Chapter 444 The Martial Arts Gathering Begins
The middle seat for the judges was still empty. Apparently, it was specially reserved for Spencer, the Palace Chief of the Herb Palace.
At that moment, the open area beneath the arena was already flooded with excited spectators. However, there were only a few rows of seating prepared at the front. Those standing behind were cramped in the limited space like a pack of sardines.
Jesse walked up to Jared and greeted him respectfully, “Mr. Chance, this way, please!”
Since Jared and the others attended the occasion as visitors, they did not have any seats in the front row. Nevertheless, Jesse led them to the front and arranged for them to be seated in the row reserved for those from Extreme Fist Gym.
Shortly after Jared, Josephine, and Lizbeth were seated at the front, Lionel led his disciples and stood behind them.
The others were flabbergasted. They could not fathom why the head of Extreme Fist Gym would let a few young ones take their seats and even stand respectfully behind them. They could not help but wonder about Jared’s identity. Soon, martial artists from Jazona and Summerbank managed to recognize him at once. No doubt, they had the answer as to why Lionel willingly gave up his seat for Jared.
“Lionel Cohen, I wonder if there’s a new head for Extreme Fist Gym. I’ve never seen this young man who takes your seat before!” a bald man seated next to the row for Extreme Fist Gym mocked with sheer disdain on his face.
“Rocky, keep your mouth shut! I’ll let my disciples teach you a lesson on the arena later—just you wait!” Lionel snarled at him.
“Hahaha! Now that all of you from Extreme Fist Gym have downgraded and become others’ lackeys, how could you still have the audacity to say this?” Rocky guffawed, causing the others to laugh contemptuously at Lionel as well.
Everyone guessed there must be a reason for such a high-ranked person like Lionel to let a young man take his seat and even stand behind him. Perhaps, the mysterious young man was backing Extreme Fist Gym up.
Right that instant, Jared turned to shoot Rocky a frigid glance. The utter frigidness in his eyes sent an instant shiver down Rocky’s spine, and his smile froze on his face.
Wiping the cold sweat off his forehead, Rocky dared not have any eye contact with Jared again. It was as though the latter’s penetrative glance had sent him down to a horrendous bottomless abyss at once.
“The Palace Chief of The Herb Palace is here!” After the announcement, Spencer moved toward the stage slowly.
Pin-drop silence ensued in the place instantly. Spencer might not be the most skilled martial artist, but he was undoubtedly the most influential among all.
For all the martial artists, be it from Nuthana or Jazona, none of them dared to step on the toes of the Herb Palace. After all, they would inevitably need to seek treatment from the Herb Palace if they sustained injuries.
After Spencer was seated, he scanned everyone below the arena. He was stunned at the sight of Jared sitting in the front row and could not resist throwing him a flaring glance.
“Everyone, I’m not going to talk much about the rules for the Martial Arts Gathering today. But I’ve to emphasize the reward this round! It’s the centurial premium herb—a top-notch herb which costs a few million!” His words whipped everyone below the arena up.
The costly centurial premium herb was indeed an attractive reward. After all, not all martial arts families and martial artists were from well-off backgrounds. In fact, most of them had to make ends meet as they indulged themselves in martial arts.
“Hahaha! This centurial premium herb is definitely mine!” Rocky laughed triumphantly as he rose to his feet and flung himself abruptly onto the arena. The next moment, he scanned everyone below the arena sardonically and yelled, “Anyone dares to come up and challenge me?”
“I’ll be the first person!” A young man dressed in a white suit jumped onto the arena swiftly.
He greeted Rocky with a sweeping gesture. “Rocky, after you…”
“Stop being pretentious. I can’t stand it when you waste time on that!” Rocky cut him off and threw his punch at the young man without a second thought.
In a split second, a deafening sound rang out as Rocky’s punch whizzed toward the young man at an astonishing speed. Awestruck, the latter stood in a striking stance hastily to fight against Rocky.
