Translator: Transn Editor: Lucas
When she saw the post, Yan Zheke turned to her boyfriend, who put on an awkward expression. Then she suddenly banged the bed with her fists and laughed wildly.
“Actually ‘Sky Shaking Roar’ fits you well, especially now that you have accomplished the Nine Words Formula. Especially since you shouted and howled every time you fought.”
Lou Cheng had no choice but to agree with her. “The name sounds barbaric and vulgar. As they said, the producers of Apotheosis of Fighters in the Gaofen TV station are safe and sound thanks to the self-disciplined fighters they ridiculed. For example, me... ”
Yan Zheke stopped making fun of her boyfriend and refreshed her Weibo to see people’s ideas about the upcoming match.
Mo Jingting sent an emoji of a smiling cat, saying, “My junior master is the best!”
Shi Yuejian of Wuyue Club used the smiling emoji with a covered mouth, saying, “It seems like a trial match between the Wuyue and Xinghai Clubs.”
The Three Gentlemen of Chen posted an article on Weibo:
“I was asked if Lou Cheng and Ann Chaoyang were both in their best condition, who would win the match? Here is what I think.”
“Ann Chaoyang isn’t a disciple of any school or sect, nor is he gifted at all. However, he holds a special insight of martial arts and has always brought forth new ideas. Finally, he reached the Dan stage and found favor in the Queen of Thought’s eyes and came into contact with the top fighters.”
“Now, as we have seen, all of these years of hard work turned into actual results. He became a fighter with Sixth Pin and accomplished a simplified physical invulnerability and so on. He has proven himself to be the direct descendant of top fighters with no apparent weakness.”
“The skills of the Water Sect, the Earth Sect, and Tai Chi are taught in the Xinghai Club, but Ann Chaoyang exhibited none of these skills, which indicates he is actually something more than we have yet to see.”
“As for Lou Cheng, since the national competition, he has handled the matches skillfully and easily. Some doubt that he has been preserving half of his strength. Even if it’s true, Lou Cheng brought us the surprise of Attainment Formula. What if he spares no effort and goes all out? I am very much looking forward to it!”
“The first two matches cannot be used as a reference due to their limited rules. Moreover, although Ann Chaoyang has a lack of secret skills for a Spiritual attack, the vagaries of the Water Sect can cripple the opponent using similar methods. Therefore, Ann would not be at a disadvantage.”
“So, in my opinion, it would be a close contest.”
After reading the article, Yan Zheke began to skim through the comments.
The first comment expressed Yan’s feelings exactly:
“A close contest? Is that your opinion after so much nonsense?”
And more similar comments followed:
“Are you really a professional commenter?”
“You cannot be serious!”
...
Yan Zheke reposted what she saw to Lou Cheng and she carried on scrolling through Weibo.
An All-knowing Man in Ganghood said,
“Lou Cheng seemed an unfathomable rival, but, actually, he’s just mastered many skills and tricks to protect against a particular enemy, while Ann Chaoyang hasn’t given full play to his strength. He’s a senior fighter, more experienced than Lou Cheng, so I personally expect Ann to win.”
Superstitious Belief is Bad posted:
“There is nothing worth predicting. Remember, what is a real fighter? He may not be one state or at least two ranks higher than his opponent, but he will always win. Regardless of whether or not you think highly of him, Lou Cheng is such a fighter!”
More comments were popping up as soon as He Xiaowei posted on Weibo.
“Alright. I bet on Ann Chaoyang winning the match!”
“Wei is no less than a prophet!”
“He has it all figured out. I gamble on Ann Chaoyang!”
Yan Zheke put on a wry smile and blurted, “Cheng, the so-called prophet is trying to curse you!”
While browsing through the web forum, Lou Cheng was momentarily stunned and then he chuckled. “I am not afraid of his prophecy.”
“Why?” Yan Zheke blinked.
Lou Cheng laughed. “Because of you, my dear Coach Yan. I have your blessings.”
Ha... Yan Zheke couldn’t help but laugh and pretended to be stuck in an awkward situation. “But I will fight the match this time. I can barely fend for myself... ”
“You are likely to fight against your best friend!” Lou Cheng added with a little concern. “You are evenly matched rivals in terms of strength, but her illusion supernatural ability that disturbs the air could be a thorny problem... ”
“It’s fine.” Yan Zheke raised her head. “As I told you, Jingjing’s supernatural ability arose from her fear. In other words, the fight or flight mental state. She can make the most of that skill when she confronts male fighters. However, I am a girl and her best friend. Her true fear and intimidation may not be aroused so easily.”
“If she’s in the wrong mental state, her illusion supernatural ability will be weakened. Is that right?”
Lou Cheng suddenly saw the light. “Correct!”
It did sound quite reasonable!
“I know!” Yan Zheke’s face lit up and her demeanor clearly showed her joy.
“My dear Coach Yan!” Lou Cheng paid her an enormous compliment.
...
At 7:10 PM, April 14th.
In Capital city, a light drizzle that moistened the climate fell all day. Outside of the martial arts arena, a flock of the audience had gathered and they came pouring in. They jubilantly talked about the impending match, a key moment in this year’s competition.
...
In the office of the Martial Arts Club of Capital College, Shen You, Chen Diguo, and others gathered to set up the projector.
A few minutes passed. They saw Ren Li come in with Jiang Kongchan and everyone relaxed, taking pride in that chubby girl.
Victory was assured this time!
...
The members of the Martial Arts Club of Shanbei University got together to watch the live match. Martial arts lovers and idlers were also here drinking beer and making noise. The atmosphere had been electrified.
In such a place and surrounded by hot girls, Peng Leyun and the others just ordered some mineral water while the other people kept at a distance of five steps.
Xu Wannian was quite disappointed. He had commented that it was too crowded for everyone to watch the match in one room, so he proposed that they could find a bar and have some fun. Their coach, Huang Qing, consented to his suggestion, but the coach would join them at the bar.
He peered at his coach, the middle-aged man with grey hair, and the severity of his coach killed all their fun.
Ah... Let us focus on the match between Songcheng and Huahai !
...
Li Xiaoyuan was staying in a well-decorated hotel room. He turned on the lights and TV. There were boxes of food and snacks sitting on the table and across the carpet.
Li Xiaoyuan put away his video games and glanced at Zhen Huansheng, the club manager, who was tanned to a deep bronze. He was awfully quiet, while Xi Meng and the others were having a lively discussion.
“Our senior brother is stressed out... ” Li Xiaoyuan combed his hair as he guessed.
...
In the broadcast room, with the martial arts suits of Songcheng and Huahai hanging on the wall, the host and Liu Chang took a look at the materials and laughed,
“We will come back to Hudong and Mingdao later. Sansheng, let us talk about Huahai and Songcheng first.”
The first match tonight would be Hudong VS Mingdao.
“What’s there to talk about? All kinds of rumors and predictions are spreading everywhere.” Chen Sansheng played with his pen.
“Who will be on the list of fighters for the match tonight?” Liu Chang was trying to find a topic.
Chen Sansheng carried on playing with his pen as he said, “That’s easy. Lou Cheng and Lin Que will definitely be on the list tonight. As for the third fighter, they may choose Yan Zheke, a good substitute. As for Huahai, things get trickier. Zhang Dongliang and Xing Jingjing are close and each have their own strong points. It will not be surprising to see either of them on the list. But Zhang Dongliang has not yet recovered and I doubt that he would strive to be in the quarterfinals.”
Even while saying so, he couldn’t help but sigh. “It is common to find fighters who have different levels in a martial arts club in universities. In the professional league, you would at least have to be a fighter with Eighth Pin to be Lou Cheng’s substitute.”
“There is nothing we can do about that. The universities have their own concerns. There is a fixed number of good fighters the universities can recruit every year, and then every team starts on equal footing. Until Peng Leyun and Ren Li joined the game, the top fighters were getting stronger every year. However, it is not easy to find sparring substitutes.” Liu Chang had hosted several times for the National University Martial Arts Competitions and he was stirred deeply. “Well, let us talk about what order Huahai and Songcheng should arrange their fighters tonight.”
“Since the fighters are at different levels, I guess Yan Zheke and Xing Jingjing will be last. But who will be the first... ” Chen Sansheng laughed grimly. “The only possible way is... ”
“The only possible way?” Liu Chang interrupted.
“A fighter this young, with such capabilities, is proud and confident. I think Lou Cheng and Ann Chaoyang are longing to fight each other at their best!” Said Chen Sansheng. He seemed immersed in his memories of when he was young and high-spirited and sweeping over the arena.
...
In the locker room for the Song Cheng University Martial Arts Club, Lou Cheng looked at Geezer Shi, who put on a faint smile as he was unable to suppress the fighting will and stepped forward while saying,
“Coach, I want to be the first fighter.”
...
Meanwhile, in the locker room for Huahai, Ann Chaoyang pulled out a headband to wind around his hair as he said in a calm tone,
“Coach, let me take the lead.”