In the opposite corner of the ring, Carl's trainer had already sensed something was wrong.
"Carl, you're too agitated! That young fighter is clearly provoking you on purpose. You can't keep trading head-on with him—this kid can take a punch. Just let it go, Carl. Winning by points isn't unacceptable."
Carl shot a hateful glare at Jason Luo across the ring.
"No! Coach, maybe you're right, but today I must completely crush this kid. Otherwise, I'll disgrace the entire Fraser family! That's something I can never allow."
At that, Carl's trainer could only shake his head. In some Western traditions, family honor outweighed even life itself.
"But you can't just keep fighting him like this! Carl, you have to control the pace. Stop letting that kid lead you around…"
"Thanks, Coach. I know what I need to do," Carl replied grimly, his expression dark.
"Ding!" The bell rang for the start of the third round. Strangely, the ring girl had only appeared in the first round and was gone since…
As soon as the fight resumed, Carl attacked first again. But this time, he didn't come in recklessly. Instead, he fought steadily, slowing the pace while maintaining heavy pressure on Jason Luo.
Jason Luo's face changed. This was bad! Carl had figured it out. At this rhythm, Carl could attack nonstop through an entire round. If Jason Luo didn't counter, the referee might even stop the fight and award it to Carl!
That couldn't happen.
He had to bring the pace back to the previous round.
Seizing the gap as Carl's left hand extended again, Jason Luo launched a fierce counter. His stamina had recovered, and his Punch Speed had slightly increased, surprising Carl, who was caught defending.
But Jason Luo still couldn't break through. After withstanding the flurry, Carl quickly regained his rhythm and pressed forward again. Now Jason Luo understood clearly—his opponent wasn't going to play into his madness anymore.
Carl's pace had slowed, but the pressure was even greater!
Now composed, Carl concentrated his attacks on Jason Luo's body. At 178 cm, Carl's height gave him excellent leverage for body shots, and the abdomen was much harder to evade than head strikes.
Jason Luo knew he had no choice but to fight back. If he kept defending, once his ribs were seriously damaged, he wouldn't even have the chance to fight.
In the ring, there was no time to overthink. Decide and act!
Jason Luo struck back, and both fighters finally clashed in a full exchange.
But Jason Luo quickly realized—at this pace, he was losing!
Carl's Punch Speed was faster, his evasions sharper, and he carried a constant knockout threat. In every exchange, Jason Luo was the one getting hit. Carl had locked down his left jab, and continuing like this would only put him at a disadvantage.
Jason Luo had only one option: rely on his slight Stamina edge and go all out. He launched a furious assault, pouring everything into a blinding barrage. His high punch frequency was the only way to make up for his low accuracy.
It worked, for a while. Carl was forced to retreat under the relentless storm.
But such output couldn't last.
After dozens of punches, Jason Luo had to slow down to catch his breath. That was exactly what Carl had been waiting for!
Before Jason Luo could raise his guard, Carl's lightning-fast left punch slammed into his midsection. The blow nearly tore Jason Luo apart, his eyes bulging as his arms reflexively clutched his stomach. But Carl was already following up—his right cross smashed into Jason Luo's head, knocking him off balance and sending him stumbling backward…
"He's hit! In the exchange, Carl's left punch landed flush on Jason Luo's body, then a crushing right followed to the head—he's down! Ha! In the end, raw power always decides the ring… Huh?!"
Jason Luo, falling backward, gritted his teeth and managed to brace himself with one hand against the canvas, preventing a full collapse.
But by the rules, if a fighter loses balance under attack and touches the mat with an elbow, it still counts as a valid knockdown!
"Ding. Severe damage detected. Conditions met for Unyielding Body activation. Unyielding Body has automatically triggered…"
Damn it! It activated already?!
Jason Luo panicked. Triggering Unyielding Body now was dangerous. This fight could easily go the full distance. If it triggered here, he'd enter the weakness phase halfway through the fourth round. Unless Carl was already down by then, defeat would be certain!
Damn! He hadn't even lasted to the end of the third round—his plan was ruined.
Seeing Jason Luo's hand on the mat, the referee rushed in to start the standing count. Jason Luo was fully recovered and fine, but this time he acted shrewdly. He deliberately feigned pain, only nodding firmly at "Six" to show he could continue.
The referee looked doubtful but said nothing, signaling the fight to resume.
"Oh! The young fighter actually survived that! He says he can continue. To withstand such punishment—astonishing! For an Asian fighter, his toughness is unbelievable. But now Carl's going to unleash his fury. Can Jason Luo survive the storm?"
The sudden turn fired up the crowd.
"Carl's the real deal, heir to the throne! Take him out!"
"He's finished! Go for the win, Carl!"
Carl hadn't expected Jason Luo to withstand it, but it didn't matter. You can dodge once, but not forever. Just stay down!
At the referee's signal, Carl led with his right punch, his left clenched tight, eyes locked on Jason Luo's jaw. He was going to finish it with one blow!
But Jason Luo was at full power now, his body brimming with energy. Come on! Time was short—he had to end this while Unyielding Body lasted, or the round would be lost.
Feigning a dazed look, Jason Luo waited. As Carl closed in, he suddenly exploded into action. He parried Carl's right with his lead hand, sidestepped the deadly uppercut, and with Carl's guard wide open, unleashed a brutal right cross that smashed into Carl's jaw!
The blow knocked Carl completely off balance, dropping him onto the canvas!
Carl was stunned. The referee was stunned. The entire crowd was stunned!
Carl's shock came from two things: first, how could Jason Luo, who had just taken two massive hits, recover so quickly? Second, how could that counterpunch carry such devastating power?
Even the referee was dumbfounded. He had just finished counting Jason Luo, and now, not even three seconds later, Carl was down!
...