Translator: Transn Editor: Transn
In the locker room of the home team—Wensheng School,
Master Ni Mingfei wore traditional exercise clothes for the occasion. He stroked his beard and said, “I won’t say anything more. Zhengquan, you’ll be going out second. Do your best!”
“Yes, Master.” Zhou Zhengquan nodded calmly.
Ni Mingfei then looked at Hou Yue, who looked restless on his seat, “Little Yue, you’ll go out first. Either Lin Que or Lou Cheng are both very suitable opponents for you. You should go all out to work out the gap between you and the top fighters of Professional Ninth Pin.”
When he heard this, Hou Yue abruptly stopped fidgeting and said solemnly,
“Yes, Master!”
...
In the broadcast room of Donglin TV station, the host Wang Tian interrupted their guest, Lin Maosheng and laughed, “The lineup order of players has been sent from the front. The order of Donglin Squad is: the first is Hou Yue, the second Zhou Zhengquan, and the third Zhuo Yanjun. While the order of Songcheng University Martial Arts Club is: the first is Lou Cheng, the second Lin Que, and the third Sun Jian.”
“Which also means, the first battle which is about to start is between Hou Yue and Lou Cheng!”
...
Hou Yue VS Lou Cheng!
Yan Xiaoling moved the video window and put it side by side with the live posts in the forum so that she could put more attention on the battle.
Once the order of active players was determined, that meant that the battle was about to start any time!
...
Cai Zongming led Zhang Jingye, Wu Qian, and the others quickly into the stadium of Wensheng School. Because they didn’t know this place very well, it took them a lot of time to find the stadium which was located on the hillside and this made them almost miss the beginning of the match.
The moment they crossed the threshold, they were startled by the solemn and quiet atmosphere. They even thought that they had arrived at the wrong place, so they were stunned for a while and looked around. Then they found Lou Cheng and the other players who had exited the locker room and were seated in the reserved seats. They finally felt relieved and could relax a little.
“It feels weird...” Wu Qian whispered to Zhang Jingye in his ear.
It feels abnormally solemn and very uncomfortable. This is totally different from the excitement which I would have expected to be able to feel!
In order to “cheer up” the team, Zhang Jingye had studied and read up on a lot of martial arts knowledge in a short period of time, but he still could not understand the strange atmosphere of the host stadium. He could only explain, “Maybe different host teams have different features...”
The mountain breeze that blew made him shudder and he thought that this place was like a grave where ancient zombies were awakening.
It’s too old and too cold!
Cai Zongming coughed twice to attract the attention of Zhao Qiang and others. He looked like taking a group of primary school students on tour and took them to find seats to sit.
At that moment, the referee entered the ring and looked at both sides before he said,
“The second round of the Songcheng division quarterfinal knockout. Fearless Squad versus Songcheng University Martial Arts Club.”
“Round one, Hou Yue vs Lou Cheng!”
Lou Cheng looked very calm. He took off his jacket and clasped hands with Yan Zheke next to him.
“Don’t worry about it too much...” Yan Zheke told him with her bright eyes.
Lou Cheng grinned, “Okay, relax!”
He added to say “Coach Yan” silently by only opening his mouth!
He had discussed the tactics of how to battle Hou Yue with Yan Zheke many times.
After having seen his girlfriend purse her mouth and smile, he high fived his teammates who were still in their seats and shouted their slogan together. Then he turned around and walked towards the ring along the path under the gaze of the quiet audience.
“Lou Cheng, fight!” Cai Zongming cried out unconsciously.
Because his behavior was entirely different from the surrounding atmosphere, this drew a lot of attention and everyone turned to look at him, making him feel like a fool. He couldn’t help but blush as he whispered to himself, “How f*cking embarrassing this is!”
After hearing this solitary cheer, Yan Zheke looked at Guo Qing and Lin Hua. Then all of them stood up from their seats at the same time, and shouted together,
“Fight, Lou Cheng!”
This was the strength of the understanding and friendship they had gained gradually from the months spent together training at the Martial Arts Club.
After hearing their response, Cai Zongming no longer felt embarrassed. He raised his hands and shouted after those girls.
“Fight, Lou Cheng!”
Why should I care about the views of others?
Cai Zongming had set a good example for the others, so Wu Qian, Zhang Jingye, and other students also became braver gradually. They cupped their hands like trumpets and shouted,
“Fight, Lou Cheng!”
The sound echoed through the stadium. They inspired each other and began to shout more enthusiastically. They also cooperated with Yan Zheke and the others, in the end, they shattered the quiet and serious atmosphere of this stadium.
Even though their number was limited, their spirits were firm enough!
Some of the spectators in formal suits began to feel restless. They felt that they would appear foolish if they didn’t do anything, so they started to applaud messily.
Accompanied by the scattered applause, Lou Cheng stepped into the ring with a smile. He felt very warm after hearing the cheers of Yan Zheke and Cai Zongming.
On the opposite side, Hou Yue shook his legs and scratched the side of the head. Then he smiled sincerely.
“You’re very strong, so I’m a little nervous. Could you please not talk with me? Is that okay?”
Lou Cheng was speechless at this and chuckled. He nodded politely.
“Sure!
“He is really a kid who is less than 18 years old...” He thought this and just regarded himself as an old man.
...
During the three minute dialogue period, the guest, Lin Maosheng in the broadcast room of Donglin TV station smiled and said, “I have checked their profiles and found that Lou Cheng is already a fighter of Professional Ninth Pin. So we need to emphasize that he is no longer a fighter without any rank because he is now stronger than most of the fighters of Professional Ninth Pin.”
“Previously I thought that Lou Cheng would try his best to develop his own supernatural ability and temper his body to such an extreme state that he would find an opportunity to participate in the Ranking Event for Professional Eighth Pin. Then he could get the Professional Eighth Pin certificate.” The host, Wang Tian, also commented, “Coach Lin, do you think that Hou Yue has any possibility to defeat Lou Cheng?”
Lin Maosheng thought for a while and said, “The possibility is small. However, Hou Yue is an important disciple on whom Wensheng School had put lots of attention, so he definitely has something very special. If Lou Cheng underestimates his opponent, he may receive injuries and this would influence the final result of this battle to a large extent.”
Wang Tian nodded slightly and said, “Coach Lin has got valid points. A few reporters in the stadium have interviewed several disciples in Wensheng School and they found that these members also believe in Hou Yue, perhaps just based on faith...”
While they were explaining the battle, in the fan forum of Lou Cheng, “Brahman” sent an emoji which looked like a person was twisting with arm akimbo and said,
“These people really aren’t professional enough. The Little Dragon is really powerful, he even knew that my idol had got his Professional Ninth Pin certificate the same day Lou Cheng received it!”
“Unparalleled Dragon King” froze for a while and said, “When did I become a ‘little dragon’? Are you guys planning to call me ‘little loach’ the next time? And, as we know, as long as you know his name and his registered permanent address, you can check his status on the official website.”
After hanging around with “Brahman”, “Eternal Nightfall”, “Wonton Seller” and other girls like them, he felt his mind had become very young and he would say something or behave very cutely unconsciously.
How great but terrible the internet is!
“Little Dragon, Little Dragon, Little Dragon, how many attacks do you think Lou Cheng would need to defeat this unknown ‘monkey’.” Yan Xiaoling asked without thinking.
“Unparalleled Dragon King” answered with a contemptuous emoji, “Don’t underestimate any fighters of the Professional Ninth Pin. Even if there is nothing unexpected, Lou Cheng probably cannot win the match swiftly and quickly!”
“Oh-oh-oh, I see!” Yan Xiaoling didn’t feel embarrassed and didn’t mind exposing her lack of knowledge.
...
In the ring, Lou Cheng kept his word and did not interfere with Hou Yue. While he was preparing his physical condition to be in the best state, he began to plan his tactics for the battle.
During this process, he vaguely felt some concern and anxiety almost like the calm before a storm.
Lou Cheng knew clearly that this anxiety was not because of Hou Yue, but because of the second player, Zhou Zhengquan. “Others only think that I have unlimited stamina and am not afraid of a drawn-out battle. However, they don’t know that my energy is limited and I can only attack with Thunder Roar Zen a few times and only three times with Frost Force. If I waste too much energy on Hou Yue, then I cannot create the best winning opportunity for my Brother-in-law when I am confronted by Zhou Zhengquan.
So I have to conserve as much energy as possible in the battle with Hou Yue!
And the best way to save energy is to go all out and not restrain the attacks. I should try my best to end this battle within four or five attacks!”
Lou Cheng took a breath. And gradually his heart lake became quiet and the water in it also froze into ice.
After a while, the referee looked at the electronic clock and raised his right hand. Then he swung it down with great force before announcing.
“Start!”
Lou Cheng was like a sprinter who had just heard the starting gun and exploded with his stored power. He exerted force into his legs, straightened his bent knees and rushed towards Hou Yue as quickly as a hunting cloud leopard.
He knew that Hou Yue also specifically visited a teacher to study other martial arts besides “Fly Fall Punch”, which was called the “monkey shape”. This martial art made him good at dodging, therefore Lou Cheng didn’t prepare to use Frost Force and Thunder Roar Zen directly, she thought it would waste his energy if he could not hit him successfully.
Confronted with this attack of Lou Cheng, Hou Yue swung his body like a flexible tape and moved to the side of Lou Cheng in a flash before he kicked out his right leg away quickly and suddenly.
At that moment, Lou Cheng twisted his spine and spun his waist. He quickly shifted his center of gravity and suddenly changed his direction which made Hou Yue’s kick lost its target.
His mind immediately visualized rolling clouds and he pushed the corresponding muscles in his body. Then he twisted his waist and pushed out his right arm which punched heavily like a hammer.
This was the Thunder Roar Zen!
Hou Yue’s expression slightly changed and he suddenly moved backward and he did the three somersaults which helped him not only maintain a safe distance but also to keep his balance.
Lou Cheng did not give up on chasing him. He exerted force into his feet which even smashed the black bricks and ran after him hard.
Although your somersault is quite quick, it’s still slower than my rush!
As soon as Hou Yue stopped, Lou Cheng had been closed in on him. Lou Cheng tightened the muscles in his palms, forearms and upper arms and punched out with his left fist.
The second blow of Thunder Roar Zen!