A Contest of Strength

Su Yingtao felt a pang of regret, but quickly composed himself and said calmly, "No news is sometimes good news. My brother and sister-in-law have suffered so much. I just hope they can live peacefully as ordinary people and stay out of trouble."

At this moment, Si Ming naturally couldn't say anything sarcastic like he'd come to his door if he needed help, so he chimed in, "Yes, retiring from the martial world is the wish of the vast majority of martial artists."

The two didn't have much in common, and after chatting for a few more minutes, Su Yingbo took his leave. Then, Gaoyang Wuji came over with several members of the school team to say hello.

As the saying goes, "No fight, no friendship." Although Si Ming gained fame by stepping on Sun Wu University, school is school and person is person. Gaoyang Wuji did not regard Si Ming as his lifelong nemesis because of this.

The higher one's personal ability, the greater one's future achievements, and the less one cares about one's background. For example, the several Spirit Transformation Grandmaster graduated from Sun Wu University do not care much about this because their achievements and reputation are earned through their own hard work. It is the school that is proud of them, not the other way around. Conversely, the more mediocre one's personal ability, the more one cares about gains and losses because all they can offer is a diploma.

Of course, Gaoyang Wuji wouldn't propose an alliance to Si Ming. He just came to make a good impression and state his position that he wouldn't let school matters affect his personal feelings. Compared to other strangers, at least they could be considered acquaintances who became friends after a fight.

Gaoyang Wuji didn't know if doing this would be effective. Perhaps Si Ming would still care, or still doubt that he hadn't let go. But as someone who understood social rules, he knew that not saying hello would definitely be useless, and saying hello would at least prevent things from getting worse. He could gain an opportunity to benefit from just a few words, so why not?

He didn't expect Si Ming to let him off the hook after they met on the island. He would be satisfied as long as Si Ming chose to deal with the other contestant first when they met at the same time.

Gaoyang Wuji was not unfounded. Having personally fought against him, he knew very well how much of a role the unfathomable stamina and the special Internal Cultivation that allowed for rapid recovery would play in the modified Martial King Cup.

The competition lasted five days, with hundreds of people fighting in a chaotic melee. How to adjust the frequency of battle to avoid being taken advantage of by a third party after a hard-fought victory against a strong enemy, and how to maintain physical strength at a certain level to avoid being taken advantage of, are all important issues that contestants need to consider. However, Si Ming doesn't need to. He can completely deal with any opportunists who jump out after defeating the strong enemies. At least Gaoyang Wuji believes that these two strengths are more important than powerful martial arts.

The organizers didn't give everyone much time to chat. After a while, they announced that the competition would start immediately. The first step was to draw lots to determine which area each contestant would be assigned to. To prevent contestants in the same area from colluding beforehand, the drawn lots did not directly show the area number and could only be read with special equipment.

All participants were required to wear special masks to block their hearing, smell, and sight. Then, they were put into trucks in groups of sixteen and transported to different areas of the island, where they disembarked separately—a situation that greatly disappointed Si Ming wanted to experience skydiving.

"Number 123, it's your turn to get off."

The supervisor on the truck removed Si Ming's mask and gestured for him to get out.

Si Ming landed and watched the truck disappear into the forest before glancing at his equipment. He had changed into a new outfit, similar to camouflage, which was provided free of charge by the organizers to prevent participants from carrying items on their person. He also had a map in his hand.

Si Ming first glanced at the bracelet; the numbers on it indicated his current location.

"District 13 is not a lucky number."

Si Ming checked the map and found himself on the outer edge of the island. Recalling Yu Shuying's analysis, he realized that without knowing which areas would be abolished, getting to the center of the island first would be the most efficient course of action.

"But there's no rush, let's find food first."

While five days without food is nothing for top players, fighting on an empty stomach will inevitably have some impact. In PUBG: Battlegrounds, players must quickly find weapons, but for warriors, their bodies are their greatest weapon, making finding food far more valuable than finding weapons.

Fayun: "To eat one zhong of enemy food is equivalent to eating twenty zhong of mine; to fear one shi of enemy fodder is equivalent to eating twenty shi of mine."

Food on the island is limited; if you eat more, others will eat less, so having a big appetite is a significant advantage.

There's no real method to finding food; you just wander around. According to the brochure provided by the organizers, basic resources like food are placed in very conspicuous places and aren't deliberately hidden.

After searching for a while, Si Ming found a red patterned box under a big tree. When he opened it, he found two cans of food, a backpack, and a set of clothes inside—he would need to change clothes in five days.

Si Ming opened the two cans with a flick of his finger. One can contained a rather lavish spread of candy, cornbread, pies, and some candied fruit snacks. The other can was quite simple, containing only one item: salted jerky.

Si Ming took a piece of salted jerky and stuffed it into his mouth, making a "crunch crunch" sound as he chewed, just like biting into firewood. In fact, the texture was very similar to firewood.

"How many years has this stuff been stored?" He glanced at the production date on the can and was immediately shocked. "This can of bacon has been preserved for fifty years! It's older than my two lifetimes combined!"

Si Ming had no idea what the Nation of Valor organizers were thinking, putting such an antique food into the competition. He wondered if it was out of a spirit of saving food or a perverse sense of humor, but he figured it was probably the latter. Nation of Valor wasn't so poor that it had to play the victim in an international competition.

He put the clothes in his backpack, ate the two cans of food on the spot, and didn't leave the salted meat jerky behind either. Although the first bite didn't taste very good, after eating more, it actually had a mellow aroma. Hmm, that's the taste of time. Si Ming thought to himself as he chewed on the salted meat jerky.

Not long after, Si Ming found a black box by a stream, inside which was a shield and a spear.

"Spears and shields are battlefield weapons, completely unsuitable for martial arts duels."

He casually tossed the two weapons back into the box. No martial artist ever used a shield in combat; it was a waste of a hand and could easily hinder movement. Although a spear could be used like a gun, Si Ming rarely used spear techniques, and it was more convenient to fight bare-handed than to use it.

"Hmm, many Military School strategies involve battlefield tactics, and there might even be a set of techniques that require the combination of spear and shield. Nation of Valor is blatantly playing the home-field advantage."

As Si Ming was pondering this, he suddenly heard the sounds of fighting coming from not far away.

Chapter 656 A Test of Strength

It hadn't even been an hour since he got off the bus, and someone had already made a move so quickly. This was quite unexpected for Si Ming. Putting himself in his shoes, if his strength were only at an average level, the first thing he would do would be to conceal his aura, find a place where it would be easy to ambush him, hide, and wait for others to come to him. In short, he would be a cunning and treacherous person.

Unlike games like PUBG: Battlegrounds, a martial artist's most powerful weapon is themselves. Unless they are a swordsman who can "lose five-tenths of their skill upon losing their sword," they don't need to specifically look for weapons; they can simply wait for others to deliver them to their door.

Si Ming followed the sound and came to an open space, where he saw two figures fighting fiercely. Their energy surged wildly, breaking trees and causing grass to dance wildly. He vaguely remembered one of the men, who had a pointed mouth and monkey-like face. He thought he was a member of the Sun Wu University Martial Arts Club and his nickname was something like "Monkey." He had no recollection of the other man, a bald, burly man with broad shoulders and a thick waist.

The two had very different styles. One was agile and nimble, like a monkey constantly moving and dodging, while the other was powerful and heavy, like a giant bear throwing stones. This battle was a typical case of an agile hero meeting a power hero.

When his opponent threw a punch, the force of the punch alone made Hou Fei feel suffocated. He knew that the Thousand Dragon Fist was powerful and dared not take it head-on. He leaped into the air with his toes touching the ground to avoid the punch. Even so, the fierce wind from the punch still made his toes go numb.

The bald, burly man timed Hou Fei's Hou Fei perfectly, unleashing a flurry of punches to severely injure him. However, Hou Fei clapped his hands in the air, soaring like a crane in flight, using the force of his opponent's Thousand Dragon Fist to lift himself four or five zhang into the air, completely unharmed.

This aerial acrobatic feat was exceptionally beautiful. If it were performed on a stage, it would surely have drawn cheers from the audience. However, the bald, burly man, also a renowned master, was well-versed in the arts and took it all in stride. He maintained his offensive with composure, delivering punch after punch to his opponent. Sometimes the punches were as heavy as mountains, and sometimes as swift as the wind, forcing Hou Fei to dodge constantly.

Hou Fei had assessed his opponent's strength and weakness through previous probing, so he maintained a distance of four zhang and did not get close. Although the bald, strong man's punches were powerful, they were exhausted at this distance. Hou Fei's martial arts were best suited for using force in mid-air, so some actions that seemed extremely dangerous to others were extremely easy for him.

The saying goes, "Supreme strength cannot last forever." When the opponent's strength is exhausted, that is the moment for him to counterattack.

With the idea of using dragging along to change the situation in mind, Hou Fei, who had taken to mid-air, looked around with a wide field of vision and then saw Si Ming.

What is he doing here?

He's from the same area as me!

If he suddenly makes a move...

Hou Fei flinched, immediately revealing a flaw in his defense.

Although the bald, burly man didn't understand why, he could only accept the mistake made by his opponent. He immediately straightened his chest, pulled in his Dantian, and focused his energy in his dantian. He then swung both fists diagonally upwards. One punch was a scattered force, striking the air and covering all directions to prevent his opponent from dodging. The other punch was a concentrated force, aimed directly at his vital points.