“Does China have someone that can defeat the boxing champion?”
“You think this is a novel? How can such fantasy be possible?”
“Sigh, is Chinese Kungfu that weak?”
The Chinese felt resigned while the foreigners were cheering with pride.
“Xu Nan, I know this is cruel, but reality itself is cruel,” Lu Chao said to Xu Nan, who looked a little lost.
Chinese Kungfu had deep roots. Regardless of it being real or fake, it had already become part of the Chinese belief and pride. When that pride falls apart in front of them, it had a significant impact on their psyche.
“Chinese Kungfu is not something for you foreigners to mock!”
A voice cut through the air suddenly. In the vision of Xu Nan and others like her, Ye Lingchen slowly rose from the crowd.
All eyes in the hall instantly snapped over and focused onto him.
“Are you nuts? Sit down quickly!” Xu Nan’s expression changed to that of horror, as she quickly whispered a reminder to him.
‘What’s up with this guy? Why did he stand up all of a sudden and said such idiotic words?’
‘Is Chinese Kungfu something you can get involved in? Furthermore, this place is filled with foreigners. Do you realize that your actions are attracting their ire?’
“He’s the boxing champion. You’ve seen what happened. Stay low. Don’t tell me you’re trying to fight him, are you?” Xu Nan added. She felt that Ye Lingchen was a hot-headed person that could not assess the situation properly.
However, at that moment, Muhammad Ali’s gaze had already turned to them.
That gaze was one that belonged to the strong, one that others would not dare look at.
Lu Chao looked at Ye Lingchen, shaking his head and smiled mockingly.
‘This kid is still too young. So naive! What’s this about Chinese Kungfu is not to be humiliated? Just who do you think you are? What gives you the right to say such words?’
Ye Lingchen suddenly became the center of attention in the hall with everyone’s eyes on him.
“It’s Young Master Ye!” Li Tai had naturally noticed Ye Lingchen. “So Young Master Ye was already here.”
“What’s Ye Lingchen doing?” Xiao Feifei looked worried.
“Since he knows Kungfu, I’m afraid he won’t look away from Ali’s provocations.” Li Tai made a worried sigh. “Martial artists have their own pride too.”
“Will he be a match for the boxing champion?” Xiao Feifei bit her lips. She wanted to stop Ye Lingchen but held back in the end.
Meanwhile, Xu Nan held onto a corner of Ye Lingchen’s shirt. “Ye Lingchen, calm down. That’s the boxing champion. Don’t tell me you’re thinking of going up there, are you?”
“Hey kid, you should choose the right place to cause a scene. Let me remind you that this is an arena. If you die or get disabled, nobody will be responsible for that. If you’re trying to be a porcelain bumper, this is not the place for you,” Lu Chao said mockingly.
Ye Lingchen looked at Xu Nan and smiled at her. “I do intend to get on the ring. Just watch. Chinese Kungfu is very strong!”
With that, he placed his hands behind him and walked slowly towards the arena.
Xu Nan looked at Ye Lingchen’s back, suddenly dazed. She felt as though she was looking at a grandmaster.
In the meantime, Lu Chao was snickering in his heart. ‘Twerp, just continue showing off! After bragging, you’ll have to face the consequences!’
Ye Lingchen walked slowly as the people in the hall could not help but stand up. They looked at him and backed away like a receding shoreline, clearing a path for him.
Regardless of nationality, they all looked at him in amazement as though he was a crazy person.
‘This kid is clearly a student. He probably won’t even be able to hurt Ali’s fingers.’
Meanwhile, a number of Chinese audience members looked at Ye Lingchen respectfully. No matter what happened, Chinese Kungfu was not something the foreigners should humiliate!
Ye Lingchen went on the ring one step at a time at a moderate speed. He did not put on a flashy show and instead behaved just like a normal person.
“Y-y-young Master Ye…”
Li Jing watched Ye Lingchen walking past him. His throat trembled involuntarily, showing a guilt-ridden expression. “I’ve brought shame to Chinese Kungfu.”
“It’s fine. Your performance was quite good.” Ye Lingchen smiled, then walked straight towards the center of the ring. He stared Ali straight in the eye with a calm and collected gaze, showing no signs of fear.
At that moment, he changed nothing, but to the audience, something changed.
Ali was tall and strong. When Ye Lingchen stood next to him, he should look small in comparison. However, at that moment, Ye Lingchen gave off a strong presence. That presence made him look bigger, matching up to the boxing champion.
He was too calm, as though the person standing in front of him was not the boxing champion, but an average person.
Where did that confidence come from?
Ali stood on the same spot, measuring up Ye Lingchen. He frowned slightly.
By the looks of it, Ye Lingchen’s physique should pose no threat to him. Furthermore, his body was just average. He was unlikely to be trained from the lack of muscles on him.
He was just a normal university student that most likely have problems with regular fights, much less fighting in an arena.
How reckless!
‘Is it because I haven’t boxed for quite a while and turned soft that these weaklings think that I’m a pushover?’
“Director Li, Lingchen…he’ll be fine right?” asked Xiao Feifei who was biting on her lips.
“Relax. I’ll rush up there at the first sign of trouble. I won’t let anything happen to Young Master Ye.” Li Tai answered seriously, staring intently at the ring. “Li Jing and the rest are nearby too. They will act accordingly.”
“Mm.” Xiao Feifei nodded.
Ali stared at Ye Lingchen, finally announcing coldly, “Kid, this arena is not a place for you to play. You may lose your life. This is my final warning for you. Get out of here now!”
He had been through countless battles. With his presence condensed into a single point, an average person would be badly intimidated even if he did not take any action.
Nonetheless, Ye Lingchen remained calm, saying, “I believe you have not seen the real Chinese Kungfu. That’s why you dare to act so insolently. An ignorant person like you is fearless.”
Those words immediately sent the crowd in an uproar.
Even Li Tai’s eyes popped wide and stood up uneasily.
Ye Lingchen’s bravado was too much. That was no different from asking for death.
“F*CK! Who is that Chinese kid? Is he looking for death?”
“Hehe, he’s provoking the boxing champion. We must teach that kid a lesson.”
“Boxing champion, crush him! Beat him up!”
The foreigners howled with rage while the Chinese gave Ye Lingchen a worried look.
As Ali’s eyes narrowed, a chill burst forth from him. That was a show of his anger.
“I don’t make a habit of bullying the weak, but that doesn’t mean that weaklings can behave insolently in front of me!” Ali moved his body. Sounds of cracking joints could be heard coming from all over his body. His lumbering body moved towards Ye Lingchen. “Show me your moves!”
Ye Lingchen calmly replied, “I will stand right here. If you can make me take even half a step backward, it’s my loss. If I act, you might die from this fist!”