Narrow Passage

First came the payment.

Training fees, course fees, and even nutrition fees.

Twenty thousand credits in total.

And that was just for one month.

Fierce Martial Arts fighters, even the lowest-ranked ones, were monsters who had surpassed human limits. For training and to maintain their superhuman physiques, the food, supplies, and supplements they used were all specially made and expensive.

Of those, the supplements produced by Aoluosi Pharmaceuticals were the most effective.

The twenty thousand credits Xia Lin paid actually covered only the lowest tier of expenses, which didn't include any good supplements. Someone like Li Wenzhang spent over a hundred thousand credits a month at the North Wind Martial Arts School, and that was with a subsidy from the school.

Scholars could be poor, but martial artists had to be rich. It had always been that way.

But as long as one became a Fierce Martial Arts fighter, all the initial investment could be recovered, with something left over-even if the fighter was beaten to death in the first match, the consortium's compensation would let his family recoup every cost.

If he could win, or even advance to a higher-level Savage Martial Arena... what he gained would be more than just credits.

That was why, despite the dangers of the Savage Martial Arena, so many people still flocked to it.

No matter the world, there was no shortage of madmen who valued money over their lives.

By the time Xia Lin signed the agreement and paid, it was already afternoon.

The old instructor named Guo Yu said, "Your formal training starts tomorrow."

"But I need to give you a heads-up. Fighting takes sweat and hard work, but talent matters even more."

"Even the same supplement has different effects on different people. Let alone training results, combat talent, and how quickly someone picks up fighting techniques."

Xia Lin nodded in understanding. "I know all that."

"So when can I fight in the Savage Martial Arena?"

Guo Yu sighed heavily, thinking there was something a little wrong with Xia Lin's head.

Are you really that eager to get yourself killed in the Savage Martial Arena?

But he didn't try to dissuade him. Good advice couldn't save someone determined to die.

He simply said, "Our North Wind Martial Arts School only has one spot in the Savage Martial Arena, so naturally we pick the strongest."

At present, the strongest at the North Wind Martial Arts School was Li Wenzhang.

"And besides that, there are hard requirements for entering the Savage Martial Arena."

Xia Lin asked, "What requirements?"

"At least ten points on the punch strength tester. We can't let you into the ring if you don't meet that standard."

"On top of that, you have to master our North Wind Martial Arts School's signature technique: the North Wind Fist."

When a fighter entered the ring, it wasn't just physical ability that mattered, but technique as well.

When the difference in attributes wasn't too great, technique could make a big difference.

And the North Wind Fist was the North Wind Martial Arts School's trump-card fighting technique.

It was called a trump-card fighting technique, but in truth, this set of fist techniques was so pitifully low-grade that it wasn't fit to be shown off.

Otherwise, the North Wind Martial Arts School wouldn't have ended up in its current state.

But that came with an advantage.

The North Wind Fist was easy to learn... and not just because its fundamentals were simple. The North Wind Martial Arts School didn't keep it under wraps, either. Once you paid, you could learn and practice it, and the instructors would do their best to teach you. Whether you succeeded was up to you.

Guo Yu gave Xia Lin a few more instructions, told him to come to the school at ten the next morning, and then left.

Xia Lin also rose unhurriedly and walked out of the school, but he didn't go far. Instead, he went to a nearby café and bought a cup of coffee to pass the time.

From where he sat, he had a clear view of the North Wind Martial Arts School's entrance.

As a prospective Fierce Martial Arts fighter, Li Wenzhang had a packed schedule.

Training, training, and more training!

By the time Li Wenzhang finished his daily training, it was seven in the evening, and the sky had already darkened.

After injecting himself with a muscle-growth agent and a fatigue-relief shot, then taking a cold shower, Li Wenzhang changed clothes and walked out of the North Wind Martial Arts School.

He felt he was in pretty good shape. The fatigue-relief shot was exceptionally effective, and he could still train for another three hours... but too much was as bad as too little. Rest was more important to him than extra training.

He boarded a bus headed toward the outskirts, settled into a seat, and listened to music through his headphones to relax.

The scenery outside the window flashed past.

Towering buildings, multilevel roads, and flying cars weaving back and forth amid a blaze of lights and prosperity.

This was Fierce Martial City.

A place where dreams came true.

As the bus gradually left the new district behind, the prosperity vanished.

The buildings grew shorter, and the lights grew sparse.

Flying cars visibly dwindled in number, giving way to gas-powered cars and electric vehicles that couldn't fly. The pedestrians changed as well. Gone were the sharply dressed elites, replaced by staggering drunks and drug addicts.

Behind the gloss lay filth.

Behind the vitality lay decay.

The gap between rich and poor had naturally divided Fierce Martial City into the new and old districts.

And the old district was a slum in the traditional sense.

There were no patrolling mechanical police or cameras everywhere. Public order was poor, and gangs were everywhere.

And he, Li Wenzhang, was the son of the leader of a small local gang.

"Arriving at the stop. Please stand steady and hold on."

The flying bus slowed to a stop in front of a dark intersection.

Li Wenzhang picked up his bag, got off, and entered a familiar alley.

High walls rose on either side of the dark, narrow alley, which was only wide enough for one person to pass.

Drunks and stoned addicts often loitered here, but today the alley was unusually quiet. It could even be called deathly silent.

The farther Li Wenzhang walked, the higher the corners of his mouth curled.

Only when he was deep inside the alley did Li Wenzhang stop and turn to look behind him.

A person was following close behind, matching his every step. There were only about ten meters between them.

When Li Wenzhang turned around, the person behind him stopped as well.

He pulled down his hood, revealing a somewhat handsome face and an eerie smile.

"What's your name?" Li Wenzhang asked.

"Xia Lin. My name is Xia Lin."

"Oh, Xia Lin. Why are you following me?"

Xia Lin slowly tilted his head, his smile widening. "I wanted to see how you slaughter chickens, senior brother."

Thud.

Li Wenzhang let go, allowing his backpack to fall to the ground.

He gently rolled his shoulders and asked with a smile,

"You really want to see?"

Xia Lin nodded emphatically. "I do. I'm very curious."

"Tsk, tsk."

Li Wenzhang stepped forward.

"There's a lot that goes into slaughtering a chicken."

"But my method is pretty rough. Generally, when I slaughter a chicken, I first knock it down with a heavy punch, then use a soccer kick to smash its head."

"Chickens are weak. They can't survive those two moves."

"Oh, right. Do you know what a soccer kick is?"

Xia Lin shook his head. "Never seen one."

A fierce gust rushed at his face, blowing his hair into disarray.

"Then I'll fucking show you! Chicken in my way!"

Li Wenzhang was the North Wind Martial Arts School's senior disciple and the only fighter there qualified to enter the Savage Martial Arena.

The problem was that everyone knew that even if Li Wenzhang entered the Savage Martial Arena, he would be among its lowest-ranked fighters.

He could only fight in low-level Savage Martial Arena matches, and it was uncertain whether he could even win one.

To Xia Lin, he was a good opponent.

Through Li Wenzhang, Xia Lin could experience a Fierce Martial Arts fighter's strength firsthand in advance.

And that was one of the reasons Xia Lin had sought out Li Wenzhang!

Li Wenzhang burst into action, his slightly bent body springing toward Xia Lin at tremendous speed.

The North Wind Heavy Punch shot out like a cannonball, the fierce wind howling so hard that Xia Lin couldn't even keep his eyes open!

Strength: at least 13 points.

Agility: at least 12 points!

Add to that his finely honed fighting skills and the North Wind Heavy Punch...

And he was still only a grunt and cannon fodder in the Savage Martial Arena.

But that was only to be expected of the main mission in an S-rank Ash Zone!

Xia Lin raised both arms to block Li Wenzhang's punch. Li Wenzhang didn't change its course, and the North Wind Fist slammed into Xia Lin's arms.

Boom.

Xia Lin's whole body flew up like drifting duckweed. He was sent flying back three meters before crashing heavily onto the damp pavement.

"First, the heavy punch, then..."

"Soccer kick!!"

Killing intent came howling toward him.