Reputation Exceeds Reality

"Chu, that person, that person..."

Far off in the crowd, Fish Head Xu saw the short-haired young man appear and tugged at Yang Chu's sleeve in agitation, clearly shocked beyond measure.

"I see him."

Yang Chu's gaze had also fallen upon the short-haired young man; he had spotted the other party even earlier than Fish Head Xu.

The short-haired young man had arrived at Shark Martial Arts Gym later than he and Fish Head Xu, but not by much. He had already been in the surrounding crowd when Awakened Lion made his entrance.

"But why did he throw back the person who originally wanted to challenge Shark Yan? Is it because he didn't want anyone else to be the first to challenge Shark Yan today?"

Yang Chu's eyes flickered, his brain racing to process the information he had captured.

When Shark Yan had loudly called out, "Who wants to test his mettle?", the short-haired young man hadn't stepped out, acting instead as if he were waiting for something.

Yet, when a pugilist from some unknown martial arts school stepped forward, this short-haired young man had jumped out to intercept him, choosing to challenge the gym master himself.

This behavior was certainly food for thought.

"It seems you aren't with those others."

In front of Shark Martial Arts Gym, Mai Rong'en watched the short-haired young man challenge him, a flash of surprise in his eyes. Then, as if he had seen through the young man's intentions, he sneered, "However, rushing to challenge me on my opening day—heh, looking to make a name for yourself? I'll grant you that wish."

With a rip, Mai Rong'en tore off his training gi, revealing a torso with muscles as hard as cast steel. He cupped his fists in a salute toward the short-haired young man. "Shark Martial Arts Gym, Mai Rong'en."

Upon hearing Mai Rong'en's remark about "making a name," a fierce fighting spirit suddenly surged through the short-haired young man. He cupped his fists firmly. "Unity Sect, Xiahou Wu."

"Nice name, but I wonder how your kung fu measures up?"

In the center of the arena, Shark Yan set his stance, loosened his shoulders, and suddenly slid forward, closing the distance to Xiahou Wu and throwing a jab straight at his face.

Xiahou Wu didn't dodge or retreat; he raised his left hand to parry the jab, but Shark Yan's right hook was already swinging toward his chest and abdomen.

These two strikes were incredibly fast, following common patterns in boxing.

Most people could block the first jab, but would find it nearly impossible to deal with the hook that followed immediately after.

Xiahou Wu showed no signs of panic. He didn't step back, instead keeping his shoulders, hips, waist, and back perfectly aligned. He leveled his arm and pressed downward, steadily blocking Shark Yan's hook.

Shark Yan's expression shifted slightly. His hook was known for its immense power and speed—it was his signature heavy strike, packing several hundred pounds of force. Every opponent he had faced previously had chosen to dodge such a blow; almost no one had ever taken it head-on like Xiahou Wu.

With just this exchange, Shark Yan immediately cast aside his contempt, realizing that the Xiahou Wu before him was a formidable rival.

However, Shark Yan didn't change his strategy. Instead, he twisted his arm, turning the hook into a straight punch, and with a twitch of his shoulder, the blocked right fist suddenly surged forward by an inch.

This burst of power was extremely subtle and clever. Even Xiahou Wu hadn't anticipated it, and he took a small half-step back to avoid the fist.

"Inch power?"

A flash of surprise crossed Xiahou Wu's face, as if he hadn't expected Mai Rong'en to incorporate such techniques into his boxing.

"There's more to surprise you!"

Mai Rong'en curled his lips, revealing a set of white teeth. A ferocious, grim look appeared on his face as his arms suddenly shook. They lashed out one after another like two iron whips, cracking through the air as they smashed toward Xiahou Wu.

Xiahou Wu blocked several times, then suddenly executed a nimble crouching step, circling behind Mai Rong'en.

Mai Rong'en spun around violently, like a fierce tiger turning its head. He let out a roar, his voice synchronized with his strike. Dropping his shoulders and expanding his back, his body formed an 'I' shape as he drove a punch straight toward Xiahou Wu's heart.

Xiahou Wu swayed, once again evading Mai Rong'en's fist. In the blink of an eye, the two figures leaped and shifted, their movements changing constantly, the sound of their fists and feet colliding like thunderclaps.

The crowd surrounding Shark Martial Arts Gym was startled by the terrifying intensity of their clash, scrambling back five or six meters in fear.

Mai Rong'en moved with butterfly footwork; at times his strikes were pure boxing, his fists falling like raindrops, while at other times he mixed in various techniques like elbow strikes, wrist strikes, and body checks.

Xiahou Wu, from beginning to end, showed little variation. He mostly blocked and dodged, his eyes locked onto every move Mai Rong'en made, as if trying to see through his entire fighting style.

Suddenly—

As Mai Rong'en advanced with a series of follow-up strikes, he suddenly found his guard empty. With a thwack, he was struck in the armpit by Xiahou Wu's hidden Phoenix Eye Fist.

"Argh—"

After taking the hit, Mai Rong'en roared as if in agony. He bent his right elbow to press down, his body lunging forward as he drove his elbow toward Xiahou Wu's chest.

Xiahou Wu pulled his chest in and retreated half a step. Before Mai Rong'en's elbow could land, he countered with a hook of his own, striking the inner muscle of Mai Rong'en's upper arm.

The violent force immediately threw Mai Rong'en off balance. Xiahou Wu followed up with a swing, striking the back of Mai Rong'en's head. With a heavy thud, Mai Rong'en tipped forward and crashed hard onto the ground.

Their exchange had been incredibly fast; many of the strikes and movements were almost impossible for the onlookers to follow.

They only saw the two men leaping and shifting in a flurry of blows, and then Mai Rong'en was on the ground.

The entire scene fell silent.

"Master!"

"Master, are you alright?"

After a long moment, the disciples and students in training gis outside Shark Martial Arts Gym rushed forward to help Mai Rong'en up after seeing him fall.

Several others glared at Xiahou Wu, their eyes burning with rage; had they not realized they were no match for him, they likely would have lunged forward.

Supported by his students, Mai Rong'en swayed, unable to stand. He had fallen hard enough to bloodied his nose and mouth, and his face was covered in gore. He looked utterly miserable, stripped of the overbearing aura of the Hong Kong-Macau boxing champion he had possessed just moments before.

"Hey, what are you all doing here? Don't you know fighting isn't allowed here?"

At this moment, a uniformed police officer patrolling the nearby streets squeezed through the crowd outside. He glanced at Mai Rong'en, whose face was covered in blood on the ground, then looked at Xiahou Wu standing to the side, before turning to ask the man on the floor, "Hey, are you alright?"

After speaking, he looked back at Xiahou Wu, his right hand resting on the holster at his waist. "Did you do this?"

Xiahou Wu ignored the uniformed officer entirely. He simply looked at Mai Rong'en, who was being helped to a sitting position by a group of disciples and students, and said indifferently, "Wing Chun inch-power, Tongbei mountain-cleaving, Baji heart-striking elbow, Hung Ga triple-smashing hammer, Chaquan seven-star hand, boxing butterfly footwork—you've learned a bit of everything, yet you've mastered nothing. If you cannot integrate these miscellaneous styles, you would be better off specializing in just one. The title of Hong Kong and Macau Boxing Champion is an empty reputation."

Having said this, Xiahou Wu walked to the open space where he had been standing, picked up his large backpack, and without even glancing at the crowd, walked straight out through the onlookers.

The uniformed officer, the disciples of the Shark Martial Arts Gym, and the many spectators were all so intimidated by Xiahou Wu's aura that for a moment, no one dared to step forward to stop him; they could only watch him go.