Start with acting, and you'll achieve immortality!

The following evening, as planned the night before, Lao Mao, A Si, and Su Wan were all in their positions in secret. Li Ping, along with Da Niu and Er Hu, slipped past the spies on the street and quietly crept into the back alley of the secondhand shop.

Da Niu and Er Hu pretended to rest at the alley entrance. Li Ping walked alone to the stone pillar. The stone slab at the base of the pillar was loose due to its age. He pried open a crack, revealing stone steps inside. After walking down about two zhang (approximately 6.6 meters), the sound changed.

First came the clatter of coins, then shouts, followed by the stench of alcohol and sweat mixed with an indescribable metallic smell, as if someone had smeared half a street's worth of blood on the walls.

Blood Arena has arrived

The underground stone chamber was enormous, its dome forming the foundation of the secondhand shop, supported by several thick pillars. Oil lamps hung on the walls, illuminating the entire area in a golden glow. In the center stood an iron cage arena, its bars as thick as a child's arm. A sign hung on the cage door, bearing the single word "Iron."

The area was packed with gamblers, some dressed in silk, some in short jackets, some with women in their arms, some squatting on the ground clutching coins. The air was thick with the mingled smells of sweat, blood, and coins, a pungent, unpleasant stench.

The registration area was set up on the sidelines. Behind a tattered table sat a short, flat-nosed lackey with a pen, ink, and a stack of number plates in front of him.

"A delicate-skinned, tender-fleshed fellow coming to his death?" The henchman glanced Li Ping up and down, saw his blue robe and delicate skin, and scoffed, "A scholar coming to fight? In this place, more are carried out than walk out."

"Expensive has its advantages," Li Ping said, putting the registration fee on the table. "High odds are all that matter."

"To buy life, or to buy defeat?"

"Bet on me to win, bet on him to die."

Li Ping placed the silver ingot he was carrying on the table: "Bet it all on me."

The henchman glanced at the silver ingot, then at him, quickly wrote down his number, and pointed it onto the stage: "Iron level, the one guarding the gate after an incense stick burns, Iron Head."

"Is it a stubborn head, or a stubborn life?"

"In a moment, you won't even have time to beg for mercy."

In the time it takes for an incense stick to burn, the shouts of the gamblers suddenly ripped the roof off.

Tie Tou came out from the side door.

Bald, with a body full of fat, his arms thicker than Li Ping's thighs, he walked so far that the floor tiles trembled with every step. He reached the bronze bell beside the cage, lowered his head, and slammed his forehead against it. Clang! The bell resounded loudly, the echo circling the stone chamber three times.

The whole place erupted

"Iron Head! Iron Head!"

"Kill that scholar!"

Tie Tou stepped into the iron cage, slammed the cage door shut, grinned at Li Ping, revealing a mouthful of yellow teeth: "With your little body, you think you deserve to die under my fists?"

"I prepared two sets," Li Ping said as he entered the cage. "One set is for you, and one set is for your bell."

Iron Head grinned: "I've smashed three bronze bells with my head. You think your bones are harder than bronze bells?"

Li Ping glanced at the still-ringing clock beside the cage: "Then tonight, you'll have to ram your face into it."

Without a word, Tie Tou charged forward like an ox plowing a field, his fists clenched in front of him, his feet pounding the ground.

Li Ping stepped to the side

It wasn't retreating, it was moving to the side, making a step and a half's difference. Tie Tou rushed past him, unable to stop his momentum. Li Ping hooked his ankle with his toe.

Iron Head, already leaning forward and unable to stop, tripped on his ankle and fell forward. Li Ping seized the opportunity and slapped him on the back of the head.

The force wasn't great, but the direction was precise; Iron Head's head, propelled by the force of the palm strike, slammed straight into the iron cage pillar.

Kang dang

The iron cage swayed slightly, and before the echo from the bronze bell had even faded, Tie Tou had already slid down the cage post, lay motionless on the ground.

The entire hall was silent for three breaths.

The gamblers stared, mouths agape, hands clutching coins suspended in mid-air, eyes fixed on the scholar in the cage. He clapped his hands, as if brushing off a handful of dust.

Then the fryer exploded.

"Iron Head was taken down in one move?"

Qian Duo, having somehow squeezed to the front, clutching his ticket stub, shouted at the top of his lungs, "Sir, please slow down! I haven't seen enough with my ten-coin ticket yet!"

Li Ping glanced at him: "That's it? Go ask when the next match is."

"Enough talk," Li Ping said, "Go and collect your winnings."

The referee hesitated for a moment before raising his hand, his voice trembling: "...Jiangning Li Ping wins! Iron level passed!"

Applause, curses, and the clatter of coins hitting the ground filled the air. Some wailed that they had placed the wrong bet, while others crowded around Li Ping to ask if he would play the next round. A manager in a silk robe pushed his way through, all smiles, "Master Li's skills are beneath your reach in the Iron Rank. Our leader has prepared some top-quality Maojian tea in the back room. We humbly request that Master Li grace us with his presence."

"Let the tea stay warm for now," Li Ping said. "I can drink it after I remove the silver-grade label."

The steward hesitated for a moment: "Master Li, silver-level is no joke. Do you really want to continue?"

"More than just silver-grade," Li Ping waved his number plate. "Go back and tell your gang leader that I'll be drinking this tea sooner or later."

The manager's smile froze for a moment, and he awkwardly stepped back.

Li Ping picked up the new number plate from the cage. The henchman next to the bronze-level player shrank his neck and added, "The rule for the bronze-level is: if you can survive three rounds of intense battles in one night, you're silver; if you can't, you're carried out."

"Get the stretcher ready," Li Ping said, tucking the number plate into his coat pocket. "For the next person."

After taking two steps, he suddenly felt a gaze fixed on his back.

He turned around

Looking towards the darkest corner of the stands, a scarred man leaned against a pillar, staring at him. The scar ran from his brow down to his jaw, as if splitting his face in two.

Li Ping recognized him as the person Ah Si had mentioned.

When the scarred man saw him turn around, he neither dodged nor spoke. He just stared at him for a long time, then turned and left through the back door.

Da Niu came up from the alley entrance, took the number plate, and asked in a low voice, "Sir, that scarred man looks like he has bad intentions. Should I take the brothers and cripple him?"

"The Iron Fist Gang's vice leader," Li Ping withdrew his gaze, "is waiting for me to die, and I'm waiting for him to make a mistake."

Qian Duo took a few steps after him and stuffed a small bag of loose silver into Li Ping's hand: "Sir! Your silver ingot has tripled in value; I've kept that in mind!"

Li Ping weighed it in his hand and tossed it back to him: "There are still three more matches to go to the accounting office tomorrow, and the odds will only be higher."

Qian Duo, clutching his money bag, exclaimed with delight, "Then tomorrow, I'll bring the guild's base money too!"

Li Ping didn't respond, but simply gripped the bronze-grade badge he had just received.

The scarred man from the Iron Fist Gang has his eye on him; tomorrow night's tag-team battle is destined to be a tough fight.