w.a.n.g Teng wouldn’t have imagined that his parents were also here in Capital Xia. They came to view his matches personally. He was worried that there might be deaths and injuries in the arena, so he didn’t inform them. He didn’t want them to worry. However, he had underestimated the attention parents gave to their children. How could they not know of such an important matter?
They wouldn’t have cared if w.a.n.g Teng didn’t partic.i.p.ate, but since he was a candidate, they must come and see him in action.
Li Xiumei and w.a.n.g Shengguo didn’t understand the martial warriors’ world that much. They only knew that becoming a martial warrior could bring glory to their ancestors. The National Number One Martial Arts Compet.i.tion was a grand event. The government organized it personally, and it was internationally renowned. They felt extremely proud to be a part of this event.
Their son was so promising! Grandpa w.a.n.g wanted to come too, but he was getting old. Everyone persuaded him to sit tight at home. In the end, he decided to stay and watch the live broadcast.
w.a.n.g Teng’s appearance caused a huge commotion. Many people were talking about him. No one knew how strong he was and why Huanghai Military Academy sent this freshman for the compet.i.tion.
Maybe he wasn’t that weak either, and the main reason was to let him experience the martial arts compet.i.tion for future preparations.
Some live stream channels were also broadcasting the compet.i.tion. There were even people setting up betting stands, wagering on w.a.n.g Teng’s ability and what ranking he would achieve.
Instantly, numerous people placed their bets. Public opinion varied, and the topic remained trending for a long time.
w.a.n.g Teng wouldn’t have guessed that his appearance could cause such a huge reaction. Everyone was debating about him.
“Alright, w.a.n.g Teng is very handsome, we know, but can everyone stop staring at him? Let’s give some time to the other students too. After the Huanghai Military Academy, we have….” Zhang Jun opened his mouth once again and continued his commentary.
All the famous universities appeared one by one in front of the audience. Then, the other factions made their entrance. It was an eye-opener for normal people. This was when they knew that there were so many martial warrior organizations in the country.
Of course, some of them were already aware since this martial arts compet.i.tion had been hosted many times. Hence, they weren’t surprised.
Following the entrance of every faction, the commentator would introduce them briefly to the audience.
“The Leiting Martial House is one of the top three martial arts academies in the country. This time, we have Ren Qingcang as their leader. I’m sure all of you are familiar with this young martial warrior. He’s the direct disciple of the president of Leiting Martial House and is extremely talented. I heard that he is determined to get the champions.h.i.+p t.i.tle for this martial arts compet.i.tion.”
Suddenly, a name caught w.a.n.g Teng’s attention.
Ren Qingcang! Was it that Ren Qingcang?
w.a.n.g Teng had a sudden thought as he looked at the person in the lead. This was a young man around 20 years old. He had long hair with sharp features. He was exceptionally handsome and arrogant, and his aura was distant and cold.
This fellow seems like a showoff. w.a.n.g Teng pouted and complained in his heart. Ren Qingcang raised his head as if he had sensed w.a.n.g Teng’s gaze.
w.a.n.g Teng smiled at him, revealing his pearly white teeth.
Ren Qingcang was stunned for a moment. Then, he remembered something and squinted his eyes slightly. He had heard the commentator’s introduction just now. This was w.a.n.g Teng from Huanghai Military Academy.
He couldn’t remember who he was just by listening to the name, but memories flashed in his mind when he saw his face. This was probably the young man his grandfather had told him about.
A glimmer flashed past his eyes before he looked away from w.a.n.g Teng. He was just a freshman. No matter how talented he was, how strong could he be? This was a n.o.body whom he could get rid of during the compet.i.tion. Is he… looking down on me?
w.a.n.g Teng smiled when he saw his reaction. In the past, he had heard that Ren Qingcang was a 6-star soldier-level martial warrior. He wondered what stage he was at now.
I hope that he won’t disappoint me!
Zhang Jun continued his commentary.
“Qianyuan Sect is the top sect in our country, second to none. It has a long history. Ever since the Force invaded Earth, their legacy started s.h.i.+ning with a newfound brilliance.
“Recently, Qianyuan Sect has accepted many gifted disciples because of their strong legacy. Among the partic.i.p.ants for this year’s martial arts compet.i.tion, we have an extremely talented young martial warrior. He’s the young master of the Qianyuan Sect, Zhao Yuanwu.”
w.a.n.g Teng was stunned when he heard Zhang Jun’s introduction.
Sect?
There are sects in this world?
There was rarely any information on sects available online. Even if something was found, most people would think that it was a rumor and couldn’t be trusted.
After all, in modern society, sects sounded a little ancient.
Even though there were martial warriors, they were new-era martial warriors. They would either take the martial arts exam or join a martial arts academy. Sects were scarce.
However, some people had insider information and looked astounded after being in a daze for a moment. “Those sects are appearing in front of the public now?”
A few more sects appeared after the first one. These factions hadn’t partic.i.p.ated in martial arts compet.i.tions in the past. Hence, they were the last to make an appearance.
Time pa.s.sed quickly. The opening ceremony was boring in comparison to the rest of the compet.i.tion, but the audience enjoyed it. They were curious about the young martial warriors, commenting from head to feet excitedly.
Many important figures were sitting on the second floor in the audience seats.
At this moment, someone smiled and said, “There are several top-tier talents in this batch. It will be a heated compet.i.tion.”
“Although there are many talents, my disciple, Ren Qingcang, is destined to suppress the crowd. There’s no doubt that he will be the champion.” One of the muscular hunks laughed arrogantly.
This person was the president of Leiting Martial House, Lei Zhenting!
“President Lei, it’s too early to draw conclusions now.” A carefree middle-aged man sn.i.g.g.e.red. “Ye Jixin, don’t worry about me. This year, your Jixin Martial House doesn’t have any presentable talented martial warriors in your ranks,” Lei Zhenting smiled and said.
The carefree middle-aged man was the famous president of Jixin Martial House!
If w.a.n.g Teng saw his appearance, he might be dumbfounded.
“Are you sure?” Ye Jixin replied indifferently.
“I heard that w.a.n.g Teng is from your Jixin Martial House, right?” Someone at the side jumped into their conversation.
“Indeed, he’s from my Jixin Martial House. I didn’t expect Huanghai to let him partic.i.p.ate in the martial arts compet.i.tion,” Ye Jixin said with a strange gaze.
“Old Wu, why did you start paying attention to him? w.a.n.g Teng will have a chance to win the compet.i.tion a few years later. This year, he’s just joining in the fun,” Lei Zhenting said nonchalantly.
“I heard that Jixin Martial House gave him an SSS-grade proposal,” the president of Bailian Martial House, Wu Lian, said.
“I remember it now. My subordinates did mention this matter to me. Ye Jixin, is this fellow really worth the price?” Lei Zhenting asked in bewilderment. “You will know whether it’s worth it or not later,” Ye Jixin said.
“Hmph, what are you acting so mysterious for? You are so evasive,” Lei Zhenting said with disdain.
“Hahaha.” Wu Lian burst out laughing when he heard this.
“What happy things are you all talking about?” An ordinary-looking scrawny man walked over at this moment.
“Mr. Ma!”
The three presidents turned around and saw CEO Ma from Alibaba. They smiled and greeted him.
Their martial arts academies had long-term collaborations with Alibaba, so they knew him personally. “We’re talking about this year’s partic.i.p.ants,” Wu Lian smiled and replied. “Mr. Ma, you must be looking for people to bring into your company.” “Of course. Martial warriors are strategic resources. Businesses need their help, too,” Mr. Ma said.
“Mr. Ma, has anyone in particular caught your attention?” Lei Zhenting asked.
“I can’t touch the students from the military academies. But I feel that your disciple, Ren Qingcang, is not bad,” Mr. Ma smiled and said.
“Hahaha, you’ve got good taste. We can have a chat after the compet.i.tion,” Lei Zhenting laughed and replied.
On the screen, Zhang Jun slowly opened his mouth.
“All the compet.i.tors have entered the venue. I’m sure that everyone has a brief understanding of them now. If you want to know them better, you will have to wait for the compet.i.tion to start.
“I dare to say that there will be many elite figures emerging from these partic.i.p.ants many years later. Some of them may even become general-stage martial warriors.”
There was an uproar from the crowd.
General-stage martial warriors!
To many ordinary people, general-stage martial warriors were an indomitable presence, just like the three presidents of the martial arts academies and the generals in the military. They were all big shots.
Hence, they were dumbstruck when the commentator said that some of the young martial warriors would become such mighty figures in the future.
Of course, many of them found it reasonable. After all, these young martial warriors were all gifted. Given enough time to grow, many of them could reach the general stage. “This is the end of the opening ceremony. We will now raise our flag and play our national anthem. Please leave the venue in an orderly manner.”
The national anthem sounded after the commentator finished speaking. Everyone looked towards the center, where the flag was rising steadily.
Everyone left.
The opening ceremony was screened to the entire country through various media. It was even transmitted to other nations. A rumpus had occurred on the internet. Many people were talking about the National Number One Martial Arts Compet.i.tion, commenting on the partic.i.p.ants from the various universities and factions.
More and more people took notice of this event, and it trended higher and higher on the internet.
The next day.
In the morning, at Dragon’s Den. The audience stands were packed with people, and discussions never stopped for a single moment.
At 8 am sharp, the name list for the duels was revealed on the screen. The zone number and the arena number were displayed too.
w.a.n.g Teng searched for his name. His opponent was a fourth-year student from Jinlin University. Looking at the name, it wasn’t a famous talent.
“Arena 66!” w.a.n.g Teng smiled when he saw his arena number. This number was good.[1] He found the arena and stepped onto it.
The judge was already in position.
His opponent had arrived too. “You will have some time to prepare. When I shout ‘start,’ you can start the compet.i.tion. Once someone admits defeat or loses his ability to fight, the duel will end.” The judge was a martial warrior, and he wasn’t weak. If there was a need, he could step in to stop the partic.i.p.ants and prevent accidents from happening w.a.n.g Teng nodded to show that he understood.
After some time, the judge blew the whistle and shouted, “Start!” [1] 6 can mean amazing in Chinese.