Provoking the Audience

"Seriously? He's a high school student?"

"With the college entrance exam so close, why isn't he studying at school? What's he doing here?"

"Haha, this is killing me."

"Recruiting Sponsor Slots? He's trying to pull in sponsors. Does this kid think he's a Thunder Team member? He's gone mad for money."

"Kid, get down here already. Don't come crying when your legs get broken later!"

After Lin Feng stepped onto the stage, his comical white shirt drew plenty of attention, and waves of mockery, ridicule, and boos came howling in.

Lin Feng remained unfazed. The corners of his lips even lifted slightly into a disdainful curve as he raised his index finger toward the loudest section below the stage and gently wagged it.

Clearly, he was provoking the audience.

Competitors provoking the audience was not a common sight. The moment Lin Feng made that provocative gesture, even more frenzied mockery and booing erupted, mixed with all sorts of hostile curses. The noisy commotion made people watching other matches in the distance frown slightly and turn their eyes over.

Thunder Martial Arts Hall had more than a hundred arenas, nearly all of them occupied by fighters. Naturally, spectators could not watch every arena. They chose matches between opponents close to their own strength, or those with the most exciting fights.

Most of those spectators gathered around the five arenas in the central area. Lin Feng's arena was in a poor location, tucked away in the most remote corner. That was also because of his terrible record. There were barely any spectators nearby, but as the discussions and curses spread, many people were drawn over by curiosity.

"Looks like it's working well."

Lin Feng began warming up, constantly throwing punches and kicks. He faced the spectator stands with the loudest boos, and from the outside, it looked as though he was attacking them. Clearly, this was another provocation.

If not for the rules and the security guards, some hot-tempered spectators would probably have rushed onto the arena already.

"Hehe."

Watching the audience on the verge of exploding, Lin Feng burst into laughter. The fiercer the enemy fire, the more satisfied he was. If no one paid attention, how was he supposed to attract sponsors?

He had not come to Thunder Martial Arts Hall to fight on the arena and earn betting money. His eight hundred yuan bet could only make him a little money, and it was a one-time deal. What he wanted to sell was sponsor slots!

Therefore, the more people watching, the higher the sponsor fee would be. That was also the main reason he had chosen the arrogant name High School Student Beats Up Martial Artist.

"Kid, you're way too arrogant."

Along with a mocking voice, a young man around twenty years old, dressed in a black martial arts uniform, appeared on the opposite side of the arena.

At the same time, the screen above the arena displayed both competitors' information.

Wang Jiehui, 20 years old, Body Cultivation Eighth Stage, 17 battles, 9 wins, 7 losses, 1 draw

Lin Feng, 16 years old, Body Cultivation Seventh Stage, 0 battles, 0 wins, 0 losses, 0 draws

"Is there some mistake?"

Many people looked puzzled. How could a Body Cultivation Seventh Stage fighter be matched against a Body Cultivation Eighth Stage opponent, especially when their records were as far apart as heaven and earth?

Shouldn't rookies be matched against rookies?

"Holy shit, look closely. This high school student picked random mode. This kid really is as arrogant as his name suggests."

People quickly figured it out. Only random mode could result in a match like this.

Amid the contemptuous boos, everyone hurriedly pulled out their phones and began placing bets. Soon, the odds on the big screen started changing.

"1 to 2.7. Almost two thousand in the bag."

Lin Feng looked at his odds on the screen and nodded in satisfaction. He had bet eight hundred yuan on himself. If he won, he could collect around two thousand. The odds were pretty good.

As the five-minute betting period ended, a red bolt of lightning suddenly flashed across the screen. The battle began.

"Kid, go back and study like a good boy. Society isn't such an easy place to survive."

Wang Jiehui laughed. Without any further nonsense, he stepped forward to attack. His body swayed from side to side, shifting constantly. As he closed in on Lin Feng, he spun, his arm straight as a blade, carving an arc toward Lin Feng's head. Even the air gave a faint howl.

As though unable to dodge, Lin Feng raised both hands to shield his head. With a muffled bang, he was forced back three steps. Before he could steady himself, Wang Jiehui had already darted in front of him, as swift and fierce as a cheetah.

Whoosh! Whoosh! Whoosh!

The hand-blades were so fast that they sliced through the air with sharp, piercing explosions.

Lin Feng dodged with difficulty. When he truly could not avoid them, he could only block with both arms, retreating continuously.

"Get down."

Seeing Lin Feng forced into a corner of the arena, Wang Jiehui revealed a victorious smile. Yet at that moment, Lin Feng, who had been at a disadvantage, suddenly stopped retreating. His body swayed, dodging the attack like willow catkins in the wind. Then every bone in his body twisted sharply, and he became like a taut steel wire, exploding forth in an instant!

Bang!

Completely unprepared, Wang Jiehui was rammed straight off the arena. Though he was not badly hurt, his face was blank with bewilderment, as if he still could not accept reality.

"No way. He was practically about to win, yet he couldn't even beat a high school student."

"I lost money—lost big! I bet ten thousand yuan."

"Hehe, I made over three thousand yuan. I said this kid had to have something to rely on if he dared act so arrogantly. What discerning eyes I have."

Some rejoiced while others grieved. Those who had lost were obviously unwilling to accept it and cursed endlessly.

"I didn't want this either!"

Wang Jiehui, who had been kicked out of the arena, wore a deeply depressed expression.

He felt that he had held the advantage from the very beginning. Although Lin Feng's fighting technique was somewhat better than his, Lin Feng's strength and speed were far inferior. Lin Feng had repeatedly fallen into a disadvantage. So why was he the one who lost?

"I must have underestimated him too much. What a pity."

Too ashamed to face anyone, he lowered his head as he walked off the field, not daring to say a word.

At that moment, Lin Feng's record finally broke past zero for the first time.

"Why isn't this kid getting down yet?"

Some people asked curiously, because Lin Feng was still standing on the arena, loosening up his limbs.

"Is he enjoying all the attention? I really want to beat him up!"

Discontent rose from the crowd. But when they soon saw the screen matching him with another opponent, they realized Lin Feng was preparing to continue fighting. Many of those who had originally been unconvinced immediately grew excited.

In their eyes, after fighting for so long, Lin Feng's stamina had clearly dropped sharply. Moreover, this time his opponent was also at the Body Cultivation Eighth Stage, with an impressive record of 25 wins and 7 losses. Lin Feng was bound to lose.

Because no one thought highly of Lin Feng, his odds this time rose as high as 1 to 4.2.

"Hehe, time to make money."

In the spectator stands, Gao Hai shouted excitedly, "Go!"

Only he knew Lin Feng's true strength. Even Body Cultivation Ninth Stage fighters were no match for Lin Feng, much less a Body Cultivation Eighth Stage fighter!

Sure enough, the battle unfolded exactly as Gao Hai had predicted. After several dozen exchanges, Lin Feng sent his opponent flying out of the arena with a whip kick.

Five minutes later, the system began matching him with another opponent.

Five minutes later, the system began matching him with another opponent.

"I refuse to believe it. Is this kid really that strong?"

"Five battles already, and he recovered after resting for just ten minutes?"

"Tell me, could this high school student be doing this on purpose? Playing the pig to eat the tiger?"

Amid the crowd's discussions, Lin Feng continued fighting. Eight consecutive matches without interruption, eight complete victories. By then, people were nearly going mad.

Quite a few people had lost until their faces were red and their necks thick.

"Eight rounds. I've got about one hundred and sixty thousand in hand now."

Lin Feng sighed inwardly.

By then, spectators had packed the area around what had originally been a remote arena. Many people stood directly beneath the arena to watch the match.

Even the martial arts hall staff had been alerted and directly moved Lin Feng's match footage onto the central screen.

Then, in the ninth match, Lin Feng encountered a middle-aged man named Gao Tong. This man had an astonishing record of 57 wins and 4 losses and seemed to be somewhat famous at Thunder Martial Arts Hall. Many spectators shouted, "Second Brother Gao, teach him a lesson!"

At that moment, Lin Feng's odds soared straight to 1 to 6.7, making his smile grow even brighter.

That strange smile gave the audience a very bad feeling.