A Swift Victory

He glanced at the staff around him out of the corner of his eye and found that everyone was calmly packing up their equipment, showing no reaction whatsoever. They were obviously already aware of Lulu's "true nature." Only he, the newcomer, was completely unaware. His original hopes and dreams were shattered, as if he had been eaten by pigs mixed with chaff.

"Yes, yes, I'm sorry, I will definitely correct it next time."

"Ugh! There's going to be a next time?" Lulu rubbed the other person's forehead with her fingers, twisted her mouth, and said fiercely, "Do you believe I can crush your head in a second with my Life-Taking Scissor Kick!"

"Absolutely, absolutely not again!"

"Remember what you said, hmph!" Lulu released the other person's collar, took out a tissue, and wiped her hands with disgust. "With your level of talent, you managed to get on the show? Did you pull some strings and get in through back channels?"

Mantou quickly clarified, "I got in through a formal recruitment process, passing both the written test and the interview, and I ranked first."

"First place is this level? As expected, the real talents all go to learn martial arts, while the good-for-nothings are left to think about other ways to make a living."

Lulu cursed loudly, occasionally spouting phrases like "This country is hopeless," "The world is cold and people's hearts are no longer what they used to be," and "Rich people should all die." Mantou, standing to the side, shrank back, not daring to talk back.

However, as she approached the Rivers and Mountains Martial Arts School where the interview was taking place, she immediately put on a sweet smile and transformed into the innocent and lively Lulu, her big eyes sparkling Jingjing.

"Captain Yue Xuan, do you have anything to say to the viewers watching on television?"

A handsome and upright young man calmly took the microphone. He seemed quite used to being interviewed and spoke to the camera in a solemn tone, "Last year, we experienced a devastating defeat, but this defeat did not defeat us. Instead, it reminded us to reflect on ourselves. Imagine if we hadn't been careless, if we had shown the spirit of a lion hunting a rabbit with all its might, and faced each opponent squarely, we would never have suffered such a humiliating defeat. So this year, we are back with renewed vigor, vowing never to make the same mistake again. Failure is not terrible; what is terrible is being unable to accept defeat."

He paused for a moment, then continued, "Here, I want to thank the Glacier Martial Arts School for giving us this lesson. But martial artists have their pride. We, the disciples of Rivers and Mountains Martial Arts School, have been working tirelessly and diligently for a year, all for the sake of winning this year's martial arts competition. It's not about proving how great we are, but about telling someone that what we've lost, we will definitely get back!"

Lulu clapped her hands, her face flushed with excitement, and said, "That was truly an inspiring speech! Thank you, Captain Yue Xuan, for accepting our interview. We also look forward to Rivers and Mountains Martial Arts School's outstanding performance in this martial arts competition. We wish you all the best and hope you achieve even greater success!"

However, she claimed to be a martial arts enthusiast from Rivers and Mountains Martial Arts School, blushed, and asked each team member for autographs, winning everyone's favor. Then she waved goodbye to everyone.

After the interview, Mantou remarked, "It turns out that Sister Lulu is a martial arts enthusiast from Rivers and Mountains Martial Arts School. That's wonderful! Seeing that her idols didn't give up but instead learned from their mistakes and strived to surpass themselves, she must be very gratified now, right?"

However, when she turned around, she saw Lulu throw all the signatures into the trash can.

"Hmm, what's wrong? You look like you've just had a bowel movement and are bleeding."

"Sister Lulu, aren't you a martial arts enthusiast from Rivers and Mountains Martial Arts School?"

Lulu turned her head, casting a disdainful glance. "Huh? Of course, that was just something he said to curry favor with them. A bunch of losers, who wants to be their martial arts fans? And what's with this 'we must get back what we've lost' stuff? Pah!"

She actually spat on the ground, wiped it with her shoe, then skillfully lit a cigarette, flicked her finger to light it with her martial arts skills, took a deep drag, exhaled a smoke ring, and said thoughtfully, "No wonder they wanted to be on the show so much. It turns out they wanted to use this opportunity to boost their popularity. On one hand, they wanted to imply that they weren't weak last year, but rather careless that caused them to lose to the Glacier Martial Arts School, and on the other hand, they wanted to challenge the Glacier Martial Arts School. This way, a lot of people would definitely pay attention to them."

Mantou looked shocked, as if he were seeing the dark side of society for the first time. He asked, "Was it Rivers and Mountains Martial Arts School that requested to be on the show? Didn't we interview them on our own initiative?"

"Nonsense, if they weren't paying for it, why would we bother with a mere qualifying round? To watch a bunch of amateur enthusiasts putting on a circus act?"

Lulu replied impatiently, then squatted down and continued smoking.

"Wow, Lulu, you're going to expose yourself like that!" Mantou warned in a panic.

Lulu rolled her eyes and said, "Are you still a student in puberty, full of desires with nowhere to go? You can spend an entire day sparring just by seeing a girl's underwear?"

Mantou felt helpless. He noticed that none of the other staff members were looking in their direction; he was the only one who seemed to find something amiss. A question began to form in his mind: was he the truly strange one?

"Ah, Lulu, it seems the first round of the competition has started. The camera needs to switch back to this point."

Before Mantou could finish Mantou, Lulu finished smoking the remaining third of her cigarette in one go, exhaled a puff of smoke, quickly threw it under her shoe and stomped it out, then jumped in front of the camera, spread her fingers and put them next to her face, striking a cute pose like a child.

"Ta-da! Welcome back to Explosive Little Fists! Rivers and Mountains Martial Arts School's first match is about to begin. As you can see, the ring is surrounded by spectators. It seems everyone is very interested in Rivers and Mountains Martial Arts School's comeback match, after all, they are strong contenders for the national championship qualification. Let's take a look at Rivers and Mountains Martial Arts School's opponent... Linked Mountains University Second Martial Arts Club."

Judging from the name, this team is likely a second-tier group composed of students from Linked Mountains University. This isn't surprising, as universities have a wealth of talent. Some students, while not making the main team, are still just as strong as those from other participating teams and want to prove their abilities. For example, Heavenly Black Imperial Yellow Universities each have two martial arts teams, while this is Linked Mountains University's first time participating.

At this moment, the referee came to the center of the ring and invited the players from both teams to come up.

"Look, everyone, the vanguard of Rivers and Mountains Martial Arts School is 'Fierce Warrior' Guan Li. He is the second strongest fighter after Captain Yue Xuan. As you can see, compared to a year ago, his body is much stronger and his energy is more abundant. He has obviously made further progress."

Sending such a strong opponent in the first match proves that Rivers and Mountains Martial Arts School has learned from last year's lessons and takes every opponent seriously, not letting their lack of experience lead to carelessness. This puts the Linked Mountains University Second Martial Arts Club in a difficult position. They might have advanced to the qualifying rounds, but their luck was terrible; they encountered a formidable opponent of a completely different level in the first round. But it's okay, participation is what matters. If they fail this year, they can try again next year. We're all young people, and young people never fail..."

Lulu wanted to launch into a long speech about the spirit of martial arts to comfort the Linked Mountains University Second Martial Arts Club and win over the Linked Mountains University's supporters, but Mantou patted her on the shoulder instead.

"Sister Lulu, look!"

Having made a silent decision, Lulu suppressed her anger and turned to look at the arena. She saw that Guan Li of Rivers and Mountains Martial Arts School was forced to the edge of the arena and was about to lose!

Chapter 449 Swift Victory

The Linked Mountains City Martial Arts Hall is very large, with 50,000 seats in the central hall alone, not to mention the four side halls. At this moment, sixteen simple fighting rings have been set up in the large square of the central hall. They are all the simplest kind, with blue bricks covering the ground and no obstacles. If they are damaged, they can be replaced at any time.

As for the kind of arena where the venue can be changed, the martial arts hall naturally has them, but there are only three. They are not needed for the qualifying rounds, since there are too many participating teams. The organizers pursue efficiency, so they will do whatever is fastest. Moreover, the maintenance cost is also a big expense. The destructive power of adults is not comparable to that of elementary or middle school students. There are many masters with level seven or eight Internal Cultivation. One ultimate move can smash the obstacle to pieces.

At this moment, apart from the contestants' families and friends, the vast majority of the audience was gathered around ring number eight, because the most famous martial arts school in the qualifying rounds, Rivers and Mountains Martial Arts School, was about to take the stage. Among them were some spies who had come specifically to gather intelligence.

The competition rules are a 1-2-1-2-1 system, meaning that singles and doubles battles alternate, with a best-of-five format. The lineup for each player must be decided at the start of the match and informed of the referee. If a player is unable to participate due to an accident, it is considered a forfeit and cannot be replaced by a substitute. Therefore, the arrangement of players is an art. Whether to distribute the strength evenly for stability or to concentrate the best players in the first three matches for a quick victory depends on the specific circumstances.

Of course, if you can predict your opponent's tactics in advance, you can deploy a targeted lineup, such as sending out fighters whose Cultivation Body attributes or fighting styles are countered. Such tactics are undoubtedly the best. Therefore, the outcome of the competition is not limited to the martial arts battles on the ring. Intelligence warfare and strategic battles outside the ring are equally important.

This is why people prefer watching team matches to individual matches. In individual matches, physical strength is the decisive factor, and strategy plays a very small role. It's like even if you know in advance that your opponent's Cultivation Body attributes or fighting style counters yours, there's not much you can do because you can't change their Cultivation Body attributes or fighting style in a short time. You can only grit your teeth and go for it. But in team matches, you can use strategies like the "Tian Ji horse racing" or changing substitutes to achieve a victory against the odds.

Of course, none of this has anything to do with the current battle. In the first round of the competition, no one knows who their opponent will be. Without intelligence, there is no place to use strategy. Moreover, Si Ming and the others don't care who their opponent is. Rivers and Mountains Martial Arts School will not collect intelligence on a group of unknown people. Besides, there is no intelligence to collect. Who knows where this Second Martial Arts Club came from?

In the first preliminary match, the Second Martial Arts Club sent Nie Wanzhi. After all, while others wanted results, she wanted the process and needed more exposure. Therefore, they would try to send her to fight in the first three matches to make her face in front of the audience. Although Hao Shuai also wanted to make his face and show off, given that his strength was at the bottom of the team, he would be a substitute when facing strong opponents.

Nie Wanzhi stood on the ring, looked at her opponent, and listened to the commentator's introduction. She felt no panic. After all, she had fought in underground boxing before. In terms of the sense of pressure, martial artists in regular competitions could not compare to underground boxers who had no restrictions and could kill people at any time.

The referee quickly explained the key rules to be aware of during the match, such as what constitutes a defeat, what constitutes a foul, the prohibition of intentionally attacking vital areas like the eyes, the prohibition of using extreme moves, and the prohibition of chasing down a surrendered opponent, etc.

The spirit of martial arts emphasizes continuous movement and endless vitality, so it naturally doesn't leave any three minutes for verbal sparring before the match. Although verbal sparring can sometimes be a skill, it can be done after the match starts. If you have the ability to harass your opponent while fighting, no one will say you're wrong. But there's no need to specifically set aside time for verbal sparring before the match to deal with those who are quick-witted.

After both sides nodded in confirmation, the referee walked to the edge of the arena, picked up a gong, and struck it hard. With a loud clang, the match officially began!

Guan Li from Rivers and Mountains Martial Arts School Guan Li School made the first move, his clothes billowing as a powerful vortex of energy surged around him. With a push of his palm, he stirred up the surrounding air, sending the energy sweeping wildly towards Nie Wanzhi like a tidal wave.