Under the watchful eyes of the crowd and among the gathered masters, the first match of the finals officially began.
As soon as the start was announced, Andy from the Hungry Wolves team couldn't wait and was the first to rush forward.
As the saying goes, enemies burn with rage when they meet—he was ready to settle the score with Qin Ming in front of everyone.
Seeing him take the stage, Qin Ming took a deep breath, straightened his face, and quickly stepped onto the ring.
But unlike the aggressive Andy, his gaze never once locked onto his opponent.
Because to be blunt, Andy was only slightly stronger than Mai Shiranui. At best, he was a second-rate fighter, and even then, at the bottom of the tier.
In the Hungry Wolves team, he had the weakest strength. Qin Ming had never taken him seriously.
Even before his own rise, Qin Ming could beat him just by relying on the surprise advantage of their first encounter.
Now that he had fully risen, Andy had even less chance of being a match.
Among the Hungry Wolves, the only one who could truly pose a threat to Qin Ming was the legendary Lone Wolf—Terry.
As Qin Ming stepped onto the ring, Andy's eyes suddenly lit up. In the next second, he accelerated and charged straight toward him, unleashing a Flying Fist as soon as he got close.
Without hesitation, he then leapt into the air, both legs together and blazing with flames, firing himself at Qin Ming with full force.
Finishing move—Super Fire Bullet!
The energy sphere, flying at top speed, smashed into Qin Ming's chest, who didn't even try to dodge. Though it exploded with a loud boom, Qin Ming didn't move at all.
The ultimate move that followed also landed squarely on Qin Ming's chest.
The good news was that the move successfully forced Qin Ming back.
The bad news was... that was it.
Qin Ming braced both hands at his waist, forcibly withstood the blow, and only took a single step back.
Seeing this, Andy gritted his teeth hard. The instant he landed, his body flashed with light as he instantly changed tactics and used another finishing move without hesitation.
Flying Meteor Fist!
With fists and feet, he launched into a combo, finishing with a close-range Flying Fist as both hands came together.
With a rumble, Andy, in a stance like a Kamehameha, slammed both hands hard into Qin Ming's chest.
But Qin Ming, who had endured six punches and four kicks, remained expressionless the entire time. He didn't even bother to move.
Andy looked up in disbelief, while the audience, who had been loudly cheering moments ago, instantly fell silent.
Now that he was an Intermediate Adventurer, an adventurer's strength wasn't weak anymore. At the very least, they were no longer cannon fodder and could stand their ground against story characters.
Anyone who had made a name for themselves had strength equal to an average third-rate fighter. If they used items and consumables and went all out, they might even win.
Of course, there was always the chance of being counter-killed by injured fighters using their XAM state ultimate moves in desperation.
But regardless, their overall strength was enough to contend with third-rate martial artists.
As for Qin Ming, as a monster whose strength far surpassed others of his kind, his combat ability could already rival that of first-rate fighters.
He was like Kasumi Todoh among fighters—average in base stats among the first-rate, but with one highly specialized skill.
If that specialty couldn't be broken through and the opponent got countered, then Qin Ming's strength could reach the upper levels of first-rate fighters.
Of course, if it was broken through, then things got awkward—he wouldn't last more than a few rounds.
After all, all his stat points were allocated to defense and recovery. If he could endure, he could kill anything; if he couldn't, he was just a squishy target.
And Andy? He practiced Bajiquan and Shiranui Ninjutsu—both fast-attack styles.
Qin Ming happened to be least afraid of fast attacks. So when the two collided...
After tanking two finishing moves with basically no damage, Qin Ming's eyes suddenly flashed red.
In the next second—he struck like lightning, grabbing Andy by the throat and dragging him at high speed in a sprint.
Skill—Heavenly Glide!
After the dash, he flung Andy down hard, slamming him to the ground in an explosion of blood.
Just one move—and Andy was already seriously injured. White Flame had seeped into his body, greatly lowering his defense.
Andy, who rolled away, got to one knee, glared viciously at Qin Ming, and ignored the shouts of his older brother behind him. He roared again and charged once more.
XAM Mode! Super! Flying Meteor Fist!
The sounds of punches and kicks blended into a frenzy as Andy, gritting through the pain, launched another crazed assault.
Facing his offensive, Qin Ming stood still, face stern, only raising one hand to block up and down repeatedly.
Thuds and bangs echoed one after another as Qin Ming used the metal bracers on his arms to forcibly block every attack. Not a single hit landed.
Only after Andy's burst ended did Qin Ming suddenly swing his arm, landing a heavy blow to Andy's stomach and bending him into a C-shape, sending him flying over three meters.
A guy who relied on combos, had only B-rank fighting ability, and was just a third-rate martial artist to begin with—he was completely hard-countered by Qin Ming.
Even if Qin Ming just stood there and let him punch, Andy would run out of steam before landing a decisive hit. If Andy could beat Qin Ming, then something was seriously wrong with the world.
Having failed twice, Andy clutched his stomach and struggled to get up.
Blood ran down the corner of his mouth, and his eyes turned even fiercer.
"Qin Ming! You despicable bastard taking advantage of others' weakness! Damn you!"
Amid Andy's third charge, his roar echoed across the arena.
But this time, before he could even land a hit on Qin Ming, a steel fist slammed into his face, knocking him straight to the ground.
Wave of Chi enhancement! Imitation—Riding Machine Gun Fist!
One punch flattened Andy. Qin Ming then straddled him, both fists blazing with fire, and delivered a flurry of punches aimed straight at his face.
Qin Ming's relentless assault shook the entire ring. In the audience section, the members of the Team of Rage who witnessed the scene all raised their heads in unison, eyes wide with shock.
One burly man, holding a beer bottle mid-drink, stood up in disbelief.
"What the hell? That's my move!"
Hearing his comrade's outburst, a man beside him in military uniform—hat on his head and sunglasses on his face—remained calm as he responded from his seat.
"Calm down, Ralf. There are plenty of similar moves. We all fight with fists and kicks, it's only natural to run into—what the—!"
Clark didn't finish his sentence before suddenly crying out in surprise.
Because in the ring, after finishing his combo, Qin Ming abruptly hoisted Andy up, sprinted forward, leapt high into the air, and slammed him into the ground.
It was unmistakably Clark's signature move—Power Charge Throw!
Seeing Andy driven head-first into the ground and rendered completely still, Clark and Ralf were both stunned.
Only the military girl leaning against the wall nearby, arms crossed, remained calm with a cold expression.
"Clark, Ralf, ignore all that. Don't forget why we're really here."
The Team of Rage, a group of mercenaries under General Heidern's command, were participating in the tournament under false pretenses. Their true objective was to assist Chizuru Kagura in investigating and sabotaging Goenitz's evil plans.
Although General Heidern hadn't personally fought a member of the Hakkesshu, he had faced Rugal, who possessed the power of Orochi. Rugal retaliated viciously, taking Heidern's eye and killing his wife and daughter—a grudge that would never be forgiven.
Naturally, Heidern took Rugal's Orochi power very seriously. So when invited by Chizuru, he didn't hesitate to dispatch his most trusted subordinates.
Of course, the substantial commission Chizuru offered was another factor.
As such, the trio didn't care about winning or losing the matches—their priority was the mission.
Hearing Leona's reminder, Ralf and Clark calmed down and quickly sat back down.
Meanwhile, Leona remained by the wall, arms crossed, eyes sharp as she watched the ring. Her brow instinctively furrowed.
For some reason, as she looked at one of the fighters in the ring, she felt a strange sensation in her heart—a bad feeling she couldn't shake.
Had she met him before? Hm... Once the match was over, she'd check the wanted list—see if his face turned up there.
Someone that terrifying looking surely couldn't be anything good.
Her mind quickly made up, Leona's expression returned to its usual indifference.
It wasn't that she judged people by appearances—it was a skill she had honed over years of missions.
This guy had a vicious face, a vicious voice, and fought viciously. He might as well have the words "I'm a villain" tattooed on his forehead.
If he turned out to be a law-abiding citizen, she'd eat her own explosive earrings.
Qin Ming, for his part, paid no attention to the shocked gazes around him.
Having crushed Andy with a single Power Bomb, he wasn't planning to stop there. Instead, he grabbed Andy by the throat and lifted him up, shaking him violently while continuing to punch.
"You got dumped by a woman! And you're blaming me?!"
Smack!
"I earned this through my own hard work! Why are you acting like the victim?!"
Smack!
"I'm not some pretty boy! So being big makes me a criminal, huh?!"
Smack!
"Coming at me with your shallow looks bias! Who says all big guys have to be some kind of bull-headed freak?!"
Smack!
"Moo!"
Smack!
A few heavy punches later, the already battered Andy fell completely still.
Just as Qin Ming was about to throw a few more punches to vent his anger, someone suddenly grabbed his raised arm.
Qin Ming turned quickly and saw Terry standing in the ring, blocking him without him even noticing when he'd stepped up.
"Hey, man, that's enough. The match between you and him is over. Next up... it's me."
Honestly, if he wasn't Andy's older brother, Terry would've beaten him up long ago.
When the girl was chasing after him, Andy acted like he didn't care and even complained that she slowed his punches down.
Then the moment she left him, he turned into a sobbing drunk, whining all day long. Terry's head was about to explode.
His brother getting beaten in the ring was entirely within Terry's expectations—he even welcomed it.
Given Andy's current skill level and his recent slump, winning was a pipe dream.
Getting beat up was a good thing—maybe it'd wake him up to reality. But enough was enough. It couldn't go too far.
So now that it had gone far enough, Terry finally stepped in.
Letting go of Qin Ming's thick arm, Terry looked up at him, eyes gleaming with excitement.
This guy beat his brother in just a few punches—he had to be a top-level fighter, maybe even equal to Terry himself.
Looks like entering this tournament was the right call after all!
(End of Chapter)