Xue Jing followed Chen Fuguang into the venue.


    Somehow, the soundproofing in this venue was incredibly effective. It was almost quiet outside, but as soon as they entered, a cacophony of noise instantly assaulted their ears.


    Xue Jing looked up to see the seats filled with a dense crowd, and a rough count told him there were at least a few thousand people there. In the dimly lit space, neon lights shed everywhere, illuminating the faces of people who were shouting loudly.


    In the center of the venue was an octagonal cage ring raised more than a meter off the ground and quite spacious. Inside, two muscr men d only in shorts were fighting barehanded, striking with fierce moves that produced a cracking sound upon contact.


    "This is the Fist Competing Pavilion, junior brother. You should know what this ce is," Chen Fuguang said with a smile as he watched Xue Jing observing his surroundings.


    Xue Jing nodded, "I know."


    Fist Competition is a unique method ofmercialpetition in this world.


    Due to the prevalence of martial arts,panies found a peculiar way to resolve their disputes: each would send one or several Martial Artists to sign an agreement beforehand and engage in ''Fist Competition'' fighting matches.


    The representative who won the Fist Competition could, ording to the prior agreement, im the benefits stipted in the contract.


    Initially, this was only a form ofpetition among a small circle ofpany owners who were martial arts enthusiasts.


    But decades ago, a major figure skilled in martial arts took charge in ''Cangting'' and enacted a neww known as the ''Fist Competition Act.''


    Since the enactment of the ''Fist Competition Act,'' this form of dueling spread far and wide, bing popr throughout the country and even globally.


    To this day, anypany with some reputation would support one or several yers specifically for Fist Competition matches.


    As Fist Competitions attracted more attention, aside from their inherentmercialpetition significance, they also rued considerable additionalmercial value.


    Somergepanies'' Fist Competitions featured renowned star yers, each event drawing tremendous interest, with massive promotion beforehand, rentingrge venues for ticket sales, and even involving some gray areas like bookmaking and gambling...


    Indeed, somepanies would even fabricate disputes to attract attention and hold Fist Competitions to rake in money.


    "Practicing martial arts is a very costly affair."


    Chen Fuguang led the way while speaking.


    "Junior brother, you''ve just started training, so you might not feel it yet. ''Coiling Dragon Art'' only requires some healing medicines for care, but once you start practicing ''Armor Shaking Skill'' in ''Dynamic Posture,'' you''ll discover that your body is like a bottomless pit."


    Chen Fuguang shook his head.


    "The practice of ''Kungfu Body'' in our Hidden Dragon School requires many secret medicines, and a lot of the materials must be obtained from the Intersecting Boundaries, purchased from those immensely greedypanies there, especially materials rted to the ''Dragon Breed.''


    "Cultivating Dragon Qi, Training Dragon Strength, the ultimate goal of the Hidden Dragon Kungfu Body is to harbor a True Dragon within one''s flesh. Naturally, many materials rted to the Dragon Breed are needed, as they are the source of Dragon Qi and Dragon Force."


    "And all of these require money, lots and lots of money!"


    Chen Fuguang said slowly and earnestly.


    "We disciples only have the role to honor our Master; there''s no logic in bleeding him dry, so we have to earn this money ourselves. Aside from Zhu, whose family has substantial wealth, all the other senior brothers and sisters are busy for exactly this reason."


    He then patted Xue Jing on the shoulder.


    "The Hidden Dragon Dojo is prestigious, and many matters that need to be handled by Martial Artists are entrusted to us. The remuneration for resolving thesemissions, aside from a small part used to maintain the Dojo''s operation, is spent on ourselves."


    "For example, today''s Fist Competition is a match where Boss Zhao of Haoteng Real Estate has contracted us to represent thepany. The fee is this much."


    Chen Fuguang stretched out his hand, spreading five fingers.


    "Five hundred thousand?"


    Xue Jing spoke.


    "Correct, all the major dojos in Qingcheng take on this kind of job. The usual appearance fee is around three hundred thousand, but our dojo has a bigger name, so we charge higher than the average market price,"


    "These smallpanies thatck the capability to sponsor Fist Competition fighters are our clients. For such deals, our opponents are typically the direct disciples from the various dojos in Qingcheng."


    As they talked, the two had already moved from the noisy center of the venue to the quiet backstage rest area for thepetitors.


    Chen Fuguang removed his casual clothes, wearing only a pair of crimson fight shorts, his muscr physique more distinct and imposing than when clothed.


    "Sooner orter, you''ll be dealing with these things too. It won''t hurt to learn more now," Chen Fuguang said as he sat on the soft mat in the rest area, smiling.


    Xue Jing nodded in understanding, feeling somewhat excited inside.


    Such realbat could bring him far more experience than regr daily practice, not to mention the money to be earned. It was a win-win situation.


    However, his martial arts skills were not yet perfected, and he thought his teacher probably wouldn''t agree to let him participate. It would have to wait.


    "The Fist Competition match between Haoteng Real Estate and Honghui Real Estate will begin shortly. Please have thepetitors from both sides prepare!"


    An announcement from a staff member came from outside the rest room door.


    The next moment, the door opened, and Boss Zhao, dressed in a suit and leather shoes, stepped inside. His chubby face was covered in sweat, and he kept wiping it with a handkerchief, anxiously saying,


    "Master Chen, are you ready?"


    Chen Fuguang patted Xue Jing''s shoulder, stood up, and walked towards thepetitor''s passage.


    "Watch, little junior brother, and see your senior brother''s valor."


    Xue Jing smiled and nodded, following behind him.


    Chen Fuguang seemed quite famous. As he emerged from thepetitor''s passage, the noise and cheers from the audience immediately grew louder.


    The cameras set up for filming all focused on him. Chen Fuguang waved at the audience, performed a nimble somersault on the spot, and struck a boxing pose for the cameras, eliciting even louder cheers.


    Xue Jing, as the apanying person, stood straight and proper behind him, not speaking, but his outstanding appearance still caught the attention of many.


    The photographers seemed to notice this youth who simply ''screamed potential,'' with one even directly moving the camera to focus on him.


    Inside a particr box, a young man with bandages on his head and a buzz cut suddenly pointed at Xue Jing on the screen.


    "It''s him, it''s him! That little brat who threw things!"


    "Damn, it''s this son of a bitch. Finally found him!"


    "Duan, look, there he is!"


    Duan Kaiping,rge in stature, shirtless, with a dragon tattoo crossing his shoulder and a razor etching, took a deep drag from the cigarette in his mouth and put down the poker cards in his hand.


    His gaze moved from the screen to the refined and handsome youth, and then to Chen Fuguang beside him. His eyebrows instantly furrowed deep.


    ...