Mastery!

The Begonia Boxing Gym was bustling with activity, with ticket sales alone up by 40% compared to usual. A staff member recalled that the last time the gym was this lively was more than a year ago.

That time, it was because the King of Fighters Afan was ranked here all the way through, and overnight he became Land Cruiser Class boxer.

At this moment, the host was chatting with the audience on stage, which was considered a warm-up segment before the competition.

However, Li Changqing had no desire to listen to such insignificant noise. She called out to the door, "Yue'er, go and tell Begonia Boxing Gym to get rid of this host."

Li Yinuo looked at her aunt, who was known for her ruthless methods, with a mixture of amusement and exasperation. "Aunt, this is a necessary procedure. Besides, the boxers are all warming up in their locker rooms right now. If we rush them into the ring, they might get injured due to insufficient warm-up, and the boxing match might not be as exciting."

"Hmm," Li Changqing thought for a moment and said, "That makes sense. Auntie was being inconsiderate. Xiao Tu still needs to warm up, so let's wait a bit."

These words immediately made Li Yinuo realize that the strange feeling she had been experiencing earlier became clear.

The other party was definitely not there to see me, nor was they there simply to watch the game; they were there to see Qing Xiao Tu!

Li Yinuo knew that Qing Chen had many "mommy fans," but she never expected that Li Changqing would become one of them.

Wait a minute, Li Yinuo suddenly wondered, would someone as high and mighty as her aunt really be a fan of anyone? No way.

If Li Changqing wasn't a fan of Qing Chen, could there be another possibility?

Li Yinuo tentatively asked, "Cute and Adorable?"

Li Changqing patted her forehead. "Who Cute and Adorable? You have no manners."

"I misspoke, I misspoke," Li Yinuo covered her forehead. She had originally guessed that Qing Chen had won her aunt's favor again through the internet, but now it seemed that wasn't the case.

Of course, she didn't know that Yi could have so many aliases.

Why would a respectable person use so many pseudonyms?

Now Li Yinuo felt even stranger. Both possibilities had been ruled out, so why did her aunt come to the Begonia Boxing Gym?

Surely it's not really just to watch the fight.

Nestled in her aunt Li Changqing's arms, Li Tongyun suddenly asked, "Auntie, why did you suddenly come to watch the boxing match? Are you following any particular boxer? Qing Xiao Tu?"

Li Yinuo thought to herself, "Xiao Tongyun is just the right person to help me when I'm sleepy. There are some things I can't ask as an adult because it would seem too ulterior motive, but it's fine to ask a child."

Li Changqing smiled and said to Li Tongyun, "Auntie did come because of Qing Xiao Tu."

As far as Li Changqing was concerned, she had already planned to keep Qing Chen by her side as a bodyguard, so there was naturally no need to hide it from him. Moreover, she was unaware of Qing Chen's other identities, and she didn't know that Li Tongyun and the others were actually quite familiar with Qing Chen.

For a moment, a huge wave of emotions surged within Li Tongyun, Li Yinuo, and Nan Gengchen, and the feelings lingered for a long time.

Everyone guessed in a certain direction, but no one dared to guess any further...

The private room fell silent. Li Changqing glanced at the three of them, then casually took out his phone and sent a message to the Heart Arsonist with an air of composure. "Little liar, why didn't you tell me you were into underground boxing?"

Heart Arsonist: "I'm worried you won't like this kind of job."

"I like it, of course I like it," Li Changqing replied. "Would you be surprised if I told you I'm right here at the Begonia Boxing Gym waiting to watch your match?"

Heart Arsonist: "Of course I will. The Octagon Cage is like a monster that preys on people. No one can predict their fate before they go in, but if you were there, I would fight for you. Tonight, I will definitely win."

Li Changqing had never heard such direct and explicit words before. In the past, even if a man dared to approach her, he would be trembling with fear...

For some reason, Li Changqing felt a sense of novelty, as if there was a freshly picked peach in front of him, fuzzy yet exceptionally delicious.

Qing Chen, who was warming up in the locker room, had no idea what "he" had said to Li Changqing.

He was diligently warming up and stretching before the competition, as cautiously as a high school student checking his stationery.

He is always prepared to deal with anything and never slacks off.

The locker room door suddenly opened, and Jiang Xiaotang walked in as if no one else was there.

Qing Chen got up and put on her shirt. She chuckled and said, "What, afraid your older sister will see? You'll be wearing just shorts when you go into the boxing ring later, just like you did when you went into the boxing ring."

Qing Chen thought for a moment and said seriously, "It's different. The scene is different, and the dress code is different too. There are only the two of us in the dressing room now, so dressing appropriately is a way of showing respect to you, sister."

Jiang Xiaotang praised, "I was worried you'd go astray in the Fourth District, but it seems that won't happen. Remember, be careful of the men and women in the Fourth District, including me—none of them are good."

Qing Chen was stunned; this older sister was so ruthless that she even cursed herself.

But then Jiang Xiaotang continued, "I've been feeling a bit uneasy tonight, so I came to see you. Are you ready?"

"Ready?" Qing Chen nodded and said.

"If you want to cancel tonight's match, I can cancel it for you anytime," Jiang Xiaotang said.

"No need," Qing Chen shook his head.

Jiang Xiaotang thought for a moment and said, "Although the Octagon Cage can't be opened again once it's closed until the fight is over, I can make an exception for you. During the match, as long as you give a thumbs-up to one of the hands, I'll immediately send Ji Hao in to rescue you, understand?"

Qing Chen replied sincerely, "I understand."

He didn't know why Jiang Xiaotang had made this preparation, but he felt that she shouldn't be so nice to him.

"Sister," Qing Chen asked, "Why are you so good to me?"

Jiang Xiaotang smiled calmly, "Because your master once raised me. On the night they were arrested, I was supposed to secretly protect some people, but I was too scared to do so. I owe him this, and since I can't repay him, I'll just repay you."

In fact, she knew Qing Chen's identity the first time Li Shutong brought Qing Chen here.

Qing Chen then understood why Lin Xiaoxiao harbored resentment towards Jiang Xiaotang; it turned out to be due to some Chen Nian grievances.

He thought for a moment and said, "Sis, you must have been quite young back then, right?"

"I know what you're trying to comfort me about. I was 19 that year, but that's no reason to be cowardly," Jiang Xiaotang Begonia Boxing Gym. "He rescued me from human traffickers when I was very young. If it weren't for your master, I might be like many women in the Fourth District, soliciting customers on the street, instead of sitting here in the Haitang Boxing Gym enjoying life. Me, Lin Xiaoxiao, Ye Wan, Li Dongze —we all owe our lives to him. Eight years ago, that night, I should have given my life back, but I was afraid."

Jiang Xiaotang still remembers clearly that on the evening Li Shutong saved her, he asked her if she would be willing to give up her life if one day she needed to. If she was willing, he would give her a new life; if she was not, he could find someone to foster her.

Jiang Xiaotang answered yes, and then Li Shutong bought her delicious candy, lots of new clothes, and gave her a home with brothers and sisters.

To this day, she still remembers that her new clothes that day were printed with small red flowers, and the candy was from Lin's Candy Shop in Changming Lane, District 5, City No. 18.

But she did not keep her promise eight years ago.

After the incident, Jiang Xiaotang waited for Li Dongze to come and kill her, but he never came.

For the past eight years, she had never stepped out of the Fourth District. She knew that Li Dongze wanted to kill her, but Li Shutong must have disagreed, which was why he hadn't made a move.

Li Shutong is still the same Li Shutong who values relationships to the core; he has never changed, no matter what.

Qing Chen shook his head. "Sister, I have no right to forgive you on anyone's behalf, but since Master brought me here and let you know my identity, it means that some things are over."

Jiang Xiaotang smiled and touched Qing Chen's cheek, "Maybe."

Qing Chen originally wanted to dodge the hand, but in the end he did not, because he felt that the warmth in the hand was free of any impure thoughts.

Inside the private room.

"By the way," Li Changqing suddenly said, "Do you know that boxer named Qing Xiao Tu?"

Li Yinuo replied, "I've seen his boxing matches, but I don't know him."

"Really? I heard that you three often come here, and you've been coming even more frequently since this Qing Xiao Tu boxer appeared," Li Changqing asked with a smile. "You used to come every weekend, but now you come every day."

Li Yinuo felt a chill run down her spine. She knew that her aunt was one of the most powerful figures in the second generation of the Li family.

The Li family is a behemoth, so even though Li Changqing only controls a small portion of the power, it is enough to make people tremble.

It should be noted that in the power struggle in City No. 1, Li Changqing did not fall behind even when facing the older generation of important figures from the Chen family.

In City No. 1 today, more than half of the city councilors support the Lee family.

This kind of person is definitely not as easy to fool as you might imagine; they did their research thoroughly before they arrived!

Li Yinuo how to answer, but then heard Li Tongyun say sweetly, "Auntie, I begged Sister Yinuo to bring me here. I like that boxer named Qing Xiao Tu; I'm his fan! He fought fiercely in his first match and even made a Tigerweight boxer cry. After that, he fought six more matches, and none of the Tigerweight boxers could beat him. I think he's amazing!"

"I see," Li Changqing smiled and patted Xiao Tongyun's head. "It's normal for you to like him, but remember not to neglect your studies in the family academy. I've heard that you've been dozing off a lot in class lately and even bullying other boys."

Li Yinuo never expected that Li Changqing had even investigated Xiao Tongyun.

Today, when facing the domineering Li Changqing, Xiao Tongyun was not so nervous that she dared not speak. On the contrary, she behaved appropriately and cleverly in every way.

Every word was perfectly chosen.

"I admit I dozed off, and I'll change that in the future," Xiao Tongyun said. "But it's wrong for someone to say I bullied boys. Doesn't that mean some of the boys in our family are too weak?"

These words seemed to hit the nail on the head of Li Changqing's head. The young aunt smiled and said, "I just talked to the person in charge of the academy this afternoon. The family academy must offer combat courses to cultivate the masculinity of the family's children. Yinuo, look at your brothers. Half of them are effeminate. It's one thing that they don't do anything productive, but they start crying as soon as I scold them a little."

Li Changqing held a very strong position within the Li family, so he could never tolerate the weakness of his juniors.

When she learned that Qing Chen was also a black market boxer, she didn't feel anything was wrong; on the contrary, she liked him even more.

At this moment, Li Yinuo caught a detail from Li Changqing's words. "To offer combat courses... there must be teachers, right?"

Could this teacher have already decided on Qing Chen?

This is a classic example of creating a position specifically for this talented person!

Cheers suddenly erupted outside the private room, and the next moment, the boxing crowd stood up and watched Qing Chen walk into the Octagon Cage.

Nan Gengchen and Li Tongyun also got up and walked to the glass, staring intently at it.

Li Changqing suddenly laughed and said, "You may not know this, but Miao Qifeng suddenly bought a gene serum from black market merchant Su Xingzhi seven days ago. I released it earlier. So, Miao Qifeng is most likely no longer E-Class, but D-Class. Some boxing gyms are envious of Haitang's business and want to cut off Jiang Xiaotang's source of income by beating Qing Xiao Tu to death in the Octagon Cage."

Li Yinuo's eyes widened suddenly. She hadn't expected such a thing to happen. Miao Qifeng was going to cheat right under everyone's noses!

Generally, there are no hidden weight classes for boxers because the profit sharing between Tigerweight and Land Cruiser Class is very different. Hiding a weight class means you will earn hundreds of thousands less per fight.

Moreover, challenging the gym in this way would mean making a blood feud with Jiang Xiaotang. As long as Miao Qifeng wants to live in City No. 18, he will inevitably face the pursuit of Begonia Boxing Gym, and other boxers will despise him.

This is the rule of the Jianghu; no one will help him when the time comes.

But now it seems that the profits are so great that Miao Qifeng is willing to take the risk!

Li Changqing said with a smile, "This matter was conspired by four boxing gyms. If Miao Qifeng wins tonight, they have already prepared a vehicle to take him to live in the City No. 23 of the Kamishiro Family. Moreover, they will give Miao Qifeng large sum of money as a settlement allowance, including tonight's prize money, which will also belong to Miao Qifeng. Miao Qifeng is past his prime, thirty-seven years old, and can no longer fight. He wants to retire."

"What if he loses?" Li Yinuo asked.

"Naturally, it was the four boxing gyms that killed him to cover their tracks," Li Changqing said with a smile. "But they probably didn't consider that possibility."

That's right, how could Land Cruiser Class be no match for Tigerweight? They're in completely different classes!

The next second, Nan Gengchen wanted to run out of the private room. His first thought was to warn Qing Chen before the match started, because once the Octagon Cage closed, it would be too late to say anything.

However, a small hand secretly tugged at his trouser leg, signaling him not to make any rash moves.

In Li Yinuo and Li Changqing's minds, Li Tongyun Nan Gengchen were just people who enjoyed watching Qing Chen's matches, and they had no connection with the Time Walker.

If Nan Gengchen were to reveal that he knew Qing Chen at this point, people would quickly associate it with the possibility that Qing Chen might also be a Time Walker!

This kind of information exposure is extremely deadly in the current environment of the Inner World, where Time Walker are hated.

Li Changqing looked at the three people in the private room and said with a hint of surprise, "Hey, why didn't you run out to save him? I think you should have gone to warn him. Xiao Tongyun, you're his fan, aren't you worried about him? You're a fake fan!"

Xiao Tongyun smiled sweetly and said, "Auntie, you're already planning to hire him as your bodyguard and also as our family's martial arts instructor, so you must know he won't die today. If you're not in a hurry, why should we be?"

Li Changqing's eyes lit up, and he immediately hugged the little girl and began to rub her. "I didn't believe it when people said you were smart before, but now I do. You've been smart since you were little, just like your aunt. From now on, you'll learn and observe more from your aunt!"

Li Yinuo was stunned. Could it be that Li Changqing was grooming Xiao Tongyun as his successor?

She chimed in, "Auntie, you didn't agree when I said I wanted to follow you."

Li Changqing said disdainfully, "Were you as smart as Xiao Tongyun when you were ten? You were incredibly stupid as a child; you were just a burden to have around!"

Li Yinuo: "..."

Actually Li Yinuo isn't stupid; she just looks a bit stupid.

She could think of the same details as Li Tongyun, which is why she didn't move just now.

Li Yinuo didn't want her aunt to know too many clues, lest she guess some things about her Uncle Qi Li Shutong.

In the entire private room, only Nan Gengchen wanted to run out to warn Qing Chen.

To be precise, all three women in the private room were as shrewd as ghosts, only Nan Gengchen was still clueless and hadn't seen the truth.

However, it seems that only fools have the purest and most direct emotions in this world.

Even though Li Tongyun and Li Changqing both said that Qing Chen would be fine, he still couldn't stop worrying.

"It's about to begin," Nan Gengchen said.

The boxing match was about to begin, and the VIP box fell silent as everyone intently watched the Octagon Cage.

Qing Chen stood in the center of the Octagon Cage. Outside the black iron cage was a vast but noisy world, where people shouted like flames.

It was early winter, but it felt like the sweltering heat of summer, with countless cicadas chirping noisily in the trees.

The boy's pupils suddenly narrowed, recording and analyzing everything before him.

The host, dressed in a tuxedo, stood outside the Octagon Cage, removed his top hat, and bowed to the audience in all four stands like a clown.

A gambler waved his ticket, roaring hoarsely, his face flushed from lack of oxygen, and veins bulging on his neck.

Among the crowd, a middle-aged man was smiling at him. His face had changed, but his white tracksuit stood out.

In a sea of irrational people, the other person's calm and rational smile is like a clear spring.

Just as the other person said, through wind, snow, sunshine, and this is only my part with you; from now on, I will no longer concern myself with your journey. But I will still secretly watch you.

Qing Chen smiled Octagon Cage, and the boxing gym seemed to fall silent, the shouts of the host and the audience fading away.

Qing Chen understood immediately; he knew this was the last time his master would watch him compete before his departure.

Li Shutong clearly realized that Qing Chen lacked a solid foundation, which is why he personally sent his precious disciple to the boxing ring, letting him experience the trials and tribulations in the Octagon Cage.

Now that his beloved apprentice is going to prove himself in this boxing ring, how could he not come and watch?

Only after reading it could he feel at ease.

Li Shutong noticed that Qing Chen, Octagon Cage, showed no fear whatsoever.

Everyone in the know was aware of the danger tonight, but he couldn't see a trace of fear on Qing Chen's face.

That's good.

Those who can climb Green Mountain Cliff with their bare hands have long since left their cowardice behind at the foot of the cliff, and all their hesitation has vanished in the rising sun on the horizon.

All that remains are the words "Forever Young" and the courage that a young person should have—the courage to never regret a move.

At this moment, the first boxer slowly walked into the Octagon Cage. Qing Chen glanced at the opponent and then said to the referee, "No need to close the door."

The referee was taken aback for a second. Before he could even understand what Qing Chen meant, he saw the boy flash in front of the Tigerweight boxer.

Qing Chen threw a punch like lightning, and his opponent immediately raised his arms to block in front of his face, using his arm bones as a fortress.

However, before his opponent could figure out how to deal with the next attack, the boy had already changed his posture. He suddenly pulled his arm back and slammed his elbow into the opponent's fortress in a swift step.

Even people from the Outer World would probably find it hard to recognize that this is a move derived from Bajiquan called "Huoda Dingzhou".

He has mastered all the techniques.

The force of that elbow strike was like that of a lone bull in the wilderness, relentlessly breaking through the opponent's defenses and shattering both of their arms.

Taking another step, the boy twisted his waist and turned around, kicking his right foot forward and onto his opponent's jawbone, the killing intent of Muay Thai was almost tangible.

The boxer was seen flying backward, crashing hard into the Octagon Cage, where he paused for a moment before falling to the ground.

In the previous boxing match, Qing Chen displayed his unparalleled skill and talent, a collection of all the essence of contemporary fighting techniques, all the calculation-based variations, making his skills that night seem like art.

Now, Qing Chen is showing no mercy as he displays his immense power, a power that makes him invincible among knights of the same rank, and is almost on par with D-Class power.

Therefore, the moment this power was revealed, the unprepared opponent felt like a scarecrow in a wheat field, easily pierced through.

It was only then that the referee understood why the other side wouldn't allow the door to be closed, because it was indeed unnecessary.

Everyone in the private room was stunned by what they saw, especially Nan Gengchen and Li Tongyun, who were particularly shocked.

Just two months ago, this boy was just an ordinary high school student.

Li Tongyun found it hard to connect the person in front of her with the boy who made her fried rice. The other person had experienced far more in the Inner World than she had.

Li Changqing sat steadily on the sofa, looking at the Octagon Cage with a smile, his eyes sparkling.

She only knew that Qing Chen was powerful, but she didn't expect him to be this powerful.

Of those present, only Li Shutong, the demigod, seemed to be deep in thought with his eyes closed. The moment the defeated boxer crashed into the Octagon Cage, the beginnings of his ability to strike people like hanging paintings were already evident.

The technique of hitting someone like a painting isn't unique to knights; it's a manifestation of the impact force accumulating in the bones and flesh of the person being hit after being struck against an obstacle, preventing it from dissipating immediately. At this point, the boxer likely has multiple fractures and torn ligaments, and will never be able to step into the Octagon Cage again.

In other words, Qing Chen just used his power-generating technique to make ten parts of his strength seem like twelve parts.

Using the waist as the axis and the earth as the foundation, leverage everything.

The human body was used by Qing Chen as a cold machine.

"Next," Qing Chen, looking at the referee by the door from Octagon Cage.

"Oh dear," the referee snapped out of his daze, "Now, please welcome the next boxer Cheng De... Cheng De has forfeited! Now, please welcome... the third boxer has also forfeited!"

This is 6200 words for today's update. I'm going to grab a bite to eat and then finish writing the rest of the story. I'm guaranteeing at least 10,000 words today.