Fashionably Late

Previously, he only admired Yan Jinghong for his noble character, but found him too lofty to emulate. Now, however, he revered Yan Jinghong for being far ahead on the path of seeking enlightenment, and felt an urgent desire to catch up with him.

Most people in this world, let alone practicing their own path, haven't even found their own goals or their own place in the world. They just live in a daze, living for the sake of living, remaining stuck at the starting point for their entire lives.

Born, grew up, married, had children, died, and after fulfilling his duties as a living being, he hastily ended his life. Looking back, he not only didn't take a single step outside, but he didn't even leave a trace after his death.

To the world, to others, and to himself, there is no difference between him living and not living.

Yan Jinghong noticed Si Ming's expression and slowly advised, "My path may not be suitable for you. Don't try to catch up with me by following the path I've taken just because I've gone far. Doing so will only make your journey incredibly difficult. You should choose a path that will make you happy. In mathematics, two points determine a straight line, and the same applies to people. Find your goals and your positioning, and you can move forward."

Si Ming sat on the hospital bed, recalling the past and thinking silently. His expression changed from fierce to relaxed, from sad to happy.

Yan Jinghong was slightly surprised to see this. His original intention was just to clear away a layer of fog for his disciple, so that he could at least see a little further ahead. He did not expect that he could really enlighten someone with a few words. After all, no matter how talented a person is, experience still needs time to accumulate. He did not expect that his disciple would show signs of enlightenment at such a young age. So he did not urge him, but waited patiently by his side.

After a long while, Si Ming finally raised his head and slowly said, "I don't know if the path I've chosen is the right one, but I want to give it a try."

Yan Jinghong felt a little relieved and encouraged him, "It's good to have such thoughts. How can you be sure if you're on the right or wrong path if you don't go out and see for yourself? Even if you find out you've gone the wrong way in the end, you can always turn back. It's better than standing still like a block of wood. You're still young, you have plenty of opportunities to make mistakes."

Si Ming said, "I want to finish the next round of the competition, regardless of winning or losing, and no matter how far I go in the end. I want to prove my ideas through this Youth Martial Arts Tournament."

Having come this far, Yan Jinghong naturally couldn't stop him. He pondered, "Given your current physical condition, fighting someone is a bit too much for you... Alright, I'll transfer some True Qi to you to protect your internal organs, allowing you to perform at about 80% of your normal level. But remember, don't engage in direct combat with your opponent, otherwise your True Qi will dissipate on its own."

"Thank you, Master."

At the Youth Martial Arts Tournament, the first round of eliminations has concluded, and all the advancing contestants are now drawing their competition numbers for the second round.

After Si Ming, Murong Qing also successfully defeated her opponent. She was also quite lucky, so she naturally didn't encounter a player with the strength to win the championship in the first round.

"Sigh, no bye. Looks like I'll have to forfeit for that kid."

Yao Bilian looked at the number in her hand and shook her head in disappointment. She had drawn the lot in place of Si Ming. She had originally thought that if she could draw a bye number, she could play one less game and buy Si Ming time to recover. According to Jiang Zhengtai's estimate, five days of rest would not be enough for Si Ming to fully recover, but it would give him the ability to fight, as long as he didn't encounter any strong opponents.

Unfortunately, Yao Bilian's luck was clearly not good enough to draw the best possible lot.

Murong Qing and the others also looked regretful. They could draw lots for Si Ming, but they couldn't replace Si Ming in the competition. On the contrary, the other contestants were secretly delighted to see that two competitors with championship potential had been eliminated at once.

"Oh, so that's the kid we're facing this round. I was thinking of teaching him a lesson, but we won without a fight. What a shame!"

Han Lin appeared beside them at some point, wearing a smug expression that suggested he'd gotten a good deal, while Dai Zhuiguang, standing next to him, held a number that differed from Yao Bilian's by one digit.

Yao Bilian clicked her tongue without any attempt to hide her disgust, saying, "When the cat's away, the Monkey will play. After watching the last match, where do you get the confidence to say such things? Aren't you ashamed?"

Dai Zhuiguang snorted and said arrogantly, "The one who can't even get past the first round is the real disgrace. Not to mention that luck is also a form of strength, what is there to be proud of based on his meager performance in the last round? Even if he were completely unharmed, I could easily defeat him. You should be glad that he was injured in time and avoided the tragedy of being taught a lesson by me."

Zhong Lingxiu puffed out her cheeks angrily and said, "You're so annoying! Why do you look down on Junior Si?"

Murong Qing retorted angrily, "Since he's not here, you can talk all you want. If you have real skills, we'll have a fair fight after Si Ming recovers."

Ying Zhou remained silent, only staring at the two men with a sinister gaze, as if trying to memorize their features.

"The victor is king, the loser is villain. Why should we challenge a stray dog to a duel? Wouldn't that be beneath us?" Han Lin said to Dai Zhuiguang. "It's your turn. Don't keep the referee waiting. These guys might be trying to use despicable delaying tactics to make you miss the match and be declared the loser."

Zhong Lingxiu and the others were about to speak again when Yao Bilian stopped them. With a strange smile, she looked at Han Lin and the other person and said, "What if he still comes to participate in the competition today?"

Dai Zhuiguang snorted twice, disdainfully saying, "If he comes, I'll beat him to a pulp. Don't think I'll go easy on him. You should advise him to be sensible; if he doesn't come, he can at least save face. If he does come, he'll just make a fool of himself."

It's only been two days, and he's already suffered such a serious injury. How much recovery can he possibly make? Is he afraid to play while injured?

Yao Bilian said, "I hope you can still smile from now on."

"You don't need to trouble yourself with that."

Han Lin and Dai Zhuiguang turned and left with smug smiles.

Seeing the puzzled looks on Murong Qing's and the others' faces, Yao Bilian smiled and said, "With so many flags raised, it's hard to imagine anything going wrong now. Let's wait and see; there's bound to be a twist later."

Chapter Sixty: Arriving Late

The fifth venue had significantly fewer spectators than the other venues, with only a dozen or so people. This was because everyone knew that one of the contestants had won the previous match while seriously injured, and it was highly unlikely that he would participate in this match. Even the peripheral casinos did not offer betting on this match.

Many people looked at Dai Zhuiguang in the center of the venue with envy, feeling that although he did not draw a bye, the result was no different from having a bye.

Han Lin urged the referee, "This guy named Si Ming can't possibly be here. Just announce the verdict already, don't waste everyone's time."

The referee glanced at him, pointed to the rules on the big screen, and said, "Players who are not present fifteen minutes after the start of the competition will be considered to have voluntarily forfeited."

Han Lin said, "Isn't this obvious? Everyone knows that kid can't come. Why stick to the dogma? We're not Legalist School. Shouldn't referees know how to be flexible and adaptable?"

The referee ignored him completely, not even bothering to pay him any attention, which made Han Lin stomp his feet in anger. On the other hand Dai Zhuiguang had a confident expression on his face and advised, "Uncle, there's no need to worry. Whether he comes or not, the result is the same. For me, it would be unfair to win if I couldn't fight him when he's in full shape."

"Well said, no wonder you're a genius disciple of our Divine Leg Sect." Han Lin glanced at Yao Bilian with a smug look, "You're just different from those who come from humble backgrounds."

Yao Bilian wasn't angry. She comforted the others, saying, "This person doesn't understand the principle that 'if you don't court death, you won't die.' He probably hasn't even read 'The Self-Cultivation of a Villain.' Popular villains all have style and ambition. He actually put on a standard clown-like face. It's hard for him not to be slapped in the face next."

Ten minutes later, nothing changed, and the few remaining spectators in the stands lost patience and left to watch the game in other venues.

At this moment, a male Daoist priest dressed in an ancient-style robe, carrying an ancient sword with blue patterns on his back, whose exact age was unknown, entered the venue with a strangely dressed girl.

"Ha, you've made it just in time. As expected, it hasn't started yet. According to my Guizang Divine Calculation, the winner of this arena will be your opponent in the next round."

The male Daoist priest stroked his three-inch-long goat beard, exuding an air of otherworldly elegance.

The girl, however, was unimpressed. She yawned and said listlessly, "If you're so capable, why don't you just predict my next opponent directly? Why go through all this trouble?"

"Hmph, heavenly secrets cannot be revealed. The future is mysterious beyond measure. If one calculates too clearly, there is a risk of shortening one's lifespan," the male Daoist said in an unfathomable tone.

The girl leaned on the railing, squinting, and casually said, "Isn't it because a corner of the Heavenly Dao was destroyed, making the Three Thousand Great Daos incomplete, causing all divination techniques to fail?"