Chapter 45: The Femme Fatale Crashes the Venue

Xu Baichuan, the grandmaster and head of the Divine Dragon Martial Arts Center, sat cross-legged within the dojo, listening quietly as his disciples vented their rage.

"Master, please let us go find that butcher and avenge Qi Meng!"

"That butcher went way too far. The doctor said Qi Meng's internal injuries are severe, and he won't recover for a year or a half. As his senior brother, I must get revenge for him."

"If we let this go unavenged, once word gets out, it will bring shame upon you, Master, and severely damage the reputation of the Divine Dragon Martial Arts Center."

"Master, since the founding of our martial arts center, we have never suffered such a massive blow..."

Ever since learning that Qi Meng had been hospitalized—and beaten at that by a mere butcher—his fellow disciples had been consumed by fury, rushing one after another to ask Master Xu Baichuan for permission to fight.

"Enough!" Xu Baichuan said calmly.

Instantly, the disciples cut off their tirades and looked toward him with expectant eyes.

"You lot are all brawn and no brains!" Xu Baichuan scolded without the slightest bit of politeness.

"Just think about it: that butcher didn't just beat Qi Meng; he also beat Jin Peng and Su Lei. None of them are in a rush to take revenge, so why should we be in such a hurry?"

The disciples failed to grasp his meaning.

Xu Baichuan continued, "Being able to kick Qi Meng into critical condition proves that the butcher is also a martial artist. The Jin and Su families are utterly incapable of contending with such a person on their own. If they want revenge, they will have no choice but to beg me."

Now, the disciples finally understood.

The eldest senior brother asked, "Master, do you mean to say that you plan to seize this opportunity to bleed the Jin and Su families dry?"

Xu Baichuan burst into laughter. "The Jin and Su families are rolling in money. If we don't fleece them now, when will we? If they don't cough up eight or ten million, I won't lift a finger."

Hearing this, the disciples grew wildly excited. The annual net profit of the Divine Dragon Martial Arts Center was only three to five million; if the Jin and Su families really forked over eight or ten million, Qi Meng's beating would turn out to be the most lucrative thrashing of his life!

"Grandmaster..."

At that moment, an instructor burst into the room and shouted:

"Grandmaster, someone is here to challenge the dojo!"

Xu Baichuan and his disciples felt not a shred of surprise or shock. In their line of work, challenge bouts were a frequent occurrence.

"Who has too much time on their hands today and is looking for a beating?" Xu Baichuan asked casually.

"It's a foreign beauty—fair-skinned, gorgeous, and blessed with endless legs. I've never laid eyes on such a supreme stunner in all my life," the instructor replied with a burning gaze.

Upon hearing this, Xu Baichuan and his disciples immediately perked up. As men—especially martial artists with abnormal physical stamina and overflowing vigor—they loved women far more than ordinary mortals did, particularly pretty ones.

Consequently, they often leveraged their status as martial artists to lure female students and vain socialites into their beds.

"Where is she?" Xu Baichuan asked as he stood up.

"In the gym," the instructor answered with a wry smile.

Xu Baichuan and his disciples froze in their tracks. To challenge a martial arts center by going to the gym—this foreign babe was utterly unprofessional.

In truth, this wasn't really Phantom's fault!

How could she possibly have known that the Divine Dragon Martial Arts Center was split into a Martial Dao Hall, a Sanda Hall, a Free Combat Hall, a Boxing Hall, a Traditional Martial Arts Hall, a Taekwondo Hall, a Judo Hall, and a Gym?

When she had swaggered in with her shoulders rolling like a bandit entering a village, kicked open the gym doors, and roared out a challenge, the dignity of the 35th-ranked fighter on the God of War leaderboard and the 8th-ranked assassin on the Killer leaderboard had instantly hit the floor.

"Bring her here. Also, notify everyone in the Sanda Hall, Free Combat Hall, Boxing Hall, Traditional Martial Arts Hall, Taekwondo Hall, Judo Hall, and Gym to come and watch the fight!" Xu Baichuan ordered.

"Understood!"

The instructor immediately sprinted off to fetch Phantom.

Xu Baichuan and his disciples waited in mounting anticipation.

Before long, Phantom sauntered into the Martial Dao Hall, her shoulders swaying, trailed by the instructor.

Right behind her came a massive crowd of onlookers from the Sanda Hall, Free Combat Hall, Boxing Hall, Traditional Martial Arts Hall, Taekwondo Hall, Judo Hall, and Gym.

"This..."

The moment they laid eyes on Phantom, Xu Baichuan and his disciples found themselves entirely unable to look away.

They had imagined what kind of beauty she might be, but never in their wildest dreams had they expected such an earth-shattering, peerless stunner.

She was simply too gorgeous!

Her figure was too exquisite!

Her skin was too fair and tender!

Her aura was too breathtaking!

In the eyes of Xu Baichuan and his gaggle of provincial disciples who had seen nothing of the world, Phantom looked like a celestial immortal descended to earth—the epitome of perfection.

"Are you the one challenging the dojo?" Xu Baichuan wiped the lecherous look from his face, assuming the dignified posture of an expert.

"Who are you?" Phantom asked, her face frost-covered as she spoke in awkward, halting Mandarin.

She was furious!

Extremely furious!

As a towering super-warrior ranked 35th on the global God of War leaderboard and an elite assassin ranked 8th on the Killer leaderboard, she had already felt humiliated enough coming down to bully a tiny martial arts center, only to end up wandering into the gym by mistake.

It was utterly shameful!

"I am the current head of the Pengcheng Ancient Martial Arts Xu Family, as well as the founder and grandmaster of the Divine Dragon Martial Arts Center. My name is Xu Baichuan. You may address me as Senior Xu," Xu Baichuan introduced himself with grandiose arrogance.

The eldest disciple instantly transformed into a sycophantic hype-man, chiming in:

"Young lady, my master is a martial artist, and an officially titled 'Warrior' at that. His strength is beyond anything you can possibly imagine. I advise you to give up this challenge. With your amateur three-legged cat skills, let alone fighting my master, you wouldn't stand a shred of a chance even against us disciples."

As soon as those words left his mouth, Xu Baichuan's face blossomed with a proud, haughty expression.

Meanwhile, the crowds from the Sanda Hall, Free Combat Hall, Boxing Hall, Traditional Martial Arts Hall, Taekwondo Hall, Judo Hall, and Gym all gazed at Xu Baichuan with looks of deep adoration.

As if holding the title of 'Warrior' made him an extraordinary deity.

"A Warrior?"

Phantom was slightly dazed. Before this, she had wondered just how formidable Xu Baichuan might be, only to discover after all this build-up that he was merely a pitiful little Warrior.

Suddenly, she felt rather embarrassed to go through with the challenge.

A God of War fighting a mere Warrior? That was a downward-dimensional strike—it was downright bullying!

"Don't be scared, don't be afraid..."

Assuming Phantom had been frightened out of her wits by his prowess, Xu Baichuan hurriedly soothed her:

"If I'm not mistaken, you're a foreigner studying abroad here in Pengcheng, aren't you? You didn't know my identity and strength beforehand, so I won't hold it against you, nor will I bully you. However, I can see that your bone structure is extraordinary; you're a fine piece of raw material for martial arts. I am willing to make an exception and take you in as my disciple. Are you willing?"

With that, he waited for Phantom to drop to her knees in ecstatic worship.

As long as she became his disciple, he had plenty of methods to get her into his bed—a routine he had successfully executed many times before.

The crowds from the various halls and the gym all shot looks of intense envy and jealousy toward Phantom.

Becoming the disciple of a martial artist—especially one with an official title—was something countless people dreamed of night and day.

"I beg of you, stop bragging; I can't stomach another second of it!"

Disgusted to her core, Phantom took three steps backward and said, "Listen here, what's-your-name? Whatever, keep your name to yourself. I honestly can't bring myself to hit a pathetic weakling like you. Why don't you just break your own legs so I can go back and report to my boss."