The referee was down!
For a brief moment, chaos erupted—but thankfully, the referee wasn't seriously hurt. With Jason Luo's help, he quickly got back on his feet, though his face looked anything but pleased...
To clarify what had happened, the arena's big screen replayed the slow-motion footage twice. The review confirmed it was clearly an accident. There was nothing anyone could do—referees in boxing knew the risks of the job. Sometimes, bad luck just came with the territory.
After taking a few deep breaths, the referee announced the match would resume. This time, however, he kept his distance from the center of the ring. If he got hit again, he might never ride a bike again...
Jason Luo, meanwhile, felt uneasy. Even though the referee hadn't said anything, getting smashed by a stray punch for no reason must have left him secretly fuming. If Carl went on the offensive again, the ref might use it as an excuse to call a TKO and stop the match.
He had to admit—once a referee let personal feelings slip into a fight, the outcome could shift dramatically.
Sure enough, the moment the match restarted, Carl charged forward with explosive aggression. Jason couldn't afford to hesitate any longer. If he kept holding back now, a single biased call could cost him everything.
Life Burn—activate!
"Ding! You have manually activated Life Burn. Entering Life Ascension State for the first time. Dynamic Visual Capture enhanced. Negative effects and vitality limits removed. All attributes increased by 30%. Activation consumes 10 vitality points. Duration: three minutes..."
Boom!
What a feeling!
It was as if a hydrogen bomb had detonated inside his body—every cell crushed and reforged in a single instant.
Burning—searing!
His heart thundered like a drum. His muscles seemed to swell and ripple with power. His eyes blazed as if lit by fire. Suddenly, Carl's movements appeared thirty percent slower. In that instant, Jason Luo felt like he had transcended human limits!
Unbelievable!
Exhilarating!
Come on, Carl!
You were strutting around like a king just now—now it's your turn to taste the might of my ultimate technique!
Jason steadied his stance, legs firm, arms drawn back. His abdomen tensed, his back arched like a fully drawn bow.
Fire!
Without any flashy buildup, he launched a straight rear-hand punch. Simple in form—but with that surge of raw power and speed, it carried earth-shaking force!
Carl, still pressing forward, was momentarily distracted by Jason's unusual posture. A flicker of doubt crossed his eyes—then came the punch, slicing through the air like a gust of wind. Before the fist even reached him, Carl's instincts screamed danger. From its speed and the pressure in the air, he knew immediately—this punch was beyond anything he'd ever seen!
He desperately halted his advance, raising his shoulder to block—
"Thud!"
The punch crashed squarely against his guard. The impact was like being rammed head-on by a raging bull. The shock stopped Carl's forward momentum cold, sending him stumbling backward.
Carl was stunned—his arm numb, shoulder joint throbbing in pain. Before he could recover, Jason's next punch was already coming. Carl didn't dare meet it directly this time. Gritting his teeth, he shifted half a step to the right, narrowly evading and throwing a desperate counter-hook to disrupt Jason's rhythm.
But Jason's enhanced Dynamic Visual Capture kicked in—Carl's punch appeared slow, almost telegraphed. Every gap in his defense was laid bare!
It felt surreal. Jason ducked low ahead of time, slipping under Carl's arm, and delivered a quick strike straight into his opponent's armpit. That vulnerable spot sent pain shooting through Carl's side, forcing him to retreat again with a grimace.
After just two exchanges, Carl had completely lost control of the fight. He couldn't comprehend how Jason had suddenly become so powerful—but he refused to yield.
He couldn't let himself be crushed by the ferocity of that counterattack!
Drawing on his last reserves of willpower, Carl braced himself and met Jason head-on once more.
Jason's sudden transformation left the audience in awe. Ever since he accidentally floored the referee, he seemed possessed—like a war god reborn. That arched-back punch in particular had stunned the entire arena!
"Jason Luo's fired up! Carl's being pushed back—what was that punch just now? That was insane!"
"Jason-boy looks amazing! Maybe smacking the ref helped him find his rhythm, haha! Keep going! I've never seen a fighter this fierce before—victory to the brave!"
"Of course! I'm a longtime Luo fan. From what I've seen, knocking him down is possible—but beating him? Not a chance, you hear?"
...
In Macau, Cantonese dominated the crowd chatter, but the banter carried a strange, comical flavor.
In the ring, Jason was completely immersed in his newfound power. Every one of Carl's counters looked full of holes—none posed any real danger.
At this point, it didn't even feel like Jason was fighting anymore. It was as if he were conducting an experiment—testing the limits of his strength on Carl.
In his current state, defeating Carl outright would've been easy. But Jason hesitated. The cost of activating Life Burn was immense. He hadn't fully experienced the transformation it brought—ending it so quickly felt like a waste of such extraordinary power.
His heightened Dynamic Visual Capture allowed him to slip past Carl's attacks effortlessly. The immense power surging inside him was barely contained, released only in measured bursts—because Jason wasn't sure what would happen if he unleashed it all at once.
Meanwhile, Carl was growing more panicked with every exchange. It wasn't just his forehead wound throbbing anymore—even his nerves seemed to scream in pain. Jason's sudden strength and precision were terrifying. His evasion and prediction were flawless, and every time Carl threw a punch, Jason immediately found an opening to strike back.
How was he supposed to fight an opponent like that?