Translator: Larbre Studio Editor: Larbre Studio
“Veigar! [thinking]” was the first reply that came to the live-stream thread in Longhu Club, made by “Unparalleled Dragon King”, “Things are getting interesting!”
“Indeed. Right as Lou Cheng approaches the Inhuman stage, he’s about to clash with a mighty one who’s at the quasi-Inhuman stage, in the second round of double-elimination matches that is of no consequence to the both of them. This is a rare learning experience for Lou Cheng... This in itself is enough, the ending does not matter. Personally I think Lou Cheng’s chance of winning is low. [funny expression]” replied “Road to the Arena”.
“Who knows? Lou Cheng’s physique, mastery of his moves and rhythm of battle are all at the level of upper end of 6th Pin. Factoring in his strong supernatural abilities, it’s not as if he does not stand a chance against a mighty one that recently reached the Inhuman stage,” replied “A Plumber Eating Mushroom.”
“But the chances are very low,” replied “Pig-Riding Knight,””Veigar is pretty famous in his neighboring countries. If it wasn’t for his excessively powerful supernatural ability interrupting his root pulps, he might have reached quasi-Inhuman stage one or two years earlier. I feel that among the four of our fighters, only Peng Leyun has a high chance of beating him. Even Ren Li might not be at that level of attainment yet.”
“I heard that the professional competition scene hasn’t matured in Shengxiang, Miluo and Nanzheng. In comparison to our fighters, shouldn’t their fighters have less combat experience? This must be advantageous for Lou Cheng...[Question mark popping up on head]”, replied “Above the Sky.”
“Ha ha, my dear sister-in-law, even though Shengxiang and Miluo’s professional competition matches aren’t advanced, their fighters do not lack real combat experience,” replied “Unparalleled Dragon King”, “Due to the political instability in their countries and the influence of neighboring war-torn zones and poor economy, there are many blood-stained underground arenas, street fights, and even wars in parts of the area. This grants them way more experience in life and death brawls as compared to Lou Cheng. Even though Veigar is the son of a warlord and a general-to-be, his favourite activity was to practice his fist fighting in the battlefield and sharpen his spirit with killings. In time, if this guy does not die, he will definitely become a lord that rules his own land!”
“Waaaa, you guys are making me nervous[Wailing]!” replied “Brahman.”
“Ever since the end of the Nationals, this is my first time feeling nervous emotions! [lurking]” replied “Eternal Nightfall” Yan Xiaoling.
“So you are a zombie with no emotions most of the time, silly Nightfall!” replied “Unparalleled Dragon King”, who made it his habit to tease her.
“Hmph! Little Nightfall is angry now! I’ll only forgive you if you post another live-stream thread in Lou Cheng Club!”
“Sure, @Schrodinger’s Tiger, Little Tiger, keep up the good work today, even though this match is definitely getting on broadcast, we could do with some live photos!”replied “Unparalleled Dragon King” as he searched for the “on site reporter.”
...
“My opponent is Veigar...” Putting the forums aside, Lou Cheng immediately sent the results of the drawing of lots to Yan Zheke.
It was only the second round of double-elimination matches, and he had already ran into a Mighty One that was guaranteed to make it to semi-finals.
Yan Zheke was up early as promised, training in her martial arts and worrying about her hubby’s competition.
“Veigar... Cheng, I realized that your luck in drawing lots is always awful when it comes to individual arena matches...[Standing in strong wind while looking at the sky]”
Lou Cheng had already eased into his usual self since he had a chance to fall back on even if he lost.
“Must have been because I have blown all my luck in this life on other aspects of life...” he replied mischievously.
Pfft... Yan Zheke smiled lightly, looked towards her side and paused.
“Sweet talker! Don’t worry, you have Sister Ke’s luck to watch over you!”
“Cheng, I think it would be better for you to rush him down at the start of the match. [chin resting on interlocked fingers]” replied Yan Zheke.
Veigar, being the face of his country, had already been discussed and analyzed by the two, therefore they could jump right to the topic without excess explanations.
“Great couples think alike!” Lou Cheng felt a shiver from his excitement for the battle the come.
The reason why Inhumans were given their name was because every aspect of them was monstrous. The insane stamina Lou Cheng had relied on to outshine the others in his league was not merely a ticket to the level playing field against the Mighty Ones in Inhuman stage. In a prolonged fight or a battle of attrition, he did not stand any chances and might even give his opponents more opportunities to overpower him over time, using their advantage in their stages and power.
The only way to beat a powerful opponent like Veigar was to go all out from the start, forcing the opponent to a disadvantage and leveraging on the headstart to find winning opportunities. Defeat the enemy before they have the chance to utilize their advantage!
Whether it was China, Japan, Miluo, Old Europe or the new America, the essence of Martial Arts at various stages were the same. Inhuman for example, was the mutation of the root pulp as a result of training. The way to attain it was the factor that differed among countries.
For example, Miluo had combined the Martial Arts concepts of both China and Borneo and developed a unique training system under the influence of frequent wars—shaping the body and stimulating potential with sickeningly tough physical training. This awakened all the treasures in a person’s body and gradually guided the root pulp to cause a mutation. Shengxiang and Nanzheng were more or less similar.
Therefore in their countries, if the Martial Artist did not make it to the quasi-Inhuman stage when they were young, they would suffer a miserable life after middle age as the overexertion and wounds from their past would haunt them for the rest of their lives and plague them with sickness and pain. Most died before the age of 50.
In a safe place with a good economy, not many would choose the way of Martial Arts other than the greedy and desperate souls. However, in Shengxiang, Miluo and Nanzheng where the country was in turmoil and the economy was in ruins with sky-high unemployment rates, the poor mostly did not make it 50 years old anyway. Therefore, many people did not hesitate to take the wager in hopes to change their lives.
Lou Cheng remembered that an academic who practiced Martial Arts had done research on the situation and wrote a book called “The Influence of Geopolitical Environment on the System of Martial Arts”.
As he was discussing the winning strategies against Veigar, Peng Leyun was picked and pit against the 8th seed, an upper 6th Pin with strong supernatural abilities, Li Shaokang of Nanzheng.
“Seems like everyone’s luck today isn’t that great...” mused Peng Leyun as he played with his phone in his hands.
As he spoke, Ren Li was to fight an unknown Japanese warrior and Ann Chaoyang against a Mighty One of quasi-upper 6th Pin from Miluo.
Lou Cheng gave Peng Leyun a thoughtful look and nodded.
“No, just the two of us...”
They exchanged a smile without any feelings of upset or anger, only an eagerness to battle their opponents right then and there.
Not long after, due to being picked early, Lou Cheng’s match against Veigar began.
Then, he saw “Unparalleled Dragon King’s request, hesitated and turned to Peng Leyun, Ren Li and Ann Chaoyang.
“Do you mind taking some pictures for me later?”
Compared to Zhong Ningtao, he trusted Peng Leyun and the others more for they were all fighters.
“Huh?” The others looked confused at first, then switching to an odd expression that seemed to say, “We didn’t know you were like this, Lou Cheng... this is narcissism on a whole new level!”
Cough... Lou Cheng reddened.
“I have some friends making a live-stream thread on the King of Youth Pro League and asked me to take a few pictures for them...He doesn’t know who I am so I can’t just tell him I’m going up to fight. Give me a second,” he explained.
“I see,” smiled Peng Leyun, “I have an account I use to lurk in the forums too.”
The heck... “What’s your user ID?” asked Lou Cheng.
“I only frequent the Shangqing Sect Club and my personal club, so I doubt any of you know me, it’s “Stringed Trickster”,” replied Peng Leyun, “What about you guys?”
“I just read and never comment so I don’t have an account,” confessed Ren Li, slightly embarrassed. “I’m afraid that I might get into a squabble.”
“You? Getting into squabbles?” exclaimed Lou Cheng.
“Yes, I get super mad!” Ren Li said earnestly, but no one really believed her.
“I rarely visit the Martial Arts forums. I spend most most of my time reading, discovering music, checking reviews and writing,” said Ann Chaoyang.
Writing... he must be what you call a “literary giant”... I better not offend him so he doesn’t pen me down as a weirdo..., thought Lou Cheng. “Mine’s “Schrodinger’s Tiger”. Help me post some pictures in the live-stream thread later.”
“Schrodinger’s Tiger... Stringed Trickster...our names match,” joked Peng Leyun.
Something was triggered inside him as his eyes began to lose focus and enter his daydreamy state again before Lou Cheng could give a reply.
Turning back at the arena, Lou Cheng sent a text to Yan Zheke.
“It’s my turn. How are you going to cheer for me today? [snickering]”
“Good luck? [blinking in confusion],” replied Yan Zheke. Following which she sent a picture of a marriage certificate with her and Lou Cheng’s names and photographs on it.
“How about this, feeling the motivation yet? [smiling with hand covering mouth”]”
“Yes! [nodding vigorously]” replied Lou Cheng.
He was fighting for his family!
He unlocked his phone and switched tabs to the live-stream thread, handing it over to Peng Leyun as he inhaled, left his seat and headed towards the arena.
On the other side, the beefy Veigar sprang to his feet, rousing thundering cheers and loud chants of “Veigar” in the stadium.
As a genius fighter with a strong personality, he was extremely popular in Shengxiang as well!
Thump, thump, thump. He walked in heavy strides, majestically walking up the stone steps with a grand nobility like a man who reigned over tens of thousands of people.
Lou Cheng did not give way to his pressure, exerting his own aura like a snow-clad holy mountain that had stood for tens of thousands of years, a cold gale swirling around him that hid a terrifying bloodlust.
Bam!
They stepped onto the arena at the same time, their gazes aligning as electric sparks seemingly appeared.
Standing in position, Lou Cheng closed his eyes as he recalled Veigar’s characteristics.
Thunder and lightning supernatural ability... Practical and effective kungfu... adept at using wrists and knees... fast and strong... quasi-Inhuman stage...
What a terrifying opponent!
Therefore, he had to strike first to get an upper hand!
Veigar pushed down his Miluo-styled general hat, shading half of his eyes, in which silver sparks shone more menacingly.
After a brief moment, the referee raised his right hand and swung it down.
“Begin!”
As soon as his voice rang against the floor, Lou Cheng lifted his hands and formed a seal, chanting in a deep voice.
“Attainment!”