Translator: Transn Editor: Transn
As the car traveled along and slowed down, the bus quickly vanished into the distance, disappearing from Lou Cheng and Yan Zheke’s sight.
“Small world...” Lou Cheng shook his head and couldn’t help laughing. He pushed up his glasses and sighed.
He knew very well that his online friends from the Longhu Club forum would be watching the competition today, but he hadn’t thought that he’d suddenly run into them on the way there.
Of course, this was all just in his head. Even if they had seen the passenger inside the car, they wouldn’t have known that it was their good friend Schrodinger’s Tiger, and there was a high probability they wouldn’t even recognize that it was Lou Cheng.
Yan Zheke laughed and hummed upon hearing this, then looked at her husband.
“Cheng, I’ve just remembered the lyric from a song!”
“What?” Lou Cheng asked curiously.
Yan Zheke pursed her lips and said with a smile, “It’s hard to hold the hand of someone you have no chance with.”
“This is who with who?!” Lou Cheng responded with a laugh, then wittily added, “Then can we say we’ve come thousands of miles to be united through destiny, and for a hundred years we can rest our heads and sleep peacefully together?”
Yan Zheke tsked as the corners of her mouth stood up and she glanced to the side, immediately “giving the cold shoulder” to Lou Cheng,
“Such an old song, yet you still remember it this clearly?! Old man Cheng!”
As they bickered good-naturedly, the car slowed down and entered the parking lot. After Lou Cheng and Yan Zheke each paid half of the parking fee, they opened the doors, got out, and followed along the road according to the directions. They held hands and walked for about 600-700 meters.
Turning into an opening in the mountain, both of their eyes immediately opened wide. All they could feel was the ‘heat’ in the air as it suddenly increased exponentially and become more intense.
Ahead of them, the wide expanse gradually lowered the more it went towards the center. In between every few steps, flames were emitted from the ground, burning quietly. Regardless of whether it was night or day, the flames never went out.
Looking into the distance, Lou Cheng could make out something dark and red flowing within the cracks in the central location. Closer to the outside, it seemed as if there was something dark grey condensing and covering it like a suit of armor. Even seeing it all from this far, one could feel the brutal and blazing heat.
This was the Longhu Club’s home ground, the renowned Blazing Underworld!
Wrapped around this area that was the size of two or three soccer fields, there was a half-sealed, transparent walkway. Inside, its height was split into several rows, separating it into individual boxes. In order for it to operate as an ordinary viewing platform, this was done to protect the weak and helpless spectators from being injured by the flying flames, sputtering lava, and the aftermath of various explosions. It utilized highly advanced anti-explosive and fire-resistant technology for the glass and kept a small passage to listen to the announcements.
Yan Zheke rummaged for the two tickets in her bag and found the corresponding glass box. A security guard led them through and opened the door to let them in. There were a sofa inside and three large television screens showing the Blazing Underworld from different angles.
“This is the first time I’ve enjoyed such VIP treatment...” Lou Cheng sized up the room with a smile on his face.
“Actually, I prefer more people as the atmosphere and excitement can be contagious.” Yan Zheke eye’s shifted as she didn’t conceal her own opinion. “But my grandfather was unwilling to let that happen since he was afraid there’d be some kind of accident. I even told him that I’d be going together with you, but he still wasn’t reassured.”
“Reassuring a grandfather, that’s an Inhuman Stage ability...” Lou Cheng said, mocking himself.
In the eyes of the Mighty Ones with Physical Invulnerability, a recent peak Sixth Pin Dan Stage fighter wasn’t that much reassurance.
“Perhaps so. You can do it, young man!” Yan Zheke replied, half poking fun and half encouraging.
As footage played back from all of the previous competitions, it was soon 10:25. All of the seats in the viewing platforms were taken up by people, including no lack of reporters with their cameras.
There were several drones as well photographing everyone’s positions, recording and playing it back on the screens of the glass promenade, allowing the crowd to see anywhere and everywhere.
Outside of their own room to the left, Lou Cheng noticed Little Wonton standing on the third viewing platform, inside a glass room. She was so excited that she couldn’t sit down, glancing all around her.
After the introductions and a warm-up dance on the edges of the space, the sky suddenly became dark. Then an oppressive and stifling atmosphere came over everything.
BAM!
The sound of a thunderbolt cracked, which then changed into a wave, rolling all around as if it’d become a solid entity.
Was this Warrior Sage Qian Donglou’s momentum? Contacting with Heaven and the Earth, so much so that it interfered with nature? As Lou Cheng quietly pondered, he was again unable to sit down. He stood up and walked to the glass, about a half step away.
Yan Zheke did the same, standing side by side with him.
Just then, soaring down in the middle of the wide-open arena, two giant flames lept forward like two dark red flowing irons emitting black ash while spewing out clouds of golden spray!
BOOM!
An explosion of magma rose towards the sky and then descended, lighting up the dusk and illuminating a distant figure in the field.
He was wearing a magnificent, valiant-looking navy blue martial arts suit. He stood tall and straight and had sharp and angular facial features, his eyebrows like swords and his eyes like embers. His short hair stood up on end, giving him a wild appearance. While it was hard to make out in the light, this probably was a man who was already past 30.
Bam, bam, bam! Every time he took a step, the earth quaked, making the flames leap up higher and higher and the lava spray up and up.
Without any prompting, everyone, including Lou Cheng, simultaneously yelled out the name known by all, making it resound throughout the mountains ridges:
“Dragon King!”
Dragon King Chen Qitao!
In the midst of this atmosphere, the sky darkened once again, as if a black cloud had converged, pressing down and causing the crowd inside the packed arena to feel ill-at-ease. The color of the leaping flames and soaring lava dimmed.
From the other side, a strangely dressed man walked out unhurriedly. The white gown he wore seemed both like a martial arts suit and a Daoist one as well. Green and purple lightning and thunder were embroidered on the edges. He was two or three centimeters shorter than Lou Cheng and he looked rather delicate and refined in manner. He seemed quite restrained and was not one to show off.
Warrior Sage Qian Donglou!
The Warrior Sage, who was two years younger than Dragon King, Qian Donglou!
He’d made a name for himself when he was young. Before he’d taken on Chen Qitao face-to-face, he crushed an entire generation worth of fighters. He was well known throughout the country, and nobody dared challenge one of the Heavenly Sons!
Also, as he had grown older, he had earned the obedience of the previous few generations of fighters as well.
Even though he worshiped Dragon King and similar guys who had that kind of temperament more, Lou Cheng had to admit, Warrior Sage Qian Donglou was what a great scholar looked like in his mind.
Now he would have to use his own power to resist the Dragon King and the entire crowd’s momentum!
The referee didn’t dare enter the center of the arena. From far away he raised up his right hand and played out his role of the human announcer.
“The first match of the competition.
“Dragon King Chen Qitao versus Warrior Sage Qian Donglou!”
On occasions such as this, when you had ranked fighters, you had to address them as such in order to show respect!
“Dragon King! Dragon King!”
Amidst the cheers, the referee abruptly swung his right hand down, and said in a clear voice,
“Begin!”
His words were still in the air as he frantically lept up, heading far away from the battle zone.
Bang!
At this moment, Dragon King Chen Qitao was already throwing his fist out, as if he was striking at nothing but the air.
However, his fist was more like a missile strongly pulling his body forward at high speed, leaving behind a noticeable trace and also creating a loud cracking sound.
The Fist Carries the Body!
Drawing out the trail, Dragon King’s fist exploded outwards, and for a brief moment, there was a golden-red flame. It spread at great speed, covering his entire body and making it seem as if he’d become a God of Firewalking the earth.
Super Saiyan... this thought suddenly came into Lou Cheng’s mind.
Warrior Sage Qian Donglou didn’t know how many battles he and Dragon King had fought, but they had a mutual understanding. Earlier, his thinking was that he wouldn’t make a move. He faced the attack and both of his hands clapped together.
BAM!
There was a sound like a giant lightning strike, and it was if everyone could feel it rumbling inside their own hearts. Even several hundred meters out, the glass shook. Yan Zheke felt as she’d been hit herself. Her spirit was shaken and it was hard for her to gather her emotions.
Sending out a Thunderbolt from a Clear Sky at the same time, Warrior Sage’s hands parted and out jumped a purple Thunder Blade.
Just after appearing, it immediately chopped down on the golden-red flame shield covering Dragon King’s body.
Qian Donglou followed closely behind, his body curling up into a silver-white lightning, like a God who had descended into the world of mortals.
And thus the fierceness of the battle increased, the two greatest modern day Mighty Ones battling like a raging fire. Lou Cheng watched in a daze, wishing that he was able to copy their every move and variation.
Compared to watching a television broadcast, seeing a live on-the-spot battle felt more three-dimensional and you could more easily see for yourself the real might of the Mighty Ones with Physical Invulnerability. For example, the ground trembled occasionally and, even separated by the fire-proof glass, you could still feel the waves of flame and ear-splitting thunder...
The battle had gone on for a full twenty minutes and the lava in the center of the field had become a fountain. Dragon King Chen Qitao’s entire body was surrounded by circles of either gold, red, purple, or white fireballs.
Following each and every move of his attack, the fireballs fused together, congealing into a group and shrinking in the hollow of his palm.
With a loud shout, Dragon King extended his arm, then suddenly lept up high and slammed his fist down.
BOOM!
Lou Cheng reacted quickly and rushed out his hands to cover Yan Zheke’s eyes. At that moment, the place in which the two Great Mighty Ones were exchanging blows shone and caused stabs of pain in the eyes of all those in the crowd. For a moment, everything was blurry, and the burning white glare caused everyone to shed tears as if a great sun had descended to this very spot.
BAM!
Waves of flames shot out and a small scale mushroom cloud rose up, blooming greatly.
As soon as Lou Cheng opened his eyes, Dragon King had relied on his home field advantage and edged out Warrior Sage by half a move.
Looking at the playback and connecting it with his own previous personal experience, Lou Cheng was unable to contain himself and he blurted out in praise,
“That’s the stuff!”
This really was a battle that could make a fighter burn with passion!
Just a few dozen meters away, some men were like gods!
“So great...” Yan Zheke praised in a low voice as she looked towards Lou Cheng with excitement.
“Mmm, it was worth coming, way more exciting than watching a broadcast.” Lou Cheng glanced at all of the traces and marks left on the glass in front of him.
As the two held hands and left the theater box in high spirits, they spoke about the day’s competition.
Just then, as she stared unfixedly in the distance, Yan Zheke pulled Lou Cheng close and tilted her chin to point as she said,
“Little Wonton...”
Ah... Lou Cheng looked out, unconvinced. He then saw the dainty and vivacious young girl, Wonton Seller, slowly coming over holding a notebook. Is her goal to, possibly, it looks as if, agh, is it me?
What is she looking for me for?
She won’t know that I’m Schrodinger’s Tiger, will she?
Impossible, I haven’t revealed that I’m a student at Songcheng University at all, and I haven’t updated them in any way about my personal status. How could they possibly find out?
In the midst of his bewilderment, Wonton Seller had already come close. Seeing the bewilderment and astonishment in both Lou Cheng and Yan Zheke’s eyes, she smiled sweetly and said,
“Hello, Lou Cheng.”
Right, she recognizes me as Lou Cheng. She’s come over because she wants a signature. That’s perfectly normal... Lou Cheng felt that he understood now, and smiled lightly as he replied, “Hello.”
Wonton Seller explained in embarrassment, “You’re wearing glasses, so none of us recognized you. But I saw...”
She didn’t say anything afterward and merely glanced at Yan Zheke.
Such a beautiful girl with her own distinguishing features could also easily be recognized by others!
“Got it.” Lou Cheng looked at his wife somewhat mockingly and received wide open eyes from her in response.
Wonton Seller again showed her smile, and pointed at A Plumber Eating Mushrooms, Pig-Riding Knight, and others behind her and said,
“We’re all from the Longhu Club Forum. You should know those two, right?”
She was talking about Road to the Arena and Invincible Punch.
“I know them, my memory isn’t that bad. That little Warrior Sage Challenge Tournament has a special meaning in my heart.” Lou Cheng laughed lightly.
He once again became unsure of what Little Wonton had come over for.
“You remember!” Wonton Seller shouted excitedly, then recalled with sincerity, “Ever since then, quite a few of us have been watching you, seeing first hand how you’ve grown step by step and leading the Song Cheng University Martial Arts Club to become national champions. We all really believe that you’re the favored fighter of the age and can become a Mighty One with Physical Invulnerability in the future.
“Before a competition, after we’re sure it’s you, we all post it in the forum, make threads, and a lot of users will respond.”
At this point, she paused, raising the notebook that was in her hand up high. On the cover was Wonton Seller, Pig-Riding Knight, Road to the Arena, and others’ names. She bowed and said,
“Representing ourselves, and representing a part of the Longhu Club fans, we make this earnest request to you. If, if in the future you don’t return to the Ice God Sect, would you consider the Longhu Club? We really do like you! We really believe that you can create a brilliant future here!”
When Little Wonton adopted this pose, Road to the Arena, Invincible Punch, Above the Sky, and the other forum members followed suit. However, they were not copying the others but merely expressing themselves.
Lou Cheng suddenly felt a bit moved, partially because of how people whom he knew would do such a thing and also because of some other subtle emotions. He smiled and said,
“I won’t guarantee anything. All I can say is that you all should know that I’m a fan of Longhu.”
He reached out his hand and took the autograph notebook.
Little Wonton had an exceptionally brilliant smile.
“Thank you, thank you! We’ll put up a ‘Lou Cheng Longhu” topic on Weibo and keep it there until you make your decision!”
Finished speaking, she waved her hand and in great delight ran back, high-fiving Road to the Arena and others one after the other.
Lou Cheng looked at them deeply as he held the notebook. He held onto his fairy as they walked out of the arena.
“I’m also a Longhu fan...” Yan Zheke said suddenly in a low voice.
Lou Cheng glanced over, and the two of them smiled at each other, knowing they didn’t have to say anything.
Waiting until they were far away, Little Wonton, who was still excitedly talking about what had happened, suddenly shouted,
“I’m so stupid! I forgot to ask for his autograph, and I forgot to ask Lou Cheng if he has a username on our forum!”
...
After eating lunch and returning to the hotel, Yan Zheke went into the restroom and removed the sunscreen that she’d applied to her face, neck, arms, and feet. Lou Cheng took a small cushion and put it behind him as he sat casually on top of the bed, skimming through the Longhu Club group. Beside him, he had put the petition notebook that Wonton Seller and the other forum users had given him.
“Haha, Little Dragon really is considerate, helping to take a photo of me and Lou Cheng!” At this moment, Wonton Seller was showing off.
This so-called photo was when she was explaining the whole story to Lou Cheng, and it was more of a candid snap than anything. As a result, the only part of her that was visible was the back of her ponytail.
However, she didn’t mind this at all, to the point that she quite happily said, “No need to photoshop!”
“I hate you!” said Brahman with flowing tears after hearing about the real-life meeting between the forum users and how they’d met Lou Cheng.
Wonton Seller looked at her weakly. “I originally wanted to help you get an autograph, but I was too nervous. Other than the official business, I forgot everything else...”
“We’re through!” Brahman said, covering her ears and shaking her head.
“What kind of position is that?” Okamoto’s Fan interrupted.
According to Little Wonton, based on his real life persona and how he appeared online, it was as if they were two different people. He’d been shy and not spoken much.
“I hate you all...” Brahman repeated once again, then proceeded to address Unparalleled Dragon King, “Little Dragon, Little Dragon, what realm has my idol gotten to?”
“How should I know? Even with Mighty Ones with Physical Invulnerability, it’s not possible to judge if they’re at the Dan Stage or tell what their particular level is just by looking at them! Unless they’re bursting at the seams with charm and you’re right in their face,” Unparalleled Dragon King said with his hands spread out. “However, it’s been less than three months since the National Competition finished. The highest physical capability and martial arts skill that he could have now should be a peak Sixth Pin level.”
“Then are his chances of winning against Bai Xiao high?” Road to the Arena asked, full of interest.
“There are still five months left. There’s still hope for Lou Cheng to once again awaken his supernatural ability and become Inhuman before the end of the year,” Unparalleled Dragon King said with certainty.
“Yikes, I’m a bit worried. If Bai Xiao wins, my idol definitely won’t be happy.” Brahman was being watched by her parents and hadn’t joined the meetup, so all she could do was wantonly post all of her feelings in the group.
“Gah, what are you worried about? Two years ago, no, last year in January, there wasn’t much of a difference between me and Lou Cheng.... Today I haven’t even touched the threshold of the Dan Stage, while he’s charging towards the Inhuman Stage. Even if he doesn’t accomplish it by the end of the year and has to bear some ridicule, he’ll be able to transform in the next year and retaliate against those who slandered him,” Invincible Punch said with no small amount of sorrow.
“Don’t worry about all this. Look at the time, Little Brahman, just wait until you get into college, then you can come and see Lou Cheng represent our Longhu Club in battle!” Having an idea of the ideal speed of improvement in her mind, Wonton Seller said with encouragement, “When the time comes, you can test into the city of flowers!”
Talking and talking, she again sighed heavily. “I always thought I had a good head on my shoulders, but then... I thought before that Lou Cheng possibly could be a fan of our Longhu Club. I planned on asking him if he had a username on our forum, and if he didn’t, then to get him to register one...”
“If he registered, I’d give him all of the names straight away!” Invincible Punch said goofily.
“Aaaaagh, I’m so sorry, Little Brahman, I didn’t get the signature!” Wonton Seller was essentially talking to herself and not paying any attention to the others’ responses.
“There, there, Little Wonton, don’t be sad. These assignments can be given to Little Changye. She’s managed to sneak into the Song Cheng University Martial Arts Club!” Brahman comforted her friend.
“Exactly, and Lou Cheng’s signature doesn’t have any value anyway. The characters are so ugly.” Lou Cheng was unable to resist from chiming in with a self-deprecating remark.
Wonton Seller and Brahman responded almost simultaneously,
“We just like him!”
“That’s part of his personality!”
“Haha, Tiger, don’t bring up reason with girls at a time like this.” Pig-Riding Knight laughed. “When I posted Lou Cheng’s response in the forum, everyone was so passionate. In the future, Shangqing has Peng Leyun, Kongtong has Ren Li, Daxing Temple has already come out with Zhi Hai and Shi Shan, and for us, we have Lou Cheng!”
“It’s just that we don’t know when he can become Inhuman, and whether he does or doesn’t have the potential to charge into physical invulnerability...” A Plumber Eating Mushrooms said with obvious worry.
It was not certain whether a small seedling could grow into a tall tree.
The future belongs to you. These words can often jinx you...
While Lou Cheng idly chatted, Yan Zheke put on the slippers that the hotel offered and came out of the restroom. Aiming her eyes at the petition notebook, she said with a smile, “What do you think? Is it complicated?”
“Mmm, I’ll just have to say that I’m Schrodinger’s Tiger...” Lou Cheng sighed.
After this exchange, Yan Zheke curled up one leg and put the other leg on the bedside as she swiped through news stories on Weibo. She then gasped and with great excitement said,
“Cheng, Cheng, come here. Dragon King’s so handsome and stylish in this picture...”
Lou Cheng moved closer and saw that it was a photo of Dragon King after he had delivered his killer move. The golden-red flames jumped and flickered, and the appearance of his muscles was perfect. His strength was incredible.
“You’re right!” he echoed in praise.
“There’s this one too... this one... Dragon King looks really young, and there’s really something special about him...” As Yan Zheke continued through stories about Dragon King from time to time, she would interject with some words of praise.
As Lou Cheng listened to his fairy’s narration, he suddenly felt wronged.
When his wife had worshipped Dragon King before, he hadn’t thought anything of it and rather believed that the two of them shared a common connection. However, after watching the live match, he had suddenly realized that Dragon King was 12 or 13 years older than him, that he was much more handsome than himself, and that his martial arts abilities were much greater. Also, it wasn’t certain if he would enter the Longhu Club in the future, as he then would no longer have his two separate worlds. He was at a crossroads...
Lou Cheng fell silent with his heart sullen.
Women are quite sharp. As Yan Zheke shared the news, she suddenly raised her head and looked at Lou Cheng. Baffled, both of her eyes blinking, she said,
“Cheng, what’s wrong?”
“Nothing...” Lou Cheng took his phone and pretended to skim through the forum.
Yan Zheke pursed her lips, eyeballing him with suspicion. She went through what had just happened, and the corners of her mouth went up. Her dimples appeared as she smiled. Half-surprised and half-pleased, she asked in a quiet voice,
“Cheng, are you jealous?”
“About what?” Lou Cheng subconsciously retorted.
Yan Zheke changed her positioning and kneeled beside him. She hummed and smiled as she looked at his face, and then said,
“I’m just admiring Dragon King’s indomitable spirit as an idol. As an idol, his ego, his showing off, and his pettiness are all adorable and quite cute, but if I could get to know him closely, I don’t like this kind of person!
“Furthermore, I’ve always been someone who likes rationality. Look, I don’t go through and comment on news stories about Dragon King often, do I?”
“I’m not jealous.” Without knowing it, there was a smile on Lou Cheng’s face as he denied with embarrassment.
Yan Zheke curled her lips into a smile. She raised up three fingers and said wittily,
“I swear, I will not worship Dragon King so much.
“I swear, there’s only one favorite idol of mine, and that’s Sky Shaking Roar Brother Cheng.”
Lou Cheng snorted with laughter and once again denied it.
“I’m not jealous, really! Is it even worthwhile for me to get jealous over something like this?”
Yan Zheke eye’s brightened as she covered her mouth and laughed.
“Cheng, you’re so awkward when you’re jealous, it’s so cute...”
She had not finished talking when Lou Cheng had already gotten off the bed in a tizzy.
“Shower... gah, shower....”
Amidst his intermittent voice, she took off her slippers, curlings and rolling her exquisite and beautiful toes.
For the next day and a half, the two of them revised their plans. Morning tea, lunch, afternoon tea, dinner, a midnight snack. Every day, these five meals didn’t change, but without them knowing it, their language practice became much shorter.
On July 18th, beaming with pride from head to toe, Lou Cheng held his luggage and waited for her to come out of the restroom, preparing to check out and return home.
Nine minutes later, Yan Zheke opened the door and stepped out with a white complexion. She pursed her lips together and said,
“I’m menstruating...”
“I know. I’ve prepared some brown sugar and ginger tea. Come here, I’ll give you a massage.” Lou Cheng shook the thermos cup in his hand.
Yan Zheke’s white teeth bit her lip, and as if her mood was fluctuating, said in a low voice,
“What do you know? You don’t know anything...”
“Wha...” Lou Cheng looked at her in bewilderment. He didn’t understand why she would so suddenly be angry.
At that moment, Yan Zheke remembered herself, and with difficulty, the corners of her mouth moved as she said,
“Cheng, I’m just in a bad mood. I didn’t mean to say that to you...”
“I understand, menstruation period,” Lou Cheng said with realization.
Yan Zheke’s right hand pressed on her waist as she looked down at her toes and muttered silently, You don’t understand anything...
“That crazy idea of mine still hasn’t happened...
“God won’t let me stay...
“Sooner than we know it, according to plan, we’ll leave for Songcheng University and finish all of the procedures. At the beginning of August, it’ll be farewell...”