The preliminary round of the knockout stage is from 32 to 16, and is divided into two days. There is only one day of rest after the game. Players who can be drawn into the first eight games can finish the game on the first day, which is considered a good draw.
Yin Muhu's mouth twitched: "Uh... I don't think you need to worry about this."
Jiang Siwei pushed her glasses, a little curious.
This one looks very strong... The girl seems to admire Xiao Jing very much.
Although she had read Xue Jing's information and knew that he was quite strong, she had never seen him in person and had no concrete idea of his level of martial arts prowess.
Yin Muhu scratched his head and muttered in a contrastingly sweet girlish voice, "I hope I'm not in the same half zone with you... I don't want to go back in disgrace after playing only two games. I will definitely be laughed at by that old master for a whole year."
Xue Jing patted her shoulder comfortingly.
"I don't think you'll be that unlucky, Sister Yin."
In the live broadcast, an old man wearing training clothes, with a handsome face and full of energy walked onto the stage from the backstage. His steps were very steady and his body did not tremble at all while he walked.
"Next, we will invite Xu Jinghong, 8th Dan, to personally draw the lots!"
…
In Fengcheng, in the top floor suite of a hotel.
Li Chengxuan was soaking in a large round bathtub, holding a goblet filled with champagne in his hand. Beside him were two naked beautiful women, hugging him and leaning on his shoulders.
Looking at the picture displayed on the big-screen TV in front of him, his face, which had been in a good mood, suddenly turned gloomy.
[Sixth match: Xue Jing from Hidden Dragon Style vs. Li Chengxuan from Golden Wind and White Rainbow Sword]
"Damn it, this haunted kid!"
"Forget it, I was careless last time. This time on the field, I will definitely beat you to death!"
Li Chengxuan said these harsh words, but a sense of uneasiness inexplicably emerged in his heart, which he was unwilling to admit.
…
Chapter 127 Maple City University Martial Arts Club, Xue Jing: "I should be better than him." (4K)
"Li Chengxuan..."
Xue Jing looked at the live broadcast, was stunned for a moment, and then couldn't help laughing.
"It's a bit of a coincidence."
Yin Muhu beside him nodded and said, "I've watched a few matches of Li Chengxuan. His school, 'Golden Wind and White Rainbow Sword', is quite interesting and has a bit of a reputation in the inner circle. I've heard from my master that the 'Three Heroes of Jade City' had a dispute with the disciples of this school in the past."
Xue Jing smiled and said, "I've heard this from my master as well."
Yin Muhu: "My master said that most of the troubles that the three of them encountered were caused by the Dragon King Li Qi. He said that Li Qi heard that the Golden Wind and White Rainbow Sword School was famous, so when he saw the disciples of their school, he went up to them and said, 'What are you looking at?'..."
"But I think this was a frame-up by my master. I guess he was the one who caused all the trouble..."
Xue Jing: “…”
He felt that it was not a frame-up. Even if there were some modifications, it was generally true.
I don’t know why Yin Muhu has such a deep prejudice against his own master.
"This Li Chengxuan is quite capable. He is ranked in the top 12 out of the 32 contestants in this elimination round, which puts him in the upper tier."
Jiang Siwei was talking beside her, her hands typing away on the keyboard of a thin laptop.
"The general view of him among industry insiders is that if he is a little bit luckier, he has a certain chance to become one of the final four."
"Xiao Jing, you have to be more careful..."
Jiang Siwei paused, then continued, "I know you are very strong... but this is your first time playing a game, so you may not be able to adapt. The schedule of this knockout round is very tight, and you will play three games in a short period of time. Even if you get injured in any of them, it will become a disadvantage that cannot be ignored in the next game."
"We not only have to win, but we also have to win while ensuring that we don't get hurt as much as possible. It's always right to be careful."
Xue Jing glanced at her, just smiled slightly, and said softly: "Don't worry, Sister Wei, I will be careful."
In the live broadcast, the energetic old man continued to draw lots.
Soon Yin Muhu's name also appeared on it.
"Game 9... Fortunately, I'm not in the same half as you."
Yin Muhu nodded with satisfaction and said with some relief.
In the knockout round system, the first eight games belong to one half zone, and the last eight games belong to another half zone. Xue Jing was in sixth place, which belongs to the first eight games, and she was in ninth place, which belongs to the last eight games.
The two halves will play three games each to decide two qualifying spots.
In this way, she will not meet Xue Jing on the court until the entire knockout round is over.
Jiang Siwei asked curiously, "Aren't you martial artists supposed to be brave and diligent? You're afraid of running into Xiao Jing... Isn't this mentality wrong?"
Yin Muhu glanced at her, stretched out his right hand, raised his thick index finger and shook it, correcting himself:
"It's not that I'm afraid of encountering it, but that I don't want to encounter it. There is a difference."
“No matter how brave and diligent a martial artist is, he is not mentally ill… If you know that you have a high probability of not winning against an opponent, you should avoid it if possible. This is not cowardice, but strategic retreat.”
Yin Muhu said this as a matter of course, without any embarrassment.
Xue Jing pinched his chin and said in agreement, "Bird food."
…
After watching the drawing ceremony, Xue Jing and the two had a meal in the hotel and then went their separate ways.
Xue Jing returned to his room and began to practice his daily armor-shaking skills and the dragon-hibernating technique.
After the training, they conducted simulated combat in the consciousness space, trying their best to use almost pure strength to fight throughout the process.
By the time I felt my spirit begin to dry up and exited the space of consciousness, it was already two o'clock in the afternoon.
After going to the bathroom to take a shower and change clothes, Xue Jing walked out of the hotel door and planned to visit his sister Xue Wan's school.
He first called Xue Wan to inquire, and after receiving a reply that there was no problem, he hailed a taxi and went to Xue Wan's school, Maple City University.
…
At the gate of Fengcheng University.
"Wanwan, we are going to KTV, want to sing with us? There are some handsome guys coming too!"
A group of three female college students walked out of the school gate and saw Xue Wan holding a cat. One of the girls with long hair had her eyes lit up and invited him.
"Hey, what a cute cat. Has there been a cat like this in school before? I don't think I've seen one before."
Among the three, the short-haired girl wearing glasses looked at the cat in Xue Wan's arms curiously, and reached out to touch it, but the cat glanced at her and turned away.
Xue Wan smiled and said, "This is my cat. It's very shy and won't let anyone touch it... You guys go ahead. My brother will be coming to school later and I have to show him around."
"Your brother!?" The three female college students' eyes lit up.
"Is that the younger brother you often mention? The handsome one?"
"It must be that one! Wanwan showed us his photo before. Wow, that handsome guy is coming to our school... slurp (wipes saliva)."
"Wanwan~~Please introduce us~"
Among the three, the last girl with a petite figure and a childish face immediately hugged Xue Wan's arm and spoke in a coquettish manner.
Xue Wan looked strange: "Aren't you going to sing with the handsome guy..."
The long-haired girl said seriously: "An ordinary handsome guy, I can make an appointment anytime."
The short-haired girl with glasses immediately added, "Top handsome guys are hard to come by. Let alone tasting them, even just looking at them a little longer can help you live longer~"
Xue Wan's mouth twitched: "Try it... Don't have any intentions towards my brother."
"How can that be possible?" the three of them said in unison.
The long-haired girl smiled and said, "But... if my brother has any intentions towards us, then there is nothing we can do."
Xue Wan waved his hand nonchalantly: "Ah, don't count on it, it won't happen."
"Hmm? What do you mean?" the girl with glasses asked curiously.
Xue Wan smiled and said, "He grew up with me... You know what I mean."
The petite girl asked in confusion: "Ah? What do you mean?"
Xue Wan pointed at his face and gave a nice smile.
"Growing up with such a top beauty, his resistance to women has long been maxed out!"
The three of them immediately gnashed their teeth.
But when he saw Xue Wan's pretty face that left him speechless, he had to admit with disappointment that it seemed to be true.
"Damn it, give me your genes!"
"I'm going to tear your annoying little mouth apart!"
Everyone was having fun.
Maomao yawned in Xue Wan's arms, thinking, it's really annoying when women get together.
After a while, a taxi drove in and slowly stopped not far away.
The back door opened, Xue Jing scanned the code to pay, said thank you to the driver, and walked out.
He pushed his glasses up and walked towards the school gate.
From a distance, he saw his sister Xue Wan holding a cat and talking to a few girls.
"Wanwan, why hasn't your younger brother arrived yet? Call and ask."
The long-haired girl spoke.
"Yeah, let's call and ask. Could it be that he was raped by a female hooligan on the road?"
The short-haired girl said worriedly.
Xue Wan rolled her eyes at them: "Why are you in such a hurry..."
Then his eyes moved and looked to the side not far away.
"Ah, here he comes."
"No, no!" the three female college students said anxiously.
They looked around intently but couldn't find it.
"Where on earth is it?"
At this time, Maomao jumped from Xue Wan's arms to the ground, stretched, and walked with elegant cat steps towards an ordinary man wearing glasses not far away.
After walking in front of him, it jumped up very nimbly, jumped onto his shoulder, sat down upright, and licked its paws.
Xue Wan also waved at him: "A Jing, here, here."
Only then did the three female college students notice him.
Then they all showed a subtle look: "Hey... He is, the younger brother?"
“It’s totally different from what I imagined…”
"I thought it would be like being a star, radiant and shining."
"Why does it feel a bit... ordinary?"
The petite girl stared at Xue Jing for a while, and suddenly said: "No, look carefully, his face is obviously very good-looking!"
"But why... it always feels a little off."
Xue Wan walked up to Xue Jing, stretched out her hand to help him straighten his collar, and asked curiously:
"Why are you wearing glasses?"
Xue Jing smiled and said, "If you don't wear it, it might be a bit troublesome."
Xue Wan said indifferently: "Come on, follow me into the school and take a look around. By the way, have you decided which university you want to apply to? You will be a senior in high school soon."
The two walked towards the school.
"Let's talk about it later... I may not go to college." Xue Jing thought for a while and said.
Xue Wan nodded: "That's right... You are so good at martial arts now, you have a bright future if you continue on this path, but your parents might be a little hesitant... In fact, I also suggest that you go to college, not for the degree, but because the experience of college life is rare. It only comes once in a lifetime, and if you miss it, it's gone."
"We should enjoy our youth..." Xue Wan said, with an indescribable complexity in his eyes.