Ye Chen's seemingly accidental victory sent the atmosphere throughout the arena boiling over once more.
The vast majority of spectators thought Ye Chen had merely been a blind cat stumbling upon a dead rat, lucking into this round's victory. Those who had bet correctly were still shaken, while those who had lost were deeply displeased.
As for the fighters lurking nearby, watching the situation and preparing to strike at just the right moment to "rob" him, they revealed excited smiles. They all wanted to see just how long this "rookie," with his utterly chaotic footwork, could hold out—so they could swoop in and reap the fisherman's profit.
After all, to empty out the prize pool in full, the champion had to defend the ring for fifteen consecutive rounds.
And Ye Chen had only won the very first bout. Limited by stamina, each of the following nine bouts would be harder than the last, and that was one of the defining traits of this kind of ring-defense match.
Of course, no one present could possibly know that all of their attitudes, thoughts, and plans were entirely under Ye Chen's control.
"Who's next?"
Leaning back against the ropes, Ye Chen demanded loudly, though he deliberately let a rookie-like naivety show on his face.
"Ha, I'll go!"
A burly, rugged man with a face full of stubble raised his hand and shouted. He then leapt onto the ring in a single step, strode fiercely up to Ye Chen, and began boasting loudly.
"Kid, you seem pretty good at dodging. Then pray you can stay as lucky as you were last round!"
The crowd below erupted into chatter.
"Oh, Grappling Yang is here!"
"He specializes in ground fighting. Let's see how this kid keeps dodging all over the place now!"
"Good! Bet heavily on