Chapter 178: Chapter 178: Concealed Strength _1
The notoriety of the Protective Jade Amulet was not particularly outstanding in Yanjing, and many people were still unaware of it.
By chance, a member of Hai City’s underground organization, who had also used such an item before, took the opportunity to explain it to the audience.
After listening to the explanation, several audience members were full of admiration.
"From what you’re saying, the Protective Jade Amulet truly is immensely powerful. It’s one thing to withstand the impact of a large truck, but to even block a punch from a Great Grandmaster? That’s indeed a rare treasure!"
"Right, I once heard that a Mr. Ye from Hai City is proficient in Feng Shui and can endow jade pendants with magical power for protection. Could that Master Ye be the Ye Ming fighting on stage?"
"He’s a Feng Shui master, getting into a fight with a Great Grandmaster? Has he lost his mind? And using these Magic Artifacts in combat, isn’t that cheating?"
"I don’t quite see it that way. Just relying on these trinkets to deal with Master Sun, it looks like Ye Ming is in more danger than not!"
Sun Chang, with his sharp hearing, caught every word of the discussion among the audience and got a clear picture of the situation.
He revealed a mocking smile and said to Ye Ming, "Kid, if you don’t dare to fight, just go home and watch your cartoons. Trying to pull off these little tricks, do you think they can protect you?"
"Just a broken Magic Artifact. When I was playing with Magic Artifacts, you probably weren’t even born yet?"
Having learned the truth, Sun Chang actually felt relieved, and his confidence returned.
There are many peculiar Magic Artifacts in the world, with very strange functions. Sun Chang’s punch being blocked by the Magic Artifact could only prove that this Magic Artifact was very powerful, not that Ye Ming’s strength was great.
Ye Ming sighed helplessly, reached out, and took off the jade pendant from his neck, saying, "I was in such a hurry this morning that I forgot to take off this thing."
"But even without this Magic Artifact, I could have taken that punch just the same. A Great Grandmaster? I’ve taken down one or two of them. You, I haven’t even considered a threat."
Sun Chang laughed uproariously, laughing so hard his stomach began to hurt.
"Such big talk, you really don’t know how to brag. Do you think Great Grandmasters are so common that you can just kill them at will? You brat, it’s only because I can make money off of you that I’m dealing with you. Normally, you probably wouldn’t even catch a glimpse of a Great Grandmaster!"
Ye Ming looked at him expressionlessly, "Originally, seeing that you were willing to wait for me, I was willing to give you a break, but since you are so unappreciative, don’t blame me for not being polite."
Sun Chang nodded mockingly, "I’m really scared now. You brat, I want to see how you’re going to be impolite to me!"
"Do you think I’m made of clay?"
After dropping the harsh words, Sun Chang launched another attack.
Seeing that Ye Ming had stored away his protective Magic Artifact, he no longer held back and unleashed his attack.
His fists left afterimages in the air, and whether it was speed or power, both were stronger than before.
The air around them seemed almost to solidify.
The audience in the stands involuntarily gasped.
The true strength of a Great Grandmaster was on display; the extremely swift punches, though not directed at them, instilled a wave of fear in the audience’s hearts.
People couldn’t help but lament that Ye Ming was likely in grave danger this time.
This time, Ye Ming did not stand still.
As Sun Chang’s fist was about to reach him, Ye Ming suddenly broke into a grin.
In this smile hid an immense self-confidence that completely baffled Sun Chang.
"Perhaps this kid knows he’s about to die and has come to terms with it?"
That’s what Sun Chang thought.
With a thud, Sun Chang’s fist landed squarely on Ye Ming’s body.
At the moment of contact, a huge wave of energy fluctuation spread out.
The brand-new fighting ring cracked open with a startling gash, and at the same time, it sent up a great cloud of dust and fog that completely shielded the two men from view.
Everyone around hastily covered their mouths and noses, their eyes desperately searching for the two figures within the dense fog.
"When the Great Grandmaster strikes, it is truly earth-shattering and could move ghosts and gods to tears!"
"Such a simple punch, yet it wields such formidable power, this is the first time I’ve ever seen anything like it in my life."
"With such a tremendous force, that kid Ye Ming is probably blasted to bits, scattered with the wind!"
Such comments began to arise, casting a look of worry on Xu Lele’s face.
In her private box, she wasn’t affected by the dust, but the enormous cloud of dust had completely blocked her view, leaving her unable to see Ye Ming at all.
Even the ten cameras surrounding the ring had instantaneously broken four, and the remaining six had gone blank, showing nothing at all.
"Ye Ming won’t be in trouble, will he?" Xu Lele fretted, wishing she could immediately disperse the fog to see what was happening inside.
Xia Ningning maintained a calm demeanor on the surface, but in reality, she was also filled with worry.
She had never seen such a huge scene before and was completely at a loss, unable to even think of comforting Xu Lele.
Li Kai kept clapping and cheering loudly, cursing, "That idiot Ye Ming must be blasted to bits by now, right? Maybe not even bits are left."
"Good riddance, a pleasing death!"
The anger he had pent up for so long finally found release at this moment.
However, Li Chaofan, unable to swallow his pride, said discontentedly, "I only asked Master Sun to cripple Ye Ming, not to make such a big fuss, causing Ye Ming to die a swift death— I’m not satisfied with that."
Li Kai, on the other hand, laughed even more joyously, saying to Li Chaofan, "Dad, you should consider it from another angle. If Master Sun didn’t follow our request, doesn’t that mean we don’t have to pay him the remaining reward?"
"We can take the opportunity to save a big sum of money. With so much money, what couldn’t we do? I believe Master Sun wouldn’t have the face to come ask us for it again."
After hearing this, Li Chaofan’s tightly furrowed brows gradually relaxed, revealing a smile.
"Son, your thinking has matured, and I’m very pleased! That sum of money, we can do anything with it. It’s no big deal if Ye Ming is dead!"
"Once the competition is over, we must have some champagne to celebrate properly!"
They had come to the Martial Artists Conference for the very first match—if Ye Ming was dead, they couldn’t care less about watching the rest of the matches.
Elsewhere, Lin Mengdie’s brows furrowed tightly again, thoughtfully staring at the rising mist, and said, "He can’t be that weak! It’s not possible that he’s weak enough to not even withstand a punch from Sun Chang, he must still be alive."
Upon hearing this, Liang Hao, irked to the point of gnashing his teeth, snorted, "Sun Chang is a Great Grandmaster with a long-established reputation. Although he’s an old scoundrel, you can’t deny his strength. A full-strength strike from him, even we might not be able to withstand, much less Ye Ming."
