Chapter 438: Hidden Weapon

Chen Erbao took a step back, dodging the punch, then countered with a backhand of his own.

Wang Gang raised his arm to block, but the ferocious force sent him staggering backward involuntarily.

Surprise flashed in his eyes:

“Such incredible strength!”

Wang Gang calmly steadied himself. He suddenly thrust both hands forward in a grabbing motion and pushed off with his feet, launching himself straight at Chen Erbao’s face.

In the blink of an eye, he was in front of Chen Erbao, his hands already touching Chen Erbao’s shoulders.

His thick fingers were hooked like talons. From the looks of it, if they clamped down, they could dislocate Chen Erbao’s shoulders.

Below the stage, Feng Qingwan’s heart was in her throat.

She couldn’t understand the intricacies of the fight, but she felt that Chen Erbao was at a great disadvantage in terms of size.

Chen Erbao had initially considered taking the eagle claw strike head-on, but that felt too over-the-top. Instead, he bent his knees, dropped his entire body to evade the attack, then coiled himself up. With a powerful push from his feet, he shot forward like a compressed spring, ramming straight into Wang Gang’s chest.

Caught completely off guard, Wang Gang took the full force of the blow. A dull pain flared in his chest, and he was sent flying backward.

Before he could even regain his footing, Chen Erbao was on him like a shadow, his right hand shooting out to lock around Wang Gang’s neck.

The victor was decided in an instant.

The crowd below the stage was stunned.

Even the referee at the side hadn’t processed what happened before it was all over.

Wang Gang’s face paled as he felt the fingers on his neck.

“First match, Chen Haonan wins!”

Hearing the referee announce the result, Chen Erbao finally released his grip and cupped his fists toward Wang Gang.

“Thank you for the match.”

Wang Gang was in a daze. He felt he had been defeated too quickly, too abruptly.

It was as if he hadn’t even gotten a feel for Chen Erbao’s true strength. It was just a simple counterattack, and then he’d lost.

He rubbed his still-aching chest, gave Chen Erbao a small smile, and turned to walk off the stage.

Only then did the crowd below react, erupting into an uproar.

“What… he fucking lost in a single move?”

“That was so unsatisfying. The big guy looked tough, but he was useless…”

Chen Erbao dusted off his clothes and stood calmly on the stage, awaiting the next challenger.

Around the hall, red security cameras swiveled slowly, recording everyone’s expressions.

「First floor of the clubhouse, surveillance room.」

A refined-looking man in casual clothes leaned back in a chair. Standing behind him was a middle-aged man who appeared to be in his forties.

He was none other than Huang Sanlang.

“Uncle Xu, can you tell what his background is?”

Huang Sanlang asked the man behind him, his eyes fixed on Chen Erbao’s composed demeanor on the stage.

The middle-aged man was dressed in close-fitting martial arts attire. His gaze was as calm as still water. After a moment of contemplation, he spoke.

“He made too few moves. I can’t tell.”

“Even you can’t tell?”

Huang Sanlang was slightly taken aback and sat up straight.

But the middle-aged man just shook his head and smiled.

“Young Master, in the world of Ancient Martial Arts today, every family and school has its own signature techniques. That man just used a basic body slam and a chokehold. Everything else was just improvisation. He didn’t use his true strength at all. Although I can’t determine his background, I estimate he’s a Third-rate or Second-rate Expert.”

“Oh… so he’s quite skilled. Where did that crazy woman from the Feng Family find an expert like him?”

Huang Sanlang was a little jealous of Feng Qingwan’s luck.

A Grandmaster is known as a supreme expert. Below a Grandmaster is a Top level Expert. For instance, Charles, whom Chen Erbao first encountered, and Gesang from Changbai Mountain were both Top level Experts.

Experts of this caliber are often just one step away from becoming a Grandmaster. Once they break through, everything changes.

And below Top level Experts are the Second-rate Experts.

As a top wealthy family in Binhai City, even the Huang Family didn’t have many Second-rate Experts in their service.

Uncle Xu explained,

“An expert like this definitely couldn’t have been bought by Feng Qingwan. He probably has his own motives for temporarily helping her in a match. Maybe he’s short on cash.”

Huang Sanlang smiled. “If it’s just about money, then things will be easy…”

…

Back at the ring, the crowd, still hungry for a real show, placed their bets again.

In the first match, eighty percent of the people had bet on Chen Erbao to lose. When he won, Feng Qingwan made a considerable profit and was already quite satisfied.

‘If he wins the next match too, I’ll make over seven million… I’m gonna be rich! So rich!’

She sat below the stage, lost in her daydream, her gaze toward Chen Erbao now holding a trace of reverence.

It was a shame Chen Erbao had acted so quickly; she hadn’t gotten to enjoy the show at all.

Soon, the second challenger appeared. It was none other than the contestant brought by Bai Hong: Xiu Yuan!

Xiu Yuan was of medium build and looked to be in his thirties. His face was gloomy, with high cheekbones, sunken cheeks, and a pair of narrow eyes that glinted with a cold light, making him appear exceptionally sinister.

Before Xiu Yuan went on stage, Bai Hong walked up to him, leaned in, and whispered a few words. Xiu Yuan nodded silently and headed for the ring.

“Now this is going to be a good show!”

“Bai Hong made a fool of himself cheating earlier. Let’s see if he can save face this time!”

“Save face my ass! Even if he wins, he’s still a cheating scoundrel, hahaha…”

someone shouted with a laugh.

Bai Hong’s mouth twitched in anger, and the hatred for Chen Erbao in his heart deepened.

What he had just said to Xiu Yuan was, “Kill him!”

In the surveillance room, Huang Sanlang’s interest was piqued as he watched Xiu Yuan’s ghostly figure suddenly appear on the ring.

Uncle Xu provided timely commentary:

“Young Master, Chen Haonan won’t be able to hide his background this time. Xiu Yuan is a Second-rate Expert. If he hadn’t gotten into trouble at the border, he would be far beyond Bai Hong’s reach to hire.”

Huang Sanlang nodded. It was indeed going to be a good show.

Chen Erbao glanced at Xiu Yuan, then at the worried Feng Qingwan below the stage, and gave her a reassuring smile.

Xiu Yuan stared grimly at Chen Erbao, his lips barely moving. His voice was so low that only the two of them could hear:

“Young Master Bai wants you dead. My apologies.”

Chen Erbao gave him a surprised look.

‘Why is he telling me this?’

Xiu Yuan seemed to notice Chen Erbao’s confusion and gave a cruel smile.

“I just don’t want you to die without knowing why… It’s not too late to surrender. Otherwise…”

Chen Erbao scoffed, raised his hand, and beckoned at Xiu Yuan with his finger, gesturing for him to make a move.

“Damn, this Chen Haonan is pretty arrogant!”

In the surveillance room, Uncle Xu chuckled upon seeing Chen Erbao’s gesture.

“SWOOSH…”

Before Chen Erbao could even lower his hand, a sinister gust of wind shot toward him.

He threw himself backward, catching himself with his hands on the ground, and simultaneously kicked out fiercely with both feet.

“BANG!”

After the muffled thud, Chen Erbao got back to his feet. Xiu Yuan dusted the footprints off his clothes, his gaze on Chen Erbao growing even more menacing.

He began to move, circling Chen Erbao, getting closer and closer. Finally, with a wave of his hands, a flash of white light shot out.

‘Holy shit, a Hidden Weapon?’

Chen Erbao was genuinely startled, not because he was afraid of losing, but because he hadn’t expected this guy to use a Hidden Weapon.

He executed a clumsy-looking “lazy donkey roll” to dodge the surprise attack. But before he could get up, another gleaming Dagger shot toward his waist.

“Fuck!”