Chapter 36 – A Wise Conversation is Worth Ten Fights

The opening performance lasted about twenty minutes.

Then the performers left the arena, and the staff cleaned the stage.

Only then did tonight’s event officially begin.

A host in a uniform stepped onto the stage and made a brief announcement, followed by the referee, and then the first two contestants of the night entered the arena.

These two had very different builds, but the one thing they had in common was that they both wore masks.

One wore a grinning monkey mask, while the other had a mask resembling some kind of feline.

“Can they wear masks during the match?” Lu Yuan asked Lin Zhiqin.

“They have to,” Lin Zhiqin shook his head. “It’s a rule. Contestants must wear masks provided by the event organizers.”

“So many rules,” Lu Yuan couldn’t help but sigh. No wonder there were so few spectators watching the matches.

Wearing a mask would somewhat affect a fighter’s performance, so it was understandable that some might not want to compete.

At this point, the two fighters on stage began their match.

Fists and kicks flew.

After a brief probing period, the fight quickly escalated into an intense battle.

Lu Yuan watched the fight closely.

Although the match was being broadcasted on large screens all around, he couldn’t accurately gauge the fighters’ skill levels due to the distance.

Lin Zhiqin, with his much sharper eyes, must have been able to tell.

“These two aren’t as strong as you, probably around amateur fourth rank, fifth rank.

Before the semifinals, it’s unlikely you’ll face any top-tier fighters.

Even if you do, you can always concede. There’s still the repechage.”

Lu Yuan heard the reassurance in Lin Zhiqin’s words.

After thinking for a moment, he said, “I read online that there’s prize money even in the preliminaries, right?”

“Yes,” Lin Zhiqin replied. “For an effective fight, the winner gets five thousand, and the loser gets two thousand.”

“What do you mean by ‘effective fight’?” Lu Yuan caught these words and couldn’t help but ask.

Lin Zhiqin shook his head, then replied, “I’m not entirely sure, but it’s said that the Mosa Sect has a unique way of determining this, related to their sect’s secrets. In this regard, many major events don’t measure up to them. Match-fixing is rampant in many competitions, but the Mosa Sect’s events have managed to avoid it.”

The unique method of judgment, an effective fight.

Lu Yuan pondered these words, increasingly feeling that the so-called Mosa Sect was shrouded in mystery.

At this moment, the first fight in the arena had concluded.

The winner was the one wearing the monkey mask.

The fight had been fairly peaceful and friendly.

One fighter, realizing he was outmatched, conceded directly, and the other stopped promptly.

The referee stepped up to announce the results, and the next match began immediately.

Lu Yuan saw the winner of the first fight step down from the arena and remove his mask, revealing a scholarly face.

He walked briskly while talking on the phone, looking like he was in a hurry to get home and cook.

“If I agree to participate,” Lu Yuan turned his gaze back to Lin Zhiqin, “how much of the prize money does the coach intend to take?”

“All the prize money is yours, of course.”

“Hmm?”

Lu Yuan was taken aback for a moment, then his brow furrowed.

Lin Zhiqin went to great lengths to get him to join the competition but didn’t take any prize money.

Such diligent behavior without apparent benefit was hard to believe.

Lin Zhiqin, perhaps noticing Lu Yuan’s concern, smiled and explained, “I’ve already taken a sum of money from the event organizers. Due to some prior reasons, I signed a contract with them. I need to bring participants to fight a certain number of matches. The penalty for breaching the contract is very high, so I’m left with no choice.”

Is that really the case?

Lu Yuan was not entirely convinced.

But he couldn’t find a strong point of contention.

So far, aside from the event itself feeling a bit odd, everything seemed normal.

Just as Lin Zhiqin had said, it was a very legitimate event.

He couldn’t find any flaws.

“Actually, this is also a great training opportunity for you. Your basics are solid, and now it’s time to work on your fighting techniques. The Boiling Night martial arts tournament organized by the Mosa Sect features fighters who aren’t very strong and lacks the usual dirty tricks and unsavory elements. It’s perfect for a martial arts beginner like you to gain practical experience,” Lin Zhiqin said earnestly.

What he said was indeed the real reason Lu Yuan was tempted.

There was money to be made, practical fighting experience to be gained, experience points to be earned, and levels to be advanced.

Even if some aspects of the tournament seemed odd, and Lin Zhiqin always gave off the feeling that he was hiding something, who in this world didn’t have secrets?

Lu Yuan had his own secret—the professional panel.

He wasn’t the only contestant; Yang Jiandong had been training with Lin Zhiqin for a month and managed to “come out unscathed.”

This slight sense of discomfort wasn’t enough to convince Lu Yuan to turn down such an opportunity.

At worst, he could also just fight for a month.

However, Lu Yuan didn’t rush to make a decision; he continued watching the matches in the arena.

Lin Zhiqin wasn’t in a hurry either.

Instead, he dropped the topic and began explaining each match to Lu Yuan using the detailed broadcasts on the large screens.

Being a professional level martial artist and a coach at a martial arts gym, Lin Zhiqin’s expertise was evident.

He pointed out the techniques and strategies used by the fighters in the arena.

Many things that Lu Yuan couldn’t see at first glance became clear with just a few words from Lin Zhiqin, leading to moments of realization—”So that’s how it is!”

After a few matches, Lu Yuan felt he had gained a much better understanding of practical fighting. It was as if a door had opened before him.

Reflecting on his previous fights, whether in real life or in the consciousness space with his imaginary enemy, he realized they were more like street brawls with no strategy or method.

A flood of ideas and inspirations filled his mind, making him itch to enter the consciousness space and test them in the rainy alley against the middle-aged man.

By the seventh match, Lu Yuan opened his professional panel and was surprised to find that his [Martial Artist] professional experience had increased by more than thirty points.

“Wow, that’s as much as I get from fighting a ranked martial artist! Is this what they mean by ‘a wise conversation is worth ten fights’?”

Lu Yuan was secretly delighted and found Lin Zhiqin, who had previously seemed somewhat irritating, much more agreeable.

“Ah-woo—”

Suddenly, a shout from the distant arena drew Lu Yuan’s attention.

It was the seventh match.

This match seemed to have ended already.

The winner, a man wearing a Gorilla Mask, did not leave the stage immediately after the fight.

Instead, he let out a strange yell, dropped to one knee, and tore open his shirt.

He then began to claw at his exposed chest with both hands, quickly covering it in blood.

Throughout the process, he convulsed as if having a seizure, repeatedly chanting a series of bizarre syllables.

“amp;amp;amp;”

Lu Yuan observed that the referee standing in the arena showed no reaction, quietly watching the man’s actions.

“What is he doing?” Lu Yuan asked in shock and confusion, instinctively turning to Lin Zhiqin beside him.

Lin Zhiqin appeared quite calm.

“A devout follower of Mosa.

He’s calling out the name of the god of combat from the Mosa Sect.

This is a unique form of worship for Mosa Sect followers.”

“You mean that Goat Head?”

Lu Yuan noted that the man in the arena, looking up at the ceiling, was actually fixating on a massive Goat Head statue hanging from the highest point of the venue.

He thought he saw a red light flash in the hollow eyes of the Goat Head.

“Yes. According to the Mosa Sect’s teachings, their god of combat has the form of a goat-headed human, wielding a knife in one hand and a spear in the other. Legend has it that this god grants his followers an unquenchable fighting spirit and an indestructible physique during combat.”

“Since this tournament is organized by the Mosa Sect, it’s not unusual to see Mosa Sect followers participating. You might encounter them yourself at some point.”

Previously, Lin Zhiqin had claimed he knew little about the Mosa Sect, yet his current knowledge suggested otherwise.

Lu Yuan didn’t question him further, simply nodding to indicate he had taken note.