Lou Cheng booked a small hotel near the train station. It was converted from a regular hostel and operated like a youth hostel. The price was based on the bed instead of the room, so it was relatively cheaper. It was perfect for students like him who needed to save money.
Of course, this small hotel was a little more upscale than a youth hostel. According to the comments on the Internet, it was quieter, more formal, and less complicated.
After ten minutes of jogging to the hotel, Lou Cheng registered his ID card and was led into the room by a waiter. It was a standard room with two beds. The inner bed was already occupied and was snoring loudly. Surprisingly, the sound of the door opening didn't wake him up.
Lou Cheng frowned, but when he thought of the small hotel that only cost a few dozen yuan, he relaxed again. You get what you pay for. I can't ask for too much.
After the waiter left, he locked his backpack and valuables in the cupboard of his bed and quietly went to the bathroom. After brushing his teeth, taking a shower, and squatting, he took off his jacket and jeans and lay on the bed.
The bed wasn't soft, but it was much better than the seat on the train. It comforted Lou Cheng's body from every contact point and slowly let his emotions drift away.
A strange city, a strange place, and a strange bed. Everything was so strange, as if it had nothing to do with his past life.
The sound of snoring, the sound of wind whistling outside the window, and the roar of the engine from time to time, made Lou Cheng feel a little uneasy, but also a little isolated from the world, as if he was the only one awake in the world, still enjoying the tranquility and strangeness of the night.
Collecting his thoughts, he told himself to go to sleep as soon as possible. There was a competition tomorrow, so he had to be in the best state of mind.
He sent a message to Yan Zheke, saying that he had arrived safely in Yanling. Then he charged his phone and put it under his inner pillow, in case it was stolen. Then, to resist the snoring, he closed his spirit and qi and entered meditation, emptying his mind as the bright nebula rotated slowly.
Unknowingly, he fell into a deep sleep. But when it was 5: 30, his biological clock urged him to wake up naturally. Instead of staying in bed, he nimbly turned over and put on his jacket.
After brushing his teeth, washing his face with cold water and combing his hair, he felt refreshed again. He opened the cabinet, took out his things, rummaged through his backpack, and changed into the navy blue "Longhu Club" martial arts suit. Then, he carried his luggage and tiptoed out of the room. Under the surprised gaze of the receptionist on duty, he completed the procedures and walked out of the door.
It was still dark at five in the morning in winter. None of the morning stalls were open. Only a few cleaners were sweeping the snow nearby. Fortunately, it was a big city. There were street lights everywhere, illuminating the road in the bone-chilling wind.
He took out his phone, opened the map, and searched for the match venue and the route to his current location.
"It's only a little over 20 kilometers. Isn't that far? Let's just run over there. It'll be a good morning exercise and a warm-up for the competition."
Slightly more than 20 kilometers? Is it very far? The cleaner beside him raised his head and looked at Lou Cheng blankly, suspecting that he had misheard.
Even if he wanted to take a taxi, it wasn't near, right?
After stretching his muscles, Lou Cheng carried his backpack and started running. Braving the cold wind and darkness, he ran until dawn. The sun rose from the east, and the traffic on the street gradually increased.
Before seven o 'clock, he arrived at the competition venue, the Yanling Martial Arts Gym. He stood still nearby, practiced his fighting style, and completed his warm-up. After that, he found a breakfast shop, ate five big meat buns in one go, and drank a cup of soy milk with satisfaction.
At this time, his phone beeped. Yan Zheke replied, "Lazy Cheng, get up! Be careful not to be late for the match! "
In a strange place, a familiar chat. Lou Cheng unconsciously showed a smile on his face. "Handsome people get up early! I'm already near the match venue. "
"You really worked hard for the match. You went to bed so late last night." Yan Zheke sent a patting head emoji. "Are you in good spirits? If your match is in the afternoon, you can find a place to sleep first. "
"I'm nervous and excited. I'm in good spirits." Lou Cheng truthfully described his state and sent a silly smile emoji.
Yan Zheke didn't mention the topic of Lou Cheng's good performance again. They chatted until they arrived at the airport, boarded the plane, and turned off the communication device.
Lou Cheng put away his phone, carried his backpack, and went to the reception of the committee. After a few minutes of waiting in line, he handed the invitation to the receptionist.
The pretty girl with light-colored glasses looked at the invitation, entered the serial number into the computer, and checked the information.
"Please give me your ID card for verification." She looked at Lou Cheng with a little curiosity.
No rank, full of the air of a student. How did he get the invitation?
Lou Cheng took out his ID card and handed it to the receptionist. The receptionist checked it carefully several times before returning it, and gave him a black round card half the size of a palm. There was a phoenix embossing on it, and the number "656" was written on it.
"This is your number and entry certificate. After you enter the arena, go to each big screen and look at the match-up table. Find your opponent, the arena you're in, and the number of matches you're in. Go to the side and wait in advance. If you want more detailed information about your opponent, you can go to the service desk to get it." The delicate and pretty girl said seriously.
"Thank you." Lou Cheng thanked her with a smile. "Sorry, one more question. Is there a place to leave my luggage?"
"Yes, please go to the reception desk." The receptionist gave a standard smile.
The Yanling Martial Arts Stadium was bigger than Lou Cheng had imagined. There were at least twenty to thirty thousand spectators. Outside the huge ring in the center of the stadium, there were nine simple rings separated by white lines around the practice field. In the first few rounds, when there were many fighters, the matches would be held in all ten rings at the same time. After one match, the most popular one would be in the center ring.
When it came to the group matches, the simple rings would be removed and only the central ring would be held.
There were many big screens in the stadium for the spectators to use or to replay the highlights. At this time, the pages were turning to show the list of matches. Lou Cheng moved to one of the screens and looked for his name according to the number.
After a few pages, he finally saw his name.
"Ring Seven, Round Five, 'No. 656' Lou Cheng, 18 years old, no rank, 'No. 237' Liu Yinglong, 22 years old, Amateur Fourth Pin."
"Damn, I'm going to meet an Amateur Fourth Pin master as soon as I come …" Lou Cheng felt wronged. Although it was much better than facing a Professional Ninth Pin or even Professional Eighth Pin master directly, it was already a bad draw for him. He was quite confident to face an Amateur Seventh, Eighth or Ninth Pin master.
Should I change my draw today and go home?
Forget it, I'll just increase my actual combat experience!
In front of another screen, a few men were also looking at the list of matches.
"18 years old, no rank. Big brother, you're so lucky." A bearded man wrapped in a dark down jacket said to the leader with a smile.
The leader was a young man of average height. His eyebrows were thick but messy, and there were traces of acne on his forehead. The most eye-catching thing about him was his arms, which were much longer than normal people's arms, almost reaching his knees.
Facing the cheers of his junior brothers and sisters, Liu Yinglong calmly shook his head. "It's not worth being happy about now."
"Why is it not worth being happy about? Big brother, isn't this the best opponent you've ever had? 18 years old, no rank! "A young girl in a martial arts suit was puzzled.
Liu Yinglong took a deep breath. "There's another kind of people who are 18 years old and have no rank. Those direct disciples of big sects and martial arts competitions don't bother to participate in amateur ranking events. They just want to finish their apprenticeship and make a career out of it."
"That's true." The bearded man at the beginning showed some concern. "Big brother, let's go and ask for detailed information."
Since there were ten matches going on at the same time, the audience naturally couldn't enjoy all of them. They would make corresponding selections based on the list of matches, whether they were interested or not, and whether the time was right. When they had a general idea, they would go to the service desk to ask for detailed information of the players and make the final selection. As for the fighters and matches that were valued, the service desk would also recommend them to the audience.
Carrying a big backpack, Lou Cheng lined up in front of one of the service desks. While waiting, he took out his phone and opened a web page, wanting to know how Road to the Arena and Invincible Punch were doing in the draw.
In the Longhu Club forum, the live broadcast post of "Phoenix Cup Warrior Sage Candidate Challenge Tournament" had been set up. "Road to the Arena" wrote with a funny emoji. "Good luck, I got a guy of Amateur Seventh Pin. Looks like I'm blessed by the goddess of luck in this Challenge Tournament. Little Punch is good too. His opponent is of Amateur Fifth Pin. The gap between them is quite obvious."
"Then you have to win glory for the forum. If you don't make it to the group stage, bring your little brother to see me!" "Okamoto's Fan" replied.
"Beautiful World" and other female IDs also cheered for him and asked "Road to the Arena" and "Invincible Punch" to take pictures.
"We'll do it when we win this match!" "Road to the Arena" replied with a little pride.
Lou Cheng grinned, envious of their good luck.
In front of the service desk, he asked for the information of his opponent and himself. He put away his backpack and walked to Ring Seven while reading.
"Liu Yinglong, male, 22 years old, the eldest disciple of Baiyuan Martial Arts School in Yanling. He started practicing martial arts at the age of 20 and is now of Amateur Fourth Pin, good at Full Arm Boxing …" The more Lou Cheng read, the more guilty he felt.
On the other side, Liu Yinglong also got the information. He glanced at it and laughed. "Luckily, he didn't meet that kind of monster. He's just a rookie who came here to increase his actual combat experience. I guess he's preparing for the Ranking Event next year."
The mustached man in the dark down jacket glanced at it. "A student of Songcheng University? Why did he come all the way here? "
"Maybe his home is nearby." Liu Yinglong didn't care. "Your opponents are all strong. You have to cheer up and deal with them carefully."
…
When Lou Cheng found Ring Seven, the match was about to start. The two fighters in the first match stepped into the ring, but the audience was sparse. Most of them were looking at the central ring.
"Maybe I can learn something from watching the match at such a close distance …" He comforted himself.
At nine o 'clock sharp, the bell rang. "Phoenix Cup Warrior Sage Candidate Challenge Tournament" officially began!
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