Kitano Yama

" Huh? Aaaaah!?"

In a private box at the arena, Gu Hua had pushed the actress away at some point and was standing naked in front of the one-way glass, gazing at the ring.

His mouth hung wide open as he stared dumbstruck at Xia Lin in the ring, his mind still replaying the missiles that had appeared out of thin air and the chain of explosions!

As an Ash Zone Walker, he naturally knew that this was obviously not some kind of subspace technology, but a skill.

But wasn't this skill a little too outrageous?

The great dragon between his legs had gone limp.

Listening to the cries of "Explosive Bomb Fist" that even the soundproof walls couldn't block, Gu Hua slowly closed his mouth and gave a strange grin, as though enjoying the show.

"Interesting."

"There's something a little uncanny about this guy. No wonder Peipei fell at his hands."

Three-Phase Martial Arts Hall.

Just as Xia Lin threw his first punch, Zhou Yan sprayed the tea from his mouth with a sputter, like a fountain.

He stared blankly as Xia Lin punched wildly on the television, firing missile after missile and blasting poor Taishan to pieces, leaving nothing behind!

Only when the cheers rang out did Zhou Yan turn to look at Bai Guang and Li Peipei, who stood behind him, equally dumbfounded.

"What's with this kid? He should be an Ash Zone Walker too, right? You two know him, don't you?"

Bai Guang and Li Peipei looked at each other, unsure how to answer Zhou Yan's question.

They hadn't expected Xia Lin to pull out such a trump card the moment he stepped into the ring, either.

Li Peipei was the first to collect herself and speak.

"Does that really not count as breaking the rules?"

Zhou Yan fell silent.

In theory, as an official member of the Three Aspects Gang, Zhou Yan's martial cultivation far exceeded the limits of this Ash Zone.

His understanding of martial arts was also on an entirely different level from that of the martial artists in this Ash Zone.

Even so, Xia Lin's Deadly Chain Missile Fist had genuinely stunned Zhou Yan.

"Whether that thing counts as martial arts or breaks the rules, I don't understand, and I don't know."

"But I'm deeply shocked."

The old man scratched his half-gray hair as he spoke.

While Duan Jun was also staring at the television with a bewildered expression, Xia Lin had already walked down from the ring, his face grim.

In the fighters' passage, Xia Lin saw the butler, the secretary, the maid, and a young man standing in front of the three of them.

The young man was short and stout, about the same age as Xia Lin. When he saw Xia Lin, he gave a slight nod.

"Well fought."

His tone was arrogant, his bearing proud.

Xia Lin raised an eyebrow and looked at the butler.

The butler introduced him. "This is the third young master of the main family, Third Young Master Kitano Yama."

Kitano Yama of the North Wind Consortium.

He belonged to the family that owned the North Wind Martial Arts School, and was also Xia Lin's current employer.

That made Xia Lin grin.

"So it's the third young master. How did I do? I didn't let you down, did I?"

Kitano Yama nodded. "You did well. Getting you out of the police station wasn't a waste, and you didn't betray my trust."

As he spoke, he walked over to Xia Lin and tried to put an arm around him to show how approachable he was.

But when he saw the dust and blood covering Xia Lin and caught the smell of gunpowder, he instinctively stepped back twice.

He was just too dirty...

With no other choice, Kitano Yama changed the subject.

"What do you think of the nickname?"

The cheers for Explosive Bomb Fist were still ringing out, their echoes lingering in the air.

Xia Lin's smile froze. Before he could speak, Kitano Yama had already raised a hand and pointed at himself.

"I came up with it. No need to thank me."

Heh...

This kid actually thinks he's damn good at coming up with names, huh?

Xia Lin stared at Kitano Yama for three seconds before suddenly speaking.

"Can the nickname be changed?"

Kitano Yama frowned. "What? You don't like the nickname I came up with?"

The corners of Xia Lin's mouth twitched, then began to rise uncontrollably.

Just then, the butler stepped forward and stood beside Kitano Yama.

"Young master, the meeting starts in ten minutes. Should we..."

That interrupted the atmosphere as it was about to turn ugly, and Kitano Yama, oblivious to the danger, raised his hand and glanced at his watch.

"Oh, it's about time."

"I came to see our Explosive Bomb Fist's debut today. You fought well, and you've got some ability."

"In any case, keep working hard. I, Kitano Yama, and the North Wind Consortium will certainly not treat you unfairly."

As he spoke, he turned and headed out of the arena under his bodyguards' protection. Xia Lin's gaze slowly followed Kitano Yama's retreating figure until he disappeared from sight.

The butler came over to Xia Lin's side and asked softly,

"Would you like to bathe first, or rest for a while?"

Xia Lin looked away.

"A hot bath first. And don't forget to prepare a lavish meal for me."

"By the way, when's my next match?"

The butler replied,

"You performed well today and greatly pleased the young master, so you may choose when to fight your next match."

"As long as you fight a Savage Martial Arena match within three months and maintain the North Wind Consortium's qualification for the Savage Martial Arena, that will be enough."

Xia Lin answered decisively.

"Then the sooner the better."

Three days later.

"Boom, boom, boom, boom, boom!"

"Explosive Bomb Fist!"

"Explosive Bomb Fist!!"

Smoke filled the ring.

The Fierce Martial Arts fighter from the Rushing Thunder Martial Arts Hall had already been blasted into a puddle of mush.

Xia Lin closed his eyes, carefully sensing the increase in his attributes.

[Backstab effect activated.]

[You have backstabbed an organization you belong to: Rushing Thunder Martial Arts Hall. Effect rated: extremely severe.]

[You have gained 5 points in all attributes.]

[Backstab effect activated.]

[You have backstabbed organizations you belong to: Huaxin Martial Arts School, Oros Martial Arts School, Suzuki Martial Arts School... Effect rated: extremely slight.]

[You have gained 1 point in all attributes.]

And so, Xia Lin's attributes became:

[Name: Xia Lin]

[Level: 2]

[Strength: 24]

[Constitution: 24]

[Agility: 24]

[Spirit: 28]

They had risen to a full twice the figures on his physical assessment report!

However, Xia Lin had his own scheme.

In the ring, he hadn't displayed base attributes any higher than before. Fortunately, physical assessments for the Savage Martial Arena weren't frequent, allowing Xia Lin to conceal half his attribute values.

When he walked down from the ring, Kitano Yama didn't appear before him this time.

That made Xia Lin raise his head and look toward the arena's private box.

Through the opaque walls of the box, Xia Lin seemed to see Kitano Yama's plump, arrogant face.

So Xia Lin grinned, baring his ghastly pale teeth.

In the private box, Kitano Yama held a glass of red wine as he watched Xia Lin leave the ring. His gaze rested on Xia Lin, as if they were looking at each other.

"This man makes me uncomfortable."

He took a sip of wine before speaking softly, as though recalling their first encounter three days ago.

At the time, he hadn't immediately noticed the murderous intent Xia Lin carried.

Only after he left did his bodyguard tell him that something was wrong with Xia Lin's attitude toward him, making Kitano Yama vaguely aware of Xia Lin's unruly and untamable nature.

"I don't like him."

Kitano Yama spoke again, then smiled and looked to his side.

"So, Big Sister Suzuki, I agree to what you proposed."