Chapter 15: Winning the Top Spot

As the crowd spoke, the matches on the stage continued.

Next up was the Sand River Gang versus the Tieyi Martial Arts Hall.

With the intense life-and-death struggle between Lu Yuan and Baturu in the previous round, this match, while slightly inferior, could still be considered quite spectacular.

The Sand River Gang's contestant was clearly a veteran who had participated many times; their technique was skilled, and their Martial Arts level was on the verge of Strength Training.

The contestant from the Tieyi Martial Arts Hall was not much worse in any aspect, especially since the opponent clearly practiced external hard-body Martial Arts, possessing not only great strength but also extremely high resistance to blows.

The two sides grappled intensely on the stage for nearly the time it takes to burn an incense stick, but in the end, the Tieyi Martial Arts Hall contestant was more skilled, using their opponent's momentum to slam them hard off the stage.

However, despite winning, the Tieyi Martial Arts Hall contestant was already bleeding from the corner of their mouth, gasping for air, and had suffered significant injuries.

Then, for the final match of the semifinals, the remaining Mongolian man from the Feng'en General Mansion faced off against the Jin Quan Gang.

Because of Baturu's defeat and death, the young master and young lady of the General's Mansion were clearly furious and had issued a kill order.

Therefore, the only remaining Mongolian man acted as if crazed after stepping onto the stage, launching a fierce attack against his opponent.

It was just that his strength was clearly a notch weaker than Baturu's, and the Money Gang's contestant was also extremely fierce and no weakling; after the match began, the two grappled with exceptional intensity, appearing evenly matched.

The two went back and forth, the sounds of crashing and slamming echoing incessantly.

In the end, whether because they were anxious to defeat their opponent or because Baturu's defeat had affected their morale, the Mongolian man had his opening seized, and was choked unconscious by the Money Gang contestant using the same technique as Lu Yuan during a ground grapple.

Ultimately, the Mongolian man was defeated and left the stage, and the two from the Money Gang and the Tieyi Martial Arts Hall advanced to the finals to compete for the top spot alongside Lu Yuan.

However, after this match, both of them not only had their energy greatly depleted but also carried injuries, and their condition was clearly significantly compromised.

Looking at Lu Yuan, during this time he even had someone from the back garden bring a large pork knuckle, ate it down in a few bites, and then digested it with the Ingestion Technique, basically restoring his physical state to its peak!

So when the draw for the finals took place, seeing Lu Yuan looking vigorous and without a single injury, both the Money Gang and Tieyi Martial Arts Hall contestants felt their eyelids twitch, filled with suspicion and fear.

Subsequently, the draw results were released.

The result was actually that the Tieyi Martial Arts Hall contestant drew a bye, and Lu Yuan faced the Money Gang contestant.

Whoever among the two won the first match and then defeated the one who drew the bye would be the top winner of this wrestling tournament.

Seeing this result, the Tieyi Martial Arts Hall contestant, who had gained a chance to catch their breath, was naturally overjoyed, while the man from the Money Gang had an extremely ugly expression.

Just kidding, such a thorny opponent as Baturu had been choked to death on stage by the other party, and after his own fierce battle in the previous round, he had suffered heavy losses; now he didn't even have seventy percent of his peak state, so even if he got on stage, how could he win?

The Money Gang and the Qinglong Gang had long-standing grievances, and fearing he would be beaten to death on stage by Lu Yuan, he actually shouted his withdrawal on the spot before even getting on stage.

In the stands, the thousands of spectators who had been looking forward to it immediately let out waves of boos, and those who had placed bets on him cursed loudly, wishing they could rush down to the stage and tear him apart.

After all, the betting had closed before the semifinals began, and the Money Gang was considered one of the favorites; many people had placed bets on them, and now that they had retreated without a fight right before the finals, any gambler would be furious.

Waves of angry curses poured in; although the Money Gang members were embarrassed, they still had to compete for second place and could only stay at the venue to wait.

Subsequently, the gong sounded loudly, and the crucial match to decide the top spot officially began, with Lu Yuan and the Tieyi Martial Arts Hall contestant stepping onto the stage at the same time.

And this match had no twists; after it started, there was no fierce dragon-and-tiger struggle at all.

In less than ten rounds, Lu Yuan relied on his overwhelming advantage to easily flip the man from the Tieyi Martial Arts Hall to the ground and throw him off the stage.

After all, his condition was basically intact, while the opponent's condition was greatly compromised due to the previous fierce battle; with one rising and the other falling, there was naturally no suspense.

And with his victory, representing the top spot being firmly determined, the stage immediately erupted in waves of noise, some cheering, some cursing, some howling with wild joy.

Undoubtedly, those who were overjoyed and shouting were the lucky ones who had bet on this dark horse, Lu Yuan, and received huge returns.

Compared to the dullness of this match.

The following match to determine second place saw the Money Gang and Tieyi Martial Arts Hall contestants erupt into a fierce fight.

The two went back and forth, neither giving an inch, sweat and blood flying during their wrestling, once again heating up the atmosphere.

And in the end, the Tieyi Martial Arts Hall contestant took the victory with their advantage in stamina.

With this, the series of matches came to a complete end.

Lu Yuan and the other two stepped onto the stage again, the referee announced the rankings, and presented the top prize: a Red Silk Belt and a full one hundred Silver Yuan.

At current prices, one hundred Silver Yuan could buy a dozen sheep, and could also purchase many medicinal herbs for nourishing Qi and blood to be refined by the Ingestion Technique; this prize money made Lu Yuan feel pleasantly surprised.

Moreover, after winning the top spot, the entire venue roared like a mountain and sea; it seemed that because his reputation had further expanded, under the feedback of the Heavenly Book, his Qi Luck had actually increased by another 5 units, reaching 88 units!

A full one hundred Silver Yuan, plus a surging increase in Luck Power; this night could be said to have been a huge harvest.

"Hahaha, congratulations to Junior Brother for winning the top spot; this really brings honor to Master!"

"Congratulations to Brother Lu for your initial success; to be able to take the top spot on your first time on stage, this is a first in our Boxiyuan!"

"Congratulations, Brother A Yuan!"

After Lu Yuan stepped off the stage, Xu Dahu, Xu Erhu, Protector He Xiong, and everyone else gathered around to celebrate.

To the side, Li Junxian also looked on with a gratified expression, very satisfied:

"A Yuan, well done!"

Facing the congratulations, Lu Yuan bowed solemnly to Li Junxian and said modestly:

"I just got lucky; if it weren't for your careful cultivation, Master, how would I have today?"

He knew very well that being able to win the top spot today actually had a significant component of luck.

Like the bye in the semifinals, it even played a key role; otherwise, whether he could have achieved his current ranking would be a question mark.

And just at this moment.

Amidst the noise, He Xiong suddenly turned his head, and everyone turned to see the two young Jin Clan Banner People from the Feng'en General Mansion walking over, surrounded by a crowd.

The leading man's sinister gaze first lingered on Lu Yuan, then looked at He Xiong, and said indifferently:

"He Xiong, where did you find this new face? Why haven't I seen him before?"

"Young Master Kundu."

He Xiong responded:

"This person indeed only joined our gang not long ago; I wonder what the matter is?"

Kundu looked Lu Yuan over arrogantly:

"Just joined the gang? This person should be a contestant your gang specifically uses for fighting matches, right? If so, I want him; you name a price."

Not to mention Lu Yuan, the principal party himself, even He Xiong's smile faded upon hearing this, his voice turning slightly cold:

"Young Master Kundu is joking. This person is not only a member of the Qinglong Gang, but also the apprentice of our backyard supervisor, Li Shu; he is certainly not a slave."

"Is that so? Then never mind."

Kundu glanced at Lu Yuan with an expressionless face, his tone sounding slightly grim:

"You managed to beat Baturu to death; your dog-shit luck is not bad. I hope to see you here again at next month's tournament."

Having said that, he ignored the crowd and turned to leave.

(End of chapter)