Translator: Larbre Studio Editor: Larbre Studio
After changing his clothes, Lou Cheng was just about to get out when he suddenly heard a special notification sound from his cellphone. Picking it up and taking a look, it was from Yan Zheke.
Using the [Monkey wearing pyjamas and rubbing its eyes expression], she replied,
“I have specifically set an alarm for now. Yet you woke up by yourself...”
Lou Cheng could not help but burst into laughter. He replied honestly,
“The coach sent Peng Leyun to wake me up just now. Eh, Ke, why did you set your alarm for now?”
Shouldn’t you be deep in sleep at the time I sent the message?
“I woke up in the middle of a night, glanced groggily at my phone, and set the alarm at the same time...” Yan Zheke sent a [Monkey brushing teeth expression]. “Come, let me interview you for a while. Student Lou Cheng, do you have anything to say about finally being able to visualize the ‘Emperor Yan Diagram’? Are you excited? Agitated? What’s the most intense feeling you have? [Hands the microphone over].”
Lou Cheng examined his body and touched his stomach which was giving him some discomfort. He said with [tears from laughter], “The most intense feeling is hunger...”
Forgoing sleep and meals wasn’t a joke. I hadn’t eaten breakfast or lunch!
Sniggle... Yan Zheke laughed out loud and rolled on the bed. She replied with [disdain],
“It’s all your fault! I was still intending to catch up on an hour of sleep. Now I’m all awake from laughing!”
Not waiting for Lou Cheng to reply, she sent another [pitiful expression],
“Seems like I can only start my morning training earlier now.”
“Haha, that’s great. You shouldn’t neglect martial arts. The body is the capital for revolution!” said Lou Cheng. What he wanted to express was that when you are in good health, you are able to concentrate better, and therefore be more conducive for learning.
After over ten seconds, Yan Zheke replied,
“[knocking your head expression], ... You are so dirty-minded!”
Dirty-minded? Lou Cheng was stunned for a moment and couldn’t connect to the same wavelength with Student Ke. After thinking for a while, he finally understood. Instantly, he sniggered, “Ke, what are you thinking of? What I meant was that the body is the capital for learning. Mm. However, you aren’t wrong in interpreting it that way. Not wrong. Heehee.”
“Laugh your head off! It’s you who led me astray! That’s right, you must have misdirected me to think this way!” Yan Zheke blushed as she typed on the keyboard. “Tell me what you want to eat now. I’ll search for the images for you immediately!”
I’m forgiving!
“I want to eat stir-fried mixed vegetables made by my student Ke.” With a change in thought, Lou Cheng’s mindstate became gentle.
Yan Zheke instantly covered her small mouth and turned her gaze away. She glanced towards her side, forgot her initial thoughts and said,
“In that case, bring a cookbook when you come over in September. We can make something to eat together.”
“Yes yes, I will definitely complete the mission by Coach Yan!” replied Lou Cheng together with a [clenched fist expression].
The two of them continued chatting for a while. After generous compliments from Yan Zheke, Lou Cheng carried his items, left the room and arrived on time at the lobby to meet with his teammates.
Yan Zheke, who was in the United States, had also put her phone down. She left her bed quickly with light steps, opened the door and got ready to freshen up in the restroom.
Right when she switched on the lights, she suddenly felt something. She turned her head around and saw her mother Ji Mingyu standing with her hands crossed outside her room, looking quietly at her.
“Mom, why are you up so early?” said Yan Zheke subconsciously.
Ji Mingyu smiled gently and continued with her posture unchanged,
“It’s because of your alarm! Why did you set it an hour earlier today?”
What is Lou Cheng up to again this time? To make you have to wake up early?
Yan Zheke’s eyes lit up. She raised her chin up and replied honestly, “Cheng has mastered “Emperor Yan Force” and will be undergoing morphing soon.”
...
In the lobby, Lou Cheng and Ann Chaoyang, who was the earliest, didn’t have to wait too long before seeing Peng Leyun walk over casually. As for Ren Li, she successfully appeared under the escort of the coach.
Zhong Ningtao was about to say something when he suddenly heard a growling sound. It seemed to be someone’s stomach twitching vigorously and expressing its discontentment.
Those who were around all had good hearing and sharp eyesight. Ren Li, Peng Leyun and Ann Chaoyang all turned their gazes towards Lou Cheng. Before Lou Cheng could say something and tried to control the noises, his stomach started growling again.
“I’m a little hungry...” His face had turned red as he replied.
It’s over. I have a few blips in front of the four of them. I’m no longer able to establish a reliable image now!
“Haha, in that case, let’s head off quickly. I found a rather good Chinese restaurant,” said Zhong Ningtao with a smile.
Peng Leyun took a look at Lou Cheng, tilted his head to Ann Chaoyang and laughed,
“I just recalled a song.”
“Me too.” Ann Chaoyang’s fingers moved quickly and downloaded the music. Through his headphones, the music was played:
“I’m hungry, I’m hungry, I’m hungry, I’m really hungry...”
As the music was playing, he smiled and looked towards Wang Zheng.
“Do you like it?”
“Not at all...” Lou Cheng forced a smile on his face and raised his right arm. He introduced with a serious tone and said, “Look at this fist of mine. It’s already clenched tightly!”
Ann Chaoyang’s personality was more inclined to be gentle. He might insult others from time to time, but for the most part, was a good example of looking different than who he really was!
“Haha” Everyone burst into laughter. Through this period of time, they had been getting closer and closer with one another.
During dinner, all of them showed restraint. When Lou Cheng was half-full, they finally relaxed. Although the food of this Chinese restaurant couldn’t be considered as great, they were still very satisfied after not being able to have food from their home country for several days. It was just that they were unable to enjoy themselves to the fullest as they were concerned about the competition at night and had to ensure that their bodies were in the best conditions.
Ten minutes past seven, Lou Cheng and the rest had arrived at the stadium. Along the way, they witnessed a street fight and stopped to observe for 5 minutes.
At this time, the audience had already gathered. The drawing lot ceremony for the third round will be starting in less than twenty minutes.
There were only 23 contestants left and the probability of meeting someone strong was clearly higher. Obviously, there would be some lucky guys who would get a walkover and would be able to watch the battles happily.
...
In the fans forum of Lou Cheng, “Eternal Nightfall”, Yan Xiaoling was creating a wishing tower enthusiastically.
“As long as Lou Cheng doesn’t draw someone at the inhuman stage, I will start waking up on time!”
He copied the content of this thread and was praying silently with “Brahman” and “All Good Names Are Taken by Dogs”.
If Lou Cheng was to lose another round, he would be eliminated!
“Eh, dumb “Nightfall”, why is it waking up on time and not waking up early? “Unparalleled Dragon King” observed for a while and asked curiously.
Yan Xiaoling sent a [surprise expression] and said, “Waking up on time will mean that I have to wake up before twelve in the afternoon...”
“Twelve in the afternoon? Do you have to make a wish for that? You will definitely be struck by lightning. No. You are too short and the target is not obvious and so it wouldn’t hit you,” mocked “Unparalleled Dragon King” with a [Shock and pale expression].
“It’s the summer holidays now! Do you understand the summer holidays? Uncle, you can no longer understand the state when students are having their summer holidays. Although I have set the rules of waking up before noon, you should know that I have been sleeping when the skies are almost bright and waking up at four to five o’clock.” Yan Xiaoling replied with [both hands lying flat down expression].
...
“Oh damn, how decadent! [Wiping off cold sweat]” said the “Unparalleled Dragon King”.
Yan Xiaoling replied disappointedly,
“Yeah it’s indeed decadent... but it feels darn good!”
“Little Nightfall, the way you speak is getting more and more like an old hooligan. [Sighing while covering space]” replied “Brahman”.
She used to be such a cute girl in the past. Since she had this forum, it only took a year for her to act like someone who had been through a lot!
...
Lou Cheng chatted with her mum Qi Fangyu through voice call for a while. After reporting what had happened for the day, he saw Yan Zheke send a web link over. With a [ROFL expression], she said,
“Xiao Ling is really funny!”
Huh? Lou Cheng clicked on the web link and was directed to his own forum. He saw the wishes from everyone and felt touched. He also couldn’t help but laugh at Yan Xiaoling’s “waking up on time”.
Thinking back, he had also not been as decadent during the summer holidays after his examinations. The latest he would go to sleep was three in the morning and he’d wake up at twelve in the afternoon. Occasionally, he might have burned the midnight oil.
He exited the thread and switched back to the chatting page. With a [naughty smile], he said to Yan Zheke,
“Ke, the draw is about to start. Aren’t you going to make a wish and pray for me?”
Yan Zheke replied,” [a little monster licking an icecream expression] I’m not worried at all. With my karma blessing, you would definitely not draw someone at the inhuman stage. Relax! [Patting shoulders reassuring expression]”
“Haha, did you pick up the way they chat?” replied Lou Cheng with a light smile. He turned his head around and looked at the guest that was walking towards the ring.
Excluding Peng Leyun, Ren Li, Ann Chaoyang and himself, as well as Veigar and Sakata Ichiei that he had faced previously, there were still seventeen options. If he considered not getting a walkover, the probability of being matched with one at the inhuman stage was four out of seventeen or less than one quarter. The probability for matching with a seeded contestant was seven of seventeen or slightly more than one third. It’s already close to half...
— As he would be eliminated if he lost again, he couldn’t remain calm and composed.
It wasn’t very long before he heard his own name. Subconsciously, he straightened his back.
After waiting for a few seconds, the guest had drawn his opponent:
“Shengxiang, Baco!”
Baco? He is not a seeded contestant... Lou Cheng heaved a sigh of relief as the thought flashed through his mind.
Baco was one of the representatives of Shengxiang’s national boxing arts. He possessed some form of evil arts that were similar to curses and had battle capabilities close to someone at the inhuman stage. With his standards, it was actually sufficient to be seeded seventh or eighth. However, due to the hidden rule that each country could only have two seeded contestants, it’s a shame that he failed to be selected as Veigar and Gusai (Sixth Seed) were seeded. After overcoming various obstacles, he had finally made it to the main competition.
When the competition started, his luck wasn’t very great and he had drawn the top seed Kaori Karasawa. It was also when he suffered the bitter taste of defeat. In the second round, he won easily and kept his slot. Now that he was in the same position as Lou Cheng, there’s no longer any reason to hold back!
It’s still alright. As long as he isn’t at the inhuman stage... Lou Cheng nodded his head without arrogance or fear. He sent a message regarding the information to Yan Zheke so that she could use her “battlefield reporter” identity and share this piece of information into the live thread.
At the place where the representatives of Shengxiang were, Baco, whose hands were wrapped in blood-red coloured bandages, also nodded his head with confidence!
Just as Lou Cheng looked down at his phone, Ann Chaoyang was also drawn out. His opponent was selected quickly.
“Nanzheng, Banam!”
The fourth seed, Banam!