Translator: Transn Editor: Lucas
At 7:56 PM, April 20th.
Peng Leyun had defeated Ann Chaoyang three times in three years. He showed that he was only half a step away from the Inhuman Stage. He then defeated Piao Yuan even in his exhausted state in the following match. He’d created a miracle defeating two powerful opponents by himself in such tough matches!
Once Xu Wannian defeated Xing Jingjing using his Corvine Mouth, Huahai had to bid farewell to the national game. This was their worst rank in five years. Also, Ann Chaoyang, who was once the champion, now had to leave the ring.
As this once powerful fighter left dimly, the audience could only see a lonely figure who had been beaten by Lou Cheng.
The result of the match was decided by one’s strength and power, not his passion or glorious past.
...
At 9:07 AM, April 21st
A news website released an interview with Huahai University Martial Arts Club. Piao Yuan and Ann Chaoyang described the characteristics of the simplified version of physical invulnerability in detail in this interview and suspected it to be the Internal Explosion Fist of the Fire Sect.
Everyone was shocked by this news because they had never expected that Lou Cheng, as a direct descendant of the Ice God Sect, had also inherited the Fire Sect. Some people began to wonder if he had an intimate relationship with Longhu Club.
In the fans forum, Brahman was so excited and elated that she updated her photos. Her lovely and cute appearance attracted a lot of attention from strange old men.
In the Longhu Club forum, the moderator Pig-Riding Knight and active posters like Above the Sky and A Plumber Eating Mushrooms were seriously discussing the possibility of Lou Cheng joining their club in the future. They even tried to give him a better nickname, which made Lou Cheng feel embarrassed. He was silently watching their conversations in the forum. But he could not think of any satisfactory nickname that could lead the trend either.
...
At 3:30 PM, April 21st.
Because there was a rumor that Lou Cheng had a relationship with the Dragon King, the odds set by the lottery company changed again. Capital’s odds increased, while Songcheng University’s odds decreased, so there was almost no difference between them.
After the many professional gamblers studied the odds carefully, they bet on one team in the end in all kinds of lottery shops. In addition, even those who normally didn’t gamble bet on this match, either in the shops or online, because they wanted to have fun.
...
At 7:11 PM, April 22nd.
There were many spectators from all directions waiting in line in front of the Capital martial arts building entrance.
With a bag of popcorn in hand and eating a roast sausage, Ding Yixin looked around and said to Qiu Hailin and Du Yiyin excitedly, “It’s really crowded here!”
After the semi-final match list was confirmed, Capital College Martial Arts Club had gotten part of the rights to sell tickets because they were the local team. The students of their university and their supporters were able to come to the arena and cheer for them. Because Qiu Hailin knew some students working for the student union, her roommates were able to get tickets.
“I’m considering...” Du Yiyin was influenced by the enthusiasm of the cheering crowds who were singing and dancing around her.
“What are you considering?” Qiu Hailin asked blankly, her bright forehead exposed in the air.
“As a girl who is obsessed with handsome boys, will Yixin support our school martial arts club or will she support Lou Cheng?” Du Yiyin looked at Ding Yixin, who was eating her food cutely, with a smile.
Ding Yixin heard what she said and stood stunned for a moment. Then she swallowed her sausage and said,
“I will join you in cheering for our Martial Arts Club, but in my heart, I still look forward to Lou Cheng’s victory. I devote my body to our university but my heart to him!”
“Why do these words sound so familiar ...” Qiu Hailin thought it sounded funny but was puzzled as she tried to place where she had heard them.
Just then, they saw a group of boys wearing plaid shirts pass by holding a banner and shouting loudly,
“Ren Li! Ren Li!”
In such a lively and noisy atmosphere, everyone seemed to shout like this, half-jokingly and half-solemn.
...
At 7:23 PM, April 22nd.
All the light and cameras had been set up and the broadcast was ready to start.
“Welcome everyone at home to the two semi-finals of the University Martial Arts Competition. The first two competing parties are Songcheng University and Capital. Then Shanbei is going to fight with Guangnan.” The host, Liu Chang, said with a professional smile, “Tonight, our old friend, Chen Sansheng, will join me to comment and narrate the matches.”
“Thank you, everyone. Thank you, Liu Chang.” Chen Sansheng clasped his hands and shook his head with a smile.
After a brief greeting, the scene moved to the arena. The audience could clearly see that the stands had gradually filled up.
Capital’s supporters were well organized and occupied one side of the stands. Some of them held banners and cartoons, some of them played trumpets, others sang happily. Everything ignited the spectators’ enthusiasm. Other audience members had scattered around them and sat in fragments. Some of them wore Songcheng University’s black and white martial arts suit. There also were some people holding the cartoon characters of Lou Cheng, Lin Que, and Yan Zheke.
...
...
At 7:29 PM, April 22nd.
Yan Xiaoling got up and sat in front of her desk. She opened her computer and took out her snacks. As she was reading through the forum and chatting with Brahman, Unparalleled Dragon King, and other people, she was also reading Chen Sansheng and Liu Chang’s comments. She closed the live comments function on purpose.
Mu Jinniane, who was sitting behind her, fingered her Buddhism beads and prayed for her university’s club.
...
At 7:35 PM, April 22nd.
In the Song Cheng University Martial Arts Club locker room, Geezer Shi clapped his hands to wake the resting fighters. He coughed and said,
“Today, let’s stop considering how Capital will arrange their team and formation. We should try our best to challenge them with our strongest state!”
“Lou Cheng, Lin Que, and Yan Zheke. That’s the playing order today, from strong to weak just like a ferocious striking spear. You need to let all of your energy out to fight with them one by one till the last minute!”
“If Capital doesn’t choose Ren Li as their first player, then Lou Cheng, you need to beat Chen Diguo or the other fighters as soon as possible so that you can seize the opportunities. If the first fighter actually is Ren Li, then you don’t need any other instructions, right?”
“Don’t think about saving energy for the finals. Don’t worry about the problems of fatigue or injuries. If you lose this match, all these things will be useless!”
“Do you understand?”
Lou Cheng, Lin Que, and Yan Zheke took a breath and then replied in unison,
“Yes, I understand. ”
...
At 7:36 PM, April 22nd.
In the Capital College Martial Arts Club locker room, Shen You, who was a part-time coach, looked around with glassy eyes and said with a smile,
“Do you still remember what happened after the finals last year?”
Capital had been defeated by Shanbei by just a slim margin in last year’s finals, so they had failed to win the championship.
All the members recalled the sad but touching scene last year, including the leading players from last year’s finals, Chen Diguo and Jiang Jingfeng, and the bench fighters, like Jiang Kongchan. They recalled the scene of all of them holding hands and shouting “We will win the championship next year” together.
“Of course I remember! How could I forget it? This year we are going to take the championship!” Chen Diguo shook his fist. “After the finals, I want to stand in front of Peng Leyun and show off my victory. Then I’ll share my favorite sentence in a novel with him arrogantly, ‘Pain is my friend, please allow me to introduce it to you!’”
Shen You smiled and nodded. He then stood up and said,
“It’s so fortunate that all of you remember this. Our goal is to win the championship. Going forward, we will encounter more opponents, so there should be no slacking or contempt!”
“We have walked for a year and finally reached it again. We can no longer just ‘walk’ like we used to. We need to sprint! Sprint!”
“Sprint!” Chen Diguo, Jiang Kongchan, and the other members suddenly felt their invincible will aroused. Ren Li also became very focused and joined them in shouting.
...
At 7:40 PM, April 22nd.
In the locker rooms of these two clubs.
Lou Cheng and the other members came together in a circle again. Each person had their left arm on the shoulder of the person next to them, with their right hands in the center, piled up one on top of another.
Ren Li, Chen Diguo, and Jiang Kong took out of their fists and pounded fists with each other in the air.
“We’ll win!” the members of Songcheng University cried out powerfully.
“Sprint!” All the leading players and the bench fighters of Capital College Martial Arts Club shouted in unison and bumped fists.
CLANG!
The locker room door flew open on both sides at the same time. The rolling sounds and the shining of bright lights from the outside world came into the room.
...
At 7:41 PM, April 22nd.
As the referee set his foot in the ring, the broadcaster shouted in his hoarse voice,
“Capital College Martial Arts Club’s playing order is: Ren Li, Chen Diguo, Jiang Kongchan!”
Surrounded by an outbreak of cheering, he continued to announce,
“Song Cheng University Martial Arts Club’s playing order is: Lou Cheng, Lin Que, Yan Zheke!”
Even before he finished his words, the whole audience began to scream and cheer.
Needless to say, everyone was very clear about what the first match was.
...
At 7:45 PM, April 22nd.
The semi-final of Capital College Martial Arts Club against Songcheng University Martial Arts Club had officially started.
First round, Ren Li VS. Lou Cheng!