Blood Red: The Curtain Rises!

At the Gu Yue Financial Group headquarters.

Gu Hua turned on the television in the lounge and chuckled at the sight of Xia Lin on the screen.

"Unlucky bastard."

As a member of the financial group, Gu Hua had heard hints of the deal Suzuki and North Wind had made behind the scenes.

Looking at Xia Lin in the ring now, Gu Hua could tell something was wrong with him. He seemed to have been drugged.

But what did that have to do with him?

Gu Hua sat back on the sofa, sipping a drink as he casually enjoyed the show to come.

He offered an indifferent comment.

"There's a reason Ash Zone Walkers don't have a high survival rate."

"Most main missions in real Ash Zones have major pitfalls. They're not that easy to complete."

"Let alone this Ash Zone—it's an S-rank Ash Zone... And you're treating this place like a game of house? Is there something wrong with your head?"

An S-rank Ash Zone was already meant for level-seven Ash Zone Walkers.

In other words, even a level-seven Ash Zone Walker with 70 points in every attribute would have to tread carefully here, and might not come out ahead.

Wasn't everyone among the four who entered this Ash Zone a Sequence, apart from Xia Lin?

You needed at least that much ability to make something of yourself in an S-rank Ash Zone.

And Xia Lin? He was cocky, far too cocky.

He treated the three Sequences who had entered at the same time as if they were nothing, and cared even less about retaliation from the local powers.

Gu Hua's lips twisted. "Playing like that, who else would die if not you?"

Old district, Three-Phase Martial Arts Hall.

Zhou Yan turned on the television, took a quick look at Xia Lin, and immediately turned it off.

Bai Guang and Li Peipei were puzzled.

"You're not watching?"

Zhou Yan shook his head. "No. It's not interesting anymore."

Bai Guang and Li Peipei didn't dare question Zhou Yan's decision, though they did have thoughts of their own.

For Li Peipei, once this match was over, Xia Lin would have completed his main mission and could return to reality at any time.

She didn't know which Ash Zone entrance he had used... Which meant she had no way to intercept Xia Lin this time.

The thought that her external cheat was very likely slipping away from her like this made Li Peipei anxious, but there was nothing she could do.

Xia Lin had moved too quickly.

And compared with Xia Lin, the Blood Fiend Breathing Technique was clearly more important to Li Peipei.

Bai Guang, on the other hand, wasn't worried.

He even thought it would be better if Xia Lin completed the main mission. He could get the breathing technique first, then cultivate a connection with him after they returned, and that would settle it.

In short, at that moment, neither of them had considered the possibility of a deal behind the scenes.

Still less had they considered that Xia Lin might lose, or die.

After all, in their eyes, Xia Lin's Explosive Bomb Fist was more than enough to dominate the low-level Savage Martial Arena.

Xia Lin stepped into the ring with mechanical strides.

He kept his head lowered the entire way, making it impossible to see his expression.

By the time Xia Lin entered the ring, Flower Burial had already been waiting for a while.

Flower Burial was dressed in a pure white kendo outfit that showed off his agile physique to perfection.

He also held an alloy steel sword-weapons could be brought into the ring as long as they passed inspection.

After all, weapons made up a significant part of Traditional Martial Arts.

He twirled his sword and performed a sword dance.

It was dazzling beyond compare.

All right, it was settled. This guy had a showman's personality.

And as Flower Burial opened with his sword dance, the atmosphere at the venue grew even more heated.

"Blow him up! Blow him up!"

"Explosive Bomb Fist! Explosive Bomb Fist!"

"Flower Burial, I love you!"

"Flower Burial, flay him alive!"

The audience's loyalties were always shifting.

All they wanted was excitement and thrills. For those, they could easily switch sides, just as they were doing now.

Just imagine it... Wouldn't it be quite a spectacle to see the famous Explosive Bomb Fist cut to pieces by an incomparably beautiful young man?

The plants Suzuki Consortium had arranged at the venue began to steer the crowd.

If Flower Burial had a fame system, he could easily have seen his fame value start to soar.

Even without one, Flower Burial could tell.

He smiled gently, like a breath of spring.

Then he pointed his sword at Xia Lin.

At that moment, the referee below called out in a clear voice.

"The match begins!"

Flower Burial raised his sword and stepped forward.

But after just three steps, he stopped.

Because he saw Xia Lin, who should have been stiff and motionless, slowly raise his head.

An overwhelming pressure so immense it suffocated him came rushing straight at him!

Xia Lin was smiling.

An exaggerated smile.

His mouth was stretched so wide it almost seemed to reach his ears.

That exaggerated, sinister smile made Flower Burial shudder and freeze.

His eyes were blood red.

It wasn't the blood red of bloodshot eyes, but a uniform red, more like colored contact lenses. Beneath the red, even his pupils and the whites of his eyes were indistinguishable.

Looking into Xia Lin's eyes, Flower Burial thought for no reason of mountains of corpses and seas of blood.

He didn't know why he made that association, but he felt that something was extremely wrong with Xia Lin.

He should have been drugged...

He should be stiff and motionless...

Even if he can move, his strength and agility should be greatly reduced...

He couldn't possibly smile, much less show a bearing that makes me tremble!

"You..."

His hand was trembling, and so was his voice.

But Xia Lin had nothing to say to a small fry.

He simply took one step, making the entire octagonal cage shake.

Then he went all out!

[Xia Lin]

[Strength: 24]

[Constitution: 24]

[Agility: 24]

[Spirit: 28]

These were Xia Lin's current attributes.

They had doubled since his first time in the ring.

As mentioned before, Xia Lin hadn't displayed any stronger attributes in his second match.

This time, Xia Lin held nothing back.

With 24 points of agility, Xia Lin's footwork was nimble and his speed blinding!

A fierce wind swept past, making Xia Lin's boxing trunks flap loudly!

In just one second, Xia Lin had closed in on Flower Burial.

He raised his fist with a vicious grin and swung with all his might!

His 24 points of strength whipped up a howling gust as his fist drove straight at Flower Burial's face!

Flower Burial's strength and agility attributes, meanwhile, had only just broken past ten.

With an attribute gap of more than double, Flower Burial couldn't react at all. Even with a simple straight punch, Xia Lin could smash his head apart in one blow.

Let alone the fact that he also had the East Wind Divine Fist!

The moment he raised his fist, the East Wind Missile had already taken shape.

But this time, the missile was different from before.

It was nearly a meter long, thick and bulky.

Trailing flames, it followed Xia Lin's fist as it struck at Flower Burial!

"Boom!"

Flames and flesh flew together!

The entire ring became a sea of fire.

The alloy steel sword, already warped out of shape, was sent flying by the shock wave. It stuck into the ground, where it quivered incessantly.

And when the flames died down, Flower Burial had been reduced to a heap of pieces in the ring.

Cheers suddenly erupted.

The name Explosive Bomb Fist rang out across the venue.

Xia Lin, however, half closed his eyes and listened to the notification sounding in his ears: [Main mission completed]. He couldn't suppress a chilling smile.

Three matches were complete.

He could return at any time.

He lifted his leg and walked to the edge of the ring.

Then he punched again!