The Absolute Gap

"That kid! No wonder he suddenly made the suggestion. He was using us as a prelude to his own appearance, even preparing a change of clothes!" Ke Chajing exclaimed, both angry and amused.

"I lost... I lost..." Chen Shimi looked at Si Ming on the stage with a look of utter devastation, as if his professional field had been taken over.

Si Ming didn't care about any of that. He looked in the direction of the International Union Academy and said in a low voice, but clearly audible to everyone, including tens of thousands of spectators, "Lian Buqi, your first battle, I hope you won't break your promise."

After speaking, he closed his eyes and stood still, displaying an air of undeniable superiority.

All eyes were fixed on Lian Buqi, and seeing his ever-changing expression, they began to whisper among themselves.

"This is a declaration of war, a direct challenge by name, clearly stating that they want to participate in the first battle. Under the watchful eyes of everyone, the other party has no choice but to accept the challenge, unless they are truly shameless."

"Good! I've been fed up with that Lian Buqi for a long time. He relies on his high cultivation level to always strike hard in fights. None of his opponents have escaped serious injury. In the last match, he even disfigured two girls. He's utterly ruthless. Today, finally someone has stood up to uphold justice. It's truly gratifying!"

"Since he dared to issue the challenge, it proves that this seemingly otherworldly young man is very confident in his own strength. What if he Lian Buqi and avoids the fight? Although it's shameful to do so, what's the use of face? Anyway, it doesn't violate the competition rules. International Union Academy will definitely be happy to send a substitute to take down Linked Mountains University's ace. Afterwards, they can just claim that all's fair in war."

"That makes sense. Strategic formation is a test of wisdom in the Martial Dao League. There's never been a rule that you have to accept a challenge from your opponent. We're already in the semifinals; what's more important than the team's advancement? No, we have to put pressure on Lian Buqi and force him to accept the challenge!"

It's unclear who first shouted "Duel!", but it quickly spread throughout the audience. Others, either wanting to provoke Lian Buqi into accepting the challenge or simply enjoying the spectacle, joined in the shouting.

"Duel!" "Duel!" "Duel!"

Such a deep pit environment is prone to creating echoes, not to mention tens of thousands of people shouting together, it truly has a deafening and awe-inspiring momentum, and Lian Buqi's face also turned obviously ugly, as if he was constipated.

To those unaware of the situation, this appearance would simply be interpreted as him feeling pressured, hence his increasingly energetic shouting.

However, Lian Buqi was roaring wildly in his mind. He was the one who issued the challenge first, so how did it become that the other party was challenging him?

However, it's clearly wrong to accuse Si Ming of talking nonsense. Si Ming, "I hope you won't break your promise," which can be interpreted as, "I accept your challenge, so don't break your promise." Therefore, he didn't lie; it was the audience who misunderstood.

But to say that it was all an accident, and that Si Ming Lian Buqi believe it. With such a flamboyant entrance, coupled with his righteous and awe-inspiring speech, how could others not misunderstand!

This person even tries to steal the title of who initiated the challenge; how can they be so shameless?

Lian Buqi recalled that unforgettable battle. His opponent, in order to seek justice for his friend, did not hesitate to give up his qualification to continue participating in the Youth Martial Arts Tournament and risk being brutally beaten by him. He was clearly a righteous and passionate young man. How could he have fallen so low after not seeing him for several years?

Tao Chengsi approached and Secret Voice Transmission, "So, should we give up on the first battle?"

Lian Buqi glared and said, "You want me to abandon the fight and flee under these circumstances?"

"It's precisely because of this that you can openly avoid the fight. Although it sounds exciting, this kind of behavior is not recognized by the organizers. Otherwise, if everyone did this, wouldn't the competition lose its meaning of testing strategic formations? The opponent dares to accept the challenge so openly, clearly because he is confident of victory. You've heard of the name 'Mad Ink,' right? He has the strength of Spirit Transformation, not just the kind who occasionally has the potential to defeat Spirit Transformation cultivators of higher levels, but a true Spirit Transformation level expert."

Tao Chengsi adjusted his glasses and continued his analysis, "If you go on stage and get defeated, you'll lose both face and reputation, giving away the honor to the other side. Conversely, if you avoid their sharp edge and defeat Linked Mountains University using the strategy of Tian Ji's horse race, at least you'll have room for maneuver—'all's fair in war.' While you might be ridiculed, there will also be people who defend you, believing that you prioritized the bigger picture and avoided a fight based on personal feelings."

Lian Buqi quietly for Tao Chengsi to finish speaking, then coldly said, "I know you all regard me as a cruel and tyrannical villain, and I don't deny that. However, in your eyes, a villain should possess all the evil flaws: shamelessness, despicable treachery, cunning and viciousness, ingratitude... Even if he doesn't possess all the evils, he shouldn't have even one virtue, otherwise, would he still be considered a villain?"

Tao Chengsi countered, "Are you trying to say that you actually possess the pride of a martial artist?"

Lian Buqi didn't answer, but instead said, "You promised me the day before yesterday, you haven't forgotten, have you?"

"... Whatever you want. I've done all the persuasion I could, and the semi-final ranking is satisfactory."

On the other side, the referee was asking Si Ming to step down from the stage. After all, there was still some time before the match officially started, and there was an entrance ceremony later. The commentators hadn't even introduced the names and records of the two teams yet.

Si Ming certainly wouldn't do something so undignified. Anyway, there was no rule in the competition that prohibited contestants from entering the arena early. After all, no one would do that under normal circumstances, and the people who made the rules hadn't thought of that either. He closed his eyes, struck a pose on the ring, and completely ignored the referee.

Meanwhile, the audience urged them to start the competition quickly and stop with the fluff.

With no other option, the referees, after consulting with the organizers, decided to skip the entrance ceremony and start the match early. The introduction of the two teams' backgrounds was to be done by the commentators whenever they had a spare moment.

A moment later, Lian Buqi stepped onto the arena.

"You didn't run away, that's commendable," he said sarcastically, with a hint of resentment.

Si Ming naturally wouldn't respond to that, but instead said, "Originally, this battle should have been fought by my teammate Murong Qing. She's eager to avenge her defeat, and I have no interest in my defeated opponent."

Upon hearing the words "defeated opponent," Lian Buqi's eyes flashed with even more murderous intent. He said, "Without a doubt, she's afraid."

"No, she's strong enough to defeat you, but not enough to make you a laughingstock. At most, she'll just be humiliated. So I have no choice but to fight her."

Where do you get your confidence from!

"The brave are angry and draw their swords against the stronger; the cowardly are angry and draw their swords against the weaker."

Si Ming opened his eyes, looked at Lian Buqi, and chuckled, "The pride of a martial artist, huh."

There were no sarcastic words, but that laugh was sharper than any words, instantly stimulating Lian Buqi's nerves, causing his eyes to widen and his arrogance to become even more pronounced.

At that moment, the gong sounded, and the competition began.

Lian Buqi stomped his feet and formed hand seals, striking forward with a burst of force powerful enough to pierce through heavy steel armor. The force shot out, leaving white threads in the air, and accompanied by a booming sound as it attacked Si Ming. It was a Shotgun Shell Seal.

Bang!

Si Ming neither dodged nor evaded, standing still to take the blow head-on. As a result, he remained unshaken and as steady as a rock. The same move, which was a hundred times stronger than he remembered, struck him, but it didn't even leave a mark!

"Three moves to show you the insurmountable gap between us, and to show you where my confidence comes from."

Chapter 784 The Absolute Gap

Si Ming's three-move declaration stunned everyone present. Even the witty commentator was speechless, unsure how to evaluate it. As for the person in question, Lian Buqi, he was so gloomy that he was practically dripping ink.

The so-called three moves obviously do not mean that the winner will be determined within three moves. Otherwise, if they were forced to compete with their ultimate moves three times, they might still be able to decide the winner. Judging from the fact that Si Ming endured Lian Buqi's Shotgun Shell Seal, he was clearly going to withstand three attacks from Lian Buqi.

It should be noted that even Spirit Transformation Grandmaster wouldn't dare to say such a thing in the semi-finals of the Martial Dao League. After all, they are facing top experts who are only one level below them, and a slight carelessness could lead to being defeated by someone of a higher level, let alone being beaten for nothing.

Even his teammates, who had witnessed some of his strength, were unsure, whispering to Murong Qing, "Can he do it? Such a high-profile entrance, what if he fails...?"

"It's precisely because we're high-profile that we won't fail," Murong Qing confidently.