Translator: EndlessFantasy Translation Editor: EndlessFantasy Translation
Was Higan really a naive and dumb girl?
No. In fact, she was very smart. She was just not familiar with the ways of the world since she had always immersed herself in her own world.
However, when she saw how the ring turned out, she understood that the ring Tang Ling was about to challenge was not just a common ring. It was a dangerous one.
Higan had gotten so close to him that she would never allow anything to happen to him. Even though it was less than 48 hours since the two of them met, Higan knew from the bottom of her heart, her bones, and her soul that she could never afford to lose Tang Ling.
As for why? There was no rhyme or reason in her mind. If her heart willed it, she would do it and that was enough for her.
Higan moved to a corner closest to the ring and fixed her cold gaze upon the ring. If anything that happened in the ring crossed her tolerance line, she would kill everyone who hurt Tang Ling without a second thought.
On the other hand, Tang Ling had no idea what was going through Higan’s mind. He would also never have believed that she possessed such ridiculous power. At the moment, his attention was captivated but on something else entirely.
Dream Seeds!
He sensed at least nine Dream Seeds in the gathering crowd around the ring.
What’s going on? Are the people around the junior division ring area this powerful? Why didn’t I sense anything when I walked around earlier?
However, Tang Ling was not afraid at all. He was just a little excited. As the number of Dream Seeds rose, so did his excitement. He was a battle fanatic.
In less than 3 minutes after he rang the bell, the Desperado Ring in Area S was filled with people. The once-empty seats around the ring were also filled with a sea of audience.
The fee collector came in for business and several big monitors in the center switched to the ring, broadcasting the situation live to everyone else in the arena level. Those who did not make it to the live seating rushed to the giant monitors and glued their eyes to Tang Ling who was waiting in the ring.
“Is this kid dumb? Does he even understand how the Desperado Ring works?”
“Who knows? Look at the face cloth that he is wearing! He looks like an idiot.”
“Judging people by their looks in Darkness Port will kill you faster than curiosity killed the cat. Some powerful people might have their own fetishes.”
“The bets are live! Come on! Let’s go place our bets before the match starts!”
…
With the initiation of the Desperado Ring, the entire first level of the cabin area reached its boiling point and the heated discussion among the people covered many topics.
On the contrary, the young prodigies that gathered around the ring calmed down after the initial commotion.
“A Dream Seed?”
“He’s also a Dream Seed?”
If Tang Ling had been able to notice the Dream Seeds in the crowd, his identity as a Dream Seed was also revealed to the others.
Many young prodigies realized that the kid standing in the ring with the ridiculous face cloth with the dog head was a Dream Seed.
What did it mean though? Anyone who could enter the dream knew that the identity represented strength! The revelation discouraged many young prodigies who were eager to challenge Tang Ling upon their first thought.
They needed a guinea pig to test his strength first before they did anything rash.
Since every one of them was considered a genius, defeat was not something they could accept wholeheartedly, which meant that they would never blindly challenge Tang Ling.
In his extravagant colorful attire, the Wailing Pierrot circled the ring with his weird mask that had a wailing expression. He would stir up the atmosphere and arouse the already excited crowd with his skillful words, so the air got even livelier and more excited under his lead.
After a five-minute wait, the audience seats around the ring were all full. The Wailing Pierrot ended his arousing speech, cleared his throat and walked to the center of the ring.
“Ladies and gentlemen, lively boys and beautiful girls, I envy your luck. Simply taking a stroll in the arena area and you’ve run into the most thrilling, the most exciting match in all of the arena area, the Desperado Ring, the ring that has the harshest rules in the world! And if that’s not luck, I don’t know what is.
“Watching the match shouldn’t be your only concern. While you enjoy the surge of adrenaline, open your wallets and purses. Place your bets on who will emerge a victor! Is it the challenger? Or the ring defender?
“This is what life should be about, enjoying an exhilarating show while having a chance to earn a little something. This is what our lives should be about!”
It was as expected of the Wailing Pierrot, a veteran host. His opening speech made the wagers on Tang Ling’s match to skyrocket and he also infused his passion into the audience.
After cheering together with the excited crowd, the Wailing Pierrot cleared his throat again and said, “I hate to be the talkative host that everyone loathes. If you are unfamiliar with the rules of the Desperado Ring, feel free to ask the person beside you. Ask them how exhilarating the rules are. I’ll skip the introduction because all we care about is one question.”
As he spoke, the Wailing Pierrot walked to Tang Ling’s side and moved the mic near him. “Brave hero, what should we call you? Your features make it hard for me to address you properly…”
The audience burst out in laughter. The most obvious feature on Tang Ling was none other than the face cloth with the dog head.
Do I still have to talk and name myself?
Tang Ling cursed Boss Huang a hundred times over in his heart while the audience was howling with laughter. He suppressed the urge to go back and challenge Boss Huang to a life-and-death battle and answered in a rough voice, “Mad Tiger.”
As a matter of fact, he simply nicknamed himself after Su Siao because the latter had been known as the Mad Lion.
“Great, Mad Tiger! An intimidating name! I was expecting some cute puppy name or something similar,” the Wailing Pierrot joked once again and lifted the atmosphere higher. He then added with a strict voice, “Well then, Mr. Mad Tiger, are you familiar with the rules of the Desperado Ring?”
“I am,” Tang Ling answered in his rough voice.
“Marvelous! The last obstacle is removed! Nothing will stop us from witnessing an exhilarating match! What are we waiting for!?” The Wailing Pierrot’s voice sounded frantic as he pointed beneath the ring at the young geniuses who were qualified to challenge Tang Ling. He whooped, “If you are bold enough to stand beneath the ring, why aren’t you bold enough to challenge the ring defender?!
“Don’t be a coward! Don’t let people look down on you! For honor, for glory, for the prize of 50 Black Sea coins! Put on your A-game and come up here! There are only three chances. I would be the first to jump into the ring if I can. If you are waiting for the second or the third chance, why not seize the first with your own hands!”
One had to give it to the Wailing Pierrot for his emceeing skills. His ability to instigate people was top-notch. Many young prodigies who originally wanted to observe the match suddenly had the urge to challenge the ring, so they moved closer to the ring, but no one stepped up to the challenge yet.
“Tsk, tsk, tsk, I feel pity for all of you.” The Wailing Pierrot then fished out a pocket watch and put it up in the air.
“Does no one understand the rules? The Desperado Ring won’t wait forever! The rules clearly state that if there is no challenger in the ring two minutes after the bell rings, Mr. Mad Tiger here will automatically win!
“Do you want to give up? This is your chance to seize victory and an immense amount of glory in the Desperado Ring. If you win, your name will be carved in the hearts of the people in Darkness Port! If you win, 50 Black Sea…”
This time around, before the Wailing Pierrot could finish his instigation, a young man stepped up from the crowd beneath the ring.
He was tall and buff. Even though his face remained youthful, he was more than 2 meters tall and his bulging muscles were intimidating. Even though he might not be Su Siao or Orston’s match, or even the young man with the braided ponytail who had soaked in the icy pool earlier, his muscular physique was still considered rare in his age category.
“Grady!”
“Oh, so it’s Grady!”
“This guy with the dog-headed face cloth can start praying. It’s Grady that he has to face in the first match!”
“I was expecting three full matches, but it seems like that’s wishful thinking.”
There were always arena fanatics around the rings who were very familiar with the powerhouses of each and every match. When the young man known as Grady stepped up to the calling, the group of arena fanatics cheered loudly.
He was Grady, the young genius who maintained the record of 12 undefeated matches, consecutively! He had already attained the title of Man of Darkness! He was one of the top names in the popularity ranking and the crowd was looking forward to his next victory. He was the crowd favorite to participate in the King of Darkness competition of the junior division.
In the crowd’s opinion, Tang Ling was as good as dead once Grady stepped up to the challenge.
Grady was marching towards the ring and the Wailing Pierrot was even more excited than the crowd as he crowed, “My, my, my! What have we here!? Look at our first challenger! As expected of the Desperado Ring, the first challenger that this ring has attracted is none other than the Man of Darkness, Grady! The one who is most discussed in the past two months, the most popular and favorite candidate among all the Men of Darkness, but will he remain as one? No, everyone, including me, thinks that he will reach higher than that!
“What will he bring to the Desperado Ring? Will he trample over his opponent like he used to or will this Mad Tiger end his undefeated streak? Let’s find out!”
“Grady! Grady! Grady!” the crowd cheered and whooped passionately with their hands in the air and their response represented their opinion of the match.
However, the young prodigies in the crowd and some important figures who paid attention to the match in the dark did not share that opinion. When they saw Grady step up to the ring, their eyes showed disdain toward his boldness.
If Grady could defeat a Dream Seed, it was the Dream Seed’s fault for being too weak. He might be a rookie who had never entered the dream before.
Bang!
Grady stepped into the ring with a loud thump as if he was trying to intimidate his opponent and aggrandize his presence. “I don’t care whether you are Mad Tiger or Mad Dog. I’ll give it to you for ringing the death knell, but…” Grady was as loud as thunder. His rich and heavy voice boosted his intimidating presence.
However, before he could finish, Tang Ling impatiently interrupted him, “Cut the crap. Let’s start.”
At the same time, Higan’s cold eyes were fixed on Grady as if she was looking at a dead person.
