Chapter 139: U19, Xueheng Enters, Astonishing Everyone! The Will of Heaven is Like an Unyielding Bla

Chapter 139: U19, Xueheng Enters, Astonishing Everyone! The Will of Heaven is Like an Unyielding Blade (8K words) (Part 1)





At two o'clock in the afternoon,

Inside the room, Xueheng waved his hand, commanding the oxygen-producing tree and the trailing plant to reverse their growth and curl up into seeds. The wood shavings and fallen leaves on the ground moved on their own accord, gathering into a small pile without the aid of wind.

A black mist emerged from the shadows, condensing into a black flame at Xueheng's fingertips. With a snap of his fingers, he sent the flame toward the pile of wood shavings and leaves.

The black flame floated down, suddenly grew in size, and blazed fiercely. In no time, it silently reduced the small pile to nothingness.

"Wan Lao Shi, I'm off to the competition. Are you coming with me?" Xueheng turned to the cat, who was lounging on the soft bed.

The cat yawned lazily. "No, I'm going back to sleep."

Xueheng picked up the Fu Rabbit blade that was lying nearby and said casually, "Then I'll be off. Remember not to open the door for strangers while I'm gone."

"Do I look like a child to you?" the cat retorted.

Xueheng smiled but didn't respond. He got up, walked to the door, and left the room.

Taking the elevator down to the hotel lobby, he spotted several familiar figures already seated in the lounge area.

There was the tall and muscular Yin Mushu... as well as the group from the Xuanqiao Club sitting at a distance: the short Du Mingluan, Xiahou, whose shoulder he had crushed, and the middle-aged man, Uncle Li.

The knockout rounds were set to begin at four in the afternoon, and the participants needed to arrive early. Like Xueheng, these few were also preparing to leave.

Xueheng's arrival elicited varied reactions from those present.

Du Mingluan's youthful and delicate features stiffened as his gaze fixed on the Fu Rabbit blade in Xueheng's hand.

Xiahou, on the other hand, subconsciously averted his eyes when Xueheng looked his way, unwilling to meet his gaze directly. His hand unconsciously rubbed his right shoulder.

Yin Mushu was the most natural, and upon seeing Xueheng, her rugged face, marked with muscle lines, softened into a smile. Her voice, a contrasting sweet and girlish tone, greeted him, "Brother Xue."

Xueheng smiled and nodded at her in acknowledgment. "Sister Yin."

"Your match isn't until tomorrow, right? Are you going to watch the matches today?"

"Of course," Yin Mushu replied. "Those who made it to this round of the knockout stages are all experts. Even just watching, I can learn a lot. Some things can only be experienced in person; you can't get the same feel from watching a video."

"My agent, Wei Jie, will be here soon to drive me there. You can come with me if you like," Xueheng offered.

Yin Mushu considered for a moment. She didn't have any other plans, and she had intended to take a taxi anyway. Since there was an opportunity to hitch a ride, she readily agreed with a nod.

Just then, Xueheng's phone rang. He took it out of his pocket and saw that it was Jiang Siwei calling. He answered the call.

"Hello, Wei Jie."

"Are you at the entrance? I'm coming out now."

Xueheng hung up and turned to Yin Mushu. "Let's go, Sister Yin."

Yin Mushu stood up and walked alongside Xueheng as they headed for the door.

At that moment, Du Mingluan, who was sitting nearby, suddenly spoke up.

"Xueheng."

"Hmm?" Xueheng paused and turned his head slightly, looking at Du Mingluan with a curious expression.

"See you on the field... Don't lose before we meet," Du Mingluan said, his face solemn as he looked at Xueheng.

During yesterday's draw, he had been assigned to the eighth match, which was in the same half as Xueheng's sixth match.

Only two participants from this half would advance to the next round. If both he and Xueheng won their first two matches, they would face each other in the third.

Only one of them could advance further.

As the most expensive young genius from the outer ring last year, Du Mingluan didn't consider many of the participants in this Fengcheng knockout round as worthy opponents.

Xueheng was one of the exceptions.

Ever since the draw results came out, he had viewed Xueheng as his only true rival in this competition.

Xueheng glanced at him and merely nodded, a smile playing at the corners of his mouth. "Good luck to you, too."

Yin Mushu, standing beside him, wore a strange expression.

After they left the hotel, Xiahou looked at Du Mingluan and clicked his tongue. "So, you've met your destined rival during your youth? How exhilarating."

"But I get the feeling that he doesn't take you seriously at all?"

Du Mingluan scoffed. "You have quite the imagination. Did he crush both your testicles and shoulder?"

His gaze followed Xueheng's departing figure, and his youthful and delicate face took on a solemn expression.

"I will win."

Xiahou shrugged. "Just make sure you don't get cut down before you even get the chance to stand before him."

...

Fengcheng Gymnasium.

This was one of the largest sports arenas in the fifth urban ring's outer ring, capable of accommodating nearly 20,000 spectators.

A deep red sedan slowly came to a stop in the gymnasium's parking lot.

The rear passenger door opened, and Yin Mushu's massive frame awkwardly squeezed out, prompting a soft exhalation. "Finally, we're here!"

Her stature made car rides a torment, forcing her to curl up and contort her body to fit inside.

On the other side, the front passenger door opened, and Xueheng stepped out, the Fu Rabbit blade in his hand. He looked around at their surroundings.

The gymnasium's main entrance was already open, and a long queue had formed, with people being admitted in an orderly fashion.

The square outside the gymnasium was packed with people who had come to watch the matches in person.

Jiang Siwei parked the car and emerged, holding a briefcase. She walked up to the pair and smiled.

"Let's go. We can use the staff entrance at the main gate to get in directly."

Yin Mushu glanced at the distant entrance, which was swarmed with people, and asked, "How are we going to get through that crowd?"

At that moment, a commotion of voices could be heard from nearby.

"Get out of the way, get out of the way!"

Xueheng turned his head to see a group of people in martial arts uniforms pushing and shoving their way through the crowd, their arrogant demeanor leaving a trail of annoyed onlookers in their wake.

Amidst this group was a boy with a cold expression and handsome features.

"Move aside, don't block the way!"

"Hey, what are you doing?"

"Stop pushing, there's no more space up front!"

"Someone fell down, stop shoving!"

As this group forced their way through, chaos ensued, with angry shouts filling the air.

"Who are those people?" Xueheng asked curiously.

Yin Mushu frowned and said, "Judging from the emblem on their uniforms, they should be from the Four Images Martial Hall."

"What are they up to, being so aggressive? What if they cause a stampede?"

A young man with a backpack was pushed back by the crowd, and Xueheng reached out, grabbing the backpack and lifting the man off the ground, suspending him in the air.

The young man felt like a chick being held by the scruff of its neck, his feet dangling in the air. He turned to Xueheng with a startled expression and stammered, "Th-thank you."

Xueheng smiled and released his backpack, setting him down gently. "You're welcome, be careful."

The young man stared at Xueheng's smile, a little dazed.

Xueheng paid him no mind and made his way towards the group from the Four Images Martial Hall.

"Let's go, their behavior isn't appropriate. I'll go and advise them to calm down."

Jiang Siwei was taken aback for a moment. "Advise them? How?"

Yin Mushu grinned, revealing a set of neat white teeth.

"Sis Wei, you don't understand this. Martial artists have two ways of advising others."

"One is to reason with them, and the other is to use physical force."

"Usually, we alternate between these two methods. But depending on personal preference, some people like to reason first, while others prefer to start with a show of force."

Jiang Siwei: "Ah?"

Before she could react, a commotion broke out not far away.

"You brat, what do you thin—ah!"

Crack!

"Damn it, you little punk, you're asking for i—ah!"

Crack!

"Son of a—ah!"

Crack!

"Wait a seco—ah!"

Crack!

"Do you know who we a—ah!"

By the time Jiang Siwei looked over, the group from the Four Images Martial Hall was already on the ground.

Each one of them had either their hand or foot bent at an unnatural angle, and they were clutching their injured body parts, screaming in pain.

Yin Mushu: "Looks like Brother Xue prefers to start with a physical argument."

Jiang Siwei: "..."

The surrounding crowd stared at the scene before them, dumbfounded. For a moment, the noisy square fell into an unusual silence.

"Promise me, will you behave and follow the order? Arriving ten minutes early won't get you to the afterlife any faster."

Xueheng looked at the group on the ground, their screams of pain filling the air, and spoke with a gentle smile.

"You little punk, don't get too full of yourself!"

One of them, clutching his bent hand, glared at Xueheng and then turned to the only person from the Four Images Martial Hall still standing.

"Junior Brother Ji, why are you just standing there!"

Xueheng also looked at the cold and handsome boy, curious.

From the moment he had twisted the first person's hand, this boy had noticed him, but he had made no move to stop him. Instead, he had simply watched as Xueheng took down his fellow disciples, his expression unchanged.

"Junior Brother Ji, go and teach this brat a lesson!"

Ignoring the shouts, Junior Brother Ji nodded at Xueheng, his expression cold and his tone flat as he said, "Thank you."

Xueheng: "Oh?"

"They... are my fellow disciples."

"I can't hit them."

"You helped me."

Junior Brother Ji spoke sparingly, his words few and far between.

Xueheng couldn't help but smile.

"You're interesting... I'm Xueheng, and you are?"

"Ji Huaiyu."

Xueheng nodded. "I'll remember that."

He then pointed to the group from the Four Images Martial Hall on the ground.

"Keep them under control. If they don't listen, you don't need to hit them. Just touch their injuries, it's only natural for fellow disciples to show concern for each other, right?"

Ji Huaiyu was taken aback, his handsome features revealing a hint of understanding.

"Understood, thank you."

His expression remained cold, and his tone was as flat as ever, devoid of any hint of gratitude.

Xueheng smiled and walked over to the most vocal member of the Four Images Martial Hall, stepping on his fingers with his foot.

"Ahhhh!!!" The man screamed in agony.

"Sorry, it's too crowded, and people keep pushing and shoving. It's hard to avoid stepping on something." Xueheng apologized insincerely.

"You...!!!" The man was bitter.

But Xueheng had already turned and walked away.

The onlookers watched his retreating figure, their eyes glued to his back.

"Damn, how can he be so cool!"

"Who is that guy? So young and so powerful, could he be one of the U19 contestants?"

"I want to know everything about that man in ten seconds!"

"Who would've thought that letting them be so arrogant would backfire? They didn't hit a wall; the wall came to them!"

"Now, this is what a martial artist should be like, standing up for justice!"

Amidst the noisy square, Xueheng returned to Jiang Siwei and Yin Mushu.

"Xiao Jing, you're so cool..." Jiang Siwei covered her mouth with her hands, her eyes shining with admiration, like a fangirl.

This was the first time she had seen her little brother in action.

"He's got style, that's for sure." Yin Mushu agreed.

Xueheng casually said, "Alright, let's go."

The three of them followed the crowd toward the stadium entrance.

Along the way, Jiang Siwei said regretfully, "That moment when you taught those guys a lesson, it could have been a great talking point. It's a shame you're not interested..."

If she had publicized it and released a photo of Xueheng's face, she could have easily crafted an image of a talented, chivalrous young martial artist.

"At least this will create some buzz and trend on the hot search."

Xueheng merely smiled and didn't reply.

...

Weaving through the crowd, the trio soon arrived at the arena's entrance and, after going through a series of verification procedures, entered the gymnasium through a staff passage.

Jiang Siwei left with her briefcase to find the relevant personnel in the gymnasium to handle some matters, while Xueheng and Yin Mushu made their way to the contestants' lounge.

Time passed slowly, inching towards four o'clock in the afternoon.

By then, the audience had mostly taken their seats, filling the stadium.

In the lounge, Jiang Siwei, who had returned earlier, sensed something and said, "It's time. The competition is about to begin."

As soon as she finished speaking, the lights in the entire arena dimmed.

Then, colorful neon lights began to flash, and a round platform rose slowly from the center of the spacious stage, with a young male singer standing at its center, holding a microphone.

Accompanying the lively background music, his robust singing voice reverberated throughout the entire arena.

"~Don't succumb to the so-called gap in talent~Always believe that hard work pays off~"

Yin Mushu curled her lips. "The anthem of the Martial Arts Association."

"What a sham."

"Only those who have put in effort know the importance of talent. Without talent, you don't even have the qualifications to try."

Listening to the song, Xueheng smiled and said, "He sings pretty well. His breath control is excellent."

"Of course. He's a martial artist himself," Yin Mushu said.

"In recent years, the professional martial artists from the club system have become more and more flamboyant. They sing, act, and even participate in variety shows. Their looks are getting better and better. I don't understand why they don't just join the entertainment industry?"

Jiang Siwei, who was flipping through a document beside her, smiled and said, "Being a martial artist is a great selling point. These days, traditional celebrities aren't as popular. If you want to make it big, the best way is to start by practicing martial arts. Martial arts celebrities are much more popular than ordinary stars."

Yin Mushu sighed. "It makes me feel strange, as if the purity and brilliance of the term 'martial artist' are being taken away by all sorts of people, tarnishing it. It just feels uncomfortable."

Xueheng glanced at her but remained silent.

He didn't feel the same way. He wasn't a pure martial artist himself, and although he could understand Yin Mushu's sentiments and feelings, he didn't feel the need to dwell on it.

Jiang Siwei comforted her. "That's just the way the world is. An individual's will is difficult to go against the tide of the times.

(End of Chapter)

Chapter end