Chen Meijia was scheduled for the fifth match of the morning. She went to change her clothes after watching the third match.
After Chen Meijia left, Zheng Dongyang quietly asked, "Hu Lei, do you have confidence in this match today?"
Long Xiao smiled and said, "Don't worry, Senior Zheng. I guarantee victory."
Zheng Dongyang felt a bit displeased with Hu Lei's excessive confidence, but he couldn't say anything out of respect for Long Xiao.
Soon, it was Chen Meijia's turn to enter the arena. She walked onto the stage with full confidence, smiling at her opponent.
"Senior Sister Chen, don't go easy on me this year," said Chen Meijia's opponent.
Chen Meijia's opponent was a young man in his early twenties, handsome and spirited, attracting the fiery gazes of countless girls.
Chen Meijia pouted and smiled, "Just because you're good-looking doesn't mean I won't beat you."
Chen Meijia had been defeated by him twice before. This time, she was full of confidence and ready for revenge.
The young man struck an Eight Extremes Fist pose, waiting for Chen Meijia to make the first move.
Chen Meijia stepped forward and threw a whip kick.
The young man, overconfident, raised his fist to intercept Chen Meijia's right leg. If his left arm could block this kick, his right fist would hit Chen Meijia's abdomen.
Chen Meijia put all her strength into this kick, wanting to show the young man that she was not to be trifled with.
Neither of them expected that the moment their leg and arm made contact, with a bang, the young man was sent flying horizontally, falling straight off the stage.
This kick was astonishing. It was rare in the Martial Alliance for a martial artist with over ten years of training to be kicked flying with a single strike.
Chen Meijia was stunned for more than ten seconds before retracting her leg, a look of pleasant surprise on her face.
Walking back to the viewing area, Chen Meijia excitedly said, "Brother Hu, the medicine you gave me works wonders! My strength has at least doubled."
Zhao Meng sat to the side, looking at Chen Meijia with envy. He thought that the next time he saw Long Xiao, no matter the cost, he would buy such a medicine from him.
As it neared noon, it was Long Xiao's turn to compete. This time, he still didn't change his clothes, walking onto the stage with his hands behind his back, adopting an infuriating posture.
Long Xiao's opponent was a burly man, about 1.9 meters tall, with bulging muscles that exuded a strong sense of pressure.
Long Xiao was half a head shorter than his opponent and appeared very slender.
After the referee called out "Begin," the burly man looked at Long Xiao and asked, "You go first. I'm afraid I might knock you out with one punch and ruin the fun."
Long Xiao smiled and walked towards the burly man, saying, "You're too polite. No need to be humble. Otherwise, I'll feel bad if I knock you out with one punch."
"Hahaha, little brother, you sure know how to joke."
"Hurry up and fight, don't waste time," someone shouted from the stands.
Vice President Ming Tianya, watching Long Xiao and his opponent, also grew impatient. "Tell them to hurry up and fight. What's with all the chatter on the stage?"
Lu Huizhang, the president of the Southern China Martial Alliance, sitting beside him, shouted, "Che Donglai, be quick about it, don't waste time."
In President Lu's eyes, Long Xiao was no match for Che Donglai, who would be able to knock him off the stage in a few moves.
Che Donglai, standing opposite Long Xiao, saw President Lu's impatience and said, "If you don't attack, I will. Our president is getting impatient."
Che Donglai swung his fist, as large as a pot, and with a whooshing sound, it hurtled towards Long Xiao's head.
He put a lot of power into this punch, wanting to end the fight quickly.
Long Xiao tilted his head, dodged Che Donglai's punch, and retreated two steps, adopting a Zheng family boxing stance. They began to exchange blows.
Che Donglai relentlessly attacked Long Xiao, while Long Xiao mostly dodged, appearing somewhat flustered.
In this setting, Long Xiao didn't want to reveal his true strength. He tried his best to control his power, so as not to accidentally injure the burly man in front of him.
After dozens of exchanges, the two fighters moved close to the edge of the stage. Long Xiao feigned a move, and Che Donglai's punch missed, causing him to almost fall off the stage.
Long Xiao stood behind Che Donglai. After Che Donglai regained his balance, Long Xiao extended a finger and pushed. Che Donglai felt a tremendous force surge at him, making it impossible to stand steady. He stumbled forward and fell off the stage.
Che Donglai was too heavy. As he landed, his face made forceful contact with the ground, and his nose began to bleed.
Long Xiao, feigning innocence, stood at the edge of the stage and shouted, "Brother, I didn't mean to! I really didn't mean to. You lost your balance."
Che Donglai felt an uncomfortable sensation in his nose. He touched it and found his hand covered in blood.
"You deliberately…," he shouted halfway, then felt it too humiliating to be defeated by a single finger. He quickly changed his tune, "You deliberately watched me lose my balance and didn't help me."
Zheng Dongyang was speechless, thinking that this young man's luck was too good. His opponent had fallen off the stage due to carelessness.
The Vice President, sitting in the central viewing area, had a stern expression and was very unhappy. Although he hadn't seen Long Xiao make a move, he didn't believe Che Donglai would fall off the stage on his own.
"This kid is too cunning. Where did Zheng Dongyang find him?"
"President, I'll send someone to investigate," said Lu Xin, the president of the Southern China Provincial Martial Alliance.
"No need to investigate. Call Zheng Dongyang over and ask him directly," Ming Tianya said.
When Long Xiao returned to the viewing area, Zheng Dongyang was summoned to the central viewing area.
"Dongyang, is the person who went on stage just now your new disciple?" Ming Tianya asked.
Zheng Dongyang shook his head and said, "No, his name is Hu Lei. He's helping out at the introduction of a friend."
"Is he from Donghai?" Ming Tianya asked again.
Zheng Dongyang nodded and said, "Yes, he's from Donghai."
According to regulations, as long as someone was a local, they could compete on behalf of the local Martial Alliance, regardless of whether they were a member.
"This kid's strength is not low. Don't let him compete in the qualifiers. Let's pre-select him for the top five."
"Why pre-select him? That would be unfair to others."
Ming Tianya glanced back at the speaking president and said, "Letting him compete is even more unfair to others. What if he draws the strongest ones in the qualifier and beats them all?"
"President, how about we don't let him compete in the qualifiers, and have him participate in the challenge matches when only ten contestants remain?" Lu Xin suggested.
Ming Tianya nodded slightly and said, "That's fine too. You all don't believe me. After the matches, you'll see that no one is a match for this kid."
The draw for today's matches would determine the top ten. Tomorrow, challenge matches would begin to select the top five. Zheng Dongyang returned to the viewing area and told Long Xiao that he didn't need to compete today and would directly participate in the challenge matches tomorrow.
Long Xiao glanced at Ming Tianya from afar, thinking that the old man had some insight and had seen through him.
Long Xiao, accompanied by Xiao Ming, left the manor and returned directly to Xinglin Caotang. He first took Tong Hui to the backyard to check on the cancer patients, and then Long Xiao went to the ward where the Zhao siblings were staying.
Seeing Long Xiao, Zhao Xinyu got out of bed and knelt on the ground, saying, "Thank you, Master Long, for saving my life."
Long Xiao helped Zhao Xinyu up and said, "There's no need to be so polite. I run a medical clinic, and you are a patient. It's not a matter of saving a life."
Zhao Xinyu said stubbornly, "My life was saved by Master Long. I will never forget it in my heart, regardless of what work Master Long does."
Long Xiao held Zhao Xinyu's right hand and felt his pulse. His pulse was steady and strong, indicating a good recovery.
Long Xiao had just read the news about the dock explosion. The news reported that although the explosion was violent, there were no fatalities, only a group of people with minor injuries who were being treated.
Although the siblings were no longer in serious condition, Long Xiao was worried that someone might target them, so he decided to let them stay at Xinglin Caotang for the time being.