Chapter 743: Countdown
May 19th, 6pm.
Lou Cheng arrived at Jiuwen Stadium in advance and entered his personal resting room.
He didn’t switch on the lights or the large screen TV, letting the room remain dark.
In absolute darkness, he sat on the sofa and looked straight ahead. He was immersed in his inner self as he tried to recall memories that had triggered strong emotions in his life. He also recalled the things that supported him all the way to this point as he made his final preparations.
It was the love and protection from his parents, and his unwillingness to see them getting weaker, tired, and older.
It was displays of kinship through fried yellow eel rice and various small matters.
It was pure admiration that came from the bottom of his heart, mellowed within silence, and bloomed in his youth.
It was his impulsive confession of love on a full moon night, and her response of, “Let’s enjoy this for five more minutes.”
It was his desire to protect the girl curling up in his embrace.
It was the motivation of wanting to become a better man and provide for her.
It was the satisfaction and responsibility when they exchanged rings and promised each other for life.
It was the moving “Let’s try again next time” consolation.
It was the ecstasy of winning a championship for the first time.
It was the worry when he bid goodbye to Songcheng, to his youth, and to his friends.
It was his experience when facing the ninth-pin expert from the Dark Sect, his life hanging by a thread when ambushed by Gehui. The desire to not let his loved ones experience misery and sadness.
It was the resolve and determination when he made up his mind to crush the Jindan after hundreds and thousands of painful experiences.
It was the emptiness of the long nights and the unhappiness of being away from her over a long distance for a long time.
...
These scenes of the past flashed through his mind. The clearer they got, the more the emotions set in and gave him strength.
...
May 19th, 6:30pm. Physical Invulnerability canteen, Jiuwen Stadium.
Qian Donglou had a table of food in front of him. The aromas intertwined and pounced towards him.
He picked up his chopsticks, took some food, and placed it casually in his mouth. He didn’t look nervous or tense despite having to an intense match in just an hour.
“These noodles are really great. You should give it a try...” Qian Donglou smiled and said to Peng Leyun and the others sitting around him.
HIs attitude was capable of calming everyone so they weren’t flustered.
Seeing his casual appearance, Peng Leyun couldn’t help but feel a little emotional.
Martial Uncle Qian has experienced countless finals. Semi-finals like this are just small things to him. In this aspect, he is indeed much better than Lou Cheng, who hasn’t even made it to the finals before.
And Martial Uncle Qian isn’t even doing this on purpose, he just has a laid-back personality. Along with that, he has embodied the state of Shangqing Sect’s technique, which can only be described in five words:
Let nature run its course!
Qian Donglou had a great appetite. At about seven o’clock, he finally put his bowl and chopsticks aside, slowly stood, and smiled as he said,
“It’s almost time to get prepared.”
He turned and headed for his resting room. His white robe moved with the wind and his dark, black hair, which was tied up, seemed to have become one with the surroundings.
...
May 19th, 7pm. Outside Jiuwen Stadium.
Several studious-looking girls alighted from the car and dashed for the entrance.
On their way, they saw vendors selling light sticks, which made them feel like what they had brought was inadequate, since they had only prepared small trumpets and inflatable hammers. They crowded over and bought some after haggling down the price, intending to use them while cheering.
After which, they bought some other things and found the entrance stated on their tickets. They got in line and waited patiently to enter.
Moving ahead slowly, the girls fervently discussed the impending match.
“I think that my husband could win tonight!”
“Your husband? He’s obviously mine!”
“That’s how I feel, too. Lou Cheng had an advantageous schedule, while the Warrior Sage encountered strong enemy after strong enemy. He must be exhausted and injured. Yeah, let’s see what the analysts think of this.”
“I don’t care about the analyses. I only trust my own intuition!”
“But, but I feel like it won’t be that easy to defeat the Warrior Sage...”
“No matter what, we have to have the aura. Otherwise, how am I supposed to cheer on my husband?”
...
Seeing their nervous, agitated actions and hearing their comments filled with internet lingo, the people in line behind them shook their heads silently and mumbled softly,
“The fans this year are really poor quality...”
Chatting and laughing, the girls finally arrived at the security checkpoint. They noticed a box full of light sticks and the security personnel signalling to them to throw the things in their hands into the box.
“I can’t bring this?”
“I could last time! Why didn’t you tell us earlier?”
“Those vendors outside definitely knew about this and they still sold to us... So infuriating!”
“Forget it. Let’s just take it as earning karma points for Lou Cheng.”
After discussing, they didn’t resist and threw their contraband into the box. They passed the security clearance and walked into the stadium to find their seats.
...
May 19th, 7:30pm. VIP suites, Jiuwen Stadium.
Geezer Shi was holding a wine bottle as he pushed opened the door and entered. Looking across, he saw Queen of Thought, Fei Dan; Empty Nest Greybeard, Wu Molian; and several of his old friends.
“As his master, why did you come so late?” Fei Dan shook her head as she commented.
“The match hasn’t started yet, right? There’s no master who would be the front scout of his disciple, right?” Geezer Shi giggled as he walked to an empty seat. “Warrior Sage had some intense matches before this. If my disciple really wins today, I’ll look for Wuguang, that big-nose, to brag to him and let him experience how we felt when he used to always bring up Warrior Sage!”
Wu Molian was stunned for a while and said with surprise, “Jianguo... Uhm... Geezer Shi, you actually got the name of Wuguang right!”
Shi Jianguo sat down slowly and said with satisfaction,
“Wuguang and I have been old pals for years, and I’ve gotten used to his supernatural ability. Although it’s been several years since we saw each other, I can still remember his name well.”
“Hehe, I’m strong and have a good memory. Those are things you guys can’t deny. I’m different from you all, who mispronounce his name after not seeing him for a few months.”
His words drew laughter from the crowd and even Queen of Thought, Fei Dan couldn’t help but double over in laughter.
Making fun of Wuguang was something this circle of older generation experts was fond of.
The Physical Invulnerability expert beside Geezer Shi stayed rather calm, contrasting the others. This drew the attention of Geezer Shi.
He looked over and felt that the face was both foreign and familiar. Subconsciously, he blurted,
“And you are...?”
Everyone went silent. The Physical Invulnerability expert heaved a sigh and answered dispiritedly,
“I’m Taoist Wuguang.”
...
May 19th, 7:40pm. Reporters’ area, Jiuwen Stadium.
Some people were busily communicating with the back office and organizing committees as they made adjustments to the broadcasting videos. Others wore anti-bullet vests or armour and helmets as they moved to the lower levels, closer to the “Safety Isolation Belt.” They were setting up heavily protected cameras and adjusting them to face the competition ground. These were additional cameras to supplement aerial videos and cameras on fixed paths and locations.
Besides that, some people were ready and giving their illustrations of the pre-match. There were also people scribbling on paper.
“What are they doing?” a reporter asked curiously.
Shu Rui smiled and replied, “Thinking of questions for the interviews later.”
She didn’t have an interview mission today but she had made up her mind that if Lou Cheng broke through and obtained his best results, she would disregard how others might see her and pester him for another interview.
She had written questions she would like to ask during the interview. For example,
“Why do you want the nickname ‘King of Gods’?”
“Don’t you have any attachment to Sky Shaking Roar that you’ve been using for so long?”
“Privately, other than Cheng, do you have any other nicknames?”
“Who would you like to thank the most? Is there something heart-warming or an interesting story you’d like to share with us?”
...
After chatting casually for some time, someone suddenly shouted,
“Ready, ready!”
People redirected their attention to the arena.
In the broadcasting room of the TV studio, the host put on a serious face and said,
“Everyone get ready! The match is about to start!”
“It’s starting soon!” On the internet broadcasting platform, guest commentator He Xiaowei straightened his back and said.
“Let’s countdown!” On one of the broadcasting channels, Cai Zongming coughed twice.
...
May 19th, 7:45pm. Personal resting room, Jiuwen Stadium.
Lou Cheng gathered his thoughts and his eyes turned deep and dull.
He stood up and walked towards the door, each step seemingly filled with energy.
When he approached the door, his phone suddenly rang. He took it out and looked at it. It was a message from Yan Zheke.
Yan Zheke said,
“[clenched fist emoji] I’ll be with you!”
A smile appeared on Lou Cheng as he replied with a fighting emoji. After which, he locked the screen and looked plainly forward.
Several seconds later, he strode out and pulled open the door with force.
Clang!
The light from outside flooded in and illuminated the darkness.