Chapter 173: The Opening Act
Chapter 173: The Opening Act
Ji Xinghuo was dressed casually today, nothing out of the ordinary. However, he wore the Gale Boots on his feet and the 'Defender's Armguard' on his left wrist, creating a rather mismatched ensemble.
The most eye-catching part of his attire was the two weapons he carried.
For convenience, he had the Lightning War Blade and the Purple Electric Sword sheathed and strapped to his back, with the hilts protruding over his right shoulder.
Under his coat, at his waist, there was also a holster for the Iron Hammer.
Anyone who took a moment to observe Ji Xinghuo would instantly realize that he was fully armed, which seemed rather peculiar.
"I'm used to it," Ji Xinghuo explained nonchalantly. "This is how I usually dress in the Star Realm. Besides, it's not against the law."
With the enemies of the Qianyuan Association looming as a constant threat, he had to be prepared at all times.
Wang Zizheng, noticing his unusual attire, voiced his concern, "Brother Ji, will you be able to get through security like that?"
"It won't be a problem," Ji Xinghuo replied with a smile. As a Chi Xiao Swordsman, he had high privileges. Even in a crowded place like the Super League, he was permitted to carry his weapons.
"Let's go, we should head inside now," he added.
The family made their way to the entrance of the Tian Qin Stadium and joined the queue.
Liang Qiu Feiyan, always one to seize an opportunity, had already started live-streaming their journey, with a floating camera hovering around her, capturing and broadcasting the scene to her viewers.
However, due to her recent commitment to daily exercise, her streaming duration had shortened, causing a significant drop in her already small audience of a few hundred viewers.
As they stood in line, the people around them engaged in lively discussions about the upcoming match.
Diexing Team's fans were still basking in the glory of last season's triumph and looked forward to the new season with high expectations. Every fan wore an expression of pride and joy, proud of their team's strength and enamored with Zhao Manying's beauty and prowess. The discussions were fervent and passionate.
"If Jianxian wins the championship this year, she'll be the first person in the history of the Global Professional League to achieve a three-peat!"
"That's right! There's no competition for her; she's the greatest competitive mutant there is."
"She's undoubtedly on her way to becoming the best in history."
Suddenly, a dissenting voice piped up, "While a three-peat is certainly impressive, let's not forget that Zhao Manying hasn't won it yet! It's a bit premature to call her the best in history. There have been mutants who've won five championships in top-tier leagues, and in different countries, no less."
"You must be talking about Zhang Xingran," someone replied.
"Out of his five championships, only one was won as the core player of his team. He may have five league championships under his belt, but he's only earned one Golden Crown throughout his entire career. How can he compare to our goddess?"
"Our goddess has won two league championships, both times as the absolute core player, and she's taken home two Golden Crowns!"
The man in front, wearing a Skywalker Team jacket, was unconvinced. "If we're talking about historical status, it should be based on the number of championships won, not the number of Golden Crowns. Besides, Zhang Xingran is also incredibly skilled; he's a Legend Tier 2 mutant now."
"Going by your logic of valuing only the number of championships, there was someone back in the last century, when the Global League was still in its infancy, who won eight championships. Does that make him the best in history?"
"Jianxian's career is still young; she's just getting started. She could easily win another five championships."
"And she'll undoubtedly be crowned each time!"
The two argued back and forth, their faces reddening with fervor.
Being in Diexing Team's home stadium, Zhao Manying's fans far outnumbered those of the Skywalker Team. It wasn't long before they overwhelmed the dissenting fan, leaving him speechless.
It was clear that he was still unconvinced, but surrounded by hostile fans, he knew better than to continue the argument. With a huff, he turned and walked away, defeated.
Ji Xinghuo and his companions watched the entire exchange with amusement.
Such debates were a constant occurrence online, with fans tirelessly comparing every aspect of their favorite competitors—from historical status and individual prowess to looks, character, and team glory. The online battles between fans were endless.
In this era, there was no shortage of idle individuals with ample time to spare on the internet.
Thus, these topics would never cease.
After the Skywalker Team fan left, the conversation quickly shifted back to the Diexing Team, and the praises for Zhao Manying continued.
"Ah, the new season is great and all, but I'm worried about Jianxian dating someone," a tall young man fretted.
"Yeah!" someone quickly agreed. "It's her first love, too. I hope it doesn't affect her performance."
A fan with an air of mystery chimed in, "My second uncle works for the Diexing Club, and he told me some inside information. Apparently, Jianxian took a few days off from training recently to spend time with her boyfriend. That's never happened before."
"Really?" someone asked, skeptical.
"I swear on my second uncle's character—every word is true!"
"Damn!"
"Who is Jianxian's boyfriend, anyway? How come he hasn't been exposed yet?" The tall young man gnashed his teeth in frustration. "What's with the paparazzi these days? They're usually all over these things, but now, when it matters, they drop the ball and we don't even get a whisper."
"If I were that man, I wouldn't dare show my face, either," someone added.
"Exactly! If people found out his identity and Jianxian didn't perform well, they'd probably drown him in a flood of spit."
"Even if Jianxian isn't affected, I still want to cut him down."
"Stealing our woman? That's a grudge we'll never let go of!"
The men exchanged glances and shouted in unison.
"Pfft..."
Liang Qiu Feiyan couldn't hold back her laughter.
The fans turned to glare at her, but upon realizing she was a beautiful female streamer, their angry glares softened into friendly smiles.
The siblings teased Ji Xinghuo with knowing looks, but he remained expressionless, as if the topic of discussion had nothing to do with him.
"Xinghuo, how do you feel about all this?" Zhong Ming asked with a smile.
The loudest among them was the battle cry, "Stealing our wife, unforgivable! A grudge to be settled!"
It had even become an internet meme.
By now, he had amassed enemies worldwide, at least three to four hundred million, and the number kept growing. Initially, he had been somewhat concerned about what would happen when his identity was exposed, but now, he no longer bothered to think about it.
After all, too much debt becomes no debt at all, and too many lice make one itchless.
The queue moved swiftly, and soon it was Ji Xinghuo's family's turn. Everyone else passed through smoothly, but when it was Ji Xinghuo's turn, the stadium security guards eyed him warily, noticing his weapons.
However, Ji Xinghuo strolled through the metal detectors without setting off any alarms.
The guards immediately understood the situation.
This guy must have a license to carry weapons and is likely personnel from a national armed agency, they thought, leaving him alone.
"He really got in!" exclaimed Ye Dongyun, surprised.
As a civil servant, she had a deeper understanding of government privileges than most people, and she knew how high one's status had to be to openly carry weapons in such a public place.
But then she realized that with Ji Xinghuo's current abilities, he must hold a high position in the Sword Bureau.
They entered the stadium.
The Tian Qin National Stadium was massive, capable of accommodating up to three hundred thousand spectators. The outer shape of the stadium resembled a speeding spaceship, but the interior was simple and elegant, an elliptical open-air plaza. At the center was a field hundreds of meters long, surrounded by tiers of rising seats that resembled a cratered mountainside.
At both ends of the field stood transparent buildings, revealing spacious platforms within, where a row of entry pods to the Spiritual Realm world were situated.
One building was for the home team, and the other for the visiting team.
The field between the buildings appeared empty but was, in fact, a high-resolution holographic projection screen that displayed the scenes from the Spiritual Realm world in real-time, giving the audience a clear view of the action.
Above it all, a circle of giant screens showed different perspectives of the match.
Holding a single match here cost over a hundred million yuan.
But the earnings were even greater.
Broadcast fees, advertisements, endorsements, ticket sales, and more—a single Super League match could generate over ten billion yuan in revenue.
The hottest matches could even break a hundred billion!
With over an hour left until the match began, the entry buildings were empty of competing mutants, housing only club staff making final preparations.
However, the audience seats were already more than half full.
Ji Xinghuo and his group descended from the peak of the viewer stands, and when they found their seats, they realized they were less than ten meters from the home team's entry building, with a perfect view not only of the field but also of the mutants entering and exiting the building.
Moreover, they were right next to the entrance passage, allowing for close-up interactions with the mutants.
"This is amazing!" Liang Qiu Feiyan exclaimed in delight.
As a competitor in the B-League, Zhong Ming had never experienced anything like this. Most B-League matches were held online, and only the championship matches were held offline using the Spiritual Realm world, but his club lacked the resources for that.
Such prime seating was rarely available on the market, usually reserved by the clubs for their internal use.
Those who sat here were either wealthy or well-connected.
Liang Qiu Feiyan turned around, quickly spotting several celebrities—stars, top streamers, famous internet personalities, and even mutants from the Heavenly Ladder. They were all social elites.
Of course, there were also many die-hard fans who had spent a small fortune to watch the match, ordinary people passionate about the sport.
Ji Xinghuo and his group blended right in.
As the match time drew near, the stadium filled up completely, a true sell-out crowd of over three hundred thousand people. The din of their voices filled the air, and everywhere one looked, there were people as far as the eye could see, their conversations only audible if one spoke up.
At precisely seven in the evening, the entire stadium went dark.
A giant countdown timer appeared on the field, and the audience joined in, their voices rising in unison until they erupted in thunderous cheers as the timer hit zero.
"Dear viewers, dear fans of Diexing!"
"Now, let's welcome the champions of the 2224 season of the Asia-Pacific Superleague, the Diexing Club's entire team!"
The host's enthusiastic voice echoed throughout the stadium, reverberating in the sky.
Accompanied by grand music, a beam of light shone down on the entrance passage.
A man dressed in the Diexing Club's jersey stood in the spotlight. He looked to be in his thirties, tall and muscular, with handsome features and a confident demeanor. He waved to the crowd, eliciting loud cheers.
"Martial King!"
"Martial King!"
The audience chanted his nickname, their voices rising in a cacophony of adulation.
Martial King Shi Renzhong, a super mutant, had the profession of a "Broad-Training Martial Master," an evolution of the Bodyguard and Martial Artist. He was ranked 148th on the global Heavenly Ladder, second in strength only to Zhao Manying and another psychic stringer on the Diexing team. In matches, he charged headfirst into battle, drawing the enemy's attacks.
Shi Renzhong was incredibly popular in the Super League.
Besides his formidable strength and handsome looks, he was also known for another identity—the owner of the Diexing Club!
(End of Chapter)
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