Earnings

The thunderous roar of Thunder Dragon fell silent for a few seconds.

The audience was dumbfounded.

That "God of Slaughter" Li Jun, actually rolled away with such practiced ease?

Hiss, I have a feeling I've seen this scene before...

Following that, the audience stared in unison at Chen Chong, their eyes trembling with shock.

Did he really defeat Li Jun too?

The "God of Slaughter," who never struck without drawing blood, was actually beaten so badly he rolled off the ring and into the tunnel?

The audience's breathing grew heavy, and then, someone let out a howl, causing the entire arena to erupt.

"Chen Chong!"

"Chen Chong!"

Many patrons roared Chen Chong's name, though some did so through gritted teeth.

But this brutal, flesh-to-flesh slugfest had clearly made the price of admission worth it for many.

Chen Chong watched Li Jun "unconsciously" roll away, his expression one of bewilderment.

Looking at that level of smoothness, Wang Li still had a lot to learn from his senior.

He covered his mouth and coughed twice, then opened his hand to reveal bright red blood on his palm.

Li Jun's fists were naturally heavy—heavier than his own.

If not for his Devour Form, he likely would have collapsed first during their exchange of blows.

Even with such a talent, the residual force had shaken his internal organs, leaving him with non-trivial injuries.

He would need to gnaw on a few more tubes of Nutrient Paste later.

Watching the frenzied crowd, Chen Chong waved at them indifferently before walking off the ring.

In the waiting room on the other side, the short-haired woman and Peng Wei were there, silently watching Chen Chong through the air vent.

"He actually won... and won like that."

After a long while, Peng Wei said with some difficulty.

"You didn't lose unjustly."

A sharp glint flashed in the woman's eyes.

Peng Wei nodded silently.

The woman slowly took off her jacket, revealing a tight sports bra and a pair of taut athletic shorts, exposing a pair of exaggerated, snow-white long legs.

She walked out with a lithe, athletic gait, her tone filled with fighting spirit:

"If I get the chance, I have to have a match with him."

She opened the door, and a staff member standing outside reaching for the handle froze for a moment.

"Oh? Right, Pei Li, it's your turn to go on."

"Mm."

In the private box.

Zhou Hu listened to the clamor outside and revealed a faint smile:

"Old Yu, you brought back a good seedling this time."

Yu Feng nodded in silence.

Zhou Hu glanced at him and said indifferently:

"Since he's already beaten Li Jun, we'll let the previous matters slide. Give him the same treatment as Li Jun for now. Go check on him and see when he can break through to the next realm; I want to sign him."

Yu Feng turned back to look at him:

"So soon?"

"True talent deserves special treatment. I think that once he's signed, he might even be able to win glory for Thunder Dragon in other arenas!"

"The bottleneck isn't that easy to break, and besides, I think he's still a bit off."

"Of course we wait until he enters the realm; otherwise, it's all for nothing!"

Zhou Hu calmed down slightly:

"Breaking through, breaking through... so many guys who looked impressive fell at this very step. I hope he won't disappoint."

Yu Feng nodded.

Zhou Hu remembered something else and slapped the table:

"Give him the qualification to buy Earth Dragon meat first! Let him buy it once he's prepared. But the situation in the hunting grounds has been bad lately, and the kitchen is short on supplies, so it'll depend on his luck."

After Yu Feng left, Zhou Hu tapped his fingers slowly against the table, making a "clack—clack—" sound.

His eyes revealed a hint of contemplation; he couldn't help but glance at the wall in the inner room once more before withdrawing his gaze.

Is he truly a lad with naturally tough bones? He should be useful... Then let's wait for him to enter the realm first.

"Chen Chong, you're amazing!"

In the waiting room, Wang Li rushed over, congratulating Chen Chong with an excited expression.

Chen Chong smiled and continued gnawing on Nutrient Paste to replenish his energy.

"Are you hurt badly?"

Seeing this, Wang Li immediately asked.

Chen Chong shook his head:

"Nothing major. Where is Liu Hetao?"

"He's over at the infirmary getting treated."

Hearing the word "treated," Chen Chong's brows twitched involuntarily.

However, his own condition shouldn't have reached that point yet...

Chen Chong nodded:

"Let's go, let's go see him."

Clap.

The door was opened just then, and Yu Feng squeezed inside.

Chen Chong and Wang Li immediately stood up and called out:

"Coach Yu."

They were somewhat surprised; why was Yu Feng here? After the first match ended, he hadn't even shown up when Li Xiaoguang died.

Yu Feng glanced at Wang Li:

"It won't be so easy to roll away next time."

Wang Li's expression shifted for a moment, and he nodded:

"I know."

"I need to have a word with Chen Chong."

"Oh, oh, I'll go outside and get you two something to eat and drink."

Wang Li hurriedly left the waiting room and closed the door behind him.

Yu Feng looked at Chen Chong, first sizing him up from head to toe, but he didn't speak.

Chen Chong felt somewhat bewildered being stared at by this tower-like, bald coach for a long time, until he heard Yu Feng slowly speak:

"The Second Boss said your benefits are now calculated the same as Li Jun's, which is the top tier for an Official Fighter. This is your bonus for this match."

He pulled a stack of banknotes from his pocket and tossed them onto the table, producing a solid thud.

Chen Chong picked them up and took a look; they were all green hundred-dollar bills.

The face of the note featured green cloud patterns, with a snow-capped mountain and lake printed on the front, a forest cabin on the back, and the ancient-style characters "Settlement 97" inscribed on top.

Settlement 97 was the official name of this small town.

This was the currency circulating within the settlement; it was waste paper outside, but it still had considerable utility within the town.

In terms of purchasing power, 100 of these was worth even more than 100 in Lichuan, because the price system here imitated the outside world, yet there were no restrictions on transactions.

This stack was approximately ten thousand.

Chen Chong's expression flickered.

His uncle Shen Jianping, as a veteran workshop director with thirty years of seniority, had a monthly salary of just over three thousand; his aunt Chen Liping's breakfast shop had a monthly surplus of about one to two thousand.

The average salary for ordinary employees in Lichuan was around one thousand, with many workers earning only a few hundred a month.

This ten-thousand bonus was equivalent to nearly half a year's total income for his family.

Underground fighting was indeed lucrative, provided one didn't die.

Just as he was planning whether to use this ten thousand to buy high-grade nutritional supplements or something else, Yu Feng added:

"The Second Boss has approved your application for Earth Dragon Raw Meat. If you want to enter the realm, Earth Dragon Raw Meat is the best supplement. However, it's in short supply lately, so you might want to spend your money carefully."

Chen Chong raised an eyebrow.

The Earth Dragon Soup he drank every day was made from Earth Dragon Raw Meat that had been boiled and diluted, and the effects were already quite good.

Using Earth Dragon Raw Meat to break through the realm? The efficacy must be excellent.

However, a thought stirred in his heart, and he asked:

"Does the Second Boss think I'm about to break through?"

"He hopes you break through soon; he thinks you have a future."

Yu Feng looked at him:

"How much further do you have to go?"

"I can't really say."

Chen Chong shook his head.

Yu Feng pondered for a moment before saying:

"At the very least, from the stance you take during your Combat Drill, you've already grasped the essence. Have you encountered any problems lately?"

Chen Chong hesitated, remaining silent.

In his view, the structure of the Combat Drill was simple. With the aid of sufficient food, he had practiced day and night, memorizing the fist forms until he could perform them in his sleep.

In actual combat, he even felt a sense of what Yu Feng had once called "winning without moves," where the movements and principles of the fist had already integrated into his instinctual reactions.

So, if there were any problems lately, it was only that he lacked more practical combat experience; there really were no other issues.

Yu Feng saw through his thoughts and said indifferently:

"Do you think this is all there is to the Combat Drill? That you've fully mastered it?"

Without waiting for Chen Chong to offer a perfunctory reply, he continued:

"The Combat Drill is merely a framework, just like the initial entry into a Breathing Method.

"What is truly formidable is the Combat Technique that follows.

"Watch closely."

After Yu Feng finished speaking, he suddenly threw a punch!