"Martial combat?!"
"Hahaha, you little punk actually dare to fight Master Wu in a martial bout?"
"Fine, I'll grant your wish!"
Wu Ming burst into a wild laugh.
Zhou Zhongru, standing nearby, also smiled.
Li Beichen's proposal was exactly what he had hoped for.
Martial bouts were a straightforward way to settle disputes—not just among the Thirty-Six Guilds, but throughout Ram City.
Even if someone was injured, lost a limb, or died on the spot, the rules forbade any public retaliation afterward.
They thought Li Beichen had just dug his own grave.
"Conveniently, there's a martial arena in the courtyard outside the association. Sign a Life-Death Contract, and you can settle things there."
Zhou Zhongru looked at Li Beichen.
"Attendant Li, it's not too late to change your mind!"
"No need. Just bring the Life-Death Contract!"
Li Beichen had rejected him again and again, and Zhou Zhongru's face darkened. He turned away, showing Li Beichen his back, and made a clenched-fist gesture to Wu Ming.
He meant for Wu Ming to go all out.
Anything was permitted, as long as he left Li Beichen alive.
Only by keeping Li Beichen alive could they get their hands on his secret recipe.
The martial arena outside the Meat Guild.
It was a square platform.
Three feet above the ground, it had been built of blue bricks.
Passersby could all see it.
Li Beichen and Wu Ming signed the Life-Death Contract.
Then they leaped onto the Martial Arena.
The crowd of passersby erupted into a commotion.
"Look! There's a martial bout!"
"And they're both Grade Entry martial artists! That one's Wu Ming, an attendant of the Meat Guild!"
"Then his opponent must be a Grade Entry martial artist too."
The crowd surged over all at once.
Soon, they had packed in around the Martial Arena, leaving no room to breathe.
The chance to witness two Grade Entry martial artists fight openly was rare.
For ordinary people, it was an enormous thrill.
The news quickly spread through Market Ward and even reached Jinglong District.
When Wang Er and the other senior and junior disciples of Like-Elephant Martial Hall heard, they hurried over too.
In Ram City, martial bouts were treated as solemn affairs.
They had to be presided over by a respected elder, who could not belong to either of the disputing trades.
Following the rules, they invited an elderly physician from the Medicine Guild to preside over the bout between Li Beichen and Wu Ming.
The elder displayed the Life-Death Contract, signed and sealed by Li Beichen and Wu Ming, to the spectators.
Then he loudly read out its terms.
"The rules of the bout: bare hands only. Whoever leaves the platform loses."
"But fists and feet have no eyes. Each man accepts his own fate, in life or death!"
"Today, Li Beichen and Wu Ming have signed this Life-Death Contract. Each is responsible for his own injuries or death."
Although Li Beichen and Wu Ming had signed a Life-Death Contract, they could still concede by jumping off the platform if they were outmatched. Weapons were also forbidden.
This was a less severe form of martial bout.
The most extreme kind was a fight to the death, with no restrictions on blades or swords and only one rule: only one person could leave alive.
Under the blazing summer sun, Li Beichen's eyes were icy.
As a thousand onlookers watched, he nodded, confirming that the contract was in order.
Wu Ming did the same.
Seeing this, the elder drew a deep breath and announced in a loud, booming voice,
"I declare... the martial bout begun!"
As soon as the words left his mouth, Wu Ming charged at Li Beichen like a wild boar barreling forward.
Li Beichen could even clearly see the rolls of fat rippling across Wu Ming's face.
The bout was limited to fists and feet. Li Beichen had brought his Locust Stones, but only as a precaution.
If Wu Ming didn't resort to underhanded tricks, he had no intention of using them.
A fair fight, with every blow landing flesh to flesh.
They were both Ninth Grade, and Li Beichen was confident he could easily crush Wu Ming.
As Wu Ming launched his fierce attack, Li Beichen raised his hand, and his fist cracked like thunder.
Bright Force surged with the weight of a thousand catties.
His fist was an ivory tusk, thrusting to pierce the sky.
Giant Elephant Fist, Second Form: Ivory Fist Spike!
"Not bad, kid!"
Smack! Wu Ming also unleashed his full strength, making his fist crack with a sharp report.
Bang!!!
Their fists collided with a dull thud.
Li Beichen stood his ground. Wu Ming stumbled back three steps.
Wu Ming clasped one hand behind his back, rubbing his aching knuckles as he cursed inwardly.
This kid's fists are made of iron.
He looked at Li Beichen, the folds of fat on his face twitching.
"Let's see how many more times you can make your fists crack!"
As Wu Ming saw it, Li Beichen had only just reached Ninth Grade. Though his talent was astonishing, he still couldn't make his fists crack more than a few times.
Once he'd used up his three tricks, he'd be exhausted.
Then Wu Ming could do whatever he wanted with him.
Li Beichen saw through Wu Ming's thoughts too. His eyes narrowed, his gaze sharp as a hawk's.
His punch boomed, and once again cracked like thunder.
Bang!!!
Wu Ming stumbled back three steps.
Li Beichen closed in.
Smack! Smack! Two lightning-fast punches came with the roar of wind and thunder.
Wu Ming struggled to defend himself.
After four consecutive cracks, Li Beichen could tell that Wu Ming had run out of strength. He couldn't make his fists crack again.
"You've been Ninth Grade for more than ten years. Who knows how badly you've neglected your martial arts? You can only make your fists crack four times."
"I concede—"
Li Beichen threw another full-force punch. His body bent like a great bow, and his fist shot out like an arrow loosed from its string. The crack of thunder rang like a snapping bowstring, and before Wu Ming could finish saying he conceded,
Li Beichen aimed for his face and struck.
Thud!!!
Wu Ming flew backward, his teeth scattering across the ground.
Already dazed in midair, his consciousness began to blur.
When your enemy was on the ropes, you pressed the attack!
Li Beichen strode forward again, raised his fist, and struck.
Wu Ming had managed to regain a little awareness. He watched the fist rapidly swelling before his eyes.
Terror flooded his face.
"Spare me..."
Li Beichen stopped his fist three inches from Wu Ming's face.
"Tell me, who put you up to this? Was it Zhou Zhongru?"
"Yes, it was all him! I'm just a hired thug. Please spare me, sir..."
Bang!!!
Li Beichen's fist suddenly came down.
"Ah!"
A scream of agony.
But under Li Beichen's relentless punches, Wu Ming's voice gradually faded away.
All that remained was the whoosh of Li Beichen's fists, echoing around them.
The crowd had been excited, cheering at first. But as the punches kept falling, they fell silent, hardly daring to breathe.
A chill rose in their hearts.
"What a vicious young man..."
Up in the association's pavilion, Zhou Zhongru's face was terribly grim.
"Useless fool. He couldn't even beat a seventeen-year-old youth."
"I'll have to use my connections at Thunderbolt Martial Hall again and find an Eighth Rank martial artist."
"I wonder how much of the profits I'll have to hand over to Huang Baitao..."
Men died for wealth, just as birds died for food.
Those blinded by greed often risked everything.
Though Zhou Zhongru was shaken, he was still thinking about how he could use other means to seize Li Beichen's business.
In his eyes, Li Beichen was still nothing but a young punk with a bit of brute strength. The kid had surprised him for the moment, but he couldn't turn the world upside down in Zhou Zhongru's hands.
He'd secretly arranged the deaths of Eighth Rank experts before, and he still had powerful backers. A mere Ninth Grade martial artist was nothing to worry about.
On the Martial Arena.
Li Beichen made sure Wu Ming had stopped breathing, then delivered one more vicious punch before standing up.
Blood trickled from his knuckles, drop by drop, onto the platform.
The Martial Arena had already been stained a dark red that could never be scrubbed away.
Now, a fresh stain had been added.
This was the fate of countless martial artists.
Li Beichen looked around. No one dared meet his eyes; they all lowered their heads without thinking.
The fight had ended quickly. Only a short while had passed.
He looked toward the elder from the Medicine Guild who had presided over the bout.
Only then did the white-haired physician come to his senses.
He hurried over, checked Wu Ming's breath, then felt for his pulse and shook his head.
He witnessed scenes like this several times a year and had grown used to them.
He looked at the crowd and announced the result.
"The winner of the martial bout is—"
"Li Beichen of Jinglong District!"
Before you continue