Chapter 15: Feng Yuxiu
Chapter 15: Chapter 15: Feng Yuxiu
Fang Chen followed an attendant out of the room and headed to the registration desk.
In the corridor, he saw Zhong Bao being rushed past on a stretcher by two staff members, clearly being sent for emergency treatment. His gaze fell on Zhong Bao as he quickly replayed the fight in his mind.
The man was plain-looking and not particularly well-built. To still be stuck in the True Martial Realm at his age meant his talent was indeed mediocre. However, despite the brevity of their exchange, Fang Chen could sense that Zhong Bao possessed incredibly rich combat experience and a near-instinctive sense for fighting. In a split second, he could often make the most logical and effective responses. During that brief clash, almost every choice Zhong Bao made was tactically flawless.
Unfortunately, in the face of an absolute gap in speed and power, skill and experience could only be forcefully crushed. Fang Chen secretly evaluated the encounter. If he had only cultivated his Twelve-Step Leg Springing Technique to Minor Achievement, he probably would have been dragged into a bitter struggle. Even with the addition of his Rock-Breaking Fist, he estimated it would have taken at least twenty moves to secure a solid victory.
"Sir, the registration desk is just ahead," the attendant’s voice interrupted his thoughts.
Fang Chen arrived at the desk and took the form. It primarily required him to fill in his available time slots for matches, sign a liability waiver, and pay a ten-thousand-yuan deposit.
His gaze landed on the "Codename" field, and he paused slightly. Seeing this, the receptionist explained, "Sir, the Martial Artists here all use codenames."
Fang Chen nodded in understanding; this was obviously to protect their privacy. "Do I need to wear a mask or hood during the matches?" he asked.
"No." The receptionist shook his head. "Many spectators come specifically for certain fighters. Covering your face would cause misunderstandings and raise suspicions of using a substitute. You must show your face."
Fang Chen understood. Information in this world was closed off, unlike Earth where everyone had a phone. If he went somewhere else and changed his identity, almost no one would recognize him, so the risk of exposure was very low. Besides, he had already gotten his parents’ permission the night before. They had simply told him, "We don’t have any real skills and are afraid of hindering your growth. You can decide for yourself; don’t worry about us."
"Sir, you can refer to the codenames of other fighters." The receptionist handed over a list.
Fang Chen glanced at it: Saber-toothed Tiger, Black Bear, Hawkeye, Bone Breaker...
"It seems the standard for picking codenames is the same in both worlds," he mused.
Pen in hand, Fang Chen paused over the codename field for a moment. The image of Zhong Bao, whom he had just fought, resurfaced in his mind—mediocre talent, short stature, yet possessing a combat intuition that could not be underestimated. This reminded him of the protagonist from a movie he had once watched, a character obsessed with kung fu who challenged experts from all walks of life. Feng Yuxiu!
"Right, I’ll call myself Feng Yuxiu!" he decided. "The name looks inspiring and carries a ruthless dedication to the Martial Dao."
He raised his pen and neatly wrote the three characters in the codename field on the registration form.
The receptionist next to him took a look and confirmed, "Alright, sir. Your fighter name in our Geta Club will be ’Feng Yuxiu.’ Please wait a moment while I match you with an opponent who is available in the same time slot and has a similar purse value."
"Mhm," Fang Chen replied.
Taking advantage of the gap while the receptionist checked the data, Fang Chen asked another staff member nearby, "How does a fighter’s purse value usually increase here?"
The staff member explained amiably, "Hello, Mr. Feng. The advancement system in our club is not entirely fixed. It is comprehensively evaluated based on several aspects: the strength of your opponent, your match points, and how much the audience likes you—which translates to the amount of tips you receive.
"For example, your initial purse is twenty thousand yuan. If you are matched with an opponent worth fifty thousand yuan in your first match and you win, your purse will likely jump straight to thirty or even forty thousand yuan. This is a rapid way to increase your value.
"Of course, if you don’t get matched with a high-value opponent for a while, but your fighting style is particularly popular with the audience and you receive a lot of tips, the club will also raise your purse based on your market appeal.
"Apart from that, the most conventional method is relying on victory points. Our club’s point system works like this: three points for a win, one point for a draw, and minus three points for a loss. When your accumulated points reach ten, the club will raise your purse once, regardless of your opponent’s value."
Fang Chen immediately asked, "Then if someone always adopts a conservative fighting style, only aiming for a draw to get one point, wouldn’t they be able to slowly grind up their points and purse value as long as they fight enough matches, even if they lose and get points deducted?"
The staff member smiled and explained, "In theory, that possibility does exist. However, our club’s rule is that points are cleared and recalculated every month, though any purse value you’ve already gained will be kept.
"Furthermore, a Martial Artist cannot fight every day. The audience would get bored, and the Martial Artist’s body wouldn’t be able to handle it. A maximum of seven to twelve matches can be arranged in a month.
"If someone relies purely on draws to get one point at a time, their progress will be extremely slow. If they happen to lose a match in between and get three points deducted, it will very likely result in them failing to reach ten points for that month. The following month, everything would have to start from scratch again.
"Therefore, if you want to quickly increase your purse value, it’s still best to rely on victories to gain points. This also makes it easier to win the audience’s favor and tips."
Fang Chen nodded. "This does avoid turtle-style stalling tactics. The entertainment value of the matches will definitely be much higher."
Right then, the previous receptionist looked up and said, "Mr. Feng, your opponent has been matched for you."
Fang Chen looked at him. "Oh? When is it?"
Looking at the schedule, the receptionist answered, "The match is scheduled for May 9th, which is three days from now, at around 8:30 PM. I suggest you arrive half an hour early to prepare because if the previous matches end quickly, your bout might start ahead of schedule." He then proceeded to introduce the details, "Your opponent, like you, is a Martial Artist at the Late Stage of True Martial Realm with a purse of twenty thousand yuan. His codename is Iron Hand."
Fang Chen collected a set of standard black combat uniforms from the club and a metal badge engraved with the codename "Feng Yuxiu." This served as his official identification at the Geta Club.
"Iron Hand?" he muttered softly, looking at his newly matched opponent’s codename.
It was a pity that the other party, just like him, currently only had an initial purse of twenty thousand. This meant he had to win at least four matches before his purse value could see a significant increase.
Although Fang Chen was fully confident in defeating this "Iron Hand," he did not let his guard down. He went to the club lobby and looked at the "Highlight Moments" playing on the big screen, planning to gather as much information about his opponent as possible.
"It’s been a long time since I’ve watched TV," Fang Chen sighed with emotion. His family couldn’t afford a television. The only time he got to watch anything was when the school occasionally played video tapes to show them some classic martial combat cases from the outside world.
The overall living technology of this world was roughly equivalent to the 1970s and 1980s of Earth in his previous life. Although televisions and telephones were not yet widespread, they already existed. As for the military level, judging from the newsreels he occasionally saw, it was probably still at the level of World War I. They relied primarily on gunpowder weapons, and modern, world-destroying high-tech weapons had not yet appeared.
Fang Chen found a seat and waited patiently. About half an hour later, combat footage of Iron Hand finally appeared on the screen.