Description Martial Arts Master

      Here martial arts are no longer intangible legends. They have been passed on from generation to generation and from century to century. After the confrontation with science and technology, they have completely integrated into modern society and all kinds of martial arts competitions are taking place across the country as superiority among scholars are hard to reach a consensus but not as difficult among martial artists! Lou Cheng has inherited the lost skills of the greatest martial arts sect. Towards his original dream and the glory in his heart, he advances step by step, becoming the warrior of this modern city and the hero of the era! 武道宗师

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     451 A Game

      "The man in black, and then the dude I encountered earlier... Li Wanquan didn't lie about the two groups..." Lou Cheng ran away from Wanhe Street towards the desolated corner he had discovered yesterday while pondering. Then he put everything else aside and began to practice the Swordsman Formula and the Unique Skills of the Ice Sect, improving himself.

      He finished his morning exercises by eight o'clock and returned via the same route. On the way back, he stopped at a breakfast restaurant and bought four big meat stuffed buns.

      Snap!

      He took a photo and sent to Yan Zheke with a sneer.

      "I read good comments about this stuffed bun restaurant online. After two bites, I'm positive it is very good indeed, but I can't buy too many, or the owner might get terrified. I will have to get several small breakfasts from different vendors."

      It was around dinner time for her. She instantly replied with a photo of her dining table with many chinese and western fusion dishes, including steak and beef stew with potato. The food was very nicely plated, but the flavor were hard to tell.

      "Come on! Let's hurt each other with food!" Yan Zheke flipped the table.

      Lou Cheng was delighted and his appetite got bigger. He returned to his hotel room satisfied after visiting seven breakfast places.

      Over one hour later, Yan Zheke finished her work during their messages back and forth and sent a video call request, which Lou Cheng had been waiting for. He picked up happily.

      After a split second, her image appeared on his screen in a nightie under a floral duvet, her collarbone exposed, hair down on her shoulder, and eyes shining without glasses. Her beauty completely captured Lou Cheng's attention.

      "Talk. What are you gazing at me for?" Yan Zheke raised her chin and tilted her head slightly with a gentle chuckle.

      "Because you are too pretty," answered Lou Cheng sincerely in a joking tone.

      Yan Zheke's eyes curved and she replied,

      "Dramatic..."

      They trifled with each other until Yan Zheke showed her concern about Lou Cheng's task.

      "Cheng, did you find anything in Old Nanny Qiu's?"

      "No, I met a fellow in the yard and we fought a bit. The noise was loud enough to alert the neighbors, so I left. From what I saw in the yard, Old Nanny Qiu is pretty odd, mysterious, and spooky, as peopel said..." Lou Cheng described everything honestly to his wife.

      "You had a fight..." Yan Zheke muttered the part that concerned her the most.

      Lou Cheng coughed. "No big deal. We are living in a society governed by law, and no one dares hurt others at will. We just exchanged a few moves with no wicked intentions... After all, a secret martial-arts style isn't worth the risk of one's life."

      Especially as they were both in the Dan stage, and very likely the backbone of their sects, any severe injury would lead to a serious conflict between two sects.

      A secret discipline was precious, but not worth lifelong jail time. Lou Cheng might not have been interested in it at all if it wasn't related to the jindan in his body. It was just something decorative, like the icing on a cake.

      He could tell that the shadow's first punch was very restrained.

      "That's true." Yan Zheke nodded slightly, her eyes rolled up thoughtfully. "Cheng, yesterday you said your master didn't care about the Nine Words Formula and chose to train you with this task despite wasting precious time. I've been thinking, and it doesn't seem right... It's possible your master doesn't care about the formula, but what about the military? Aren't they looking for the Nine Words Formula for their own study? Why would they take the risk of losing the Fighting Formula to wait for you?"

      "Err..." Lou Cheng was stunned by the question, and the puzzle in his heart suddenly became bright and clear.

      "Yes!

      "The Queen of Thought and the Divine Enchanter of Sin Flame do care about the Nine Words Formula a lot!

      "The military wouldn't risk losing the Fighting Formula to satisfy my master's request for training a disciple. They didn't interfere because things are still under their control.

      "Maybe those two groups are not big forces and the military is confident they can take them down easily?

      "But shouldn't the key be Old Nanny Qiu? If this important figure is missing, will the military panic?

      "They haven't made any moves because they've been monitoring closely, are aware of Old Nanny Qiu's whereabouts, and are confident about my safety. Are they showing respect to my master by allowing me to practice as long as things are still under their control?

      "Phew... In this case, they are probably waiting for me to cry for aid so they can take part in it and finish it once and for all."

      Lou Cheng suddenly understood everything.

      "I'm like a child playing an exciting yet extremely safe game under my parents' watch, and they are very pleased with themselves, waiting for me to seek help."

      Lou Cheng's, the child's, desire to excel was suddenly aroused. He was determined to complete this task perfectly and get the Fighting Formula before the military got involved.

      "Don't look down upon me! I can't let the parents get what they want."

      Lou Cheng swept off the laziness and told Yan Zheke his speculation.

      "Yes, Brother Cheng, come on! Don't give the military an opportunity to shine!" Yan Zheke made a fist and encouraged Lou Cheng in an affectionate and sweet tone.

      "Heheh. I am the smarter one of this family indeed!"

      She felt completely relaxed when she learned that the military was watching him.

      When Yan Zheke had to say goodnight and join her mother in bed, Lou Cheng felt disappointed. He took a moment to calm himself and opened a notebook to organize his thoughts.

      "My advantages include a new pair of glasses and shorter hair for camouflage. Even those who watched the national tournament won't be able to recognize me unless they are acquaintances of mine.

      "The two groups either don't know about my presence or are not aware of who I am. I should make use of this situation to fish in troubled waters.

      "And my biggest disadvantage is fighting solo in the dark without the military's resources. I won't be able to gather information as fast and extensively as the other two groups."

      Then Lou Cheng began to list possible ways to look for Old Nanny Qiu.

      " First, seek help from the authorities and the police.

      "Second, in contrary to good, the ancient city also has its evil side, which might be better informed. Several locals mentioned Zhou Wei, who apparently suffered thanks to Old Nanny Qiu. He sounded like an unusual figure and might be a valuable thread.

      "Third, I can follow the other two groups and use their intelligence as my own. They are from some sect, and I bet they will make full use of official resources. The first one can be merged into this one.

      "Fourth, explore Old Nanny Qiu's home one more time tomorrow at five o'clock to look for clues."

      Lou Cheng read it through, putting these ideas together and developing them into three things to do today.

      "First, inquire about Zhou Wei and look for him in the dark.

      "Second, of the two groups, one seems mysterious and clueless, but the other led by the man in black is out in the daylight. While working on the first one, look for him and those martial artists with him yesterday. If I can't find them, follow the two girls that sat behind us on the bus. The man in black appeared very interested in them. They might stay in touch.

      "Third, explore 15 Wanhe Street again."

      Upon the completion of the plan, Lou Cheng left the room with his mobile and wallet for lunch.

      To hide his identity, he stuck to the style of eating less but often, separating his lunch to different vendors like yesterday so his appetite wouldn't look too abnormal.

      …

      After requesting aid from the sect, Hou Yulin took a nap and finished his routine exercises before heading to the Li Family's Silverware Shop under the bright sunlight.

      "The elders can't set out right away; they will have to take an express train and a bus. Tomorrow morning will be the earliest they can get here. I can't just sit and wait.

      "The expert I encountered last night can't be a member of that force, or it wouldn't be necessary for him to investigate at night. He made it to Old Nanny Qiu's place most likely through Li Wanquan. I should be able to get some information on him from the silverware shop. It's better to drag him out of the dark so I can be prepared."

      Just thinking about the expert he had met in Old Nanny Qiu's yard, Hou Yulin felt a chill run down his spine. That was like a nightmare carved into his brain, very vivid and terrifying.

      "That was an awfully capable martial artist... I better stay away from him if possible..."

      Hou Yulin looked up at the board of the Li Family's Silverware Shop before entering.

      Li Wanquan glanced at him with his triangle eyes and welcomed him warmly, high in expectation. "What do you want to know today?"

      "These outlanders have nothing but generosity!"

      Hou Yulin took out his wallet and handed over a stack, making a silent judgment about how old-school this shop was for not accepting mobile payment nor having a CCTV system. He kept his tone flat. "Anyone else come for Old Nanny Qiu recently?"

      Li Wanquan answered gladly while counting the bills, "Yeah, a young fellow of 23 or 24 in a white shirt, jeans, and a big black-framed pair of glasses. He seemed friendly."

      "A young man of 23 or 24 years old... The terrifying strength last night... Which sect could this young talent be serving? " Hou Yulin pondered and asked a few more questions for details before heading out.

      He looked about casually on the street in search of kind-looking young man in his early 20s wearing jeans, a white shirt, and a black-framed pair of glasses.

      "Hmm... There is one. Another one over there... Err... A third one... And a fourth..."

      Hou Yulin saw five guys meeting the description after two streets.

      "A Mr. Average..." Hou Yulin poked fun of the unknown young man and quit searching. He began to doubt the man Li Wanquan had talked about was the expert he encountered the night before.

      "He must have hired an average-looking young man to ask on his behalf so he didn't have to expose himself.

      "Very possible!

      "That sounds more like the awfully terrifying expert I met last night!"

      Hou Yulin withdrew his eyes from the rice noodle soup restaurant where Lou Cheng was sitting and sipping on a bowl of tasty soup quietly.

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     452 The Wolf“s Coming

      The local residents of Zhiyun's ancient town told Lou Cheng lots of things about Old Nanny Qiu, but they did not dare to mention Zhou Wei, no matter how much Lou Cheng tried to fish for information. That man in the black t-shirt vanished along with those warriors monitoring number 15 Wanhe Street. Maybe they were waiting for something to happen. The ancient town was too large, and it was hard for Lou Cheng to encounter them.

      Finally, Lou Cheng had to turn his gaze to the two girls in the back row — he had encountered them several times yesterday and knew which hotel they were staying in.

      It was not until four or five o'clock that he saw those two familiar figures again. One was good-looking with a fine body shape, and the other a plain-looking youth with an intelligent aura.

      They came back to have a rest and then left on another journey. Lou Cheng followed them from a distance and pretended to be a tourist taking photos when they looked back.

      The two girls wa

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     453 The Second Attemp

      As a well-known warrior, Lou Cheng's name was enough to shock people. Everyone in the martial arts community would know that he was the Heavenly Son who ranked just below those inhuman masters. He was a fighter of Peng Leyun's level before Peng Leyun had advanced. They stood no chance against him.

      Besides, Lou Cheng was not a single fighter, for there was a giant force, the Ice God Sect, supporting him. Hence, Huang Zihua had to rush back to his sect to ask one of the most powerful elders for help.

      Maybe Lou Cheng came here alone without notifying his sect, but now he is likely to ask them for help. Though the Ice God Sect's forces haven't permeated to the surrounding areas, they have many masters, and we can't defeat any one of them.

      Well, our elder will arrive before tomorrow morning and then search for Old Nanny Qiu in a one-day period. If we still can't find that woman and get the trace of the Fighting Formula, we'll release it to Daxing Temple and

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     454 The Early Bird Catches the Worm

      Old Nanny Qiu proved Lou Cheng's suspicion that she was born with a special ability. Not only could she hibernate like an animal, she could also manipulate the soil to some extent. After joining a group of grave robbers by chance, she even learned some rudimentary witchcraft.

      In the eyes of her neighbors, she was a mysterious woman who often stayed home for several days in a row. The truth was that she had actually left the ancient town during that time. Even her former live-in lover would consider her strange and even terrifying at times. He dared not talk too much about her.

      She gained most of her antiques related to the Fighting Formula during that time. Most were badly damaged and thus of no value in the group leader's opinion. Since she liked things like these, the leader gave them to her for her to bring home as she did with all the 'junk' in her room.

      Once, they had a great harvest and sold off their spoils for quite a fair bit of money. The members began fi

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     455 Asking for I

      "Where's Lou Cheng?" Fang Fakui, the elder of Zhengfa Sect with a protruding forehead, asked the man in the black t-shirt.

      Having long prepared for this, Huang Zhihua replied frankly,

      "He probably went to Old Nanny Qiu's house again to look for clues yesterday night but found nothing important. Except for his kungfu practice, he stayed in his hotel room the entire morning."

      With the police's help, he found out which hotel room Lou Cheng was staying in and sent someone to monitor the place. He didn't dare hope to obstruct him, only to find out about his moves at once.

      Fang Fakui nodded. "Send another person to keep an eye on him. Disperse the rest and investigate Old Nanny Qiu more carefully. I don't believe she wouldn't reveal anything odd at all this while!"

      "What about you?" Huang Zihua asked in confusion.

      Fang Fakui turned to look out the window.

      "I'll go to Old Nanny Qiu's house too and see if you guys missed any clues."

      …

      In

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     456 Who Were His Teammates?

      "Alright," Geezer Shi hesitated, "But don't embarrass me."

      Miluo, Shengxiang and Nanzheng were between China and war-torn areas, within which dwelt many of the friends Geezer Shi's made in his earlier years.

      So much for your confidence in me… Lou Cheng complained secretly, knowing it was Shi Jianguo's pride at work.

      He brooded for a few seconds and asked curiously,

      "Master, who are the up and coming young players in these four countries?"

      "How would I know? Why would an old geezer like me give a darn about what those younglings are up to?" Geezer Shi replied disdainfully. "For sure they have some fighters at the Inhuman stage, but not more than a handful. Now hurry and pass me the Fighting Formula."

      "Okay." With the layout of Senior Sister's apartment in the back of his mind, Lou Cheng sprang up and dashed into the study. He whipped out a sheet of rice paper, laid it out flatly, set paperweights on it, then picked up a brush and drowned it in ink.

      Taking a deep breath, he began to concentrate, visualizing the Dou character stroke by stroke in his mind, and feeling something surging in him—a mixture of explosive power, strength, vigor and unyielding spirit.

      With suspended wrists, he pressed down on the brush. The ink spread like fire as though it was trying to escape the confinement of the paper.

      Lou Cheng withdrew his brush, admiring the charming word he had written and nodded with satisfaction.

      This was way more artistic than his normal signature!

      Lou Cheng's spirit, Qi, blood, and force had not yet reached the level of "connecting heaven and earth," therefore the essence in his Fighting Formula decays with time and only lasts one to three months. Similar to the Forwarding Formula he had written for Wang Xu, once decayed it would no longer be of great use to visualization and Kungfu practice, aside from the lingering effects. After a few years, it will be nothing more than a piece of scrap paper.

      Doesn't matter, he could always write them a new one anyway... And it wouldn't take Queen of Thought and Divine Enchanter of Sin Flame more than a month to master it at their current levels, with prior experience no less. With his thoughts racing, Lou Cheng grabbed the writing and presented it to Geezer Shi, smiling.

      "Here, Master, the Fighting Formula."

      "That's it?" Geezer Shi asked, astonished.

      What about the items related to the Fighting Formula from Old Nanny Qiu? Find authorized novels in Webnovel，faster updates, better experience，Please click www.webnovel.com for visiting.

      Lou Cheng replied to his disbelief with an embarrassed smile.

      "Master, the item Old Nanny Qiu had was barely in one piece. When I was comprehending the essence of the Dou character, I had to fill in many missing pieces by myself, just like that time with the Xing character from the notes at Shushan Study."

      As he spoke, he was scrolling through his phone gallery to find the picture of the jade plate he had taken for Yan Zheke. He left the real thing at home, seeing it would make a meaningful gift for his little fairy when he goes to America in September.

      Geezer Shi took a glance and coughed dryly, resuming his know-it-all attitude.

      "Didn't I tell you that you are fated with the Nine Words Formula? You are almost half a disciple of the Longhu Immortal."

      He kept the Fighting Formula Lou Cheng had written as he spoke. "Anyway, it's good that you are here. Take this time to get your American visa done before you worry about the competition. As for now, practice your Kungfu, suppress any signs of morphing, and try to grasp the basics of Ice Spirit Force visualization as quickly as possible."

      From the inside of his linen, he took out his treasured rolled-up diagram.

      "This is a memento from my prime. Don't you dare lose it, brat!Initially I planned to give you my Master's diagram, but on second thought, with the evolution of martial arts, his comprehensions are probably a tad outdated, so I decided to give you mine instead," he said tongue in cheek.

      "Master, you can paint visualization diagrams?" asked Lou Cheng, with sincere awe and admiration.

      "Of course! Don't forget that I was only a level away from stepping into the forbidden area in my prime," said Geezer Shi with pride in his eyes.

      Lou Cheng did not hide his admiration as he received the diagram. Corresponding to the Ice Spirit force, it felt almost weightless in his hands, as if it was a hollow void that retained nothing—not even a trace of warmth. Yet the coldness, darkness and loneliness it gave off seemed to be absolute and eternal.

      In that moment, Lou Cheng felt his thoughts drift into an endless realm of darkness as the biting cold greeted him. When he snapped out of it, he was met with his Master's grin.

      "The Ice Spirit Holy Light Diagram."

      Ice Spirit Holy Light Diagram...Lou Cheng nodded slightly. As he unfolded the diagram, he saw rays of clear, wavy light etched on it. Contrasted by the darkness, it was pure, dreamy and beautiful—yet at the same time it emitted loneliness, darkness and a biting chill.

      Geezer Shi smiled. "Ice Spirit Force is the combination of Ice Spirit Holy Light Diagram and The Frozen River Diagram. Once you complete your morphing, your force will grow closer to its purest form, and by then you'll only need the Ice Spirit Holy Light Diagram which can be used hand in hand with the explosive force from your Dantian."

      "Mm." Lou Cheng inhaled, tingling with excitement at the prospect of acquiring Mighty Kungfu.

      Undoubtedly, it would take way longer to master as compared to the Nine Words Formula, which took him only ten to twenty minutes, so he had to suppress any effects of morphing triggered by the process.

      That being the case, I should have begun training Ice Spirit Force and Emperor Yan Force first. But I doubt even master had expected me to make the breakthrough so quickly and approach the Inhuman stage...

      Sigh, Is it my unpredictable awesomeness that makes Master seem unreliable? He reflected.

      For the next few days, other than heading out to apply for his visa application, he spent most of his free time comprehending the Ice Spirit Holy Light Diagram. With his own knowledge of the Frost Force and the fruit of two years' worth of training in the Ice Sect, he began to make some progress.

      As the King of Youth Pro League drew near, his visa already in hand, Lou Cheng finally received the Emperor Yan diagram, its essence rapidly fading and expiring in a matter of days. It seems like the military got their little revenge on him.

      It was the polar opposite of the Ice Spirit Holy Light diagram. The single sheet of paper felt immensely heavy, as if it held a mountain of volcanic ashes that kept piling up, eventually collapsing and igniting everything in its path and spitting out scorching hot lava.

      On the diagram was an immortal in traditional dress, his center a core that spread into layers of multicolored flames, transforming into an imperial robe. It was terrifying and majestic at the same time.

      Paired with the Prairie Fire Diagram from before, he could finally master the Emperor Yan Force!

      "Okay brat, don't slack off. Only morph after you restore your balance through mastering both Ice and Flame," Geezer Shi went on, "Before you depart to Huahai tomorrow, meet up with the others at Haidong Airport. Here's the guide's contact number... Even though it's an individual competition, you have to go as a group. Otherwise, heh, you won't even get past the language barrier."

      The competition was to be held in Shengxiang's capital, Fuluo.

      "Master, who else is participating?" Lou Cheng inquired curiously.

      He was wondering if he would see familiar faces.

      With a sardonic laugh came a gruff reply, "Didn't ask!"

      "...." Lou Cheng knew better than to ask any further questions and went back to his room to pack his belongings.

      He drew his phone and texted Yan Zheke. "Going to Huahai… Can't believe my first trip overseas is to Shengxiang and not America. (Insert snickering)."

      No reply. It was midnight over there.

      Lou Cheng stared at his phone in silence as his longing for Yan Zheke overwhelmed him with emotions.

      Snapping out of it, he phoned the guide to confirm the details for the meeting. By the time he had booked his train ticket, it was almost night. That's when Yan Zheke's reply came at last. "I can't watch your match live this time, again [wipes tears]... Luckily I'll still be able to find the replays online in America!"

      "Ha ha, don't worry about it. I'm not feeling too confident since I can barely understand what is written on the opponent's data," replied Lou Cheng humbly, his mood lifted all of a sudden.

      The following day, to no avail, he attempted to comprehend the Emperor Yan Force.

      After breakfast, Lou Cheng slung his belongings on his back and headed towards the train station. Before noon, he was already at Haidong Airport.

      It was around 2PM when he spotted the competition guide, Zhong Ningtao, in the departure hall.

      "Alright! Please hold on for a moment, the rest will be here anytime now." Zhong Ningtao was a man of average height with slicked back hair and a warm smile.

      "Alright." Lou Cheng did not ask who else was going, instead he whipped out his phone and reported to his wife. "I arrived. Can't wait to know the identity of my teammates! [smiling]"

      As soon as he hit "Send," he felt a resonance. Looking back, he saw a young man in white T-shirt and shorts walking towards him. With his luggage in hand, a relaxed smile, and a distant look in his eyes, it was no other than Peng Leyun!

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     457 The Unreliable Godly Squad

      Peng Leyun... As expected, he's going to the King of Youth Pro League as well... thought Lou Cheng, raising his right hand to say hello.

      He had wanted to begin the small talk by checking on Peng's injuries, but on second thought, since he was the one that gave him those injuries, his inquiries might be misunderstood as sarcasm or taunting, so he smiled gingerly and said,

      "Hi."

      "Hi."

      A rival from a few months ago was now his teammate.

      "Hello," replied Peng Leyun, waving nonchalantly as he walked closer. "I thought you might come."

      Lou Cheng laughed.

      "It's a good learning opportunity. I'm here to brush up my skills and strengthen my foundations."

      He paused and waited for Peng Leyun's reply, but there was none, and they fell into an awkward silence.

      Lou Cheng stole a curious glance at Peng Leyun, only to discover that he had entered into a state of daydreaming, completely ignoring him.

      Well isn't this awkward... Blocked from socializing with Peng Leyun, Lou Cheng coughed drily, turned to Guide Zhong and tried to play it off by calmly explaining,

      "Don't mind him, he's always like that."

      He had the rumors to back it up!

      Zhong Ningtao shrugged in an American way.

      "I know."

      No wonder he wasn't eager to greet Peng Leyun.

      Lou Cheng decided to change the topic and was going to ask who else was coming, when Peng Leyun suddenly "reconnected" and looked at him meaningfully. "I'm attending the Nationals once more."

      Lou Cheng nodded, smiling.

      "Me too."

      Peng Leyun sat down beside him and began spacing out again.

      Does this guy even use his phone at all... I heard he plays games too... Lou Cheng silently judged. The elevator chimed and the doors opened. Out came a hipster-ish looking young man with long hair, headphones wrapped around his neck. Lou Cheng recognized him as Ann Chaoyang, a fellow martial artist who had joined the Xinghai Club, disciple to the Queen of Thoughts.

      Ann Chaoyang threw a glance at the two, amused.

      "Is it really a competition with the both of you? The competition is already over!"

      The Two Heavenly Sons of China, in the same party!

      Before Lou Cheng could give a reply, Zhong Ningtao answered with a smile.

      "It won't be that easy, they wouldn't have sent us wild card invitations if they weren't confident in winning, like in the past years. The Japanese are a prideful bunch, they would rather deny us invitations than let us beat them in their own place."

      "You mean they have Mighty Ones?" asked Lou Cheng curiously.

      He did his research on the martial artist from Japan. Shengxiang and so on, but could not get a cohesive understanding due to the language barrier.

      Zhong Ningtao beamed. "Strength is relative. This competition is open to anyone below the age of 24, and it's no surprise that every country has a couple of geniuses who are already at the Inhuman stage. Potential and age-wise, on average, they are not on the same level as you guys. We have been keeping track of all of them, I'll send you the compiled data once we settle down in Fuluo."

      Ann Chaoyang nodded calmly. "Alright."

      His abilities vastly increased after joining the Xinghai Club, under the personal guidance of the Queen of Thoughts. By then he was fairly certain he could have a breakthrough to the Inhuman stage in the following year before he turns 23. He did not worry much about the prospect of facing opponents similar to himself.

      Lou Cheng's blood was boiling with excitement, eager to witness the Martial Arts of other countries and compete with their very best.

      Due to the language barrier, he couldn't analyze his opponents thoroughly the way he did in China, which left a lot of room for surprises and upsets.

      Well, if the guide's data is not comprehensive enough, he can check with "Unparalleled Dragon King" in the forums to see if he has more information ...

      "Sounds interesting." Peng Leyun mused, back from his daydreams.

      Could this guy actually be a robot that switches to "power saving mode" when out of combat?... Lou Cheng thought to himself.

      The possibility exists!

      The group of them did not know each other well. None of them were the extroverted type like Cai Zongming. Their scattered exchanges soon died down as Peng Leyun went back to daydreaming. Ann Chaoyang confined himself to his own world of music, leaving Lou Cheng and Zhong Ningtao to themselves.

      Thankfully, the influence of Talker made Lou Cheng quite skilled in the arts of conversation and prevented any awkwardness from arising.

      More time passed, yet the fourth member did not make an appearance, prompting Zhong Ningtao to get up and look search for them, to no success.

      "Maybe try calling? Who is it anyway?" Lou Cheng asked the question he forgot to ask previously.

      "Ren Li. You guys should know her." Zhong Ningtao took out his phone, hesitant on whether he should urge her to hurry.

      Ren Li? What kind of godly combination is this!?, thought Lou Cheng, shocked.

      He was expecting Ren Li to sit this one out since she had to stabilize after morphing, but to think, she came anyway.

      But it made sense, since Inhuman was only a stage in the Internal Dan stage, the moves Ren Li practiced shouldn't differ much from when she was Sixth Pin. Similar to himself, she had already mastered what she could at that moment. In his case he had learned every valuable move below the physical invulnerability state in the Unique Skills of the Ice Sect, and needed much more time to master the more advanced moves.

      Although certain powerful Kungfu contained more than hundreds of moves, many of the newer moves were just improvements of older moves. For example, the 26th move "Ice Burning" was the revamped version of the 120th move "Snow Burning", and was moved to the front of the list when the movements were updated.

      "Ren Li?" repeated Ann Chaoyang as he took off his headphones, looking surprised and amused, "Guide, I suggest you give her a call, if not we'll spend the whole day waiting..."

      As Ren Li's old rival, he knew her way better than Lou Cheng and Zhong Ningtao did.

      Peng Leyun nodded in agreement.

      "Okay." Zhong Ningtao dialed the number, and shortly after Ren Li's voice came. "Hello?"

      "Hello, Ren Li, I'm Zhong Ningtao, your guide for the competition, I contacted you two days ago, remember? Where are you now?"

      A calm reply came after a brief silence.

      "Guide, I think I'm lost."

      Lost...lost... Zhong Ningtao was at a loss of words. "Ask the people around you where you are," he urged after taking a few seconds to recompose himself.

      He knew Ren Li was bad with directions , but to think it was to this extent!

      A short while later, Ren Li answered with perfect composure.

      "According to them I'm at T2."

      According to them... Zhong Ningtao winced. "We are T1, come to us."

      "No!(Wait!)" protested Ann Chaoyang and Peng Leyun at the same time, as Lou Cheng stared at them blankly.

      Is her sense of direction that hopeless?

      "Huh?" Zhong Ningtao looked back in confusion.

      "Guide Zhong, it's best if you go pick her up before she wanders out of the airport." Ann Chaoyang explained with a smile.

      What was worse than someone who was bad with directions was someone who would confidently lead the way without consulting others, even when they already knew they were bad with directions. Unfortunately, Ren Li belonged to the latter...

      "Oh...okay..." After a brief silence, Zhong Ningtao made Ren Li confirm her exact position before setting off to find her.

      After about 20 minutes, Ren Li arrived, wearing her hair down and dressed in an orange T-shirt and denim shorts.

      The delicate, doll-like girl nodded politely. "Hello everyone!"

      Lou Cheng, Peng Leyun and Ann Chaoyang exchanged a glance, heaved a sigh of relief in unison, before greeting her in return.

      Lou Cheng found an opportunity to send a text to Yan Zheke.

      "The 'teammates' this time round are Peng Leyun, Ren Li and An Chaoyan. Squad of the century! [Smug]"

      It was midnight in America.

      After gathering themselves, collecting their plane tickets, and passing through the security checks, they waited for about half an hour in the VIP lounge before they boarded the plane.

      They boarded before others since they were in the first class cabin. In the corner of his eye, Lou Cheng saw Ren Li heading straight towards the economy cabin, without paying the slightest attention to the numbers above the seats.

      Heh...He winced as he called out to remind her.

      "Over here, Ren Li!"

      The other three were calling her at the same time.

      Ren Li stopped, looked towards where they were pointing, and scampered back in embarrassment, stuffing her suitcase into the luggage compartment above.

      Lou Cheng glanced at the hopeless girl as she sat down, then at the headphone donning Ann Chaoyang who was lost in his own world, then at Peng Leyun who was daydreaming intensely and completely oblivious to the air stewardess attending him, when it suddenly came to him.

      Damn, don't tell me I'm the only "normal person" in this "godly squad"... Find authorized novels in Webnovel，faster updates, better experience，Please click www.webnovel.com for visiting.

      Why do these three look so unreliable!

      He send a text to his sweetheart complaining about it.

      Suddenly, Yan Zheke popped up online and replied,

      "Ha ha, all the best Brother Cheng!"

      "Pfft, why are you awake at this time!? Don't let it affect your classes tomorrow," replied an elated Lou Cheng.

      "Can I not wake up to use the bathroom at night? [laughing with mouth covered]" replied Yan Zheke.

      The two rapidly got into an excited conversation.

      A few minutes later, Peng Leyun, Ren Li and Ann Chaoyang were all looking at Lou Cheng who was smiling like an idiot at his phone, in the exact same way Lou Cheng had stared at them a moment ago.

      ...

      They arrived safely at the capital of Shengxiang, Fuluo. After a tedious clearance process and a bus ride, they were at the hotel.

      After booking the rooms, Zhong Ningtao immediately put a hand on Ren Li's shoulders stopping her as she started marching towards the restaurant with certainty on her face.

      Immediately, Zhong Ningtao was sent flying as Ren Li's body reacted on its own to his touch.

      Lou Cheng's heart went out to him. Two Japanese looking man were observing them from the other side of the hotel hall, comparing them to photos on their phone.

      "The top dogs..." said one of the Japanese man in a hushed voice.

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     458 Anecdotes From First Arrival

      "I'm so sorry!" Realizing what she had done, she folded her hands and began apologizing profusely.

      Thankfully, she wasn't the type to exert harm subconsciously and didn't use much force. Had she used her full force, Zhong Ningtao would have broken bones. His head was spinning as he massaged his sore spots, consoling her.

      "Don't worry, I can take quite a beating."

      Jesus, this girl's innocent looks belied the "terror" beneath!

      Lou Cheng shuffled beside him, glancing at the other side of the hall.

      "Guide Zhong, those two Japanese are looking at us," he said in a hushed voice.

      Though hardly distinguishable in foreigners' eyes, the Chinese and Japanese can differentiate between themselves easily, as if they were of a completely different kind.

      "Ha ha, don't worry about it, that's just how they gather information," explained Zhong Ningtao. "They are very serious and obstinate when it comes to work. The Shengxiang organizing committee should have received our information long ago, funny how these Japanese appeared before them..."

      He glanced at his watch impassively. "It's six-thirty now, no changes in time zone. You guys can take a break in your rooms for now. We'll gather here again at seven before heading out for dinner. We won't be doing much for the first few days, so we can take the time to relax and play around a little before the competition day. Anyways, what do you guys want for dinner? Any suggestions?"

      "I'm fine with anything." Peng Leyun replied nonchalantly as he swept his eyes through the many golden statues in the hotel, then falling into deep thought again.

      "You choose," replied Ann Chaoyang with his headphones wrapped around his neck. One hand in his pocket, the other dragging a suitcase, he examined the passing foreign hotel guests in a relaxed manner.

      "I'm not picky with food, I swear!" promised Ren Li.

      Zhong Ningtao tossed a pleading look at Lou Cheng, elated as he noticed him browsing through a review app.

      "Guide Zhong, let me look through the reviews and see what good restaurants are here. We can discuss it more later."

      Good food is the most important thing when travelling!

      At least that was true for "lame" travelers like him and Ke. To them, the atmosphere between the two came first, delicacies second, culture third, and beautiful scenery last.

      "Okay, add me on Wechat later." Zhong Ningtao replied, feeling oddly grateful.

      Lou Cheng didn't use Wechat much in the past, but since it was popular between the adults he got to know recently, he started getting used to it and even began to find it "more chill" than other apps. He was actually thinking about recommending it to Ke.

      After scanning the QR code, the group of them got in the lift and "escorted" Ren Li to her room before they dispersed.

      Lou Cheng put down his belongings and began to browse through the review app as he sat on the bed. After a short discussion with the guide, they decided on a Shengxiang specialty restaurant.

      He had then realized that that Zhong Ningtao had already emailed him his opponents' data, which he downloaded and began browsing.

      "Kaori Karasawa, 22, descendant of the Japanese Xinzhai Sect, 6th Dan Black belt holder (equivalent to Fifth Pin in China) and has reached the "Qi" stage at the end of the previous year (equivalent to Inhuman stage in China). She is famed as a beautiful genius that appears only once in every three thousand years, though this is likely a typical exaggeration from the Japanese. In comparison, Peng Leyun was a cut above her when he was her age."

      There were many Sects in the Japan martial art scene and the government standardized the measurement of strength by Dan. White belt represented amateurs and black belt represented samurais. There were Nine Dans in total, with 1st Dan as the lowest and 9th Dan the highest. 8th to 9th Dan were equivalent to the 1st to 3rd Pin of China.

      She should have been twenty-one and a half at the end of last year, to have reached the equivalent of Inhuman stage at that age... what a formidable opponent..., thought Lou Cheng as he scrolled on. There was a picture of Kaori Karasawa and a summary on the Xinzhai Sect.

      She was undoubtedly a beauty, a little over 5 feet tall, with soft and smooth baby fat on her cheeks that added to her cuteness.

      Lou Cheng skimmed through to the next participant.

      "Mouko Yamashita, turning 24, descendant of the Japanese Extreme Hadou Style, 5th Dan Black Belt holder, recently mastered Hadou in May, quasi-Inhuman stage."

      He was a large guy with thick eyebrows, a brutish appearance and disturbingly well-defined muscles.

      "Wahku, recently 23, disciple to the Shangzuo Buddhist Sect, a Sadhu with the title of Arhat, has mastered the "Equanimity towards Formations Knowledge" stage in "16 Insight Knowledges", somewhat equivalent to Inhuman stage..."

      "Veigar, 23 and a half, the son of a Miluo warlord, capable of thunder and lightning supernatural abilities and practices the powerful Miluo Martial Art. Power cannot be measured as there are no measurement systems in Miluo, but roughly at the same level as Kaori Karasawa, one of the two favorites in this competition."

      "Banam, 22, Nan Zheng representative, the young creator of the Sect "Zhahe Boxing", savage in his attacks, malicious to others and even more so to himself. They run the same martial art system as us and he had recently reached the Inhuman stage..."

      Shengxiang, Miluo and Nanzheng were close to the war torn areas and often slid into political turmoil—one ruled by a king, another split and governed separately by multiple warlords. The last one was under a military regime, therefore women did not have many rights in the country and it wasn't easy for them to learn Kungfu.

      Lou Cheng kept scrolling. One page flashed after the other as he formed a vague impression of his three opponents' appearances. Wahku looked no different from most Sadhus, gaunt and cadaverous and a yellowish complexion, wearing a red robe and no shoes, but his eyes spoke of a profoundness of enlightenment. Wei Jia was a muscular guy with a cold countenance donned in a navy blue military uniform. Banam hardly stood at 6 feet , boasting a tanned body with white bandages wrapped around his wrists and feet.

      Apart from the five of them, Zhong Ningtao listed a few other martial artists of varying nationalities to watch out for. After skimming, Lou Cheng picked up his phone which he had purchased an international data package for, pocketed his wallet, and took the elevator down to the first floor where he awaited his teammates' arrival.

      Zhong Ningtao made the right decision this time to personally escort Ren Li from her room so she doesn't lose her way in the "mountains of people" in the hotel.

      "We'll be eating here," announced Zhong Ningtao, pointing to the name of the restaurant he and Lou Cheng had decided on.

      "Sure," agreed Ann Chaoyang and the others, who just went with the flow.

      When they were at the hotel entrance and saw the masses of dark-skinned, gaunt Shengxiangese, Lou Cheng couldn't help but ask, "Guide Zhong, you can speak Shengxiangese right?"

      Zhong Ningtao looked at him, then at the others who had the same question, and shot them a look that said "Why would you guys ask such a silly question?".

      "Of course not."

      Of course...not... Lou Cheng was stunned as he stared at the guide he previously deemed as reliable. Even Ren Li and Peng Leyun, who were usually composed, were startled for a moment.

      "Ha ha, don't worry about it. The people here can more or less understand English, which I happen to be an expert at," boasted Zhong Ningtao as he ran his hand across his waxed hair. "Didn't I handle the cab and hotel registration perfectly?"

      Fair point... thought Lou Cheng as he heaved a sigh of relief.

      Ann Chaoyang brooded for a few seconds, before asking bluntly,

      "Guide Zhong, have you been to Shengxiang before?"

      Zhong Ningtao laughed drily, then declared with honesty,

      "Nope."

      He quickly added, "Relax, relax. They sent me here because I'm on good terms with the people at the embassy here."

      "..." Lou Cheng exchanged a glance with the rest and shared their confusion.

      That wasn't reassuring at all...

      Maybe we should stay in the hotel and make do with cup noodles... Find authorized novels in Webnovel，faster updates, better experience，Please click www.webnovel.com for visiting.

      After receiving strong reassurance from Zhong Ningtao and having confidence in their own martial art abilities, they decided to continue with their trip, duly following the map navigation app before finally arriving at the Shengxiang specialty restaurant that was about 700 meters away.

      The buildings were heavily influenced by Buddhist architecture, statues everywhere and structures gilded in gold, producing a unique appearance.

      Snap! Snap! Snap! Lou Cheng began taking pictures with his phone and sending them to Yan Zheke, hoping she could see what he saw and feel what he felt when she woke up.

      Snap! Snap! Snap! Ren Li was snapping away too, half of her shots were of the scenery and the other half selfies. Before long, she was already wandering further and further away from the restaurant. Thankfully, Peng Leyun spotted her and stopped her in time.

      Snap! Snap! Snap! Ann Chaoyang had a digital camera in his hands and was focused like an artist working on a sculpture.

      "Why aren't you taking any pictures?" asked Zhong Ningtao as he approached Peng Leyun. "I guess a carefree guy like you probably doesn't like taking photos," he deduced.

      He probably liked daydreaming more!

      Peng Leyun turned his head and looked at him.

      "My camera's spoilt."

      "..." Zhong Ningtao winced and decided to talk to Lou Cheng instead.

      As he was reaching Lou Cheng, he saw him turn towards Ann Chaoyang.

      "Can you share some photos with me later? The ones I took weren't very good."

      ...Weren't very good? Then why did you spent all that time taking them! Zhong Ningtao, exasperated at the group he was stuck with, walked into the restaurant and booked a table for six fluent in English.

      Lou Cheng sat down and flipped the menu open, shocked to find Chinese translations inside.

      "How thoughtful," praised Ann Chaoyang from the bottom of his heart.

      The place was boisterous and crowded.

      "At least a third of the tourists here are from our country, it's not surprising for them to include Chinese translations," Zhong Ningtao explained, smiling. He motioned for the waitress and began ordering.

      Halfway through the orders, the petite girl with light brown skin began rattling off in another language as the group exchanged looks of confusion.

      "Can you speak English?" asked Zhong Ningtao.

      The waitress nodded and began rattling off again, from which Lou Cheng barely managed to catch a few words.

      Ren Li tugged at Zhong Ningtao and asked in a low voice. "What's she saying, Guide Zhong?"

      "I don't know..." replied Zhong Ningtao in English, looking dumbfounded.

      The waitress's accent was too thick and hard to understand.

      "I'll give it a try," volunteered "model student" Peng Leyun. His attempt, accompanied by body language, had equally little success.

      Ann Chaoyang and Ren Li were eager to put their own exam-style English to test, but their attempts to help also failed miserably.

      Their last hope was Lou Cheng, who drew a deep breath before showcasing the spoken English he vigorously learned for the sake of Ke.

      It only provoked a blank expression on the waitress's face.

      Just as they were planning to resort to translation apps, the girl asked in a timid voice.

      "Do. you. speak. Chinese?"

      "Do you speak Chinese?"

      This was understood by all of them. They paused, wide-eyed before exclaiming at once.

      "You can speak Chinese?"

      "Yes, my father is Chinese, there are many Chinese tourists here, they like waiters who can speak Chinese," she explained in rigid Chinese, smiling.

      Lou Cheng and the rest, mentally exhausted from before, traded glances. Suddenly, they all broke into an uncontrollable laughter, bodies trembling and tears in their eyes. It felt that the ice was broken in that moment.

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     459 Prelude

      After the round of laughter, Zhong Ningtao picked up the menu and ordered again, this time in Chinese spoken at a normal speed.

      The petite waitress listened to the order with a perplexed expression.

      "C...can you speak slowly? I do not understand if it's fa...fast," she pleaded, smiling sheepishly.

      Her Chinese was rigid and stiff.

      They laughed, feeling silly. "Sure." Zhong Ningtao slowed down and repeated the order, one word at a time. This time, the conversation went smoothly. They also understood what the waitress was trying to explain earlier— she felt that the customers ordered too much. Some of the dishes weren't specialties and they might not be able to finish it. But to Lou Cheng and company, this was no concern at all. They were more afraid that there wasn't enough to eat, so they reached a consensus.

      The tanned waitress collected their menus and orders, then turned to walked away. Lou Cheng and the rest of the table watched her leave, exchanged glances, and broke into another round of laughter.

      So damn hard to order in a different country!

      Despite there being many customers, meals were served quickly, plates of delicacies finding their way in front of Lou Cheng and the others.

      "Let's dig in, there won't be space for more dishes if we don't clear these," suggested Zhong Ningtao, looking at the table filled with dishes as he picked up his chopsticks.

      "Agreed!" Lou Cheng, Ren Li and Ann Chaoyang unlocked their phones and aimed their cameras at the scrumptious feast.

      You gotta snap before you eat!

      Peng Leyun's chopsticks froze in the air. Zhong Ningtao had expected him to be the first to dig in once the photography session ended. Unexpectedly, he said,

      "Add me on QQ or Wechat later."

      "Huh?" They stared at him, astonished.

      "Send me the photos later too," he said, unaffected by their gazes.

      It was obvious that he was opening up to them.

      "Steal internet pictures...I'm going to post it on Talk-talk, Moments and Weibo..." suggested Ann Chaoyang "earnestly."

      Peng Leyun lifted his glass of ice water, took a gulp and cleared his throat.

      "I used to do that actually."

      It was still a little awkward since they weren't that close with each other yet.

      Other than spacing out often, regularly daydreaming and being lazy, The Devil King wasn't that hard to get along with at all... ,thought Lou Cheng, snickering. Imitating Yan Zheke, he sent her the photos of the food, along with the following message.

      "This is to help boost your appetite in the morning, no need to thank me, it's what couples do!"

      Shengxiang delicacies often used lemon. Every dish was packed with an explosion of flavors that flaunted its uniqueness. Many specialties such as roasted fish were prepared with spices and bay leaves, though the first bite may taste weird, it gradually gets better once you eat more of it.

      The waiters in the restaurant were shocked beyond words as they watched the four "glutton kings" and Zhong Ningtao—who had a good appetite for a normal person, gobble down everything on their table. Though they had seen individuals with similar appetite in the past, seeing so many of them together at the same table was a first.

      Later on, the chefs decided it was a great compliment and felt obligated to head down to the lobby to extend their sincerest thanks and commemorate the occasion with some photos.

      Zhong Ningtao paid the bill with his credit card, then remembering something, opened the black briefcase he was carrying and took out a few bundles of cash. "Here, Shengxiang Dun. This is a thirty thousand allowance for each of you. Most of the stores here accept credit cards, and you even get discounts when you use them."

      One China Yuan could be exchanged for roughly seven Shengxiang Dun. Find authorized novels in Webnovel，faster updates, better experience，Please click www.webnovel.com for visiting.

      Lou Cheng reached out to receive the colorful and exotic notes.

      "Feel free to explore this place, it is one of most bustling places in Fuluo," said Zhong Ningtao, "Ren Li, make sure you follow them, no, follow me. You are forbidden to act alone. Oh yeah, I believe you all have morning practices? There's a quiet and secluded area if you turn left from the hotel. What time do you usually wake up in the morning, Ren Li?"

      "Around five-thirty," she replied, "it's alright Guide Zhong, I won't get lost on the way to morning practice!"

      Zhong Ningtao looked at her with thoughtful eyes. "I'll be up at five-thirty tomorrow."

      Before Ren Li could protest any further, he continued, "There's a Shengxiang dojo near here. Should I reserve it for all the coming afternoons?"

      "Yes!" They replied at once, glimmering eyes brimming with anticipation.

      Zhong Ningtao chuckled, "You guys..."

      Are really "good kids" when it comes to martial arts!

      After a stroll around the area, Lou Cheng and the others returned to their hotel and dispersed to do their own things.

      Lou Cheng looked at his phone and found no reply from Ke. Putting his phone down, he turned his computer on to find the data Zhong Ningtao had sent him, clicking on one of the links to his opponents' past matches he began reviewing them.

      After loosely skimming through, he found the content short of comprehensive. He unlocked his phone, found "Unparalleled

      Dragon King" in the forums, and opened up the chat box to send a message.

      "Old Dragon, Old Dragon, you there?"

      "Don't beat around the bush and ask if I'm here, spit it out, whatever's on your mind. [snickering] " replied "Unparalleled Dragon King".

      "Do you...do you have the detailed data on Tang Zexun, Takeshi Yamashita, Wahku, Veigar and Banam? [scratches head, embarrassed]"

      "WTF, are you planning on watching the King of Youth Pro League? You know about it? [Shocked]" replied Unparalleled Dragon King,

      "Is it weird to know about it [blank face] ?" asked Lou Cheng.

      "Yes, very!" replied Unparalleled Dragon King, " The martial art scene in our country is too strong. So is the competition. After I came back from overseas, I realized people here don't care much for foreign martial art scenes other than international arenas and a few major countries' professional competitions. Never knew we had common interests! [Thumbs up]"

      "Ha ha, I just chanced upon it. [Tears of Joy]" replied Lou Cheng, establishing himself as one of the uninterested "people" to dissipate any unnecessary excitement from "Unparalleled Dragon King".

      "Oh, you are in Fuluo?" replied "Unparalleled Dragon King", immediately forming the deduction that "Schrodinger's Tiger" was on a trip with his girlfriend after meeting her parents and has taken an interest in King of Youth Pro League after chancing upon it.

      "Yeah." replied Lou Cheng honestly.

      "Good for you, I would have went there myself had I not been such an otaku. [LOL]" replied Unparalleled Dragon King. "Ok, I'll collate their data and videos and send a copy to you. Guaranteed to be better than anything you can find online. Let me know ASAP if there's any details on the match, or bloopers. The replays of some matches can't be found online."

      "Leave it to me! [Waving goodbye]"replied Lou Cheng.

      "By the way, I heard our country received four wild cards. Is there any mention of who's going in the promotional posters and TV programs there?[enthusiastic]" replied "Unparalleled Dragon King".

      Heh, you asked the right guy!

      "I know this. [Snickering] They are Peng Leyun, Ren Li, Lou Cheng and Ann Chaoyang," he replied.

      "WTF, what's there for Shengxiang and the other countries to win!? What gave them the confidence to make these wild card selections?" replied Unparalleled Dragon King, shocked to the extent that he forgot to add an emoji.

      He originally thought it would be good enough to even have one of the Two Heavenly Sons on the team.

      "Don't know... I would like to know why too...[Shrugs]" replied Lou Cheng.

      "Oh man! I'm pumped! Super hyped for King of Youth Pro League right now! I need to tell Little Eternal Nightfall and Little Fan about this... keep me updated! [Sparkling man]"

      "Okay, catch ya later." replied Lou Cheng as he saw a reply from Yan Zheke.

      "Sending pictures of good food early in the morning... Cheng, you just sank our little ship of friendship![Shooting daggers]" replied Yan Zheke.

      "And did you fall into the river of love? [Smirking] "replied Lou Cheng.

      "Hmph, Who are you? I don't know you! [Looks up in the sky ]

      After a few minutes of flirting, Lou Cheng started talking about the interesting encounters with Peng Leyun and the others, paying so much attention to his new companions that he remembered nothing about what he himself did.

      "Who would have thought that they were easy to get along with!?" replied Yan Zheke. "Cheng, technically you are on the National Team! I mean, below 24 years old National Team."

      During certain international team arenas, the government will organize National teams. Of course, you can also hand-pick your own members and participate as a private team.

      Time flew as they chatted happily. After unwillingly bidding goodnight, Lou Cheng fell into a deep slumber.

      When he arrived at the training venue the following morning, Peng Leyun and Ann Chaoyang were already there. In the corner of his eye, he saw Ren Li and Zhong Ningtao strolling in lazily.

      They exchanged greetings, found their own spots and began practicing Kungfu. By then, Lou Cheng was already making improvements in his mastery of the Ice Spirit Force and Yan Emperor Force.

      After practice and breakfast, they arrived at the Shengxiang Dojo that Zhong Ningtao had reserved and began practicing.

      "Why don't we do some mock matches later? I can imitate Veigar's battle style," suggested Peng Leyun.

      He must have watched the videos too.

      "I can try Xinzhai Sect and Zhahe Fist," said Ren Li, thinking.

      "I'll do Wahku,"said Ann Chaoyang.

      It took a brief moment for Lou Cheng to catch on. "Then I'll try my best to imitate Takeshi Yamashita," he said.

      This was the advantage of having strong teammates. They could all imitate opponents of other styles using the characteristics of their own Kungfu to elevate the experience gained from practice!

      After familiarizing themselves with their roles, Peng Leyun walked to the centre of the dojo and did some warm-up Kungfu, stirring up sizzling bolts of electricity.

      Then, he turned and looked at the Lou Cheng, Ren Li and Ann Chaoyang, and gestured.

      "Who's first?"

      …

      As they sweated it out in the dojo, Tang Zexun and Takeshi Yamashita were at the Japanese representative's lodging, attentively watching the past matches of Lou Cheng and the others.

      Not just them, Veigar, Wahku and Banam were doing the same during the breaks of their training!

      …

      Time flew, a few days later, at night, the prelude of the King of Youth Pro League began— the slaughtering between 24 Martial Artists, 8 seeds and 4 wild cards was about to begin as the lots were going to be drawn.

      Takeshi Yamashita

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     460 First Opponen

      Shengxiang stadium, Fuluo. The well-lit stadium was flooded with people that bore a sea of enthusiasm.

      "The competition begins with double-elimination. There will be one round for each fighter per day, until there are 16 left," explained Zhong Ningtao, leading Lou Cheng and the rest to their designated areas.

      Similar to the Youth Tournament at the provincial level last year… , nodded Lou Cheng, paying close attention to the layout of the stadium in order to perform his role as a good husband and capture any interesting sights.

      Shengxiang was greatly influenced by Buddhist culture, evident from the many golden Vajra and Arhat in the stadium—some menacing, some imposing, some in pain and some sullen. At a glance, they roused anxiety and fear in the heart of the onlooker.

      Among the intimidating gazes of the statues were three spacious arenas that formed a triangle, covered in swastika carvings that carried messages of clarity, illusion and detachment.

      The inner and outer influences combined seemed to have an effect on the mood of martial artists.

      "Clever move…" commented Ann Chaoyang, speaking at a normal volume even with his headphones on.

      Peng Leyun snapped out of his daydreams and took a look himself.

      "This must be what you call home advantage."

      The Buddhist statues and the swastikas should have been the handiwork of eminent Sadhus— they bore a similar but stronger effect to the Forwarding Formula Lou Cheng had written for Wang Xu, providing an advantage for Sadhus by disturbing the peace of mind of non-Sadhus.

      "Yes," said Ren Li as she walked forward to snap some shots of the statues and swastikas, soon returning when she saw the tense expression on Zhong Ningtao's face. "Guide Zhong, I'm not blind, there's no way I'll get lost if it's just a few steps," she whimpered.

      "Can't be too careful…" Zhong Ningtao said thoughtfully, feeling exhausted physically and mentally from the past few days.

      Beside him, Lou Cheng was busy sending the photos he took to Yan Zheke, getting into a discussion on the various home advantages.

      *Cough.* Zhong Ningtao cleared his throat. "This is it guys! Rev yourselves up, but don't let your guard down. Most of these players are, or once were, the geniuses of their countries that are more of less 6th Pin standard."

      "Got it," Lou Cheng nodded solemnly.

      Technically, his level was merely on the high end of 6th Pin since he had not yet reached the Inhuman stage or entered morphing.

      Therefore, he could not afford to be careless with his opponents who possessed the bizarre Kungfu he knew little about.

      Just as Peng Leyun was about to say something, the radio announcement blasted in English and Shengxiangese, repeating once for each language.

      "It's our turn!" urged Zhong Ningtao, straightening his back and shuffling to the front of the team.

      Ann Chaoyang took off his headphones and hung them around his neck. Peng Leyun's eyes brimmed with focus while Ren Li and Lou Cheng switched their phones to silent mode and slid them into their pockets.

      About ten seconds later, the national anthem began to play, Lou Cheng and the others could feel their blood boiling with excitement as they followed Zhong Ningtao's lead through the tunnel into the venue and towards the guest seating area.

      They stood there, the center of attention. Following a prickly stare, Lou Cheng saw a brutish, beefy man in a traditional samurai costume among the Japanese representative team, inspecting him with a profound gaze.

      Bam!

      Their eyes met, gazes clashing. The light reflected in Mouko Yamashita converged, forming a white, wavy light that shot at Lou Cheng's eyes.

      Lou Cheng squinted as his iris darkened like an endless galaxy, the red in his eyes becoming the sun, the white, the stars. As the world in his eyes revolved, the incoming radiance was devoured completely.

      At the same time, Ren Li felt a twitch in her heart, following Lou Cheng's gaze, she saw a beautiful girl with light makeup in a yukata. She had a cute round face and mirror like eyes, and exuded a phantom-like elegance.

      It was no other than the descendant of Xinzhai Sect, Tang Zexun!

      Whoosh! A strong gust swept up from nowhere, clumsily thrashing everything in its path.

      Ann Chaoyang also "found" a resonance, turning his head instinctively his eyes met the eyes of a haggard and yellow-skinned Sadhu clad in red robes. And in that moment, he felt a strong detest and abandonment for worldly matters imposed into him.

      All illusions, imprison me no more!

      "Water" gushed from Ann Chaoyang's mind, gurgling with the exuberance of life, washing away the despair and despondence that had sprouted.

      What powerful spirit infiltration, thought Ann Chaoyang as he diverted his gaze, looking towards other mighty ones.

      Beside him, Peng Leyun saw Veigar as his cold countenance came into sight, donned in creaseless navy-blue military uniform as a snake of electricity danced in his eyes.

      Bing Bang Boom!

      A loud noise came, the stadium lights dimmed but quickly recovered its glamour.

      Lou Cheng kept walking, looking away from Mouko Yamashita and at Tang Zexun, Wahku and Veigar, each with an unique aura that came crashing at him. With the Army Formula and Fighting Formula secretly aiding him, he did not fall into any disadvantage.

      Lastly, his gaze fell upon the dark-skinned Banam among the Nan Zheng representative, sitting with arms crossed and staring at them with icy eyes akin to a beast eyeing its prey.

      The national anthem stopped as Lou Cheng and the others arrived at their seats, sat down and stopped glancing around, while their opponents also withdrew their gazes.

      "To think they gave us 4 wild card invitations...What on earth were they thinking?" mused Ann Chaoyang in hushed voice, bundling his long hair together.

      4 countries added up, yet they could not find more than 5 Inhuman stage martial artists below the age of 24!

      "Maybe they didn't expect us to be so ungracious to send our best," jested Zhong Ningtao.

      "True..." nodded Ren Li, not realizing his humor. She turned to Peng Leyun and the others. "Why did you guys join anyway?"

      "I haven't had much actual combat ever since reaching Inhuman stage and was dying to test my skills, then the opportunity came and here I am," smiled Peng Leyun.

      "What about all the Shangqing Sect seniors that have reached the Inhuman stage?" asked Lou Cheng.

      Why would he miss a chance of having actual combat?

      Peng Leyun smiled. "Like you said, they are my seniors. I'll be reprimanded if I challenge them out of the blue. A few seniors from my batch have scarcely been coming back to the Sect ever since I was promoted."

      Seems like he's a devil at Shangqing Sect too..., thought Lou Cheng as he found the answer to his doubts.

      After which, Ren Li spoke up on her own. "I just completed morphing and hope to get accustomed to the Inhuman stage through actual combat, so I came."

      "My master made me come. She said it's a good chance to strengthen my foundation for the breakthrough to the Inhuman stage next year," said Ann Chaoyang.

      "What about you?" Ren Li turned to Lou Cheng, the others also waited for his reply intently.

      They were closer to each other by now, so Lou Cheng dropped the formalities and replied with frankness.

      "I'm short on money..." Find authorized novels in Webnovel，faster updates, better experience，Please click www.webnovel.com for visiting.

      They fell silent. Lou Cheng felt them staring at him as if he was from another planet.

      He wanted to explain, but the drawing of lots ceremony and dull speeches had already began.

      Lou Cheng sneakily snapped a shot and sent it to Ke, describing his emotions during the stare-down from before.

      "Sounds impressive. [Laughs with hand covering mouth]" replied Ke. "I saw the committee referring to you guys as "China's Wild Card team", and it didn't sound quite right for some reason, then I finally realized what was weird after I read "Unparalleled Dragon King"'s explanation on the forum. "China's Wild Card Team" my foot, it's more like "China's Overpowered Cheater Team!" Especially you, you big pervert!"

      When she typed towards the end, she thought of something and blushed with a complicated look in her eyes.

      Lou Cheng felt a connection, and replied,

      "I won't agree if others called me that..."

      But his little fairy had the rights to!

      While he was chatting, "Unparalleled Dragon King" also hit him up, excited.

      "Little Tiger, I looked up many sources online, but the camera angles are all fixed on one arena! I'm counting on you later! Don't forget to take pictures and do the live reporting! [Grovelling]"

      Lou Cheng was grateful to "Unparalleled Dragon King" for providing competition replays so he could not turn him down, but at the same time he didn't want to raise his hopes too much, so he replied,

      "Sure, but I have other things to do, so I'll only be doing it while I'm free," replied Lou Cheng.

      Worst comes to worst, he can just ask Peng Leyun or Ann Chaoyang for help.

      Moments later, the drawing of lots officially commenced. The only rule for the double-elimination matches was that players from the same country would not face each other.

      Peng Leyun drew first, his opponent was a Shengxiang boxer. Ann Chaoyang was to fight a powerful opponent from Miluo.

      Another minute passed and Ren Li's name was called, she was pit against a Shengxiang Padhu, Phiwahku.

      Lou Cheng waited patiently until it was down to the last few when he finally heard his name.

      "China, Lou Cheng!"

      He adjusted his posture, watching as his opponent was being drawn by the guest.

      "Japan, Ichiei Sakata!"

      Ichiei Sakata? Lou Cheng nodded as he recollected the details of this samurai.

      This was one of the non-Inhuman opponents Zhong Ningtao warned him about. Also a disciple of the Extreme Hadou Sect, once on equal grounds with Mouko Yamashita and a supernatural ability holder. He got overtaken by the latter eventually and currently nearing the age of 24, he had ran into a brick wall and had no hopes of advancing into the Inhuman stage.

      Heh, I was just imitating Mouko Yamashita a few days ago. For my first opponent to also be from the "Extreme Hadou Sect" , how coincidental, thought Lou Cheng.

      ....

      At the side of the Japanese representative, Ichiei Sakata who had dyed his hair blonde was looking tensely at the match up, as if he could already imagine what was going to be on the newspaper headlines.

      "Can The Genius of The Past Restore His Former Glory?"

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     461 Genius Commentary

      The drawing of lots ended as the representatives returned to their respective changing rooms, starting their preparations for the first round of double-elimination matches.

      A message came from Yan Zheke. "I'm so pissed! The broadcast for your match clashes with my lesson time! [Crying doggo]"

      Lou Cheng sat down on the long bench in the changing room, typing on his phone with his head down.

      "[Strokes head to console] Don't worry about it. You can watch the rebroadcast. It's going to be my win anyway," he replied.

      "Woah, Cheng! Someone's getting better at talking big...[Shocked doggo]" she replied. "Ichiei Sakata has supernatural power and can shoot waves at you. He's basically an inferior version of Mouko Yamashita, and among those below the Inhuman stage he's definitely top 10."

      "If we are talking about those below the Inhuman stage, then I'm undoubtedly number one. Where's your confidence in me classmate Ke? [Hands on hips, proud]" replied Lou Cheng.

      "I...I know my Cheng can morph anything he wants to, but, but, but wasn't I just trying to accumulate good karma for you? Hurry and apologize to me, how can you not understand your Big Sister's good intentions! [dumbfounded]," replied Yan Zheke.

      "Sorry!" replied Lou Cheng as a smile surfaced. "I must confess, I was only running my mouth just now… [sighs with hand covering face]"

      Pfft... Yan Zheke almost spit out her milk. She replied with a meme after recollecting herself—"Are you trying to inherit my debts by killing me with laughter?"

      Ji Mingyu who was sitting opposite her daughter threw her a resigned glance.

      "Ke Ke, since you were young I have taught you not to play with your phone while you eat. You are getting worse now, typing away even when you are drinking milk," she reprimanded.

      "Mother, but I didn't have a phone when I was young," objected Yan Zheke as she quickly adjusted her posture.

      "..." Ji Mingyu was rendered speechless for a moment. "Focus on the main point..." Find authorized novels in Webnovel，faster updates, better experience，Please click www.webnovel.com for visiting.

      "Okayyy," answered Yan Zheke as she quickly devoured her breakfast in small and elegant bites.

      Wiping her lips with a napkin, she picked up and unlocked her phone to see Lou Cheng's reply.

      "I'm fairly confident that I'm stronger than Ichiei Sakata, but since I have not yet morphed, the gap between us isn't huge, therefore I ought to take him seriously and go all out, especially since I need the prize money for plane tickets to visit my little fairy! [earnest smile]"

      "Glad you remember~" Yan Zheke was pleased at his reply, her dimpled smile sweet and gentle. "How would you like me to cheer for you? I won't say anything too mushy though!"

      "Give me a kiss! [snickering]" replied Lou Cheng, suddenly feeling a little nostalgic. "Ke Ke, it feels as if I'm back to the Warrior Sage Candidate Challenge Tournament ..."

      It was a familiar situation, Ke Ke not being able to cheer for him on the spot since they were an ocean apart, idly chatting on QQ and cherishing each others' presences, her long distance cheering. The only difference was that they were merely friends at that time, but now with time their relationship had strengthened to the point where the two had promised to spend the rest of their lives together.

      "Yeah." Yan Zheke bit her lips as she fell silent.

      She paused, typing with tender emotions.

      "Cheng, I miss you."

      She stared at her messages shortly, then deleted the words one by one. She did not want to affect his mood before his match.

      She drew a deep breath and replied,

      "It's different, at that time you earned the money for yourself, but now it's for the sake of seeing me...[blushing and smiling]"

      "That's true," replied Lou Cheng, feeling motivated.

      After chatting for a while, Yan Zheke began to get ready for school, tying her hair up, putting on her glasses and packing her school bag. Lou Cheng looked up to see Peng Leyun leaning against the wall with dead-fish eyes in a daydreamy state. Ann Chaoyang was rocking his body to the rhythm of the music in his headphones. Ren Li' had her phone in her hands, playing videos of her opponents' past matches, but her eyes were fixed on the floor admiring the bricks that bore a unique and exotic pattern.

      Bunch of losers... , this unfitting phrase popped up in Lou Cheng's mind.

      He shook his head in a resigned manner and began to look through the data on Ichiei Sakata in his phone, that was when he was interrupted by two loud claps.

      Zhong Ningtao was clapping to wake the "losers" up and when he had their attention, he announced,

      "You are more or less representing China in this King of Youth Pro League, therefore standardized Martial Arts suits have been prepared for you. Go get yourself changed. When the match officially starts in 15 minutes, you can either stay in the changing room or head down to the grandstand. Make sure you listen to the radio announcements. Be at your respective arenas one match in advance. Don't nod blindly, Ren Li, you must follow me."

      "Ah..." whimpered Ren Li.

      It's just a Martial Arts stadium...It's not as if I can't find the arena on my own, she thought.

      Holding his laugh, Lou Cheng took the Martial Arts suits from Guide Zhong. There were two sets of the same design with differing colors meant to distinguish between opponents from the same country in matches after Top 16s.

      The first set looked really cool: pure white in color except for a red stripe that went from shoulder to waist like a ribbon. The second set was more showy, red in color and embroidered with golden stars.

      Lou Cheng changed into the first set in the changing room, topping it off with customized white Martial Arts shoes from Wu Qinggui's company.

      When he stepped out of the changing room, he saw Peng Leyun and Ann Chaoyang in the same outfit, only Ren Li seemed to prefer the red one. Their shoes all differed since they all had different sponsors.

      "Want to go to the grandstand?" suggested Lou Cheng as he remembered his task of live-reporting the event with texts and photos.

      "Sure!" replied Ren Li enthusiastically, before turning to look at Guide Zhong meekly.

      "Let's go together. The experience is better to view from the outside," smiled Zhong Yueyun, throwing a glance at Zhong Ningtao while Ann Chaoyang nodded in agreement.

      "Okay then," Zhong Ningtao turned around, pushed the changing room door open and quickly returned to Ren Li's side, not wanting to take any risks.

      The planning committee had left extra seats for the fighters in order to prevent them from running into the public audience.

      Lou Cheng and the others chose a spot far away from other representative teams. Some of them started to review the past matches of their opponents. Others planned their fights while Lou Chang, having done both, began snapping pictures for Yan Zheke and "Unparalleled Dragon King".

      A live-streaming thread had already appeared in the Longhu Club, where "Unparalleled Dragon King" had dumped Lou Cheng's pictures and commentaries."

      "Heartfelt thanks goes out to our reporter, Little Tiger, who will now bring us the live text commentary of the important matches that do not get broadcast. (Please clap.)"

      "Clap clap clap! [lurking]" The first reply was from "Eternal Nightfall",Yan Xiaoling, who rarely came to that side of the forum.

      "Little Tiger, Little Tiger have you seen my idol?""Brahman" was the next to reply.

      "Yes..." replied Lou Cheng as he turned his head to look at Peng Leyun, only to see his own reflection in his distracted, filmy eyes.

      "For reals? Quick, quick, hurry up and take a picture, if you do I won't ever badmouth you again! [excited]" replied Brahman.

      "I just want to see Ren Li... [drooling]" replied "Okamoto's Fan."

      "Yes, get a picture of Peng Leyun and Ann Chaoyang too," replied "Unparalleled Dragon King".

      This isn't easy..., thought Lou Cheng as he winced.

      He looked around and got an idea. "Let's take a picture together!" he suggested.

      "Sure," answered Ann Chaoyang and the others nonchalantly.

      Lou Cheng smiled and passed the phone to Zhong Ningtao.

      "Do us a favor, Guide Zhong."

      "Ha ha, taking a commemorative picture? Don't worry. With your talents and progresses, there will be many more opportunities of fighting side by side in the future," said Zhong Ningtao, camera in hand, taking a few steps back and angling his shots like a professional.

      Snap, snap, snap!

      After a round of flashes, he handed the phone back to Lou Cheng. "Check through the photos, if they are not good I can retake them."

      "Not bad. Way better than the pictures I take at least," replied Lou Cheng happily. Then he noticed that he, Peng Leyun and Ann Chaoyang were stiff like aliens in the pictures. Ren Li, on the other hand, looked great with her faint smile and handsome figure.

      He sent the photo to Ke first and received her teasing, then forwarded it to the "main characters," and lastly to the live-stream thread.

      "Wait, how did you get right in front of them?""Unparalleled Dragon King" and the others immediately noticed the glaring oddity.

      ...I messed up... , thought Lou Cheng as he covered his face. "That's how professional I am! [smirking]"

      "You the man, Little Tiger! (pats shoulder)!" replied ""Wonton Seller".

      "Keep going Little Tiger! I'll call you brother,daddy,or even grandpa! [starry eyes]" replied Yan Xiaoling.

      "If I become your relative, my seniority will eventually decrease... [Disdain]." replied Lou Cheng.

      "I'm so jealous! I'm so jealous! [rolling on the ground throwing a tantrum]" replied "Brahman".

      Lou Cheng didn't give any further replies. He spent the majority of his energy focusing on the match and sharing details with Yan Zheke here and there, only taking pictures and giving commentaries for the exciting parts that did not get broadcast, occasionally exchanging opinions with the others and including their views in his commentary.

      This induced many exclamations from "Unparalleled Dragon King", such as "'Little Tiger is so professional", "he can already be a commentator", and "his views sometimes are better than the actual commentators".

      "I'm not fighting alone," replied Lou Cheng.

      In that period, Peng Leyun and Ren Li went up successively for their own matches. Against opponents who have yet to reach the Sixth Pin, their victories were flawless, yet the viciousness and ferocity of Shengxiang boxing had left an impression on all of them.

      Miluo and Nanzheng boxing were similar, except the former had flashier moves including kicks while the latter was more of an assassin's nature, malicious and underhanded.

      Soon, it was Ann Chaoyang's turn. He did not have a huge advantage and only managed to defeat his opponent, a mighty Nanzheng boxer, after a tough battle that lasted more than ten minutes, fully experiencing the viciousness and cruelty of Zhahe Boxing in the process.

      As the first round of double-elimination matches were coming to an end, Lou Cheng excused himself in the forums, stood up and walked towards the middle arena.

      His match was starting, and it was on broadcast too!

      Over at the Japanese Representative side, Ichiei Sakata took a deep breath and stood up slowly, his expression was grave.

      Tang Zexun and Mouko Yamashita, who had completed their individual matches, tossed their gazes towards them.

      "Do not fear, do not cower," pepped the Japanese Guide, his face solemn.

      "Yes!" Bowed Ichiei Sakata, turning and walking towards the arena.

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     462 Hadouken

      "I'm so pissed! How can Little Tiger leave us hanging at this crucial moment!? [pounds table]" replied "Brahman."

      "At least this match can be found online! [snickering]" replied "Unparalleled Dragon King."

      "What do you guys think? What does Little Tiger have to do during the most important match? [strokes chin]" replied "Invincible Punch."

      "Who knows? Maybe he has an appointment? He wouldn't have known the order of the matches before the lots were drawn. [smirks]" replied "Okamoto's Fan.""Shengxiang's red light district is pretty famous!"

      "Bullshit! Little Tiger went there with his girlfriend! Maybe he just had something on, what's wrong with that?" replied "Dumpling seller."

      "Unparalleled Dragon King" had to remind the rest about the competition amidst the lively discussion.

      "It's starting! Ichiei Sakata has skills and supernatural abilities. He's going to be a tough match for Lou Cheng, which is rare among the fighters below Inhuman stage," he replied.

      Everyone quickly shifted their focus back on the match.

      ...

      When Lou Cheng was steps away from the arena, he felt a buzz from his phone, holding it up he found a 2-seconds voice message from Yan Zheke.

      He pressed the play button and held it close to his ears, out came a soft "Muack" .

      "... She really sent a kiss..." Lou Cheng paused, let out a chuckle and returned a kissing emoticon. Handing his phone and wallet to the supervisor, he walked up the steps. With every step he took, joy, excitement and slight fear formed and mixed evenly inside him. Find authorized novels in Webnovel，faster updates, better experience，Please click www.webnovel.com for visiting.

      He stood in the middle of the arena, feet slightly apart in a form that presented no openings, gazing imposingly at his opponent advancing briskly.

      The blond Ichiei Sakata felt something in his opponent. His steps began to dawdle, slower with each step, until it seemed as if he was walking against strong winds or sailing against turbulent tides.

      His back was straight without the slightest curve as a crazed expression broke out on his face, like a soldier that is about to commit a reckless charge or Kamikaze attack.

      A step, two, until Ichiei Sakata was in the arena and at his designated spot, about ten meters apart from Lou Cheng.

      "Worthy of a Japanese warrior who values mental strength and spirit..." , thought Lou Cheng as he dispersed the Army Formula in his mind, withdrawing his aura and visualizing a "Godly Mountain" standing amid the blizzard, clad in thick white snow.

      He was just testing his powers, using the Army Formula he familiarized with in the two months, he visualized a malicious aura to suppress Ichiei Sakata , hoping to disturb his peace of mind, shred his fighting will or at least measure his strength. But it did none of that.

      In the past 2 millenniums, Japan was deeply under the influence of China, evident in how their society runs, and also in their Martial Arts . Yet, in their own culture and environment, their Martial Arts had developed its own uniqueness.

      To a country that was often plagued by earthquakes and typhoons and had scarce resources, life was ephemeral and fragile. Hence, in life, they did not seek to bloom slowly like the sakura flowers. Instead, they valued kinetic ability and spirit in their Martial Arts. After the physical training stage, the Chinese would seek to control spirits with willpower and in turn control the body with spirits, this was a gradual process to achieve internal balance. The Japanese, however, directly used their strong and extreme kinetic ability to create corresponding changes, producing unique waves called Hadou, then using that to stimulate their body to allow quick bursts of terrifying strength and mind-blowing speed.

      Among them, the "Extreme Hadou Sect" was a classic representative. Lou Cheng relied on his willpower and spirit to control his body, using "visualization" as a bridge to move his muscles, fascia and organs, creating special waves to complete his produce his Force and create certain effects. "Extreme Hadou Sect", on the other hand, used extreme kinetic ability to channel emotions such as rage and killing intent, allowing natural changes in their bodies and creating a corresponding wave, which they then use to stimulate their body or as an offensive attack.

      That meant that they did not have the "Force Concentration" stage, and when they had internalized waves to become an "instinct" and truly mastered the "Pulse", they would be considered to be equivalent to the Inhuman stage.

      Before they reach this stage, they would train intensely without any care for their body, making early deaths a common occurrence for Japanese samurais.

      Also, if their spirits are shattered, their power will decrease drastically. Unlike them, for Dan stage Martial Artists in China, even if they lose their motivations and have their willpower shattered, they wouldn't go back to square one since they were already at a level where every aspect of them is balanced. Their "physical" foundation would not crumble in an instant, at most it stops progressing or slightly weaken due to the lost of control.

      All kinds of thoughts flashed through Lou Cheng's mind before ceasing, as Ichiei Sakata bowed to him with a solemn expression.

      He returned a greeting with his clenched fist in his palm, not lacking in manners.

      At this moment, the referee raised his right hand, announcing in English,

      "Begin!"

      Since it was an international competition and language barrier existed, there was no need for "talk time".

      Had Lou Cheng not observed this from the other matches and mentally prepared himself, he might have been caught off guard.

      "Begin!"

      As soon as he said it, white light simmered from Ichiei Sakata's body as a deep humming filled the air.

      His pressed his palms against each other in reverse, lowered them to his waist, then with the swinging of his body, he thrust forward his shoulders and extended his arms, forming a "Cannon stance"!

      Buzz!

      His palms snapped open like the jaws of a dragon, shooting out a white beam as fast as lightning at Lou Cheng.

      "Extreme Hadou Sect"—Dragon Roar Hadouken!

      At the same time, Lou Cheng took a step forward, arched his body and sunk his hands, with a hook and a flick, he sent out a slithering clump of pellucid white frost flame and a brutal fireball that went straight at his enemy.

      Burning Ice and Flame!

      Bam! The scarlet flame clashed with the white beam, neutralizing each other while sweeping up a strong gust. Ichiei Sakata seemed to have expected it, and right after the Dragon Roar Hadouken, with a fanatical expression on his face, he stomped on the ground with both feet and leaped up, instantly closing the distance between him and Lou Cheng, putting himself before Lou Cheng.

      He stretched out his right hand, formed a palm knife and with his falling momentum he sliced towards his opponent's neck, leaving a pale white light trail in its path.

      "Extreme Hadou Sect"— Fierce Tiger Shock Cutter!

      Unhurriedly, Lou Cheng pushed with both of his legs and swung out a right uppercut to meet the opponent's slicing blow.

      Bang!

      The edge of the palm met the fist. Ichiei Sakata's body trembled, swung his arm slightly backwards, melting and coiling around Lou Cheng's wrist like a serpent. At the same time, he jerked his waist and whipped out his left foot, crackling as he kicked towards his opponent's waist with intense ferocity while leaving a trail of white light behind.

      "Extreme Hadou Sect", "Razor" and "Flexible Wrestling", a kick and lock combination that could easily disorientate the enemy!

      Not only did the kungfu from this Sect have hitting techniques, it also included wrestling techniques!

      Lou Cheng ignored Ichiei Sakata's armlock , immediately adjusting his muscles, fascia and organs as he visualized many rays of cold radiance that were crystal clear yet filled with loneliness and darkness.

      "Ice Spirit Holy Light Diagram!"

      After a period of tough training, he had made decent progress and can then barely manage its visualization, making his first advancements from "Frost Force" to "Ice Spirit Force."

      Bam! The coldness condensed into a radiance that followed Lou Cheng's fist that punched out from his waist.

      Bam!

      Ichiei Sakata's "Razor" met with the fist covered in frigid mist as his right hand found its way to Lou Cheng's wrist.

      However, the skin that came into contact was as slippery as ice. With nowhere to exert his force, his hand slid off with a "shoop" .

      Ice Sect, 15th move, Ice Armor!

      Ichiei Sakata rapidly adjusted, channeling his fervent Hadou to stimulate his body in order to break the layer of ice armor. Suddenly he felt his an indescribable chill infiltrating from his left foot that came into contact with Lou Cheng's fist previously. In an instant, the numbness had spread throughout his whole leg as white mist condensed on his pants.

      His lips turned pale , ignoring the dangers he borrowed the stimulation his body had received to forcefully twist his waists, kicking again as he switched from defense to offense.

      Bam!

      Ichiei Sakata's right leg swept out horizontally, an extension to the "Razor" moves from before.

      "Extreme Hadou Sect"— Whirlwind Kick!

      Lou Cheng's body moved on its own. Withdrawing his Qi and blood he twisted his waist, allowing him to squat down and seamlessly dodge the incoming attack.

      Boom! The Dan Force in his body surged, his body stretching all of a sudden as his arms bloated, his right palm shooting upwards like a cannon.

      Bam! Pale white waves surfaced on Ichiei Sakata's body briefly, his right leg eerily stopping mid-air before it tensed up and hacked downwards like a battleaxe.

      Bam!

      Fist and leg collided at high speeds, frozen in mid-air momentarily as muscles and veins became frighteningly visible.

      Thump thump thump, Lou Cheng backed away three steps while Ichiei Sakata, suspended in the air with nowhere to direct the impact, flew backwards.

      Snap! Lou Cheng pushed his legs to shift his gravity, pouncing forward like a ferocious beast that has locked on to its prey, in his mind he rapidly changed the image he had visualized from "Ice Spirit Holy Light that held endless darkness and no warmth" to "dark skies covered with thunderclouds".

      "Severe Warning"—"Ice Spirit Force" version!

      Just as Ichiei Sakata hit the ground, he saw his opponent pouncing in front of him. With a grunt he hurriedly threw out a right punch.

      As his fist went forward, his body began emitting dense white light.

      The light formed a dragon and a tiger, instantly "igniting" Ichiei Sakata as though it was fire, turning him into a huge lump of "Hadou" as his fists punched towards Lou Cheng in the roars of Tiger and Dragon.

      "Extreme Hadou Sect" Ultimate move —"Roaring Dragon Mighty Tiger Punch!"

      This was initially an ultimate move exclusive to the warriors that have mastered "Pulse", but due to Ichiei Sakata's supernatural ability of a similar nature, he can forcefully use it at his current stage!

      Bam!

      Lou Cheng's fist, covered in pellucid ice mist, punched into the huge lump of white light. He felt the terrifying strength and power in his opponent, as if it contained scorch of flames and the force of explosion, and stepped back involuntarily, leaving a footstep and a crack with every step.

      He managed to recover after a few steps, but his right arm was still trembling uncontrollably.

      But no follow up attacks came from Ichiei Sakata. He stood rooted to the ground as the white light slowly seeped out of him, exposing his bare body.

      His blond hair was bestrewn with ice crystals as he stood shivering, eyes ridded of focus and consciousness escaping him.

      At that moment, Lou Cheng raised his hand to form a seal and visualized an ancient word.

      "Attainment!"

      He said in a low voice as he bounded to his opponent at a speed that almost left afterimages.

      In that moment, among the Japanese representative team, Takeshi Yamashita's irises shrunk.

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     463 Futile Efforts

      Darkness engulfed him, leaving not a hint of light to be seen nor a trace of warmth to be felt. Even the concept of "coldness" seemed to be fleeing, not to mention any sounds or colors. This was the world Ichiei Sakata was trapped in, roaming aimlessly in the endless void until his inner struggle, kinetic energy and spirit had brought him to his senses. He woke and felt the coldness biting into his skin and numbing his thoughts.

      Damn!

      His mind screamed of danger, light filling his eyes as he caught a glimpse of his opponent that was about to flash past him.

      The competition, the honor and expectations—was he about to let it all go?

      No! Struggling, he tensed and whipped out his right leg, leaving a trail of white light as he kicked upwards at Lou Cheng.

      In that kick, he had channeled Hadou to stimulate corresponding parts of his body , the strong momentum twisting his body, from which he borrowed strength to deliver a kick with his left leg as two legs successively delivered a flurry of kicks.

      Bam bam bam!

      The continuous,crackling sounds of his kicks sounded as if they combined into one, white radiance permeating the air as "Tornado Kicks" were being ushered in.

      At his moment of crisis, Ichiei Sakata had a burst of amazing strength.

      As Lou Cheng was closing in, at the encounter of such ferocious retaliation, he steadied himself and stopped in his tracks, visualizing the image of the "God of Flames riding a scarlet dragon under the blazing sun". His abdominal muscles expanded, stretching his fascias on both sides of his body to bring an explosive force to his shoulders as he launched a right punch.

      Bam! As his fist passed through the air, an invisible flame igniting around it, dancing.

      Boom! (Italic)

      Boom! (Italic) Scarlet flames exploded, tumbling and splashing forward, sweeping up waves of flame that held terrifying impact.

      A loud bang echoed in the air as the sea of scarlet flames devoured layers of white radiance. Ichiei Sakata kicked at the flames rapidly with both of his legs, negating and nullifying its effects.

      Bam! Flicking the joints in his arm and stretching his fascias, Lou Cheng fired a second punch, hitting the back of his opponent's foot at the end of his motion, stopping his combination of kicks.

      His arm recoiled on contact, trembling from the impact he withdrew and released his Qi and blood, his left arm bloating and stabbing at Ichiei Sakata like a huge lance.

      Bam! Ichiei Sakata's right arm glowed with white light , expanding to twice its original size as he chopped down with his palm, stopping his opponent's fist in time.

      With a push and a pull with his palm knives, he tried to cut through his enemy's muscles and fascia.

      However, Lou Cheng retracted his fist at first touch, borrowing the force which he redirected to his lower abdomen as he delivered a low right kick.

      Bam bam bam! Bang bang bang! With his first move connecting, he immediately began to suppress his enemy, dancing the "24 Blizzard Strikes" backed up by his limitless "Force Concentration" as he launched a flurry of attacks that kept increasing in ferocity and power. Ichiei Sakata could not break away even after cycling through his "Extreme Hadou Sect" Karate moves, forced to stimulate his body with Hadou and once in a while falling back a few steps as he struggled to keep up.

      Throughout the whole time, he felt the coldness biting into his bones and heard the gales roaring in his ears, as if he went from the tropical Shengxiang to The Arctic or Siberia.

      As he fought on, his heart skipped a beat as he realized what he felt was not an illusion but reality,frigid winds was blowing around him and snowflakes fell and melted instantly when they touched the ground.

      "He's about to morph..." mused Peng Leyun who was not in his usual state of daydreaming, one hand holding his phone and the other stuck in his pockets.

      In the past, Lou Cheng's supernatural ability and Dan stage explosions had a clear line in between, but in his continuous "Force Concentration" attacks, his "Frost Force" began to show, turning to instinct.

      What did that mean? It meant that his root pulps was already changing from the inside and that he was about the enter the door of the Internal stage, about the begin his morphing!

      "So fast," frowned Ren Li, feeling the pressure as her competitor was closing the gap between them as a strong desire of improving sprouted in her.

      Ann Chaoyang gasped slightly, losing track of the music at his ears.

      "It hasn't even been a few months," he mumbled.

      It hasn't even been 4 months since the Nationals in April, and Lou Cheng had already improved from upper end of 6th Pin to the state where he was on the edge of making a breakthrough?

      He was practically advancing at the speed of a rocket!

      After his short astonishment, he remembered something as he turned to Ren Li and Peng Leyun.

      "It won't be a month before Bai Xiaosheng(All-knowing Man) breaks down in tears," he jested.

      "It's not good to gamble," nodded Peng Leyue, logging in to his Weibo to scroll through the popular posts made by "All-knowing Man in Ganghood" in the past years, as if mourning him.

      Ren Li pondered shortly and took out her phone, going to the corresponding gambling site after she made up her mind to make some quick bucks.

      After about ten seconds, she gave an embarrassed smile and turned to Ann Chaoyang and Guide Zhong, she said,

      "How, how do I use this?"

      She had heard of it but never actually gambled before!

      Among the Japanese representative team, Tang Zexun sat quietly, gazing at the arena.

      "If Ichiei-kun cannot make a breakthrough here, this match is not going to end up well for him," she said in a flat voice.

      "Yes," agreed Takeshi-kun .

      The old-fashioned, serious looking Guide glanced at him and asked in a low voice,

      "Takeshi-kun, can you beat this fighter named Lou Cheng?"

      The air trembled behind Takechi Yamashita, a milky white light flashed and ceased, forming a blurry image of a dragon and a tiger.

      "Yes!" he replied curtly.

      Even if Lou Cheng had went through the breakthrough and morphed —the way the Chinese described it, he was confident he could beat him!

      In the forums of Longhu Club, "Unparalleled Dragon King" who could neither see or touch the frigid winds and fluttering snow, had made a sentimental comment.

      "Lou Cheng's improving so fast, even his physique is at the level of upper 6th Pin. It's not all impossible for him to make the breakthrough to Inhuman stage before the end of this year."

      "Yeah, I thought a strong 6th Pin standard opponent would give him some problems, but from the start till now, Ichiei Sakata never even stood a chance," commented "Road to the Arena".

      "We'll have to wait and see, none of the Martial Artists got to their current stages by luck, Lou Cheng can't afford to be careless especially when he has an advantage," commented "Pig-Riding Knight".

      "Brahman" and "Eternal Nightfall" were too engrossed in the match to sing their praises.

      ...

      Bam Bam Bam! Bang Bang Bang!

      Ichiei Sakata felt the frigid gales getting stronger as his body numbed. He knew he would eventually lose if he let Lou Cheng run over him.

      This can't go on!

      He had to make the breakthrough right then and there!

      Ichiei Sakata's heart screamed, desperately making attempts, but his decisions came too slow as Lou Cheng's advantage had spiraled out of control.

      Despair grew in him as he fought on, he could see a scene where the referee raises his right hand to announce his defeat, the scorns and criticisms filling up newspapers and websites.

      No! He can't lose here! Not to someone at the same stage!

      He thought about his father who was also from the "Extreme Hadou Sect" and his ardent hopes. He thought about his friends fawning over him. He thought about the worship in the eyes of female fans. He thought about all the privileges he enjoyed in life. He knew that if he lost that aura and fell to the ranks of "ordinary" warriors, he would lose it all and never be able to raise his head again and no matter how strong he actually was, no one will pay him attention again.

      No!

      Not like this!

      Ichiei Sakata's brain buzzed, his eyes turning bloodshot and his long suppressed emotions erupting at once— fear, vengeance, killing intent and among which other negative emotions.

      At that moment, the pale white light he emitted was stained by a slight shade of scarlet as he calmed down.

      "Come!" Ichiei Sakata roared, stepped forward with his left leg and threw a swift right straight.

      With a loud bang, the scarlet light enveloped his body, emitting a dense killing intent that intimidated Lou Cheng's heart and spirit, disorientating him for a brief moment.

      "Extreme Hadou Sect" Super Ultimate—"7 Sins Hadouken!"

      His negative emotions acted as fuel for his Dragon Roar Hadouken, giving it a similar intimidating effect as the Army Formula.

      Memories had caused Ichiei Sakata to explode in power and at that moment he succeeded in his breakthrough as he delivered the strongest punch in his life.

      In the deep rumbling roar of dragon and tiger, the pale red "Hadou" formed a sharp "Death Scythe" that sliced at his enemy with his fist as the edge.

      Lou Cheng had already felt a sense of danger when Ichiei Sakata's white Hadou mutated, his hands closing to form a seal and in his mind he visualized the Forwarding Formula.

      In the deep reverberating noises, he came back to his senses and jerked back wards.

      He did not dodge to avoid Ichiei Sakata's "7 Sins Hadouken" since it was too fast and furious to be dodged, instead he did it just to buy some time for himself.

      In his heart, he had visualized the Sun crashing onto vast expanse of "The Frozen River" .

      BOOM! (ITALIC)

      Ice and flame collided in his fists, spiraling into a black dot or a whirlpool.

      Bam! Lou Cheng firmed his steps and arched his back, drawing his right arm back before shooting it out.

      Mutated version of "Severe Warning!"

      Pom!

      His fist collided with the pale red Hadou, knocking its color out, along with all his killing intent, fear and strength, as if the black whirlpool had absorbed them all.

      Boom! (Italic)

      The whirlpool disintegrated as a savage force bounced back and crashed on Ichiei Sakata's fists like huge tides, sending him into the air.

      Lou Cheng's right arm gave way, sore and swelled, but before it recovered he pushed his legs and pounced towards his opponent with a crackling sound.

      At this moment, Ichiei Sakata launched a milky white Hadouken, scattering the dust in its path.

      Just as Lou Cheng was about to return a punch, he realized he had lost track of his opponent for some strange reason.

      In that instant, Ichiei Sakata's presence had vanished completely from the arena and his senses.

      A mirror of ice formed in him, suddenly realizing the threat that came from behind him. Find authorized novels in Webnovel，faster updates, better experience，Please click www.webnovel.com for visiting.

      Lou Cheng twisted his waist, facing sideways and deftly kicked with his left leg.

      Bang!

      The heel of his foot hit Ichiei Sakata, revealing him from the shadows, shaking him, and stopping his killing technique prematurely.

      The technique Ichiei Sakata used was the "Ninjutsu: Backstab" he had secretly practiced in two years, yet it backfired on him.

      Seeing his attack land, Lou Cheng sent another kick upwards.

      Bam Bam Bam! One kick landed, followed by a second and a third, juggling his opponent in the air.

      He drew a quick breath that exploded in him, rapidly turned and with a left kick he sent Ichiei Sakata into the air like a soccer ball.

      Thump!

      Ichiei Sakata, unable to control his balance, crashed into the ground, heard an ancient chant of "Formation!" as Lou Cheng's white martial arts hung by his ears.

      The referee raised his right hand, announcing in English,

      "Lou Cheng wins!"

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     464 The Second Round

      "Lou Cheng Wins!"

      The foreign words echoed in Ichiei Sakata's ears as he lay flatly on the ground, his mind blank, not remembering to even get back on his feet. He felt as if he just woke up at home in the afternoon, dazed and languid.

      He had exhausted all his strength and made the breakthrough. Yet he had lost. Looking at Lou Cheng's undamaged shoes, it was as though he never exerted his full force and reserved his strength this whole time...

      When Takechi-kun had overtook and surpassed him, he consoled himself by saying that those who run fast might not run fast later, and the second half of the lap was what mattered. When Takechi-kun had mastered the true "Ha" while he was running in circles, he comforted himself by saying that he was invincible, the most powerful in his league and it was only a matter of time before he could advance.

      But now, facing a 20 years old opponent in the same league yet losing so miserably, what can I console myself with?

      Lou Cheng withdrew his suspended hand and coughed, interrupting Ichiei Sakata's thoughts. His fervent expression had faded completely, leaving eyes filled with confusion and sadness.

      Lou Cheng did not know enough Japanese to hold a conversation, therefore he simply cupped his fist in his palm and said softly,

      "Well fought."

      Japanese warriors valued etiquette above all, and Ichiei Sakata had no intention of embarrassing his country.

      He bowed habitually, turned and staggered down the arena, completely ignoring the stinging pain in his arms— He had used "Ninjutsu : Backstab" in desperation when his lower body wasn't stable and had the effects of the mutated "Severe Warning" lingering in him, therefore even though he had parried Lou Cheng's flurry of kicks, he got "juggled" into the air which almost tore, if not severed his arm.

      Lou Cheng had no interest in his opponent's journey or his story, forgetting to even thank the audience, he walked down the stone steps in brisk steps and took back his phone and wallet from the match supervisor. Unlocking his phone, he sent a message to Yan Zheke.

      "I won! [smirk]"

      At this moment, Peng Leyun and the others who held their right hand in the air, waiting to congratulate Lou Cheng, awkwardly withdrew their arms and tried to play it off by looking around and commenting on the fights at other arenas.

      Yan Zheke, as if waiting, replied in the blink of an eye.

      "For the match to last three and a half minutes... Ichiei Sakata lives up to his name. [turning back with shocked expression]"

      "Pfft, don't flatter me too much, I'll get cocky! [smiles]" replied Lou Cheng.

      What Ke meant was, any opponent that could last more than one to two minutes against him was considered the cream of the crop in the 6th Pin league.

      "Heh heh, you can call me a professional Cheng flatterer! [smiles with hand covering mouth]" replied Yan Zheke.

      "Alright, now I can focus on my lessons again~"

      Lou Cheng kept his phone, returning to the grandstand in high spirits and high-fived Peng Leyun and the others.

      Eh, what's with the expression on their faces...

      "What's wrong?" Lou Cheng asked.

      "Nothing." Peng Leyun's eyes began to lose focus, Ann Chaoyang shifted his focus to his music while Ren Li held her head down, trying to figure out a way to make a bet.

      ...

      In the Longhu Club forums.

      "Ha ha, I'm reading the Japanese forums and damn it feels good looking at their comments!"

      "Eh, eh , eh, You know Japanese? Hurry up and translate it for us, we want to read their praises! [rage laugh]" replied "Eternal Nightfall" Yan Xiaoling.

      "Waiting!" replied "Brahman".

      Shortly, "Unparalleled Dragon King" began translating comment by comment.

      "Ichiei Sakata is no more than an ordinary man now."

      "Ichiei-kun outdid himself but still lost."

      "He didn't even stand a chance from start till end. The part when he snapped and did "Seven Sins Kill" surprised me and gave me hope but in the end it didn't have any effects."

      "Idiots! Stupid Ishihara and the Martial Arts committee, why would they give China four invitation cards?"

      "That Lou Cheng guy has been famous since last year. I have been seeing his name even around here."

      "Looks like a genius that might even be stronger than Takechi-kun. I heard that China has even more geniuses like him, for example the other competitors that came with him!"

      "They are from an ancient country with rich history after all."

      "I'm putting my hopes on Kaori-chan and Takechi-kun!"

      "Kaori-chan is the best!"

      ...

      "Ha ha, looks like the Japanese are quite well mannered, no one's being a sore loser. [laughs with hands on hips]"

      "Can't understand what they are saying, but still it feels so good!" replied "Eternal Nightfall" Yan Xiaoling.

      Nothing tasted better than your enemy's defeat, praises, and envy!

      "Little Dragon, Little Dragon, we'll leave the important task of translating such comments to you in the future! [pats shoulder]." Find authorized novels in Webnovel，faster updates, better experience，Please click www.webnovel.com for visiting.

      ...

      Lou Cheng felt even better after reading the contents from the live-stream post and gave no further replies. At the end of the first round of double-elimination matches, he returned to the hotel with his teammates.

      Standing before the window on a high floor, he gazed down at the resplendent sea of lights that were the symbol of human civilization filled with confidence as he waited for the next round.

      He held up his phone to share his feelings with his sweetheart.

      "There's prize money once I reach the Top 16s!"

      For a while, Lou Cheng waited for any incoming alerts, but Yan Zheke was concentrating on her classes and couldn't reply promptly.

      He subconsciously unlocked his lock screen to draft another text, but deleted it word by word on second thought. He didn't want to affect Yan Zheke's studies by texting too frequently.

      After freshening up, Lou Cheng turned all the lights off and found his way to his bed in the dark, looking for something to do to kill time.

      After seeing Fatty Jiang's post on "Moments" that was complaining about being awakened by hunger and wanting to eat supper, he kindly sent him the stolen images of Shengxiang food.

      "Damn you! I'm going out to eat at Old Liu Barbecue now and I will make sure to send you the pictures later, you are welcome! [Two can play that game meme]" replied Jiang Fei.

      "Pinch your fats and stroke your protruding tummy, does it not hurt your conscience? [reprimanding]" replied Lou Cheng, "Anyway I'm about to go to sleep, so I won't see anything you send. (Insert funny expression)."

      As he was teasing Fatty Jiang, Yan Zheke's reply came.

      "I'll be waiting for you to treat me with the prize money~! Oh yes, Empress Dowager will be flying to China around the 14th of September."

      "Okay!" Lou Cheng quickly switched to another App and booked a 14th of September ticket to America, sending the screenshot to Ke.

      "I want to tear ten pages off my calendar right now!" replied Yan Zheke, confessing her inner thoughts in a light-hearted manner.

      They chatted for a bit, but lesson time was soon to begin, and Lou Cheng also had to turn in for the night, so they exchanged goodbyes.

      The following morning, he woke up on the dot, did his usual routine, and headed to the training area to continue his tough daily training.

      In his visualization, cold light broke out, pellucid and sparkling with dreaminess, yet bearing darkness and loneliness that knew no ends and extreme coldness that homed no warmth.

      As he was getting a hold of the basics, he felt subtle changes in his Frost supernatural ability as it became more illusory and elusive, like a whirlpool that absorbed warmth.

      This was the upgrade from "Frost Force" to "Ice Spirit Force". He had already learned the ropes and was beginning to strengthen his foundations.

      After practicing "Ice Spirit Force" for a while, Lou Cheng took out the "Emperor Yan Diagram" that had already lost a lot of its power. He concentrated on comprehending and attempted to visualize the denseness, explosiveness and eruption in the diagram.

      He was however a few steps away from it and his visualization proved to be unsuccessful.

      "Emperor Yan Force" seems to be a highly condensed version of "Zhu Rong Force"..., thought Lou Cheng, switching to physical exercises when he had exhausted his spirits.

      An uneventful day passed as they spent their morning sparring and afternoon resting, eventually arriving at the Shengxiang stadium at night for the second round of double-elimination matches.

      Since only one round had transpired, none of the fighters had been eliminated with two losses yet, therefore there was going to be 36 fighters and 18 matches again.

      This time, Lou Cheng's name was picked early.

      I wonder who it is... Hope it's not a Japanese warrior so I can experience different Martial Arts..., he thought.

      A few seconds later, the guest picked his opponent, loudly announcing the name on it.

      "Miluo, Veigar!"

      Veigar? Lou Cheng turned his head, stunned, and saw the cold countenance of a man donned in navy blue general uniform looking towards him impassively, silver sparks dancing in his eyes.

      F*ck, meeting the No. 2 seed in the second round of double-elimination matches!

      I mean, he wasn't a Japanese warrior that's for sure...

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     465 The Lord of the Future

      "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. Find authorized novels in Webnovel，faster updates, better experience，Please click www.webnovel.com for visiting.

      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!"

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     466 Suppression

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      Lou Cheng's deep voice echoed in the air as he darted out like a bolt of lightning, leaving what seemed to be afterimages behind as he rushed towards his opponent at an unbelievable speed.

      Veigar was donning a general hat. He steadied himself, extended his left foot out while drawing his right in, then pulled his arms apart and struck a boxing pose.

      Suddenly, he lowered himself and bounced up like a spring, his muscular body swishing through the air. As he descended, he bent and pointed his knees directly at Lou Cheng's chest, giving his white knee pads wrapped around his legs a murderous aura.

      The Martial Art style of Miluo emphasized the basic movements— punching, elbowing, kicking and kneeing— over intricate ones. By mixing and matching them in a natural way that best suited real combat, it was capable of delivering swift and vicious attacks seamlessly. To conquer their enemies, Miluo fighters adopted special methods of training that hardened their elbows and knees like steel.

      Veigar timed his leap flawlessly, allowing him to get ahead of his opponent and prevent him from setting up any killer moves. It was an impeccable attack, for if his knees were blocked, he can immediately follow up with the deadly combination of an elbow slam and a kick.

      Just as Lou Cheng was about to collide into Veigar's knees, where the cunning trap awaited him, he withdrew his Qi and blood in a rapid motion, condensing his force, spirit, and momentum into his lower Dantian.

      And he stopped on a dime!

      Being Lin Que's long-time teammate and having guided Yan Zheke through her practices, Lou Cheng was well versed with their "Yin-yang Twist" and "Meteor Force". Through self-learning and under Yan Zheke's guidance, he slowly learned the trick to "ceasing movement at will" by utilizing the footwork of "Force Concentration" and "North Wind". Though not as amazing as the original, it was good enough for a critical moment like this one.

     Screech! The piercing noise caused by friction was shrill as it cut through the air. Lou Cheng was a step away from where Veigar had predicted him to be.

     That small distance caused Veigar's knee thrust to lose most of its momentum, and by the time it had reached Lou Cheng, it was nowhere near its maximum power.

      Boom!

     Lou Cheng's Dantian Force erupted like a volcano, his muscles ripping and expanding, physically enlarging his body as the floor beneath him split and cracked into ugly fissures.

      He swung his shoulders and sent a right punch forward that seemed to weigh a ton.

     Bam!

     His punch landed directly on Veigar's kneecaps, sweeping up gusts and sending him backwards in the air.

      Snap! Pushing his legs into the ground, he sprang up like a bolt of lightning, arriving before Veigar in the blink of an eye. Forming seals with both of his hands, he visualized the ancient character that represented insurmountable fighting spirit.

     "Fighting Formula!" he growled.

     Eyes turning bloodshot, Lou Cheng pulled his feet together, closed his legs and relaxed his waist, directing all the strength and explosive power to his right arm.

      Boom!

      His Martial Arts shoes busted in sync with the flying pieces of gravel as he raised his bloating right arm in the air, blocking out light from above like a canopy. Then he let it fall, sweeping up a strong current that boomed in the air.

      Nine Words Formula, Fighting Formula!

      Right off the bat, Lou Cheng had gone all out and used everything in his arsenal.

      Veigar braced himself for the blow, for dodging was not an option when he had just steadied

      himself from the previous attack.

     His hat drooped over the gleaming eyes on his icy countenance as sparks of electricity enshrouded his hands like a loose glove made from lightning.

     Bam! His right arm flew into an uppercut, fist sizzling with electricity.

     Bang!

     The clash of their fists send tremors down Veigar's right arm. With a loud crack, the arena floor below him gave way and swallowed him by a few inches.

      With the Fighting Formula, Lou Cheng had completely suppressed his quasi-Inhuman opponent and nailed him on the spot.

      This too was foreseen by Lou Cheng. As his right arm recoiled and his body swayed, he took a quick breath to condense it all — the numbness in his arm, the momentum from falling back, his Qi, blood, spirit and force— to his lower abdomen. He steadied himself on the spot like a ball of condensed energy.

      His Dantian erupted causing his thighs to expand as he whipped out his left foot and kicked towards the side of his opponent's kneecaps.

     Veigar was a step too slow. Barely managing to lift his leg in time to return a weak kick, his leg collided into the heel of Lou Cheng's foot.

     With a dull thud, he reeled forward and saw Lou Cheng's right cross coming towards him.

     Hurriedly, Veigar gathered his strength and steadied himself, returning an uppercut of his own, a savage blow wreathed in silver sparks.

     At that instant, Lou Cheng's fist paused momentarily, then slowed down in its rhythm until Veigar's heavy strike was near. That was when he smashed down with all his strength.

     In between the pause and release, he found the time to visualize "Ice Spirit Holy Light" and took the opportunity to cast "Severe Warning".

     A frozen picture of a lonely, frigid darkness weaved in phantom-like, dreamy pellucid frost light only to be shattered by the roaring of thunder as Yin and Yang clashed.

     Boom!

     The deafening roars of thunder resounded as Lou Cheng's frost-clad fists smashed into his opponent's gloves of electricity.

     Brzzt! Sparks flew as Veigar stood blank-faced, the bottom half of his left arm shrouded in mist and sprinkled with ice flakes. His eyes had lost their vigor, like the eyes of someone that had just walked out of a frozen slumber.

     Upon the impact of the forceful punch, Lou Cheng staggered backwards, right arm swaying, but found himself an opportunity to flick his left wrist and send a pellucid white light of frost that "flared" towards his enemy. The succession of killer moves did not allow his opponent even a moment to catch his breath.

      The frost light flashed before Veigar, who had regained his senses through his strong physique. In the face of an attack that could neither be blocked nor dodged, he tensed and let loose all his power, emitting a blinding light from his body as snakes of electricity sizzled and danced around him.

      Secret move, "Thunder explosion!"

     Bam! The frost flame was struck down and melted into scattered rays of light. Lou Cheng had already steadied himself by then, and with a visualization of the dreamy and deadly "Ice Spirit Holy Light", he sprang forward again.

     In his mind, he clearly knew that at his current mastery of "Internal Explosion Punch", it was not at all likely for him to deal enough internal damage to restrict his quasi-Inhuman opponent's movements in less than three moves. Therefore, in order to not get countered and lose the opportunity to activate a more Internal Explosion, the optimal move for him was to suppress his opponent with "Severe Warning."

      All things in life come to an end, and "Thunder Explosion" was no exception. Lou Cheng deliberately slowed down the tempo of his assault to give enough time for the slithering silver serpent sparks to die down. Then he stepped forward, steadied his feet, and punched towards Veigar's lower abdomen.

      His fist shot out like an arrow, rapidly donning a raiment of white mist in its path.

     Beneath his general hat, Veigar's eyes grew increasingly cruel as he lashed out another punch covered in his "electric glove".

     This was the power of an Inhuman that had completed morphing. Every blow hit hard and his control over his supernatural abilities was phenomenal.

     Just as Veigar's punch took off, Lou Cheng straightened his back and pulled his right arm backwards, evading the attack and connecting a low kick with his left foot.

     "The coldness seeps up from the feet in a blizzard!"

     Bam!

     Veigar sensed the danger and dispersed the strength in his punch. He whipped out his right leg, which was least one and a half the size of Lou Cheng's, and dealt a rigid kick that cut through the air.

     In that moment, Lou Cheng adjusted his center of gravity by arching forward, and with a stomp of his left foot he had circled behind Veigar. With his right arm raised, he was ready for another attack. His presence was like a gust of frigid wind that penetrated every nook and cranny.

     In that moment, the image of the "Ice Spirit Holy Light" in his mind was completely shattered by the tumultuous "Thunderclouds".

     Boom!

     All was in place, and his downward punch was nothing less of a severe warning!

     Veigar had been in a bad spot since the onset of the fight, and things hasn't been going in his favor up till this point . And now with his right leg still extended, the enemy's assault had put him into a dangerous position. He could feel his anger rising.

     In the face of crisis, he had to put all his disdain and arrogance aside. With a deep breath, he was ready to reveal his trump card.

     Zap!

     Rings of electricity revolved around him as he sent one leg upwards and leaned backwards with a spinning motion that resembled a drill crashing into Lou Cheng's left fist.

     Veigar's ultimate move - "Spark Drill!"

     Thud! The strong light produced temporarily blinded most of the audience. No one was clear of what was going on inside the arena.

     Inside the arena, Veigar was on one knee, his eyes distracted and his general hat lying on the floor as wisps of steam rose around him. On the other side, Lou Cheng's hair was standing on its end, his body convulsing and his vision filled with those silvery serpents. He saw the chance, but the paralysis was too strong for him to even use "Force Concentration".

      In the time of a breath, the two had recovered and was going at each other again.

     Bam!

     "Lou Cheng could actually have won there..." mused Peng Leyun in the clangour.

      Their attention drawn away from the exciting battle, Ren Li and Ann Chaoyang nodded at his words.

     "By the way, have you taken the pictures Lou Cheng asked for?"remembered Ann Chaoyang.

     Peng Leyun brooded for a moment.

      "Totally forget about it," he admitted.

      The three fell into a brief silence until Peng Leyun handed the phone, still unlocked, over to Ren Li.

      "You are the best at photography here, you can have the honors," he prompted earnestly.

      "You got it," replied Ren Li as she took the phone from his hand, brimming with her usual confidence.

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     467 Inhuman Monster

      Snap!

      Ren Li shifted her position slightly and snapped three pictures of the arena. After browsing through them, she was content enough to upload them to the live-stream thread.

     She watched the battle a little longer before refreshing the thread, curious about what other people thought of her photography prowess.

      "@Schrodinger's Tiger, it's so blurry. [Sighing while covering face]" replied "Unparalleled Dragon King".

      "Little Tiger, are your hands trembling from excessive hand exercises? [Funny face]" replied "Okamoto's Fan."

      "I can only differentiate them by the colour of their clothes..." replied "Above The Sky."

      Ren Li's eyelids twitched with indignation.

     "At the speed they were moving, it's already the best I could do with a phone camera!"

      Though her explanation wasn't off, she made a mistake by adding the exclamation mark.

      "...Little Tiger, are you in a bad mood?" replied "Wonton Seller".

     "I was wrong about you overworking your hands, it's evident now that you have a lot of pent up frustration... [tears of joy]" replied "Okamoto's Fan."

      "Get lost!" replied Ren Li. "Gross freak!"

      No one replied for the next the ten seconds or so, until "Wonton Seller" broke the silence.

     "D-did Little Tiger get hacked? [shocked]"

      The Little Tiger today seemed as if he wanted to pick a fight with the whole world.

      Ren Li gave the phone a reflective glance then deftly signed out of the forums and locked its screen, looking out at the arena as if nothing had happened.

      …

     By putting everything in his arsenal— formulas, moves, combat experience and fighting talents— together for harmonious perfection, Lou Cheng had outdone himself and suppressed Veigar from the get go, coming close to actually defeating him. Yet, the Inhuman monster managed to tough out the fierce assault and wriggle his way out of his predicament which brought the two back to the same starting line. Find authorized novels in Webnovel，faster updates, better experience，Please click www.webnovel.com for visiting.

      However, after the round of attacks, Lou Cheng vaguely felt as though he had made a breakthrough in his journey of Martial Arts, not in terms of stages, but rather his prowess in actual combat .

     Bam!

      With the "glove" of electricity on his right fist, Veigar's punches struck heavily, forcing Lou Cheng to defend himself with his Dan stage explosions. He used "Force Concentration" to reduce the numbing effects of the electricity, moving around agilely while relying on borrowed strength.

      Bam bam bam!

      Veigar's kicks and elbows and knees and punches rained down on Lou Cheng without a pause, like waves of a tsunami crashing down, but instead if water, it was all electricity. The immense pressure gave Lou Cheng neither a chance to activate the Nine Word Formulas nor any simplified version of physical invulnerability state, and he had to take the assault head-on by triggering Dan Stage explosions with the techniques from "24 Blizzard Strikes".

     Bang bang bang! Their limbs kept clashing, producing gust and serpentlike sparks. Many a time, Lou Cheng came so close to turning the tides by connecting seven to eight hits in a row with borrowed strength, but each time Veigar paused his perfect timing to disrupt the attacks with "Thunder explosion" and other similar moves that were often followed by strong punches and kicks preventing any chances for Lou Cheng to set up his killer moves. With his advantage in stage and power, he was slowly marching towards victory by wearing Lou Cheng out.

      Lou Cheng saw little hope in the turnabout, and the hopeless situation made him feel like he was the subject of the "boiling frog" experiment. The terrors of an Inhuman mighty one was being deeply ingrained in him.

     Without a miracle, it would indubitably be his loss! The realization began to dawn on him, yet he could not find a chance or method to break free from the suppression. The enemy was too strong, and the ending seemed to have been already set in stone.

      It was all or nothing!

      Once Lou Cheng had decided on that, his eyes grew more determined as he concentrated on his force and threw his weight into every step he made while swinging out with his bloating right arm.

      Zzzzzap! Veigar lashed out with his left fist in its silvery glove, directing colliding into Lou Cheng's fist.

     Bang!

      With a dull thud, sparks splashed all over the place. Lou Cheng reeled back from the recoil. All of a sudden he straightened his back and deliberately flew backwards, stanceless and vulnerable.

      Veigar would never let such an opportunity slip. Bouncing his strong leg muscles off the ground, he chased after Lou Cheng and instantly closed the distance between them. He was planning on closing the fight next in the next couple of moves.

      The speed of an Inhuman was akin to an upper Sixth Pin with in built effects of "Attainment Formula".

      At that moment, instead of finding his balance and stance, Lou Cheng raised his hands and formed another seal, visualizing an ancient character that conjured images of a horrifying battlefield that reeked of thick blood.

      He had flown into the face of danger for the chance to use the Nine Word Formula!

     One had to throw himself into the fire if he wanted to rise from the ashes!

     "Army!" chanted Lou Cheng in a deep voice.

     His bloodlust seemed to have materialized into a lance that stabbed at Veigar, stirring up his inner fear and cowardice towards death.

      Veigar's movements began to slow, but being an Inhuman mighty one that had sharpened his will through slaughters on the battlefield, he managed to snap out of it before getting hit by "Severe Warning".

      Lou Cheng's mind was clear as ice. Holding back his disappointment, he decisively gave up the opportunity to strike his opponent's stomach. He twisted and turned his waist as his muscles continued bulging, and in the blink of an eye he had slipped to the side of his opponent with the footwork of "North Wind".

     Boom!

      His swift movements sliced through the air, sending blades of wind towards his opponent's eyes.

      "Ascension to Heaven's Stars!"

      Just as Veigar squinted, Lou Cheng formed another seal, pointing his hands towards himself.

      "Fighting!" he roared.

      His physique grew rapidly, muscles bulging and pulsating, in a ridiculous manner as if he was turning into a heavenly warrior from the tales. His right fist weighed down, ready to be unleashed.

     "It really is the Fighting Formula..." mused Peng Leyun. He wasn't sure for the first time since it all happened so fast, but looking at it again he was certain.

      To think of it, Lou Cheng had acquired quite a number of the Nine Word Formulas.

      Among the Japanese Representatives, Takeshi Yamashita frowned.

      Against the explosive Fighting Formula, Veigar dared not let his guard down. The silver in his sparks intensified as he leaned sideways and spun circles of electric serpents, rapidly drilling towards his enemy.

     Ultimate move, "Spark Drill!"

      As if waiting for this moment, Lou Cheng straightened his back and evaded the attack, all while dragging his right fist. Veigar's Spark Drill missed and landed nearby.

      That was the outcome Lou Cheng was hoping to achieve at the cost of wasting his Fighting Formula.

      In his mock battles with Peng Leyun, the latter duly mimicking Veigar's battle style had given him a good idea of what the mighty one from Miluo was capable of. He knew that right after using "Spark Drill" or "Invincible Thunder Explosion", Veigar couldn't immediately attack again and had to take a moment to catch his breath.

      That was his chance!

      Snap! Lou Cheng shot forward like an arrow, appearing before his enemy in a snap. A thick layer of "Ice Armor" formed on his left arm. Raising it like a shield, he then formed a fist with his right hand, poised for attack.

     At the same time, he had once again visualized the image of "Ice Spirit Holy Light", that heatless void of darkness, and was ready to deliver a killing blow with another "Severe Warning".

      Dodging was not an option, neither was he ready for more explosive moves or in the position for blocking. A hateful look flashed across Veigar's eyes, which were gleaming ever more cruelly.

      Without a warning, he leapt high up into the air, slanting his legs and stepping towards Lou Cheng's skull.

     Come! Lou Cheng had prepared for this. Visualizing "thunderclouds" breaking through the ice, he straightened himself and flew upwards with an uppercut headed towards his opponent who could no longer change his direction.

      Rocket-like punch! Severe Warning!

      Had they they clashed like that, at worst Lou Cheng would recoil downwards and stagger. Veigar, on the other hand, would be knocked out of his mind and fall heavily on the ground. It was the perfect opportunity for Lou Cheng to win!

      But at that moment, Veigar twisted his shoulders and crossed his legs, forming a silvery white ball of electricity that went sizzling downwards at the speed of a bubble. It hit Lou Cheng directly and Veigar rode on the impact to adjust his position midair.

      That was an experimental move he had never revealed in real combat before!

      Zap! Lou Cheng, who was flying upwards in an uppercut position, felt his body turn numb. His attack missed as they met side by side in the air.

      Bam!

     Veigar took the opportunity to deliver an elbow to Lou Cheng's chest. Barely managing to block it with his left arm armored in ice, Lou Cheng flew backwards from the impact.

     From the clash, Veigar gained a downward momentum and landed first. He sprang up towards Lou Cheng, dodging a huge fireball the latter had casted at him in desperation.

     Boom!

     Lou Cheng's final move hit the ground of the arena, detonating a strong explosion that set off a scarlet sea of flames accompanied by strong gusts.

     Bam! Right after Lou Cheng manoeuvred using the impact, Veigar was already a step ahead crashing into him in his "Spark Drill" form.

     Blocking with both of his arms, Lou Cheng began seeing stars as he was immobilized on the ground.

      When he had regained consciousness, a burnt smell filled his nostrils and from the corner of his eyes, he saw the silhouette of the referee with his right hand raised.

     "Veigar wins!"

      The deep and hoarse voice echoed through the stadium, and the crowd went wild.

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     468 Avoiding suspicions

      In a sea of cheers, some of which he understood and others he didn't, Lou Cheng returned from his dazed state to accept the reality of his defeat as he heaved a sigh of relief and began to relax his sore arms.

      He should have been happy. Proud even. Veigar had been at the quasi-Inhuman stage for more than a year, and coming close to defeating him twice was no easy feat. He had earned the right to walk off with his chest out.

      Yet, he could not feel a hint of happiness within himself. Instead, there was only disappointment and regret.

      He was so close, victory was just a step away...

     My strategy, predictions, and actual performance were all on point. Outstanding in fact. Yet I was a step away from seizing the winning opportunity...

     His logic kept telling him that it was the best outcome. Had he not used "Ice Armor" defensively, he might have been left with broken arms from the last two smites, which would have spell the end of his adventures in the King of Youth Pro League. Even so, Lou Cheng could not readily accept his defeat. Not when he was that close.

      Right now, the most realistic course of action would be to speed up his progress in mastering the "Emperor Yan Force" and attain a new mastery in his "Zhurong Force", which would cause him to start morphing.

     With his mind racing, Lou Cheng paid Veigar a gesture of respect, then turned and walked to the edge of the arena and down the steps towards the match supervisor.

      His wallet was returned to him before he could ask for it.

     But the wallet was the only thing that was given to him, and that confused Lou Cheng since he was planning on sending a text to Yan Zheke. Then it came to him; he had passed his phone to his teammates.

     He laughed and shook his head. After pocketing his wallet, he walked towards where Peng Leyun and the others were at. The side effects from the electrocutions were wearing off.

      The beefy Veigar in the arena took a last thoughtful look at Lou Cheng's silhouette. Walking towards the center of the arena, he picked up the ragged remains of his general hat and dusted it. Without putting it back on he walked out of the arena, straight out of the stadium without turning back.

     "Impressive(Sugoi)!" went the praises of the samurais who were watching the competition from the Japanese representative side.

      Ichiei Sakata's face was pale as though he had taken a great hit. The day before, he knew there was a considerable gap between him and Lou Cheng, but right now the gap between them caused him despair. In the battle that just took place, Lou Cheng had displayed power close to an Inhuman, and that was something that set him apart.

      How on earth did he do it?

      I'm sure he didn't promote yet!

      With his supernatural abilities?

      But I have them too...

      People used to call me a "monster", but now I have to admit that the real "monsters" are still out there...

     Takechi Yamashita turned towards him.

      "Ichiei-kun, Lou Cheng's current level is not something beyond your reach! Don't focus too much on attaining "Hadou." Once you have reached his current level, things will become easier for you," said Takechi Yamashita with a stern face.

      "Understood..." Ichiei Sakata replied, uncertain.

      "The Extreme Hadou Sect has no place for cowards!" warned Takechi Yamashita with a frown.

      "Understood!" replied Ichiei Sakata with a solemn expression.

     ...

     Back in the Longhu Club live-stream thread, everyone seemed to have forgotten about the little fiesta from before and were currently engaged in a lively discussion on Veigar and Lou Cheng's battle.

     "Such a pity! [biting napkin with a teary expression]" replied "Wonton Seller".

      "A pity indeed, I actually thought Lou Cheng might win there...[tears of joy]" replied "Unparalleled Dragon King". "There needs to be a new category in between the Inhuman and Common Dan stage, as well as the 5th Pin and 6th Pin, and that category will be called Lou Cheng!"

     "Damn, I almost had my world views destroyed... [spits] If his opponent was someone who had recently attained the Inhuman stage, he might have actually won!" replied "Road to the Arena."

      "I think Lou Cheng is going to make the breakthrough soon..." suggested "Pig-Riding Knight".

      "No way! You can't be that fast even if you ride on a rocket! [spits]" replied "A Plumber Eating Mushroom".

     "Yeah! There are cardinal rules even for making breakthroughs!" agreed "Invincible Punch".

      These surmises were quickly "drowned out" by other replies.

     "Even though my idol performed spectacularly, I can't help but feel a little down at his loss. But looking at you guys complimenting him has lifted my spirits again! [hopping around] Keep the praises coming, I can do with more of them! @Eternal Nightfall, come look at this!" replied "Brahman". Find authorized novels in Webnovel，faster updates, better experience，Please click www.webnovel.com for visiting.

      "...Already seen that, I'm busy making a new thread for all the prayers hoping that Lou Cheng does not get another Inhuman opponent in the next round!" replied "Eternal Nightfall" Yan Xiaoling.

     ...

     Somewhere in the grandstand, Lou Cheng walked to Peng Leyun and high-fived him.

      "I never liked Veigar much, especially at how he wore that "Police hat" everywhere as if he was something special. I guess those days are over for him now that he's lost his hat," quipped Peng Leyun in a kind, praising way.

     Seems like the rumors were true. Other than zoning out frequently and being a battle maniac, "The Devil King" was a nice and easy going guy... Lou Cheng couldn't help but chuckle at the way Peng Leyun had put it.

     Ann Chaoyang reached out to high five him too.

     "What a show!" commended Ann Chaoyang. "Haha, I couldn't take my eyes away from the match for a second to take any pictures."

      Pictures… remembered Lou Cheng.

     "I guess that means you didn't post anything?" he asked, smiling.

      "Nah, we did not forget about that. Ren Li is the best at photography here, so we entrusted the task to her," replied Ann Chaoyang, unabashed at the fact that he was the one who had a digital camera.

      Ren Li stepped forward at being mentioned, handed Lou Cheng's phone back, and nodded.

      "Someone was bad-mouthing you on the forums just now, so I gave them a good scolding!"

      "Huh?" replied Lou Cheng in confusion. Once he had put two and two together, a bad feeling grew in him. He quickly unlocked his phone, went on the forums and into the live-stream thread, then began scrolling up.

     Thanks a lot... His mouth was twitching at what he saw.

     "...The one commenting earlier was not me! I did not get hacked either, truth is, I felt that my photography skills were not good enough, so I had someone help me, but I didn't expect her to comment in my place..."

     "Her? Was it your girlfriend, Little Tiger? [I knew it expression]" replied "Wonton Seller".

     "So it was a girl, that explains why she was so sensitive. [So that's how it is expression]" replied "Unparalleled Dragon King".

      Girlfriend? Lou Cheng denied it in a hurry.

      "No, it was a friend."

      "A female friend other than your girlfriend? Look at you go, Tiger, travelling with other female friends! [funny face]"replied "Okamoto's fan" in a teasing manner.

      "...You read too much into it! There are other friends that came along too,"replied Lou Cheng.

      "Save your explanations! All I want to know is: is she pretty? If she is, getting scolded by her just now wouldn't be half bad. [ROFL]" replied "Okamoto's Fan".

       "She's alright," Lou Cheng replied hesitantly.

      These conversations made him a little nervous. Not that he had anything to be nervous of, but if there's one thing his long-distance relationship had taught him, it was that when two people are oceans apart, maintaining trust and emotional security is like treading on thin ice. Repeated doubts and suspicions could be the breaking point. Therefore, to prevent the relationship from turning sour, both sides had to know how to "avoid suspicion." Even if you have nothing to be guilty of, you should consider how others might see it and proactively avoid situations that might raise doubts in your other half, which might turn into suspicions and eventually, the big fight.

      A person's freedom is always relative, especially after they are attached!

      Should I tell Ke about this?

      If I don't, she probably wouldn't find out either, and that would be the end of it...

      But if she visits the live-stream thread on a whim and finds out about this, she's definitely not going to be happy about it, even if she doesn't say it…

      Shortly after weighing the options in his mind, Lou Cheng made his decision. He switched to the QQ messenger tab to first inform Yan Zheke of his loss.

      "I watched some parts of it just now, and I thought you were going to win… But it's alright. Once you complete morphing, you will win for sure! [hugs]" replied Yan Zheke.

      That was her way of consoling her precious Cheng.

      After a round of encouragements and warm exchanges, Lou Cheng decided it was a good time to bring out the topic.

      "F***, Peng Leyun got me into big trouble!"

      He stole a glance at Peng Leyun after hitting send.

      "Comrade Leyun, this is for the greater good. You'll have to take this one for the team!"

      "What did he do? [cat holding a dried fish]" replied Yan Zheke.

      "You remember how "Unparalleled Dragon King" asked me to host the live-stream thread by uploading pictures? Before it was my turn, I got Peng Leyun to help, but you know what he did? He threw the responsibility to Ren Li, and Ren Li ended up in a squabble with the people on the forums, and I had to clean up after their mess. [sighs]" replied Lou Cheng.

      "Pfft...that's pretty unreliable of them... That prim and proper Ren Li got into a squabble? [cat dropping his dried fish in shock]" replied Yan Zheke.

      Since Lou Cheng's competition was early in the morning, she had some time to spare before lesson started. She went to the forums and browsed through the live-stream thread, and hardly realizing it herself she was biting her lips lightly.

      "I heard from Peng Leyun and Ann Chaoyang that Ren Li often get into arguments online..." said Lou Cheng, feeling the need to add more candidates to his list of scapegoats.

      "That's something you wouldn't expect from her image... I find the contrast kind of cute. [smiles while covering mouth]" replied Yan Zheke. "What is she like normally?"

       Feeling pressured by the question, Lou Cheng picked his words carefully.

      "She's kind of klutz but extremely confident in everything she does. The coach was with her for the most of the duration since she's horrible with directions, there wasn't much interactions between her and the rest of us."

      "I see...that's not what I imagined her to be like. [thinking]" replied Yan Zheke.

      She exhaled and shook her head, smiling before moving on to another topic.

      Then she received another message. It was from a classmate that went abroad with her, Huang Xiwen.

      "Want to chill with us tonight? There's a party at Tom's place. You'll see lots of people from our hometown. Not to mention, there will be many popular seniors from our school!"

      It didn't take long for Yan Zheke to turn it down.

      "I'm not good with crowded occasions."

      "Come on! Where's the fun in holing up at home all the time? How are you going to mix in with everyone if you don't get to know them first? If you keep on being a lone wolf, you might end up being isolated! Imagine the regret you'll have when you can't turn to anyone for help in the future. So, make yourself look pretty and have some fun with us tonight. It will be a good change of pace!" convinced Huang Xiwen.

       I don't see any good in mixing in with the rest... After typing it, she thought it was too harsh, so she went on to rephrase it.

       Then she thought it was too mild and undetermined, so she had to write it again.

      "I have to admit that I am a boring person that isn't good at socializing. But hey, I like it this way since I can concentrate on my studies. You really don't have to invite me in the future. I'm honestly not interested." was the one she decided on.

      After checking through and making minor adjustments, she hit send feeling as if a burden had been lifted off of her.

      To think I went out of my way to invite you!, thought Huang Xiwen, vexed at being turned down. She put her phone down.

      "She's not coming. Seriously, she's a real buzzkill. Right, one of those unsmiling spinsters!"

      ...

      Back in the Sheng Xiang Stadium, Peng Leyun saw Lou Cheng looking at him.

      "What's wrong?" he asked, stroking his chin in confusion.

      "Nothing," Lou Cheng replied, smiling.

      Your sacrifice was not for naught, comrade Leyun!

      Peng Leyun frowned while shaking his head, deciding it was best to not extend the conversation with such a weirdo.

      That was when a round ended and he was due next, against one of the seeds, Li Shaokang.

      ------------

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     469 Extrapolation

      Li Shaokang stood at a little above five feet, gaunt and dark skinned with the typical features of a Nanzhengese. However he looked older than his actual age (around twenty two or three), and his dark pupils were mesmerizing and demonic.

      His powerful spiritual supernatural ability could hypnotize his opponent, tampering with their emotions and inviting out the negative ones, such as fear and cowardice. It had a similar effect as Army Formula and Roaring Lion Voice. Plus he could activate it without any visualization, making him a dangerous opponent—evident from his status as the eighth seed.

      Ann Chaoyang took off his headphones as he watched Peng Leyun head towards the arena. He looked at Lou Cheng with great interest and asked,

      "Any thoughts on what his game plan might be?"

      "Spiritual supernatural abilities are a pain in the ass, and things tend to go wrong if you drag out the fight. If it were me, I would begin with a move along the lines of "Thunder from a Clear Sky. Cloudless Thunder Blade" to intimidate and damage the opponent. It comes with paralyzing effects too, heh. Unless Li Shaokang predicted it beforehand, he's not going to effectively avoid it. From there I would aggressively attack and suppress him to prevent him from activating his spiritual supernatural ability. With Peng Leyun's abilities, he might be able to close the fight within ten to twenty seconds," replied Lou Cheng after some thinking.

      "That is the best approach indeed," nodded Ann Chaoyang. Then, as if reliving a past memory, he shook his head with a bitter smile. "But that wouldn't make him Peng Leyun... The Peng Leyun I know is more than happy for a chance to fully experience the combination between a strong spiritual supernatural ability and the assassin styled Miluo Martial Arts..."

      Hearing that, Lou Cheng remembered the first proper fight he had with Peng Leyun.

      "You are right, that is something Peng Leyun would do," he agreed wholeheartedly.

      Glancing towards Ann Chaoyang as he spoke, the two shared a laugh.

      Once, they were both victims of the "The Devil King"!

      "I doubt he'll do that..." said Ren Li with a tinge of uncertainty.

      Her image of Peng Leyun was someone who would always go all out.

      Lou Cheng and Ann Chaoyang exchanged a glance before answering in unison.

      "You don't get it."

      Even though he seemed to go all out when he fought weaker opponents, Peng Leyun always went easy on the rhythm and selection of his moves, allowing them the chance to unleash everything they had to satisfy his inner Martial Arts maniac.

      By then, Peng Leyun and Li Shaokang had entered the arena and were standing face to face.

      The referee waited, then raised his right hand.

      "Begin!"

      As the words hit the ground, Peng Leyun lowered himself, then swung forward, causing the arena to tremble as he "drifted" towards his opponent, instantly closing the distance between them.

      "Flash attack!"

      I knew it... Lou Cheng and Ann Chaoyang exchanged looks, both equally amused and impressed.

      As they expected, Peng Leyun did not begin the fight with "Thunder from a Clear Sky. Cloudless Thunder Blade" or any similar moves!

      A person with capabilities is bold enough to take risks!

      Compared to when he was in his pre-morph state, the biggest difference in Peng Leyun's abilities then was that all of his moves were imbued with "Divine Wrath Force". His punches and kicks were enwreathed with purple lightnings, as if surrounded by dragons, sizzling and crackling along with his movements. Li Shaokang was trying his hardest to defend against it, but the paralyzing effects came crashing into him harder and harder each time, and soon he began to struggle.

      In the process, he kept looking for the chances to manipulate his opponent with his spiritual supernatural ability. Each time he created the opportunity he saw hope, but it was always vanquished by a "timely" counter-attack from Peng Leyun.

      As time elapsed, Li Shaokang eventually used up everything in his arsenal, and his spiritual supernatural ability was at its limits. Had the situation be any different, had his opponent been someone else, he felt as though by now his enemy should be kneeling down and begging for mercy. However, the Chinese Martial Artist standing before him handled him with ease. His opponent's true strength remained unknown to him, and no matter how hard he tried, his moves were being countered easily.

      Li Shaokang grew more desperate by the minute, and began taking more risks, hoping to force his opponent to his limit.

      However, his risky attempts were unsuccessful and his plans went to shambles with the final result being the referee making the announcement: "Peng Leyun wins!"

      "So strong..." Mouko Yamashita heard a female voice commenting beside him.

      Looking over his shoulders, he saw Tang Zexun, wearing a solemn expression over her sweet one.

      What happened next was: Ren Li taking her opponent down easily, a sweeping victory for Ann Chaoyang, and the second round of double-elimination coming to its end. After the bouts that night, thirteen contestants were disqualified due to accumulating two losses, leaving the remaining twenty three of them to fight over sixteen positions.

      Enter top 16, or say goodbye to the prize money.

      ...

      The next morning, Lou Cheng woke up on time, had a chat with Yan Zheke, then eagerly proceeded to begin the day of training. His goal was to comprehend the essence of the "Emperor Yan Diagram" in the shortest time and bring an enhancement to his "Zhurong Force."

      Holding the diagram, he let his mind indulge it and began carefully visualizing it, but the immense gravity and erupting flames kept getting in the way of his inner peace. The flashing epiphany was so close yet so far. Compared to the previous days, there had been improvements, but something was still lacking.

      He felt his impatience grow, so he retracted his thoughts and visualization, heaved a sigh, and began envisioning the mirror of ice to calm himself down.

      After a round of kungfu practice, his body and heart had both calmed down. He stopped, brooded, and formed a new plan- by extrapolating from other visualization experiences.

      This time, he stopped looking at the "Emperor Yan Diagram", and adjusted his muscles, fascias and organs according to the "Prairie Fire Diagram". He felt the flowing flames in him getting under control as he visualized the image of the God of Flames, Zhurong, with his head of a beast and body of a man, standing barefooted on a scarlet dragon.

      Since he knew that "Zhurong Force" can be enhanced to "Emperor Yan Force", he could likely find inspiration in this direction that could help his progress.

      Based on his own understanding of the "Emperor Yan Diagram", Lou Cheng carefully manipulated his "Zhurong Force", weaving wisps of it together, moulding them into one solid entity in hopes that it could bring about extreme changes.

      After a time, he slowly compressed the two streams of condensed "Zhurong Force" into one, causing a strong suction force to form at their cores and quickly pulling in the outer layers of flames. Liquid flame was spit out as the strong change occured.

      Lou Cheng shuddered, and the image of "Flame God Zhurong" nearly collapsed. Barely keeping it in rein, he released the mutated "Flame Force" in a punch.

      Boom!

      Flame ignited before him, smoke expanding and spreading. Nearby, civilians ran for their lives, thinking it was a terrorist attack.

      Looking at it, Lou Cheng could not hide the joy from his face. "I think I'm starting to get it..."

      A few minutes later, sirens shrilled through the air, followed by a group of military police rushing towards him, as he stood there not knowing what to make out of it.

      Thanks to the interference of Coach Zhong and a call to the embassy, Lou Cheng was let off with a stern warning before the military police made their way off.

      "Cough, try not to make such a scene during your training sessions. We need to conduct ourselves properly when we are abroad," advised Zhong Ningtao, exasperated.

      He thought Ren Li was the only troublemaker, but little did he expect the most reliable and matured Lou Cheng brought about his own share of problems...

      He just can't leave any of them alone, can he?

      Amid the amused gazes of Peng Leyun, Ren Li and Ann Chaoyang, Lou Cheng laughed drily and gave his assents. He turned back, found a desolate place, and began to visualize the "Emperor Yan Diagram" once more, making use of what he had learned previously.

      Dust gathered, swirling, then reached its limit and crumbled, "squeezing" out heat and igniting itself, erupting into liquid flames, brightening the darkness... Even with this as a guide to begin, Lou Cheng failed a couple of times before barely grasping the tricky spirit of the painting.

      The flames got under control, turning into raiments and crown and forming the statue of Emperor Yan in his mind, but once again fell into shambles just when it was about to take shape.

      To that, Lou Cheng, who was huffing and puffing, was happy instead of upset.

      Even though he failed, it was evident that he was making progress— he had opened the door and was stepping onto the right path, all that was left was just the dull and tedious part.

      This achievement was partly due to the change in method, but of course also from his hard work accumulated over time.

      Huff... he was on the edge of shouting. Whipping out his phone he sent a text to his wife.

      "I'm starting to get the Emperor Yan Force! For that, I was almost arrested by the cops in Shengxiang..."

      "Pfft, how did that happen? Did you put too much volume into your outbursts of joy that it scared the children?" replied Yan Zheke, who was in the middle of lesson breaks, delighted and pleasantly surprised at the news. "My Cheng is the best! [animated kiss, from far to close] "

      "Which part are you complimenting me on? The part where I made a breakthrough in my Emperor Yan Force, or the part where I scared children? [snickering]" replied Lou Cheng joyously.

      "Figure it out yourself~!" A dimpled smile appeared on Yan Zheke's face. After getting the full story from Lou Cheng, she was happy for Lou Cheng at his deepened comprehension of "Emperor Yan Diagram", and amused at his blunder that had caught the cops' attention.

      The following day, Lou Cheng did not spar with Peng Leyun, Ren Li and Ann Chaoyang and told them that he was close to making the breakthrough. Then, he began studying the "Emperor Yan Diagram" with immense focus, and during his breaks he would chat with Ke to soothe himself.

      At 3 P.M., sitting with his legs crossed, he finally visualized the image of a heavy, scorching and majestic "Emperor Yan Statue".

      The streams of flames in his body gurgled, then condensed and gradually turned steady.

      Lou Cheng opened his eyes, cracked a tired smile and picked up his phone to send a text to Yan Zheke.

      "I got it!"

      He found the key to the "Emperor Yan Diagram", and it wouldn't be long before he could complete the enhancing process!

      At that point, he began feeling drowsy, so he sent another text to his girl.

      "Ke ke, I'm gonna catch a wink, and if I don't text you by the time you are awake, call me to wake me up."

      He felt that he might not be able to wake up on time in his current state, and it would be a disaster if he overslept and got disqualified.

      Meanwhile, it was midnight in America.

      After sending the message, Lou Cheng collapsed onto his bed and fell into a deep slumber of many dreams.

      What woke him up was a series of sudden knocks that went thump thump thump. He got it, struggling to break free from his strengthless state.

      Holding his phone, he realized it was not even six, which meant that Ke was still in her dreams. Carrying his wrinkled clothes, he lazily walked to the door and pulled it open. Find authorized novels in Webnovel，faster updates, better experience，Please click www.webnovel.com for visiting.

      Peng Leyun was standing outside, one hand in his pocket, relaxed and smiling as he spoke, "Guide Zhong sent me here to remind you that we are gathering in ten minutes."

      "Okay," replied Lou Cheng, a little dazed from having just woke up.

      Peng Leyun smiled. "You are beginning to morph aren't you? Hm, try making your breakthrough under the water, it works wonders."

      "Thanks," replied Lou Cheng as he smiled to express his gratitude. He kept it to himself that he had already heard the piece of advice from his Master.

      Watching as Peng Leyun left, he walked to the bathroom, rinsed his face with cold water and styled his hair, feeling completely refreshed as the tiredness seeped away.

      Cracking a smile, Lou Cheng took out his phone and sent another text to Yan Zheke.

      "I'm awake now. Feeling charged up!"

      As he hit send, he looked at his invigorated self in the mirror, and muttered, "Round 3, Here I come!"

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     470 The Third Round

      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. Find authorized novels in Webnovel，faster updates, better experience，Please click www.webnovel.com for visiting.

      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!

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     471 Scorch the evil

      "What kind of luck is this..." said Ann Chaoyang, taken aback by the results of the lot drawing. Afterwards, he shook his head and smiled a self-mocking smile but returned to his relaxed manner because the pressure wasn't overwhelming. In fact, a part of him looked forward to the fight.

      From his point of view, he hadn't accumulated any losses which meant that he was safe from being disqualified even if he lost, and it would make such an excellent experience: having an intense battle with an Inhuman Mighty One who practices a different style of Martial Art. This idea was reinforced by Lou Cheng's fight with Veigar the day before—how it gave Lou Cheng a boost in his proficiency in actual combat, and how it filled a void in his root pulp caused by overly fast advancements.

      Seeing that Ann Chaoyang wasn't too bothered by the abysmal lot he drew, Lou Cheng immediately began poking fun at him.

     "This is what you get for provoking me with the Eating Song just now!"

      Ann Chaoyang couldn't decide whether he wanted to frown or smile, then Lou Cheng continued, trying to sound serious. "You know, I have the supernatural ability to reflect curses and bad luck, and its basic application is that anyone that hurts me, provokes me or makes fun of me will receive retribution."

      Then, he drew a cross on his chest with a finger, in the wrong sequence.

     "Believe in Lou Cheng and you shall become immortal!"

      "I almost believed it until you said that last line..." chuckled Ann Chaoyang after a short pause.

      Unable to hold it in any longer, he burst into laughter along with Peng Leyun, Ren Li and Zhong Ningtao.

      You almost fell for it? Quoting Xiao Ming's catchphrase—With your IQ, if you were a girl, I could swindle you go to bed with me twice, thought Lou Cheng, laughing along.

      "In a good mood aren't you?" said Ann Chaoyang, looking towards Lou Cheng as he bundled his long hair together.

      "Indeed," replied Lou Cheng happily, feeling relaxed mentally and physically.

      His trainings bore fruit, his morph was imminent, and his next opponent wasn't an Inhuman Mighty One. What was there to be unhappy about?

     Then, Yan Zheke's reply to his previous message came.

      "See! I told you you won't get an Inhuman opponent with my good karma blessing you! Now I can be completely at ease. I'll skip the cheering part later now that I have lent you all my good karma!"

      Completely at ease? Completely? Ke, you seem to have exposed your true feelings... Lou Cheng chuckled, feeling even better.

      Then Peng Leyun's lot was drawn. His opponent was a Japanese samurai who was neither Tang Zexun nor Mouko Yamashita.

      After him, there were only two brackets remaining, and after confirmation, it was decided that Ren Li would be the lucky one to be awarded walkover.

      "Do girls with a bad sense of direction have better luck in general?" whispered Lou Cheng, edging towards Ann Chaoyang.

      "Possibly. If their luck isn't good, then they would be lost all the time," quipped Ann Chaoyang, playing along with Lou Cheng's joke.

      The two glanced over, only to see Ren Li with her cheeks puffing up slightly, looking very unhappy.

     "What is she unhappy about?" Ann Chaoyang whispered, confused.

      Lou Cheng pondered. "I guess she's disappointed at missing out on a fight..."

      The two exchanged looks, then began pitying the unappreciated "walkover lot".

      …

      In the Lou Cheng Fan-club forums, "Eternal Nightfall" Yan Xiaoling had tagged "Unparalleled Dragon King".

      "Is this Baco guy strong? What level is he at? How much weaker is he compared to our Lou Cheng?"

      "Close to Inhuman probably," replied "Unparalleled Dragon King", "But his power mainly stems from Nanyang evil arts, and the strongest curses happen to be ineffective against Lou Cheng. It's fine if he doesn't use them, but if he does it's going to turn into a real comedy. So, all things considered, he's a cut below Lou Cheng. Based on Lou Cheng's usual outstanding performance on the spot, Baco's chances of winning are slim. "

      "Haha, seems like our prayers came true! [swirling into a dance]" replied Yan Xiaoling.

      "Seems like you have to start waking up on time. [funny expression]" replied "Okamoto's fan".

      "[grovels with head in hands, shivering]" replied Yan Xiaoling.

      "Don't worry, I'll make sure you follow through with what you said! (Pats shoulders) [arms crossing solemnly]" replied "Brahman".

      ...

      Before the duel began, at the side of Shengxiang representatives, Wahku—a gaunt, olive-complected and barefooted Sadhu clad in red robes—walked down from the upper seats, and stopped before Baco.

     "Watch out for his supernatural ability to reflect curses."

      "I have seen his data," Baco replied gruffly, adjusting the scarlet bandages on his hands.

      Though he looked skinny for a famous Shengxiang boxer, every inch of his muscles was toughened like steel, capable of releasing explosive bursts of strength. His stumpy eyebrows curved at their ends and gave him a vicious appearance.

      "Curses are not the end to my spells," he said confidently.

      Snap! Beneath his scarlet bandages, a cluster of what seemed like tiny life forms began to wriggle, a sight that would make one's stomach turn.

     Knuckles cracking, Baco suddenly clenched his fist, before striding past Wahku and towards the arena.

      ...

      Lou Cheng, who was impatiently lurking on the edge of the venue, hopped into the arena and got into position as soon as the previous fight ended.

      He was still in his good mood from before, and for once he did not make his presence known by visualizing the Army Formula, which would have applied mental and spiritual pressure on the incoming Baco. He was fairly carefree and at ease.

      But of course! Once he mastered "Emperor Yan Statue", his Zhurong Force could soon be enhanced, which meant that he would soon begin morphing and officially step into the threshold of Immortals.

     This held great symbolic importance, similar to how mastering "Force Concentration" would put one into the Dan stage. It marked that one was truly fit to be called a Mighty One, worthy of being in the upper levels of the Martial Arts world.

     Once he reached this stage, even if he lost the competition and went home without any prize money, Wu Qinggui would still raise his spokesperson pay accordingly. On top of that, there was the bonus for winning the Nationals.

      This was the worst case scenario—but objectively speaking, against Baco, who was not an Inhuman, he had a high chance of winning. Although he still took him seriously, there wasn't enough pressure to affect his mood.

      On top of that, the ticket-booking to America went without a hitch, and Ke went out of her way to wake him up by waking up earlier than usual. Then there was that piece of news from Mom, telling him that the house they recently purchased went up in value by 50,000 RMB, in a matter of months. He was also getting along swimmingly with his new teammates...

      Everything in life seemed so wonderful… ,thought Lou Cheng, without a care in the world. He didn't waste the waiting time either, and visualized the heavy, majestic, scorching and terrifying "Emperor Yan Statue" in his mind, slowly guiding the "Flame Force" in his body to condense and mutate.

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      This was the process of enhancing "Zhurong Force" to "Emperor Yan Force"!

     The truth was, even without the enhancement, with the basic mastery of "Emperor Yan Diagram", he could use the "Emperor Yan Force" through a series of steps and visualization. However, since he had to compress the force during battle, the visualization would have taken a good couple of seconds, making it quite useless in actual combat.

      Once he had enhanced his "Flame Force" correspondingly, he can save those couple of seconds and effectively utilize "Emperor Yan Force" in battle. If his root pulp mutated and completed his morph, then he wouldn't even need the series of steps, every strike with brief visualization would be imbued with "Emperor Force".

     Wisps of flame merged as rays of scarlet turned white. Lou Cheng, while enjoying the changes within in his body, slowly built up a main path of "Emperor Yan Force" that branched out into more paths.

     That was when Baco walked into the arena, and saw the young man casually standing in a relaxed manner, with a smile and not a trace of bloodlust.

      Such arrogance...such carelessness... thought Baco, the flame in his eyes burning brighter.

      Strangely, Lou Cheng felt no pressure at all, instead he felt like he was in the state of "enlightened mind" like in Xian Xia novels, even his "Flame Force" seemed alive.

     Without paying much heed to his opponent's reactions, he smiled at Baco and bowed.

      The referee raised his right hand.

      "Begin!" he boomed.

      With the wonderful feelings coursing through him, he felt mentally and physically at ease. He stepped out with his left leg, naturally visualizing the Attainment Formula.

      In the low hum of the ancient character, he covered thirty plus feet within a step, appearing before Baco with a whoosh. Swinging his right arm using the forward momentum, his punch flew out with a boom, imbued with a violent "Flame Force" from visualizing "Yan Emperor Statue" halfway.

      Baco's heart skipped a beat. Seeing that he was unable to dodge in time, he steadied himself and held both hands in front of his chest.

     Lou Cheng's punch went at the speed of lightning, enveloped with a layer of dazzling whiteness, landed right on his opponent's hands.

     Boom!

      Amidst the sounds of explosion, waves of tumbling flames and blasts of gusts, Baco involuntarily took a step back. That's when he realized his scarlet bandages were in flames. A part of them was already charred, with black particles falling and turning to dust, fluttering in the wind.

      This... Baco's iris shrunk.

      Since when was Lou Cheng's "Flame Force" this powerful?!

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     472 Made of Paper?

      On the spectator stand, Ann Chaoyang took Lou Cheng's phone, followed his instructions to take some pictures occasionally and upload them onto the live thread with a sentence of explanation. This was to describe the development to "Unparallel Dragon King", "Eternal Nightfall" and the rest who couldn't witness this competition.

      "Sob sob sob. Little Tiger, you are really a good man! [waving a handkerchief]" said "Wanton Seller".

      "Even the Heavens and Earth are touched! [Igniting Fireworks]" commented "Brahman".

      Seeing their excited compliments, the smile disappeared on Ann Chaoyang face as he couldn't help but criticise,

      "I'm the one who did the good deeds without leaving my name behind!"

      If Lou Cheng had not told me that I'm the most reliable among them, I will not have done this so diligently!

      Ka-cha!

      He took a picture of the ring, appended the comment and uploaded it:

      "Lou Cheng seems relaxed while waiting!"

      Ka Cha! Ka Cha!

      Ann Chaoyang seemed to have found something interesting and was uploading pictures after pictures:

      "Baco looked like he has a deep grudge against his opponents."

      "The relaxed looks of Lou Cheng make it feels like he is attending a festival and not waiting for a battle to start."

      As he commented, he suddenly paused. He was slow in pressing the 'capture button' and type the following words:

      "Eh, Lou Cheng's is so fluent with these two moves. His "Flame Force" was also stronger than expected!"

      In the picture, the fire waves were raging and extending outwards. It looked just like a real explosion!

      At this very moment, not only did Baco lose the advantage of using Curses, both of his hands were also trembling and were clearly burnt. This was because he withstood the strong explosion from the Flame Force and had received a certain degree of damage. It was also clear that he was in pain and feeling sore.

      In his contracted pupils, he could already see Lou Cheng raising both of his arms, formed seals and was ready to shout.

      This is bad!

      Baco thought to himself. In a split second, he made his decision. He lowered his body suddenly and avoided the edge of the frontal attack instantly.

      Following which, he pushed both of his hands on the floor, straightened his back and swept his right leg towards the ankle of the approaching Lou Cheng. He was forcing him to dodge, forcing him to be distracted so that he couldn't use the Army Formula!

      This was the "Mantis Kick" from China that had the unique characteristics of Shengxiang mixed in it!"

      If Lou Cheng was to use this move without Force Concentration and with only his hands as support to exert force, the power on the leg might be fierce but would definitely not be considered as sharp. However, the fist arts of Shengxiang focused a lot on the kungfu of kicking and withdrawing. Through training, their entire leg was just like metal. A "mantis kick" could even split a metal bar, not to mention the fragile ankle!

      Within the explosion sound, Baco predicted Lou Cheng to jump to avoid his low sweeping kick. The joints of his arms suddenly bent and then straightened instantly. This allowed his body to leap up creepily and towards his enemy in mid-air.

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      His elbow was tilted at an angle while his knee smashed upwards. With his metal-breaking momentum, he executed a series of consecutive attacks.

      While in a perilous situation, Baco fully executed his strength and demonstrated what a grandmaster in national fist arts was like. At the same time, he had forcefully negated the disadvantageous position he was in.

      However at this moment, although he saw Lou Cheng had jumped, the seals made by both of his hands were not disordered in any sense. His expressions were serious, solemn and unchanged. He looked completely composed as though he was watching a fight between children.

      Oh no! As the thought flashed through his mind, he could already hear a low voice propagating throughout his ears.

      "Army Formula!"

      The ancient voice resonated and Baco could hear a buzzing sound in his brain. He felt that he was drowning in the bloodthirst of thousands of people, resulting in the failure of his curse and caused frightening boomerang effects. He could only feel countless hideous face with grudges wanting to drag him to endless hell by pulling his legs.

      No, no, no! He was screaming incessantly in his mind while trying his best to resist. However, he wasn't able to break free from the fear no matter how hard he struggled.

      After connecting with the Army Formula, Lou Cheng quickly lowered his arms and swung his wrists as he descended. A glowing white light was emitted and headed directly at the enemy who was still in a daze while in mid-air. Each move connected tightly and consecutively. As compared to the battle with Veigar, he had indeed improved steadily.

      "Ice Sect" Twenty-sixth style. "Ice Burning"– Modified!

      On the other side, Baco could see that he was on the verge of falling into hell. Suddenly, he felt pain cruising throughout his five organs and six viscera. It felt like there was something wriggling there vigorously!

      Leveraging on this stimulation, he woke up in fear and broke free from the influence of the Army Formula!

      At the crucial moment, secret arts "Body Protection"!

      However just as Baco walked out from the fear and terror in his heart, he saw a ball of frost light coming straight at his face, burning quietly with cold ice flames.

      Poof!

      Baco tilted his head backwards and his thoughts almost stopped. If it wasn't for his strong body, he would have fainted directly.

      While feeling a biting cold and stiffness, he wanted to shout but felt slow and powerless. Knowing that this wasn't good, he quickly released the fear in his body and instantly both of his legs landed on the floor.

      Bam bam bam! His skeletal muscles exploded in an instance. Something seemed to be wriggling and expanding in every part of his muscles as he broke through the ice layer covering his face. At the same time, his body had creepily turned from slightly slim to exaggeratedly muscular. When compared to before, he was even taller by half a head!

      Bang!

      The ring was shaking vigorously. Baco stomped his feet and threw his punch as he generated a gust of wind that could blow a kid away.

      It's just the right time! He had long made his visualisation and completed his hand seals. With his hands pointing at himself, he wriggled his abdomen, involved his throat and shouted,

      "Fighting Formula!"

      Bam! He had also grown taller. Surrounded by sounds of broken things, he pulled back his right arm and shot out a quick punch as though he was firing an arrow. His fist collided head-on with Baco's fist which was wrapped in tattered black bandage.

      Boom!

      This time, it wasn't a dull sound but a deafening explosion. Both of them shook at the same time.

      Baco, who was still experiencing lingering frost and damage, was slower by half a step. Instantly, he saw Lou Cheng had contracted his breathing and gathered his mind, residual force and recoil at his lower abdomen. This allowed him to stand firmly at his original position.

      Bam! The Dan aura in Lou Cheng's body gushed out like an erupting volcano. His left leg expanded and with a jerk in his knee, he had swung his kick towards Baco.

      At this distance and attacking speed, Baco wasn't able to dodge. He forcefully stimulated his blood and breathing to drive out his potential. Following which, he contracted his leg muscles and kicked out.

      Bang!

      After a dull sound, he, who was slower and had a weaker kick, bounced off and moved back. His body was still shaking and was about to fall.

      Lou Cheng took a small step forward, covered his left arm with crystal cold frost and pushed upwards. He clenched his right fist and struck solidly. A layer of fire started burning as his fist rubbed against the air at high speed.

      "Zhu Rong Force", Exploding Fire Fist!

      Boom! Baco had no chance for counterattack and could only lower his elbows and cross them in front of him to defend. He looked extremely sorry after withstanding the blow from the fist and the flames caused by the explosion.

      This wasn't over yet. Lou Cheng swung his left arm down with momentum, grabbed hold to Baco's shoulders and pulled him towards himself. Using the momentum, he moved to his side, raised his right arms and threw an elbow strike at the speed of lightning.

      Bam! Baco barely withstood it with his arms. However, he was sent retreating from the blow. His chest had taken a hit making him felt pressured and wanting to throw up blood.

      Lou Cheng moved again. His strength wasn't great but accurately kicked the side of his opponent's knee. Baco, who was already unsettled, finally lost his balance.

      Bam!

      Lou Cheng twisted his waist and his other leg swung out closely behind. His leg was contracted tightly as though it was a battle axe. It was tough and fierce and sent Baco flying instantly.

      Taking huge steps forward, he didn't give Baco the chance to use his curses to struggle. With a visualization of the dreamy and dark "Ice Spirit Holy Light", he threw an uppercut with momentum.

      "Severe Warning!"

      Bam! Baco lowered both of his arms and perilously tried to withstand. However, his vision suddenly went dark, and he seemed to have lost his thoughts too.

      Plop!

      He had become a "stone" and fell heavily onto the floor. He fell right at the feet of Lou Cheng and Lou Cheng quickly stopped, his fist at his throat!

      The face of the referee from Shengxiang immediately changed. He sighed secretly, raised his right arm and announced loudly,

      "Lou Cheng wins!"

      Till now, Baco, who had received consecutive blows, had not recovered from the freezing of his thoughts!

      Ka-cha!

      Ann Chaoyang had captured this moment and quickly switched to the live thread. He was still thinking of the explanatory note to be appended.

      In the thread, "Eternal Nightfall" Yan Xiaoling was anxiously rushing him,

      "And then, and then? What happened after Lou Cheng's Flame Force is beyond expectation?"

      "@Schrodinger Tiger, wake up! They must have exchanged several blows by now! What's the situation now? [Grabbing and shaking a person expression]" said "Brahman".

      Ann Chaoyang paused for a while, quickly type some words and send over with the picture.

      "And then Lou Cheng won..."

      After a short period of silence, the forum users started expressing how they felt one after another.

      "Oh damn!"

      "I really wanted to use quality three consecutive blows..."

      "Is his opponent made of paper?"

      "I heard that he is close to the inhuman stage?"

      "My mum is asking me why I'm kneeling down while looking at the forum..."

      "Ahhhhhhhh, I'll like to see a comedy!"

      ...

      Ann Chaoyang pondered seriously and explained,

      "Baco didn't dare to use curses on Lou Cheng. Moreover, he was surprised by the erupted Flame Force at the beginning of the match and quickly lost the "medium" for his curses. Because of this, his overall strength has decreased by a huge chunk and he is no longer near the inhuman stage."

      "...""Unparalleled Dragon King" sent an exclamation mark and said, "Just as I have said.

      There should be a line drawn between sixth pins and inhuman stage. It should then be named after Lou Cheng.

      "The Road to Arena" seconded and continued, "It feels like his opponent is completely helpless against Lou Cheng!"

      You guys wouldn't speak like this in just a few days... Ann Chaoyang withstood the urge to reply and thought to himself.

      In just a few days, Lou Cheng will likely start morphing!

      ....

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     473 Gathering Data

      When the staff got onto the stage and tried to transport Baco to the ER room, he finally awoke from the lengthy darkness, shivering from coldness. He then saw Lou Cheng waiting to pay his post-match respects.

      Subconsciously, Baco shriveled, his vicious countenance turning tense.

     He quickly held down the conditioned response, stood up and managed a bow.

     Out of all his battles against opponents from the same league, this was the worst one so far—he could not even do as much as return a blow.

      He initially thought he had reached the peak of his league, nearing to Wahku's level; for his opponents to stand a chance of winning against him, they had to outperform themselves or it had to be mistakes on his part. Even if Lou Cheng was strong, he couldn't be much stronger than the others. Who would have thought, he turned out to be a monster—a monster that defied all logic!

      Had it been a real fight, a fight without a referee, the swift kick Lou Cheng landed on the side of his knee was sufficient enough to break his leg!

      —— No matter how much Shengxiang boxing can toughen one's limbs like metal, they couldn't be compared to real steel before the root pulps mutated. Even if they were like real steel, in a situation where one cannot channel his strength to defend, Lou Cheng would likely have broken it no less, especially when it was the vulnerable side of a knee.

     Lou Cheng knew that Baco wasn't severely wounded, so he patiently waited until he stood up, then clasped a tightened fist in his palm as a form of respect. After going through the formalities, he turned towards the stone steps without looking back.

      　　Baco watched him in silence, until his opponent had vanished in the distance. Suppressing the lingering coldness in him, he stumbled out of the arena with a slight limp.

      ...

      　　Over where the Shengxiang representatives were, the sixth seed, Gusai, stood up and walked beside Wahku with his eyes fixed on the arena.

      　　"How strong..." he muttered.

      　　Had he been in that spot, he would have to go through a grueling battle to defeat Baco, and a moment of carelessness might even end with his defeat!

      　　Gusai was also a Sadhu, but his plump body resembled a mountain of meat, and his skin shone a dark gold, which made a sharp contrast from the gaunt, olive-complected Wahku.

      　　Wahku's eyes were on the arena as well, moving silhouettes flashing in his eyes.

      　　"Stronger every match, no less," he mused.

      　　Lou Cheng's strength grew by the day, and that was something visible to the eye!

      　　Over at the Miluo representatives' side, the beefy Veigar had slipped into a red set of general suit, crowning a large brimmed hat as usual. Sitting at the highest level, he watched in silence, like a statue that embodied strength and beauty. But as he watched Lou Cheng take down Baco easily, a silvery white light sparkled in his eyes beneath the hat's shade.

      　　Over at the Japanese representatives' side, Kaori Karasawa gently bit her lips and nodded in approval.

      　　Mouko Yamashita stood unmoving, without a word.

      　　On the day before yesterday, when the guide asked me if I had the confidence to defeat Lou Cheng, I answered firmly without the slightest hesitation—I believed that even if he made the breakthrough, he wouldn't pose a threat to me.

      　　But right now, after witnessing this battle, my resolve has slightly wavered...

      　　But of course, only slightly!

      　　The Nanzheng representatives remained hidden in the desolate side of the grandstand. Banam sat in a yoga pose, eyes shut firmly as he meditated, not paying attention to any of the matches.

      　　He wasn't about to be careless in the battle against Ann Chaoyang, because careless boxers didn't live long in Nanzheng!

      ...

      　　Lou Cheng returned to his teammates and high-fived them in sequence, before retrieving his phone from Ann Chaoyang.

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      　　Well done! As expected from the most reliable one among us!

      　　Ann Chaoyang returned a smile in high spirits, then stifled his emotions to prepare for the fight against Banam.

      　　Lou Cheng switched tab to messenger, reporting the outcome to his "boss":

      　　"So easy!"

      　　"See, I told you! [looks up, swelled with pride]" replied Yan Zheke, not forgetting to express her contempt at Baco, "What a weakling, did he even last for a minute?"

      　　"No, less than that. [adjusts spectacles smugly]" replied Lou Cheng.

      　　"Didn't they say he's stronger than that Sakata from Japan? How did he end up losing so fast? [sitting with a blank expression]" replied Yan Zheke, "Is it because your skills improved after your basic mastery of the "Emperor Yan Diagram", or did he panic after having his evil arts countered?"

      　　"You said all there is to say, so what can I say? [snickering]" replied Lou Cheng, "All that's left for me to say is "Right, right, right, Coach Yan is absolutely right!""

      　　Yan Zheke, who just left the dining table, giggled and shook her head at the reply. In high spirits, she walked to the dresser, tied her hair up, and put on a pair of black rimmed spectacles that covered almost half of her face.

      　　Another joyous day! Motivated for today's studies!

      　　It was seven A.M. where she was in America. She hurriedly packed her school bag, bid her farewells to Empress Dowager, boarded the car of full-time bodyguard, Aunt Du, and headed towards school—lessons began at eight.

      　　During the journey, she quietly browsed through her lecture notes and books, occasionally chatting with Lou Cheng or swinging by the live stream thread, saving the images of anything related to her Cheng to her phone.

      　　At seven-forty in the morning, her ride arrived at campus. With her belongings in hand, she exited the vehicle and walked towards the lecture building—where she ran into Huang Xiwen and two other upper class women, who were also from China.

      　　She gave a slight nod as greeting, before walking past them breezily, disappearing into the building under the warm sunlight.

     "So arrogant and unapproachable..." mused one of the upper class women.

      　　"She really thinks she's something else!" added Huang Xiwen.

      　　Lou Cheng was famous at Songcheng University, and Yan Zheke was well-known even before him, so Huang Xiwen obviously knew that they were in a relationship.

      　　However, from her point of view, if two people were countries apart, no matter how strong they felt for each other, the feelings will eventually diminish and die out because of temptations. Therefore, she felt that their relationship had already been sentenced to death. That's why she was proactive in inviting her and trying to establish a connection—which would in turn increase her popularity among her classmates.

      　　Hmph, as the Heavenly Son of China at the moment, Lou Cheng probably has girls swarming around him. You won't be able to keep him in check even if you were right beside him, keeping an eye on him at all times, much less a long distance relationship. He might be able to restrain himself at the start, but as time goes on, he'll eventually move on to another girl. What kind of man doesn't cheat under such circumstances?

      　　"Let's see you cry when that time comes!" muttered Huang Xiwen, shaking her head before joining the upper class women in school life gossip.

      　　Tap, tap, tap. Yan Zheke walked up the stairs deftly, along the corridor sprinkled in sunlight, towards the lecture room.

      　　That's when she heard her Caucasian classmates beside her having a lively discussion.

      　　"The King of the Youth Pro League is real dope!"

      　　"You watched it too? You remember in the last match how he punched out like this? Freaking sick!"

      　　One of the boys stepped out with his left leg, punching out in a sliding motion with his legs. It was evident that he was a diehard Martial Arts fan.

     This movement was familiar to Yan Zheke, since it was Lou Cheng's punch that knocked out most of Baco's evil art antics—Ann Chaoyang took a shot of it too.

      　　The corners of her lips went up, then she pressed her pinkish lips together, her pace brisker than before.

      ...

      　　In the Shengxiang stadium, a sea of cheers erupted as the highlighted match was about to begin.

      　　Waving to his teammates, Ann Chaoyang dug out all of his belongings— cellphone, digital camera, headphones, wallet and other miscellaneous items—, and left them with Lou Cheng.

      　　Just before he pivoted and headed out for the arena, a voice call out from behind.

      　　"Ann Chaoyang!"

      　　Huh? Ann Chaoyang looked back in confusion, and Lou Cheng was there, smiling with his right fist extended— an encouragement ritual before the match began.

      　　At that moment, Ann Chaoyang was taken back to the days in Huahai University Martial Arts Club and the times he had during district contest and National Competition four years ago.

      　　He chuckled, lifted his fist and bumped it against Lou Cheng's fist.

      　　"Do your best!"cheered Lou Cheng, waving his fist vigorously.

      　　Following his lead, Peng Leyun and Ren Li joined in, each fist-bumping Ann Chaoyang before cheering him on.

      　　"Go get them!"

      　　"Good luck!"

      　　Ann Chaoyang waved his fist gently as a sign of thanks, then turned and strode towards the arena, with newfound determination and a fighting spirit.

      …

      　　Over at the Japanese representative's side, Mouko Yamashita turned to a man standing beside the coach. He had unkempt hair, a pair of spectacles fixed on his nose, and was hammering away on his laptop.

      　　"How's the data gathering coming along?" Mouko Yamashita inquired in a low voice.

      　　The man with unkempt hair pushed a finger up his spectacles.

      　　"It's starting to take shape. We can perfect it through more competitions, but we haven't gotten the most important bit— their genetic information. Unlike China, we don't have enough Mighty Ones for research, so we have to resort to other means. The most valuable ones are the samurais past mutation, and the Chinese aren't wary about this. Maybe they don't see its importance, so they pay little attention to the area," he paused, then looked towards Ichiei Sakata who was attracted by their voices, and said, "With their DNA, and the ones of Veigar and Wahku that we have collected over the past years, our research will advance by leaps and bounds. Ichiei-kun,whether or not you can attain the true "Hadou" might ride on this."

     "Even though China doesn't pay much attention to this aspect, they are still being quite cautious. We haven't gotten anything the past few days, looks like their coach did a good job cleaning up," Mouko Yamashita paused, then continued, "You think Shengxiang, Miluo and Nanzheng might be doing the same thing?"

     The man with unkempt hair curled his lips.

      　　"With their technology…..heh," he scoffed, fully expressing his disdain without having the need to finish his sentence.

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     474 Striking the Iron While It“s Ho

      After sending Ann Chaoyang to the ring with their encouraging eyes, Lou Cheng and the rest went back doing their own things. One was in a daze, one was looking at his phone while the other was still researching a route to the washroom. They were all waiting for the start of the competition and didn't interact further.

      "Why don't you guys talk a little more? Do you guys still discuss how you would approach the previous match? Or what your chances would be?" Guide Zhong asked with interest and broke the silence.

      Lou Cheng took a look at him, smiled faintly and replied,

      "Those are the matches that we are rather confident of… As of now, saying that Ann Chaoyang will lose would be like cursing him. Believing that he will win will accumulate bad karma for lying. Either option isn't right so we might as well not say anything."

      "Yeah yeah!" Ren Li nodded her head in approval.

      "Yeah, it is just like he said," replied Peng Leyun as he returned from the "Heavens".

      Lou Cheng's summary was on point!

      ...

      As he took steps towards the ring, Ann Chaoyang retrieved a hair band from his clothes and secured his long hair so that it wouldn't interfere with his fight.

      After jumping onto the stage, he stood on the left side of the referee. He adjusted himself and tried to get the lake in his heart to settle down and have no ripples or waves willing himself to become calmer. At the same time, the reflections of his surroundings were connected to his thoughts and allowed him to clearly identify his opponent quicker and more accurately.

      "Water Sect" special kungfu, "Lake and Mirror Liked Wisdom"!

      After reaching the physical invulnerability state, it could evolve further. Its name would still be "Lake and Mirror Like Wisdom". It was just that there were some words before it:

      "Water Sect" Seventh Style!

     His eyes became gloomy; there were ripples swaying lightly. Ann Chaoyang's aura started to extend into his surroundings.

      Banam's stature wasn't tall but was strong as an iron cast and his hands and legs were wrapped in white bandages. When he saw his opponent, he immediately felt as though he was facing a piece of boundless sea. It was deep and distant, swaying lightly and was capable of both holding and swallowing everything.

      When this aura spread outwards, his surroundings became pressurized creating a feeling of anxiety and frustration. It was the calm right before the storm: the atmosphere before a major battle.

     Banam's Zhahe Boxing was a traditional boxing art in Nanzheng. It was developed from the fundamentals of close combat martial arts from China, killing arts in the battlefield, assassination techniques of the army, and various other martial arts. It was similar to the style of "Dark Infinite Sutra" (Dark Sect). Although it allowed him to posses the secret technique to influence the mind of his opponent, he did not like to engage in head-on confrontation. By slowing himself to change his pace, he was like a fish in water and managed to creepily break away from the aura suppression of Ann Chaoyang. After arriving at the predetermined position, he didn't seem to be affected much.

      It was only now that he started to seriously scrutinize the opponent opposite of him and making a comparison with the impression he had after looking through the information. He always looked like he was lacking sleep and seemed to be able to yawn anytime...

      He's a very smart martial art practitioner. Smart wasn't describing his intelligence but rather his talents as a martial arts practitioner. Rumours had it that he often had his own perspectives…...

      Because of the distance, language barriers and other factors, the information Banam had on Ann Chaoyang wasn't complete. Therefore he, who had just advanced, became even more careful.

      Just as the two of them began scrutinizing each other, the referee raised his right hand and waved down quickly.

      "Begin!"

      Banam pounced. He wasn't moving in a straight line, but instead made a beautiful arc to avoid the edge of his opponent. In just one moment, he had pressed into the side of his opponent.

      Ann Chaoyang did not move. Seeing that he couldn't lock down his opponent, he decided to just remain in his position and waited for Banam to approach him — His biggest strength was his "Lake and Mirror Like Wisdom," and this technique had the limitation of distance!

      The dull and deep lake in his heart just managed to reflect the figure of his opponent when his view suddenly turned black. It was as though all the lights of the stadium were turned off and there weren't any stars or moon to illuminate the place.

      It wasn't just that. The silence from the area surrounding him gave him the creeps as there wasn't any sound at all.

      If it was another martial arts practitioner, he would have panicked. However Ann Chaoyang had made mental preparations in advance. He didn't care about the darkness and the sudden creepy loss of "sight" and "hearing". As he followed the signs of the movements from the "Lake", he clenched his fist tightly, shifted his elbows sideways and smashed across!

      Bam!

      From his fist to his arm, he felt a relatively cold bit of flesh and an extremely dark and sharp force.

      As the sounds of impact propagated, the darkness was broken instantly. Ann Chaoyang was able to see the light and hear the surrounding noise again! The creepy scene previously was the inhuman ability Banam had mastered, "Darkness"!

      Bam! Banam failed in his first attack and immediately switched to a close combat form. After a fist blow, he immediately tilted his elbow and smashed across or changed it to a palm for slice attack or poke. At the same time, he used his knees to attack from the bottom too. The crazy series of attacks were as fast as a hurricane and caused Ann Chaoyang to be unable to use "Force Concentration" on time. Ann Chaoyang was completely overwhelmed by his strength and speed. With every strike, there was a dim shimmering at the edge of Banam's palms or fingernails.

      Bang!

      Relying on "Lake and Mirror Like Wisdom" Ann Chaoyang was always able to plan in advance. Using the advantage of being in the inner lane and the defensive characteristics of "Water Sect", he was able to barely withstand the attacks. It might seem that he was already on the line but in actual fact, he was not close to defeat yet.

      As a boxing arts practitioner with a distinct style, Banam did not have the patience to accumulate his advantage slowly to a victory. As he fought to the point of satisfaction, he suddenly changed his tempo. He looked like he was going to continue fierce attacks but in actuality, he was slower by half a beat. He was waiting for Ann Chaoyang to make the resulting response. As it happened, a dull light shimmered in his eyes and formed a creepy "flair"!

      Zhahe boxing, "Serene Sting"!

      Seeing this, Ann Chaoyang's heart constricted. He could no longer care about other things. He made a decisive decision to directly constrict his blood, air, mind and force. As Banam was executing his secret arts, Ann Chaoyang poured all of his strength to his lower abdomen.

      It was well timed without a moment of error!

      If he did not have Lake and Mirror Like Wisdom or practice multiple times during normal days, Ann Chaoyang would never have been able to achieve similar feats. It wouldn't matter if he was faster or slower!

      With the dull light brightening then dulling once again, Banam took half a stride forward and shifted his arm quickly. He swifty extended his fist and waited to leverage the time as his opponent was still affected by "Serene Sting".

      However his "Serene Sting" felt like he had hit a dead man who had lost his flesh and blood, and as a result, it didn't have much effect. With the force accumulated in the abdomen erupting, Ann Chaoyang regained his senses instantly. Using the momentum, he extended his arm and struck with his right arm out to stop the attack of his opponent on time.

      In the dull impact, both sides were shaken. Banam who did not strike with full force was at a slight disadvantage. However, Ann Chaoyang grabbed hold to this opportunity by using the strength of his opponent against him and executed consecutive explosion at the Dan Stage. With the "momentum of the flood" striking harder and harder with each strike, he was able to turn defence into offence. He continued taunting his opponent and gradually gained the upper hand!

      Double explosion, triple explosion, quadruple explosion all the way to nine consecutive explosions. He was borrowing strength all along and was getting fiercer as the battle continued. His strike was heavier with each strike and his kick was fiercer than each before. Banam could only remain defending against the attacks or take steps back. His tendons, vessels and organs seemed to be experiencing drowning as he gradually felt obstructed!

      This made Banam feel a little unwell. He believed that his attacks previously were too rushed with too many problems. They weren't compatible with his own thoughts on typical days. As a result, his opponent was able to grab hold on to this opportunity.

      As he defended himself, he suddenly remembered something about mentally extracting aura from his opponents. The aura felt just like a frustrated hurricane approaching. Instantly, he realised he had fallen for the "trick" and made a mistake.

      He's indeed a very smart martial arts practitioner!

      Bam!

      It was another fierce attack. After that attack, Ann Chaoyang made a change to his pace and started to visualise "Approaching Raging floods and ever-increasing water level" in his mind. Following which, the image of a "Dam collapsing under pressure" appeared in his mind.

      "Water Sect" Simplified Physical Invulnerability Move, "Deluge"!

      Ann Chaoyang's stature became taller and bigger and cracked the floor with just his weight. Without throwing a punch, he tilted his body and leaned over.

      Bam!

      Banam made the right response and defended on time. However his centre of gravity was still affected as he staggered two steps backwards.

      Ann Chaoyang immediately pressed ahead and attacked consecutively with both of his arms. Inter-switching his legs, he continued with crazy consecutive explosions. From time to time, he would mix in other strikes from the "Water Sect" to supplement the Simplified Physical Invulnerability Move "Deluge". His strikes resulted in endless "Pa" sounds and forced Banam to a position of distraughtness.

      "Is he going to win?" Zhong Ningtao wiped the sweat off his huge back and couldn't help but sigh.

      Could Ann Chaoyang really defeat an expert at the inhuman stage? Even if his opponent had just advanced not too long ago?

      After he spoke, Renli glanced at him, shook her head and said with a low voice,

      "Nope, he's about to lose..."

      "Huh?" Zhong Ningtao didn't know whether he should doubt his eyes or ears.

      Ann Chaoyang had clearly accumulated the momentum to win!

      He immediately turned towards Lou Cheng and Peng Leyun. One of them was covering his mouth while the other seemed to be deep in thought. Both of them didn't seem to be harbouring high hopes.

      In the intense battle, just when he was intending to execute one last "Deluge", Ann Chaoyang suddenly felt exhausted and the circulation of his strength wasn't smooth at all. As a result, his strikes were slower by half a beat and allowed Banam to escape from his suppression to his side.

      This type of exhaustion did not disappear but gotten more serious. Ann Chaoyang suddenly remembered in the exchanges of blows with Banam previously, Banam's fingernails, the edge of the palms and other areas were shimmering with some dull light. He also connected this thought to the killer move "Hidden Scent" used in the match between Ren Li and Lou Cheng! Find authorized novels in Webnovel，faster updates, better experience，Please click www.webnovel.com for visiting.

      Could Banam's "Darkness" subconsciously weaken his opponents till they were exhausted?

      I was using Force Concentration constantly previously to negate the effects and that was why I lasted until now?

      Without the first strike, his advantage quickly dissipated. Ann Chaoyang was forced back into a difficult situation. After being ambushed by Banam twice, he finally could not withstand further attacks and exposed his weakness. As his opponent exploited his weakness, the voice "Banam wins" sounded.

      Puff. There's still a distinct difference in strength... He heaved out a sigh and bowed at Banam. After which, he turned around and left the ring.

      When he returned to his original position, he did not talk much about the previous match with Lou Cheng and the rest. They gave one-another a high-five and the hidden chemistry and encouragement thoughts were conveyed without using words. After a while, Peng Leyun quickly finished his opponents off and ended the third round of the double-elimination matches. There were a total of 6 people who had accumulated two matches of failure and therefore had to leave, leaving seventeen contestants remaining.

      As it was only necessary to eliminate one contestant for the round of sixteen, it would be pointless to spend one day to conduct the fourth round. If the first match confirmed the contestant to be eliminated, the audience who arrived at the Shengxiang stadium would only able to witness a single match. The committee decided instead to immediately start the fourth round of double-elimination matches. They will first draw out a pair for the match and then draw the second match after the first match had ended.

      Before Lou Cheng and the rest were drawn, the first match had determined the seventeen ranked contestant in this four countries competition. He was the eighth seed, Li Shaokang. The top sixteen were out: The first six seeds, four wild cards and 6 other contestants had successfully made it to the next round.

      At this stage, there would be monetary rewards. The top sixteen would receive a hundred thousand, top eight would receive two hundred thousand, top four would receive four hundred thousand, third place would receive five hundred thousand, second place would replace seven hundred thousand and the champion would receive one million and five hundred thousand.

      "There will be two days of rest coming up. Don't run around." Coach Zhong Ningtao reminded them again after returning to the hotel. He made a point to emphasize that to Ren Li who was in front of him.

      Lou Cheng nodded his head and had no objections. On his way back to his room, he took out his phone and sent Yan Zheke a message. With a [Pumping clenched fist expression], he sent,

      "I have to burn the midnight oil tonight!"

      He struck the iron while it was hot and mastered the "Emperor Yan Force"!

      He had to start morphing within the next two days!

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     475 Rebalancing ice and flames

      Yan Zheke, who was in the middle of her class, wasted no time in giving a short and sweet reply to Lou Cheng's declaration.

      "You can do it hubby!"

      Lou Cheng chuckled at the reply, then replied with a reaction image of a person in red headband striving to work hard. Putting his phone aside, he got into a stance and began visualizing the dense "Emperor Yan Statue", clad in liquid flames— in order to control the "Flame Force" in his body, guiding and gathering it before compressing it.

      With some breaks in between, four to five hours of training quickly passed. By that time, eighty percent of the world's lights had seemingly been switched off, and darkness ruled the world again. Lou Cheng's eyes snapped open, a flare flashing across his irises— dazzling white to red, like the dangling sun during dawn.

      Enhancing forces was neither an easy task nor a hard one. After the basic mastery of the essence of "Emperor Yan Diagram", and with the experience from practicing "Ice Spirit Force" as reference, he successfully completed the enhancement from "Zhurong Force" to "Emperor Yan Force". The flame force in him turned from scarlet to white, became dense and heavy, and barely formed a circulation that saved him the trouble of having to train from the start after each use.

     Lou Cheng twisted his neck, then shook his head about as his joints cracked like beans in a pot. Find authorized novels in Webnovel，faster updates, better experience，Please click www.webnovel.com for visiting.

      He took a moment to regulate his breathing, then grabbed his keycard and set off for the hotel pool on level 31, everything still fresh in his mind.

      It was midnight. The pool had been closed off and not a person was in sight, but this was not a problem to Lou Cheng. He flipped in through a window, then hopped past the obstacles on the outer walls as if he was traveling on flat ground, before easily sliding in from the other side.

      In the darkness, the silent pool stretched endlessly deep to the extent that one could barely see its bottom, much like the ones in those horror films.

      Lou Cheng slipped out of his shoes and socks, then T-shirt and shorts. Half-naked, he dived into the pool. His entrance did not leave so much so as a splash, only ripples that slowly fanned out in rings.

      He didn't decend long before he touched the bottom. He crossed his legs and sat down before shutting his eyes.

      Holding his breath, his body was sequestered from the air. All that was around him was gentle waves , and it was as though Lou Cheng had returned to the time when he was still in his mother's womb. Calmness enveloped his heart, as his internal circulations naturally adjusted, and he no longer had to envision his organs, tendons, blood vessels and muscles.

      "Ice Spirit Holy Light Diagram" and "Emperor Yan Diagram" intersected distinctly, and as Lou Cheng worked out the two forces, he slowly began to understand their reliance and influence on the delicate parts of the root pulp.

      In the environment he was in, the feelings were mysterious and unique!

      Every once in a while, Lou Cheng has to resurface to renew his breath before sinking to the bottom again— feeling his control and attempting to manipulate it.

      He failed over and over again— even though he had stepped into the realms of Inhuman, morphing had its own difficulties, and it was not something that could be achieved overnight.

      Huff... it was just past five A.M. and the sky was still dark. Swimming to the edge of the pool, Lou Cheng held on to the ledge with both arms then heaved a heavy sigh along with his impatience.

     When he regained his composure, the mirror of ice began forming again. Reluctant to give up, he tumbled and dived down once more.

      This time, when visualizing "Emperor Yan Diagram" and "Ice Spirit Holy Light Diagram" bore no fruits, he began thinking from another direction and attempted to use "Force Concentration".

      He withdrew his Qi and blood, then his spirit. Ice and flame formed a balance, swirling and intertwining, forming a human body big dan that blended well with the starry sky in his lower abdomen.

      Within the "Big dan", a sudden change occured, as the "Ice Spirit" spread out and stretched into an endless expanse of starry sky in the background— extremely cold, extremely vast and extremely dark, without a hint of heat or sound. Then the "Emperor Yan" collapsed, and when it gathered again, it spat out liquid flames and other substances that turned into globes of suns and stars.

     The perfect harmony between the two was like a reflection of the universe. It was similar, yet different from before.

     Lou Cheng shuddered, and felt like the "human body big dan" he had generated was beginning to resonate with the night sky above him and his surroundings.

     With a buzz, something caused the Jindan in his lower abdomen to quiver. Ripples spread out on the water, below the dazzling radiance of the starry sky, unexpected causing a disharmony and imperfection.

     The "Big dan" exploded, sending blasts of force out. At that instant, Lou Cheng felt a slight tremor in his root pulp, giving him a vague sense of confidence.

      He suddenly realized he was rising up in the water, all the way until he surfaced at the top. Opening his eyes, he recollected a summary of the events that just transpired. He felt as if the balance between ice and flame and his human body big dan was closer to perfection as compared to the Longhu Immortal's Jindan. It was also more natural which was crucial when it came to connecting heaven and earth to achieve the physical invulnerability state.

      As expected, as times change and things improve, so did training, thought Lou Cheng.

      He was lucky to be able to stand atop the shoulders of all these amazing people!

      You can learn from people of the past, but you cannot copy them!

      After he had inspected his body, he sank to the bottom again, following the path of thought he had come up with earlier, using "Force Concentration" to balance ice and flames, in an attempt to influence his root pulp.

      The sky began to light up. Daylight shone across the pool water, revealing large shards of frozen ice and frost marks, and also the gurgling spots of "hot spring" where hot, white steam rose into the air.

      Splash! Lou Cheng stood up, right on top of the surface of the water, with only the sole of his foot submerged in water.

      His wet hair laid flat. His exposed muscles were well-defined and beautifully shaped. Droplets of water slid down the surface of his skin, accentuating his masculine charms.

      One step, two steps, three steps... Lou Cheng treaded on the water, without any signs of submerging. He ambled to the edge of the pool, collected and carelessly slid into his T-shirt, shorts, shoes and socks... then left the place.

      Perhaps it was due to his natural possession of supernatural ability, but the miracle he had created was much more ridiculous than Peng Leyun's one.

      When he returned to his room, he grabbed his phone as a smile crept up his face, and began frantically typing away.

      "You are going to see my 5th Pin certificate by September! [snickering]"

      Yes, he had tasted success in leading his root pulp to mutation, which meant that he had officially began to morph. In a matter of ten or so days, he will be reborn into an Inhuman.

      And starting from then, until the end of morphing, he will literally be getting stronger day by day— a visible change that anyone would be able to see.

     Yan Zheke, in the midst of her last lesson, replied in a flash.

     "[snickering] Cheng, the other way of describing an "Inhuman" is that they are not a human, and Cheng, you are definitely not a human~ [hammers the ground while laughing]"

      Sensing the joy and excitement in her words, Lou Cheng felt like he was on cloud nine. Shaking his head gently, he let out a laugh, and suddenly he wanted to see her. He wanted to act on impulse and video chat with her— especially since he had been sparring for the past few mornings and missed out on the best times for video chatting.

      But remembering that Ke was still in class, he managed to hold back and settled with a text reply.

      During her class, Yan Zheke felt joyous and prideful, but there was also a tiny tinge of melancholy mixed in between.

      Cheng is becoming better and better, what about me?

      She lifted her head and looked towards the lecturer, as a new found motivation for schoolwork coursed through her.

      I too need to become a better version of myself!

      ...

      norrmal

      "It's freezing!" exclaimed a girl.

      "Ow, it's scalding!" screamed a guy flopping out of the water, as if he just dove into a hot spring without mental preparations.

      At the same time, Lou Cheng made a call to Geezer Shi to deliver the good news.

      "Master, I have mastered the "Emperor Yan Force"!"

      He did not mention anything about the morphing. He wanted to tell his master when the time was right.

      "Hm, not bad," replied Geezer Shi. He was hardly surprised since he already expected it to happen. Smacking his lips, he said, "Looks like you can attempt to morph now, smelly brat. Actually, other than making the breakthrough underwater, there are many other methods that I suspect might be more suitable for you, for example…"

      Lou Cheng was thunderstruck.

      "Master, w-why didn't you tell me earlier?" he stuttered after some silence.

      I already began morphing!

      After a gruelling session underwater!

      With Geezer Shi's experience, he instantly guessed the current status of his disciple and gave a heh-heh laugh.

      "This is the first time in this old man's life to see such a silly disciple. Who doesn't consult their master before attempting to make the breakthrough?" he said, before continuing,

      "Even if we talked about these things before, it was hardly in depth… Haha, cough...."

      He was laughing to the extent that he was coughing. This was definitely going down as his joke of the year.

      Lou Cheng reddened and secretly cursed at his master's playfulness.

      "I was just planning to test it out myself and consult you only if I ran into any problems…" he replied with smiles.

      "Don't bother explaining, cough, haha, smelly brat, you have a long way to go…" laughed Geezer Shi, who before he hung up, began humming and dug out his treasured wine.

      ...

      The day and a half after that, Lou Cheng caught a wink and carried on his morphing; he also found a suitable timing to video chat with Yan Zheke.

      On August 20th, Shengxiang stadium was packed with people, the sea of enthusiasm returning along with more fierce battles.

      After finding their respective seats, Lou Cheng and the rest had to sit through a theatrical performance before the guest of honor walked up the stage to draw the lots for the Top 16 matches. Four matches were scheduled for that night, and four more on the following night.

      The guest of honor dunked his hand into the box and retrieved a ball. Then he took a glance at the words.

      "China, Lou Cheng!" he announced, displaying the words for all to see.

      Shit, I'm the first to get picked... thought Lou Cheng as he let out a laugh. Straightening himself up, he waited for the confirmation of his opponent's identity.

      Once again, the guest of honor rifled through the ball box before grabbing one out and displaying it.

      "Japan, Mouko Yamashita!"

      The fifth seed, Mouko Yamashita!

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     476 The Plans Of The “All-Knowing Man”

      "Japan, Mouko Yamashita!"

      When he heard the announcement from the Guest, Mouko Yamashita's looks changed. He revealed a smile and mumbled to himself in a low voice,

      "Great!"

      When Lou Cheng easily defeated Baco in the third round of the double-elimination matches, his confidence had actually shaken slightly. This was unforgivable. In the traditions of "Extreme Hadouken", there was no room for cowardice. He had to make amends immediately and win against him in battle. Now that I'm matched with Lou Cheng, this is just as I wish!

      I will be using this victory to erase the "blight" in me!

      Moreover this can even help me to complete the secret mission!

      A researcher with messy hair, who was standing beside Mouko Yamashita, adjusted his spectacles and beamed with delight. Sakata Ichiei and the rest of the members were all filled with anticipation. There were even some of them showing fervour who shouted,

      "Mouku kun, it's time to show "Extreme Hadou Sect" to the world!"

      Since the start of the competition, Mouko Yamashita's luck in the draw had been great. He had not met any strong opponents and wasn't able to fully demonstrate the dominance of "Extreme Hadou Sect". Moreover with Sakata Ichiei and other disciples were eliminated one after another, the sect had lost some respect from others.

      Facing the request, Mouko Yamashita straightened his back, nodded his head with a serious face and continued,

      "Alright (Hai)!"

      ...

      "Mouko Yamashita?" Lou Cheng was stunned for a second. He laughed in self-mockery and continued, "This luck is really bad!"

      To meet one at inhuman stage at the round of sixteen!

      With regards to the draws, he wasn't surprised nor disappointed at all. In the round of sixteen, they still followed the rules where contestants from the same country would not meet. Excluding himself and the other three, there were twelve other options. Among which, there were a total of five at the inhuman stage. The probability of drawing them was almost half. On his way to the Shengxiang Stadium, he had already made the mental preparations to face a strong enemy!

      Not waiting for Peng Leyun, Ann Chaoyang and Ren Li to open their mouth, Lou Cheng lowered his head, looked at his phone, and said to Yan Zheke with a [crying from laughing expression],

      "I got matched with another tiger (note: Literal interpretation of Yamashita is "Fierce Tiger")….."

      "Schrodinger Tiger Vs the Wild Tiger from the mountains... My money is on the Quantum Physics Sciencers!" Yan Zheke made her replies very quickly. It was as though she was taking her phone out from time to time to check if the results from the draw were out. She "scratched her head" and said, "If you were drawn against him a few days ago, I'm definitely would not be confident. However you have undergone morphing over the past two days. I have high hopes for you! [pat on shoulder expression]"

      "In that case, I must not let your hopes down! [Motivated expression]" replied Lou Cheng

      Frankly speaking, he did have some confidence. He was even interested to give it a try!

      Mouko Yamashita only managed to create "Ha" in May and advanced in level. His standards were at least half a step lower than Veigar. I could even fight Veigar to that extent before my morphing. How hard could it be now?

      Over the last two days, using the current lingo to describe my strength would be: It's rising even when I'm drinking water!

      After replying, he seemed to feel something. He raised his head and found Peng Leyun, Ren Li, Ann Chaoyang and Zhong Ningtao were all looking at him.

      "What's the matter?" asked Lou Cheng puzzedly.

      "I was thinking of giving you some encouragement or even some consolation words. However looking at you now, it seems that there's nothing much I have to say.," laughed Peng Leyun.

      This dude was happy playing with his phone and full of smiles. He didn't need our encouragement or whatsoever!

      Ann Chaoyang "opened" his eyes and nodded his head at the same time as Ren Li.

      Lou Cheng laughed shyly and pointed to the ring.

      "They are drawing the second group now."

      For this group, Veigar was matched with an unseeded contestant who was also not a wild card contestant.

      Using the break in between, Lou Cheng looked at the screen again and made his replies. At this moment, he saw "Talker" sent him a message:

      "I heard that you will be going against an inhuman soon?"

      "How do you know?" Lou Cheng replied with a [Shocked Expression].

      I don't think I talked about the four countries competition to student Xiao Ming. We have just been talking about random things for the last few days.

      "I suddenly felt like visiting your forum and found that you have been handed over to the nation and are taking part in some "King of Youth Pro League". You are even matched against a Japanese expert, Mouko Yamashita, who is at the inhuman stage... Is there some animosity between you and his parents?" said Cai Zongming. " I'm here specifically to tell you something and to console you for meeting a strong opponent."

      "What do you want to say?" Lou Cheng replied casually without thinking.

      Cai Zongming replied,

      "[Sinister smile expression] You must persevere!"

      "Scram!" Lou Cheng replied in a clear and concise way but still couldn't help but laugh.

      As time passed, the third group was drawn. Banam's luck was great and he was matched with an unseeded contestant who was also not a wild card contestant. After a short while, the guest started to draw the line-up for the fourth group. He shouted the name of Peng Leyun.

      The atmosphere at the other representative group changed slightly and was slightly tense. Without letting them guessed for too long, the guest grabbed the next round ball, took a look at it showed it to the crowd and said,

      "Shengxiang, Wahku!"

      The third seed, "Arhat" Wahku!

      "Great..." Peng Leyun lazy expression corrected and a lightning-like light shimmered in his eyes. It seemed that he was looking forward to an opponent of this level for a very long time!

      Lou Cheng and the rest didn't speak too much and only pitied Veigar for three seconds.

      It's finally your turn to witness who's the real devil!

      At the place of the representative group of Shengxiang, Wahku stood upright with his chest forward. His expression was still sad and full of hatred. The expressions on the other members around had all became worse.

      After that, another guest drew the match-up for the other four groups. Ren Li continued with her good luck and would be facing an unseeded contestant who was also not holding a wild card just like Veigar and Banam.

      In the live thread, the place had erupted after Lou Cheng was drawn against an inhuman expert. Everyone was commenting fervently and arguing incessantly.

      "Unparalleled Dragon King" said with a [joking expression], "Don't worry, Lou Cheng's chances in this match aren't small. Even if it wasn't half, he should still have about thirty percent. Think about it, he almost defeated Veigar and what's more, it's Mouku Yamashita who is weaker. As long as he has the same performance as when he defeated Baco, I wouldn't say he has no chances of winning!"

      However the feeling when fighting someone weaker than you and someone who is one stage stronger than you will definitely be different. Lou Cheng probably couldn't replicate the smooth and fluent performance." The "Pig-Riding Knight" pointed out the problem with that argument and received the recognition from the "road to the arena" and the rest.

      "Invincible Punch" was more inclined to agree with "Unparalleled Dragon King's" judgement.

      "When Lou Cheng fought with Veigar, he also had a performance above his norm!"

      "It's different from that time. He had something new at that time. The "Army" Formula can be considered unexpected which caused Veigar to have miscalculated. As for now, everyone more or less has a good grasp of what Lou Cheng had. When facing an inhuman, it will be very hard for him to clinch the initiative and create chances," A Plumber Eating Mushroom" commented.

      "You aren't wrong but it still goes back to that old question. Mouko Yamashita is weaker than Veigar. Taking a discount on both sides, Lou Cheng still has his chances!" Unparalleled Dragon King" insisted on his own views.

      "Eternal Nightfall" Yan Xiaoling continued,

      "[Observing in the Dark expression] What you all are saying all have good reasons... I choose to go and die. No, I meant to pray. Make a wish!"

      "I support Xiao Long! Oh right, did anyone of you go and inform "All-knowing Man in Ganghood" to be prepared to delete his account. It will take at most three months!""Brahman" was using this to relieve the uneasiness and nervousness in her heart.

      "I had already tagged him. Don't have to thank me for that. I'm a young pioneer!""Okamoto's Fan" replied with an "evil smile".

      At this very moment, "All-knowing Man in Ganghood" was browsing the videos of the first few battles of the four countries competition. His face got paler as he watched.

      "It will at most be two months...""It's about time to direct the traffic to my public account. When I have to delete my WeChat account, it wouldn't be a big deal. In the worst case, I can just start a secondary account!"

      Yeah, I better make the best of my time. Otherwise, Lou Cheng might have broken through before I redirected my followers.

      ...

      8 o'clock that night, the representative groups walked out from their changing rooms respectively and returned to their original location.

      Mouko Yamashita was resting both of his hands on his knees and remained seated while waiting. When the referee had arrived, he stood up suddenly like a mountain towering over the others.

      "Mouku kun, it's all on you now!" The researcher with messy hair bowed at him from the side.

      Mouko Yamashita nodded his head slightly in response.

      The sequence of the draw had Lou Cheng in front, so he had no choice but to give up on the white dojo suit he wore for karate and changed into the reserved red attire.

      As he was about to walk towards the ring, he suddenly noticed the beautiful Kaori Karasawa from the edge of his eyes. She was standing at a position parallel to his position and her sweet and low voice transmitted to his ears.

      "Are you really going to do as they say?"

      Hmph? Mouko Yamashita showed a puzzled face and looked to the side.

      Kaori Karasawa was looking straight and her voice went straight to Yamashita without spreading,

      "This would be an insult to martial arts. As long as you appear, you got to respect your opponent. Moreover Lou Cheng isn't weak. Are you really going to extract "materials" in a hurry? You might very well lose to him then. Mouku-kun, go all out and defeat him first before seeing if there's another way."

      Mouku Yamashita maintained silence for a while and didn't reply. He took huge strides and walked towards the stone steps with frightening momentum.

      After walking two or three steps ahead, he nodded his head very slightly while back facing Kaori Karasawa.

      ...

      After taking a look at the electronic clock, Lou Cheng also stood up. He took the initiative to do a fist bump with every single one of them and receive various encouragement words of "All the best!".

      At this moment, the special reminder music also sounded. He picked it up and took a look at the oven photo sent by Yan Zheke. Inside it was a cake and other things. The color indicated that it was slightly burnt and it was oddly shaped.

      "Cough, I have taken time to practise this!" said Yan Zheke.

      "Therefore, what you wanted to say is 'All the best, I'm waiting for you to come back and have it'?" Lou Cheng helped her to complete her hidden words with smiles.

      Yan Zheke replied,

      "[Thumbs up expression], You know me the best and all the best!"

      "Victory!" Lou Cheng shouted out the slogan and exited QQ. Switching back to the live thread page, he threw the phone to Ann Chaoyang and laughed, Find authorized novels in Webnovel，faster updates, better experience，Please click www.webnovel.com for visiting.

      "Photograph me in a way that makes me look better!"

      After speaking, he walked confidently to the ring. There wasn't fear but only battle will!

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     477 Twists and turns

      "He's got good mentality," laughed Ann Chaoyang, turning towards Peng Leyun and Ren Li. He held his phone up, fidgeted with it for a few seconds, then snapped a shot of his teammate's silhouette—a figure that was neither lofty nor hefty, but determined and full of fighting spirit!

      He studied the picture contentedly, secretly complimenting himself— please address me as Reliable Ann!

      The thought flashed in his mind as he uploaded the picture, along with the text he came up with—"He disembarks on another journey,

      fearless in the face of a mighty enemy".

      Right after posting it, he refreshed the page. To his surprise, a number of new replies had already popped up. This sub-forum is insanely popular to have so many people trying to leave early comments, he realized.

      "Good shot!"—A terse compliment from "Unparalleled Dragon King".

      Next in line to reply was the young girl, "Wonton Seller".

      "Hahahaha, I didn't know there was this poetic side to you, Little Tiger. Come, let me teach you how to cook!"

      Eh... Ann Chaoyang's brows furrowed. His droopy eyes had narrowed into a slit. He hit refresh once more.

      "This photo... is taken up close, @Schrodinger's Tiger, don't tell me you are at the grandstand, right next to them? [nibbling on thumb]" replied "Brahman".

      Ann Chaoyang gulped, before uneasily replying "Yes."

      At the same time, Lou Cheng approached the arena. Since his opponent was a powerful Mighty One, he could not be as relaxed and at ease like when he fought Baco. Shuddering slightly, the secreted hormones made him more focused and more excited.

      He knew that the unfathomable state he entered during the previous fight was something that came by chance, not something he can obtain intentionally. Without feeling upset, he retracted his thoughts and visualized— a mirror of ice, lake water caving in. His emotions were like ice. In an unmoving state, his insurmountable fighting spirit and piercing bloodlust were clearly reflected. A layer of aura was naturally spread out, giving shape to a terrifying blizzard, and his flesh was the holy mountain towering amid the natural disaster.

      The wind whistled as the air grew thin. Lou Cheng went up the stone stairs, a step at a time, until he stepped into the arena and saw Mouko Yamashita, almost simultaneously, appearing across him.

      The Inhuman samurai was taller and bigger than him. He had a rough look, with bushy eyebrows and terrifyingly well-defined muscles. The juxtaposition made it look as if it was a fight between an adult and a middle school student.

      Mouko Yamashita had a crazed expression, and an equally impressive aura. A faint white glow emanated from him, stiffening the mood of those around him— the audience was too scared to make a sound.

     Hooo!

      Wherever he marched, the wind seemed to be swirling.

      At that moment, when Lou Cheng and Mouko Yamashita met eyes, the center of the arena seemed to brighten up.

      The showdown between auras ends with a draw!

      The referee, an experienced Inhuman mighty one, glanced left and right, before quietly raising his right hand as a signal for preparation.

      Lou Cheng and Mouko Yamashita did not need to prepare. On their way there, they had already fine-tuned themselves to peak performance.

     The referee took a step back and swung his arm down.

      "Begin!" he boomed.

     As the words hit the ground, Mouko Yamashita pivoted his foot, lowered his body and swung his right fist out on the spot.

      Bam!

      He thrusted his arm, pulled his fist back and glided forward in the whistling wind, like a train travelling at top speed, and in the blink of an eye, he appeared before Lou Cheng.

      In that time, the white light around him suddenly grew strong, like a torch popped alight, leaving the afterimage of a dragon and tiger amidst the terrifying clangour.

      "Extreme Hadou Sect"—"Roaring Dragon, Howling Tiger Punch!"

      Compared to Ichiei Sakata, Mouko Yamashita used the move at a higher mastery, perfectly combining with his tackle.

      This was the level of someone at the Inhuman stage!

      Come! Lou Cheng felt joy rather than fear, his fighting spirit rising. He rapidly withdrew his Qi, blood, force and spirit, compressing them to one— the ice and flames balanced, playing out a swirling miniature of the "starry sky".

     Snap!

      With the image of "God Statue" in his mind, he pushed his feet and drew them together, then blasted a powerful punch forward with his swelling right arm.

      Bam! A layer of searing white flame ignited around his fist, continuously condensing and fortifying.

      The imperfect "Emperor Yan Force"!

      Boom!

      The sound of fists clashing was swallowed by the loud bang from the explosion. The tumbling waves of flames and dispersing white light hid their ripped muscles and bulging veins. Mouko Yamashita staggered, but quickly found his balance again. Scorch marks appeared on his shirt. Lou Cheng took a step back, into the ground, his muscles sore and numb from the "Hadou".

     After exchanging a hit at maximum power, he only had it worse off by a little!

      At the grandstand, Peng Leyun's expressions changed slightly.

      "He already started morphing?" he blurted in awe.

      To be able to infuse another force after "Force Concentration" was one of the main labels of stepping into the Inhuman stage!

      Lou Cheng's punch made it clear that he had been morphing, and not just for a day or two!

      Ann Chaoyang, witnessing the changes on the arena, heard Peng Leyun's words. "What speed!" he sighed.

      How many days had it been, since the start of the competition between the four nations?

      He's practically rushing towards the morphing stage at a steady pace!

      Sigh, there's no way I could do that...

      Ren Li opened her mouth, wanting to say something, but bit her words back as her pearlescent teeth gently sunk into her soft lips.

      "He's Inhuman!"— a forum reply by "Unparalleled Dragon King" that contained a word that was unbelievable to many.

      Once someone began morphing, unless they suffer an unfortunate death or become crippled from heavy wound, it was certain that they would reach the Inhuman stage.

      "My eyes must be playing tricks on me...[thunderstruck expression]" replied "Pig-Riding Knight".

      "In such a short time! [angry laughter]" replied "Road to the Arena".

      It hasn't even been four months from the end of Nationals!

      "Hahahaha!" Yan Xiaoling sent a voice message instead of typing, her voice not much different from an elementary school kid.

      "All-knowing Man in Ganghood", who was working on a long Weibo post while watching live stream— hoping to get more people to his public account— went still. His face turned pale, in the colour of ashes.

      Didn't he need two more months to make the breakthrough?

      It has only been two minutes!

      Two minutes from when I knew this!

      What a beast...

      ...

      On the arena, Lou Cheng stepped back to unload his force, retracted his Qi and force, then launched a counter attack using the techniques from "24 Blizzard Strikes" and his limited experience with the "Yin-yang Twist".

      Bam!

      His left leg swelled, heels tensed, then he pulled it back from the crack in the ground and whipped towards his opponent's knees.

      Realizing that his enemy grew stronger yet again, Mouko Yamashita, in his battle form, converted all his shock and surprise into a flame in his heart, a flame that ignited his will and inspired him.

      With a bend and release of his knees, he leapt into the air, avoiding Lou Cheng's crackling kick. At the same time, he stretched out his right hand and formed a palm knife. Riding on the downward momentum, he delivered it towards his opponent's neck in the blinding glow.

      "Fierce Tiger Shock Cutter"!

      Lou Cheng put weight to his spine, his waist bending backwards in a sudden, not only avoiding Mouko Yamashita's attack, but also forcefully changing the trajectory of his left leg. His kick swept upwards, towards the enemy's descending body. A white radiance formed around his legs, turning everything to one as his kick shot out together with his "burning" Martial Art shoes.

      After he began morphing, he could now imbue "Ice burning" in his kicks!

      His Martial Art shoe turned solid like a rock, together with the pellucid liquid flames, it went towards the part between Mouko's chest and abdomen.

      In that instant, Mouko Yamashita swiftly raised his left palm, put it against his right palm that just missed, and chopped downwards, delivering a solid, dazzling white "Hadou" amidst the dragon's roaring.

      Pom!

      The two glows of light scattered without a sound. Borrowing strength from the recoil, Mouko Yamashita landed backwards, composed in his movements. Lou Cheng straightened back up and stood firm.

      Bam!

     Mouko Yamashita slid forward again, swinging his fist. In the dense white light, amidst the roars of the dragon, Lou Cheng fought bravely without taking a single step back, withdrawing and releasing his Qi and blood to deliver blasts of force.

      Bam, bam, bam! Mouko Yamashita delivered killer moves one after the other, going on a frenzied offense. White light shone like a torch, at times it brightened or dimmed, and at times it waved and shaked. His skills were worlds apart from Ichiei Sakata, who had to pause in between such moves.

      Bang, bang, bang! Lou Cheng unleashed bursts of strength in the form of exploding flame waves and freezing ice mists, fiercely retaliating against his opponent. Even though he was at a disadvantage due to being slightly weaker, there were no signs of defeat.

      Bam, bam, bam, bang, bang, bang! The sound of fists and feet colliding reverberated, mixed with occasional loud bangs. White light and flames spread out in layers, at times the ground splintered and cracked as flames splashed against it and snowflakes landed on it. It was truly a fight that defined Inhumans.

      Mouko Yamashita controlled the fight at his pace— whenever Lou Cheng tried to charge up using the "24 Blizzard Strikes" version of "Force Concentration", he disrupted him with his whirlwind kick and Hadouken, forcing him to start from scratch again. In the meantime, he was charging up his own emotions, in preparation of a burst of killer moves.

      As time passed, after a flurry of attacks, a mirror of ice formed in Lou Cheng's heart. He knew that he cannot let things go on the way they were going, and he searched to find a way out.

      Bang!

      When the left fist with concentrated energy imbued with imperfect Ice Spirit Force collided with the enemy's fist, enshrouded in dense white light, "Hadou" turned into gorgeous snowflakes. Mouko Yamashita felt his arm go numb, and at the same time Lou Cheng glided backwards on the uneven ground, borrowing the strength from the rebound, at a speed not much different from going forward!

      A crystallic layer of ice had unknowingly formed on the soles of his bare feet, reducing the friction to a minimum!

      Without hesitating, Mouko Yamashita took a huge step and chased after him, growling and swinging out his fist before he even got close, with dense white light burning around his body again. While retreating, Lou Cheng had already visualized the "Ice Spirit Holy Light"— dark, cold, magical, and beautiful. Against the incoming enemy, he stepped hard into the ground, pouncing up while jerking out his right arm to deliver a "Severe Warning".

      Seeing that their fists were about to collide, the white light in Mouko Yamashita's eyes suddenly intensified. The white glow around him condensed into one spot, turning into a glove that shielded his fist as it shot out.

     Knowing your trick of freezing the opponent's thoughts, how could I have not prepared for it in advance?

      Pom!

      Lou Cheng's fist landed with a boom, causing the white glow to rapidly fade, turning into a snowball that cracked into fragments.

      Bang! Penetrating through the Hadou, the two fists met, each covered in black involucre and tendon.

      Thumping back two steps, Lou Cheng's movements were disordered from not being able to freeze his enemy and realizing the difference between their strength. But he did not panic. Instinctively, he found his balance. Bringing his hands up, he formed a seal, visualizing the taunting Army character.

      Mouko Yamashita saw a chance. His brows shot up, and in an instant he released all of his gathered emotions. A shade of scarlet filled his pupils, the white light enveloping him turning to the color of blood. Thick and viscous blood.

      Ultimate move from "Extreme Hadou Sect"—"Seven Sins Hadouken"! An assault on both one's spirit and body!

      Unlike Ichiei Sakata who had to go all out to use it, Mouko Yamashita could activate it once he accumulated enough emotions.

      "Army!"

      The low hum of the ancient character reverberated, sending out ripples that glowed blood red. Mouko Yamashita's movements lagged for a moment, but nothing else happened, as if a rock was thrown into an ocean.

      Snap! Mouko Yamashita stepped forward with his left foot, pumped strength into his shoulders, flexed his arm and swung out with his right. The dense, bloodthirsty blood glow transformed into a scythe, dragging him forward, slicing towards Lou Cheng like a dash of red bolt, not giving his enemy a chance to evade.

      I have seen you stop Ichiei Sakata's Seven Sins Hadouken with an original kungfu, but there's a huge difference when I'm the one using it. Play the same card and you'll regret it!

      Though Lou Cheng's Army Formula was less than effective, it offset the spiritual assault from the blood Hadou, saving him from losing his cool and not being able to make visualizations.

      Arching his back, he glided backward once more. He tried his best to dodge, but couldn't. In the blink of an eye, the "blood scythe" was before him.

      However, he found a fleeting opportunity—created by Mouko Yamashita's lagging movements and his backwards dodge— and visualized the dark and freezing background of a starry sky, in which contained a faint, pellucid and dreamy Ice Spirit glow.

      Boom!

      Innumerable specks of dust piled up , igniting an enormous, heavy fireball, crashing into the serenity. It shattered everything and caused a strong destruction!

      After perfecting "Ice Spirit Force" and "Emperor Yan Force" respectively, Lou Cheng's mutated version of "Severe Warning" correspondingly improved through fascinating changes.

     How long have I waited for this moment to take the "Seven Sins Hadouken" head-on!

      Lou Cheng's eyes widened in anger, propelling himself upwards with a tap of the foot, he threw a crushing punch at the "blood scythe".

      Pom! A terrifying vortex formed at his fist, silently consuming the sanguine glow, putting an end to the terrifying and bizarre threat before it fully developed.

      The two fists briefly suspended in the air when they were about to touch. Mouko Yamashita felt himself turning hollow as his strength seeped away, unable to even retract his arm.

      What's going on?

      This is completely different from what Ichiei Sakata described!

      It's way stronger and scarier!

     In his shock, Mouko Yamashita realized his sanguine glow was flowing backwards, before the power scattered, jerking his own soul and body.

      Thump, thump, thump! Blood filled his mouth as he took three backward steps.

      How can Lou Cheng let such a chance go to waste!? He preyed after him with Attainment Formula, retracted his Qi and blood for another round of explosive punches.

      Bam, bam, bam! Bang, bang, bang! This time he had the upper hand. Driving the "24 Blizzard Strikes" with "Force Concentration", he launched a flurry of attacks— a dance of "Emperor Yan" and "Ice Spirit" that grew increasingly aggressive and vicious.

      Mouko Yamashita struggled to hold his ground, but the opponent's increasing strength made it impossible. He took a step back, then another. Step after step, his situation grew more dire by the minute. The Japanese representatives fell silent in low spirits.

      Is this for real? Mouko-kun is losing!

      Bam, bam, bam! The fight excited Lou Cheng. He began pumping more strength into his kicks and punches, mindless of the exertion. He's going to end it in one go!

      My current stamina is slightly higher than a newly advanced Inhuman. Also, Mouko Yamashita is in a bad spot. Right now, every punch and kick he puts up in his desperate defense is going to take up more stamina than me, on the offensive from the high ground!

     Let's find out who wins in a matchup of stamina! Find authorized novels in Webnovel，faster updates, better experience，Please click www.webnovel.com for visiting.

     Bam, bam, bam!

      The sound of punching and kicking filled the place, like a war drum being hammered in the audience's heart. The surface of the arena was in ruins, pieces of rocks flew all over the place— the reason why the first few rows of audience seating had to be kept empty during a fight between Inhumans.

     Mouko Yamashita was a patient samurai. Even in the dire state he was in, even as his stamina sharply decreased, he did not panic. Without a word, he accumulated more emotion.

     He held out until he finally had enough emotion, and the white Hadou around him turned sanguine once more. Dark red. Flowing. Intimidating.

     Though he was prepared for it and used Forwarding Formula in time, his attacks slowed down, and Mouko Yamashita leapt back with a push of his legs.

     Trying to run? Can you? Spirited, Lou Cheng concentrated his Qi and blood again, pouncing after him after leaving a trail of cracks.

     Let's see how you are going to run in your current state!

     The fierce fight that lasted until then had their blood boiling and their spirits high. Thankfully, Lou Cheng's Ice Mirror remained unaffected, reflecting his surroundings and making the right judgements.

     Suddenly, when Lou Cheng had closed up to him, Mouko Yamashita lifted his hands to form a strange seal. His expression turned grave and solemn, his eyes locked on Lou Cheng.

      You are strong, I'll give that to you. You deserve to considered a formidable and worthy opponent for pushing me to this extent. But in the end, the victory belongs to me!

      Reflected in Lou Cheng's pupils was Mouko Yamashita wriggling his abdomen while opening his mouth.

      "Wholeness!"he growled.

      Nine Word Formula- Wholeness Formula!

      To think Mouko Yamashita knew one of the Nine Word Formulas!

      The Wholeness character was strange and mystical, as if it stimulated his body through drawing from the essence of heaven and earth, and Mouko Yamashita became spirited again. His exhaustion and weakness vanished in a flash, and he was at his peak state once again, fully compensated for all his exertions!

      What the... Lou Cheng's iris shrunk, the feeling of disappointment so strong that he could not suppress all of it.

      After all that effort to get his powerful Inhuman enemy to a "dying" state, he got back to full health with a Wholeness Formula!

      How do I win against that?

     Snap! The ice mirror in his heart glinted. Suppressing his negative thoughts, he chased up to Mouko Yamashita and punched him with a bloated arm.

     The sanguine glow around Mouko Yamashita flickered rapidly. Instead of forming a scythe, it raised his speed and strength, allowing to hammer down in time and parry Lou Cheng's attack with a dull thud.

     "Dynakinesis!"

     Stepping forward, with the sanguine Hadou shaking, Mouko Yamashita launched a flurry of attacks around Lou Cheng, forcing him to desperately defend through Dan Force explosions. Lou Cheng's muscles trembled, his bones rattled, and his stamina went down rapidly. It seemed like a matter of time before he lost.

     Huff... The Japanese representatives' side heaved a sigh of relief, their expressions relaxed, filled with anticipation.

      "He just needed a little bit more..." sighed Guide Zhong.

      In unison, Peng Leyun and Ren Li shook their heads at his words.

      Eh, what's the meaning of this? Zhong Ningtao was confused.

      "So you guys think Lou Cheng still got a chance?" mused Ann Chaoyang.

      "Not just a chance," Peng Leyun replied tersely.

      "The Mouko Yamashita right now is not as strong as he looks..." Ren Li added.

      That's what she said, but definitely not the case to Lou Cheng, who was on the arena. He felt the sanguine glow all around him so dense that it permeated him, evoking his fear and cowardice. Every hit from Mouko Yamashita felt so powerful, similar to his power at the start of fight.

     No!

     I have to fight back. Getting suppressed like this won't get me anywhere!

     Though there were changes in his emotions, Lou Cheng's desire for victory stayed true. When Mouko Yamashita's sanguine-glowed fists struck again, Lou Cheng actively put his arm up to defend, a thick layer of ice armor forming around them.

      In a loud snap, the ice armor shattered. Lou Cheng took the chance and flicked his elbow joint, swinging his forearm forward at Mouko Yamashita's face, poised for counterattack.

     Mouko Yamashita unhurriedly lifted his other arm to block the second injection of force from Lou Cheng's fist. He tensed up his right leg, ready to put an end to his opponent's counterattack.

     Suddenly, with the flick of his finger joints, Lou Cheng's hand snapped open. Frozen to his nails were five sharp spikes of ice that shone like the aurora.

     The third force injection!

     A vicious look flashed across Mouko Yamashita's eyes. He lurked backwards in a sudden motion, avoiding the deadly attack, then brought his right foot up in a kick, leaving a trail of light reminiscent to a "Razor". Offense is the best defense!

     But after his third force injection, instead of attacking, Lou Cheng leapt backwards with the spring of his waist.

     Then, he lifted both arms, formed a seal and pointed it towards himself.

      "Fighting!" he growled.

      Even if I were to lose, I'm going to lose on my last bullet!

     His muscles bulked and his frame enlarged. He swung out his right arm, which rested in front of his body, whipping up a blast of strong wind. Threatening.

     A shade of scarlet flashed in Mouko Yamashita's eyes, the sanguine light around him turning viscous, forming a scythe that enshrouded his outgoing fists.

     Booom!

      The fists colliding made a sound of explosion. Mouko Yamashita's forward momentum was brought to an abrupt stop, he slid backwards for almost two feet, leaving two deep trails in the ground. Lou Cheng was enveloped by the sanguine light. Felt as if a bolt of lightning struck him. In the moment of weakness, he took a step back.

      They recovered at the same time. The white light blanketed Mouko Yamashita once again, his expression feral. In the roaring of dragon and howling of tiger, he turned to a huge lump of white Hadou and went on the offensive.

      Lou Cheng did not back down. Forming the seal again, he pointed it towards himself and shouted the ancient character that embodied indomitable fighting spirits.

      "Fighting Formula!"

     As the words hit the ground, he swiped upwards with the back of his fist, which was resting at his lower abdomen—bulging muscles, blood vessels showing so clearly that every vein can be traced.

     Boooom!

     The white light scattered. Mouko Yamashita flew back by two steps. Lou Cheng went still, almost unable to regain his senses from the paralysis and burning sensation. He clearly felt that he was reaching the limits of his spirit.

     Huff! He exhaled. Mustering his remaining might, he visualized the heavy "Emperor Yan Statue", hot like the scorching sun. He compressed all the remaining Flame Force in his body in a lump, got it under control by visualizing "Zhu Rong Flame God", then took a step forward and swung out a right straight.

      Simplified trick of Flame Sect, "Internal Explosion"!

     Lou Cheng chose this move since his previous "Severe Warning" got neutralized.

     With a whoosh, a faint flame kindled the surface of his fist and his arm, flying towards Mouko Yamashita who had just steadied himself.

     After the last wave of attack, he wouldn't have the ability to use simplified tricks of physical invulnerability state once more. But he had to do it, for it was not over until he said so!

     White Hadou danced on the surface of Mouko Yamashita's skin, "igniting" him as he lifted his arm to block.

     Booooooom!

     After the explosion, Mouko Yamashita felt his insides rumbling from the horrible concussion. He also felt an extraordinarily stinging from his blood vessels, as if it was being burned.

     Lou Cheng didn't have it easy either. His mind was going blank and his muscles were sore.

      But right now, he was euphoric.

      That's because the punch had revealed the weakness in Mouko Yamashita!

     Seems like Wholeness Formula was only good for recovering stamina and wasn't capable of healing internal wounds. The wounds Mouko Yamashita suffered had remained and accumulated, and the Internal Explosion Punch had fully triggered it!

      Now's the chance!

     Spirited, Lou Cheng spread out his arms and activated Zen multiple times, his fists rained down on Mouko Yamashita's blocking hand and fist in a chorus of dull thuds. His opponent's eyes dilated as a loud buzzing filled his ears and his insides continued rumbling.

     After connecting eleven hits, Lou Cheng did a final "Force Concentration", raises his swelled arm high up, supported it with Zen, then smashed it down viciously.

      Bang!

     Mouko Yamashita jerked. He was seeing stars. Dark-red blood oozed out of his eyes, nose, ears and mouth. No longer able to stand, he fell on the ground of the arena like an avalanche, spitting out bile and nearly fainting.

      The referee looked at Lou Cheng, who stood firm despite the tiredness in his eyes.

      He raised his right hand before making the announcement.

      "Lou Cheng wins!"

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     478 Couldn’t Lie His Way Through

      "Lou Cheng wins!" Find authorized novels in Webnovel，faster updates, better experience，Please click www.webnovel.com for visiting.

      The referee's loud and focused voice resonated throughout the arena. The majority of Japan's representative group, no matter male or female, all looked lost, angry and sad. It was especially so among Ichiei Sakata and other disciples of the "Extreme Hadou Sect" who found it hard to disguise their misery and disappointment.

      How did Mouko-kun lose?

      How could he lose!?

      As one of the signatures of the "Extreme Hadou Sect", he had surprisingly lost to an opponent who was weaker than him by one level and in strength!

      This was a disgrace!

      This was a blight to the "Extreme Hadou Sect"!

      Now all the audience both in the stadium or in front of their screen will view "Extreme Hadou Sect" as a joke now!

      Kaori Karasawa used her finger and poked her face. In silence, she shook her head, forced a smile and said,

      "Mouko-kun is still too careless."

      This was mainly because of his own battle style. Next, the information given by Sakata Ichiei was no longer up to date. Mouko-kun was too direct and too tough in his approach. Without roundabouts and gentleness, he went against the super killer move of his opponent head-on and suffered substantial damages. This had eventually become a serious hidden problem for the later stage.

      If it wasn't because of this, even without the "Wholeness" Formula, Mouko-kun still had a substantial chance of taking this match. If he used the "Wholeness" Formula, he would have definitely won!

      It's really a shame...

      Obviously, Lou Cheng's improvements, changes and performance really made others felt pressured from the bottom of their heart...

      Hearing the sigh of Tang Zexun, Sakata Ichiei and the rest barely regained their conscious, broke free from their extreme emotions and starting to truthfully understand the battle previously.

      When they looked towards the ring again, their gazes on Wang Zheng had changed. They were filled with more respect for the strong, astonishment for the one who kept on creating miracles and their anger for this terrifying enemy.

      The researcher with messy hair was still in a daze and feeling both frantic enthusiasm and lost at the same time.

      However not only had Mouko-kun, who promised to collect genetic materials for Great Japan, failed, but he was also beaten and had fallen. He was in a very sorry state as he bled and even threw up water...

      …...

      Above the spectator seats, the audience, with darker skin tone, were initially stunned and unable to believe what they had just seen. After a while, they raised both of their arms and started applauding and dancing. This was to cheer on the boxing arts practitioners for his great performance and also for the young guy who defeated someone stronger than him.

      An unseeded contestant had actually defeated a monster level fifth seed!

      No matter which country one was in, similar incidents would always receive admiration and compliments!

      "Lou Cheng! Lou Cheng!"

      From just a few chants, the sound wave gradually gathered and quickly overlapped as one wave was louder than the previous wave.

      "Lou Cheng! Lou Cheng!"

      Standing sideways and hearing the cheers of citizens from different countries, Peng Leyun turned his head around and looked towards the ring. The lazy feeling in his eyes dissipated without a trace. In his eyes, there seemed to be light gathering, just like a flash of lightning.

      Subconsciously, he looked towards Ren Li who was beside him. From each other's eyes, they could see their own reaction.

      Up till now, he might still have a small lead. However the three of them were almost at the same starting line now. Following this, it would be a race to see who could make the great leap and ascend to the top in one go!

      -- People like these were all proud in their core. They were able to identify their weaknesses but would never believe that they were worse than others!

      Ann Chaoyang sank into silence and could only stay so. It was only till he heard Coach Zhong Ningtao sighed, "One with a good reputation will never be without real strength", that he raised his head and spat out a breath.

      At a remote corner away from the spectator stand, Banam with his hands and legs wrapped in bandages, Veigar wearing a general hat and Wahku closing his eyes and recuperating for his match subconsciously clenched their fists. A silvery- white light flashed across their eyes and they were looking seriously towards the stage.

      ...

      "Just as I have said! Lou Cheng might just win!" In the live thread, "Unparalleled Dragon King" used the all-purpose [joking expression].

      "Pig-Riding Knight" answered, "[Bewildered Face expression], this was simply... One year to reach the Dan Stage, one year to reach the inhuman stage... It felt like I'm seeing "Dragon King" when he was young. No, he's more like the "Warrior Sage" currently."

      "I no longer dared to doubt him...""Road to Arena" used a [go-and-die expression] to reply.

      "Okamoto's Fan" sniggled, "Yeap, kneel down and lick my toes!"

      "... We really do have foresight!""Wanton Seller" wasn't stingy with compliments for herself. "I always have high hopes for him and even passed him a "voluntary signature book"!

      An inhuman younger than twenty had ample time to go for physical invulnerability. He could be considered to have entered the reserved forces!

      "Hahahaha. He did not waste my efforts for waking up early for the last few days!" Yan Xiaoling sent a voice message once again.

      "Sleeping early and getting up early...""A Plumber Eating Mushroom" had recently gotten used to this fellow forum user who had a child- like face and voice. She couldn't help but insult her, "Sleeping at two-three o'clock in the morning and waking up at twelve in the afternoon, you are really "early"!"

      As for "Brahman", she replied [unhappily], "If it isn't me calling you, Little Nightfall you will never have made it! Oh ya, oh ya, let's go tag "All-knowing Man in Ganghood" on Weibo and tell him that he can delete his account now! Quick quick quick!"

      "All-knowing Man in Ganghood" was staring at the computer screen at the moment, looking at the private messages and tagged information he had received. The face turned grey and his eyes were filled with panic.

      After a while, he resolved himself and intended to lie his way through!

      The King of Youth Pro League isn't directly broadcasted after all and the majority of martial arts lovers do not know of such a thing. I can just pretend to be blind and deaf for ten days and pretend I did not see the reminders. I can decide what to do next after Lou Cheng completed his "Morphing" and obtained his fifth pin certification. I will try my best to direct as many followers as I can for this period!

      After taking a deep breath, his emotions finally calmed down a little. "All-knowing Man in Ganghood" started typing words quickly on his keyboard while continuing to look at his Weibo. He got to make the best use of every second to direct his popularity away.

      These were all money!

      After completing his typing, he saved them and decided to refresh the page before editing. When he did so, he was dumbfounded to see the number of messages tagging him appearing like flowers after a rain. There were already over a thousand messages!

      "Number one in searches on the Wei Guangdan app!"

      "You got to walk your talk!"

      "Don't be a coward if you are a guy!"

      "I believe you are someone that will not go against what you promised!"

      "[shaking his head left and right expression] Don't pretend you are dead!"

      …..

      What just happened? "All-knowing Man in Ganghood" looked through messages after messages. He was both shocked and scared.

      After researching in detail for a while, he found out that just ten minutes ago, star Mo Jingting who had a lot of fans, posted a video stream. At the same time, she used a [owl head expression] and appended a message:

      "To become an inhuman after less than two years of martial arts practice, my little uncle is really great. You are my idol!"

      The face of "All-knowing Man in Ganghood" turned pale instantly as he allowed the video stream to buffer.

      Just as he expected, that was a scene of the first exchange of blows between Lou Cheng and Mouko Yamashita. It was clear that he had undergone morphing!

      With his body shaking, "All-knowing Man in Ganghood" almost fainted. His complexion was extremely bad and was stunned for a full five minutes.

      He stood up and started to walk around his room in a disorderly manner. He was just like ants on a hot pot. In his mouth, he was mumbling in a low tone constantly,

      "You guys are forcing me to my death…. You guys are forcing me to my death..."

      After a period of time, he sat down with a face full of sorrow, anger and hatred. He could no longer pretend that he didn't see nor hear of the event.

      His current fans were all attracted by sensationalizing news. If he didn't fulfil his promise, he would definitely be despised by them. Soon, no one would pay attention to him anymore...

      "All-knowing Man in Ganghood" deleted the long article he wrong on Weibo unwilling as though his parents had died. He retyped new content and was making a last-ditch attempt,

      "Alright. I admit that Lou Cheng is one of The Heavenly Son of this Age. I will also fulfil my wager and delete this account. I will pin this message on Weibo for one week as an announcement. When the time comes, I will officially delete this account. If you wish to continue following rumours about martial arts and for those who wish to continue listening to my analysis if competition, please follow public account number xxxxx."

      Phew. With a week of time, I should be able to direct quite a number of people there right? "All-knowing Man in Ganghood" clicked the "Send" button. His body lay on the backrest of the chair as though all his energy had been drained away.

      After which, he login to the platform to observe the increment of followers. However, the increment was very small. After the wave of the hot topic, the number had even stopped.

      "It's over, it's over...""All-knowing Man in Ganghood" seemed to be able to see a stack of notes growing wings and flying away from himself. He closed his eyes and lay on the sofa.

      ...

      Beside the driver seat of a moving car, Yan Zheke had made use of the time of the journey to watch the big match between Cheng and Mouko Yamashita. She was filled with anticipation but also uneasiness while watching. After finishing the video, she refreshed the forum excitedly and started to observe the Weibo of "All-knowing Man in Ganghood". The more she looked at it, the more radiant her smile became. Towards the end, she even let out a peal of clear laughter.

      Hearing this, the Dan Stage expert Du Yan, who was driving, turned around and took a glanced. Recalling what she had seen from the edge of his view previously, he asked with astonishment and envy,

      "That brat in that competition is your boyfriend?"

      How old is he and yet he has started morphing?

      I think his name is Lou Cheng?

      I had practiced martial arts for so many years and up until now, the inhuman stage was still only a dream for me!

      "Yeah." Yan Zheke covered her mouth and nodded her head slightly. As her eyes turned, he supplemented another line in his heart:

      The truth is, he's no longer my boyfriend...

      ...

      On the ring, looking at Mouko Yamashita who was struggling to get up, Lou Cheng suddenly felt a million emotions.

      In the match that just ended, he had won because of his bravery. If he was frightened by the "Wholeness" Formula of Mouko Yamashita and became depressed, desolate and not dared to counterattack, undoubtedly, he would have "died" in a prolonged re-match and suffer the bitter taste of defeat.

      Truthfully speaking, he was a little arrogant before the match and felt that as long as he could continue the kind of performance he had previously, he would have an equal chance of winning against Mouko Yamashita with the improvements and surprise elements brought from the morphing stage.

      However the truth taught him that it wasn't only him that could surprise others. The rest could do the same to him too!

      Phew! Pride and self-inflation weren't things that wouldn't happen after one reflected on it. They would return frequently as one's individual strength increased and experienced broadened. Therefore there's no wonder that people in the past talked about reflecting oneself multiple times every single day!

      Lou Cheng's emotions had settled and the elation brought by his broke through had dissipated substantially. In the cheers of the whole crowd, Mouko Yamashita who finally stood steadily and Lou Cheng bowed in respect to each other.

      Turning around, he headed towards the stone steps and walked down. It was then that he completely regained his consciousness from the battle and his heart was filled with uncontrollable joy.

      I won!

      I won against the fifth seed!

      I won against an expert at the inhuman stage!

      His steps started to get faster and he couldn't wait to return to his original position. His target was Ann Chaoyang. No, his target was the phone in Ann Chaoyang hands.

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     479 Impromptu Interview

      Just as Lou Cheng ambled back, bare-footed, most of the lights in the Shengxiang stadium went off, except for the ones that illuminated the area connecting the arena and the China representatives' side. In the darkness, a dreamy and radiant path emerged, which fitted quite well with the resounding chants of "Lou Cheng".

      It was a commendation to the victor—a homage to the underdog hero.

      Lou Cheng felt amazing, his pace growing brisker, as if he was back in his own country, back in the Songcheng University Martial Arts Club. He put his hands up in the air and clapped in the direction of the surrounding crowds, as a form of appreciation.

      The voices grew louder, until he reached the grandstand, when all the lights switched on again.

      "Not bad!" complimented Peng Leyun, restraining his competitive side, he extended his hand with a smile and high-fived his teammate.

      "It's your time to shine," Lou Cheng replied, happiness written all over him.

      After high-fiving Ren Li, Ann Chaoyang and Zhong Ningtao respectively, he quickly took his phone back and logged into QQ.

      A message from Yan Zheke—"You have truly met your coach's expectations![thumbs up]"

      Lou Cheng grinned, feeling as if the happiness got amplified by a fold.

      "And? What rewards does Coach Yan have in store for me? [snickering]" he replied.

      "The handmade cakes weren't enough?! [turns around in shock and confusion]" she replied, before sending another along with a reaction image of a "tiny monster licking on an ice-cream". "You see, the rewards that follows includes handmade waffles, handmade little biscuits... it will last you all the way to the champion's cup~"

      Lou Cheng chuckled, for a moment he could not find a comeback to his wife's reasonable explanation!

      He replied after a few seconds. "This is quite different from the type of reward I had in mind...[lost expression]"

      "What do you have in mind?"replied Yan Zheke. It would have passed off as an actual question, if not for the "Say it, say it and I will murder you" image that came along with it.

      Lou Cheng shook his head, his lips curving upwards.

      "Cough, for example, going home as a couple(title of a Huangmei Opera)..."he replied, intrepid.

      And what would the couple do after they reach home, heh heh.

      "...You, you ruined the name of another good libretto! [flips table]" replied Yan Zheke, sighing when she realized she got the double entendre instantly.

      "What are you talking about, I don't get it?" replied Lou Cheng, mimicking the girl's usual tone when feigning innocence, topping it off with a "I'm very innocent" emoticon.

      Yan Zheke gaped, debating between whether she should frown or laugh, rendered speechless for a moment. She could feel her Cheng's sense of shame degrading by the day.

      "Go away! I don't have a disciple like you! [blows whistle and flashes red card]" she replied.

      Bending his head, Lou Cheng was all smiles as he typed and chatted. Ren Li studied him thoughtfully—his soft, unguarded smile; it was starkly different from his usual—reserved and distant—manner when dealing with girls.

      Is this the real him? Or are the conflicting personalities both part of him?

      Over at the Japanese representative's side—Mouko Yamashita brushed off helping hands, and walked back difficultly on his own strength.

      "I will remember this day and get my revenge for this disgrace!" he hissed.

      The expression on the other samurais turned grave, solemnly witnessing Mouko Yamashita's oath. This was a tradition of "Extreme Hadou Sect".

      Of course! If you fall in the arena, you have to pull yourself up in the arena!

      Once things settled down, the researcher with unkempt hair looked towards the arena, which was then under repair.

      "We need another plan!" he said with a tinge of impatience.

      ...

      At the other side— Lou Cheng was having a blast in his conversation with Yan Zheke, sharing his joy of taking down a strong Inhuman enemy. But soon, Yan Zheke sent a emoticon of [whispering under a covered hand].

      "Class is starting…"

      That meant that she might take ten to twenty, or even thirty to forty minutes to reply a message—which meant that Lou Cheng, who was having a great time, had to restrain himself and distract himself with something else.

      Even though he was completely understanding, he still sulked a little. Inhaling, he looked towards the ruined arena.

      Soon, he shifted his gaze again.

      "Okay, study hard and study smart!" he replied, sounding optimistic and humorous.

      After sending the message, he was lost for a few seconds, then he remembered another matter. Switching to his contact list, he found the display picture of the military contact—"Rapid March". Clicking into it, he swiftly entered a few words.

      "Japan "Extreme Hadou Sect" Mouko Yamashita controls the Wholeness Formula."

      "Roger that." Rapid March always seemed to be online.

      Or perhaps it's not just one person? Lou Cheng deduced quickly.

      It was best to let the military handle the matter of Wholeness Formula, since he did not have the resources and manpower for the job!

      Being a Martial Artist did not mean that everything had to be done personally. It would be a waste to turn down large organizations when help is offered!

      Having done that, he had time to browse through his other messages and texts—congratulatory texts from the Ice God Sect juniors, led by Mo Jingting. Some jokingly congratulated him on mastering godly kungfu, others solemnly congratulated him on entering morphing and his imminent Inhuman transformation.

      An Inhuman mighty one, below the age of 21, can place top ten in the hall of fame across Ice God Sect's history!

      Other than Lou Cheng, out of the other nine, five made the breakthrough to Physical Invulnerability State, which was a ratio of more than half. Considering the sky high threshold, it was a large probability.

      Lou Cheng had already heard from Yan Zheke that Mo Jingting went out her way to make a post on Weibo, preventing "All-knowing Man of Ganghood" from feigning ignorance any longer, and carry out what he promised to do if he lost the bet. Politely, he replied "thanks."

      After settling these matters, he spectated "All-knowing Man of Ganghood"'s Weibo from the shadows. Refreshing the forum, he realized Ann Chaoyang almost exposed him. This guy isn't very reliable either, he thought.

      Though I messed up a couple of times, but overall, I myself am the most reliable after all!

      While the previous arena received its emergency repairs, the preparations were completed at another arena. The second fight in the Top 8 was about to begin.

      Suddenly, Lou Cheng felt a presence. Lifting his head up, he looked towards the walkway. He saw a woman in suit and tie ambling towards him, her eyes fixed on him, with two man in staff attire tailing her.

      She looked half Shengxiangese and half Caucasian with her delicate and attractive features. She was about 30 and exuded maturity.

      "Hi there, I'm Catherine, reporter from Fuluo TV station. Can I interview you?" she asked in standard English, with an engaging smile.

      Recently, the English speakers Lou Cheng encountered mostly spoke with a thick accent, from which he could only understand a few words. He almost thought he was illiterate, and that the effort he made in obligatory education, three years of high school and two years of university had all gone to waste. When he heard English sentences that he could mostly understand, he was really touched.

      I knew it, the one who's at fault isn't me, it's the others in Shengxiang!

      Before he could speak, Zhong Ningtao replied in equally fluent English.

      "Sure, Miss Catherine. May I see your identification? Where is the filming crew?"

      We best leave the negotiations to the guide… thought Lou Cheng, exchanging a glance with the others.

      Catherine took out her identification and passed it to Zhong Ningtao. "This is an impromptu interview, so we don't have a filming crew. Lou Cheng performed very well just now, everyone liked him, including me, so I wish to learn more about him," she said with a smile.

      —Originally, there were no interviews planned for Wild Card Teams.

      "Thank you, Miss Catherine. You may begin, you have five minutes," Zhong Ningtao said, glancing at his watch. "I'll handle the translation and interpretation."

      Taking back her identification, Catherine looked towards Lou Cheng.

      "Hi, Lou Cheng. You seem to be pretty young. From your data, you are twenty years and six months old?" she asked, smiling.

      Even though Lou Cheng understood her, he waited until Zhong Ningtao finished translating.

      "Yes, still half a year away from 21 years old," he replied in Chinese, smiling.

      After hearing Zhong Ningtao's interpretation, Catherine seemed very interested.

      "And what is your occupation? Are you in the professional Martial Art scene?" she asked.

      "I'm still a student pursuing my studies," he replied frankly.

      "Oh, you are still studying? In Shengxiang, you can already start your own dojo and have a huge following!" she exclaimed, unable to hide her surprise.

      With the power Lou Cheng had demonstrated, he could already be representing a large Sect in Shengxiang, worthy of being addressed as a Master.

      And it turns out he's still a student!

      Lou Cheng stifled his laughter, until Zhong Ningtao completed his "procedures".

      "Is it strange to be a student? They are students too, undergraduates," he said, pointing towards Peng Leyun and Ren Li.

      He could not help but add in a tongue in cheek comment. "You wouldn't be surprised if you were a reporter from Japan. Over there, it's always the students saving the world, and they return to their lessons afterwards too. (reference to animes with middle-schooler/high schooler protags)"

      The guide will probably leave this part out in his interpretation, so there was no harm in having a little fun.

      As expected, amidst the laughter of Peng Leyun and the others, Zhong Ningtao only translated the first part.

      "Oh, how peculiar! Is this the newest trend in China?" said Catherine, stunned and in awe. After regaining her composure, she asked Lou Cheng a couple of other things—how long he had been studying martial arts, what competitions had he competed in before— and received answers that shocked her even more.

      Five minutes passed quickly. She looked at her watch, exhaled.

      "You are an amazing person, I am very honored to have the chance to interview you," she said with a bright smile.

      "Thanks," Lou Cheng replied, smiling to show his appreciation.

      During the interview, with the guide's "filter" in play, he answered every question unreservedly, fully demonstrating his roasting prowess with his savage replies.

      After waving goodbye, right before turning away, she beamed at Lou Cheng.

      "Actually, I do know Chinese," she said in perfect Chinese.

      "My grandmother is a scholarly Chinese. But during interviews, I have to use English or Shengxiangese," she said.

      Ah… Lou Cheng paused, then blushed.

      Wait, so you understood everything I said?

      I just performed a one-man stand up comedy?

      Catherine left trying hard to contain her laugh. An unrestrained laughter erupted around him, from Peng Leyun, Ann Chaoyang, Ren Li and Zhong Ningtao...

      F***, it's all Xiao Ming's fault that I picked up his bad habit, now I managed to embarrass myself overseas… thought Lou Cheng as he hid his face and sighed. Find authorized novels in Webnovel，faster updates, better experience，Please click www.webnovel.com for visiting.

      ...

      Veigar and Banam both won by a landslide in less than two minutes, and the fourth fight was about to begin.

      Peng Leyun VS No.3 Seed Wahku, a Sadhu who practiced the arts of Arhat!

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     480 On One Thought, It Was Peace. On The Other Thought, It Was Hell!

      Theravada was a branch of Buddhism commonly known as Hinayana. However, they would never call themselves that and hated when others called them that. At the same time, they rejected what was known as Boddhisatva or Mahayana Buddhism. Based on the viewpoints of the three sects of Semitic, heresy was worse than followers of other religions!

      This branch was strict and highly disciplined. They followed traditions closely and practised asceticism. With "Sixteen Insight Knowledge" and "Four Sacred Teachings" at their core, they practised to become Arhat in the modern times. Arhat was also known as the "Self-practice Man" and lacked the desire to help mankind. After understanding the miseries in the world and that everything was just illusory, they would only seek individual reprieve. In other words, before they completely surpassed "reincarnation", they were very strong individually. It was especially so in the spiritual aspect as they were clearly unique and stronger than their peers.

      Wahku was a monk like this and had practised the "Sixteen Insight Knowledges" to the eleventh stage of "Savkharupekkha Bana". Through this, he clearly understood the body and desires were illusory and no longer felt persistence nor nostalgic for things. He would also be filled with indifference and alienation. At this stage, his spirits would be in an extraordinary stage and his strength would be frightening. The fact that he was ranked as the third seed was a testament to it.

      He wouldn't be weaker than Peng Leyun by much... Lou Cheng thought to himself. In his mind, various situations with Wahku flashed past.

      At this moment, he heard the voice from the announcement and saw Peng Leyun, who was beside him, stood up gradually. His eyes were focused and no longer drifting.

      Lou Cheng secretly smiled to himself, clenched his fist, and shouted softly,

      "All the best!"

      "Yeah!" Peng Leyun responded with a fist bump. His muscles and tendons were all shaking faintly, indicating the agitation and excitement in his heart.

      Seeing this, Lou Cheng didn't know why but wanted to mourn in silence for five seconds for Wahku.

      The first generation machine of Shangqing Sect had finished recharging!

      After bumping fist with Ren Li, Ann Chaoyang and Zhong Ningtao, Peng Leyun turned his body around and walked towards the ring with his aura rising. With every step, his surrounding seemed to get darker and pressurised. Dark clouds were almost formed and thunderous explosion sounds seemed to be sweeping every dissension in the world away.

      Such an imposing momentum seemed to have materialised and was comparable to a senior inhuman stage fighter. However Veigar who was approaching directly towards him still maintained a miserable face. Only those eyes of his seemed deeper as though he had seen through the surrounding illusions. He wasn't affected by it at all.

      With regards to that, Peng Leyun was neither disappointed or frustrated. On the contrary, radiant light was gathering within his pupils, similar to the lightning that was about to strike down. The fighting intention was getting thicker and thicker.

      When the two of them stood on the predetermined position respectively, the referee raised his right hand without any delay, swung it down and shouted,

      "Begins!"

      Peng Leyun lowered his body, gathered his Qi and his body immediately leapt up like a piece of cloud swinging over. What followed the light-weighted leapt was a loud explosion and intense vibration of the ring, causing Wahku's body to sway.

      His "Flash Attack" was no longer the same as previous.

      In a flash, as though there were afterimages, Peng Leyun "appeared" in front of Wahku. He extended his right arm and turned it to a large hammer. Surrounding it with buzzing visible silver-white lightning, he smashed it towards his opponents fiercely.

      Wahku did not move. He didn't even try to resist the vibrations of his body. Facing this "hammer" of Peng Leyun, he heaved a sigh. After which, he took a simple stride ahead, stabilized himself and responded with a straight punch.

      In the ensuing loud explosion, the hatred and will of abandonment in his eyes got stronger. His skinny stature seemed to be inflated and patches of gold started to appear on his yellowish skin. His punch had landed accurately on his opponent's wrist.

      Buzz!

      Silver light was flickering and Wahku felt as though his hands had contacted countless needles. His body was shaking and couldn't complete the subsequent movements properly. However his expression and gaze did not change at all. It was as though the one who got an "electric shock" wasn't him. As for Peng Leyun, various uncomfortable feelings started rising. He felt just like being exposed in the rain and shine, enduring unbearable hunger and experiencing the various miseries of dehydration!

      This caused him to be slower by a beat before regaining his conscious. As a result, he wasn't able to leverage on the opportunity when Wahku temporarily lost control of his body.

      "Heart Reflection Punch", a secret fist martial arts of Theravada. Through this, he would be able to reflect what was in his mind on his opponent's mind. At the same time, the opponent would experience the trials and the various feelings Wahku had suffered!

      At this moment, radiant light started gathering in the eyes of Peng Leyun once again and the surrounding was illuminated. In his mind, he started visualizing a green-color jade amulet in the sky with electrical circuits forming complicated seals.

      Bam!

      He straightened his body and his muscles started inflating as blood was pumping into it. Without dodging, he took huge strides ahead, holding his fist and ready to strike.

      Thunder Sect's simplified physical invulnerability move, "Thunder Seal"!

      Seeing this, Lou Cheng couldn't help but smile. He opened his mouth and scolded,

      "He's playing again!"

      Since he knew the uniqueness of "Heart Reflecting Punch", the best choice for Peng Leyun would be to go with the momentum and used "Dan Force" to propel his "Machine Fist" and launched a series of fierce attacks to not give Wahku the opportunity to reflect his heart on his. However, he had chosen to use simplified physical invulnerability move to attack and not avoid the "needle head". Other than wanting to "experience" the marvellous aspect of "Heart Reflecting Punch", there's no other explanation for doing so!

      Facing an expert who was at the same inhuman stage as him, he actually still dared to allow his opponent to showcase his strength!

      "'Play' is an apt word..." The bottled and gentle An Chaoyang nodded his head with approval. As for Ren Li, she was looking at the ring with a puzzled look. She was suspecting that Peng Leyun had something deeper objective hidden behind his decision to not go with the best response.

      Hmph, it must be so!

      Lou Cheng shook his head and laughed again,

      "What would happen if he lost because he was playing?" Find authorized novels in Webnovel，faster updates, better experience，Please click www.webnovel.com for visiting.

      "What else could be done? Nonetheless, you are already in the top eight, Ren Li is ninety percent sure too and Ann Chaoyang also has his chances. Having one eliminated can still be taken as showing respect to the host country.," laughed Zhong Ningtao calmly. "This can also teach Peng Leyun a lesson so that he will not be so arrogant in the future. How good is this?"

      "Do you think this is possible?" Lou Cheng did not look at the Coach but turned and looked at Ann Chaoyang.

      Would the big devil accept this type of lesson?

      "I don't think this is likely..." Ann Chaoyang heaved a sigh.

      "Me too..." Lou Cheng also heaved a sigh.

      When they talked, the situation on the field had changed. Facing Peng Leyun's "Thunder Seal", Wahku didn't attempt to dodge too. His gaze seemed to have seen through the material world and a faint golden light started enveloping his body. After which, he moved his elbow, clenched his fist and threw it upward. He was going to fight Peng Leyun head on and fight toughness with toughness!

      Rumble!

      The fist collided the golden and dull green light intertwined. Their muscles and tendons could be seen and suddenly, a loud explosion propagated from mid-air as though a bolt lightning had exploded on the spot.

      Peng Leyun's vision turned black and his mind had an unexplainable reflection. He was experiencing the ageing of his body and as time passed, he felt more and more powerless.

      For an expert that habitually relied on his martial arts, this was the most brutal and painful thing. They had spent a substantial part of their lives to train diligently in order to obtain such strength. Yet because of the ageing of their body, they gradually lost their strength. Till the end, there would be nothing left and they might not even be able to defeat a young kid that had just started entering the path of martial arts.

      How weak was this and how pathetic would this be!

      Heart Reflecting Punch, "Old"!

      This was opposite from the previous strike "Misery"!

      Although Peng Leyun was still in his prime years and couldn't understand such miseries, being in the Shangqing Sect allowed him to see the miseries of many elders after they aged. He had seen many of them plagued by the miseries of old injuries and the helplessness as they lied paralysed on their deathbeds. Peng Leyun had long felt strongly about these and Wahku through injecting his own experiences of ageing into Peng Leyun had caused him to remember those memories. Suddenly, the fear hidden deep within him suddenly erupted.

      In an instant, he stood dazedly at the original spot. Cold sweat was breaking from his face and he seemed stuck in a nightmare that he could not wake up from. He even did not think of recalling "Thor's image" to suppress his mind.

      As for Wahku who had received his punch, his clothes were already tattered. His arms that were emanating golden light were slightly burned and his whole body was twitching incessantly. He was completely paralysed and couldn't tell what was happening.

      However, he had trained his body through miseries and had extremely strong resistance to pain, burns and lightning strikes. He had recovered first. With a face full of miseries, he twisted his waist and threw out his left arm.

      Seeing that Wahku's almost flat fist about to land outside the throat of him, without knowing why, Peng Leyun suddenly seemed to have suffered a double stimulation. He broke free from the nightmare of ageing and vitality reappeared in his eyes. Radiant light was gathering and a white flash was formed in a blink of an eye.

      The vortex in his body was circulating at extreme speed and the sound of "motor" propagated to the surrounding. In the face of Wahku's fist, he became like a "paper" and was pushed back by the "wind pressure" and managed to dodge this lethal strike by the slimmest of margin!

      This was a very simple application of unlike poles attracts and like poles reflects!

      In the two "electric strike" previously, using his extremely strong control over the core techniques of the Magnet Sect of the Thunder Sect, Peng Leyun had spread a layer of electric charges, that could be maintained for several seconds, over the surface of Wahku's body. These charges were completely the same as those around his body and therefore when his opponent attacked, he got a response. Coupled and stacked with "Absolute Reaction", he broke free from the feelings transmitted from "Heart Reflecting Punch". He was able to execute the techniques of the Magnet Sect and salvage himself from a defeat.

      Wahku wasn't depressed and activated "Heart Reflection" again and used the killer move of this technique:

      "Six Paths of Reincarnation Punch"!

      From his perspectives, the six paths of reincarnation did just exist in the books of Buddhism and also existed in the world. These were illusory things but manifestations of the human mind.

      Among which, "Hungry Ghost Path" was synonymous to "Greed and unrestraints". "Animal Path" was synonymous to "uncontrollable desires". "Asura Path" referred to the "bloodlust and desire for violence" in everyone. "Human Path" was the manifestation of the cause and effects of various loves, hates and grudges. "Hell Path" was the extreme end of "Human Path" and represented the miseries caused from extreme love, extreme hatred and extreme jealousy and was the opposite side of "Human Path".

      As for "Deva Path", it referred to the mental state for those who had great cultivation level. These people had gotten away from the remaining give paths and obtained peace and freedom. However this mental state had not reached the point of unconventional and had not escaped from reincarnation. They might be affected by other factors anytime, controlled by their emotions and fell back into miseries. As the saying went: On one thought, it was peace. On the other thought, it was hell!

      "Six Paths of Reincarnation, a reflection of various aspects of the world!

      Wahku's eyes shimmered in a layer of golden light. However the light was dull and alluring, calming his heart.

      Pa!

      His punch started from his waist level and brought with it a crisp sound without any weird signs.

      Six Reincarnation Punches, "Hungry Ghost Path"!

      Peng Leyun struck again and used "Thunderbolt Fire" to withstand this strike. He did not experience the feelings of "Misery" and "Age" as before and therefore launched his attacks nonchalantly.

      However unknowingly, he felt more and more frustrated as he fought and started to neglect the surrounding more and more. It was as though he was trying to finish his opponents quickly and finding out the weaknesses of his opponents quickly. Wahku defended patiently and used both of his fists and legs to drag for time. From time to time, he would supplement his attacks with another blow of "Hungry Ghost Path" While solidly defending, other than his skin turning a little dark from the burns and the stacking of numbness throughout his body, there were no other signs.

      As they fought on, their intense fight had reached the edge of the ring. As Wahku tilted his body to the side, Peng Leyun pounced forward and almost fell off from it.

      As he twisted his waist, he suddenly awakened and realised the peculiar feeling in his body and mind. He immediately started visualising the utmost Yang "Thor's Image" to dispel all the distracting thoughts.

      When Wahku saw this scene, the golden light in his eyes immediately started turning red till it became a dark blood-like red.

      "Six Paths of Reincarnation Punch" could be applied on himself too!

      While thinking of Arhat, he was practising the arts of Asura!

      Kacha! Wahku's body seemed to have expanded as he grew by a few centimeters. The power of his muscles clashed towards Peng Leyun solidly as he tried to directly knock him off the ring.

      At this stage, it was too late to remain calm!

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     481 “Calamity” strikes in a row

      Two steps would have covered the distance between them— a matter of seconds for Wahku in his Arhat form. Undodgeable. Inescapable.

      Suppressing his impatience, Peng Leyun did only one thing. He sprang up in an odd pose with his body straightened, as if he was lying down in mid-air!

     That was his only solution to dodging "Asura Ram"!

     Had he jumped with his body upright or leapt forward, Wahku would definitely have hit him in the region below his chest and abdomen. He could have gotten away without broken bones if he defended with a kick, but there's no room for a comeback after getting knocked out of the arena by that violent force.

      Of course, all he did was merely avoid the direct impact. How could Wahku not prepare secondary moves to follow up and connect?

     Bam!

     Wahku's lowered his his body, slicing through the air around him. He stopped on the edge of the arena, his eyes bloodshot. With a bend and thrust of his knees, he propelled upwards with a uppercut to meet the falling.

     At that moment, still in the air, Peng Leyun's eyes gleamed. He put his hands together at lightning speed in a clapping position.

     Boom!

     A sunny day turned stormy as a whip of thunder sounded from nowhere. Had it been any other martial artists, it would have been hard to prevent being stunned from the deafening and terrifying effects. However, such feelings did not affect the current Wahku— a violent, bloodthirsty doom machine that was void of sense and logic. Only when the boxing effects wore off could he return to the "Immortal Path". Therefore, even though his spirit was slightly wavered, his body remained unaffected and moved on its own. The uppercut swooshed up.

      That was the reason behind using "Asura Path" on himself at the end!

      By removing external interferences, he planned to end the battle swiftly without giving his opponent any chances!

      In the storm, the falling Peng Leyun pulled his palms apart, between which held a spark of silvery lightning the thinness of a knife's edge.

      The silvery light quickly found its mark, striking Veigar on his body. He stopped. A thin coil of smoke spiralled from his clothes and skin.

     Taking advantage of his stopping, Peng Leyun visualized dark overcasts that piled over each other in nine layers, brewing an extremely masculine brutality that matched perfectly with "Divine Wrath Force".

     Boom!

     The deafening thunder roared once more. A silvery white light struck downwards like a shrunken bolt of lightning. But when examined closely, one would notice that it was actually Peng Leyun with his fist wreathed in electricity. Exploding his "Dan Force", he struck downwards like he was delivering divine retribution!

     Bang! Fist mashed into fist. One with bulking muscles and visible vessels and veins, the other with skipping silver serpents that jumped as if they were caught in a net.

      Crack! The Asura-formed Wahku landed on both feet and sunk into the brick, body trembling and muscles twitching. Peng Leyun bounced up slightly, bent his leg midair and stuck his electric covered knee out, crashing towards his opponent's chest.

      Boom!

     In the clangour, Wahku lifted his left arm, put it before him, and forcefully blocked the deadly kick. Then he flipped and tossed his enemy back, cutting off the secondary kicks that would have followed. His arm, where the knee had contacted, was torched black, shaking non-stop as a burnt smell wafted through the air.

     Right before Peng Leyun flew out of the arena, he retracted his Qi and blood, and did a flip midair. Riding on the momentum, he stiffened his right leg, where sparks circled, and hacked it downwards in a war axe motion.

      Boom, boom, boom!

     Like a sparrow hawk, he persistently flew up by borrowing strength, then rained down with punches, elbows, knees, and kicks, occasionally lashing at his opponent after transforming himself into a Divine Wrath Bolt. On the narrow edge of the arena, he fiercely fought "Asura" Wahku, as if he was treading on the boundary between victory and defeat.

     Boom! Boom! Boom!

     From the perspective of Lou Cheng and the others, bolts of silver lightning struck down on the arena at a steady pace. Nine bolts went down in total, with each outshining the previous, reminiscent of a rumored "cataclysm".

      "The Nine Heavens' Ensemble?" gasped Ann Chaoyang.

      That was the seventh style of the Thunder Sect— Physical Invulnerability State unique skill!

      "No," said Ren Li, shaking her head. "Looks like an imitation—a Dan stage kungfu he came up with on his own..."

     Her words roused a sincere awe in Lou Cheng. Though he barely caught up to Peng Leyun in two years with the aid of the Jindan, there was still a large gap between them in other aspects of martial arts. While he was still in the process of learning and mastering moves, Peng Leyun could already devise his own moves by imitating the predecessor's unique skills. This was due to the accumulation of experience and natural talent, and if Lou Cheng wanted to make up for his shortcomings and catch up with Peng Leyun, he had to imitate the Dragon King— more hard work, more resilience, more extrapolation, more knowledge, and challenging a greater variety of opponents!

     Boom! Boom! Boom!

     After the ninth bolt, Wahku felt numb all over, muscles trembling as the blood in his eyes faded. Awoken from the "Asura Path", he instinctively took two steps back.

      His retreat allowed Peng Leyun to land at last. Activating Machine Fist with his Dan Force, he took advantage of Wahku recovering from "Six Paths of Reincarnation". In a series of dull thuds, he "sprayed" at his opponent like a maniac, with fists that left afterimages. With his foot as a pivot, he maneuvered from time to time, causing disorientation in Wahku's movements.

      Thud, thud, thud, thud, thud! With his joints bouncing and fascias stretching, his attack left no breaks in between. Finally, Wahku's movements slowed down from the paralysis effects stacking up. After another flurry of attacks, his defence broke down and he took a palm to the body.

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      Zap!

      The electric serpents dazzled. As if hit by high voltage, Wahku flew back, burnt marks appearing all over his body.

     Pom!

     From the edge of the arena where he was standing, Wahku landed on the ground below, limbs twitching and mouth foaming.

     Peng Leyun stopped moving. Perspiration beaded on him as he gasped for air. Excitement tinged his eyes, along with palpable exhaustion. He was clearly at his limits.

     The referee glanced at him before putting his right hand up.

     "Peng Leyun wins!"

     Loud sighs erupted, along with a number of curses and expletives. There goes the last hope for the Eastern hosts.

      Feeling awed and at a lost of words, Lou Cheng could not help but chuckle. Turn to Ann Chaoyang, Ren Li and Zhong Ningtao to say, "I thought today was the day he would graduate from his antics and stop playing around."

      "Me too…" Ann Chaoyang agreed with a sigh.

     Peng Leyun, rested by then, watched as Wahku was supported off the arena.

      "What a pity…" he muttered.

      A pity he didn't get to experience the magic of the four remaining punches of "Reincarnation Punches"!

      Turning around, he walked to the grandstand with slight grandiose, then stopped before Lou Cheng and the rest to high five in celebration.

      After the ritual, he poked fun at himself.

      "Almost lost just now…" he laughed.

      Hearing his words, Lou Cheng and Ann Chaoyang exchanged a glance and burst out in laughter.

     As expected, he almost messed up from playing around too much!

     "What's wrong?" Peng Leyun looked at them, slightly confused.

      "Nothing," replied Lou Cheng without hesitation, before adding, "You do you!"

      Keep playing around, especially when you run into me on the arena!

      At that point, the first four matches of the Top 16s had all ended, concluding the day. Lou Cheng and the rest followed Zhong Ningtao back to to the hotel. Since two of them had to prepare for their matches on the next day and the other two were completely exhausted, none were keen on taking a walk around or getting supper. They returned to their respective rooms dutifully, to the great disappointment of certain people watching them.

      After freshening up, Lou Cheng reported the results of the fight to his Mom, then chatted on and off with Yan Zheke, until he could no longer withstand the exhaustion on his spirit. He bid an early goodnight and fell asleep even before he made his spirit and Qi steady.

      In the drowsiness, he felt as if he was back to the Youth Tournament at the provincial level. The time after he fought Zhang Zhutong, exhausted and nauseous, but had to recover quickly in order to prepare for the next competition.

      Half awake and half sleep, he felt as if he was leaning on Yan Zheke's tender thighs, receiving a comfortable massage at his head as her familiar aroma filled his nose with her beautiful faint voice singing at his ears.

      "By the time you are old, and you hair turns white…"

      The singing was at times loud and at times soft, at times close and at times far.

      Suddenly, Lou Cheng woke up. He stared at the ceiling in the dark night. He was surrounded by a pitch black serenity. Alone.