When Earth Awakened, I Became a Sword Saintess

Chapter 19 : The Underground Fighting Arena

19: The Underground Fighting Arena

The address on the card led to a dimly lit street, to the bottom of an old building. A narrow staircase descended to the basement, with a light box by the entrance that made it look like an underground bar.

In Lingdu, there were many fashionable and eccentric people, so wearing sunglasses late at night wasn't that strange.

Yuyin observed from the side of the street for a moment. She saw a few ordinary men who looked like programmers, and even a couple, walk down. They seemed like genuine spectators.

So, with her hands in her pockets, Yuyin walked down as well.

A black spirit cat with three snake tails leaped onto the light box, lay there watching Yuyin descend, and then jumped away.

Yuyin pushed open the door to the basement. Inside was a lounge with a few tables, chairs, and a bar counter. The lights on the bar were flickering, and there was even a shrine to Lord Guan.

Yuyin saw another set of double doors ahead, covered in leather and looking very heavy. Two men in black T-shirts with buzz cuts stood guard.

Yuyin walked up to them and was stopped by one of the buzz-cut men. Yuyin took out the card. She didn't take off her sunglasses, but her tall, graceful figure couldn't be completely hidden even by the loose-fitting clothes.

The buzz-cut man looked at the card and asked, “First time here?”

Yuyin nodded. Even without speaking, they could tell she was a woman.

The buzz-cut man didn't give Yuyin any trouble. Instead, he had her add him on WeChat. They seemed to use this method, combined with a visual assessment, to identify first-time visitors. It was possible for someone to use a new WeChat account to get in for free, but if they were found out, the consequences would be unpleasant.

Of course, Yuyin didn't use her own photo for her WeChat avatar. Her avatar was a picture of rain.

After adding him on WeChat, the buzz-cut man opened the door and let Yuyin in.

Pushing open the soundproof door, she was immediately met with a wave of fanatical cheers, reminding Yuyin of movies depicting underground fights, it was really like this.

The space inside was large and dimly lit. It was a sunken underground plaza with stands on all four sides. The crowd was surging; everyone was standing, cheering, shouting, and waving their arms in encouragement, as if the stands and even the ceiling were vibrating with them.

All the lights were focused on the center of the sunken plaza, on a fighting ring that looked to be only five or six meters square, surrounded by high chain-link fences.

From a distance, two burly men holding weapons were fighting inside.

The clash of weapons sparked, drawing cheers from the entire crowd. Heavy punches, heavy kicks, every blow landing with impact, blood and sweat flying everywhere, making the audience even more frenzied.

Yuyin couldn't help but be swept up in the atmosphere. She took off her sunglasses, and in the dim, cathartic crowd, no one noticed her.

Was this what a real fight to the death was like?

It was completely different from what Yuyin had seen in movies or sports broadcasts. There wasn't as much technique, not as many fancy or flashy moves. It was just vigilance and ferocity; punch after punch, strike after strike with weapons, it was soul-stirring.

However, although the two bloody, burly men completely overwhelmed Yuyin with their presence, their movements seemed a bit clumsy in her eyes.

But they specialized in strength. If you were hit by that heavy hammer, it would be over.

Yuyin's chest rose and fell. She didn't join the crowd in shouting and venting; instead, she gradually calmed down, feeling the atmosphere of a place close to a real battlefield.

“Amazing… Although it’s just a match, that North Asian guy from before is probably crippled for life…”

Yuyin watched as a stout, muscular Asian man with a caved-in, deformed leg was carried away by medical staff. The large European or American man, wearing Peking opera face paint and tattooed with two somewhat ridiculous Chinese characters, raised his large hammer high and let out a wild roar amidst the cheers of the crowd.

“I won! I won again! I knew it was right to bet on this Tang Menglong! I won 500 Spirit Pills!” A bespectacled, scholarly man next to Yuyin said feverishly to his friend. The two of them, having both won, embraced excitedly.

“Tang Menglong?” Yuyin looked at the giant European man from afar. It seemed he had adopted an Eastern name to appeal to the Lingdu audience.

Unconsciously, Yuyin had already watched several matches. In between, there were also pole-dancing performances to liven up the atmosphere. Here, the sensuality of women and the masculine power of the fighters were displayed without restraint, in all their raw, untamed glory.

The atmosphere of the fight was something Yuyin was gradually getting used to.

It was getting close to midnight. Thinking she had school tomorrow, Yuyin decided to leave first, even though she wanted to stay a little longer to familiarize herself with the fighting atmosphere.

The exit was on another side. Yuyin walked out through a fire escape into a dim underground passage. The flickering, broken lights made a "zizi" sound.

Yuyin noticed that posters were plastered under the lights.

On them was the same muscular man with the studded leather belt from the card, smiling, showing his pearly white teeth and giving a thumbs-up. Below, in large letters, it said:

“You can do it too!

The Open-Class Underground Fighting Tournament has no threshold. Come on, join the torrent of martial arts with the King of Freedom!

Anyone, as long as you're an adult, can sign up. No threshold! Whether you win or lose, you're guaranteed 5,000 yuan per match!

What are you waiting for?”

Yuyin felt as if the oily, muscular King of Freedom was winking at her through the poster and couldn't help but shiver.

She shook her head, put on her sunglasses, and with her hands in her pockets, walked toward the exit leading to the ground floor.

“Anyone can participate, and you can earn 5,000 yuan even if you lose?”

“Hehe, sounds tempting, but I'm a girl. I can't possibly make money by fighting in underground boxing matches, can I?” Yuyin said with a slight smile.