Invincibility Begins with Mastery of Fist Techniques-Chapter 62: Popular Fighter

「7:30 PM.」

Guangpu City, Longsha District, Ji Po Jue Arena.

Lu Ming had never known an arena could be this packed. 𝗳𝐫𝚎𝗲𝚠𝚎𝗯𝕟𝐨𝘃𝚎𝗹.𝗰𝗼𝗺

As a niche, underground fighting event that wasn’t exactly public, even the Ji Po Jue Arena usually had an attendance rate of less than a third.

In truth, the arena didn’t make money from ticket sales. If it did, it would have gone out of business long ago.

The arena’s income actually came from the betting pools for each fight and the hefty commissions charged for providing the venue, referees, and officiating. That was where the real money was made.

However, it was clear that tonight, that norm had been shattered.

The atmosphere in the Ji Po Jue Arena was electric. There weren’t nearly enough seats, so some spectators stood at the very top of the stands. It was a chaotic, jumbled sea of people, forcing the arena’s management to dispatch special security guards just to maintain order.

Most of these people were dueling match enthusiasts and members of the Martial Arts Realm who had rushed here from all over the Southern region. Faced with a Martial Dao spectacle not seen in centuries, even the most ascetic Martial Artist would likely be unable to resist coming to see it for themselves.

Ji Po Jue Arena, Ring Three.

A group of people sitting on one side of the venue was incredibly eye-catching.

Although they wore various masks, their clothes were identical: plain white T-shirts. On the shirts, the two large, colorful, stylized words "Zheng Haiming" were printed.

From the dazzling row of legs visible beneath them, it was clear that this "Square Array" was mostly composed of women, about a dozen of them.

In their hands, they held black cheering signs. Although they weren’t lit up, the arrangement of the bulbs still faintly spelled out the name "Zheng Haiming."

Their distinctive attire drew the attention of most of the audience.

"President, everyone here looks so scary... Maybe we should just go back?"

Within the Square Array, a short girl in a panda mask whispered to the tall girl with a tiger mask and cheering sign beside her.

Most of the surrounding spectators were from the Martial Arts Realm, each one physically fit and radiating a powerful aura. The girl in the tiger mask was a bit intimidated by their stares, but she forced herself to remain calm. "Scary, right? With so many scary people around, can you bear to let Senior Hai Ming face this alone? At a time like this, shouldn’t we be by his side, cheering him on? True fans don’t just share the good times; they stick together through thick and thin!"

"Senior Hai Ming entered this competition to prove himself and defy his doubters. Everyone knows these kinds of matches are risky, but he came anyway, without a second thought. He’s so hardworking, so brave, so determined! As the women behind such a tenacious, brave, and strong man, how can we shrink back from a tiny little setback?"

"I won’t stop anyone who wants to leave. After all, this is completely voluntary. But Senior Hai Ming knows we’re here to support him. He said that after he wins his match, he’s going to treat us to dinner to thank us."

Hearing the girl in the tiger mask, the eyes of the other girls instantly lit up. One of them, however, couldn’t help but ask worriedly, "I heard underground fighting is really brutal. Will Senior Hai Ming be in danger?"

"No way. Senior Hai Ming is the youth division champion of the Guangnan Prefecture mixed martial arts tournament. He’s known as a genius in the industry and might even compete at the national level someday. No matter how crazy these underground matches are, this is just a preliminary round. His opponent is bound to be a weakling. How could Senior Hai Ming possibly lose?"

The girl in the tiger mask said with absolute certainty.

"Everyone, keep an eye on the person next to you and don’t get separated. Senior Hai Ming’s match is the first one tonight, so we can leave right after it’s over. Don’t worry, I found a reliable contact to get us in. As long as you don’t say anything out of line, your safety won’t be an issue. Ordinary people can’t even get into these underground dueling matches without a connection. They won’t harm their customers, and besides, there are so many of us."

The girl in the tiger mask said, as if she had prepared for this.

Hearing the confidence in her voice, the other girls couldn’t help but feel relieved.

DING DING DING!!

Just then, a clear bell rang throughout the arena, and the crowd fell silent.

As the bell sounded, the iron gates at both ends of the arena slowly rose. Two figures emerged from the shadows of the entrances and walked into the ring.

The man on the left was tall, nearly 1.9 meters, and wore only a pair of fighting trunks, revealing a powerful, bronze-skinned upper body. His muscles were sleek and well-defined, and his every move exuded a sense of Power.

What was most striking, however, was his face. He had a neat buzz cut, sharp brows, and bright eyes. His features were chiseled, and combined with his powerful, perfect physique, he radiated a potent masculine charm.

Seeing this man enter, the dozen or so girls in their white fan shirts couldn’t help but let out excited gasps. If it weren’t for the many fierce-looking people in the audience, they would have probably erupted into shrill, crazed screams.

Across from this star-like man stood another equally tall man. His back was to the girls, so they couldn’t see his face, but they could tell his shoulder blades were intimidatingly broad.

"Get ready! This isn’t the place for shouting. As soon as the fight starts, everyone raise your signs. Let Senior Hai Ming see that we’re with him!"

The girl in the tiger mask said in a low voice.

At that moment, the sharp-browed, bright-eyed Zheng Haiming looked at the opponent standing across from him and spoke calmly. "People are always telling me that fighting in a ring is just child’s play. They say fighters who wear gloves and follow rules are like tigers in a cage—defanged and declawed, raised only for show, having lost the original meaning of combat."

"But I’m here to say that the strong are destined to be strong. Without rules, we only become more ferocious and brutal. How could you uncouth, self-taught brawlers possibly compare to true experts like us, who have undergone professional, systematic training in the human body and combat?"

"Unfortunately for you, your opponent is me. I’m going to tear away the flimsy veil that hides the weakness behind the supposed gore of underground boxing. I won’t give you any chance—"

SWOOSH!!

However, before he could finish his sentence, a black shadow, moving faster than his eyes could track, rushed toward him.

WHOOSH!!

A howling wind followed, stirring up a turbulent gust of air that whipped violently across Zheng Haiming’s scalp.

A palm, carrying immense pressure, descended swiftly from above. It grew larger and larger in his eyes until it blotted out his entire vision, like the sky itself was collapsing, and his mind went completely blank.

The fear of death pierced his heart like a Sharp Sword, and his blood instantly ran cold.

Under this terrifying and immense pressure at the brink of life and death, he could barely even think straight.

THUD!!

In the end, the palm didn’t land on his forehead. It shifted slightly, turning into a knife-hand strike that chopped down on his neck.

The violent impact instantly made his eyes roll back into his head. Without another word, he collapsed stiffly to the ground.

The dozen or so girls who had been so excited just moments before were now as silent as strangled ducks.

Zhou Yuanjue looked at Zheng Haiming, who had just been spouting arrogant nonsense only to be felled by a single casual blow, and was a bit speechless.

’Now that they’ve loosened the qualification requirements for these underground dueling matches, it really is a mixed bag, with wildly varying levels of skill,’ he thought.

He had encountered so many powerful Martial Dao experts recently that he had gotten used to it, assuming he might meet an interesting opponent even in the first match of this tournament. It seemed he had been thinking too much.

Experts were always few and far between; you couldn’t expect to run into them all the time. This world was, for the most part, full of normal people.