Urban All-Round Master

Chapter 457: Chapter 452: Promising Young Talent

”Alright, you’re all pretty much familiar with the rules, so let’s start the competition,” Fang Yizheng said as he began to move to the other side of the ring.

Waving his hand, the five Black Hawk members of the Dragon Team in black that Lin Zifeng had noticed began to randomly select numbers for everyone. They then formed four groups, each with about a hundred people, who took to the stage to fight each other. The ones who could still stand at the end would qualify to challenge the top ten of the Mountain and River List!

Lin Zifeng now understood.

The Mountain and River List was a ranking of the various masters striving for supremacy in Zhonghai City, with the CIA in the background. Whoever could stand till the end would be granted an official status along with various benefits and treatments, becoming part of the CIA. In plain terms, they would be enforcers. If they lost, the CIA would definitely come up with another way to scoop up all these masters—it wouldn’t just waste these resources.

Meanwhile, in a certain chamber.

Long Zaitian was lying comfortably on the sofa, holding a glass of rich wine, watching the large screen on the wall with a smile that was not quite a smile.

The old man next to him just glanced at him and chuckled strangely, ”Looking at you, you seem very confident about this year’s Mountain and River List selection, eh?”

”Eh? Haha, not confident, just a little excited. After all, this is a ranking competition of the Mountain and River List that only happens once every five years. How many five-year periods does one have in life? We are all getting old, and the Yangtze River’s waves behind drive the waves ahead. New talents will take over the old,” Long Zaitian said with a smile as he sipped his drink contentedly, enjoying the view of everything happening in the ring on the screen.

Especially when Lin Zifeng appeared on the screen, Long Zaitian seemed even more delighted, holding a smart surveillance controller in his hand.

There were many high-tech pinhole cameras installed in the ring, so everything outside could be projected inside the chamber under Long Zaitian’s control.

”Hehe, Long Zaitian, you always freeze the frame on this kid. Could it be that this kid has some earth-shattering secret?”

Seeing Lin Zifeng appearing on the screen again and again, the old man began to doubt.

”Old Dreamer, what should I say about you? Should I call you stupid or should I call you dumb? Can’t you see who this kid is? I really wonder how you, as the leader of the Dragon Team, got to your position. Ah, if only the country would merge the Dragon Team into our CIA, how great that would be,” Long Zaitian said, ruthlessly mocking the elder who had been leading the Dragon Team for over thirty years, with a scoffing attitude. If anyone heard these two old monsters, who both held high military ranks, teasing each other like this, who knows how many people would be scared!

However, the elder leading the Dragon Team for thirty years didn’t get angry. He just bowed his head and watched the young man on the screen for a long time but still couldn’t recognize who Lin Zifeng was.

”Long Zaitian, cut the crap with me. Who is this young man? You might as well tell me directly. Isn’t it tiring to beat around the bush so much? I’m getting tired of listening,” said the leader of the Dragon Team, a man with a fiery temper himself.

He didn’t like to beat around the bush with others and hated it most when chatting with Long Zaitian, as the old man always liked to talk in riddles.

”Ah, why is talking to you so exhausting? Here, take a look,” Long Zaitian got tired of going in circles and tossed a file in front of Old Dreamer.

”Him?” Old Dreamer was shocked as he flipped to the first page.

”Hmm, recognize him now?” Long Zaitian asked with a sly grin.

”He’s not dead? Wasn’t he proclaimed dead two years ago?” Old Dreamer pointed to Lin Zifeng on the screen, somewhat perplexed.

”Dead my ass, isn’t he still alive and well?”

”But didn’t Heavenly Gate announce his cause of death two years ago? And he’s still alive?” Old Dreamer gasped in astonishment.

”Hehe, do you really wish he were dead that badly?”

”He’s a rare talent,” Old Dreamer licked his lips, staring at Lin Zifeng on the screen, a gleam of brightness in his eyes.

”Damn it! I’m telling you, Old Dreamer, don’t get any ideas about him. Show some mercy to the guy I have my eyes on,” said Long Zaitian.

”Relax, the kid is not bad. But he’s too young, and he’s got a long way to go. We in the Dragon Team are not short of talents, so I won’t be making a move for him,” said the leader of the Dragon Team, laughing in a voice resembling that of a drake.

...

As expected, four hundred contestants were divided into four groups.

In less than an hour, nearly half were knocked off the ring.

In the end, only four people remained from each group.

Four out of four hundred contenders!

Such a ratio was indeed astonishing.

Watching the screaming contestants on the ring, Lin Zifeng felt a surge of sympathy.

This was not a competition, it was outright brawling, with several guys ganging up on one unfortunate soul, beating him until he almost couldn’t cry out for his mother.

”Hehe, because there are just too many contestants this year, and this batch really doesn’t have strong capabilities, even if any of them manage to last till the end, they will probably have no chance against the Mountain and River List,” Long Yunfei leaned against the railing, slightly curling his handsome lips but radiating an evil charm.

”However, these are all good seeds,” Lin Zifeng also curled his lips, watching the masters who were howling in pain with a semblance of a smile.

Since he wanted to grow stronger and dominate the entire underground forces of Huaxia, it wasn’t just about his own power but also relying on the big tree that was the CIA.

With this thought, Lin Zifeng suddenly had another bold idea on his mind...

If I could subdue these experts later...

At this moment, on the vast boxing stage, each group having over a hundred people, by the time the four groups were finished, only five or six experts remained. The rest were either incapacitated or trampled into uselessness.

Some even lay on the ground, howling loudly in pain.

Fang Yizheng, who was watching coldly from the side, shook his head. To think these second-rate fighters wanted to challenge the experts of this year’s Mountain and River List was simply a fool’s dream.

After the injured were all carried off the stage, there stood six young men emanating an intense murderous aura.

Two of them were not in good condition.

They had thought they could continue competing, but Fang Yizheng said coldly, ”Those who are injured, get lost.”

”You!”

”You!”

Both erupted in anger at the same time. They had been assured that whoever remained standing at the end would get a chance to challenge the top ten of the Mountain and River List, but now they were being dismissed before even having the chance to challenge – it was a complete insult.

”Do you still believe you have the ability to challenge the experts of the Mountain and River List?” Fang Yizheng said with an expressionless face.

However, those present who had previously participated in contests all knew that if Fang Yizheng dared to speak such words, he was undoubtedly correct. No one doubted his assessment.

”Who says I’m not capable! I want to keep accepting challenges!” both shouted simultaneously, clearly unwilling to give up after coming this far.

”Oh? Then you can give it a try. I’ll give you a chance. Both of you come at me at the same time; if you can defeat me, I’ll let you challenge the Mountain and River List. My strength isn’t even noteworthy on the Mountain and River List. Defeat me, and you qualify!” Fang Yizheng said with a sneer.

Exchanging a glance, the two advanced toward Fang Yizheng on the boxing stage with light and agile steps, hardly thinking before launching their attack.

But just as they closed in within less than half a meter from Fang Yizheng, Lin Zifeng, who was intrigued by the events from the second-floor railing, always felt this old man was formidable yet never witnessed him in action. He wondered just how formidable he was.

But just as this thought flashed through his mind...

Fang Yizheng, who had been standing still on the boxing stage, suddenly lashed out with two whip-like kicks, silently sending both men flying out of the ring.

Even the timing of his kick was so swift that many didn’t see it clearly!

”Master! An absolute master!” Lin Zifeng, leaning against the railing, felt a sudden chill.

Looking at the aged appearance of Fang Yizheng, one would never expect him to be this terrifying!

”Now, should you understand the gap between yourselves and the experts on the Mountain and River List?” Fang Yizheng, with his hands behind his back, narrowed his eyes like a sleepy owl.

Every step he took was so composed.

”Hiss—”

Everyone present was taken aback by Fang Yizheng, the referee. Having heard of the old man’s prowess five years ago, they didn’t expect him to be this formidable today – it was hard to imagine how someone could surpass their past with age.

”You may continue the contest now.” Fang Yizheng said casually, nodding to the remaining four on the boxing stage, indicating they should get ready.

The four of them didn’t seem overly surprised; in their opinion.

If someone didn’t have some real ability, they wouldn’t be able to stand out from four hundred competitors, and that was certainly something to be proud of.

After seeing the four nod and leave, referee Fang Yizheng just lightly swept a glance over everyone below and smirked, ”The selections are now made. But for fairness’ sake, many of you who were just defeated are probably feeling somewhat dissatisfied. I’ll give you a chance now. There are only four outstanding young talents left in the ring. If anyone believes they have the capability to fight, feel free to volunteer and challenge any one of them. Win, and you will advance; lose, and you will get lost. Simple, right?”

”This old bastard! He’s thoroughly despicable. Clearly toying with us, we were told that standing out from four hundred would qualify us to challenge the top ten of the Mountain and River List, and now he’s letting others challenge us, isn’t this mockery? I haven’t even seen a shadow of the top ten of the Mountain and River List.”

Up on the boxing stage, some began to express dissatisfaction with Fang Yizheng’s tactics, voicing their complaints.

However, Fang Yizheng just smiled without a word.

On the boxing stage, two of the four young men had particularly strong auras, causing those recently beaten off the stage to contemplate whether they should step up.

”Black Hawk, what do you think of those four on the boxing stage?”

At the railing, Lin Zifeng turned and asked Black Hawk with a smile.

”Experts, very powerful!” Black Hawk said honestly.

”Bu Chen, what about you?” Lin Zifeng turned again and asked Bu Chen, who had a serious look on his face.

”Indeed very powerful, rare experts.” Bu Chen’s sharp gaze remained locked on the four remaining young experts on the boxing stage, not entirely confident within himself.