Eight Extremities Fist

"Go on! Fight! Punch him to death!"

"Zhu He!"

"Kill him!"

"Take down this beggar, take down this trash."

"Damn it! This damned beggar, why does he only know how to run? Are you even a man? Charge him! You coward, you wimp! You piece of garbage!"

"Hurry up and die! Don't hold up my earnings!"

"..."

From the audience seats.

Everyone's faces were flushed red, roaring incessantly, their eyes bloodshot, like gamblers whose blood had rushed to their heads, howling without end.

"Hoo... hoo..."

At this moment.

Zhu He's breathing had significantly intensified. He was already starting to feel that something was not quite right, because Xu Qing was too good at dodging. After fighting for so long, Zhu He hadn't even touched the corner of Xu Qing's clothes.

"Kid, if you have the guts, don't run."

Zhu He shouted upwards.

"Okay."

Xu Qing smiled.

"Kill."

With a roar.

Zhu He mustered his strength again and charged at Xu Qing at his fastest speed. His sandbag-sized fist smashed towards Xu Qing's face.

As a result.

Xu Qing bent his knees and squatted down, easily dodging Zhu He's attack. Zhu He's fist swept past Xu Qing's head.

Bang!

The next moment.

Xu Qing exerted his strength. He clenched his fists, and although he hadn't practiced any real martial arts, he still gathered all his strength. His two fists smashed into Zhu He's abdomen.

"Ah!!!"

Zhu He let out a pained cry. His entire face turned red as he felt a not-insignificant force hit him, almost breaking his ribs.

Thump!

Zhu He tightly clutched his chest with both hands, his face contorted in pain. He had already slumped to the ground, unable to get up at all.

"What?!"

"Impossible! Impossible!!!"

"Zhu He! Get up! Get up, damn it!"

"There's a fix! There must be a fix!"

"..."

These audience members were roaring.

After all.

Zhu He was burly and muscular, while Xu Qing looked like a thin, scrawny beggar. The difference between them was incredibly obvious.

Logically speaking.

Zhu He should have been able to defeat Xu Qing with a single punch. But the result was the opposite. Xu Qing had knocked down the Black Heart Hand Zhu He with one punch, shocking everyone and leaving them dumbfounded.

However.

The crowd refused to believe it, thinking it was impossible. They believed it was a fix in the underground black boxing, designed to cheat them out of their money, and they began to protest.

"Ah!!!"

Zhu He roared again, wanting to make another move.

Bang!

Xu Qing kicked him, sending him rolling several times on the ground. He was no longer able to get up, having lost his fighting ability and the match.

"Contestant Number Two, Xu Qing, wins!"

Soon.

Yu Chen, after recovering from his shock, walked over with a smile and announced the result of the match.

"Fix! Fix! Fix!!!"

"Refund! Refund! Refund!!!"

"..."

The crowd, however, shouted in unison, their voices filled with anger.

"How dare you!"

Boom!

With a deafening sound, Fan Yanbin leaped onto the stage. He stomped on the ground, leaving a deep pit with cracks spreading like a spiderweb.

"You all seem to have forgotten the rules of underground black boxing. Once a bet is placed, there's no reason to refund it. You can only blame yourselves for your poor judgment."

Fan Yanbin's voice boomed.

"Gulp..."

"..."

Instantly.

The scene fell silent.

Clearly.

Fan Yanbin's powerful display of martial arts had intimidated everyone present. Furthermore, with the Senior Disciple Brother of the Azure Hawk Martial Arts School backing this underground black boxing operation, no one dared to cause trouble.

"However."

At this moment.

Fan Yanbin's tone shifted. He glanced at Xu Qing and said, "To protect the reputation of our underground black boxing, and to let everyone know that every match here is a genuine life-or-death struggle, and we never profit from fixed fights."

"Therefore."

"A match will be held tomorrow. The winner of today's fight, Xu Qing, will face another boxer from our underground black boxing, 'Pang De'."

"Pang De?!"

"That guy."

"Hiss..."

"I've heard that Pang De has actually trained in martial arts! And his methods are extremely brutal. He tortures his opponents to death in every match."

"That's right! That's right!"

"And."

"Pang De has basically never lost a match, with a win rate of ninety-nine percent. This Xu Qing is probably doomed tomorrow."

"He deserves to die! He caused us to lose so much money!"

"Exactly! Exactly!"

"..."

The audience began to buzz with discussion, their expressions turning excited. Their emotions had been successfully appeased by Fan Yanbin.

"Fan Yanbin, you..."

Yu Chen's expression turned grim. After all, Xu Qing was someone he had discovered, and he had made quite a bit of money from today's match.

"I'm cleaning up your mess. Don't be ungrateful."

Fan Yanbin said indifferently.

"Hoo..."

Yu Chen took a deep breath. He hadn't expected the situation to escalate like this. He glanced at Xu Qing, a hint of apology on his face.

From the beginning.

Yu Chen had only intended for Xu Qing to fill in for one match. He hadn't expected Xu Qing's strength to be so formidable, defeating Zhu He and causing such a massive upset.

Now.

Fan Yanbin, in order to preserve the reputation of the underground black boxing, was forcing Xu Qing to fight Pang De.

One must understand.

Pang De's strength was nothing compared to Zhu He's.

Tomorrow's match was a matter of life and death for Xu Qing.

"Fan Yanbin, Xu Qing was personally brought here by Lord Huo Yi."

Yu Chen stated.

"Don't try to pressure me with Lord Huo Yi's name."

Fan Yanbin retorted.

However.

Whether to fight or not.

Xu Qing had no right to agree or refuse.

In the evening.

Inside a room within the underground black boxing arena.

"Xu Qing, I'm truly sorry. I never expected things to turn out this way."

Yu Chen sighed and took out a money pouch from his embrace, placing it before Xu Qing. "This is the money you've earned today. Please accept it."

"Thank you!"

Xu Qing nodded, put away the money pouch, and opened it. Inside were five taels of silver, and a look of surprise appeared on his face. "This much?"

"Mhm," Yu Chen replied. "As a newcomer, and a beggar at that, not a single spectator had any faith in you. Everyone bet on Zhu He, the Black Heart Hand."

"The result was as expected."

"This underground black boxing event made a killing. Normally, with your newcomer qualifications, you'd only get ten copper coins for a match. But this time, you've earned so much that even with your share deducted, you still have a full five taels of silver."

"Thank you."

Xu Qing carefully put away the five taels of silver.

With this, half of the ten taels he needed was now gathered.

"What a shame," Yu Chen lamented. "If you could win against Pang De tomorrow, you'd earn at least ten times what you did today."

"Cough, cough..."

Yu Chen cleared his throat and waved his hand. "I suppose I'm thinking too far ahead."

"I'd like to know Pang De's specific abilities. Can you tell me about them? Since tomorrow's match is unavoidable, it would be good to understand my opponent's strength as much as possible," Xu Qing asked.

"Alright," Yu Chen nodded. "First, you need to understand one thing: the most fundamental aspect of cultivating martial arts is having sufficient physical fitness."

"If your physical condition isn't enough, you can gradually train it and consume various medicinal supplements."

"And then there's this."

"The methods of practicing martial arts are divided into: combat style, body refinement method, and fundamental method."

"Pang De was naturally born with a physique that surpasses ordinary people. Unfortunately, his intellect is a bit slow. Although he has mastered the combat style, he hasn't mastered the body refinement method."

"Even so, relying on his exceptional physique and the combat style 'Bear Pounce Hand,' Pang De is practically unrivaled in the entire underground black boxing scene."

"Combat style, body refinement method, fundamental method."

Xu Qing pondered for a moment, then asked, "What are the differences and distinctions between these three?"

"To put it simply," Yu Chen answered Xu Qing's questions, "the combat style refers to the techniques. The body refinement method is for tempering the physical body. As for the fundamental method, I'm not too sure about that."

"I see."

Xu Qing nodded. "I think I understand a bit now."

"Actually, I have a combat style here."

At this moment, Yu Chen looked at Xu Qing, recalling Xu Qing's performance in the ring, and considering that Xu Qing was personally brought by Master Huo Yi. Finally, coupled with a bit of guilt deep down.

Ultimately, Yu Chen took out a tattered book from his embrace.

"Huh?!"

Unexpectedly, Xu Qing glanced at Yu Chen with a hint of surprise, his gaze then falling upon the tattered book in Yu Chen's hand. "This..."

"This combat style is called 'Eight Extremities Fist.' I obtained it by accident some time ago. Unfortunately, I have no talent for martial arts. I practiced for a long time, but not only did I fail to master it, I also injured my body," Yu Chen explained. "There was nothing I could do, so I had to give up."

"Sigh..."

Yu Chen sighed, his expression somewhat melancholic. "Many people think martial arts are the only way out for ordinary people, but they don't realize that this path also depends on talent!"

"Those with talent find martial arts like divine assistance. Various combat styles and body refinement methods come naturally to them, and they can master them with ease."

"As for those without talent, even practicing diligently through the coldest winter and hottest summer is useless. You might practice for a year and still not achieve what they do in a single day."

"..."

Xu Qing remained silent.

"Of course," Yu Chen continued, "although my talent for martial arts is extremely poor, I do have some talent in business. I manage almost all the business operations for the underground black boxing."

"This 'Eight Extremities Fist' will be my investment in you."

"If you get killed by Pang De tomorrow, that's your fate. But if you survive and manage to master the Eight Extremities Fist I've given you, that's also your fate."

"If you die, I'll take back the Eight Extremities Fist. If you live, you'll have to repay me in the future."

"Take it."

Yu Chen placed the Eight Extremities Fist manual in front of Xu Qing.

"Okay."

Xu Qing took a deep breath and accepted the manual. "I'll remember what happened today. If I ever make something of myself, I will never forget this kindness."

"You're too kind, too kind."

Yu Chen, however, displayed a shrewd merchant's smile. "A combat style manual like this has a minimum price of one hundred taels of silver. You already owe me one hundred taels. Here's an IOU, please sign it and leave your thumbprint."

As he spoke.

Yu Chen produced a pre-written IOU.

"Uh..."

Xu Qing was a little speechless.

However.

Xu Qing still signed the IOU.

"I didn't expect this! A beggar like you can write!"

Yu Chen expressed surprise. "You truly are no ordinary beggar."

"Oh, right."

Yu Chen carefully put away the IOU and continued, "From today on, you'll live here. I figure you have nowhere else to go, so just stay here."

"Alright."

Xu Qing nodded.

Then.

Yu Chen left.

Xu Qing was left alone in the room.

"Record."

Xu Qing held the Eight Extremities Fist manual in his hand. With a thought, he communicated with the Omni-Codex. As the Omni-Codex flashed with silver light, the Eight Extremities Fist was successfully recorded.

[Eight Extremities Fist LV1: 0/10 (This is a powerful and forceful short-range boxing style, characterized by swift movements, unpretentious simplicity, and extremely potent force projection that culminates at the fingertips.)]

"Good."

Xu Qing's expression became excited.

Buzz!

The next moment.

Xu Qing's entire body trembled. After the recording was complete, he saw the characters on the manual seemingly come alive. Each character transformed into a small figure and surged into Xu Qing's mind.

In a daze.

Xu Qing felt as if he had entered a strange and profound space. Within this space, he continuously practiced the Eight Extremities Fist, gradually mastering it.