Chapter 66

In reality, it was noon.

In the suburbs of Jinmen City, inside a large factory, the factory was mostly empty except for a few tables and equipment in the corner and two maintenance robots.

In the spacious factory, there was only one short and plump man standing barefoot, holding a shield in his left hand and a knife in his right.

"Huff." With one step, his figure blurred and shot out over ten meters, slashing with the knife. The knife cut through the air, producing a loud crack.

Taking another step, he shot out another ten meters, smashing the shield. The shield's impact produced a booming sound in the air.

Step by step, the short and plump man practiced in silence. His feet caused the factory floor to vibrate with each step, and the shield and knife strikes produced booming sounds in the vast factory.

These seemingly simple actions would make any expert marvel.

The momentum generated by each step was completely converted into the force of the knife slash, or the momentum of the step was converted into the power of the shield, making each strike incredibly powerful. The most terrifying thing was that for the short and plump man, these techniques had become as natural as eating and drinking, requiring no thought, and had become instinct.

"Click." The factory door opened, and a slightly plump woman entered carrying a large lunch box. After entering, the factory door closed automatically.

"Brother." The slightly plump woman called out with a smile.

Tielian Yun stopped, turned around, and smiled at the woman. He put down the shield and knife and walked over: "Wife, what's for lunch today?"

"Of course, it's what you like." The slightly plump woman walked to the corner table, took out several small lunch boxes, and placed them on the table. There were five dishes, one soup, and a large portion of rice.

"Smells great, I'm really hungry." Tielian Yun washed his hands in the nearby sink and sat down to eat quickly.

"You, now that there's a virtual world, you practice 16 hours a day in there, and you still continue to practice in reality?" his wife said, "You don't take care of the children at home, and you don't manage the business."

"Isn't there you?" Tielian Yun smiled, "You made me join the Golden Phoenix Team, and I joined! Besides, our family is already well-off, so the business can just go with the flow. As for the children? Wife, thank you for your hard work."

"I knew what kind of person you are from the beginning. When I married you, I was prepared." His wife said helplessly, "But you're not young anymore, you're almost forty. Are you going to work so hard all your life?"

"Wife, you might find it hard, but I find joy in it." Tielian Yun said, "Pursuing the world's number one, the feeling of becoming the strongest in the world, how interesting it is! When a powerful opponent appears, figuring out ways to defeat them! Each time I surpass an opponent, it's a beautiful moment."

His wife nodded: "Do you have confidence in the second round of the competition?"

"No."

Tielian Yun said, "My junior, Xu Jingming, is a true genius! If he weren't so extraordinary and entered the World Martial Arts Competition too early, he could have become the world's number one in his early twenties after two more years of training. As for me? Among my master's many disciples, my talent is only average, and I realized this long ago."

"But you've won the world's number one three times, the most in all of Xia country." His wife said.

"Because I practice the most intensely." Tielian Yun said, "I practice morning and night. Except for sleep, I'm almost always practicing. When my body is tired, I practice techniques. When my body is sufficiently recovered, I practice physical strength."

"Even when eating, I think about martial arts. Even in my dreams, I dream about martial arts."

"Gradually, I have become one with martial arts techniques." Tielian Yun said.

His wife looked at her husband and felt the无形的压迫感.

"My master had exceptional talent and was still the world's number one in his old age. Lei Yunfang is also extraordinary, debuting as the world's number one in movement! As for me? I stumbled and lost to many opponents." Tielian Yun said, "But I surpassed each opponent, and eventually, I won the world's number one again and again."

"I believe that I might fall behind temporarily."

"But... the ultimate world's number one will definitely be me!" Tielian Yun said, "Because they practice martial arts. But I? I am part of martial arts!"

Tielian Yun's eyes were fiery.

His wife smiled at the scene, remembering the night when she saw this man practicing knife techniques barefoot on the national team's training ground, and she was drawn to him.

"I believe you will definitely be the world's number one." His wife said.

"Being the world's number one is not the most captivating."

"The most captivating is the process of becoming the world's number one! Defeating powerful opponents one by one!" Tielian Yun said.

After finishing lunch, Tielian Yun picked up the shield and knife again and continued practicing alone in the factory.

One must have a strong heart to always bear this loneliness.

...

That night, the second round of the Fire Seed Cup National Competition officially began.

"The competition has started." The six members of the Limu Team gathered, sitting in the stands, watching the exciting matches.

The first match: Luhai Elder Team vs. Frost Language Team!

"Dad and the others aren't as relaxed as in the first round." Xu Jingming observed and said.

"The Frost Language Team has many experts like Gu Chong and Lian Shuang." Li Miaomiao said, "Four against five... Uncle and the others are a bit short."

In this match, the four elders of the Luhai Elder Team cooperated well and were skilled in their techniques, but after the archer 'Zhou Fan' was killed by the Frost Language Team, they fell into a disadvantage.

The match continued until only Xu Hong, who held two shields, remained, and then Luhai Master finally took action.

The remaining two members of the Frost Language Team also cooperated to attack Luhai Master.

"Whoosh."

One slash.

The knife flashed, cutting through the two members of the Frost Language Team, slicing through their heavy and light armor, and killing them all.

The Luhai Elder Team won!

"This is the world's number one!" The host Liu Xin couldn't help but say, "Even heavy armor is split with one slash, and two people are killed with one slash."

"The strength of the world's number one is truly terrifying." The male guest Jin Fan said, "Other experts can't even block one move against him."

The female guest Ju Wenqing smiled and said, "So far, only six people have passed the third level of the Starry Sky Tower. Luhai Master passed it a month ago! And he passed it as soon as the Starry Sky Tower opened! His strength has a huge advantage over others on the list, let alone ordinary experts."

"The next match, the teacher Lei Yunfang, who is the world's number one in movement, will appear." The host Liu Xin said, "He and Luhai Master have never publicly fought in the virtual world."

...

The second match: Lei Yunfang Team vs. Bai Que Team.

"The four teammates Lei Yunfang chose are a bit weak." Heng Fang observed and sighed, "The four civilian players Luhai Master chose all have powerful techniques. The four civilian players Lei Yunfang chose are much more ordinary."

"Lei Yunfang alone is enough to win." Wang Yi said.

Xu Jingming also watched.

Lei Yunfang's four teammates barely restrained two of the opponents. Lei Yunfang, dressed in a green robe and carrying two knives, moved with a seemingly casual but incredibly fast gait. His figure blurred as he quickly caught up to each enemy.

Each time he approached an enemy, he slashed with the knife! Although he carried two knives, drawing one was enough.

The Bai Que Team had to gather three people to fight Lei Yunfang, but he still easily killed all the opponents. The members of the Bai Que Team couldn't even touch Lei Yunfang's clothes.

His teammates killed one person, and Lei Yunfang killed four, ending the match.

"How can movement be so terrifying?" Xu Jingming watched intently. His movement was still stuck at 99% of the second level, while Lei Yunfang's movement was already at the third level when the virtual world opened, and it had become even more divine. Xu Jingming felt it was an art.

It seemed as if space changed with just two steps.

...

The third match: Shield Axe Team vs. Sword Pure Team.

"Qin Ge of the Sword Pure Team is a very talented civilian expert. With enough time, he should be able to grow." Xu Jingming praised, "But his opponent is Xiong Tian Shan, who has already broken through to the third level and has rich combat experience. The Sword Pure Team has no hope."

A crushing victory.

...

The fourth match: Thunder Team vs. Cloud Mountain Team.

"My goodness." Yang Qingshuo widened his eyes.

"Killing frenzy!" Heng Fang also exclaimed.

Xu Jingming watched solemnly. This match was unexpectedly exciting, with the battle being evenly matched.

"Xia country has five players who have won the World Martial Arts Competition, including Yang Yu and Gao Chong." Liu Chongyuan said, "Their teamwork is very strong. The Cloud Mountain Team's Hu Qing Shan and Chang Qingpeng haven't won the world's number one, but they are also two martial arts masters. These two masters working together... are not at a disadvantage at all."

The core members of the two teams were Gao Chong and Yang Yu on one side, and Hu Qing Shan and Chang Qingpeng on the other. The other teammates were clearly inferior.

"The two teams are very evenly matched, it all depends on their performance on the spot." Xu Jingming could also see that the two teams were pulling and calculating, each trying to outmaneuver the other.

This battle lasted over nine minutes, and in the end, only Hu Qing Shan, with a severed arm, remained on the field.

The Cloud Mountain Team won! The Thunder Team was eliminated!

"This match was the most evenly matched of the first four." Wang Yi praised.

"The next match is our turn." Xu Jingming said. Wang Yi, Heng Fang, Yang Qingshuo, and Liu Chongyuan were all filled with fighting spirit, eager to join the battle after watching the previous four matches.