Chapter 53: Tournament Start.

Brother Zhang was a member of the provincial team; as such, he defeated his opponents with ease. One young man collapsed to the ground after just one sweep kick. After a few rounds of victories, no one dared challenge Brother Zhang any longer.

"Boring."

Brother Zhang hopped off the tournament stage; he shook his head and lamented.

"You are too powerful for them."

Yang Li's boyfriend praised Brother Zhang

Yang Li's boyfriend was called Xiao Wang, and he was from Jin City. His family owned at least a few dozen million since otherwise, he would not be able to find a girlfriend as beautiful as Yang Li. Rich friends such as Xiao Wang practically surrounded brother Zhang.

After all, someone had to clean the mess after these rich brats. Whenever they were in trouble, they would ring Brother Zhang up for help. In most cases, the fight was over once Brother Zhang arrived and told his opponents that he was from the provincial Sanshou team. Most of these opponents were ordinary high school kids, and therefore no one dared to butt heads against a professional.

Due to the protection Brother Zhang could offer, Xiao Wang was resolved to be on his good side. He never knew when he would have to give the big brother a phone call to fish him out of troubled water.

As such, Xiao Wang had planned this trip to the Qin Yang County, specifically for Brother Zhang. He had told his other friends to invite as many attractive teenage girls as possible for Brother Zhang to choose. However, the timing was bad, and therefore, only one girl had come with them besides Yang Li. The girl was only average looking, and therefore Brother Zhang was not all that interested in her.

Xiao Wang had been lamenting his back luck, but his eyes lit up as soon as he saw A'Xiu. If Brother Zhang didn't want her, he might dig his claws into her.

As soon as Brother Zhang saw A'Xiu. His eyes were glued to the girl's face. Seeing Brother Zhang's interest, Xiao Wang formed a plan in his mind and spoke to Brother Zhang, "Since there is nothing else to do, why don't we make it to the tournament stage right now."

He then looked to Chen Fan and A'Xiu and said, "Xiao Fan, you two are too young, and this county is too dangerous. Why don't you come with us? We have the protection of Brother Zhang; no one would dare lay a finger on you."

"I agree! Xiao Fan, come with us. If I leave you alone here, your sister is not going to let me get away with it." Yang Li nodded in agreement.

"There is no need." Chen Fan furrowed his brows.

He had felt a bad vibe from the group except for Yang Li, who was oblivious of her friend's true nature. He wondered what had spurred these young men's nefarious intent after meeting him for the first time.

"Of course, you are coming with us! Haven't you see that someone had just broken their head on the stage? This place is dangerous; you better follow us, another wise I will call your sister and tell her what you are up to." Yang Li put her hands on her hips and refuted Chen Fan firmly.

"Er..." Chen Fan suddenly felt at a loss for words.

Yang Li's threat worked. If she snitched on him to his cousin Chen Ning, his mother would also know that he had skipped classes to go to Dong Jiang Province. Then he would be in knee deep trouble.

"Fine, fine." Chen Fan agreed lightly. He was here for sightseeing anyway, what difference did it make who he toured the town with.

The seven of them drove two cars towards the outskirts of the Qin Yang County.

The stage for martial arts tournament was much bigger than that of the wrestling competition, and therefore it had to be set up outside of the city.

When they arrived, they already saw a few vehicles parked by the stage. Besides a little lake erected a huge circular wall made out of tarp. The wall marked the perimeter of the tournament event, and the stage was just inside of it.

The entrance fee started at one thousand per person, and the ticket booth only took cash.

Xiao Wang paid for everyone's front row ticket at double the price. As he produced a thick stash of cash from his jacket, he glanced at A'Xiu, and he was satisfied to see that the girl's eyes were filled with admiration.

After they entered the threshold, they felt a heat wave sweep across their faces.

Chen Fan studied the enclosure and noticed that the seats were already half full. There were at least a few hundred attendees here. The stage was set, and a few dancers and a singer were performing while the rest waited for the tournament to start.

There were many waitresses with bunny ears and bikinis walking about while carrying a platter.

On the platters were drinks, fruits, and snacks. One could call a bunny girl over and pay for the food or drink directly with a credit card. Credit was not an issue here since most of these men and women were super rich.

Chen Fan shook his head.

"Anyone want to make a 'donation'?" Xiao Wang asked his friends while wagging a slip of a betting form.

Brother Zhang betted a hundred thousand yuan on a retired Sanshou fighter. Other people in the group also "donated" a dozen thousand here and there.

By then, A'Xiu and Chen Fan were the only ones who hadn't filled out their forms.

Seeing that the donation started at ten thousand, A'Xiu shook her head and backed away from them.

Xiao Wang cracked a smile and said, "Don't worry, I can lend you some money now, and you can pay me back later."

As he spoke to A'Xiu, he gave Chen Fan a look.

Xiao Wang knew that the fledgling would not be able to stomach such humiliation and therefore, he would have to borrow from him.

To his surprise, Chen Fan didn't even grace him with a glance as he kept his placid and indifferent expression on his face.

Xiao Wang cracked a smile and let the matter rest.

Yang Li asked curiously, "Isn't it kind of like those illegal underground cage fights?"

Xiao Wang shook head and said, "Are you kidding me? They are totally different.

"A Cage fight's reward was astronomical, and a cage fight had no rules.

"The tournament, on the other hand, was a public event, and the reward was only a fraction of a cage fight.

"It followed strict rules, and no one was ever hurt on the stage.

"As you can see, the tournament and a cage fight are very different.

"So stop being so silly. This is nowhere close to a cage fight.

"Only girls like you would believe that this is a cage fight."

Ashamed at herself, Yang Li nodded slightly.

After a while, the match finally started. The first two contestants were two tall and brawny men. One had learned professional boxing, and the other was a self-taught martial artist. The two fighters were at each other right away, and their aggressive advances lit up the enthusiasm of the audiences.

As the match progressed, the fights were getting more and more entertaining and thrilling to watch. Some attendees had already taken off their shirts and waved them in the air to cheer for their fighter. After each fight, there were elated cheers as well as hateful curses and lamentation. Many "donations' were at stake.

"He won again! Good pick, Brother Zhang!"

As soon as one of the fighters fell to the ground, Xiao Wang jumped out of his chair and waved his fists in the air excitedly.

Brother Zhang let out a smug smirk. As a professional fighter, he had more insight into the strengths and weaknesses of each fighter. He had helped his friends place their bets and so far, none of the fighters he picked had lost a fight.

Even A'Xiu was excited by the promise of making a huge return on bets.

Xiao Wang came up to the girl again and asked.

"Xiao Fan, A'Xiu, are you guys going to place your bet or not?"

"Don't worry; we have Brother Zhang. You won't lose a nickel! I can lend you some money right now, and you can pay me back once you have made more money."

"Sure."

A'Xiu agreed hesitantly. She looked to Chen Fan and seeing he didn't object to her participation, she gritted her teeth and agreed to Xiao Wang's offer.

Xiao Wang's eyes flickered, and then he exchanged a knowing glance with Brother Zhang.

The girl had finally risen to the bait.

Chen Fan watched from the side, and he knew exactly what was going on. However, he was too lazy to intervene in the trivial drama of these mortals.

He was a cultivator, and freedom of body, mind, and soul was his ultimate goal. Therefore, he wouldn't let worldly morals and values to weigh him down.