225: Chapter 225 New Year Opening, Challenger

Chapter 225: New Year Opening, The Challenger

February 16, cloudy.

Jiangdong District, Global Elite Combat Club.

Inside the spacious and bright training hall, several huge spotlights hung high in the exact center.

Like spotlights on a stage, they illuminated the sweat-slicked, faintly glistening ring below with dazzling brilliance.

At this moment, two fighters on the ring were locked in a fierce battle.

They wore professional fighting shorts and glove protectors, their figures agile and flexible, with taut yet smooth-lined muscles.

Every punch and kick carried a whistling wind, sounding like incoming heavy artillery, and the moment their bodies collided, they emitted a muffled "bang bang" sound.

The brilliant transitions of offensive and defensive tactics, along with the fierce Aura of punches landing squarely on flesh, opened the eyes of the surrounding group of students, who continuously cheered and shouted encouragement.

Suddenly, one of the fighters wearing red fighting shorts quickly retreated two steps after taking a hook punch, raised his arms high, and shouted:

"Stop, stop!"

After speaking, he impatiently bent down, braced his hands on his knees, and panted heavily.

Seeing this, the fighter wearing blue fighting shorts stopped his momentum like an emergency brake, quickly withdrew his hands, and stood in place watching him.

The red corner fighter puffed out his cheeks, puffing and panting out of breath as he said:

"You surnamed Fang, you… you cheated. There must be something wrong with this ring. Did you intentionally wet it when mopping the floor this morning, making my footing unstable and nearly spraining my ankle? This round cannot count!"

His words were quite shameless, instantly causing the numerous students watching under the ring to boil over and let out a chorus of boos.

"Xu Hao, do you have any shame? Raising your hand in the ring is surrendering. As a mixed martial arts fighter, don't you even know this?"

"Exactly, if you keep fighting, you'll definitely be the one getting KO'd, look at your cowardly appearance! I think it wasn't your foot that almost got sprained, but your guts that almost got scared out of you!"

"Yo-ho, Haozi, where did that Divine Qi from a few days ago go? Still making such lousy excuses, why don't you say the wind was too strong today and blew your fists soft?"

The fighter named Xu Hao curled his lips and replied without a trace of shame:

"With his skills, being able to trade blows back and forth with a champion-class fighter like me, if he goes to participate in KFC in the future and takes a golden belt, it would be effortless. How could he possibly just be a minor sparring partner?"

"I should be asking you bunch of cowards, where did you invite a professional fighter from just to deal with me? Come, come, tell me, how much money did you spend?"

The boos from the audience grew even more enthusiastic, shouting one after another that he was bragging without drafting and wanted to renege after losing.

Someone mocked: "Still winning the KFC championship, why don't you fly to the sky and fight with fried chicken!"

The blue corner fighter standing opposite was none other than Fang Cheng.

Today's ring match originated simply from a "challenger storm".

When classes started in the morning, a group of students and coaches saw Fang Cheng coming to work on the first day after the New Year like seeing a savior, crowding around him and egging him on to accept a ring match with words flying back and forth.

It turned out that a few days ago, an outsider "thorn" ran to the Global Elite Combat Club to undergo pre-match training for a period of time.

Saying it was finding a place to train, but it was no different from challenging the gym.

As soon as that guy entered the door, he boasted wildly, claiming to be invincible across the entire club, with an extremely arrogant Aura.

Afterwards, he turned the club upside down. Whether it was professional fighters who had been practicing Boxing here for many years or seasoned sparring partners taking turns, they were all beaten down hard by him.

What was even more infuriating was that every time this "thorn" won a match, he would mock the club for not living up to its name, calling it an embroidered pillow, making everyone's hearts burn with anger yet feeling helpless.

If the coaches weren't generally older and shouldering the heavy responsibility of guiding students in class, they probably would have had to step onto the ring themselves to personally prove the club's reputation and strength.

When Fang Cheng was informed of this matter, Xu Hao happened to come to the venue for training as well.

He seemed to have heard long ago that among the club's sparring partners was such a special figure as Fang Cheng, so he took the initiative to step forward and issue a challenge.

Fang Cheng naturally had no objections; business opened on the very first day of work in the New Year, what else was there to be picky about.

Anyway, whether it was sparring or a ring match, as long as the hourly fee was sufficient, it was fine.

Listening quietly to everyone talking at this moment, Fang Cheng immediately pretended to be out of breath and waved his hands repeatedly, saying:

"No… I can't hold on much longer. If we keep fighting, the two of us will definitely suffer mutual destruction. Let's just call it a draw."

He was also sweating all over, and his face was flushed red.

It wasn't that the opponent's strength was too powerful, requiring him to use all his skills to maintain an undefeated position.

Rather, to avoid the tragedy of blasting the opponent with a single punch and causing flesh and blood to splatter everywhere, Fang Cheng had to put more energy into controlling the strength of each attack.

His whole body's muscles were in a contracted state for a long time without being fully released, like being put on shackles, appearing extra stiff and naturally consuming a lot of physical energy.

Speaking of which, this sparring session was also a special technical training, specially exercising his precise control over strength.

The whole process was like walking a tightrope, or like using a hammer to tap an eggshell.

He had to be careful at all times and maintain a balanced state; truly, "it's easy to fight, but hard to be a human".

In terms of difficulty, it was really no easier than fighting monsters like test subjects.

After all, when sparring with test subjects, he could go all out without any scruples and vent his inner desire for destruction to his heart's content.

However, this ring match also had unexpected gains.

Fang Cheng's pupils flickered slightly as he looked at the panel appearing before his eyes.

[Boxing experience + 8]

[Sanda experience + 8]

[Muay Thai experience + 10]

The combat skill experience gained from this "sparring" was obviously much more than simply acting as a "human target" or practicing moves against each other previously.

Furthermore, the growth magnitude of the agility attribute progress bar seemed to be more significant than before.

It can be seen that this opponent wasn't actually too weak.

Thinking of this, Fang Cheng raised his head, locked his gaze tightly on Xu Hao, and said:

"How about we schedule another match tomorrow and continue sparring?"

"Huh?"

Xu Hao was stunned at first, feeling as if he had been targeted by a wild beast, and couldn't help shivering.

Reacting immediately, he stiffened his neck and stubbornly said: "Forget it, an adult doesn't remember the faults of a petty person, I'll forgive you this once. I don't have that much money to hire a sparring partner."

Fang Cheng curved the corners of his mouth into a faint smile and waved his hand:

"No money needed, just the two of us practicing privately."

A trace of embarrassment flashed across Xu Hao's face, and he dryly laughed twice with an unnatural expression:

"I have things to do tomorrow, haha, next time. When there's time next time, let's find a suitable venue and definitely exchange moves with you fairly and equitably."

Although he was a bit rash, he wasn't a fool, and he knew very well that he had obviously fallen behind just now.

If they fought again tomorrow, he might lose even more ugly; it was better to find an excuse to shirk for now, and after going back to practice hard, he could regain face.

Fang Cheng didn't expose him either, and went along with his words:

"Alright, then next time. Brother Xu, you rest first, I'll go over there to stretch my muscles."

After saying that, he picked up the towel hanging on the ropes to wipe off his sweat, and stepped down from the ring.

According to the previous agreement, 1000 yuan for a sparring match was smoothly acquired, and at the same time, quite a lot of skill experience was improved.

Fang Cheng was full of delight, almost saying the words "welcome boss to patronize next time".

Seeing that this disturbance had come to a temporary end, the students under the ring also laughed and gradually dispersed.

Leaving only Xu Hao standing in place, secretly gritting his teeth, pondering how to target this sparring partner who was more arrogant than himself upon returning, study his technical characteristics, and conduct special training so as to regain face.

Fang Cheng stepped down from the ring, and several coaches, as well as professional fighters with good relationships, immediately crowded around like stars surrounding the moon.

"A-Cheng, you're awesome! I knew your kid could do it, at critical moments we still have to rely on you to hold down the fort."

Coach Hu, with a robust figure and a stubbly face, patted Fang Cheng's shoulder hard and laughed heartily.

"Yeah, you can really consider going to play professional matches. With your talent, you can definitely carve out a world of your own, maybe following Zheng Haokang to become our Xia Country's new generation of world-class Boxing champion."

Brother Jie, who had already entered the national free combat competition, also said with glowing eyes and full expectation.

Everyone spoke one after another, their words full of praise and recognition for Fang Cheng, as well as complimenting their own foresight.

They originally thought that Fang Cheng had amazing stamina, a body resistant to beating, and a relatively solid foundation, perhaps he could deal with that ignorant challenger brat.

As expected, Fang Cheng not only steadily withstood the challenger brat's fierce offensive, but also exhausted the opponent's physical strength through clever maneuvering, ultimately winning this match.

It finally saved face for the Elite Center.

"Everyone is flattering me; I just relied on good stamina to practice blindly. Professional matches are full of masters, a single victory or defeat doesn't prove anything…"

Fang Cheng showed a smile and responded modestly.

The people around were still chattering and persuading him, saying that he was gifted and it was truly a pity not to play professional matches.

However, Fang Cheng had no interest in this at all.

Because he knew very well that professional match players had to undergo physical examinations before each competition, especially blood draw tests.

This seemingly normal process hid huge hidden dangers for Fang Cheng.

After all, he didn't want to be found to have taken banned drugs like Majima Goro and be permanently banned from competition.

Then, like evaporating from the world, there had been no news of him until now.

As the crowd dispersed, those going to class went to class, and those training trained, the venue returned to its past busyness and bustle.

The crashing sound of equipment, the shouting of students, and the guidance of coaches intertwined together, like a passionate symphony.

Fang Cheng turned his head to look at the ring, where Xu Hao still seemed to be racking his brains on how to make a move to deal with him.

The young fighter before him, who seemed a bit stubborn, was actually already considered top-tier among ordinary people in terms of strength, at least not necessarily worse than Zheng Haokang.

But he had never heard of him before, as if he had popped out of nowhere.

This couldn't help but make Fang Cheng a bit more curious about his background.

While thinking, Fang Cheng saw Coach Xu, who hadn't appeared earlier, come into the venue and shout at Xu Hao standing on the ring.

The two then walked to a corner to talk, seemingly having some dispute, and their complexions didn't look very good.

Coach Xu frowned tightly, his mouth opening and closing rapidly, as if sternly rebuking Xu Hao.

While Xu Hao's face flushed red, his hands involuntarily clenched into fists, as if trying his best to restrain his emotions.

Then, Xu Hao didn't say anything, quickly put on his clothes, and walked straight out of the venue, leaving the club.

In his hurried footsteps, a sense of resentment was clearly revealed.

"A-Cheng, did you see anything?"

At this time, a voice sounded beside him.

Fang Cheng turned his head to look, and it was Chen Xiaohai from the Logistics Department sneaking over mysteriously.

Gossip gleamed in his eyes, and then he dragged out his voice, giving a hint like playing hard to get:

"The surnames of those two…"

Fang Cheng raised an eyebrow, nodding with understanding:

"You mean the two of them have a blood relationship?"

"You wouldn't expect it, that old bachelor Xu Maocai actually has a son!"

Chen Xiaohai smiled and gave the answer.

Then he secretly glanced at Coach Xu, who was smoking gloomily in a distant corner, lowered his voice, and continued:

"Xu Maocai and Xu Hao are father and son, but their couple divorced long ago, and Xu Hao was assigned to his mother since childhood."

"His mother raised him alone, enduring a lot of hardship, and times were tight, so she always hoped Xu Hao could study hard, find a stable job in the future, and never be pugnacious and fierce like his dad when he was young, implicating his family."

"But as for Xu Hao, he was obsessed with fighting since he was a child, and after growing up, he even secretly went to practice Boxing behind his mother's back. Relying on a fierce drive and talent, unexpectedly, this kid really practiced a pretty good skill…"

"How do you know other people's family affairs so clearly?"

Hearing this, Fang Cheng couldn't help asking a sentence.

Chen Xiaohai smiled smugly and patted his chest:

"I am the famous know-it-all of the Elite Center. Here, there are no secrets I don't know."

After bragging a bit, he cleared his throat and continued:

"This kid Xu Hao deliberately chose to come to our club for training, his intentions are too obvious, he just wanted to show off and make his dad look at him with new eyes."

"Think about it, he lacked paternal love since childhood, holding back Qi in his heart for over a decade. Having finally practiced Boxing skills, he definitely wanted to prove himself and vent his pent-up frustration. As a result, look at today, not only did he fail to make his dad look up to him, but he also got snubbed, sigh…"

Chen Xiaohai shook his head while speaking, eyeing Fang Cheng, as if someone had become the villain role in this family ethics drama.

Fang Cheng was speechless, what does this have to do with me.

Lazily glancing at Chen Xiaohai, he cast his gaze towards Coach Xu, who had taken good care of him.

Looking at his slightly desolate figure, he couldn't help sighing in his heart:

"Every family has a scripture that is difficult to recite…"

Afterwards, he paid no more attention to Chen Xiaohai's idle chatter, put on his clothes, and walked towards the club's office area.

Arriving in front of the manager's office, Fang Cheng politely knocked on the door first, and after hearing the sound of "Please come in" from inside, he pushed the door and entered.

"A-Cheng, I've been waiting for you for many days. How was your play during the Chinese New Year, were you happy?"

Seeing Fang Cheng, Manager Li sitting behind the desk instantly lit up his eyes and greeted him warmly.

Fang Cheng nodded slightly and said straightforwardly: "It's alright, quite happy. I came this time to sign the contract."

Hearing this, the smile on Manager Li's face grew even thicker, and he immediately stood up and said excitedly:

"A-Cheng, I knew you were a reliable young man. I've prepared this contract long ago, just waiting for your nod."

"Come, come, let's sit down and talk slowly."

Saying that, Manager Li pulled Fang Cheng to sit on the sofa, then turned around to pick up a document from the desk and handed it to him.

Fang Cheng took the contract, carefully flipped through it, checking the terms word by word, with an expression of Focus and earnestness.

Manager Li waited quietly aside, his face always carrying an expectant smile.

A dozen minutes later.

Fang Cheng walked out of the manager's office door holding a document bag in his hand.

Looking at the duplicate contract in the bag, although his eyes remained calm, the slightly raised corners of his mouth still revealed a trace of joy.

From then on, every month, besides the remuneration obtained from sparring, he could additionally receive an endorsement fee of 60,000 yuan.

With this considerable income, life became more stable and calm.

In Fang Cheng's mind, many places needing money for improvement surfaced, including diet, training, home appliance purchases, etc.

Suddenly thinking of a matter, he still needed to find someone for help.

Immediately returning to the locker room, he took out his mobile phone from his shoulder bag and pressed a string of numbers.