Let's See His Strength in the Intermediate Bracket First (Please Vote and Bookmark)

After getting a basic grasp of the situation, Xiao Wang decided to speak with Fish Brother about fighting.

He walked along the edge of the venue until he reached a spiral staircase, where two burly men who looked like bodyguards stopped him. "Sorry, this area isn't open to spectators."

"I'm here to see Fish Brother. I'm here to fight. Please let him know that Chu Wenlong referred me."

"Wait here."

After saying that, one of the security guards went upstairs to report it.

Before long, he came back down. "Fish Brother says you can go up."

"Thanks."

Xiao Wang followed the spiral staircase to the second floor and knocked on the door.

"Come in."

A voice came from inside.

Xiao Wang pushed the door open and entered.

This was a room built on the second floor of the boxing gym, around fifty square meters in size. The outer wall was entirely made of glass, offering a bird's-eye view of the entire venue below.

After entering, Xiao Wang saw someone sitting before the glass wall with his back to him, watching the arena below. It was Fish Brother.

Beside Fish Brother stood a lean, close-cropped young man in his thirties.

With a single glance, Xiao Wang determined that the close-cropped young man was a martial arts expert.

After entering, Xiao Wang walked to the other side of Fish Brother's desk and gave a slight nod. "Fish Brother."

Hearing his voice, Fish Brother turned around and looked at Xiao Wang.

"You're the one who wants to fight?"

"Yes."

Xiao Wang answered as he studied Fish Brother. The man wore sunglasses, and his hair was slicked straight back.

Fish Brother scrutinized Xiao Wang. "Have you fought before?"

"No. This is my first time trying it." Xiao Wang answered honestly.

Fish Brother picked up the cigarette pack on the desk, drew one out, lit it, and began smoking.

Xiao Wang noticed that Fish Brother's right hand, the one holding the lighter, was missing its middle and ring fingers.

After taking a deep drag and exhaling a cloud of smoke, he removed his sunglasses as well. Xiao Wang saw that his left eye was gone, leaving behind a slightly sunken scar.

"Have you studied boxing or martial arts?"

"I've learned a little martial arts."

"How little? Have you tested your absolute muscle control?"

Xiao Wang shook his head. "No."

Fish Brother took another drag and exhaled smoke. "In that case, why don't we test your strength first?"

"No problem."

"You saw the three arenas below just now. Pick one."

Xiao Wang realized that everything he had done downstairs had been under the other man's watchful eye.

"I'll choose the middle one."

Fish Brother looked up at Xiao Wang. "You're sure you want the intermediate arena, not the beginner arena?"

"I'm sure."

"Let me make this clear first. Although this isn't a fight-to-the-death venue, once you step into the ring, whether you live or die is your own business. There's no compensation if you die."

"Understood."

Xiao Wang wasn't too surprised. It was underground boxing. If it wasn't dark, could it still be called underground boxing?

"Go get ready. I'll arrange a match for you right away. If you win in the intermediate arena, you'll get five thousand Federal Coins as well."

"Thank you, Fish Brother."

After clasping his hands in a slight salute, Xiao Wang went downstairs to the side of the middle arena.

Inside the room.

Fish Brother rose and stood by the window. Watching Xiao Wang below through the one-way glass, he asked the lean, close-cropped young man beside him, You Feng, "Can you tell how strong he is?"

You Feng stepped forward and looked at Xiao Wang through the glass. "I can only tell that he's practiced martial arts. I can't tell how strong he is."

"Arrange a stronger opponent for him."

You Feng hesitated for a moment. "Are you sure? He probably isn't that strong with that build. If we arrange someone too strong, he might die."

"If he dies, toss him out. Go handle it."

"Yes."

After hearing that, You Feng picked up the phone on the desk and made the arrangements.

Xiao Wang waited at the edge of the ring. A match was underway above him, but one of the fighters was already clearly at a disadvantage. His face was covered in blood, and it had flowed into his eyes, leaving him barely able to open them. Yet he still refused to give up and continued holding on.

But in the next instant, his opponent leaped into a flying kick that struck him squarely in the chest, sending him crashing to the ground, unable to rise again.

"Nice!"

"Damn it, I finally won one. I'm almost back to even."

"Ugh, I fucking lost again. What a bunch of trash."

Among the spectators placing bets, some were thrilled while others sighed.

The ring was quickly cleaned up. Then a voice came from the broadcast above it. "Next match: Xiao Wang versus Luo Zhiguo."

Hearing his name, Xiao Wang immediately stepped into the ring.

The moment he got up there, the spectators below began chattering.

"Isn't he just a kid?"

"Yeah, how old is he? Can he even fight? And he's in the intermediate arena?"

"Forget his age, that build alone doesn't look promising."

"He's fighting Luo Zhiguo with that?"

Xiao Wang paid no attention to their discussion. He merely checked the bead in his mind. It was nearly pure white, indicating that it could absorb a great deal of damage.

Then the curtain beside the arena was drawn aside, and a man walked out. The instant he appeared, he caused a commotion.

It was his opponent, Luo Zhiguo.

Xiao Wang looked Luo Zhiguo over. He was over six feet three, nearly six foot six, broad-waisted and powerfully built, looking incredibly solid and strong. Still, Xiao Wang compared him to Cheng Hu in his mind, and Luo Zhiguo fell a little short.

But he also knew that didn't necessarily mean Luo Zhiguo was weaker than Cheng Hu.

As Luo Zhiguo came out, the broadcast sounded again, and the odds for the match appeared beside the ring.

Luo Zhiguo to win: 1:1.05. Xiao Wang to win: 1:17.

Seeing those odds, Xiao Wang smiled inwardly. He really wasn't favored at all.

"Betting begins," the broadcast announced.

"What's there to bet on? Xiao Wang's odds are high, but he obviously can't win. Luo Zhiguo can win, but the odds are way too low. There's no point."

"Who cares? Bet one thousand Federal Coins on Luo Zhiguo. That's still fifty in profit, isn't it? Even mosquito meat is still meat."

"You don't understand. This is exactly when you bet on Xiao Wang to win. Use a hundred Federal Coins to try for seventeen hundred."

"Heh, you'd be better off taking those hundred Federal Coins to find a girl. At least you'd enjoy yourself for a minute. Put it here, and it'll be gone in thirty seconds. Believe it or not?"

The bettors argued noisily. As Luo Zhiguo stepped into the ring, betting closed. Xiao Wang turned to look at the numbers: 78 to 3.

In other words, only three people had bet on him to win. They were probably just trying their luck, hoping to strike it big.

Inside the second-floor room.

Fish Brother looked at the ring. "Luo Zhiguo? You really don't want him to live."

"Didn't you tell me to arrange it this way? Should I switch him out?"

"Forget it. If he can win this, then he'll be worth making big money from. If he gets beaten to death, just throw him out. But if you were betting, how would you bet?"

You Feng answered with almost no hesitation. "I wouldn't bet on a match that's certain to lose."

"You mean he'll definitely lose?"

"Does Fish Brother see it differently?"

"You put Luo Zhiguo in there. What different opinion could I possibly have?"

On the ring, the broadcast sounded. "Betting is closed. The match begins."

Xiao Wang stood in the center of the ring and clasped his hands in salute toward Luo Zhiguo. "Xiao Wang."

"Luo Zhiguo." The other man returned the salute and announced his name.

"Please."

The moment Xiao Wang spoke, the other man showed no courtesy and threw a punch straight at his abdomen.