This boxer named Cheng Jun was even more solidly built than Xu Lie appeared.
Official boxing matches had weight classes because strength differed drastically between them; a higher weight class meant overwhelming dominance.
But underground bare-knuckle boxing didn't have so many convoluted rules.
No-holds-barred fighting, even low blows and eye gouges were permissible.
The bloodier and more violent, the better. It provided maximum sensory stimulation for the audience, encouraging them to bet.
Therefore, anything could happen on this enclosed fighting stage.
Li Chonglou wanted to warn Xu Lie, but the venue was too noisy. Unless he leaned over the edge of the cage, it was impossible to hear.
He could only silently think, "Brother Xu, please don't be careless."
Worry clouded his judgment. At this moment, he could remain calm facing his own danger, but when Xu Lie was in potential trouble, Li Chonglou couldn't help but feel uneasy.
In his past life, he clearly remembered Xu Lie defeating this Cheng Jun. Had his own appearance somehow caused the wheels of fate to deviate?
*Clang!*
Lost in thought, the fight bell rang.
The two boxers touched gloves and retreated to their defensive stances.
Although Xu Lie's nickname was "Fierce Tiger," he was subtly cunning. The final match was extremely important to him, so he didn't launch a frenzied attack from the start.
Instead, he aimed for stability.
He had seen Cheng Jun's boxing; it was powerful and as fast as a gale.
Apart from a slight gap in experience, Cheng Jun's raw skills were already among the best in Qin Province.
Defeating him wouldn't be difficult, but he still had to save some face for his old employer.
His sense of righteousness outweighed everything; if others showed kindness, he would surely reciprocate.
He wouldn't agree to throw the fight, nor would he knock the man down so quickly.
The match was a test of who could remain composed. Though no strikes had landed, a silent contest of aura had already begun. The audience, unusually, quieted their clamor.
Everyone held their breath in anticipation.
Finally, Cheng Jun's composure faltered. Feigning a left jab with his right hand, he seized the moment Xu Lie defended with his elbow. He quickly twisted his waist and shifted his hips, his right leg whipping out like a low-hanging blade, directly targeting Xu Lie's shin.
*Crack!*
The air itself seemed to explode from the kick, emitting a sharp, crackling sound.
With such immense force, if it landed, even an iron pillar would deform.
Xu Lie's usually steady gaze suddenly showed a hint of surprise.
By a hair's breadth, he shifted his right shin forward by three centimeters.
It was precisely these three centimeters that would dissipate at least one-third of Cheng Jun's power.
Intercepting force was a crucial core tenet of Jeet Kune Do, founded by Mr. Bruce Lee. Although Xu Lie practiced modern combat, his experience forged through countless life-and-death battles led him to the same realization as Bruce Lee.
*Bang!*
The bones, as hard as refined steel, collided forcefully, emitting a dull thud.
Both men stepped back.
A sinister smile appeared on Cheng Jun's face, his eyes slowly filling with bloodshot veins, turning a deep red.
"Performance-enhancing drugs?" Xu Lie's brow furrowed as he sensed something was wrong.
His intercepting kick should have nullified Cheng Jun's power, turning the tables.
But the result was a stalemate, which was almost impossible.
While Cheng Jun possessed considerable strength, he shouldn't have been this much stronger than him.
Coupled with his bloodshot eyes, Xu Lie could immediately conclude he had taken stimulants, drastically increasing his strength and speed in a short time while numbing his pain receptors to a minimum.
Whether in official competitions or underground fights, performance-enhancing drugs were contraband.
After all, artificially induced adrenaline could be fatal if the dosage was mismanaged.
This Cheng Jun was truly reckless.
"You figured it out?"
Cheng Jun licked his lips, his gaze growing increasingly fervent. His voice, like a blade scraping a pot bottom, was gratingly sharp. He grinned menacingly, "The boss wants you to lose, and you're not complying. So, I have to take your place."
"Xu Lie, it's best to be sensible. Stubbornness often leads to a miserable death."
"I used to admire you, truly. But today, I must crush you under my heel."
"Of course, I can spare your life, if you give me just one hand."
"Hahaha…"
Before he finished speaking, Cheng Jun lunged at Xu Lie like a mad wolf.
This time, there were no fighting techniques. He used his entire body as a weapon, charging headlong.
Already tall and strong, with the added boost of stimulants, he was like a moving small mountain.
Even Xu Lie dared not underestimate his charge.
His expression grew serious. Just as Cheng Jun was about to collide with him, Xu Lie planted his toe and pivoted half a circle with his foot as the axis, skillfully evading the unstoppable blow.
Simultaneously, without the slightest hesitation, he struck Cheng Jun's back with his left elbow, channeling the power of his turn.
In an instant, Cheng Jun flew out like a cannonball, slamming directly into the iron cage.
*Clang!*
The iron cage shook violently, startling the audience into a commotion.
But many also rose to their feet, shouting wildly, "Fierce Tiger wins!"
With one person leading, more and more cheers echoed throughout the venue.
This scene caused the young man standing below to change his expression, his eyes growing colder.
He murmured, "As expected of the Violent Fierce Tiger. Cheng Jun took a full dose of special stimulants, yet he couldn't even injure him."
"This show today is truly worth watching."
"But no matter how strong you are, you will eventually end up as I, and as the boss, wished."
"Xu Lie, enjoy a few more minutes of your glory, and then rest in peace."
Li Chonglou's gaze subtly flickered between the stage and the young man, clearly reading the young man's lips.
Lip-reading was a simple yet practical skill.
Li Chonglou had learned a bit in his spare time in his past life. Though not proficient, it was enough for this situation.
Reading most of the young man's lips, Li Chonglou's eyelids twitched wildly. He slowly wove through the excited crowd, moving towards the young man.
His judgment was correct; he had to quickly understand what this person had planned, otherwise, Xu Lie's life was in imminent danger.
Four million could be earned again if lost, but if Xu Lie died, it would be the greatest regret of this life!
On stage.
Xu Lie looked at Cheng Jun, who had scrambled to his feet in less than three seconds, his tiger-like eyes unable to hide his shock.
His turning elbow strike had landed precisely on Cheng Jun's spine.
A normal person, even if not paralyzed, would have suffered nerve damage for a long time and lost all combat ability.
But Cheng Jun acted as if unharmed, getting up in three seconds.
This...
This was definitely not ordinary stimulants. Trouble was brewing today.
*Crack! Crack!*
Cheng Jun turned around, stretching his bones, which made cracking sounds like popping beans.
His expression grew more ferocious and frenzied. "This is exciting! I want you to go all out, and then I'll crush you like a bug."
"Die!"
With a roar, he sprang up like a cannonball, launching a flying kick towards Xu Lie's head.
An unbalanced stance during a fight was a major taboo; if the lower body was unstable, the opponent would immediately seize the opening.
But Cheng Jun seemed completely unfazed by this.
This flying kick was riddled with openings.
Yet, it left Xu Lie with no way to counter.
As the saying goes, overwhelming strength can overcome any skill. Cheng Jun was precisely that right now.
The stimulant boost had, after two exchanges, significantly surpassed Xu Lie's strength and speed in a short period.
He had the confidence to break skill with force.
This kick, seemingly foolish, was actually a trap to lure Xu Lie into error.
Unfortunately for Cheng Jun, his opponent was the Violent Fierce Tiger, far from being as impulsive as his nickname suggested. Immense practical experience was Xu Lie's survival weapon.
Instinctively, he bent his arms inward to protect his head, slightly stooped his body, and planted the heel of his back foot. He met Cheng Jun's kick head-on with his elbows.
*Boom.*
This time, Xu Lie was at a disadvantage. The moment his foot met Cheng Jun's kick, Xu Lie felt as if he had been hit by a speeding light truck.
His defensive stance couldn't absorb all the force.
His body was involuntarily sent flying through the air.
His back slammed hard against the iron cage, and then he fell to the ground.
Silence.
The people who had cheered for Xu Lie moments ago fell silent, staring at the scene in stunned disbelief.
Watching their undefeated war god being kicked flying.
"Damn, what Violent Fierce Tiger? I bet heavily on him, and he can't even block one kick."
"It's over. How could Xu Lie be so weak?"
"Is this bastard in his last fight colluding with someone to throw the match and cheat us out of our money?"
Soon, voices of doubt arose, and more and more people began to discuss, their expressions turning angry.
The scar-faced youth looked smug.
The hecklers were his hired hands, aiming to make people believe Xu Lie was throwing the fight to cheat them, inciting public outrage.
Shifting the blame onto him.
After all, the Violent Fierce Tiger's undefeated reputation was too formidable. If they didn't stir up some public opinion, even if he won, the audience would still cause trouble for the boss.
This momentum didn't last long, as Xu Lie pushed himself up and stood again, and the murmurs gradually subsided.
"Exciting! I didn't expect my last fight to be this exhilarating!" Xu Lie spat out a mouthful of blood-tinged saliva, a ferocious glint erupting in his tiger eyes.
With a tearing sound, he ripped off his boxing gloves.
Stretching his aching body, he showed no sign of dejection but appeared even more invigorated.
Was the Violent Fierce Tiger's nickname for nothing?
On this no-holds-barred fighting stage, he was the true king.
Anything else was a restraint upon him.
With boxing gloves, his strength was reduced by at least forty percent.
"Die!" Just as he finished taking off his gloves, Cheng Jun roared and lunged forward.
Punch after punch.
Over a dozen consecutive punches.
Cheng Jun's punches were as rapid as a machine gun, barraging Xu Lie incessantly.
Xu Lie blocked his head with his arms, perfectly deflecting each heavy blow. His tiger eyes, peeking from between his forearms, were as resolute as iron, showing no waver.
He stared fixedly at the frenzied Cheng Jun.
"Brother Xu, if you can't hold on, don't force yourself. As long as you're alive, there's hope for everything," Li Chonglou stopped, watching Xu Lie take a beating, his heart burning.
He knew Xu Lie valued honor and dignity the most, but in his eyes, such things were虛幻.
Money was the same; only life was real, and once lost, it could never be regained.
He made up his mind: if the situation became irreversible, even if Xu Lie blamed him, he would surrender on his behalf from outside the ring.
He just wasn't sure if his surrender would be accepted.
Li Chonglou suppressed his anxiety and silently moved to the side of the scar-faced youth.
As soon as the youth made any moves, he would immediately restrain him and find a way to create an opportunity for Xu Lie to win.
Meanwhile.
After enduring dozens, even hundreds, of punches, a sharp gleam suddenly burst forth in Xu Lie's eyes.
Taking advantage of a brief pause as Cheng Jun threw another punch, Xu Lie suddenly switched from defense to offense. His body sank, and he wrapped his arms around Cheng Jun's waist.
Slipping behind him like an eel, he let out a tiger's roar.
He lifted Cheng Jun completely into the air, executing a perfect suplex.
In that instant, the entire arena erupted.