133: Opening

After Li Zhan and his group took their seats,

a waiter soon brought drinks and a match schedule.

Shuisheng picked up the schedule and quickly scanned it.

At that moment, the lights in the center of the venue suddenly focused.

This year's organizer, Bai Shaqiang, holding a microphone,

walked to the side of the octagon cage wearing a flashy white suit.

He first greeted everyone loudly in Cantonese,

then began explaining the rules.

Beside him, a hoarse-voiced advisor repeated the key points in heavily accented Mandarin.

"Honored bosses! Brothers! Welcome to our Tiger Gate Challenge!"

Bai Shaqiang's voice boomed.

"Old rules! First five days, it's the 'Points Challenge'! Whoever has the hardest fists, gets the advantage!"

The advisor then explained in broken Mandarin,

"For the coming year, the shares of docks and venues in each town,

even the priority rights to several sea routes, will be redivided based on the points from these five days!"

"Each day has one champion. If you can hold the position, your points soar!"

Daniu listened, a bit confused, and asked Lao Zhou beside him, "Uncle Zhou, how do you win this?"

Lao Zhou lowered his voice, "See that incense burner over there?"

"If the champion remains undefeated for the time it takes one stick of incense to burn, it counts as a successful defense, and their points increase greatly."

"As for challengers,

they either beat the champion until he admits defeat,

or, before the incense burns out, fight well enough that even the referee thinks you have the upper hand."

"Simply put, you need to be both skilled at fighting and able to endure."

On the stage, the advisor paused, his voice suddenly rising with a hint of incitement and bloodlust,

"After the Points Challenge, there are still two days!"

"That's the 'Grudge Match' everyone most wants to see! Any grievances that can't be resolved,

sign the waiver, settle it on the stage!"

"Life or death, fate decides. Once you step off the stage, all grudges are wiped clean!"

As these words fell,

the atmosphere inside the venue instantly became even more frenzied and restless.

The gazes of many sharpened, clearly more anticipatory of this true grudge-settling segment.

Li Zhan listened quietly,

his fingertips lightly spinning his wine glass as he took a sip of the amber liquid.

He understood clearly in his heart that this underground fighting tournament was far from a simple display of brute courage.

In reality, it was a critical annual juncture for the redistribution of interests in the underworld of Dongguan and the surrounding regions.

Those highly profitable dock berths, smuggling channel quotas, and shares of grey-market industries—

all would be redivided according to the points earned on this stage.

The higher the points, the greater the profits one could seize in the coming year.

Precisely because of this, the major powers would spare no expense,

inviting renowned fighters and desperadoes from various places, even overseas, to lend their fists.

This stage,

was both a meat grinder and the best platform to showcase one's own strength.

Victory or defeat directly impacted status and influence for the coming year.

And even more brutal were the "Grudge Match" after the points competition ended.

That was the final clearing ground for all accumulated grievances, hatred, and irreconcilable conflicts from the year.

Both parties would sign waivers, settle it on stage, life or death irrelevant, with the outcome recognized by all powers.

Thinking of this, Li Zhan's eyes grew slightly deeper.

He wasn't very interested in competing for points on this trip.

His main purpose was to gauge the depths of the various factions, to see with his own eyes the true strength of these "neighbors" and opponents.

But as for the Grudge Match...

At that moment, deafening sounds of gongs and drums came from outside the venue!

Several colorful dragon and majestic lion teams rushed into the arena, beginning a spectacular dragon and lion dance performance.

It concluded with the difficult "Picking the Greens" routine, drawing a full house of cheers.

Immediately after, a more solemn segment arrived.

An elder in a Tang suit walked to the center of the ring and announced in a booming voice,

"I invite all the bosses to come forward, pay respects to Lord Guan, and establish this year's tournament rules!"

As his voice faded,

over a dozen main bosses or representatives from various towns in Dongguan and the Hong Kong-Macao region, including Li Zhan,

rose from their respective areas and walked towards the massive statue of Guan Gong in front of the stage.

The altar was already set with a complete roasted pig's head, various fruits, exquisite pastries piled like pagodas, and incense smoke curling.

As the organizer, Bai Shaqiang naturally went first.

He stepped forward, took three thick incense sticks, lit them on a candle, raised them respectfully above his head,

and bowed deeply three times towards the Guan Gong statue.

Then, in heavily accented Cantonese, he loudly proclaimed:

"Lord Guan above!"

"Today we meet with fists, establishing the rules!"

"On stage, we contest victory; off stage, we are brothers!"

"Accept losses gracefully, no settling scores later! Whoever breaks the rules,

is the enemy of us all!"

His voice echoed through the spacious factory building, carrying an indisputable aura of underworld ferocity.

The other bosses,

including Li Zhan, also stepped forward in turn to light incense and bow.

Li Zhan's movements were fluid and steady, his expression solemn,

showing respect for tradition while maintaining the bearing of a boss in his own right.

At this moment,

he officially appeared before the core circle of Dongguan's underworld in his capacity as the Boss of Chang'an.

The crowd chimed in unison, "Accept losses gracefully!"

Their voices merged, solemn and lethal, filled with traditional underworld atmosphere and intangible pressure.

Once the ceremony was over...

The previous solemnity was instantly shattered, the atmosphere becoming fiery and even fanatical again.

On the huge electronic screen,

the odds for the first round of matches began to scroll frantically.

Shouts and betting calls in various languages rose and fell, the air thick with the scent of money and desire.

Li Zhan returned to the booth, leaned back on the sofa, and scanned his surroundings with a profound gaze.

Yang Yuying still sat close beside him.

The solemn yet blood-tinged ceremony had left her shaken,

but it also made her more keenly aware of the power and status contained beneath the calm surface of the man beside her.

The flame of vengeance in her heart

seemed to have found a possible direction in this bizarre yet strictly hierarchical underworld.

The first day's points ranking matches were about to officially begin.

On Li Zhan's side, Daniu and Lao Zhou had already been registered.

Bosses themselves wouldn't participate in the points matches;

it was mostly their capable subordinates or vicious characters hired at great expense who would fight.

Soon, staff members came over with waivers.

The rules of the underground fights were cruel and direct—

no referee's count for protection, surrender relied entirely on self-awareness,

but often opponents wouldn't give you the chance to speak. Once on stage, death or severe injury was the norm.

Li Zhan called Lao Zhou and Daniu to his side and gave them a serious warning:

"Remember, going up is just for probing, not for fighting to the death."

"If you sense something's wrong, surrender immediately and jump off the stage. There's no shame in that."

"In the face of life and death, everything else is trivial. Understand?"

Lao Zhou, having more experience, nodded calmly, his eyes reflecting the composure of weathered storms.

"Don't worry, A-Zhan. I know my limits."

Daniu, however, clenched his fists hard, his knuckles cracking.

His eyes gleamed with excited, bloodthirsty light as he responded in a deep, muffled voice,

"Understood, Senior Brother!"

But his expression was clearly written with a craving for battle.

The massive octagon cage gleamed with a cold, hard metallic sheen under the lights,

like a silent beast awaiting the sacrifice of blood and shouts.

The roar of the crowd inside the venue rose once more.

Today's points matches

were about to raise the curtain on the bloodshed...