New concept of the mysterious way to ascend to immortality

Chapter 219 Underground Deathmatch

After obtaining complete intelligence and the addresses of several recycled oil plants from the boss, Yuan Zhu greeted his former 'colleagues' as he staggered out of the company's two-story building.

Then he turned a corner and walked toward a small pub not far away that had five or six pool tables set up on the street.

Unlike A-Miao, who had seen the world in Taixi City and returned to her hometown of Running to open a 'nightclub bar' on Cat Street, the 'bars' in Running have a more rural-urban fringe feel.

Yuan Zhu hadn't thought there was anything wrong with it before, but now, looking into the distance, he saw several "spirited young men from rural towns" gathered in twos and threes around the pool tables, taking turns playing billiards. He immediately recalled his first meeting with Lü Rang, with his eye-catching "mohawk hairstyle + wasteland punk grunt look".

Running City's development and aesthetic standards are indeed at least 30 years behind Taixi! While Taixi has entered the 'idol era,' my hometown is still at the level of a rural food stall.

He skillfully weaved past several energetic young men, some of whom seemed to recognize Yuan Zhu. Despite wearing eyeliner and a lip ring, he still politely bowed slightly and greeted them, calling out, "Brother Yuan."

The sudden humble reaction of this seemingly leader prompted the more arrogant young men around him to cool down and watch Yuan Zhu walk into the small tavern with its tarpaulin.

Then they lowered their voices and began to whisper among themselves.

Seeing this, Snake said in surprise, "Boss, it seems that your body was not simple before. However, I did not find any tattoos, lip rings, or nose rings on you. However, you used to have an earring in your right ear, which has now been completely repaired under the blood nourishment of the Tiger Demon."

Yuan Zhu reached out and touched his earlobe. It was smooth and fleshy, and felt great to the touch. "An earring? I shouldn't be some country bumpkin, right?"

"Based on fragments of your predecessor's memories: When you were 15, you briefly considered buying an elemental motorcycle to rev your skills and cause chaos in the streets, but you quickly overcame this idea with the responsibility of raising your younger brother. Ultimately, you devoted all your energy to your lifelong dream of usurping the [Lighting Factory] and becoming its manager. As for why these thugs respect you, it's because you fight in amateur underground boxing matches here. You're quite well-known in this neighborhood."

As Snake explained (to aid his memory), Yuan Zhu's mind was immediately flooded with a large number of fragmented memories, which gradually merged into his 'false' life memories, allowing him to be further filled in.

"Ha! I remember now. When I was a kid, I learned Hong Kong style boxing for free at a martial arts school. In high school, I contacted the owner of this billiard hall, signed an agent contract, and played amateur matches for him first."

A flood of unimportant childhood memories quickly surfaced. White Harbor Boxing was the most widely spread folk martial art on the west coast of the New World, holding a similar status to Bajiquan, Hung Kuen, and Tai Chi in our homeland.

The so-called 'White Harbor' is an important island supply port on the vast ocean between the [Gen Continent] and the [New Continent]. The island called [White Island] is very large and serves as a vital hub connecting the two continents. It is a melting pot of people, harboring a large number of undocumented immigrants, criminals, and pirates.

During the Great Migration, a large number of remnants of the Kingdom of Xi settled here, and martial arts schools from all over the world clashed and merged. This eventually formed a simple, efficient, and lethal pirate style of boxing, known as the "White Harbor Boxing," which was suitable for fighting on the turbulent decks.

Later, the White Harbor style spread rapidly on the West Coast, where it was further refined and modified by skilled practitioners in various directions. This resulted in the more brutal and ruthless Black Harbor, the Red Harbor style suited for close-quarters combat, and the Green Harbor style, which evolved towards a more health-conscious approach.

However, it is said that each different system of the White Harbor Fist variant possesses even more profound and mysterious internal cultivation techniques. Furthermore, these techniques can be matched with different types of "transcendental contamination."

It's not about actively merging, but rather subduing, suppressing, and eliminating 'internal pollution,' reducing deviation, and striving towards becoming 'pure humanity.' While resisting the corrosive effects of pollution, can one also cultivate even greater power to contend with extraordinary beings?
In short, the legend is very mysterious, but even now that Yuan Zhu has come into contact with the "True Meaning of Pollution", he has never seen a "strong person" who is both a "pure human" and can contend with the superhuman.

Yuan Zhu wasn't entirely sure how the 'martial arts' of the common people, which are not part of the extraordinary system, actually broke through human limits.

In short, his practice of the "Red Hong Kong Fist" only resulted in a healthy physique. Continuing to practice would not make him stronger, but would only allow him to accumulate rich experience in street fighting and combat.

He fought in underground boxing matches at this 'pool table + bar' place for almost a year and a half, honing his experience and acting skills. He became increasingly adept at self-protection, avoiding vital injuries while putting on spectacular and beautiful 'fixed matches,' gradually building a reputation and influence.

He successfully became the "unit of strength" for measuring the strength of other amateur fighters. With his flashy yet harmless "beautiful techniques," he sent one fighter after another, who were willing to give him money privately, to the "advancement tournament stage."

Those who refused to pay extra and lacked the strength were all hammered down by the young Yuan Zhu's iron fists. If it weren't for the 'sacrifice ritual' causing the soul to transmigrate, the original body would probably have continued fighting.

His reputation was established roughly six months ago. His 'peak match-fixing' career has entered a stable profit-making phase, with 3-5 matches per month, providing a steady income without significantly harming his health.

As for combat experience and physical fitness, they have all reached a bottleneck, or rather, a 'peak period'. Without a fortuitous encounter, they will probably stop here for the rest of their lives and will not be able to improve even a little bit further.

Unless they take banned drugs, undergo 'contamination modification' of unknown origin, or purchase expensive 'body tempering fluid' and sign contracts with pharmaceutical companies, resources become 'drug human test subjects'.

Looking back now, I realize that the amateur fighting circles I was involved in already contained a lot of traces of supernatural elements. However, because I had been exposed to them since childhood, I didn't think there was anything wrong with it. Instead, I went to [Fire Fang] to pursue more advanced and secretive supernatural powers.

Before meeting 'Brother-kun' in [Cicada City], Yuan Zhu always believed that he had some talent and ability in the field of 'fighting'.

Otherwise, he wouldn't have been able to successfully break through the amateur boxing level in just one year, without suffering any serious injuries, and then effortlessly transition into an "acting match-fixing contestant," gaining unanimous approval from the audience and becoming a "touchstone" for testing a boxer's strength.

Unfortunately, the appearance of his younger brother cruelly shattered his 'fighting dream'. He finally realized that his skill level was only at the level of an 'ordinary folk fighter', and his experience in [Red Hong Kong Boxing] was increasingly unable to keep up with the improvement of the extraordinary power of [Holy Light].

On the contrary, the 'muscle memory' acquired through a lot of practice gradually turns into incorrect force exertion habits, which still need to be overcome and corrected.

Snake: "[Holy Light] needs to develop matching combat techniques, which could be purchased from the [Exchange List]; [Tiger Demon] also needs to modify the hunting memories recorded by the 'Demon Spirit Root,' as 'Demon Qi' and 'Shadow Contamination' are two different things." Yuan Zhu: "Do you think I need to collect the advanced secret techniques that accompany [Red Harbor Fist]? Suddenly, I feel that this legend might not be false. I wonder if the 'purely human' ancient martial arts route has any future?"

Snake shook her head in denial: "I don't recommend it. You have absolutely no chance of taking the 'pure-blooded human route'. Besides, I don't think there's any future for pure humans. Otherwise, this world wouldn't be 'overrun with gods and overrun with pollution,' and I've never heard of 'pure-blooded powerhouses.'"

Yuan Zhu: "Next time you see the captain or Zhou Chu, remember to remind me to ask him."

……

During their efficient intracranial communication, Yuan Zhu had already arrived at the bungalow inside the billiard hall. Hanging from the ceiling were 'alchemy element lamps' produced by the [lighting factory] where he had once worked, emitting a bright light that illuminated the room.

He walked to a wooden counter resembling a shop's display case and bar, tapping on the glass surface, startling the shop owner who was listening to a miniature radio broadcast with his eyes closed. Was this also his former agent? All his matches were arranged and contested by this agent, who took a 20% cut from each match.

Bang bang bang!
The bearded man suddenly opened his eyes and stared at him in surprise: "Young Yuan? Long time no see! You've been gone for almost two months. What happened? My business has suffered a lot without you. Many of my old fans aren't buying tickets, which has cost me a lot of money. How have you been lately? You look much more energetic than before. Are you short of money? Want me to arrange a few matches for you?"

Yuan Zhu once held a degree of apprehension and awe towards this boss. It wasn't fear of the boss's power, but rather wariness of his methods, influence, and power.

But now that they meet again, those 'false memories' from the past cannot affect his mindset and judgment. Coupled with his soaring strength, Yuan Zhu faces his opponent with an attitude of looking at him on equal terms or even looking down on him.

He shook his head: "I'm not here to fight this time. I'm here to respond to your previous 'invitation for cooperation'."

The tavern owner looked puzzled, but after a moment's thought, his eyes lit up and he perked up. "You mean, you've decided to quit your job and work here, officially joining the [Fighting Club] I'm building? You've finally got it!" he exclaimed excitedly.

Yuan Zhu shook his head: "No, that's not it. I want to change the cooperation model. I'll be your partner. You can introduce me to potential talents and guide me. I also want to sign a few promising newcomers, act as their agent, and personally train and cultivate a group of fighters."

The bearded man tilted his head, uttering an incredulous sound: "Huh?"

Yuan Zhu continued, "I plan to divide the 'boxers' I have into two groups, selecting those with mediocre skills but sharp minds. Together, we'll create a new underground boxing brand to fix matches! No, to be precise, it's an 'exhibition match,' the kind you once tried to get me involved in. As for the stronger boxers, you'll arrange for them to enter the 'underground fighting circle' and fight real 'deathmatch matches'!"

The tavern owner sat up straight, raised his hand to turn off the radio, and said seriously, "How could you have such a thought? Do you know that the Deathmatch Tournament is not something anyone can just casually qualify for?"

Yuan Zhu nodded: "I understand. The threshold is 'superhuman,' right? Only contestants with a deviation of at least 40% are eligible to enter the preliminary rounds. Moreover, the organizers not only have requirements for the [deviation], but also need to ensure that the contestants are mentally stable and can communicate rationally. In addition, they must master at least three fighting techniques, and their fighting movements must be beautiful and entertaining... Training such a fighter is very expensive, and the risks of death, serious injury, and disability are extremely high... It's easy to lose money."

The tavern owner looked satisfied, confirming that Yuan Zhu hadn't made this decision on a whim: "Looks like you understand. Even I don't want to get involved in this circle (underground deathmatch tournaments). I once hired a superhuman willing to fight in a deathmatch tournament and supported him, providing him with cultivation resources and daily comforts. But not only did he demand exorbitant sums, constantly extorting money from me, but he also made excuses during the tournament and even deliberately sought defeat. In the end, this series of actions angered the organizers, who sent someone to kill him, leaving me with nothing."

"Damn it! I've figured it out now. I just want to make money. So I'll make the hard-earned money within my means. It may be less, but at least it's safe. On the other hand, underground deathmatches are expensive. Whether you hire fighters or train them yourself, it's easy to lose control and backfire, or you could get killed and your investment would be completely wasted."

As he spoke, the boss looked frustrated and suggested, "Young man, don't always think about quick success and instant benefits. Training ordinary boxers is also very costly. Why don't you work for me first, accumulate enough experience, and when the model is mature, I will let you go solo and provide you with more resources and connections."

Yuan Zhu sneered inwardly, "Once I've set everything up for you and the model is running smoothly, you can just kill me and save on this basic salary. Wouldn't that be better?"
So he held up one finger and said, "Look what this is?"

"What?! Ouch, that hurts!"

The tavern owner looked at his fingertips, and instantly a 'holy light' of the intensity of a mobile phone's [lighting mode] burst forth, dazzling the other person's eyes and causing temporary blindness and light spots.

After feeling that indescribable yet soul-stirring 'warmth' and 'tremor (destruction and purification)', he blurted out: "Holy Light?! You've mastered [Holy Light]? No, you've become a power user, a holy monk?!"

“Right! Now, am I qualified to cooperate with you?” Yuan Zhu asked.

The boss narrowed his eyes, gesturing for Yuan Zhu to turn off the blinding 'holy light,' then pondered, "Now that you've become an ability user, your status is vastly different; you're qualified to sit on equal footing with me. However, this 'holy light' isn't suitable for training fighters. If you want to sign new talent, you'll need more 'resources' for their development. Besides, in what capacity are you cooperating with me now? Do you have any other background?"

Yuan Zhu: "I have no one behind me, I only represent myself. My cooperation with you is sincere. I also have a batch of resources, which is why I want to try to cultivate some 'deathmatch fighters'. Even if the cultivation fails, I can lease them to you, and we can cooperate to hold a 'performance (anti-counterfeiting) competition brand', like those theaters and song and dance performances, with scripts, regular ticket sales, and performances."

The shop owner looked at the confident Yuan Zhu and his thoughts wavered: "Whom do you want to sign?"

Yuan Zhu chuckled and said, "Naturally, it's the 'big guy' who appeared in the 'warehouse (underground arena)' before. You must have some goods, right? I saw you before, secretly selling these things to other 'underground arenas.' Only by buying your goods can one qualify for the 'deathmatch,' right?"

The shopkeeper suddenly laughed: "You've got a sharp eye, kid. I've been deliberately hiding it... 20,000 yuan per bird, no guarantee of quality. The better the quality, the higher the price. Are you okay with that? Buy five, and I'll introduce you to them. The rest depends on your luck, how about it?"

Yuan Zhu did a quick calculation: the mere 10 yuan entry fee not only bought him the opportunity to enter but also included five free gifts—it wasn't expensive at all. So he nodded: "Okay, but I need to inspect the goods."

The boss pushed back his chair, stood up from backstage, grabbed a hat from a hook behind him, and put it on his balding head: "Then come with me."

(End of this chapter)