Volume One: Intrigue in the Imperial Capital - A Record of Raising an Airhead
The very next evening after my initial victory, Si Nan Ying's battle began.
Since Si Nan Ying is now considered my "boss," how could I not go and support her? Rui Xin and I easily secured front-row seats—not because we were quick, but because there was practically no one there. Although Si Nan Ying has long since transformed herself, her infamous reputation as a bomb-wielding maniac won't be erased anytime soon, and thanks to that, not a single audience member dared to lean forward.
To be honest, I was a little nervous sitting in the front row. What if something really happened?
Si Nan Ying was wearing a light dress, much like a tennis skirt, a cute and energetic outfit that suited her well. On the other side, the short-haired girl who looked a bit weak must be her opponent, Chen Lu. Her face was ashen, and her limbs were trembling, a stark contrast to Si Nan Ying's excited expression.
"Now, the seventeenth match, the second young lady of the Si Nan Family Si Nan Ying, versus Chen Family's Chen Lu, shall begin!"
Ah, it's starting.
Chen Lu's face was gloomy as she looked around, raising her hand and then lowering it, repeating this several times. She probably wanted to abstain, but was afraid of disgracing her family... Don't give up so easily, young lady.
"Hmph~ Hmph~ Hmph~~~ Meeting me is the greatest misfortune of your life~~~"
Si Nan Ying laughed heartily, speaking with great arrogance the lines of a third-rate villain, and I suddenly had a very ominous premonition.
"Um, Miss Si Nan, please have mercy..." Chen Lu said timidly.
"My goal is—the heavens!" Si Nan Ying suddenly declared resolutely, pointing a single finger to the sky.
"Huh? What did you say? Heavens?"
"Yulia, fill my heart with sorrow!" Si Nan Ying suddenly crossed her arms and pretended to be sad, her face full of grief.
"Hey, what are you saying? Who is Yulia?" Chen Lu was completely bewildered.
"""""..."""""
An awkward silence fell.
Oh no, I can't hold back my laughter anymore.
Back then, Si Nan Ying pestered me relentlessly to help her come up with cool lines and actions. I finally gave in to her persistent pleading and gave her a few classic lines from Raoh in Fist of the Hokuto Shinken. I never expected her to use them here... But it's not my fault! Who would have thought she would completely ignore the awkwardness of the lines?! Is it really okay for her not to change a single word?!
"... Liu Ye." Si Nan Yuan's voice was filled with coldness.
"Exist."
"We need to have a serious talk when we get back."
"... yes."
While I was enduring the pressure from the Si Nan Yuan, the humiliating spectacle on the field continued.
"Let me show you what I'm capable of..." Si Nan Ying slowly raised her hands, and Chen Lu cried out "Eee--", turning her body halfway to the side, ready to run away at any moment.
Oh, right, I taught her not only the lines, but also the names of the moves.
"The secret technique of Hokuto Shinken - Heavenly General BE--Aww!"
Oops, I bit my tongue.
"Let's try again! The secret technique of Hokuto Shinken - Heavenly General Rushing Fierceness!"
Before the word "fierce" could be finished, a deep blue bubble shot out, tracing a deep blue trajectory to the very center of the arena, and then—exploded!
Boom! The deafening roar filled the air, and the billowing dust filled the air. Even sitting in the audience, I could feel the ground shake. When the dust settled, a deep crater appeared on the ground, covering about 70% of the entire arena. If the blast radius had been slightly larger, Chen Lu would have been killed!
"Waaaaah, I give up, I give up, okay?!" Chen Lu plopped down on the ground, tears streaming down her face, and a closer look revealed that her crotch was slightly wet.
"Uh... well then, Chen Lu forfeits, Si Nan Ying wins!"
"Wow~ Hehehe~~~ This is my power! Fortune changes every thirty years, don't underestimate me..."
"Miss is the best!"
"Miss is so cool!"
Si Nan Ying put her hands on her hips and recited her lines, which she had practiced countless times. Rui Xin and the others led the cheers, trying to liven up the atmosphere, while the other audience members were completely bewildered.
Am I the only one who cares about what Chen Lu's special ability is? She was eliminated before she even made a move!
There's still some time before the second stage of the competition, and of course I can't be idle during this period. After watching Si Nan Ying's competition, I haven't been to the competition venue again. Instead, I went back to the Si Nan Main Family to continue those two weeks of special training.
It wasn't until my fight with Sam Cleon that I realized how much the special training had benefited me. My overall strength was far greater than before. I wondered if it was because of their effective training or because I was naturally gifted. But since my power came from that "Blood Fiend," it would be strange if my aptitude wasn't strong.
And...
Every time I leave the training ground, I can't help but look towards the Central Garden. I still remember the last time I entered the Central Garden to order a custom weapon, the "something" inside me had a faint connection with the "something" in the ancestral hall. It was so faint that it was more of an intuition than a connection.
What exactly happened?
Following the typical plot of novels, there must be some incredible items for completing tasks in the ancestral hall, right?
Could it be that one of the materials for the World Crossing Gate, the Gleaming Gold South-Pointing Compass, is truly within reach?
If that's the case, how can I get it?
The only thing I'm certain of is that I currently lack both the strength and the authority to act; I can only observe the situation for now and must not make any rash moves.
Speaking of which, today is the last round of the preliminary rounds, right? According to the procedure, each contestant who advances to the next round should go to the venue to watch the new group assignments after the preliminary rounds. I should head over now.
As I approached the main gate of the house, I could hear many people talking and shouting in the distance. What had happened?
"Make way! Make way!"
Has the bleeding stopped?
"No!"
"Quickly, call a healer!"
A stretcher was hurriedly carried in amidst a crowd of people, and a small medical vehicle immediately came to meet it. In the instant the stretcher was handed over, I saw the person lying on it.
It is Si Nan Ming.
Although it was just a glimpse, the bloodstains all over her body inevitably caught my eye, and she was clearly seriously injured! Even in a competition where any means are allowed, there is only one force in the entire capital that would dare to injure someone from the Si Nan Family to this extent.
"Liu Ye!"
Turning my head, I saw Si Nan Yuan; she seemed to have returned with the stretcher.
"What's going on? Is it Cleon and the others?" I asked hurriedly.
"That's right!" Si Nan Yuan's face was flushed, she seemed quite angry. "Nicole Cleon didn't stop after the referee declared her the winner, and Si Nan Ming was already on the verge of death when the guards stopped her!"
"This works? What happened to Nicole?"
"Her? The rules don't even prohibit excessive harm, let alone murder, so what she did isn't a violation!"
"Hey, hey, hey, these rules have such huge loopholes! Isn't anyone going to revise them?"
"Because such events have occurred far too rarely in the last thousand years, and the very purpose of the clan competition is to subject the younger generation to all possible trials, therefore..."
"I see... then there's really nothing we can do."
"No, there is still a way." Si Nan Yuan suddenly flashed with a fierce light.
"There are still some? Could it be...?"
"That's right! An eye for an eye, a tooth for a tooth. If the rest of us confront her, we'll make her suffer every pain and humiliation imaginable!"
"..."
... This must be a flag.
Typically, once a supporting character tells the protagonist something like, "You must defeat XXX in the next battle to avenge someone," the protagonist will inevitably face off against that XXX and engage in a fierce battle, with the outcome being a 20/20 split.
Now that I've made this promise, it seems my opponent in the round of 32 to 16 will most likely be Nicole Cleon.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
More and more!