Making a Name!

"What happened? Oh my god!"

"Contestant Li Changqing actually chose to take the initiative!"

"A Martial Arts Apprentice is directly facing a martial artist head-on. Should we call him brave, or reckless?"

The commentator truly lived up to being a martial artist; his mouth rattled off a stream of words, fast and clear.

Li Changqing's move was replayed in slow motion on the giant screen above the ring, instantly igniting the entire venue.

Ring matches needed this kind of real man charging straight in to be exciting.

No matter how high their rankings or win rates were, martial artists who relied on hit-and-run tactics could never match the popularity of those madmen who loved direct clashes.

The audience's eyes went wide.

Something big was coming. Something big was coming.

In the stands, Kang Tianchen smashed Huang Xuan's chair armrest with one punch. Huang Xuan hung his head, terrified of getting caught in the crossfire.

On the ring, Li Changqing suddenly flashed into position before Zhang Wei, leaving the latter stunned.

He was delivering himself right to me?

Then I'll gladly accept!

The referee beside them was already prepared to step in and protect Li Changqing, lest Zhang Wei seriously injure him.

Whoosh—

Wind rose from the flat ground.

All of it happened within a split second.

The timer on the giant screen had only just ticked once.

His right arm moved like a willow branch intercepting the breeze, Tai Chi Force pouring forth like spilled mercury.

Tai Chi Fist, Thunder Division.

Yin and yang collided, unleashing thunderous force.

Break!

Boom—

Tiger Roar Thunder Sound rang out within Li Changqing's body as the force of his punch passed through him.

The delight that had just surfaced on Zhang Wei's face froze. Then his eyes rolled back, and his entire body toppled straight backward like a wooden plank.

"Look, contestant Li Changqing has made the first move. Will he—"

Only then did the host's voice begin to ring out, while the giant screen was still replaying Li Changqing's forward flash in slow motion.

Bang!

The referee caught the back of Zhang Wei's head with one hand and gently lowered him to the ground.

His mouth twitched as shock surged through his heart.

A Martial Arts Apprentice?

Was that force an illusion?

He stepped forward and raised Li Changqing's left hand.

"The winner is Li Changqing!"

Only then did the host finally react.

"The situation in the ring has taken a shocking turn! What just happened?!"

"Contestant Zhang Wei was actually knocked down with a single punch by a Martial Arts Apprentice?"

The audience erupted.

A formal martial artist had been instantly defeated head-on by an apprentice.

This was huge news!

In the stands, Kang Tianchen sat frozen on his seat.

"Coach, are we dreaming?" Huang Xuan was equally confused. Was this really my Junior Brother Li?

"Huang Xuan, come here for a moment."

"Huh? What is it, Coach?" Huang Xuan instinctively leaned his face over.

Smack! Kang Tianchen slapped him.

"Does it hurt?"

"It hurts."

"Then it's not a dream!"

Huang Xuan felt wronged, but he did not dare cry.

Kang Tianchen gripped the chair armrest with his left hand, his five fingers already deeply embedded in it.

"Won? He actually won!"

His body trembled as he looked at Li Changqing.

"One month. It had only been one month."

"That brat broke through to the Transformation Stage and actually kept it from me! I was wondering why he signed up—so this was what he'd been waiting for."

Kang Tianchen was beside himself with excitement. He had been a coach at the boxing gym for over a decade.

Yet even now, he had encountered a genius.

Huang Xuan also came to his senses, recalling what Kang Tianchen had said: Li Changqing had only been exposed to the old arts for one month.

"Coach, you've struck gold!"

On the arena, Li Changqing glanced at the timer.

Three seconds.

From closing in, to throwing the punch, to Zhang Wei hitting the ground.

Three seconds in total.

"A little slow." Li Changqing looked up at the referee.

"Referee, I'm applying for Three Consecutive Arena Defenses."

Three Consecutive Arena Defenses was a special rule of the preliminaries.

After winning a match, a contestant still standing on the arena could apply for three consecutive matches without any breaks in between.

Once successful, they could advance directly to the preliminary qualification battle, obtain a ranking, and directly compete for the sole qualification to advance to Group A.

Through his earpiece, the referee relayed the news to the announcer's booth.

Ding—

At once, the lights over all the arenas dimmed.

Only the arena where Li Changqing stood lit up with a red glow.

"Dear audience! Contestant Li Changqing has actually chosen Three Consecutive Arena Defenses. It seems this victory has given him tremendous confidence.

"Next, let us wait and see whether Contestant Li Changqing is truly as powerful as he believes himself to be!"

In the stands, Kang Tianchen, who had only been happy for a few seconds, had his pupils contract as the corner of his eye twitched uncontrollably.

"That damn brat—why does he always have to pull something new on me?"

Kang Tianchen was numb. He had just been immersed in delight, only for Li Changqing's move to send his blood pressure soaring again in the next instant.

Three consecutive matches not only required formidable strength, but also posed a harsh test of stamina and vitality.

A nonstop gauntlet like this could easily go wrong unless one possessed overwhelming strength.

"Coach, don't panic." Huang Xuan consoled him from the side. "Look at it from another angle. Junior Brother Li didn't enter the preliminaries to make it into the main tournament—he came to make a name for himself!"

"First, he instantly defeated Zhang Wei as a mere trainee, and now he's defending the arena in three consecutive matches. Even if he loses, it'll still be an honorable defeat. Wouldn't his reputation shoot right up?"

Kang Tianchen considered it for a moment.

"What you said... seems to make sense." He took several deep breaths and turned his gaze back to the arena.

"That damn brat had better not flop in the very first defense match."

At that moment, the three contestants Li Changqing would face had already been selected by lottery.

A large number "1" appeared on the giant screen.

"Contestant Li Changqing's opponent for his first match is—"

"Yang Xiu of Yunyi Martial Hall!"

A young man in a white training uniform leaped onto the arena and cupped his fists toward Li Changqing in salute.

"Referee, I'm ready."

Li Changqing said nothing more. He continued circulating the Universe Breathing Technique.

Then the whistle sounded.

"Contestant Li Changqing is advancing again. Sure enough, he's as confident as ever. Then let's see whether this time, he is—"

The announcer's voice caught in his throat.

In just an instant.

Yang Xiu, his eyes rolled back, was gently laid on the ground by the referee, who then raised Li Changqing's arm.

"The winner, Li Changqing."

One punch!

This time, it was even faster.

The timer had only ticked once.

One second! Li Changqing had defeated his opponent.

"Next."

He stood on the arena stage, looking toward the passageway.

The second opponent quickly stepped onto the stage. To prevent the reigning champion from having time to recover, all three challengers had already been waiting below.

But after seeing the first man's miserable state, the second contestant felt a little unnerved.

Li Changqing, however, gave him no time.

A flash forward, a step in, a punch.

Bang!

The second man landed spectacularly in the referee's arms.

One second again.

"Li Changqing wins!"

The host could no longer keep himself composed. He looked at the timer; even counting Zhang Wei, Li Changqing's total time was still under ten seconds.

And he had not even had the chance to introduce the third contestant.

Li Changqing had already flashed forward, and the referee beside him slightly averted his eyes.

A little cruel.

A flash forward, a step in, a punch.

A precise one second.

Unlike the first two, the third contestant was not a martial arts student.

Like Zhang Wei, he was a martial artist stuck right at the qualifying line!

Yet he, too, lasted no more than a second.

The audience erupted.

"Ladies and gentlemen, contestant Li Changqing has actually completed Three Consecutive Arena Defenses! What's more, his combined time was under ten seconds!"

The big screen focused on Li Changqing.

Standing on the arena stage, Li Changqing swept his gaze around. His eyes passed over countless excited spectators before finally settling on the figure in the stands who had risen to his feet in excitement.

The bitterness and melancholy from Chengtian Martial Arts School's ten consecutive losses to Jixing Martial Hall last time seemed to have been swept away by a spring breeze.

The shadow on Kang Tianchen's face faded, replaced by a long-lost smile.

All that pain suddenly seemed unimportant.

Looking at the student standing proudly in the center of the arena, Kang Tianchen smiled.

He raised his left hand toward Li Changqing and gave him a thumbs-up from afar.

"Beautifully done!"

Reading Kang Tianchen's lips, Li Changqing smiled knowingly. Right in front of him, he slowly slipped a hand into his pocket.

Then he held high an ID badge with the emblem of Chengtian Martial Arts School engraved on its back.

Seeing this, the director obligingly instructed the camera crew to give the Chengtian Martial Arts School emblem a close-up that lasted a full three seconds.

Kang Tianchen's eyes flickered, and his usually stern face was suddenly moved.

After the pain of ten straight losses, he had not even dared to dream that the emblem of Chengtian Martial Arts School would stand so proudly above the venue.

Yet now, that dream had come true.

Looking at the student on the stage, Kang Tianchen could no longer hold back. He burst into hearty laughter.

"Good kid!"

"Chengtian Martial Arts School's Li Changqing wins!"

The host excitedly announced the result, deliberately adding the words Chengtian Martial Arts School.

No one disliked a contestant like Li Changqing.

Not only did he deliver maximum entertainment value, he could also boost ticket sales and viewership.

He quickly picked up his walkie-talkie.

"Quick, for the next qualification match, arrange an opponent for him who's the same age, strong, and talented."

"We're making big news!"