Martial Arts: Chill! I’m Just A Farmer! - Chapter 16
Chapter 16: Strong Opponents, Different Perspectives
Translator: EndlessFantasy Translation Editor: EndlessFantasy Translation
As the match was about to begin, the audience in the stadium once again burst into cheers.
“There are quite a few good fighters in this competition!”
“They should be the province’s top 100 high school students!”
“They can all get into famous universities with their grades. So why are they still participating in the competition?”
“What do you know? Besides going to university, they want to be famous too. So if they get a good ranking this time, there will be a lot of companies looking for them for product endorsements!”
“…”
One of the audience members made an important point. These outstanding high school students of Nanjiang province did not have to worry about being admitted to prestigious universities, which was why they were not studying in school.
Their real purpose was to be seen and noticed by the “scouts”— the big companies. If one could get the attention of these people, it would at least be an influential endorsement contract, an invitation from a well-known magazine, or a television interview.
In comparison, it was not always about money. The main thing was to ensure one could become famous within the entire Nanjiang province overnight and garner traffic.
Besides these companies, the contestants also cared about the “scouts”—the army. Due to the increasing number of battles at the borders, the army was also recruiting some young forces.
Once they joined the army, even if their family members were not martial artists, they would still be able to enjoy the generous treatment. Therefore, naturally, every contestant preparing to enter the arena was nervous and excited. The bright future was beckoning them!
Besides Field 21, after the referee and the staff confirmed the identity of the two contestants, they blew the whistle and shouted, “Li Wei! Jia Yueping! Please enter the stage!”
The audience paying attention to the match, turned their gazes over as they noticed movement.
“F*ck! Jia Yueping? Isn’t he the top student from Heping High School?”
“He was ranked the 15th in the previous tournament! Is he here too?”
“I heard that his vitality has already broken through 6.2. His strength had greatly increased within a year, and he had already received the Admission Notice from the Imperial Martial Arts University!”
“Jia Yueping’s strength is very strong. He is good at attacking using his body. Look at those strong muscles!”
“Who’s that kid? He looks handsome, but I’ve never seen him before.”
“Look at the big screen. He’s called Li Wei.”
“A new face! It might be his first time participating.”
“Li Wei? I’ve never heard of it. Which city is he from? Is he from Fei He High School? How much vitality does he have?”
“…”
The audience did not know Li Wei, an unknown at all, and were all guessing his identity and strength. Besides the ordinary audience, many socialites, big enterprises, and people from famous universities were watching the game. However, their seats were cleaner and more luxurious in the VIP area, where their view was wider.
Their bodyguards and the organizer’s security guards would stand in the middle of the two areas, completely separating the two groups of people, as if the VIP area was a world that could not be offended.
One of the bosses looked at the nearest venue, Field 21, and pointed the cigar in his hand in Jia Yueping’s direction as he spoke to the person beside him, “President Han, this Jia Yueping is pretty good. Look at those armor-like muscles. Did you bet the odds for this match?”
Han Tianlin, dressed in a suit, smiled, “Of course! Which gambling event in Fei He City doesn’t involve the Han Family? I set the odds for this match. The odds for Jia Yueping winning are 1: 0.3, while the odds for Li Wei winning are 1:99!”
The boss laughed out loud, revealing his golden teeth, “0.3? This was a match that Jia Yueping would steadily win. Mr. Han is so generous. After you, I bet 1 million!”
In a bet, the odds of the winning side were usually very low because this was obvious. For example, everyone knew that the adult would win in a fight between an adult and a child. Therefore, any normal person would bet on the boss.
To prevent losses, the banker who started the bet would naturally adjust and lower the odds of the party at the upper hand. As a result, this 0.3 was already a very high score in this match.
“Hahaha! It doesn’t matter. Just treat it as a meeting gift for everyone!”
As the head of the biggest gang in Fei He City, Han Tianlin was very generous. This time, he was not only here to watch the competition but also to make friends with celebrities from all walks of life.
So, even if these big shots bet that Jia Yueping would take away a few million, he treated it as a favor and did not care. Then, however, the other big shots in the other seats began to place their bets.
“Thank you, President Han. My girlfriend wants to buy a bag!”
“I bet 800,000 bucks on Jia Yueping! Just winning 200,000 bucks would be enough. We can’t make things difficult for President Han!”
“President Han is so generous. I have to show my appreciation. How about this? I’ll give you the franchise of another casino!”
“Everyone, don’t bet on that Li Wei or whatever! 1:99! All for the banker! Of course, that’s excluding those who need President Han’s help!”
“Hahaha…” The last joke made the socialites in the room burst into laughter.
Han Tianlin smiled apologetically for a while, then turned to look in Li Wei’s direction. Frankly, he was very confused. In their line of work, they would investigate the contestants’ backgrounds before the betting began. He had learned about Li Wei from his son, Han Chong.
He was said to be a weak student with a vitality of 0.35, which was the bottom of the class. So he did not understand why Li Wei dared to participate in this competition. Did he not want to live anymore at such a young age? The senior executives of several big corporations sitting behind him were also discussing this matter.
“Jia Yueping, number one of Heping High School! His true vitality hovered between 6.2 and 6.4, and he is best at defending and counterattacking using his own body. Therefore, there shouldn’t be any suspense in this match. This Li Wei seems to be from Fei He High School, but he’s not famous. Therefore, he’s not on my observation list.”
“Yeah, he doesn’t seem to have enough weight either. I think his hand bones would be fractured during the fight.”
“It doesn’t matter. Everyone, keep an eye on Jia Yueping’s skill. After that, inform the scout to contact him. We’ll sponsor his college fees.”
“…”
Without exception, both the ordinary audience and the socialites were all optimistic about Jia Yueping. Zhang Feng, on the other hand, was extremely nervous. His palms were sweating as he held the railing.
This was because Jia Yueping was indeed a figure with outstanding strength. At the very least, he was much stronger, and Li Wei had no way to deal with this kind of person.
“What kind of bullsh*t draw is this! Can’t you arrange for those with similar strength to be together?” Zhang Feng’s complaint was soon overwhelmed by the crowded scene.
At this moment, on the competition grounds, the judge gave Li Wei and Jia Yueping a document and a pen, then said, “This is the life and death contract for this year’s competition. After signing the contract, warm-up and the competition will begin in 10 minutes. If you decide not to sign, the other contestant will automatically advance to the next round!”
Before the judge could finish, Jia Yueping had already stepped forward to take the pen. After signing, he threw the pen away and looked at Li Wei arrogantly, saying, “Where did you come from? Listen to me, don’t sign it. Stay alive and work at the rich ladies club. You look so fair and tender. The martial artist profession isn’t suitable for you.”
Jia Yueping’s height was about 180 cm, two centimeters shorter than Li Wei’s. However, his body was extremely robust, and he was very heavy. If it were not for the fact that the competition required him to verify his identity, no one would believe that he was a Senior 3 student.
He looked more like the top player on a football team. The muscles on his shoulders were like armors, looking thick and strong. One would probably break their ribs if hit by him.
Li Wei did not pay attention to Jia Yueping but stepped forward calmly and signed the “life and death consent form.”
“You’re a pity too,” he said.”You should have gone to a strip club with that body. I heard many gay men like people like you.”
“You’re courting death! Don’t you know who I am?” Jia Yueping’s expression gradually became fierce, as if he wanted to kill Li Wei.
Li Wei shook his head as he covered his ear with his pinky finder and said, “I don’t know, probably some gym instructor.”
Jia Yueping was stunned and immediately trembled with anger. Ever since becoming famous, he had never seen any unknown student who dared to speak to him like this.
Before they even started fighting, they were already trash-talking each other. Such a hearted scene was the audience and camera’s favorite. However, instead of cheers and anticipation, many were mocking Li Wei instead.
“Hahaha! Does this kid even know who he’s talking to?”
“I’ve seen people who aren’t afraid of death but had never seen someone as reckless. Jia Yueping would break his ribs with one punch!”
“Oh my god! Please don’t tell me he did it on purpose! Is he tired of living? Jia Yueping can stop a car with his body alone!”
“This guy must be the clown invited by the organizers to liven up the atmosphere, right? I’m dying of laughter! Hahaha…”
“…”
At the same time, on the rooftop of Fei He High School, Han Chong, the organizer of the gambling event, was also paying attention to the competition with a large group of students who had skipped class.
“Li Wei is crazy, right? Jia Yueping can crush him like an ant!”
“Who cares! The most important thing now is to win money. Jia Yueping, you can do it! I’m counting on you to get my game console!”
“…”
Han Chong lit a cigarette and sat before the screen, smiling, “I guess Jia Yueping is already thinking about how to kill Li Wei, which, to him, is easier than eating a meal.”
Although Han Chong was a repeat student with poor grades, he was very knowledgeable because of his family. From his point of view, although both had vitality and were Senior 3 students, the gap between their strengths was as huge as the sky and earth.
This was not an exaggeration. It was difficult to increase one’s vitality, even calculated in decimals. However, if the vitality between the two sides reached a 30% difference, the gap in their strength would immediately be reflected. The party with the higher vitality would undoubtedly win.
Countless seniors and experts had already verified this unwritten “formula.” What’s more, the difference between Li Wei and Jia Yueping was 180%! The outcome of this match was apparent. Therefore, Han Chong knew from the beginning that Li Wei was courting death.
Thinking of this, he threw the cigarette away and announced, “I’ll open another game! Bet on whether Li Wei would be beaten to death! The odds are 1:100 for those who bet he can pull through!”
However, even so, no one dared to place a bet because they all knew Li Wei had already angered Jia Yueping. Therefore, he might not be able to leave this arena alive.
