Luo Yunyang was dumbfounded. He had spent the previous day honing his strength so he could fight well and show Fat Xue and the others that he was just as capable when it came to combat strength.
He had never expected to actually miss the first round!
Why wouldn't the God of Luck come and visit him? How could he be so heartless as to let Luo Yunyang miss out on this sort of opportunity?
"Someone like me, with such an imposing presence, must be at least a little stronger than you, right?" Fat Xue complained. He actually seemed a little aggrieved.
Luo Yunyang jabbed his finger at Fat Xue's fat with a snicker. "You don't seem like much at first glance, Little Fat Brother, but when one takes a closer look, you are way worse! Use your conscience when you speak!"
"Since when do I speak without a conscience? My conscience is deeper than all of yours combined!" Luo Yunyang was being mean, so Fat Xue grabbed him and pleaded, "Encourage me a little, Brother. It would be great if you gave me a good beating later."
Luo Yunyang nodded his head. "Wanna swap places with me?"
Luo Yunyang was full of anticipation as he said this. He wasn't being polite to Fat Xue. He really wanted to swap places with him.
"If that was allowed, Old Xie would have already swapped you and Chu Yuan. Do you know who Chu Yuan's opponent is? She will actually have to beat Hamilton from Freedom City. I heard that that bloke's awakened source core power is magnetism!"
He had a magnetic attribute source core?
Luo Yunyang knew that Chu Yuan was well-versed in swordsmanship. A strong sword user fighting against a magnetic attribute source core was bound to be a disaster.
This allocation would make others suspect that the competition was rigged.
When Luo Yunyang met Fat Xue's gaze, Fat Xue could only shake his head. "Although we understand what's going on, all we can do is just accept this disadvantage. You have already entered the top eight after all!"
When they ran into Wei Zhongxing, his expression was ugly. He looked at Luo Yunyang as though he owed him a large sum of money.
When Luo Yunyang found out who Wei Zhongxing's opponent would be, he understood why he seemed to be feeling so crappy.
His opponent would be Lemarto.
Although the man had yet to display his strength, he had already been labelled as 'the strong Lemarto' by commentators.
"The fate of the 13 Eastern Cities in the next five years is depending on you guys!" Teacher Xie's face and voice were the same as always.
However, Luo Yunyang didn't have to use his attribute regulator to sense that Teacher Xie wasn't in a good mood. He only muttered a few words before he went silent.
"I can definitely win!" Chu Yuan's voice was faint, but she exuded a very powerful aura.
There would be seven matches that would decide who would head to the quarterfinals. These seven matches would be held at seven different stadiums. Luo Yunyang followed Teacher Xie's instructions and went to watch Fat Xue's match.
The two of them took a Rapid Gem automobile again. However, this time Fat Xue wasn't as excited as he had been last time. He sat upright and very still, giving off a very dangerous vibe.
"I have really awakened a Divine Bloodline, Yunyang!" Fat Xue told Luo Yunyang just before they got out of the car.
When he heard those words, Luo Yunyang punched Fat Xue viciously as a form of encouragement.
As soon as they got out of the car, they saw a massive crowd. However, none of the people there were supporting them.
"Simon! Simon! Simon will emerge victorious!"
"Sweep away that little fatty! You are the strongest!"
"The 17 Western Cities are the strongest martialists of the Da Alliance!"
All sorts of banners were being waved as cheers rang out from every direction. Luo Yunyang wasn't really bothered by this, but he wasn't the one competing either.
"Don't worry, just relax. Go out there and do your best. If you lose, you'll still have me!" Luo Yunyang tried to encourage Fat Xue, who was clenching his fists tightly.
The tense young man burst into laughter and pointed at Luo Yunyang. "I know you are just trying to encourage me, but you shouldn't use this kind of method. Ha ha… It's hilarious!"
"Don't feel bad. I am not mocking you. You have gotten a bye into the second round, so today you shall sit alone in the stands and watch daddy toy with that stupid Simon!"
Just as Fat Xue started bragging, Li'chen sashayed over in an elegant black dress.
"Mr. Luo, I had been waiting to hear from you ever since I got back yesterday, but you were too heartless to give me a call. My heart felt so empty that I couldn't sleep last night!"
Luo Yunyang had made a lady complain playfully that she had lost her sleep! Her words couldn't really be considered a complaint, but rather a form of tantalizing encouragement.
Luo Yunyang didn't really appreciate this sort of treatment, yet the blow it gave Fat Xue was a mortal one.
"I pulled quite a few favors to get a seat near you, Mr. Luo!" As Li'chen spoke, she walked naturally up to Luo Yunyang.
Luo Yunyang couldn't get rid of her in front of so many people, so he didn't really pay much attention to her. He just walked over to his own seat.
"I realized that you can live a good life without relying on fighting. Please hear my prayer, God!" Fat Xue said before he walked out to the newly-partitioned arena inside the stadium.
"Although the arena is only 100 square meters wide, its construction cost one billion dayuan. The most expensive area is its source lines." Li'chen exhaled before she added, "The source lines can withstand the attack of a martial grandmaster."
When Luo Yunyang turned his attention to the source lines that Li'chen was talking about, he saw several curved lines that intersected beneath the arena.
Luo Yunyang sensed that these source lines were in-sync when they linked up.
"Simon, Simon, Simon!"
A bout of ear-shattering shouts and cries rang out like a surging tide. By the time this wave of noise was over, the slender guy in black, who had stood by Lemarto's side the previous night, had already appeared on the stage.
Although he had handsome features, he gave off the impression that he was frail, perhaps due to the fact that he was so tall. However, even his opponents had to admit that he was rather charming.
His charm was the sort that could enchant one unknowingly.
"He might appear very mature, but he is in fact only 20," Li'chen, who had been smiling, enlightened Luo Yunyang when Simon glanced over.
Suddenly, Luo Yunyang's keen senses detected a killing intent coming from Simon and enveloping his body.
Li'chen is a femme fatale!
"I heard that your comrades call you Fat Xue. I shall call you Fat Xue, too. You definitely are no match for me, so I shall give you an opportunity to withdraw now!" Simon said in a very self-confident tone as he stared at Fat Xue.
"I can take on nine of you. There is no way I would surrender so easily."
Fat Xue was someone who always gave his all. He never let anyone belittle him. However, as he said those words, Simon sneered at him, turned his body into a mirage and rushed over to him.
His speed was astonishing!
As Li'chen and the others watched, they saw a number of afterimages. No ordinary person could determine whether they were real or fake.
"Nice try!" Chubby Fat Xue also put on a breathtaking show. Layers of yellowish-brown light rays flowed forth from Fat Xue's body and quickly converged to form a yellowish-brown armor around him.
He was a second-grade martial master!
Anyone who was able to form a source armor was a second-grade martial master. Judging by the speed at which Fat Xue had formed his armor, it was evident that he had advanced to a second-grade martial master for quite some time.
Simon's dark red claws, which were made out of light, landed on Fat Xue's armor in quick succession, producing a chorus of metallic ringing sounds.
Although he was fast, he still wasn't able to break through Fat Xue's defence. However, Fat Xue's attacks were unable to land on the real Simon.
Their exchange in the arena was extremely quick. Simon landed at least 10 blows on Fat Xue with a single motion, but these blows only ended up hitting Fat Xue's armor.
Luo Yunyang shook his head. If Fat Xue had so few tricks, then he would inevitably be the one to fall.
No matter how impressive a particular defence was, it was bound to be broken one day. Plus, using one's source power to support one's armor was an energy-consuming process.
"Now, I shall see whether you are able to cover your face with that armor!" Simon halted gracefully on the stage with a smile.
Although he was smiling, his speed was now more than double.
These words had barely left his mouth, when he became a black streak that appeared by Fat Xue's side.
Fat Xue didn't seem alarmed. There was actually a strange smile on his face.
When he saw this faint smile, Luo Yunyang felt the energy all around Fat Xue start to surge forward. In a flash, the area in a five-meter radius around Fat Xue was enveloped in a yellow glow.
Luo Yunyang couldn't sense what this yellow glow did, but the originally quick-as-lightning Simon suddenly seemed to move like a snail.
Is this the Divine Bloodline that Fat Xue said he awakened?
Simon looked as if he was stuck in quicksand. Although he struggled vigorously, his speed kept slowing down.
The entire stadium was silent. Even Li'chen, who had kept talking to Luo Yunyang, was now holding her breath. This match was extremely important for everyone there.
If their hand-picked team lost this competition, then their living standards would experience an immense decline.
As he looked at Fat Xue's solemn expression, Luo Yunyang had a feeling deep down that winning this match wouldn't be that simple.
Simon's performance wasn't bad, but his speed wouldn't be enough for him to represent the 17 Western Cities at such an important competition.
Just as Luo Yunyang frowned faintly, Fat Xue suddenly grimaced painfully.
At first, Fat Xue had shackled Simon's movements, but as he narrowed the distance between them to a meter, droplets of blood started trickling down Fat Xue's forehead.
Simon, who had seemed to be stuck in quicksand, had already stopped struggling. A smile had appeared on that gentle, soft face of his.
It was the smile of a victor!