The end

He had just seized the initiative and even used the Power of the Ram, landing a solid punch on Zhou Wenye's blocking forearm.

Yet his opponent seemed completely unaffected, while the impact had left his own fist a little numb.

Zhou Wenye was also astonishingly fast. If not for his Sparrow Spirit-level reactions, Cheng Sheng probably wouldn't have been able to dodge even one of his moves.

Badan was right. Zhou Wenye and amateur fighting enthusiasts like us aren't even in the same weight class.

After that first punch, Cheng Sheng could barely find an opportunity to throw a second. He could only rely on his superhuman reaction speed to dodge, and dodge again...

The main problem is that my own fundamentals are too poor. I can handle ordinary students, but against someone like Zhou Wenye, who has formally mastered the basics of a fighting art and already counts as a professional boxer, even the boost from the Power of the Ram isn't quite enough...

Zhou Wenye's assault left no gaps. Every punch came with a low hum through the air, giving Cheng Sheng a strange feeling-as if he weren't facing a person, but swarms of hornets bearing down on him!

Cheng Sheng had no doubt that if even a single punch landed, the injured area would end up just like the cheek of the last man lying on the ground-covered in livid bruises, with meridians standing out as though he had been stung by a vicious venomous bee.

I can't keep this up. Sooner or later, I'll lose...

Cheng Sheng glanced at the sandy ring beside him out of the corner of his eye, estimating the distance between himself and the boundary behind him.

Being forced out of bounds would count as a loss too.

Moreover, although Sparrow Spirit-level reactions were monstrous, they consumed an equally enormous amount of stamina. If this dragged on, he would surely exhaust himself so badly that his reactions could no longer keep up.

"Are you a fly? All you know how to do is dodge!"

Zhou Wenye spoke as he punched, his expression vicious.

His family was immensely wealthy in Qingsha City, and he had never tolerated the slightest grievance since childhood.

His opponent in the previous match had merely left a footprint on his white tracksuit, and he had beaten the man into shock on the spot.

And this student-looking youth before him had not only tricked him at the start, but also punched him, leaving his arm aching even now.

Zhou Wenye no longer cared whether it was appropriate to use the Ruan Clan Killer Bee Fist Art at the Black Killing Style dojo, or whether he might kill someone. He had come to the boxing gym to pick up girls and have fun in the first place, and now all he wanted was to vent the foul anger in his chest.

Even if he made a mess of things, his family would naturally wipe his ass for him.

By now, the youth before him, who had been dodging for so long, was clearly struggling to hold on.

Zhou Wenye pressed his attack with several quick steps, forcing his opponent straight to the edge of the ring-

"Quick! Sulai! Sulai's watching you!!"

Drenched in sweat and pale-faced, the youth panted heavily and suddenly shouted while looking in one direction.

Zhou Wenye's punching hand paused slightly. An instant later, his eyes spitting fire, he put even more force into it!

"Trying that again? Do you really take me for a dumbass?!"

Zhou Wenye blasted out a punch. The exhausted youth "barely" managed to dodge it once more, yet even then, he was still unwilling to step out of the ring.

That suited Zhou Wenye just fine.

A trace of cruelty flashed across Zhou Wenye's face. He suddenly took a great step forward, drew back his fist, and struck with his elbow!

The elbow strike was swift and vicious. Its jutting tip tore a low howl through the air, like a gigantic venomous killer bee raising its stinger and diving madly at its prey.

"I con-"

The youth, his tricks exhausted, changed "expression" the moment Zhou Wenye raised his elbow. He quickly raised a hand, seemingly intent on ending the match at once.

Zhou Wenye, however, had no intention of pulling his strike. Instead, he leaned even farther forward.

"Too late to surrender now... Huh?!"

Before the vicious grin could fully spread across Zhou Wenye's face, his vision blurred, and he suddenly lost sight of his "target."

Immediately afterward, a figure ducked low and darted into his arms, and a low voice sounded in his ear.

"I con... concede my ass!!"

At point-blank range, the fierce youth who had used his Sparrow Spirit reactions to close hard against Zhou Wenye didn't hesitate for an instant-

He raised his knee!

Power of the Ram!!!

Bang!!

A knee strike carrying several times his normal strength slammed without reservation, squarely into Zhou Wenye's lower abdomen!

"Cough!"

Zhou Wenye instantly felt as though his lower abdomen had been smashed by a heavy hammer, nearly pulping it. His eyes bulged, and his body quickly curled up like a shrimp...

He naturally pitched forward, and a pair of hands reached out at just the right moment, passing under his armpits and gently catching him before he collapsed.

"Does it hurt... to be bitten by a fly?"

The person holding him spoke softly in his ear.

Then that person let go, allowing Zhou Wenye to fall to his knees.

His face twisted, Zhou Wenye struggled to lift his head. Pain surged over him like a tide, bringing tears streaming down his face and blurring his vision.

He could barely make out a person standing before him, looking down at him.

"The lower abdomen isn't a vital spot..."

The person spread his hands in an innocent pose.

"Besides, you were the one who came charging in!"

Zhou Wenye had said those same words just twenty minutes ago.

"He... he won..."

In the rest area, Badan and Song Cai, who had been on tenterhooks for so long, stared blankly at the two figures in the ring, one standing and one kneeling. Their mouths hung slightly open, as if they couldn't believe what they were seeing.

They weren't the only ones. Quite a few people nearby wore similar expressions.

At that moment, the vast training ground was completely silent. Many people had even risen to their feet without realizing it.

The other five matches had all ended some time ago, but Cheng Sheng and Zhou Wenye's match had dragged on until the end because Cheng Sheng had kept dodging.

Cheng Sheng's face was unfamiliar, and many of the veteran students didn't recognize him. Zhou Wenye was different. Although he was a detestable person, he was genuinely strong. The last person to fight him had only just been taken away by ambulance.

During the rest period after the second round, word about Zhou Wenye had spread among the veteran students, so that nearly everyone watching from the sidelines had been guessing which second Cheng Sheng would lose in and how badly he would be hurt. And yet...

And yet he had won?!

The entire course of his victory had played out before everyone's eyes, but it still seemed... inconceivable!

"I used to think this way of selecting disciples was too conservative and traditional, and no good for the style's continuation and inheritance..."

At the judges' seats, Sha Lie slowly rose from his chair and sighed softly. "The facts prove that Master was wise after all. This method can also bring in some very promising seedlings."

Sha Lie walked down the steps in front of the boxing gym, and just then, two figures in suits rushed in from outside the grounds.

Halfway down, Sha Lie happened to step between Zhou Wenye and the two bodyguards hurrying over to check on him.

Sha Lie merely glanced casually to the side, and Zhou Wenye's two bodyguards froze in place as though facing a formidable enemy.

Sha Lie paid them no further attention. He simply looked at Zhou Wenye, who was lying on the ground and still hadn't gotten up.

"Since you've already become a disciple of the Ruan Clan, you should study properly under them. Why come to our Black Killing Style and make trouble?"

Sha Lie said calmly, "With my old temperament, if I'd known about those filthy thoughts you had about Sulai, I'd have broken your arms and legs and thrown you out long ago.

"But this works out too. It saves me the trouble of doing it myself..."

With that, Sha Lie waved a hand. Zhou Wenye's two bodyguards hurried over and carefully lifted him onto their shoulders.

Zhou Wenye's face was deathly pale and his head was covered in cold sweat, but his eyes remained fixed on Sha Lie, as though he meant to commit him to memory.

And...

Zhou Wenye shifted his gaze.

As though he had sensed it in advance, Cheng Sheng moved without a change of expression, using Sha Lie's figure to block Zhou Wenye's view.

"Go..."

Unable to see the person he wanted to see, Zhou Wenye forced a hoarse word from deep in his throat.

After the three left, Sha Lie clapped his hands and walked toward the judges' seats as he announced, "A fifteen-minute break, then we'll continue with the final round..."

As his words fell, a faint stir naturally arose among the people below.

Suddenly, Sha Lie paused on the steps. As if remembering something, he pointed at someone who was preparing to leave the ring and rest, and added with a smile, "Oh, right!

"You, yes, you.

"Your name is Cheng Sheng, right?

"You don't need to compete anymore..."