Female Pugilist

The Training Room fell quiet.

Pei Li looked at Chen Chong, bewilderment on her face.

Why hadn't his hand broken just now?

She had used nearly all her strength to bend his left hand. With the leverage of a joint lock, even a solid steel pipe should have snapped.

None of this made sense according to anything she'd learned since she started practicing martial arts.

But the facts were right in front of her: for the first time, her ground game had failed to subdue an opponent. Instead, someone had pinned her down completely—

No fighter in the building would believe it if she told them.

Many people thought that even someone who had just entered the realm couldn't escape if Pei Li got them in a hold.

But that was what had happened.

She closed her eyes in humiliation and said with difficulty,

"I lost."

Chen Chong exhaled.

He'd won, but it had been a hard fight. In the end, he'd had to rely on his talent.

But even with his ability to reduce damage, a weakness was still a weakness. The joint in his left arm was aching faintly.

Fortunately, it wasn't serious. And he'd gotten what he wanted: an intense spar with an expert in ground fighting. He'd learned a great deal. Recalling the many entanglements and counterattacks, he nodded slowly.

As long as he wasn't locked down completely, his talent gave him a chance to turn things around, even if he ended up on the ground against an expert in holds and chokes. And after this fight, he'd gained experience, giving him even more ways to recover the advantage.

That was enough.

Of course, the most important thing was to avoid fighting on someone else's terms. Pei Li's inspired flying kick had given him food for thought. Other ground-fighting experts probably had one or two tricks of their own for dragging an opponent to the ground...

"Why aren't you doing anything?"

A cold voice suddenly came from beneath him, interrupting Chen Chong's post-fight review.

Chen Chong froze for a moment. Seeing Pei Li's icy gaze, he let go.

"It's just a spar. There's no need."

Pei Li frowned as he moved off her. A flicker of confusion crossed her face. Then she seemed to remember something, and her expression turned cold again.

"You can forget about making me do it myself. If you want to, then go ahead."

"Hm?"

Chen Chong looked utterly baffled. He glanced over Pei Li, who was lying there like a dead fish, though her whole body was tense, and couldn't help making a strange face.

"Did you get the wrong idea...?"

"Hm?"

Now it was Pei Li's turn to look taken aback. She sat up and looked at Chen Chong.

"Didn't you win? Aren't you going to have your way with me?"

Chen Chong looked at Pei Li's hard-lined face and hair, cropped shorter than his own, and waved his hands repeatedly.

"When did I ever say that? No, no."

"Oh... So you really did mean fighting."

Pei Li's face grew awkward for an instant, then showed relief and conflicted feelings, along with something else.

She studied Chen Chong's emphatic refusal. She was happy, but somehow not entirely happy.

"Little brother, are you still a virgin?"

Pei Li asked thoughtfully.

Chen Chong replied calmly,

"I've killed people."

"Huh? Oh, mm-hmm. Got it. A little brother who's killed people."

Pei Li's expression instantly turned suggestive, and she seemed less resistant. Her eyes kept wandering over Chen Chong, making him feel a little uncomfortable.

"Must be killing billions every night, right? Ever thought about... heh heh."

Seeing Chen Chong's expression grow colder, Pei Li wisely dropped the subject and said seriously,

"You really are just what I thought—a pure fighter. It's a shame you ended up here..."

Chen Chong shook his head. He simply watched Pei Li start tending to her ankle and said nothing.

With a sharp pop, Pei Li pushed her dislocated foot back into place, then slowly twisted it and frowned.

She began massaging the area around her ankle with practiced hands to get the blood flowing. She looked focused on treating her injury, but suddenly spoke.

"Female fighters have it much harder here than men. Good-looking men do too."

Chen Chong nodded silently.

He knew a few of the building's female fighters. They all had powerful men backing them. Li Jun had two lovers, and the rest were all "spoken for."

That was the only way they could avoid all kinds of trouble during training every day—or someone sneaking into their rooms at night.

But that only offered some protection off the stage. There was nothing they could do once they were on it.

Thunder Dragon held themed nights featuring female fighters. Those who lost were stripped naked in front of the crowd, and then something happened that the audience enjoyed. Sometimes they even invited lucky spectators into the ring.

Pei Li was probably the only female fighter who had carved out a place for herself through her own strength. But when she first arrived, she'd lost several times, both in and out of the ring.

In this testosterone-soaked place, even male fighters who looked halfway decent had to be careful. And what about these genuine female fighters with their smoking-hot figures?

Chen Chong suddenly began to suspect why Pei Li had never advanced.

As far as he knew, Pei Li had been in this building for a long time.

For people like her and Li Jun, who could survive in a place like this for a long time, it was unlikely that they simply hadn't managed to cross the threshold into the realm.

Li Jun was afraid of retaliation. Pei Li was probably afraid that once she entered the realm, she'd be the weakest among the contracted fighters—and that her situation would surely become unbearable.

At last, she finished treating her injury and stood up successfully. Pei Li fixed her eyes on Chen Chong.

"You're a decent person, but that isn't a good thing."

"I think you've got the wrong idea. I'm just not interested in that."

Chen Chong replied coolly.

Pei Li shook her head.

"No, that's not what I mean. I can tell you're different from everyone else. You don't fit in here at all.

"But if you want to survive here, you either have to fit in or keep getting stronger."

Chen Chong didn't quite understand why she said that. He could kill without hesitation here, and he could steal other people's food without a second thought. He was doing things he'd never dared imagine before.

But he wasn't interested in figuring out what Pei Li thought of him. He only said,

"I know."

Pei Li studied him for a moment, then suddenly said,

"I should thank you, too. If I keep stagnating, I'll lose again sooner or later. I've decided to advance sooner rather than later. You're probably about ready as well, aren't you?

"But there's been a shortage of Earth Dragon Meat lately. I heard something went wrong over at the Hunting Grounds. We don't know how long the line will be. Even those who've already entered the realm like this food. Well, we need it to advance, while they just want a snack, but they still get priority."

"The Hunting Grounds?"

Chen Chong had never heard the term.

"It's an area outside the town. That's where the Park hunts Earth Dragons. But Earth Dragons are valuable, and Thunder Dragon isn't the only one who can claim them. There are often disputes."

Pei Li briefly explained,

"If this drags on, Security might organize a large team, as they usually do. People like us will probably be chosen."

"Outside the town?"

Chen Chong's heart stirred.

Pei Li didn't seem to notice. The corner of her mouth curled into a cruel smile.

"Yeah. But why do you think Security would take us bar fighters along? They've always looked down on us.

"Still, these disputes could easily turn into a war with another company. They need cannon fodder, and you and I are both that."