As Ma Mingyu's voice faded, Xu Ziming and the others finally entered the long-awaited Underground Black Boxing area.
Honestly, they didn't know why a place like this existed in well-policed Pengcheng.
Perhaps it was because, after the rise of the Martial Way, individual strength had come to play an overwhelming role.
When individuals wielded such immense power, as long as humanity wasn't invaded by other races and the basic laws could be upheld, certain things could find room to exist even if they weren't out in the open.
Before they went in, Ma Mingyu handed each of them a mask.
Tang Xing got a dog's head, its expression carrying a hint of pride. Xu Ziming got a wolf, its face appearing amiable while concealing a viciousness beneath. Shen Xingyue got a little cat, elegant on the surface, yet with a hint of wildness in its eyes.
They pushed open the door and stepped into a world they had never imagined before.
A scene of bloodshed!
That was their first impression.
Everyone around them wore a mask. A surging crowd filled the stands in a chaotic mass, each person giving themselves over to the moment and shouting at the top of their lungs!
At the center of the stands was a vast arena, where a brutal fight was underway.
A ruthless-looking middle-aged man was surrounded by three even fiercer lions, each one radiating an imposing presence.
[Detected psionically modified lions. Life Energy Level: 4.5. No Life Evolution detected.]
Each lion was a monster with a Life Energy Level of 4.5. Drool ran from their mouths as they stared greedily at the man surrounded by them.
"Get in there! I paid to see a real fight to the death. What are you waiting for?"
A neatly dressed middle-aged man wearing a pig's head mask shouted from nearby.
Perhaps sensing the audience's dissatisfaction, a current suddenly crackled across the lions' bodies. The next moment, they went berserk.
At last, the middle-aged man surrounded by them moved. He darted between the three lions with incredible agility.
The lions gave him no chance to escape their encirclement. The moment he sprang into motion, they charged in to tear him apart.
At last, the man seized an opportunity. He spotted a weakness in one lion and swung the short blade in his hand, severing one of its legs in a single instant.
Scalding blood sprayed across his face, and the stench of blood spread throughout the arena.
"Good!"
The moment he cut off the lion's leg, the crowd below erupted.
Fresh blood stirred the bloodlust of every living creature, humans included. In that near-primitive atmosphere, everyone cheered at the top of their lungs.
But just then, something unexpected happened. The lion with its leg cut off didn't stop attacking from the pain. Instead, heedless of its own life, it bit down on the man's leg.
Blood sprayed out. This time it wasn't a lion's blood, but that of a living, breathing human.
That one bite undid all the middle-aged man's efforts. Now he could only watch helplessly as the three lions pounced on him and devoured him.
"Ah! Ah! Ah! Help me! I quit! Help me!" His screams rang through the arena as the sound of tearing flesh carried through the air.
"Hahaha! Bite him!"
Unfortunately, no one showed him any sympathy. Everyone here wanted to see him die!
Xu Ziming clenched his fists. He almost drew his sword and charged in, but Ma Mingyu stopped him.
"This guy racked up huge gambling debts. He put his wife up as collateral, and less than a month later, she was abused to death. Then he sold his daughter..."
Xu Ziming fell silent at that. Yes, this place was dark, but were these desperadoes really innocent?
No. Even if they were guilty, they should be punished by the law, not here...
He wanted to say that, but no matter what, he couldn't bring himself to speak. They had chosen this path with their own hands, and before the fight, they had to sign their names. They were "absolutely not" being forced.
"You're next. Fight without worry. No matter what happens, I'll have your backs."
Ma Mingyu glanced at Xu Ziming and started toward the registration desk. Just then, disaster struck!
"Ah! The lions! They're going crazy! Those beasts are charging this way!"
Someone shouted, and it was true: the lions that had just been tearing into their prey suddenly charged straight into the stands.
Xu Ziming didn't hesitate. He drew the Jinghong Sword from his back and charged forward in an instant. This time, Ma Mingyu didn't stop him.
The moment Xu Ziming moved, Tang Xing and Shen Xingyue moved too. After watching for so long, these high schoolers had long been simmering with a fire inside.
They were going to make those lions pay dearly.
"Help! Somebody, please help me!"
A woman wearing a turtle mask lay on the ground, both hands covering her head. She didn't move at all, as if simply waiting for the lions to tear into her.
"Don't be afraid. I'm here!" Xu Ziming's voice rang out from above, and with it came a streak of sword light that shot into the sky.
The sword light carried eighty percent of what Xu Ziming had cultivated during this time. Its immense force made even the lions stop in their tracks.
"Riiip!"
The sound of a slash rang out. The lion in front was instantly split in two.
At that moment, Xu Ziming landed on the ground. He gripped the Jinghong Sword and looked coldly ahead, his tallish figure the only thing standing between the crowd and danger.
"And me!" Tang Xing would never pass up a chance to show off.
The moment Xu Ziming landed, Tang Xing leaped out from another direction, striking a flying-knee pose—then slammed his knee hard into... the ground!
The two remaining lions had just watched their companion die horribly. Now they saw another imposing human before them.
For a moment, they faltered.
But Tang Xing stubbornly held that pose without getting up, as if he were incredibly powerful.
"Fuck, that hurts like hell! Shit!" Tang Xing's face looked calm, but inside, a storm was raging.
He hadn't judged the distance properly and had slammed his knee into the ground, for crying out loud!
He absolutely couldn't let anyone see it and laugh at him.
He forced himself to his feet and looked toward the other lion, the one still unharmed. Come on, even injured, taking down this lion would be easy, right?
He was just about to attack when a gust of force shot past him. A black figure flew out from behind him.
It was Shen Xingyue.
This uncrowned queen of Pengcheng No. 3 High School, a leading prodigy in Jiangsu Province, wasn't merely fast.
Before she even landed, she had already thrown the twin blades in her hands. They spun like a whirlwind, aimed straight at the lion's neck.
That's right—a girl like her wielded a pair of brutal blades.
The lion had no time to block. Its neck was sliced open in an instant, and its head rolled onto the ground.
Only the lion with the severed leg remained. Xu Ziming and Shen Xingyue both stopped.
The lion with the broken leg was for the idiot who'd fallen on his knee to deal with.