"Who the hell are you, kid? Got a death wish? Is that how you talk to His Excellency?"
Shawn Shi turned his head and saw a boy about fifteen or sixteen, wearing a black Nike t-shirt and a baseball cap pulled down over his head. The kid was so good-looking, he could've passed for a girl.
The boy was holding the hand of a girl about the same age. She had bright eyes and perfect teeth, looking a little delicate and soft.
What's it to you? I'm talking to my brother! Mind your own business!
Keaton Wang saw Shawn Shi, the big burly guy, shout at him, so he immediately shouted right back.
Your brother?
Shawn Shi was stunned for a moment, glancing over at Evan Lin, who was sitting nearby.
Evan Lin glanced at Keaton Wang, who was sitting beside him with Megan Liu, and gave a slight nod.
Keaton Wang used to hang out with Summer Mu. Honestly, the kid never had much beef with Evan Lin, and he seemed pretty close with Summer too.
What brings you guys here?
Evan Lin asked, noticing that Megan Liu, whose hand was being dragged by Keaton Wang, was frowning at them, looking a little annoyed.
"Ah, we just skipped class, you know? I heard there was something exciting going on in Leighton City, so I dragged Megan out to see the world." Keaton Wang grinned, adjusted his cap, and flashed Evan Lin a big smile.
"This is all your idea! I didn't want to come. Now that we've run off, our moms are probably freaking out! When we get home, if anyone gets smacked, it's totally on you!" Megan Liu glared at Keaton Wang, clearly half-forced into this outing.
"Alright, alright, no problem! Getting smacked is nothing—I've got thick skin. If I take a beating for my future wife, that's just how it goes!" Keaton Wang shouted, acting all tough.
The arrival of this pair of teenagers drew plenty of attention from the crowd.
Keaton Wang turned his head and grinned at Evan Lin. "Lin Bro, you came to watch the action too, right? I heard the Underground Boxing King Tournament's first prize isn't just a beauty—there's some kind of magic artifact up for grabs too."
Damn, that's insane.
Keaton Wang slapped his thigh, face full of excitement.
Yeah.
Evan Lin nodded.
Seeing Evan Lin wasn't much in the mood to talk, Keaton Wang got even more excited. "Lin Bro, you have no idea—so much has happened in River City since you left."
"I haven't seen Summer Mu at all these days. I heard the Summer Group started a full-on consolidation. And that Drake Huang guy—no one knows who killed him. The Zuo family? They used to be so cocky, but now they're hiding like turtles. Haven't heard a peep from them in days."
Keaton Wang kept rattling on, practically spraying spit everywhere.
Up front, Derrick Ding checked the time, saw it was about right, and stepped onto the stage.
He scanned the crowd and announced, "Thank you all for coming to the Ding family to take part in this year's Underground Boxing King Tournament."
"This year, we have a total of 120 contestants. As promised, whoever wins first place in the Underground Boxing King Tournament will get to marry Wendy Ding and receive the Ding family's ancestral magic artifact!"
Derrick Ding spoke with steady authority; every word landed like a hammer on the crowd's chest.
The atmosphere below instantly heated up thanks to Derrick Ding's announcement.
Everyone was itching to get on stage and show what they could do.
Even though the place was packed with experts and the competition looked brutal, everyone knew that fortune favors the bold.
Seeing the crowd was fired up, Derrick Ding loudly announced, "The first round of the tournament will be split into three heats! Forty people per heat, and only five from each group will advance!"
The moment Derrick Ding finished speaking, the whole place erupted.
Are you serious? Forty at a time, and only five left standing?
So we're just going to fight in groups?
Some contestants who'd been hoping for a weak opponent in the first round suddenly started to panic.
Of the 120 contestants, about three-quarters—over ninety—were at the Outer Strength stage.
The rest, more than twenty, were Inner Strength experts.
After hearing the rules, some of those barely at late-stage Outer Strength went pale.
Derrick Ding looked out at the crowd. "Now, please come up to the stage—forty at a time."
What's there to be scared of? Hell, worst case is you get knocked out in the first round!
In the crowd, a heavyset man cursed under his breath as he lumbered toward the central platform.
"Move, move, move—get on stage!"
Once the first person went up, more people followed.
A swarm of people rushed onto the stage all at once.
"Wow, this is epic—so many people fighting at once! I've never seen anything like this. Even if I get a few extra beatings when I get home, it's totally worth it!"
Keaton Wang rubbed his hands in excitement, his face glowing with anticipation as he watched the scene unfold.
Megan Liu rolled her eyes and glanced at Evan Lin, mouth open, about to say something. But before she could, Keaton grabbed Evan and blurted out, "Lin bro, Lin bro, you went toe-to-toe with Drake Huang—does that mean you could knock out all these guys too?"
"If you go up there and win first place, wouldn't you score yourself a wife?"
Keaton grinned, "I heard Wendy Ding is super gorgeous—the number one beauty in Leighton City."
Evan just shook his head at Keaton's antics, not bothering to respond.
At that moment—
Outside the Ding family hall, Zane Zhen walked out slowly, glancing over at the commotion.
Ding Ershao bowed slightly as he saw Zane emerge. "You can skip straight to the second round. There's no need to fight here in the first round."
"No worries. If we're playing, let's play to the fullest."
Zane's expression was cold. As soon as he finished speaking, he suddenly kicked off the ground, launching himself into the air, flipping midair, and landing squarely in the center of the platform.
"That guy can fly! Whoa!" Keaton Wang was stunned, jaw dropping.
Some who hadn't made it onto the stage yet took one look at Zane's leap and instinctively backed away half a step.
Zane stood dead center on the stage, hands clasped behind his back, expressionless—a perfect image of a lofty master.
"Isn't that guy from Medicine King Valley?"
"Yeah, yeah! Pretty sure he's from Medicine King Valley!"
"People from Medicine King Valley really live up to their reputation. He looks barely older than a teenager!"
Up in the stands, people kept glancing over, faces full of wonder.
"All forty are on stage. The first match—begin!"
Derrick Ding glanced at the stage, his voice cold as he declared the start of the first match.