Berserk

Being broadcast on the central screen signaled a complete rise in attention.

In the ordinary spectator seats below and the elevated platforms on the second floor, many viewers had originally held little interest in Body Cultivation Realm battles. After all, they were only fights between Body Cultivation Realm practitioners; what they cared about were battles between martial artists.

Body Cultivation Realm fights merely displayed the superiority or inferiority of fighting techniques. Opponents of the same level were not that far apart, whereas martial artist battles could showcase all kinds of powerful, even rare martial skills. Naturally, the visual spectacle was far more thrilling.

Yet after seeing the brazen name "High School Student Beats Up Martial Artist" on the screen, they could not help but take a few extra looks.

After that, Lin Feng's exaggerated white shirt drew their attention as well. The camera even gave it a close-up, making it all the more eye-catching. Together with the unusual strength of both fighters, everything announced just how extraordinary this ring was.

Thus, many people could not resist asking those beside them, and more and more spectators shifted their attention over.

After all, exciting matches were common, but such an arrogant high school student was rare indeed.

"Go, Second Gao! Knock him flat!"

"You made me lose so much money—beat him to death for me!"

"Gao Tong, beat that kid, and I'll be yours tonight!"

"Go, kid! I'm rooting for you!"

Quite a few spectators shouted loudly. Gamblers whose eyes had gone red from losing pulled all the money from their pockets and pinned their hopes on this match. There were even many female spectators among them. It seemed Gao Tong was quite well-known in the martial arts hall.

At this moment, Lin Feng also had quite a few supporters. Eight battles had earned him a small group of fans.

"Gao Tong, thirty-nine years old. Sixty-one battles, with an impressive record of fifty-seven wins and four losses."

Lin Feng remained calm as he looked at the data displayed on the large screen above the ring.

At thirty-nine, Gao Tong was still at the Body Cultivation Ninth Stage for two reasons. First, he lacked resources. Second, his martial arts aptitude was simply too poor.

But that also meant he was only one step away from becoming a martial artist. The meridians within his body had most likely been condensed to their utmost limit.

Unable to break through and become a martial artist, Gao Tong could only hone his fighting skills. His exceptionally high win rate proved that his strength could not be underestimated. At over 1.8 meters tall, with a powerful physique covered in muscle, few in the Body Cultivation Realm were likely to be his match.

No wonder his odds had shot straight up to 1:6.7. This was the highest odds he had ever had.

"Kid, I have to admit you've got some ability, but compared to me, you're still far behind."

Bare-chested, Gao Tong displayed his explosive muscle definition and occasionally struck a few bodybuilding poses, drawing shrieks from some wealthy women. Lin Feng could only be speechless at the sight.

Did he come up here to sell flesh?

Or was this his profession?

Below the ring, Zhou Fu sat in the VIP section, drinking while chatting with his friends. He looked relaxed, though he was now curiously studying Lin Feng's white shirt.

"Recruiting Sponsor Slot? He's that confident?"

Zhou Fu was a businessman, a local businessman from River City who operated in the food industry. He had opened more than forty large restaurants in River City, enough to count as a chain brand. Although the food tasted quite good and had even appeared on several food programs, the brand had never gained much fame.

To build his reputation and expand his influence, he had spent recent years trying to find celebrities to endorse his restaurants.

In modern society, actors and singers were merely embellishments. The only true celebrities were Glory players.

Battle of Glory was the most watched competition in the world, even tied to the rise and fall of nations. Every powerful Glory player was the darling of sponsors.

Zhou Fu naturally hoped that a Glory player would endorse his family's restaurants. But he looked down on ordinary teams with no reputation, while famous players charged endorsement fees ranging from tens of millions to over a hundred million. With his financial means, he clearly could not afford such fees.

As for members of those top-tier powerhouse teams, even if he had money, they would never think highly of him.

Those team members were their clubs' money trees. Not only were their endorsement fees high, but their standards for brands were high as well. He simply did not have the qualifications.

The moment he saw Lin Feng recruiting sponsors, he became somewhat curious.

Because of that brazen name, he had noticed Lin Feng long ago. At first, he thought it was merely a high school student's joke to attract attention, but when the eight consecutive victories appeared, he could not help adjusting his posture.

Recruiting Sponsor Slot was, in truth, just another way of saying endorsements. It was not unusual in martial arts halls.

Television was filled with every sort of sponsorship, and giant posters of Glory players could be found everywhere across River City. But those were real superstars, with millions or even tens of millions of fans.

Endorsements within martial arts halls naturally could not compare, but even so, very few could achieve such a thing.

Moreover, it usually happened only after someone became famous and was noticed by a company willing to sign them. Zhou Fu had never seen anyone simply write the four words "Recruiting Sponsor Slot" on their clothes and begin seeking sponsors directly.

He had to admit that even he, with his vast experience, had been somewhat shocked at first glance.

There was actually such a move?

To Zhou Fu, the name "High School Student Beats Up Martial Artist," the words "Recruiting Sponsor Slot" on the shirt, and the challenge through random mode all had one purpose: to seize people's attention, mainly to sell sponsorship slots.

But in his view, even though Lin Feng had already won eight matches, even if he won eighteen, his sponsorship slots would still be difficult to sell.

Although Zhou Fu lacked talent and possessed only the strength of the Body Cultivation Fifth Stage, he enjoyed coming to martial arts halls to watch matches.

Therefore, he knew that no matter how strong someone was or how good their record was, they could not attract fans without popularity and appeal. Naturally, they could not turn that into traffic-based revenue.

It could be said that even in Thunder Martial Arts Hall, very few competitors qualified for endorsements. Most of them were cultivated by the martial arts hall itself.

Furthermore, these people had at least reached the martial artist level. After years of development, they had already built a certain fan base and could bring a fan effect. Only then would endorsements be worthwhile to other companies.

"Zhou Fu, what do you think? This kid may be a little arrogant, but he's rather handsome. That's an advantage. Haven't you always been looking for a celebrity endorsement?" his friend beside him said with a smile, his tone carrying a hint of teasing.

"Hehe, don't underestimate this high school student. Sixteen years old, and reaching this level in his final year of high school isn't easy," Zhou Fu said with a smile.

"That's true. High school students these days are actually this strong? He can even challenge someone above his level."

High school students generally lacked combat experience. Lin Feng defeating old hands who had spent years in martial arts halls had exceeded many people's expectations and made many of them stop jeering.

"The buzz is pretty good. What a pity!"

Zhou Fu observed the spectators around him. It was almost four o'clock now, still working hours, so the martial arts hall seemed somewhat deserted. It would be much livelier at night.

There were roughly forty to fifty thousand spectators in the martial arts hall at the moment, and more than half of them were watching this match. Such attention was rare; only players from some famous teams could possibly draw this much interest. Unfortunately, this sort of buzz could not last.

The moment he lost a match, no one would care about this arrogant high school student anymore.

"It's time to show my real skills."

Lin Feng gazed at Gao Tong across from him, his eyes calm. Facing Gao Tong at the Body Cultivation Ninth Stage, there was no longer any need for him to keep a low profile.

The previous eight matches had merely been for earning some betting money. Now came the battle where he would truly display his strength.

Whoosh!

After the match was announced, Lin Feng lightly tapped the ground with his toes and shot toward Gao Tong like a bolt of lightning.

"Kid, you're still too green."

Gao Tong remained where he was without making any move, his face full of disdain. Although Lin Feng had already achieved eight consecutive wins, the strongest opponent he had faced had only been at the Body Cultivation Eighth Stage.

Gao Tong was at the Body Cultivation Ninth Stage, only one step away from becoming a martial artist. On top of that, he was in his prime, and both his strength and overall power far surpassed Lin Feng's. What did he have to fear?

Bang!

Gao Tong raised his right palm and easily blocked Lin Feng's whip kick. Sure enough, the power was not that strong. Just as he was about to mock Lin Feng, his expression abruptly changed.

"Holy shit."

"No way!"

In the spectator stands, the previously distracted viewers suddenly shot to their feet, their faces filled with shock.

On the ring, the brawny Gao Tong had both hands over his head, constantly dodging. Before him, that high school student was swinging his fists again and again. At the same time, every attack-capable part of his body—hands, arms, legs, elbows—had become a deadly weapon. Not only were his attacks fierce and violent, they were also incredibly fast.

The attacks did not have a wide range of motion, yet they did not pause in the slightest. His movements were crisp and efficient, swift as lightning.

"Mm..."

Gao Tong let out a muffled groan, panic appearing in his eyes. At this moment, he did not even have the ability to fight back.

From the very beginning, he had been trapped in a storm of savage attacks. He was like a sandbag being struck without end, unable to easily move his hands away and counterattack because the assault was simply too berserk.

The spectator stands fell somewhat quiet.

Everyone stared at the scene in shock. A muscular middle-aged man at the Body Cultivation Ninth Stage was being battered so brutally, without even the slightest ability to resist.

If that high school student's attacks had not been so outrageous, they would certainly have thought this was a fixed fight.

Bang!

With a deafening crash, Gao Tong fell straight to the ground and did not rise. The battle was over!

Yet even then, people still had not fully reacted.

After a brief silence came all kinds of noise, discussion, and even curses.

"So strong! He's actually this strong!"

On the elevated platform, Zhou Fu could not help standing up, his entire body trembling slightly. Though this was only a Body Cultivation Realm battle, it made his blood boil.

Suppression!

Complete suppression!

Gao Tong had no ability to fight back at all. This was no longer a duel—it was a one-sided beating.

Could he really beat up a martial artist?

At that moment, a thought could not help surfacing in Zhou Fu's heart!

Between the Body Cultivation Realm and martial artists lay an impassable chasm. But if it truly succeeded, one could imagine the sensation it would cause.

Attention meant popularity. At this moment, the white shirt on the youth no longer seemed so laughable.

And with such strength, it also proved the high school student's potential. He had likely already caught the attention of many people.

"Not good!"

He discovered that even the person in charge of Thunder Martial Arts Hall was in the audience. Had they noticed this youth too?

"Zhou Fu, where are you going?"

"I'll explain when I get back."

Zhou Fu ignored his friend's question and quickly headed toward the counter some distance away.

The screen above the ring only displayed a competitor's name, age, strength, and record, but he needed to know more.

If possible, he wanted to sign this youth.