Battlegrounds

However, when you're feeling your way across a river by touching the stones, someone always has to try. Even if it's the wrong route, someone has to walk it to know if it's right or wrong. But the guinea pigs used for trial and error were unlucky. Later, a strong leader emerged in Jiangsu Province who, despite the pressure, spoke out to "get to the root of the problem" and crack down on the education groups that were profiting from it. Zhejiang Province students weren't so lucky and had to continue their trial-and-error career as guinea pigs.

After much back and forth, everyone finally realized that the traditional system was still the most effective and fairest. Therefore, Si Ming was not very optimistic about the new Nation of Valor rules. The ring duel was a bit monotonous and lacked variables, making it less likely for a comeback to occur than in real combat. However, it also minimized the element of luck, making the champion truly deserving and reducing doubts from others.

This is supposed to be a competitive sport, not a life-or-death struggle. Pursuing real combat would be putting the cart before the horse, just like you can't use live people as targets in a shooting competition.

But Nation of Valor insisted on doing it this way, and no one could protest. Deciding the rules of the competition was originally the right of the organizer, part of the home advantage. It's just that the previous organizers were too lazy to make changes and preferred to follow the old rules.

"Alright, let's go scout out the competition venue first."

Since the notification was sent at the last minute, unlike last time, he didn't have to go with Xing Daozhuang early in the morning. Si Ming invited Si Huaruo and Yu Shuying to go to the designated location together.

Although it's called an island, it's not actually that far from the mainland, only about three or four miles away. There are small boats ferrying people on the shore, but with the three of them's level of lightness skills, taking a boat would be too slow. So they simply walked on the water, stepping on the seawater all the way to the island. In fact, most of the other contestants also chose to cross the sea on foot. Very few people chose to take a boat, unless they were really not good at lightness skills.

The island is quite large, stretching as far as the eye can see, estimated to be over a thousand square kilometers. Perhaps due to the overcast weather, the entire island, shrouded in layers of thin mist, appeared both mysterious and solemn. Gusts of sea breeze blew in, like the gentle touch of a fisherwoman's hand, carrying a slight fishy smell.

The island's outer perimeter is lined with golden beaches, leading into dense forests, with low-lying hills in the center. From a distance, the layers are distinct, and shrouded in a thin mist, they appear and disappear, creating a charming scene. If Hongdou were here, she would surely be inspired to paint on the spot.

Si Huaruo said, "It's strange. This island looks quite beautiful, so why is there no one here? If it were developed into a tourist attraction, wouldn't many people be willing to come and spend money?"

Yu Shuying said, "Because there are endless Demon Beast to kill, it's one thing for the army to be stationed here, but ordinary people can basically only become food when they are besieged by a demonic tide."

The Nation of Beauty is not located by the sea and is not troubled by the monster tide, so Si Huaruo did not immediately consider this direction.

Si Ming, "Actually, developing it into a tourist attraction isn't a bad idea. For example, a death zone, only for martial artists with a certain level of cultivation who like thrills and challenging their limits. Before entering, they would sign a waiver of life and death, and then they could wander around the island as they pleased, leaving their fate to chance. In the end, it might even become a treasure trove for cultivation, attracting a large number of martial artists who are stuck at a bottleneck to seek a breakthrough."

There were people waiting for them on the island's shore. Si Ming and his two companions were led to a square where many people were already waiting. As Si Ming stepped in, they all cast their gazes at him with curiosity, provocation, or admiration.

Among them, there was the least admiration and the most provocation. After all, the contestants who came to participate in the Martial King Cup were all young geniuses who believed that heaven was number one, earth was number two, and they were number three. They thought that they could do what others could do. Even when facing Spirit Transformation Grandmaster, all they thought was that you were born earlier than me and lived longer than me. You are nothing special. I will definitely achieve better things at your age.

Yu Shuying said, "It seems you've become a celebrity."

Si Ming nodded in satisfaction. This was exactly the result he wanted. Ideally, as soon as he announced his name, the other party would exclaim in surprise, "So you are so-and-so!" and then bow down in reverence. Even if it aroused a lot of jealousy, it was still better than being ignored.

"You are the 'Son of Light,' Si Ming?"

A boy with arms as thick as a bear walked over, scrutinized him from head to toe as if he were looking at a ferocious beast, and said disdainfully, "His Internal Cultivation hasn't even reached the Spirit Transformation Threshold, so I don't think he's anything special."

Yu Shuying retorted sarcastically, "Not being able to see someone's skill only proves their unfathomable nature and your own blindness."

Si Huaruo also said, "Sun Wu University is right there. No one can run away without legs, so you can set up a seven-day arena there. The students at Sun Wu University will surely welcome you."

Being mocked by two girls, two stunningly beautiful women at that, the boy blushed, but he couldn't lash out at them. After all, so many people were watching, and he didn't want to be seen as bullying women and lacking manners. So, he turned his anger towards Si Ming: "Are you just going to hide in the back and let the women handle it?"

Si Ming blinked and asked in an innocent tone, "Um... excuse me, who are you?"

The scene fell silent for a moment, then burst into laughter, with no intention of saving face for anyone.

"Thinking he's something special, but the other party doesn't even know his name. It's laughable!"

"Even if the Son of Light is not the best, he still earned his reputation through real fighting. You, an unknown person, going up to provoke him, aren't you just asking for humiliation?"

"He's probably a celebrity in his hometown, so he thinks everyone in the world knows him. I've seen plenty of these arrogant bumpkins, but I never expected to meet one at the Martial King Cup. He's someone recommended by Spirit Transformation, how can he be so ignorant and lower our standards?"

Chapter 650 PUBG: Battlegrounds

The boy who had been mocked by everyone didn't angrily challenge Si Ming to a duel; instead, he slunk away with his tail between his legs.

While a public duel may sound impressive and provide a chance to vent one's Vicious Qi, victory is the only guarantee. Losing would make one a laughingstock, rendering one ineligible to participate in the upcoming Martial King Cup and forcing them to return home early.

But when it came to defeating Si Ming, the boy had no confidence. No matter how arrogant he had been earlier, Si Ming's reputation was undeniable, and his record of defeating the entire Sun Wu University was solid. In fact, several of the people Si Ming had defeated were participants in this Martial King Cup. The boy wasn't so incapable of making that judgment.

Although running away like this would still make me a laughingstock, it's better to back down now than to lose face for the rest of my life. There might be a chance to turn things around in the future.

Yu Shuying to Si Ming, "With fame comes trouble. Before any benefits arrive, problems come knocking first. There will definitely be a lot of people like this coming. You should be prepared."

"They're just small fry, no need to worry about them. As long as the benefits outweigh the drawbacks, it's all worth it."

Just then, a familiar voice suddenly rang out.

"When I arrived, I heard a group of people discussing the 'Son of Light,' and I thought it was a complete stranger. But after seeing what happened just now, I remembered that your nickname is indeed the Son of Light.' By the way, why would you choose a title that has nothing to do with you? You should change your title to 'Violent Maniac'!"

Ying Zhou walked over with a face that looked like someone owed him a lot of money, and behind him, Murong Wu followed cautiously, revealing a hint of timidity from being in an unfamiliar environment.

What are you doing here, kid?

Ying Zhou pointed to Murong Wu behind him with his thumb, and said with a smirk, "His master asked me to take care of him and be his babysitter."

Si Ming asked in surprise, "So you agreed?"

When did this kid become so helpful? His persona is practically falling apart!

"How could that be? Of course I refused outright," Ying Zhou's face suddenly turned grim as if he were recalling something. "Then that old woman pretending to be young poisoned me. Once it took effect, my whole body would itch so badly I felt like I wanted to peel my skin off... I had no choice but to agree."

Murong Wu hurriedly said, "I'm sorry, it's all my fault for not being able to persuade Master. Besides, the poison she used was too potent, and my medical skills are too poor to cure her."

Ying Zhou waved his hand. "Forget it, what can I say now that it's already happened? At most, I'll just stay away from that old woman next time. Besides, being able to fight against martial artists from other countries is a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity, so it's not bad at all."

Si Ming asked doubtfully, "With your strength, Little Wu, isn't it a bit too much for you to participate in the Martial King Cup?"

Unless he has mastered the "Shennong's Three Fists," participating in a competition at this level would be suicidal. What on earth is that old woman thinking?

Yu Shuying said, "It seems that my master knew about the changed competition rules in advance and thought that with my junior brother's strength, he also had a chance to defeat the opponent, so he let him out to gain experience and broaden his horizons."

He then said to Si Ming, "Originally, I thought that Nation of Valor changed the rules because they didn't want you to win the championship. After all, with the strength you showed at Sun Wu University, you were more than capable of winning the Martial King Cup. But now that I think about it, Military School aren't those pedantic scholars who only care about fame and fortune. They wouldn't use such methods to evade challenges. They must have had this idea for a long time."

"Yes, Senior Sister is right. Master ordered me to come to Nation of Valor after reading a letter. She said she didn't expect me to defeat many people, as long as I could make it to the final round, that would be a success. Originally, I was wondering how I could make it to the final round without defeating my enemies, but when I arrived, I found out that Nation of Valor had abolished the ring battle system."

After explaining, Murong Wu added, "Si Ming, I've noticed everyone talking about you along the way. Suppressing an entire university single-handedly, winning every battle, unmatched by anyone—you're truly amazing!"