Chapter 83

After daybreak, Song Haowen had a good breakfast and hurried to the martial arts team for centralized training. The competition was scheduled for the evening at the Beijing National Sports Stadium, with full coverage by Huaxia TV, which would later broadcast edited scenes on television.

Following negotiations between Huaxia and the United States, the competition adopted a best-of-five format, with each side fielding five players. There were no divisions based on levels, and the athletes did not wear protective gloves. Opponents were determined through a draw held on the spot.

In the evening, the Beijing National Sports Stadium, capable of accommodating tens of thousands of people, was packed to capacity. This event marked another grand occasion between Huaxia and the United States since previoius diplomacy.

Leaders from both nations and the U.S. ambassador were present at the venue. The results of the competition were to be announced to the world.

After a brief and enthusiastic pre-match ceremony, representatives from both Huaxia and the United States drew lots on behalf of the participating athletes.

 He Hu drew George, a white participant, to be the first to enter the arena.

Zhao Meng drew Thomson, a black participant, who would be the fourth to compete.

Song Haowen drew Benjamin, another black participant, who would be the last to enter the ring.

After seeing the list of opponents, Song Haowen couldn’t help but sigh. The player who resembled a gorilla was the most formidable among the five American participants.

Nicknamed “Black Gorilla,” he was this year’s heavyweight boxing champion among American university students.

He was a highly skilled athlete with exceptional athletic talent, capable of challenging even the belt-holding boxing champions.

Although Song Haowen was disappointed with the draw, he did not fear it. Instead, he felt an eager desire to give it a try.

When the martial arts competition officially began, He Hu, the first to step into the ring, faced the two-meter-tall white participant, George.

With a height disadvantage of only 1.7 meters, He Hu was clearly at a physical disadvantage. Fortunately, the opponent had a strong sense of superiority, and his attacks were not very diverse.

He mainly used his long arms and strength to launch a storm-like assault on He Hu.

With agile footwork and effortless jumping, He Hu withstood George’s two rounds of frenzied attacks. The power of the “Overlord Fist” gradually became evident.

After employing defensive moves like “Four Sides Siege,” “Breaking the Cauldron and Sinking the Boat,” and “Drinking the Sword in the Black River,” He Hu seized the opportunity when his opponent’s moves became monotonous and the rhythm chaotic.

He courageously counterattacked, delivering two consecutive moves, “Lifting the Mountain and Covering the World” and “Overlord Lifts the Cauldron,” followed by a finishing move called “Unrivaled Under Heaven.”

With this, he knocked his opponent down with a single palm and ultimately secured victory, causing the entire arena to erupt in cheers.

The second participant from the Chinese side was a skilled martial artist recommended from the local area, proficient in the “Iron Sand Palm.” His palm strength was vigorous and overwhelming, with the power to break gold and shatter stones.

Few could withstand the force of his palm. During the martial arts team selection, he had already frightened most of his teammates with just his iron palms.

The opponent facing the Chinese representative skilled in the “Iron Sand Palm” was a stout black man, tough-skinned and robust, able to endure hits.

His agile and flexible footwork often rendered the Chinese representative’s attacks ineffective. On the scene, the Chinese player took the initiative, unleashing wide-ranging movements, while the American player mostly defended, suffering multiple cuts and bleeding.

In the end, the foreign referee had to stop the match, declaring another victory for the Chinese side. The entire arena erupted in cheers once again.

The third representative from the Chinese side was a member of the Martial Art Team, proficient in the “Mystical Shadow Fist.” His footwork was elusive, with unpredictable moves. However, his drawback was a slightly lacking strength, making it challenging to secure a victory against opponents with superior power. He faced a white opponent, robust and muscular, whose resistance far surpassed the black opponent from the previous round.

The two engaged in a back-and-forth, with the Chinese representative seemingly landing more hits. However, the American opponent, like a resilient doll, would get hit but remain standing, counterattacking swiftly with great force. After two rounds, the American player began to take control of the field. In the third round, the Chinese representative was defeated.

At this point, the Chinese side was leading with two wins and one loss. The fourth contestant, Zhao Meng, entered the stage with high spirits and confidence. His opponent was the black man, Thomson, ranked second in strength among the American representatives, just below the upcoming opponent for Song Haowen, known as “Gorilla” Benjamin.

Zhao Meng stood at 180 centimeters, which was considered quite tall among the Chinese, but in front of the towering 195-centimeter Thomson, he seemed significantly shorter.

As the match began, Thomson exploited his height and arm length advantage, repeatedly launching straight punches to keep Zhao Meng at a distance, preventing his opponent from fully utilizing his skills. Thomson was aware of the prowess of Chinese martial arts, especially in close-quarters combat, where seemingly every part of the body could be used as a weapon – head, shoulders, elbows, knees, and even the abdomen.

Seeing his opponent’s aggressive approach, Zhao Meng didn’t resist head-on. He utilized the agility and unpredictability of the “Shaolin Luohan Fist,” maneuvering around the opponent. Whether his head resembled waves, his hands mimicked meteors, his body moved like willows, or his feet seemed like a drunkard’s, within this dazzling array of techniques, moves like “Double Grabbing Hands” and “Frontal Punch” frequently appeared, gaining the upper hand for a while.

However, Thomson’s strength was not to be underestimated. After realizing that his straight punches were not as effective, he started incorporating hook punches and flying kicks.

The two engaged in a back-and-forth battle for two rounds, with no clear winner.

The rules for this competition were three rounds per match, with victory achieved by knocking down the opponent. If neither side managed to knock down the other, the winner would be determined based on points.

As the third round began, the match remained evenly matched, but Thomson had a clear advantage in points. Feeling that continuing in this manner would lead to his certain defeat, Zhao Meng’s mentality shifted, and he started taking risks. Seizing an opportunity, Thomson employed the “Black Tiger Extracts the Heart” technique, caught Zhao Meng off guard, and with a powerful kick to the head, swiftly knocked him down to the ground.

Now the entire arena was in an uproar, with spectators standing up in concern for Zhao Meng, fearing he might be injured by Thomson’s kick.

Fortunately, after urgent on-site treatment, Zhao Meng, who had briefly lost consciousness, regained consciousness. He was carried off the stage on a stretcher, and the audience applauded him for his courage.

With Zhao Meng’s defeat, both sides were back to a tie. At this moment, the arena fell silent, and many people were so nervous that they were sweating cold.

Everyone knew the player nicknamed “Gorilla” was the strongest among the American fighters. However, the Chinese representative, Song Haowen, appeared calm and lacked the imposing presence.

Although there were rumors that he had once confronted multiple street thugs alone, he was still a young man and a singer. Losing wouldn’t be surprising, but if he were seriously injured, how could he continue to perform on stage in the future?

Many of Song Haowen’s fans started cursing the organizers for letting him participate, thinking it was a blatant attempt to sacrifice him. They couldn’t believe that there were no better options for China. If he lost, it wouldn’t be a big deal, but if he got seriously injured, how could he continue to perform?

Song Haowen had no idea how the audience below perceived him with such sympathy. He let out a low growl, lifted his spirits, and walked steadily toward the towering figure of Benjamin, who was twice his size.

Benjamin, seeing the seemingly fragile Song Haowen approaching, couldn’t help but sneer. Although he had always reminded himself that anyone who could step onto the stage for this competition was not weak, he couldn’t associate his opponent’s appearance with strength.

After the customary greetings, Benjamin discreetly asked in English, “Kid, can you fight? Don’t cry when you can’t handle it. It’s embarrassing.”

Unaware of the audience’s pitying gaze, Song Haowen responded proficiently in English with a smile, “I’m here to learn. Winning or losing doesn’t matter. Just do my best.”

Benjamin was surprised by Song Haowen’s proficiency in English and tried to suppress his curiosity. “You look like a high school student. Who decided to let you participate? Isn’t this a joke? If we really fight, I won’t show mercy.”

Song Haowen chuckled. “I didn’t ask you to let me. Besides, we haven’t fought yet, and the winner hasn’t been decided.”

Benjamin shook his head with a wry smile. “What a shame, what a shame.”

The audience, who had been concerned about Song Haowen’s well-being, was now amused by his seemingly oblivious attitude. They thought, perhaps this kid was just naive or clueless about the brutal competition awaiting him.

As the referee’s whistle sounded, Song Haowen and Benjamin’s showdown began!

To establish dominance and intimidate Song Haowen, Benjamin initiated his signature move, the “Chain of Three Strikes.”

This technique intertwined one hit after another, increasing in speed with each strike. Many professional fighters found it difficult to defend against, often succumbing to its relentless onslaught.

However, to his surprise, Song Haowen, utilizing his Tai Chi skills, gracefully maneuvered around Benjamin’s attacks. Song Haowen not only skillfully avoided the aggressive strikes but also applied subtle pressure with the techniques of Wudang Fist.

This disrupted Benjamin’s rhythm and prevented him from gaining a clear advantage.

Initially, Benjamin had expected Song Haowen to be in disarray after evading his signature technique. However, he found Song Haowen not only skillfully avoiding his attacks but also seizing opportunities to counterattack.

This unexpected resilience led Benjamin to reassess his opponent, causing him to be more cautious.

Song Haowen, understanding that a direct confrontation might be disadvantageous, employed a strategy of delaying tactics.

He relied on his Tai Chi movements to avoid Benjamin’s attacks and used Wudang Fist techniques to keep the pressure on his opponent, preventing him from gaining momentum.

The audience, initially expecting Song Haowen to be quickly overwhelmed, was now witnessing a surprising turn of events.

Song Haowen’s ability to skillfully evade and counter Benjamin’s attacks, despite being on the defensive, left the spectators in awe.

In the first round, Song Haowen managed to hold his own against the powerful Benjamin, drawing interest and disbelief from the audience.

 Although victory for Song Haowen was still considered a distant possibility, there was a sense of anticipation regarding how long he could persist.

After the first round of probing exchanges, Song Haowen had a better understanding of Benjamin’s tactics and had developed counterstrategies.

However, he didn’t rush to achieve a breakthrough. In the second round, he continued relying on his agile movements, adopting a strategy of avoiding direct confrontation.

As the second round concluded, the scores were unexpectedly even, leaving everyone in disbelief and wonderment.

The audience, with jaws dropped, couldn’t fathom how the seemingly unassuming Song Haowen could match the powerful and aggressive Benjamin blow for blow.