Chapter 78

Xu Jingming and Li Miaomiao were enjoying their time together, while Heng Fang and his wife were shopping at a mall.

"Is this the most bustling commercial complex in the city? It's so deserted now?" Heng Fang and his wife strolled around, looking up at the sparse crowds on each floor of the mall. "The stores selling gold and jewelry seem to have more salespeople than customers."

His wife also observed, "Since the virtual world opened, fewer people come out at night. After work, most people enter the virtual world."

Heng Fang nodded slightly, "Yes, now even selling goods is done through live broadcasts in the virtual world. In the virtual world, you can try on clothes freely. You can find whatever you want! It's convenient, and you don't get tired from shopping. In the real world, shopping... it takes time, and there are fewer options."

"Look over there," his wife pointed to several areas of the mall that were blocked off, "Those are all closed. Many tenants have already vacated their leases. The virtual world has only been open for a little over a month, and it's already had such a big impact... I think in half a year, there will be far fewer merchants in the mall."

"If it gets any more deserted, the mall will have to close," Heng Fang said.

"Closing won't matter much. You can order food delivery, from top-notch chain restaurants with the best chefs, who are all top-tier professional robots," his wife said. "Entertainment in the virtual world is also much cheaper."

"Cherish the mall while you can, it will soon become a memory," Heng Fang sighed.

This is the tide of the times. Originally, some internet companies were impacted, and now the physical industry is being hit comprehensively. Even those selling goods have shifted to the virtual world, where the cost of selling is lower and there are more customers.

...

"Are you eating so slowly? It's been half an hour! You haven't finished yet!" Liu Chongyuan, a bear-like man, roared at his three daughters, "When I was your age, I would wolf down my food in no time. You chatter so much while eating. Don't you know it's impolite to talk while eating?"

The three daughters lowered their heads and ate slowly.

"Older one, it's just a piece of meat. Can you chew and finish it in one bite? That piece of meat has been in your bowl for ten minutes. How many times have you gnawed on it? You haven't even eaten half of it," Liu Chongyuan stared at his eldest daughter.

"The meat is a bit tough," the eldest daughter said softly.

"And the second one, look at the mess on your table! Are you leaking? Clean it up yourself!" Liu Chongy roared.

"Okay," the second daughter picked up a napkin and started wiping.

"One napkin is enough, can't you be less wasteful?" Liu Chongy's veins bulged in anger as he turned to his youngest daughter, "Youngest one, stop laughing! You're the slowest eater."

"Dad, I feel a bit dizzy," the youngest daughter held her head, "I might have heatstroke from exercising today."

"You're practicing evolution techniques, and you still get heatstroke? Can you come up with a better excuse? Hold out your hand!" Liu Chongy picked up a ruler.

"Mom!!!" the youngest daughter immediately shouted.

The mother, watching the news on a screen from a distance, remained calm and said, "Don't call me. Today, your father is in charge of your meal, I won't interfere!"

"Smack, smack, smack!" Liu Chongy grabbed the youngest daughter's palm with one hand and struck it with the other, "No more lying, no more lying!"

Eight minutes later.

"Off to the virtual world!" The three daughters immediately went to their rooms.

Liu Chongy, exhausted, made his way to the living room.

"Too tiring, watching them eat a meal is more exhausting than ten battles," Liu Chongy sat down.

"Don't worry, it will get better when the kids grow up," his wife comforted him.

"How did we end up with three? One is already a headache, three... they're not little cotton jackets, they're three big mountains," Liu Chongy sighed.

His wife said helplessly, "How was I supposed to know? How could I give birth to three at once?"

"Also, we need to look for a new house," Liu Chongy said, "We need a bigger place. The three little girls chatter so much, it gives me a headache. We should also buy a better housekeeping robot to help with the kids."

His wife immediately perked up, "Do we have the money?"

"Almost, once the competition is over, we'll get the prize money," Liu Chongy thought of the prize money and smiled, "At least ten million, and if we make it to the finals, the prize will be even higher! This is the most I've ever earned. This time, it's really thanks to Old Xu, I'm just along for the ride!"

"You need to work hard too, don't be a drag," his wife said.

"Don't worry, I'm also working hard," Liu Chongy said.

"Today is the semifinals, are you confident?" his wife asked.

"Well..." Liu Chongy was troubled, "Senior Lei Yunfang is still a bit scary."

...

"Three-digit addition and subtraction you got right, but two-digit addition and subtraction you got wrong?" Yang Qingshuo looked at his son, "Yang Tao! What's wrong with you? 18 plus 3, and you can still get it wrong? You could do this in kindergarten!"

"I got confused," Yang Tao lowered his head.

"Two-digit addition and subtraction, do a hundred problems. Finish them before you can enter the virtual world," Yang Qingshuo said.

"Okay," Yang Tao hugged his father, leaning on him, "Dad, don't be angry, I'll do it seriously."

Yang Qingshuo gently patted his son's head.

"Xiao Shuo, I could hear you shouting from inside. Teaching children requires patience," Yang's mother came out.

"Mom, can you help me with Tao Tao? I'm going to the virtual world, the semifinals are tonight, I need to practice more," Yang Qingshuo got up.

"Go ahead, go ahead," Yang's mother said with a smile.

...

In the personal space training ground.

On the battlefield scene, over a hundred cavalrymen charged towards Wang Yi. Wang Yi, alone with a bow, quickly shot arrows one after another. The arrows were incredibly fast, and the cavalrymen fell one by one. When the last cavalryman was about five to six meters away from Wang Yi, he was also shot dead.

"Archery, I've practiced to the point where it's almost instinct, but I still haven't broken through to the third stage," Wang Yi thought, "The 'Fifth Stage Archery Technique' given by the state, I've followed the methods, but I still can't break through."

"How hard is it to break through to the third stage?"

Wang Yi had already reached 99% of the second stage in all aspects and had been stuck at this bottleneck for over half a month.

"In this competition, if I don't break through to the third stage, I won't be able to contribute at all," Wang Yi continued practicing, "Keep practicing."

******

Late at night, in the official virtual world live stream room of the Xia Kingdom, it was incredibly lively. A massive number of people kept flooding into the live stream room, with the displayed number of viewers jumping from five hundred million to six hundred million and rising.

In recent days, various media have been reporting comprehensively on the Seed Cup competition, which has been the biggest event in the Xia Kingdom in recent days. People are naturally drawn to it, and as the competition progresses, the battles will become more intense, making it even more attractive.

Xu Jingming and Li Miaomiao also came to the stands and saw the parents of both teams who had arrived early.

"Old Xu!" Liu Chongyuan called out with his three daughters from a distance.

"Old Xu, why are you so late?" Heng Fang and Yang Qingshuo also walked over.

"You came too early. The match starts at midnight, there are still twenty minutes left," Xu Jingming smiled, "Yi Sister hasn't arrived yet? I'm not the slowest."

A group of people gathered together.

"Jingming, I need to gather with the team. Come with me and greet your elders," Xu Hong called out.

"Coming." Xu Jingming immediately went over.

"Let's go."

The two lightly tapped and were instantly teleported to the area around Liu Hai on the stands.

Liu Hai stood there, surrounded by Dai Tongda, Tian Yiqu, and Qiu Yong, with some relatives nearby, including Dai Xiaqing. At that moment, Zhou Fan and his son 'Zhou Yi' also appeared.

"Come and meet your elders," Xu Hong led Xu Jingming over.

"Master, Master."

Xu Jingming called out to Dai Tongda and Liu Hai. Dai Tongda smiled, "Jingming, over the years, you've had only three masters. Me, your father, and the captain! Now all three masters are on our team... Jingming, if you make it to the finals and fight us, that would be betraying your masters!"

"You shouldn't say that," Zhou Fan walked over and smiled, "Xu Jingming doesn't need to fight you; his teammates can handle you. The only one he needs to fight is the captain."

"I look forward to him defeating me," Liu Hai looked at Xu Jingming.

"I still have a big gap compared to my master," Xu Jingming said, "And the biggest challenge we face now is Senior Lei Yunfang. The upcoming semifinals will put a lot of pressure on our team, and we have no confidence in getting through."

The members of Liu Hai's team nodded in agreement.

"Lei Yunfang is very strong," Liu Hai nodded, "With his agility, it's hard for you to form a coordinated attack. One-on-one... this semifinal is very dangerous for you. In any case, don't think too much, just do your best."

"Who is stronger and who is weaker, we'll find out after the fight," Xu Hong said.

Xu Jingming nodded.

"Xu Jingming." Zhou Yi walked over and shook hands with Xu Jingming.

"Zhou Yi." Xu Jingming also extended his hand.

"I watched your match against Fang Yu. You completely dominated and thoroughly defeated him. I'm very impressed," Zhou Yi said, "I lost to him."

"He was wearing heavy armor, which gave him an advantage over you," Xu Jingming said.

"If I faced you, even with your dual shields, you could still charge to me and kill me with one shield strike," Zhou Yi shook his head, "My strength is indeed weaker than both of yours. My archery isn't strong enough; otherwise, Fang Yu wouldn't have been able to defend against my arrows. My agility isn't fast enough; if it were, he wouldn't have been able to get close to me."

"Let's all work hard," Xu Jingming said.

Zhou Yi looked deeply at Xu Jingming, nodded, and then left.

Xu Jingming walked over to Dai Xiaqing.

"Senior Brother." Dai Xiaqing smiled.

"Are you under a lot of pressure?" Xu Jingming looked at her.

"Enormous pressure," Dai Xiaqing made a pained face, "My father and the other elders are all very cunning and shrewd. The most terrifying is Senior Liu Hai. He's the best in the world. Our entire team is determined to fight, to see how many we can take down."

"Good luck." Xu Jingming encouraged her.

Dai Xiaqing glanced at the system prompt and said, "I need to go and gather with the team, it's time to go on stage."

"Go ahead." Xu Jingming nodded.

...

After walking around and meeting some friends, Xu Jingming returned to his team's side. The time had come to midnight, and the Seed Cup semifinals, under the attention of the entire nation, finally began.

******

Today's two chapters are regular updates. For every 5,000 monthly votes, I will add an extra chapter. I will continue to work hard and won't fall behind.