The Purge
After finishing this busy period, Si Ming originally planned to go to the Dinghu Sect, but Ke Chajing came to his door and dragged him to the Second Martial Arts Club.
"The National Youth Martial Dao League starts in a week. Even if you don't play in the first few rounds, you should at least get to know your teammates. Otherwise, you won't be able to tell who's your friend and who's your foe when you're on the field, which would make you a laughingstock. Also, according to the club's rules, the official selection list must be announced to all members, and the official selections have an obligation to accept challenges from others to ensure fairness."
Although Si Ming didn't plan to participate in the doubles match, and it didn't matter if he didn't know his teammates, as long as he beat everyone he saw on the field, he should indeed show the corresponding attitude since he had promised to bring back a championship trophy. He felt guilty about this and went obediently.
The national competition and the state/regional qualifiers are conducted in the same format, best of five, alternating between singles and doubles matches, and the rules are also similar. The only difference is that, unlike the ten-person roster for the state/regional competition, it requires participating teams to submit a twelve-person roster.
Not all twelve players will participate in the match. In official matches, there will still be seven starters and three substitutes, just like in football matches on Earth. Not every player on a team can participate in the match. Some are starters, some are substitutes, and some can't even make the roster and can only watch their teammates play from the stands.
The purpose of the twelve-person roster is to prevent a team from suddenly adding a strong foreign player, because according to the rules, players who are not on the roster cannot participate in the competition.
The national competition is more intense than the regional competition, and the level of the players has improved. Even the referees can hardly stop the fighting, so injuries are very common. Especially when two equally matched teams meet, the winning side often wins by a lot. It is not uncommon for half of the members to be seriously injured and unable to participate in the next game. That's why two extra spots are needed to avoid a situation where everyone is injured and unable to perform at their normal level in the later stages of the competition.
In a sense, this is also a test of a school's foundation. Relying on just one or two geniuses is useless. If the foundation is insufficient, even if the school can dominate in the early stages, it will become weak in the later stages.
Therefore, some teams aiming for the championship often arrange for their main players to rest in the early stages of the competition and only bring them on later in the competition to avoid injuries that could affect their performance in the final battle.
Of course, only very confident teams would do this. Teams that don't think they can win the championship and are just taking it one step at a time will go all out in every game, hoping to take advantage of the strong teams' carelessness to stage a dark horse comeback.
The Second Martial Arts Club doesn't need to worry about this issue. Si Ming had already discussed it. He and Murong Qing would remain as substitutes until they encountered a team with a Spirit Transformation. After all, they also had to consider their status. They weren't mortal enemies; it was just a regular competition. It wouldn't sound good if word got out that the stronger were bullying the weaker.
Upon arriving at the clubroom, Ke Chajing introduced, "You'll recognize most of the competitors; basically, all the founding members of our club are participating. There are only three you haven't met before. This one is Tai Gu, a senior one year ahead of me."
Si Ming stared intently and saw that the other person was two meters tall, with broad shoulders and a thick waist. His muscles were as solid as rocks. He was a bald, strong man who, at first glance, looked a bit like Kratos, the War God.
"Greetings, Senior Brother Tai. Are you a body-refining martial artist?"
Tai Gu grinned. Although he had no intention of intimidating anyone, his rugged and savage appearance easily gave off a ferocious and bloodthirsty feeling. He said, "I have indeed practiced the external martial art 'Divine Elephant Prison-Suppressing Force,' but I am actually a Divine Arts sorcerer who worships the Goddess Houtu."
Si Ming looked at the other party's tall and imposing physique and was speechless. Ji Shichen's physique was indeed very deceptive when someone got close and suddenly used the Falling Star Staff Technique, but with your build, even if someone wanted to interrupt your spell, they would definitely be on guard against you suddenly unleashing a set of the Eighteen Dragon-Subduing Palms, right?
Could he be a real-life war cleric, like those Crusaders carrying a large iron canister with a mace?
Ke Chajing explained, "Senior Brother Tai cultivates external martial arts to prevent being interrupted while casting spells. What Divine Arts fear most is being attacked while preparing Divine Arts. Senior Brother Tai believes that as long as the defense is strong enough, one can ignore the opponent's interference."
"A very constructive idea, I admire it."
Si Ming felt that if he were to follow the path of Divine Arts mage, he would probably consider this combination: using defense to withstand the opponent's attacks, luring the enemy close, and then unleashing Divine Arts upon them.
Ke Chajing introduced the next person, "This is Jiang Tingting, a junior this year. She's been a regular on our team for the past two semesters and is skilled in leg techniques."
Si Ming nodded and said, "It's obvious that your legwork is very impressive."
This senior's looks are only above average, but she has two long, beautiful legs that are so white they reflect light and are dazzlingly gorgeous. They are both elastic and strong, and when paired with tight shorts, they are both stylish and beautiful. Men who see them are easily tempted to squeeze them.
Jiang Tingting wasn't shy at all because of Si Ming's gaze. Instead, she confidently displayed her charm and laughed, "I can't compare to you, Junior Brother. One palm strike can shake a hundred people. That kind of strength is something we can only look up to. If we want to win the championship this year, we still have to rely on you, Junior Brother."
The third one is a senior student named Zeng Aniu. Although he shares the same alias as Zhang Wuji, he is clearly not destined to be the protagonist. He has an honest and simple appearance, is taciturn but quick-witted, and his strength is not outstanding. In the past, he was only a substitute.
The twelve-person list is as follows: Ke Chajing, Hu Jixian, Tai Gu Chen Shimi, Nie Wanzhi, Liu Qingqing, Si Shuiyun, Jiang Tingting Hao Shuai, Si Ming, Murong Qing, and Zeng Aniu.
Hongdou didn't participate. After all, she didn't like fighting. Besides, the regional competition was fine, but there were few spectators and not many strong fighters. However, the national competition attracted countless people's attention, and it would be easy for martial arts masters to discover her secret, which would be troublesome to cover up later.
Liu Qingqing was ordered by her master Ji Shichen to participate in the competition as a trial for Saintess Candidate. She was forbidden from using the Myriad Filth Tainted Blood and could only rely on her own strength to increase her combat experience.
Unsurprisingly, the list was met with skepticism from club members after it was released.
Chapter 765 Cleansing
A cocky-looking boy turned to Si Shuiyun and protested loudly, "This is our Su State's Martial Dao League, why are foreigners allowed on the roster?"
In fact, the Martial Dao League only restricts age, not nationality. There have been precedents of foreigners participating in the past. However, such remarks are very inflammatory and immediately aroused discussion among the crowd.
However, the murmurs had barely begun and were only scattered when Ke Chajing took out a small notebook and said, "Si Shuiyun has changed her nationality. She is now Su State. Anyone who doesn't believe me can come up and see her passport."
With Si Jingyu's wisdom, she naturally thought of the possible difficulties and plugged this loophole early on. Changing nationality may be difficult for ordinary people, but with the Si Clan's background, it is easy to take a shortcut to overtake others.
The protesting boy ran up to the stage in disbelief, glanced at the passport, clicked his tongue, and still refused to give up. "But she's not a native-born Su State. Letting an international student participate will inevitably draw criticism, with people thinking it Non-Self Linked Mountains University."
Hu Jixian smiled and said, "Our Mohist School advocates universal love and equality, aiming at all people, not just those in one country or region. Personally, I think it would be even better if young talents from all over the world participated in the competition. That would mean the National Martial Dao League would become the World Martial Dao League, which would better demonstrate the boundless love and compassion of our Mohist School."
Although these words sound grand and lofty, college students love this kind of talk about "youthful vigor" and "lofty aspirations," especially those influenced by Mohist School thought. They often talk about "benefiting the world" in their daily lives. The idea of "everyone sweeps the snow from their own doorstep and doesn't care about the frost on others' roofs" has always been criticized by Mohist School, who advocate for a broad perspective and a grand vision.
Of course, most importantly, this move did not harm the interests of the majority of students. Everyone knew their own level of cultivation. Even if Si Shuiyun gave up her position, the vast majority of students did not think it would be their turn. Only a small group of people were truly qualified to compete for the list, so they all echoed her sentiments.
"The vice president is right. As disciples of the Mohist School, we should have our sights set on the world, rather than being bound by sectarian differences. Wasn't it precisely to break down such outdated practices that the Grand Grandmaster chose to publish his martial arts?"
"Indeed, the Martial Dao League does not stipulate that only citizens of the country can participate. Even if Si Shuiyun has not changed her nationality, she still meets the standard."
"As long as you are strong enough, you don't need to be afraid of foreign competition. A true strong person should not be afraid of challenges. Constantly thinking about depriving others of their right to compete is the mentality of a weak person."
Public opinion quickly turned against Si Shuiyun. As a public opinion expert, Si Ming immediately noticed something was wrong. Even if morality was on Si Shuiyun's side, it shouldn't have shifted so quickly. He glanced in Si Jingyu's direction and saw that the other party was covering his face with a fan with the words "No silver buried here" written on it. He was speechless.
The boy who went on stage hadn't expected so many people to oppose him, but since he had already stood up, he could grit his teeth and continue. He shouted, "I oppose internal selection! I know that many people on this list are founding members of the club and contributors to the development of the Second Martial Arts Club, but participating in the Martial Dao League is a matter of honor for our school. The selection should be conducted in an open, fair, and just manner, not through private deals. Only then can the selected people be truly respected by everyone."
These words immediately resonated with many people. The vast majority of people disliked the practice of pre-selection because they had no power or influence, and the opportunities given to them were destined to be out of reach. Even if it was for their own benefit, they would support open selection.
Seeing that he had quite a few supporters, the young man breathed a sigh of relief, then turned to the crowd and said, "Sorry, everyone, that's just how I am, I can be a bit blunt, please don't mind."
Si Ming smiled and said, "It's alright, I understand. But I do hit a little hard, so please don't mind."
The boy quickly explained, "Si Ming, I'm not against you. Everyone has witnessed your strength. No one can argue with you taking on a hundred men single-handedly. But without rules, there can be no order. Even if the final result is the same, we should still obtain the result through proper means. As the Mohist School said, 'Trustworthiness means that one's words are in accordance with one's intentions; if one's words are not appropriate, people will regard cities as gold.'"
This statement about procedural justice resonated with many, and just as the crowd was discussing it, Ke Chajing shouted, "What's all the noise about? Shut up!"
The crowd still showed respect to the president and quickly quieted down.
Just as the boy was about to speak, Ke Chajing glared at him, and he felt an invisible killing intent. His scalp tingled, and he immediately shut his mouth.