People in the Alliance, Time Management Master

“Dear guest, you are welcome to come up on stage to compete whenever you wish.” He smiled and gave a gentlemanly bow.

"Okay, then I'll leave it to you."

Mu Bai smiled, took off his cumbersome coat and tossed it to Bolton, then slowly walked onto the arena amidst the astonished gazes of hundreds of people.

Chapter Twenty: RMN Refund!

The atmosphere on the stage was somewhat eerie.

On one side was a muscular powerhouse who had just defeated a veteran boxing champion, and on the other was a young man with a scholarly air. Anyone watching would think this match was a foregone conclusion.

Even Sett himself was hesitant to do it.

“The ring isn’t a playground, it’s deadly.” He slammed his fists together, making a loud thud. “You’d better get off here—before I break your head.”

"Thank you for reminding me, but I have my own plans." Mu Bai shook his head slightly, his gaze sweeping over the other person's bruised body.

Sett, also known as the Rift Keeper.

It has one-quarter beast blood and three-quarters human blood flowing through its veins. It has a human body and Vastaya ears, but it is neither a Vastaya nor a human.

This "half-beast" boy was an anomaly from the very beginning. His birth violated the traditions of the Vastaya tribe, and he suffered countless insults from a young age.

At first, his father—a Noxian gladiator—would use his fists to shatter the infamy, but later his father left, leaving behind a widow and her child to suffer cold stares.

Later, Sett unexpectedly came into contact with his father's former profession.

From the moment he threw his first punch, people knew this mixed-race kid was born for this. Although Sett had never received formal combat training, his raw power and ferocity were enough.

He was like a battering ram, overturning one skilled opponent after another, and never lost.

But today, Mu Bai is confident he can make him taste defeat.

Even if he is very strong in the canyon, in reality he is just an ordinary person with excellent physical abilities—without magic or advanced skills, his potential is too low.

"Alright, since you insist..." Sett, unaware of what the other was thinking, hesitated whether to go easy on him later, "Don't regret it."

"No, not at all."

Mu Bai shook his limbs, then unsheathed his sword and tossed it into the corner of the arena. His relatively small stature among the muscular men made him look harmless.

"Fists and kicks have no eyes, please be careful, Mr. Sett."

"..." The latter's eye twitched, and he suddenly felt a little insulted.

Not only him, but everyone in the audience also found Mu Bai's words both arrogant and ridiculous. A frail scholar telling a boxing champion to be careful? He's insane!

The fat, wealthy businessman who had lost money earlier laughed the loudest and even pulled out a large bag of gold coins to bet on Seti to win.

The odds for this match are even more outrageous than the last one, at 1.1 and 1.8.

If it weren't for Mu Bai's confident demeanor making the arena manager somewhat wary, he might have even considered raising the odds to 2.8.

"Five gold coins, bet on Mu Bai to win!" Only Bolton confidently contradicted the others.

This is all his possessions.

People around him stared at him like he was a fool, but he had already figured out how to distribute the nine gold coins that were about to be his.

On the stage, after the audience had placed their bets, the referee shook the bell in his hand vigorously.

Sett twisted his neck and slowly approached step by step.

Mu Bai walked towards him in a very natural and generous manner.

When the distance was less than one meter, the two suddenly accelerated and threw punches at the same time.

For a fleeting moment, Sett's keen combat instincts pounded wildly, as if he were facing not a human, but a terrifying behemoth from the abyss...

However, he has no other choice but to throw a punch now.

Bang—the two fists collided, and a huge thud echoed throughout the ring.

Sett was surprised to find that it was as if he had hit a thick steel plate, and his fist could not move forward even half a millimeter.

"Huh? That's quite powerful, much stronger than I expected." Mu Bai also showed a surprised expression, but to the other party, it was full of sarcasm.

Of course, he didn't mean to humiliate the other party; he was genuinely surprised.

His body had been amplified twice by world runes, far exceeding the range of normal people, making him practically a superhuman.

But when faced with Sett's fist, he had to use more than 70% of his strength to completely block it.

"Damn it..." Sett was furious and threw out his other fist, trying to finish the fight quickly.

However, Mu Bai could see his fist clearly.

There was never any strategy to begin with, and if you're not as fast or strong as your opponent, there's only one outcome—falling to the ground.

Before his fist could even touch anything, his vision began to spin.

By the time he came to his senses, his left cheek was already pressed against the cold ground.

"Damn it! It's a fixed match!" someone in the audience immediately stood up and shouted, "This is fucking a fixed match!"

This "conspiracy theory" gained widespread acceptance, and the outcry grew louder and louder, to the point that even the management was finding it difficult to control.

Only Bolton sat calmly in his chair, wearing an expression that suggested he had known all along that this would be the outcome.

Mu Bai's full-force attack could even sink a Noxian warship, so how could he easily defeat a mere underground boxing champion with one hand?

"Damn it..." Sett cursed as he got up, wanting to fight again, but Mu Bai gestured for him to stop for the time being.

“I admire you, Mr. Sett,” the latter said earnestly. “The underground fighting arena is not a place to stay for long. Are you interested in coming with me to the wider world to make your mark?”

"What do you mean?" Sett gritted his teeth, his anger still simmering.

"Literal meaning."

Mu Bai took out a handkerchief and wiped his fist, then said:

"You defeated the old champion and dominated this fighting arena. You might make a fortune in the short term, but what about the future?"

“Even if I’m not here today, new strong people will always emerge in the future, just like you defeated Kabidoba.”

"What will you do when you get old and your physical strength declines? What will your mother do then?"

"Come with me. With your talent and ability, you shouldn't just stay in this small fighting arena."

These words were spoken in a low voice, only Sett could hear them, but to onlookers it sounded like they were openly discussing fixing the match.

The shouting reached its peak at this moment, with some hot-tempered men even throwing melon rinds, glass cups, and other miscellaneous items onto the stage.

Sett looked at his partner with a complicated expression, remaining silent. He had considered these questions, but what else could he do besides boxing?

Should I go to the docks to do manual labor to earn money to support my mother?

"I'll give you proof. Go back and think about it carefully."

Mu Bai took a deep breath, then extended his right hand, with his four fingers together and his thumb placed in the palm in a knife-like shape.

A gentle breeze began to swirl around him, and Janna's power permeated every cell of his body. He used the Wind-Controlling Sword Technique to its fullest extent; a sword was a sword, a knife was a sword, a tree branch was a sword, and even his hand was a sword.

The next moment, he suddenly waved his hand, and a terrifying force of wind burst forth from his palm, seeping into the floor through the gaps invisible to the naked eye.

After a loud bang, the arena split in two.

It was as if an invisible giant had cleaved it in two with a sharp axe, leaving a perfectly clean break.

Sett stared at this inhuman power, speechless for a long time. Those spectators who had accused him of throwing the match also fell silent.

Faced with absolute power, all rumors will crumble on their own.

"Think it through, then come find me at the temple in Presidium... By the way, my name is Mu Bai."

Mu Bai gathered the things on the ground and strode away.

The money he won from the bet was given to Sett as a gift.

His mother desperately needed the money to improve their dire financial situation.

Chapter 21 Syndra: How did my base get raided while I was just taking a nap?

In the early hours of the night, after the fighting arena closed, Sett visited his mother's house as usual.

The kind and beautiful Vastaya mother had already gone to sleep, but she woke up immediately when Seti tiptoed into the room.

"You're back so late again today?" She recognized her child even before her eyes were fully open, and a warm smile appeared on her face.

"Hmm... I had a lot of work today." Sett scratched his head sheepishly, like a boy who hadn't grown up yet. "The pay was also very generous, a whole bag of money."

The woman looked on in surprise as he took out a large bag of coins and placed it on the counter. "What kind of work has so much money, my child?"

“Building a house. The boss said he appreciated my physical strength, so he gave me a little extra.” Seti thought of Mu Bai as he said this.

"What kind of house did our son build today?"

"A very large orphanage. The children are very happy."

"You make me so proud."

The woman chuckled happily, but then caught a glimpse of the bandages on the other person's hand and the bruises on their face.

"Oh dear, what's wrong?" Her tone changed from happy to worried.

Sett's heart pounded, and he quickly hid his hands behind his back. "It's okay, Mom... I just tripped and fell while building the house, but I'm fine now."

The woman tried to pull Seti's hand over to examine it properly, but the latter quickly hugged her and kissed her on the forehead.

"Goodnight, Mom, I'm going to bed now."

"Okay, child. Goodnight."

She closed her eyes and drifted off to sleep. The expression on her face seemed to convey pride in her son, for he was now living a decent life.

After leaving his mother's house, Sett walked alone on the street, gazing up at the magnificent starry sky over the land of his birth.

In a daze, he seemed to see the arena split in two and the long sword that had never been drawn.

A wider world...

....................................

When Mu Bai returned to Presidium, it was already dawn. Many rebel members were busy at the base, either processing documents or preparing to go out on missions.