73. The Briber of the Preliminary Round

“Bang—!”

In the vast training room, Chen Shang was once again thrown to the ground by the girl before him.

“You really do love using that move...” Chen Shang rubbed his aching back and slowly got to his feet.

Chiyo remained poised in her aikido stance, exuding an air of valor. “Even after I’ve used this move on you more than ten times, you still haven’t figured out how to counter it?”

“That’s not even a question of whether it can be countered!” Chen Shang complained, “Your strength is overwhelming—how could I possibly beat you?”

Chen Shang’s strength attribute was only 2.5, while Chiyo had long been a human war goddess with a strength of 5, and she was proficient in all kinds of martial arts. Even if Chen Shang had devised a way to counter her move, he lacked the physical prowess to execute it.

Fortunately, his training hadn’t been in vain. At the moment he was thrown, his Grappling Technique improved to LV2, granting him the skill “Chokehold Insights.”

—The timing of that skill proficiency was impeccable.

A subtle wave of knowledge seeped into his mind, gradually forming muscle memory.

“Again!” Chiyo lunged toward Chen Shang.

He stomped the floor, prepared himself, and faced her head-on.

As they closed in, Chiyo, as usual, seized Chen Shang’s arm, aiming to perform her trademark throw once more.

But this time, Chen Shang’s body seemed guided by an unseen force; instinctively, he twisted his torso, dodging her grasp.

He swiftly reversed grip, locking Chiyo’s wrist with one hand while the other palm struck her chin.

Smack—!

Her jaw took the blow, and Chiyo’s upper body recoiled unnaturally, forcing her several steps back.

Seizing the advantage, Chen Shang stepped forward to press his attack. At the same time, Chiyo regained her balance, her gaze burning as she fixed her eyes on him.

Strangely, Chiyo wasn’t angry at the move. On the contrary, a fervent smile curled her lips.

“That’s it! If you truly wish to compete in the Grand Arena Tournament, you must show at least this level of skill!” Her cheeks flushed with excitement, lips parting to reveal gleaming white teeth.

Faced with Chiyo’s pumped-up expression, Chen Shang felt no surprise.

Chiyo wasn’t simply a sadist, nor a masochist. In some ways, she was both.

That was why she loved combat sports and longed for evenly matched opponents.

Chen Shang landed a punch on Chiyo’s face, and she, instead of dodging, swung her fist at his face in return.

“Bang—!” “Bang—!”

Both of their faces were struck, each reeling back several steps.

—This crazy woman, she’s addicted to fighting, isn’t she?

Chen Shang pressed his burning, stinging cheek and loosened teeth, debating whether to activate “Final Healing” for treatment.

Chiyo’s face bore clear marks of the punch, but she paid them no mind, her expression growing even more exhilarated.

Just as they prepared to clash again, a female secretary in a suit entered the training room. “Miss, it’s almost dinner time.”

She bowed respectfully to Chiyo and then glanced at Chen Shang, open hostility in her eyes.

“I understand, Honmoto.” Chiyo withdrew her impassioned expression, responding with a cool demeanor.

Chen Shang, relieved, sat on the floor with a long sigh.

“What’s wrong? You can’t handle even this much?” Chiyo sat beside Chen Shang, handing him an ice pack. “If I recall, the Grand Arena tournament qualifiers start in less than a week, right?”

With his calming hormones active, Chen Shang hardly felt any pain, but he still pressed the ice pack to his face. “What, are you worried about me?”

“I told you, I don’t want you dying in the ring.” Chiyo tapped his head with a commanding tone. “If you can’t win, surrender. Don’t risk your life! Otherwise—”

“Otherwise what?” Chen Shang interrupted with a grin.

“...” Chiyo paused, then bit out angrily, “I’ll break your arms and legs right now and lock you up!”

“Don’t say things you don’t mean. I wouldn’t risk my life for a joke~” Chen Shang snapped his fingers. “Anyway, thanks for these past few days.”

“N-no need to thank me!” Chiyo’s breathing suddenly quickened, her voice softening. “It was my idea to train with you... and honestly, I enjoyed it...”

“What did you say?” Chen Shang missed her last words.

Chiyo tapped his head again and quickly stood up. “Nothing, I’m going to eat.”

Chen Shang stretched as he rose, his joints cracking. “Is it time for those nutrition meals again?”

“What else would I eat?” Chiyo retorted coldly.

As the heiress of the Yasoigi Group, Chiyo’s diet was strictly controlled by her family. Snacks and sweets were unattainable luxuries.

“Miss, today’s menu is two hundred grams of premium beef, one hundred and fifty grams of fresh vegetables, and two hundred milliliters of gene nutrient solution.”

As they entered the dining hall, the maid at the door bowed slightly to Chiyo.

At the head of the table sat a plate of plain boiled steak, a bowl of salad with no dressing, and a glass of bubbling black liquid.

For Chiyo, eating was simply a matter of nutrition intake, no different than taking medicine on schedule.

Of course, for those living in the slums, these nutrient-rich foods were unattainable delicacies.

“What a pitiful dinner~” Though he’d seen it many times, Chen Shang couldn’t help but sigh. “Want me to sneak you out for something better?”

“If you don’t want trouble, you’d best not.” Chiyo replied coolly, taking her seat. “Care to join me?”

Ding-dong—!

Just then, Chen Shang’s phone received a message.

“Hello, are you a contestant in Group Ten of the Grand Arena qualifiers? We are the Xu Group’s representative team and would like to discuss something with you.”

“Hm?” Chen Shang frowned, lost in thought.

He’d signed up for the Grand Arena’s preliminary rounds last week. By some stroke of luck, his qualifier group was the same as the Xu Group’s team.

The qualifiers used a battle royale format—only one team could advance from each group, meaning either he or the Xu Group’s team would be eliminated.

He typed a reply: “What do you want?”

“It’s inconvenient to explain in detail here. May we meet before the match?”

Chen Shang pondered, a smile tugging at his lips. “Alright, when?”

“The night after tomorrow at seven. I’ll send you the location.”

Putting away his phone, Chen Shang looked up at Chiyo. “Sorry, I have something to attend to. I’ll be off now~”

...

In an office of the Xu Group

“I’ve sent messages to all the contestants in Group Ten of the qualifiers, inviting them to meet us the night after tomorrow,” reported a bespectacled man in a suit.

Seated before him were several figures: a corpulent executive with slicked hair, a female robot secretary consulting a tablet, and most notably, a burly man in a tank top with a massive mechanical arm.

“Excellent~” The executive, supported by his exoskeleton suit, stood and clapped. “We’ll use money to persuade those contestants to forfeit.”

The mechanical-armed man interjected, “Is this really necessary? With my strength, I can easily lead the Xu Group’s team past the qualifiers!”

Clearly, this man would be representing the Xu Group in the tournament.

The executive coughed softly, retorting, “This competition is critical to our future business plans—no risks allowed! To guarantee our team’s advancement, anything that can be solved with money shouldn’t be gambled on.”

“What if they refuse the bribe?” the burly man scoffed.

“In that case, they’re courting disaster~” The executive sneered, instructing the young employee, “Prepare the funds and dispatch an armed security team from headquarters!”

“Yes!” The employee bowed respectfully and left the office.