The Ring

Yu Feng picked up a schedule for the Thunder Dragon Bar from the table. Looking at the day marked with a star, he frowned slightly.

"Isn't Zhang Yao still a little short of getting a contract?"

Scarface, lounging in his chair, rolled his eyes.

"Can't be helped. His sister's been nagging me nonstop. It's annoying as hell! But she's really good at what she does, and she's got a nice, juicy body. I'm pretty hooked."

He slipped a hand into his pants and fiddled around, then pulled it out and sniffed his fingers. He flicked them toward Yu Feng.

"Anyway, Zhang Yao's been training for a long time. Let's build up some hype for him. Set him up against a Contracted Fighter who's about to retire, then let him use the money to buy Earth Dragon Meat. That should be enough to break through."

Yu Feng's face remained blank. He glanced again at Zhang Yao's opponent.

"Gao Lei? He really isn't up to it anymore, what with his injury. Are we killing him or what?"

"Who are we killing? Gao Lei may not be up to snuff against the other Contracted Fighters, but he can still handle that brat Zhang Yao. I told him to make the loss look good. I'd give him some money and send him back to the city."

Yu Feng raised an eyebrow.

"Really?"

Scarface burst out laughing, his tone mocking.

"Old Yu, have you gone stupid? How could it be real? What's that song The Big Boss likes? Something like, 'You can pay the bill whenever you want, but don't ever think about skipping out'? Wait, that doesn't sound quite right. How does it go again?"

Yu Feng stared expressionlessly at Scarface, who was scratching his head behind the desk. He was looking at Zhou Hu, the Second Boss of the Park.

His buzz cut, stiff as steel bristles, was dyed white. His hard-featured face was shadowed by heavy dark circles, and a vicious scar ran diagonally from beneath his left eye all the way to his chin. It cut across the corner of his mouth, pulling the left side down into what looked like a permanent sneer.

Even in the dead of winter, Zhou Hu wore nothing but an open, sleeveless leather jacket. It revealed a spiked necklace around his neck, a tiger-head tattoo across his chest, and a pair of heavily muscled arms covered in tattoos.

His black leather pants were tucked into a pair of matching heavy boots. His big foot bounced arrogantly on the desk as he watched Yu Feng with a half-smile.

"What, you think Gao Lei's your creation? Planning to warn him ahead of time?"

Yu Feng replied coolly, "He's not my disciple."

"Oh, Coach Yu, the cold-blooded one. All right, haven't you been drilling a few Warm-up Fighters lately? Are they ready?"

Yu Feng's brow twitched.

"Not yet. Isn't the whole gimmick that Zhang Yao makes a comeback and becomes a Contracted Fighter? What do we need Warm-up Fighters for?"

"Not ready? I think you're the one getting worse and worse, Old Yu."

Zhou Hu sounded displeased.

"I'm worried that brat won't put on a good show, or that Gao Lei won't make it look convincing. We'll send out a few Warm-up Fighters first to get the crowd going."

"Those few... most of them aren't very good."

Zhou Hu furrowed his brow slightly.

"That'd be no fun."

He thought for a moment, then slapped the desk.

"Let them go up anyway. They can just make a show of it. I'll tell Zhang Yao to finish things quickly. No need to turn it into a slaughter."

Yu Feng's expression eased a little, and he nodded.

Zhou Hu watched him, then suddenly said, "Old Yu, don't tell me you're worried about your disciples?"

Yu Feng looked at him coldly.

"I'll say it again. I don't have any disciples here.

"My disciples have been dead for a long time."

Feeling Yu Feng's gaze turn ice-cold, Zhou Hu smiled and waved him away.

A business van slowly drove from the Park to the huge iron gate.

A guard approached the driver's side, glanced at the pass the driver held out, then counted the people in the vehicle before waving them through.

The iron gate slowly slid open. The armed guards looked down impassively as the van drove away along the potholed road.

Inside, Chen Chong leaned against the window, watching the squat, gray-black shanties on either side slide past. The winter evening sky had already darkened. Streetlamps stood like silent sentries, and only faint lights flashed past in the buildings. The orange glow of halogen lamps was the street's only light as the van made its way through the quiet.

After a few turns, the streets outside gradually grew noisier. Cautious pedestrians appeared, and some of the shops along the road had opened their doors. It was impossible to tell what they sold in the dim light. Other vehicles were moving along the long street ahead, and the van joined them. Colored lights flickered on the second and third floors of the buildings lining the road.

The noise outside grew louder. They were nearing the liveliest part of this little town.

Chen Chong felt Li Xiaoguang shift beside him. He turned and saw Li Xiaoguang watching him with a thoughtful look.

Chen Chong gave a slight shake of his head, and Li Xiaoguang slowly nodded.

They'd found out a few days ago that they'd be fighting in the ring today.

The ring was at the Thunder Dragon Bar, which stood on the town's commercial street—outside the Park. Thunder Dragon wasn't the only power in this town.

So they had a chance to get out.

Li Xiaoguang had quietly indicated that he wanted to look for an opportunity to escape, but Chen Chong wasn't optimistic. They still hadn't figured out how to deal with the Earth Dragon Soup.

Though he was already immune to it, he couldn't help the others.

And this wasn't a good time to escape, either.

The men in the back and the driver all worked for Thunder Dragon. Their waists bulged, clearly carrying firearms.

They didn't know whether the security personnel had reached a Realm or not, but the weapons at their waists alone put them four Realms ahead.

More importantly, Yu Feng was sitting in the passenger seat.

Even if Yu Feng weren't there, hijacking the van wouldn't be realistic. They'd heard that vehicles used for missions like this didn't carry much fuel and definitely couldn't make it out of town—apparently, someone had learned that the hard way before.

Once they got out of the van, they could look for an opportunity, but Chen Chong didn't have much hope.

They'd be watched the entire time they were in and out of the bar. At least one of Yu Feng and Zhou Hu would be keeping an eye on things there most of the time.

They were fighters in the Second Realm or higher. Sometimes they were more intimidating than firearms.

In short, they'd come to scout things out this time. The upcoming fights were what they really needed to worry about.

Chen Chong half-closed his eyes and began to plan.

He'd gotten good at the Breathing Method, though he still hadn't managed to use it successfully in actual combat. His Combat Drill, however, was already Proficient.

Though they'd only been sparring in training, the pressure to survive, combined with the foundation of his Realm, had made him grow in actual combat so quickly that even his three companions were surprised. In the past two days, even Yu Feng's criticism had lost its usual sharp edge.

They'd figured out some of Yu Feng's temperament by now. He never praised anyone, but as long as he didn't scold them, it meant things were going well enough.

His Bone Tempering progress had also been rapid over the past few days. Chen Chong estimated that if he went all out, his punching force was already over 300 kilograms. Perhaps with a little more training, he'd approach the thousand-kilogram mark.

Anything above a thousand kilograms belonged to the realm of "Realms." The exact amount depended on each person's training methods and physical talent. Chen Chong couldn't ask Yu Feng to assess him precisely, but he felt he was still a little way from Beam Setting.

Then there was another measure of progress.

"19%."

Chen Chong pondered for a moment.

It had been ten days since he'd unlocked the First Form, and his progress was much slower than he'd imagined.

He'd expected the Second Form to progress more slowly, but not this slowly.

That didn't mean his Realm or strength had stopped improving. His strength was growing quickly; it was his talent's evolution that had slowed. His various abilities were gradually improving, but not by much.

It looked like he'd made decent progress in ten days, but the problem was that things would get slower and slower. At this rate, two months definitely wouldn't be enough for another breakthrough.

It seemed that Nutrient Paste and a bowl of Earth Dragon Soup every other day weren't enough to satisfy his appetite—or perhaps his taste?

The leap in strength he'd experienced after unlocking the First Form was impossible to forget. In this dangerous environment, improving his talent was just as important as training in combat, if not more so. It was the foundation of everything.

"I need better food. At least something better than Nutrient Paste."

The rainbow sign of the Thunder Dragon Bar was already visible ahead, dazzling in the Settlement's night. The bar took up almost half a street and was enormous, with a steady stream of people coming and going. There were hardly any people anywhere else, yet it seemed as if everyone in the Settlement had gathered here.

The van suddenly turned into the dim alley beside the bar and stopped at the back entrance.

The van door slid open, and Chen Chong jumped down. His worn leather boot landed in a puddle with a slap. Thunder Dragon had issued them a few sets of clothes. Today he wore an old gray leather jacket over a black thermal shirt, with a pilled beige pair of sweatpants—though they were supposed to be white.

The four of them got out one after another and followed Yu Feng through the back entrance. They walked down a dim corridor and went straight into a sour-smelling Waiting Room.

There were benches, dumbbells, and a few unlocked lockers in the room. An old ceiling fan and fluorescent lights hung above them, while a row of vents high near the ceiling looked out onto a huge raised ring.

It seemed the ring and the audience seating had both been built on raised platforms. The seats were probably right above them, and the crowd's clamor kept pouring down.

Yu Feng picked up four Number Jerseys and handed them to the men one by one. Wang Li was number one, and Chen Chong was number four.

"Your opponent today is Zhang Yao."

Yu Feng spoke calmly.

Warm-up Fighters didn't get much in the way of perks, as the Waiting Room made clear. They hadn't even found out who their opponent was until now.

"Zhang Yao?! I-I'm going first?"

Wang Li's voice rose, and his legs seemed to start trembling.

Yu Feng said calmly, "You don't need to worry too much. Today is mainly to pave the way for him to get a contract. The main event is his fight against a Contracted Fighter at the end.

"So you won't be part of the performance, and not everyone necessarily has to fight. But during your limited time in the ring, you can show what you're capable of. The Second Boss and I will both be watching."

After saying that, Yu Feng told them to wait, then left without another word.

Only the four of them remained in the room.

Li Xiaoguang's eyes immediately brightened, but after thinking it over, he deflated.

"We just came in, and there's only one way out. The back entrance is guarded, and the front... well, we'd be heading straight onto the ring."

Wang Li grunted.

"What, did you think they were stupid? Besides, even if we managed to... well, you know, what would you do about the Earth Dragon Soup? I heard it's the Big Boss's exclusive recipe. Once you've had a sip, you can never escape his grasp! Nobody can. There's no one in the whole town who can."

Li Xiaoguang took a deep breath, quickly regaining his composure. His eyes were resolute.

"Then we fight."

He didn't say what they'd be fighting. It sounded as if he meant the match in front of them, but perhaps he meant something more.

Wang Li smacked his lips.

"We got lucky, at least. This time we don't have to bleed just to warm up the crowd. Zhang Yao's moving up... I get it now. No wonder he's been giving us a hard time lately! He knew we'd be going up against him today."

As if he'd just figured something out, Wang Li clapped his hands.

"Damn it, as if it wasn't enough that he took all the meal portions, he'd make some snide remark whenever he saw us in the cafeteria. You'd think eating Nutrient Paste bothered him! So he was really afraid we'd get stronger if we ate our fill and cause trouble for him today."

They exchanged glances, remembering how Zhang Yao had mocked them every time he saw them eating Nutrient Paste. They hadn't realized there was another reason behind it.

"That guy's such a coward. He's already got a guaranteed spot."

Li Xiaoguang spat.

"If we weren't stuck here, I'd give him a proper fight."

"Don't do anything rash!"

Wang Li was startled.

"I know. I'm just saying."

Li Xiaoguang lowered his eyes.

After more than ten days in the Park, he'd already shed much of his student-like naivety. He knew this was actually a good thing for them. They just had to go through the motions, and Zhang Yao wouldn't want to waste too much energy either.

Wang Li pressed his lips together, and the Waiting Room fell silent.

The wait was agonizing. Wang Li seemed unable to sit still, and eventually he hurried into the bathroom attached to the room.

Liu Hetao also looked distracted and frightened. It was their first time in a place like this. Even if it was all just for show, people often bled in an underground ring. They had no idea how much of their predecessors' blood had soaked into the ring—or into this Waiting Room. They could almost smell the iron.

Li Xiaoguang let out a breath and said quietly, "I never thought my first time in a real ring would be somewhere like this."

Chen Chong looked at him. "Haven't you been in a ring before?"

"Those were all in boxing gyms. I mean a real match, one with tickets and an audience."

"Oh? You had dreams of becoming a fighting star?"

"Not really. It's just that my girlfriend wanted me to become a fighting star. She said it'd make me look cooler."

Chen Chong was taken aback. "You have a girlfriend? You never mentioned that."

Li Xiaoguang scratched his head.

"Sort of. I agreed, but she hasn't. She said that if I place in the District Level Fighting Tournament, she'll think about it."

"..."

Chen Chong was silent for a moment, then said, "I think you should find a senior student instead."

"The senior students aren't as pretty as my girlfriend. You can have them. I still like my girlfriend."

"Thanks a lot."

Li Xiaoguang laughed.

"Once we're all in Wu Yuan, the four of us can spar and train together."

"That sounds kind of weird..."

"Number one, get in the ring!"

The door suddenly swung open, and a staff member shouted.

The three of them all looked toward the bathroom. Wang Li's panicked voice came from inside.

"I-I've got diarrhea!"

"Brother Li, you sure know how to pick your moment!"

Li Xiaoguang rolled his eyes, pulled off the jersey with the number 2 on it, then took off his jacket and tossed it onto a hanger.

"I'll go in his place."

"Good luck."

Chen Chong and Li Xiaoguang bumped fists.

"Don't kill Zhang Yao."

Li Xiaoguang gave a low chuckle.

"Fine. I'll spare his life for your sake. But... the person I most want to beat is still you."

He looked Chen Chong in the eye as he said it seriously, then left the Waiting Room and closed the door behind him.

Chen Chong and Liu Hetao looked up and saw Li Xiaoguang climb the stairs through a row of ventilation windows. He pulled apart the ring ropes and slipped sideways into the boxing ring.

Across from him, Zhang Yao climbed into the ring too. He grinned at Li Xiaoguang.

"The Rice Bucket Quartet's here. Ready to get your ass kicked?"

Li Xiaoguang's expression darkened.

"Not here. I'll beat the shit out of you."

Zhang Yao narrowed his eyes.

"I don't like the way you talk. It's rude."

"Good!"

The crowd erupted. The two were already at each other's throats before the match had even begun, and the spectators nearby started shouting.

The referee stepped aside and waved a hand, signaling the start of the match.

Through the ventilation window, Chen Chong saw Zhang Yao rush in with an attack.

He really was the Practice Building's top dog. Though his connections had helped, his cultivation was no slouch, and his boxing had its merits. He was clearly better than these few who had only just started training.

Li Xiaoguang struggled to defend himself and took two heavy punches, grimacing in pain. He could still hold on, and he even had chances to counterattack, but since the match was already fixed for him to lose, he figured he might as well save his strength. So he took a few more rounds of punishment. Once he was driven into a corner, he leaned against the ropes and raised a hand to concede.

But even after he had raised his hand and the referee had acknowledged it, Zhang Yao suddenly slammed a hook into his jaw. Li Xiaoguang's world spun, and he crumpled to the floor.

The referee froze, glanced back toward the private box, then stepped aside again.

"Yeah!!"

The crowd went wild. Zhang Yao straddled one of the posts at the edge of the ring and repeatedly thrust both hands into the air, basking in the spectators' cheers.

Chen Chong saw Zhang Yao cup a hand to his ear as if listening to the crowd, then jump down from the post and walk over to Li Xiaoguang. Li Xiaoguang weakly raised a hand, but Zhang Yao only grinned before suddenly lifting his leg and stomping down.

Chen Chong couldn't see anymore.

The ventilation window was smeared with something crimson.