I hope you'll support me!"