A Letter of Challenge

"Um... the representative from Linked Mountains University snatched five number plates by himself. We joined forces with Hundred Battles Martial Arts School and other groups, a total of nine people, to gang up on the two of them, but we were eliminated as a result."

Sima Liang then asked, "One of the two representatives from Linked Mountains University is my Si Ming, who just faced off against me, right?"

The girl named Xie Xiangxiang hesitated for a moment, but still nodded and said, "Yes."

The boy next to him complained, "Wait a minute, it's true that Si Ming is the representative of Linked Mountains University, but the person who fought that night wasn't him at all, but the girl who was with him. She fought nine against one, clearly a Grandmaster. We accepted our defeat wholeheartedly, but that girl wasn't even in the Linked Mountains University team. It gave me a false alarm."

Sima Liang smiled knowingly, then asked Xie Xiangxiang, "What did that female Spirit Transformation who fought nine against one call my martial aunt?"

Xie Xiangxiang knew she had been used as a pawn and felt quite helpless, but she could only tell the truth, "That female Nascent Spirit Transformation called Sima Liang's martial uncle 'Young Master' and referred to herself as a maid; her respectful attitude was genuine."

"Look, look, what else do you have to say?" Sima Liang said with a proud expression.

A teammate, unable to bear it any longer, scoffed, "That's the strength of a maid, not his own. Besides, how could Spirit Transformation Grandmaster willingly stoop to being a maid? It's most likely just lovers playing around."

"How can you say that against your conscience? For a dignified Spirit Transformation Grandmaster to willingly play the role of a maid, how weak must his own strength be? Besides, do you really think my martial uncle is an unknown figure? He was already famous back in the Northern Continent's war between humans and demons."

Sima Liang paused, waiting to pique their interest, before announcing, "That's right, he is the 'Mad Ink' who kills Demon General on the battlefield as easily as taking candy from a baby. He's just a low-key person who doesn't like being fawned over, which is why the domestic media have kept his name hidden, only his title. And these are just his publicly known achievements; there are others you don't know. For example, my martial uncle fought several times against the treacherous organization, the Heaven-Defying Society, to protect the Divine Pillar, defeating several Spirit Transformation stage experts from the Heaven-Defying Society. This is all classified information within the Mohist Knight Guard."

In fact, given his rank, he only knew that Si Ming had participated in the battle against the Heaven-Defying Society, but he couldn't find out what specific duties he had held or what he had done. However, this did not stop him from exaggerating and boasting.

Amidst the shocked and questioning gazes of his teammates, Sima Liang concluded, "My martial uncle is a body-refining martial artist, not a qi-refining Spirit Transformation artist, which is why he hasn't advanced to the Spirit Transformation stage long ago. Fortunately, I was the one who went up just now. Out of camaraderie, he held back and only went so far. If it had been you guys, you might have made an example of him."

The senior team leader couldn't stand Sima Liang's behavior of "boosting the enemy's morale while diminishing our own" and couldn't help but warn him, "No matter how good he is, he's still just one person. He can only win one game at most. Our match against Linked Mountains University isn't over yet, and the outcome is still uncertain."

On second thought, perhaps they could turn the tide by taking advantage of everyone's resentment, so he encouraged them, "If Linked Mountains University is eliminated here, no matter how talented 'Mad Ink' is, it's useless. If we don't give him a chance to show his skills, then he'll be a hero without a stage to perform."

These words successfully ignited the fighting spirit in everyone's hearts. After all, everyone felt dissatisfied after hearing Sima Liang's boasting. Why did you exaggerate the enemy's strength so much?

"That's right, the Martial Dao League is a team competition, not an individual one. What's the use of one person being the best!"

"I've never seen him in the previous matches. I guess he thinks he's a master and disdains participating in the earlier ones. I can't stand arrogant guys like that. Once we eliminate Linked Mountains University, no matter how capable he is, he'll have to go home. Haha, in the future we can tell others that we once defeated the team led by 'Mad Ink,' and see if he'll have the face to argue with anyone."

Everyone was in high spirits, turning their resentment into motivation. They were all eager to get into the game and teach their opponents a lesson.

Seeing that the plan had succeeded, the team leader nodded with satisfaction and raised his arm, shouting, "Good! In the next match, we must go all out. Don't worry about getting injured. Use more tactics that will cause mutual destruction. Linked Mountains University wants to win the championship, so they certainly don't want to get injured in the quarterfinals. Faced with our strength, they will inevitably choose to back down. In this way, we already have a 30% chance of winning before the match even starts. As long as we seize the opportunity and fight bravely, we can win the match in one fell swoop."

"That's right, in a narrow encounter, the brave prevail. Let's fight them!"

"We're barefoot and fearless, what are we afraid of? Let's go for it!"

Half an hour later, the members of the Kunlun Martial Alliance stared at the bright red "3:0" on the big screen and fell into silence.

The second pair to fight were Liu Qingqing and Si Shuiyun. Both of them were agile heroes who prioritized dodging and avoided direct confrontation with their opponents. Even if the Kunlun Martial Alliance wanted to trade blows, they wouldn't have the chance.

Si Shuiyun had been following Si Jingyu closely, and her strength improved rapidly under her influence. She also had no shortage of Cultivation Method and resources. As Sub-Grandmaster, with Si Shuiyun holding off the opponent in front, Liu Qingqing could safely use her Divine Arts and archery skills from the rear. Although there were some twists and turns in the battle, they did not cause any major disturbances, and the opponent was steadily defeated.

The third battle was fought by Murong Qing, who displayed an overwhelming advantage in strength. The two sides were far inferior, and it was not something that could be reversed by a hastily devised plan. The Kunlun Martial Alliance's tactic of inflicting mutual damage on both sides seemed more like a sore loser's act of cheating, as if they knew they would lose and were desperately trying to annoy their opponent. What's even more tragic is that even if they did this, they still couldn't hurt Murong Qing. Their disheveled and struggling appearance only highlighted Murong Qing's unfathomable depth.

Finally, amidst boos, the Kunlun Martial Alliance's third contestant was kicked out of the arena by Murong Qing, losing both his dignity and his honor. Murong Qing, however, was shameless; before the referee could announce the verdict, he covered his face with his sleeve and fled, leaving behind a group of embarrassed and bewildered teammates.

The members of the Second Martial Arts Club were not surprised by the result. Ke Chajing nudged Murong Qing with her elbow and said, "The quarterfinals are televised. Are you ready to become famous?"

The Vast Cold Immortal Sword Art is inherently elegant and graceful, a combination of sword dance and swordsmanship. In the battle just now, facing her opponent's almost desperate offensive, Murong Qing easily won with a calm and composed demeanor, which will undoubtedly leave a deep impression on the audience.

With her strength, elegance, and outstanding looks, it would be difficult for Murong Qing not to become famous. It's just that there's no internet now, otherwise she would become an internet celebrity in no time, trending on social media and gathering a huge number of fans.

However, this delay caused by the lack of social media has its limits. Once Murong Qing Spirit Transformation Grandmaster is revealed, it will inevitably trigger a frenzy of adulation across society. Even without her good looks, countless people will still flock to her just for the title of the youngest Spirit Transformation Soul Grandmaster in history, not to mention that she is both talented and beautiful, and her character is beyond question.

In the same situation, most people would probably be secretly laughing, but Murong Qing sighed, "This is exactly what I'm worried about. Empty fame can be misleading."

Ke Chajing said, "If someone who doesn't know you heard that, they'd just think you're being hypocritical after getting the better deal."

Murong Qing, "This is precisely where empty fame misleads people. People always like to comment on strangers they've never even met, and stubbornly believe that their opinions are the truth. But once the errors are exposed, they become angry and resentful towards the other party."

Si Ming smiled and said, "As a propaganda worker, I have to state my position. Your story certainly cannot be hidden for too long. Being the youngest Spirit Transformation in history is a living billboard for showcasing national strength. The country certainly cannot bear to let a talent like you remain low-key. Your deeds have an inspiring effect on the country and even the entire martial arts world. Please understand this."

"That's a good official line; you've convinced me."

There was no way around it; Murong Qing completely swayed by this kind of mentality—dedicating himself to the country without considering personal gain or loss.

"From my personal perspective, I don't want you to become famous either, since I can foresee that it will attract a lot of criticism. But in the end, it's just the buzzing of flies. It may be annoying, but it doesn't have any real impact. As long as you can calm yourself down, you can see it as a gentle breeze. 'Many people throughout history have been misled by empty fame. It's better to bear the burden of empty fame than to bear the burden of life.' I offer this advice for us to strive for together."

Having spent a long time together, Si Ming had long since figured out the other's preferences and knew how to stroke it in the right direction.

As expected, Murong Qing smiled slightly upon hearing this, her meaning clear without a word.

After the first round of the quarterfinals, the participants from Linked Mountains University and Kunlun Martial Alliance left the stage one after another, while the participants for the second round took the stage one after another, namely Glacier Martial Arts School and International Union Academy.

Before leaving, Si Ming took a detour to the contestants' stands at the Glacier Martial Arts School and said to Captain Liang Fan, "Be careful. The people from the International Union Academy practice a martial art with extremely hidden dangers. They can easily go insane, especially that guy named 'Lian Buqi,' who is a latent mental patient. If you face him, you can take the initiative to admit defeat if necessary."

Liang Fan was taken aback, unsure whether the other person was offering a friendly reminder or being sarcastic. After a moment's thought, he decided to prioritize the former and nodded, saying, "I understand. Thank you for the reminder."

Chapter 781 Challenge

Glacier Martial Arts School is a state-level team, and can only be considered a nobody in the national league. Reaching the top eight is their best result ever. In addition to their strong skills, luck also played a big part in achieving this result.

Because Linked Mountains University received five numbers, other strong teams could not get the treatment of seeded teams and had to be randomly drawn. Glacier Martial Arts School was assigned to a division without strong teams and successfully stood out.

Having reached this point, they have successfully completed their mission. However, every qualified martial artist possesses a competitive spirit. Having made it to the top eight, why not strive to reach the top four?

Aim high, and you'll achieve something; aim for the middle, and you'll achieve less; aim low, and you'll achieve nothing.

You should always have dreams; what if they come true?

The team's injuries are relatively minor, and they still maintain 90% of their fighting strength. It can be said that the timing is perfect and the team is in a favorable position. If they don't fight now, when will they? Even if they fail, at least they will have given their all and will have no regrets. When they boast to others in the future, they can say, "I have no regrets in this life."