Martial Arts Master

7 PM in the female dormitory of Capital College.

After failing to buy tickets to the match, Qiu Hailin and her roommates were parked in front of their computer to watch the broadcast. The host, Liu Chang, and special guest, Chen Sansheng, were already seated in the studio. The only difference was that the snacks that would typically be on the table in front of her were replaced with a bottle of yogurt.

“Lou Cheng and his team are in the first match today, right?” Qiu Hailin asked.

“Yeah…” Ding Yixin replied vaguely, her mouth stuffed with delicious salted egg yolk biscuits.

“I heard that there is a special rule this year?” asked Du Yiyin as she tore open a bag of snacks. She was never keen on martial arts competitions but was buoyed by the lively atmosphere this time.

Ding Yixin drank a gulp of water and said with satisfaction, “That is for sure. The three brothers of Qingdao, no, Mingdao, will most definitely enter the match together. The news said that they have already applied for the special competition format to fight three-versus-six!”

Would that not benefit Songcheng greatly? Qiu Hailin was confused but hesitated to bother them with another question. She turned her gaze to the screen and carefully listened to the special guest.

In the studio, Liu Chang was leading the conversation.

“The match today is important to both Songcheng and Mingdao. If the former loses, they can basically say goodbye to the national competition. If Songcheng fails, they will be at a disadvantage in the following group competition.”

“Shanbei has already won two rounds and the Capital has also been performing well. They will likely emerge winners of their groups. The teams in other groups won’t want to come second and meet them in advance.”

Chen Sansheng joked, “To think we can see such fierce battles in the top eight between Shanbei and Songcheng, the Capital and Huahai University; I can only describe my feelings with a lyric: ‘The scene is so beautiful I can’t bear to see’.”

“This is actually good news. This way, more people will focus on the top-eight competition.” Liu Chang looked at his partner. “Sansheng, what are the odds of Songcheng winning?”

“Hard to say. Mingdao is also a tough team. Huahai had to fight so hard, to the extent that some of their members were injured to secure their victory,” Chen Sansheng replied after thinking about it.

“You are right.” Liu Chang nodded. “The He brothers are always united and strong. If not for Xing Jingjing’s illusions, Huahai would have to sacrifice even more to win. An Chaoyang would at least need double the stamina he spent.”

“Yeah, that is the biggest strength of the He brothers. They seem telepathic and they can maintain their formation while moving at high speeds, rather than just staying in their positions and suffering their opponents’ attacks. That day, An Chaoyang was so concerned about this that he ended up losing.” Chen Sansheng echoed Liu Chang’s words. “Once Songcheng makes a mistake, it is not impossible to capsize the ship in the ditch (overturn the situation).”

Liu Chang burst out laughing. “How are they a ditch? With their strength, Mingdao can be considered a river. Their direct attacks can overcome their opponents’ advantage in numbers and even restrain their strength. But Lou Cheng can launch a spiritual attack with the Bin Formula of his Nine Words Formula. That might just be more terrifying than the He brothers’ formation.”

“That was why I said Hudong is Mingdao’s foil. If they just keep Wu Yong and three substitutes away from the match and conserve their strength, with Yu Zhi as the fighter and Han Peipei launching her infrasonic waves, do you think the He brothers could take the successive attacks of a monster?” Chen Sansheng smiled. “I noticed that Lou Cheng’s Bin Formula has to be used with the corresponding hand seal and visualization. It is probably directional. Even if it is not, the one who directly faces Lou Cheng’s attack will typically be the one most heavily injured. The effect would be reduced for the rest. This way, the He brothers would not be totally at a loss.”

Liu Chang took charge of the conversation, concluding the topic with, “I am really looking forward to the match after your explanation. Sansheng, have you noticed the heated discussion in Weibo recently?”

“You mean An All-knowing Man in Ganghood betting on Lou Cheng not being able to reach the Inhuman level within the year?” Chen Sansheng was also a Weibo star in his own right in the martial arts circle. He had met An All-knowing Man in Ganghood several times and he was rather familiar with him.

“Yes. What do you think? Who do you think will win the bet?” Liu Chang smiled.

Chen Sansheng replied diplomatically, “Hard to say. Lou Cheng is a fighter that specializes in creating miracles. He almost always overturns others’ predictions. But An All-knowing Man in Ganghood makes sense too. I am in a dilemma! I think both have the chance to win. But after much consideration, I decided to bet on Lou Cheng…”

“Huh? Why? Your honest hand betrayed your mind?” Liu Chang teased.

“Not really. I just think the odds are stacked against Lou Cheng. I didn’t spend too much money, but if a miracle happens, I will be making a fortune,” Chen Sansheng joked self-deprecatingly.

Liu Chang shook his head. “How do you think gambling companies make their money? If you bet on the one with the lower odds, you are basically feeding them money. Okay, let’s stop here. Let’s look at the highlight reel of the previous matches of both teams.”

“Can you even piece together Lou Cheng’s first two matches into a highlight reel? In total, they just make up dozens of seconds,” Chen Sansheng joked as he waited for the countdown.

…

In the locker room, Geezer Shi took a sip of wine and grinned at his team members.

“I don’t have anything to say about this match. You all should know the He brothers very well. Lou Cheng, Lin Que, Yan Zheke, Li Mao, Cai Zongming, Lin Hua, you guys will be participating in this match. Don’t be too nervous and keep all your training in mind. Don’t look at me, you brat. I am not talking about you. Just play it by the ear with Lin and fight as you like.”

“Yes!” Lou Cheng and the rest replied excitedly, showing their high spirit.

When the match was about to begin, they had Sun Jian, He Zi, and Wang Dali join them. They formed a circle and put their hands together.

“Definite victory!”

Definite victory for Songcheng!

If they won this match, they would be a national top eight team!

Even if Hudong won against Huahai and their own team lost the coming match, both teams would still meet in the next stage. But the Songcheng team was confident in dealing Hudong a fatal defeat when that time comes!

After yelling their slogan, Lou Cheng opened the door and was the first to step out. He was immediately surrounded by cheering and flashing lights!

…

Over at the Mingdao team, He Yifang was staring in annoyance at his youngest brother who was still gaming on his phone.

“Can’t you just stop a little? We are fighting in the next match! If we lose again, we will have to pack up and go back to school.”

“Okay, jeez. Just let me finish this round. Damn it, I am just playing a game, but I still see someone doing PDA,” He Santai replied without even looking up. “Brother, why are you so concerned about this competition? You are still a third year. You still have a year to improve.”

“Peng Leyun and Ren Li are also third years… Our period of quick advancement has ended. At most, we will advance to Seventh Pin next year. Our progression will be very limited. However, Peng Leyun and Ren Li are basically at the Inhuman level. Maybe even Lou Cheng too. What damned chance do you think we have? Do we even have to fight after I graduate and leave just you two on the team?” He Yifang said angrily, disappointed that his two younger brothers had failed to live up to his expectations.

The substitutes beside them were listening in on their daily argument with great enthusiasm, without any stress or worries about the upcoming match.

When He Santai finally finished his game and looked up, he said with great surprise, “Brother, I didn’t know you were this kind of person… Y-You actually want the championship!”

One should really never judge a book by its cover!

“N-No…” He Yifang replied, stunned.

“If not, why do you care so much about Peng Leyun, Ren Li, and Lou Cheng reaching the Inhuman level? Either way, there won’t be any problem for us to advance from the team competition next year. As for the top four, we will have to see our luck.” He Santai’s expression said that he thought his brother was overthinking matters.

He Yifang was perplexed. “You are not wrong, b-but…”

He still felt like something was off, but he could not pinpoint what.

He Erlong chimed in, saying, “Everyone should have their ambitions…”

Before he could finish, his two brothers turned around to look at him.

“Shut up, you anime addict!”

“Throw away all your figurines before saying that!”

After a short period of silence, their coach, who had zero presence, clapped his hands.

In a faint voice, he said, “It’s time to go…”

The brothers exchanged glances and gradually rid themselves of their usual demeanor. Their eyes blazed with visible fighting desire.

“Let’s go!” they spoke in unison as if only one person was speaking.

Songcheng might’ve been a strong team, but they wouldn’t wait around to be defeated either!

And it was not a completely hopeless situation.

…

With the number of new posts on Lou Cheng’s fan forum dwindling, Yan Xiaoling and her roommates returned their attention to the screen. Nine fighters from both teams had stepped onto the arena.

Yan Zheke was standing with his back against Lin Hua’s. So was Cai Zongming and Li Mao. Lou Cheng and Lin Que were standing in front of them, looking at the He brothers led by He Yifang, who stood in a triangle.

There was no talk time under the special competition format. The referee allowed both sides one minute to adjust themselves before raising his right hand.

“Begin!”

Thump!

The He brothers walked to the side in uniform steps. Their movements were neat as their feet touched the ground. From afar, they looked like copies of the same person sticking to one another.

Thump! Thump! Thump!

They were walking down the same path at the same speed. To the audience’s surprise, they were still able to maintain their position and distance while moving at high speeds. It seemed they were planning to move around Lou Cheng to directly attack Yan Zheke and Lin Ye with their abnormal flexibility and agility.