"Bullying is out of the question." Xiao Mu put down the plate in his hand, picked up a napkin and wiped his fingers, then raised his head to meet Long Yue's gaze, "I just told the truth."
Behind Long Yue, Dai Yun'er poked half of his head out from behind Su Mei's shoulder. Hearing these words, he almost burst into tears again, but was held down by Dai Yueyan's shoulder.
Long Yue didn't look back. He stared at Xiao Mu for a moment, and then stretched out his right hand.
The hand was huge, with thick knuckles, and the calluses on the palm were as thick as a layer of armor. The shadow of the spread fingers could almost swallow Xiao Mu's entire hand.
Xiao Mu also extended his right hand.
The two hands were held together. Rather than shaking hands, it was better to say that Long Yue's hand completely wrapped Xiao Mu's hand in his palm. Long Yue began to exert force, the muscles on his arms swelled silently, the veins on the back of his hands emerged like a dragon, and the floor tiles under his feet made a very subtle cracking sound.
Xiao Mu's expression remained motionless. His fingers did not even deform in Long Yue's palm. His palm was like a high-density elastic body, and the pressure exerted by Long Yue was evenly distributed to the entire palm surface, and then directed to the ground under his feet through the force field.
He could feel that Long Yue's grip was very strong, and the fingers of ordinary Soul Master would have been broken, but to him, this purely physical pressure was like being wrapped by a sponge.
Long Yue's brows frowned slightly. He increased his strength to 70%, and then to 90%. Xiao Mu's hands were still not deformed, and the expression on his face was even polite and calm.
"Have you not eaten?" Xiao Mu asked.
As he finished speaking, his fingers suddenly tightened. He returned all the pressure exerted on his hands to Long Yue intact, with additional grip strength.
Long Yue's expression changed instantly. He felt as if his hand was bitten by a hydraulic pliers. His finger bones made a slight clicking sound in the opponent's palm, and the calluses on the tiger's mouth were pressed out of shape.
He gritted his teeth, the muscles in his arms were as tense as iron, and a thin layer of sweat broke out on his forehead. Xiao Mu's hands were not big, but the force was as precise as a forging hammer, and every bit of force was applied to the most vulnerable position.
Long Yue instinctively let go of his hand and pulled it out directly. He looked down at his right hand, which was still shaking slightly. There were several clear red marks on the thick knuckles, as if they had been covered by some steel hoops.
Xiao Mu retracted his hand, picked up the juice on the table next to him and took a sip. His tone was the same as before. "The grip is good."
Long Yue waved his hand, looking at Xiao Mu, his eyes changed from curiosity to surprise, and there was an uncontrollable fighting spirit, "You are stronger than in the video."
He took a deep breath and stood up straight again. The mountain-like pressure returned to him, but his tone no longer had the previous temptation, "See you on the field. Singles match - I'll wait for you."
He turned around and strode back to the Monster Academy's queue. Dai Yun'er followed in the queue and left together.
Dai Yueyan walked next to Long Yue and lowered his voice and asked "How are you?" Long Yue did not answer, but put his right hand, which was still numb, behind his back.
After the Monster Academy everyone left, the banquet returned to its previous rhythm. There were still people dancing on the dance floor, and the guests at the buffet changed one after another. Dai Tianling clinked glasses with the deputy speaker Federation during the dance break, and both parties smiled appropriately.
Dai Tianling glanced at Long Yue and the others, as long as they didn't cause any trouble.
Xiao Mu leaned against the wall of the rest area and finished the last grilled shrimp on the plate. Xu Xiaoyan leaned on his shoulder and yawned.
Na'er is already tired and feels bored after eating.
Gu Yue glanced at the dark night outside the window and said only two words: "Go back."
Luo Yuhang counted the heads at the entrance of the banquet hall, confirmed that all seven people were there, and then took the lead out of the palace gate. The night wind carried Star Luo City's unique salty smell and hit his face. Silver cars were already lined up waiting outside the palace gate.
Xiao Mu took Na'er into the back seat of the car. Xu Xiaoyan sat in from the other side and leaned on Xiao Mu's other shoulder. He fell asleep almost as soon as the car door closed.
Gu Yue was sitting in the passenger seat, looking at the rapidly retreating palace lights outside the car window, thoughtfully. Long Chen and Yuanen Yehui were in the rear car, and they looked at the night scene outside the window in silence. After a while, Long Chen finally said, "That Long Yue looks very strong."
A few days later, Soul Master Elite Tournament, the youth high-level event in the mainland, officially opened at Star Luo Grand Stadium.
Star Luo Grand Stadium is located in the North District of Star Luo City. It is a giant building that can accommodate 300,000 people. The outer wall is made of white boulders, and the crown badge of the Star Luo Imperial Family and the black giant flag of the competition hang on the top.
The morning sun has not yet fully risen, but there is already a long queue outside the stadium - spectators from all over Star Luo Empire, and bookmakers holding betting odds tables, crowding the entrance channel.
Before the competition started, all the tickets had been sold out, and with so many applicants, Star Luo Empire official income from these aspects alone was enough to offset the expenses of the competition.
What's more, there are soul guide live broadcasts covering the entire continent. If you want to watch the live broadcast, you need to spend money to purchase the broadcast rights. Star Luo Empire officials are already familiar with the various benefits of developing high-level Soul Master Elite Tournament for young people across the continent.
Even ordinary people have a heart that wants to be Soul Master. Being able to watch such a wonderful game is like a festival for them.
Xiao Mu and his team received their respective competition number plates at the entrance of the contestants' tunnel.
The preliminary venue for the singles competition is divided into twenty divisions, each division has its own independent arena, and the schedule is densely packed.
Due to the large number of participants, the preliminary round adopts a single elimination system. If you lose a game, you will go home without any chance of resurrection.
"These rules are cruel enough." Long Chen pinned the number plate to his chest and took a look at the schedule, "It's not like we will be matched with the strong one right away."
"Luck is also a part of strength." Gu Yue said calmly. She was looking at her own match list, her eyes swept over the opponent's name, and there was no fluctuation.
Xiao Mu did not participate in the discussion. He stood in the shadow of the player tunnel, looking through the iron fence at the huge arena in the center of the stadium. Amplifying Soul Tool inside the stadium was playing the opening speech, and the host's voice was amplified so that the entire stadium could hear it.
Na'er poked his head out from behind him, stood on tiptoes and looked towards the ring, as excited as a sparrow about to come out of the cage. "Brother, do you think we will meet Monster Academy in the first round of the preliminary round?"
"They won't participate in the preliminary round at all." Xiao Mu pinned the number plate on his sleeve, "It's only a ghost that we can meet each other."
Soon, his number was called on the radio. Xiao Mu walked along the player channel towards the ring in the seventh division. His opponent was already standing on the stage, a young man in his early twenties, Martial Soul is Ironclad Rhinoceros.
"Sun Moon Royal Soul Master Academy's? I heard you are quite good at fighting. Just let me see."