"Kid, don't be too full of yourself. I bet you won't be able to stay on your feet within ten moves." Reed's words were laced with a bit of banter.
"But considering that you've already fought five matches and your stamina has been somewhat depleted, how about I let you have three moves?"
Alton, who was in the audience, listening to the conversation between the two, wished he could go up there and cover Reed's mouth.
He thought to himself: Brother, can we stop asking for trouble on our own?
That Altai guy is clearly fired up from the fighting already, and you're still constantly provoking him.
Are you afraid that his punches won't be fierce enough later or something!
He then fixed his gaze on Altai's face beside him.
Sure enough, he saw Altai's eyes narrowing slightly and his face turning as dark as thunder.
Reed's confidence and provocation had kindled a fire of anger in Altai's heart.
At this moment, he felt a sense of being underestimated and scorned like never before - this guy actually dared to look down on him. He was simply courting death.
"Alright, since you're so confident, then let me see if you can still be standing after three moves!" Altai replied coldly, unconsciously clenching his fists. The atmosphere instantly became tense.
The surrounding audience also held their breath, and all eyes were focused on the upcoming confrontation. The air was thick with a sense of impending conflict.
"Beep~"
As the referee's whistle blew.
Altai took the lead and made the first move, completely losing his usual calmness.
He unleashed the ghostly"Ghost Step". His figure was as swift as lightning, carrying a fierce and powerful momentum as he charged straight towards Reed.
However, Reed just gently slid his feet as if stepping into another dimension of space. In an instant, he disappeared without a trace.
Altai's full-force strike missed completely, and the huge inertia made his body stagger forward several steps before he could barely stabilize himself.
He quickly turned around in a hurry, only to be shocked to find that Reed was standing behind him with his hands clasped together, looking calm and composed.
The corners of Reed's mouth curled up into a faint smile, and he said softly,"One move gone. Come on, keep going." Altai was filled with shock in his heart. He never expected that Reed's speed would be so astonishingly fast.
But as a boxing champion, he still had the psychological quality.
He quickly adjusted his fighting posture, and then the second and third moves came one after another like a raging storm.
The"Ghost Step" under his feet was so fast that only illusory afterimages were left behind. The speed of his strikes was also as fast as lightning, with the whistling sound of his fists, as if he was going to tear Reed apart.
However, Reed's speed seemed to go beyond common sense. It was so fast that others could hardly catch his figure's trajectory.
He was like a stream of light. With just a slight flash, he ghostly dodged behind Altai.
Altai's eyes widened in disbelief and he blurted out,"Who the hell are you? How come you also know the Ghost Step?"
He knew clearly in his heart that the ghostly steps of the person in front of him were even more proficient and superb than his own, and his brows couldn't help but knit tightly into a knot.
Reed ignored Altai's question. In the next moment, he sprang up like a leopard pouncing on its prey. His speed was extremely fast, and in the blink of an eye, he closed in on Altai.
With a dull"Bang", a heavy punch landed firmly on Altai's abdomen.
This punch was as fast as a shooting star. Altai didn't have time to react at all. He only felt a sharp pain in his abdomen.
Reed said with a bit of mockery,"It's not good for you to be distracted, kid. You should focus more on dealing with it."
Altai couldn't help cursing in his heart,"Damn it, distracted my ass! I didn't even have time to react at all, okay?"
He knew deeply that the strength of the person in front of him was unfathomable. So he immediately summoned up all his energy and focused all his attention on dealing with it.
Immediately after that, Reed moved again.
His speed was so astonishingly fast that others could only see a blurry shadow left in the air. Then came a series of"Bang! Bang! Bang! Bang! Bang! Bang!" sounds of punches.
Reed threw six punches in one go, and each punch landed precisely on Altai's acupoints.
He didn't use his full strength, so on the surface, Altai only seemed to have suffered some superficial injuries.
On the boxing ring, Altai felt that his body was imprisoned by an invisible force and couldn't move at all.
His face changed and he gritted his teeth and roared,"What have you done to me?!"
With his eyes like burning flames, Altai stared at Reed fixedly. His gaze was filled with anger and confusion, as if he wished he could tear Reed into pieces.
Reed gently clapped his hands and smiled slightly."Well, don't you know a lot about acupoints? Why, now that you've been acupunctured, you're still asking me what I've done?"
The skill of Pressing acupoints was learned from an ancient martial arts master in his previous life.
At that time, in order to accurately identify the acupoints, he deliberately studied with an old Chinese doctor in Country H for over a year.
"Pressing acupoints..." Altai's pupils suddenly contracted in shock and he was too stunned to speak."This... It's impossible! Pressing acupoints only exists in legends. Who on earth are you?"
Reed didn't answer directly. He just slowly raised his head, his gaze calm yet sharp as a knife."Who I am doesn't matter. What matters is that there is always someone better. Don't think that just because you have some skills, you can be invincible in the world."
Altai was stunned for a moment. Reed's words were like a heavy hammer hitting his heart.
Images of the previous matches flashed through his mind, those opponents who were brutally defeated by him, those fists covered in blood, and his increasingly brutal attacks... He realized that he had been blinded by the halo of victory and had lost his original intention.
For a while, the flame-like look in his eyes gradually dimmed. His originally upright body seemed to have lost its support. The whole person was like a deflated ball, standing there slightly hunched over.
Reed looked at Altai, a hint of surprise flashing in his eyes. But in his heart, he couldn't help but complain,"I didn't say anything too harsh. Why does this kid look like a withered eggplant all of a sudden, so wilted? Come on, being so fragile, how can he be a master?"
He let out a soft sigh, and a hint of disappointment inadvertently showed on his face. Even though he was wearing a mask, Altai could still see the undisguised disdain in those eyes.
This invisible contempt was like a blade stabbing hard at Altai's self-esteem.
He suddenly clenched his fists tightly, and his silent gaze burned brightly again, like a powder keg that had been reignited.
"What are you so cocky about!" Altai roared, and his voice echoed throughout the boxing ring."I haven't lost yet! I just haven't practiced enough! When I master the Ghost Step well, one day, I will defeat you!"
Reed slightly raised his eyebrows and showed a smile of approval, saying softly,"That's right. This is how a young person should be."
Immediately after that, the corners of his mouth lifted, and there was a hint of banter in his gaze."Alright, I'll be waiting for you to challenge me."
Altai snorted coldly, and his gaze was as sharp as a knife.
Then, he turned to face the audience below the stage, took a deep breath, and said in a voice as loud as a bell,"I concede!"
This admission of defeat pierced through all the noise in the venue. The audience below the stage instantly fell silent, and everyone stared at Altai in shock, as if they couldn't believe their ears.