SRGA Chapter 117: The Youth Martial Arts Tournament Begins
At 9:00 AM in the S City Stadium.
Martial artists from Huaxia, Bangguo, and Dongying countries have already arrived, and the stadium is filled with thousands of spectators.
Among the crowd is Luo Bingning.
She wears a mask and a baseball cap, concealing herself completely.
Lin Tian is here, and so is Tang Yan, her best friend. With such an event happening, she couldn't focus on work.
"Good morning, everyone."
"The annual Youth Martial Arts Tournament between Huaxia, Bangguo, and Dongying countries is about to begin. Welcome, everyone," announced the host.
"The rules of the Youth Martial Arts Tournament are as follows—"
Speaking was a middle-aged man in his thirties or forties, also a martial artist, with the level of Hidden Force.
Reaching the level of Hidden Force in the End Times is already very impressive; ninety-nine percent of martial artists can't even reach the level of Bright Force.
"Signing a life-and-death agreement for the upcoming fights?!"
"Forget about the later duels; even the initial competitions will be fierce. It's related to the honor of our countries."
"This time, it's expected to be more intense than before. Previous results were only spread within the martial arts circle, but this time, everyone will know."
Many people around the basketball court were discussing.
"Hmm?"
Lin Tian looked towards Luo Bingning.
Initially, he hadn't noticed her, but Luo Bingning's gaze fell on him several times.
Seeing Lin Tian looking over, Luo Bingning turned her head in a panic.
"Bingning came over."
Lin Tian muttered to himself.
Luo Bingning wore a mask and a hat, but how could Lin Tian not recognize her with those eyes?
*Ding*
Luo Bingning received a text message.
"Wife, skipping work to come watch the fun. Prepare for a spanking when you get home."
Luo Bingning glanced at the message, replied with an eye-rolling emoji, and then a head-banging emoji.
"Hello, please be informed that photography and filming are not allowed during the entire competition. It's best to turn off your phones or put them on silent mode."
Someone reminded Luo Bingning.
"I'm just checking a message."
Luo Bingning quickly put away her phone.
Due to the possibility of brutal scenes during the matches, all photography and video recording were prohibited to prevent any negative influence.
"Everyone, without further ado, let's get started."
"Next up is the contest for the first martial token."
The host, Jiang Yi, announced. Immediately, two people rushed in, one from Huaxia and one from Dongying.
Both of them were only at the level of Bright Force.
Usually, the initial contestants are at the Bright Force level, giving them a chance to showcase their skills.
"Huaxia, Zhang Haoyang."
"Dongying, Yamamoto Ryushita."
Both announced their names, one in Mandarin and the other in Japanese, with translators on both sides providing real-time translation.
Since it wasn't a diplomatic occasion, the accuracy of translation didn't matter much.
"Wow, they're both using weapons."
"I wonder who will win."
Many spectators watched with wide eyes. Zhang Haoyang drew his sword, while Yamamoto Ryushita wielded a samurai sword.
Weapons were brought by the contestants themselves.
In this unrestricted competition, apart from hidden weapons, conventional weapons like knives and swords were all allowed.
*Bang!*
The two quickly made their moves, and the clash of swords echoed with a sharp metallic sound.
With national animosities at play, there was no courtesy between the two from the beginning, and both were viciously attacking each other with their blades.
"So fast."
"Swords have no eyes; the probability of one getting injured is quite high."
Some people whispered.
Most of the audience held their breath, watching intently.
This kind of competition was much more thrilling than Olympic fencing.
Both sides were much faster, and they didn't wear any protective gear, so sparks flew as their weapons collided.
Suddenly, Zhang Haoyang exposed a flaw.
"Got you!"
Yamamoto Ryushita's samurai sword slashed towards Zhang Haoyang's wrist. If this strike landed, Zhang Haoyang's hand would undoubtedly be severed.
"Ah!"
Many people exclaimed.
"Here it comes!"
Zhang Haoyang secretly rejoiced.
He had prepared to dodge Yamamoto Ryushita's attack long ago. His long sword swiftly stabbed towards Yamamoto Ryushita's neck.
*Bang!*
Zhang Haoyang's sword was knocked off course by a small stone.
It was thrown by a martial arts master from Dongying.
In regular matches, martial arts masters from both sides would be watching, and when one side was about to die, a martial arts master would intervene to save them.
The saved party would be judged as the loser.
Because there were martial arts masters on the sidelines, losing limbs or dying in regular matches was possible but extremely rare.
"I lost."
Yamamoto Ryushita said with a dark face.
Zhang Haoyang happily accepted the first martial token.
"So thrilling."
"Their speed and strength are much stronger than ordinary people, but they're not exceptionally formidable."
"I heard that the initial contestants are only at the Bright Force level; Hidden Force experts usually only appear in the later stages."
Many people discussed in succession, relievedly exhaling long breaths.
"Everyone, next is the contest for the second martial token," Jiang Yi announced loudly.
Thirty minutes later, all ten martial tokens found their owners.
Huaxia obtained four tokens, Dongying and Bangguo each got three.
Ouyang Fei whispered, "Lin Ge, the comparison of our normal strengths with the three countries should be like this."
"We're slightly stronger, but not by much. If they unite, we might be at a disadvantage."
Lin Tian nodded slightly.
As a martial arts grandmaster, he could accurately assess the strength of the martial artists from the three sides.
The situation was similar to what Ouyang Fei described.
However, there were also special cases.
In Dongying, Fujiwara Ueno had reached the late stage of Hidden Force. If he hadn't raised Ouyang Fei to the late stage of Hidden Force, Fujiwara Ueno would probably have been the strongest.
Although Bangguo boasted loudly, their actual strongest was only at the mid-stage of Hidden Force.
In a normal year, such strength might contend for the top spot, but this year, two anomalies appeared.
"The warm-up matches were already thrilling; the upcoming ones will surely be even more dangerous."
"The fourth, sixth, and ninth groups all had people seriously injured."
Many people murmured softly, shocked.
Lin Tian looked towards where Luo Bingning was.
"Hmm?"
The black iron treasure chest above Luo Bingning's head had turned into a bronze one.
"What a nice gain," Lin Tian muttered to himself.
Considering the potentially bloody scenes, Lin Tian hadn't intended to bring Luo Bingning. But she had come quietly.
If not a golden treasure chest after the competition, getting a silver one shouldn't be a problem.
"Everyone, now we enter the challenge segment."
"Holders of martial tokens can transfer them to other martial artists of their own country. Each token can only be transferred once," Jiang Yi announced loudly.
Zhang Haoyang and others happily handed over their tokens.
Their performance time was over.
"Lin Ge, the warm-up is over; now comes the main event," Ouyang Fei said with a gleam in his eyes.
He held a martial token in his hand.
With injuries and bloodshed already happening in the warm-up matches, the formal competition would be even more intense. Limbs could be lost, and deaths were also possible.
In fights between Hidden Force level martial artists, life and death could hang by a thread, and even martial arts masters on the sidelines might not have time to intervene.