Chapter 338: The Martial Arts Tournament Begins
Feeling a pair of intense, burning eyes on him, Ye Lu glanced past Yu Haojie and locked eyes with a gaze full of curiosity and gossip.
When he followed the gaze and saw the woman’s hairpin and age, he immediately smiled warmly and walked toward Ye Jiamei, who was seated next to Yu Haojie. With a respectful bow, he clasped his fists and greeted her, “This must be Auntie. It’s my first time meeting you, and I may not be showing proper etiquette. I hope you won’t take offense.”
“No offense at all! Young Master Ye, have a seat. We can chat properly later. Since you’re a friend of our Xiao Luo, why not come over for a meal sometime?”
Receiving an invitation from Ye Jiamei, Ye Lu was overjoyed. He quickly agreed, practically wagging his metaphorical tail in delight.
He hadn’t expected Yu Luo to be so reserved while her mother was so warm and approachable. Building rapport with the elders in advance was definitely a smart move.
Just as Ye Lu was considering what gifts to prepare for his upcoming visit, Luo Wu leaned toward Yu Luo and whispered in her ear, “Miss, Young Master Chi has arrived.”
Hearing that Chi Jinchen had arrived, Yu Luo instinctively straightened her back, took a deep breath, and quickly patted her father’s arm. “Chi Jinchen is here!”
Yu Haojie immediately composed himself, adjusted his expression, and stood up with his wife and daughter to greet the new arrival.
The moment Ye Jiamei laid eyes on Chi Jinchen, if her expression toward Ye Lu had been one of approval, then this time, it was pure astonishment.
Standing next to Yu Luo, she couldn’t help but reach out and secretly pinch her daughter’s waist.
Yu Luo, fully aware of her mother’s antics, discreetly pushed her hand away while maintaining an outwardly composed and polite demeanor.
“Young Master Chi, I apologize for not welcoming you sooner.”
Chi Jinchen entered with two attendants, escorted by some of Luo City’s guards to the VIP section.
Even though there were few women in the audience, his noble presence and breathtaking looks still caused a stir among the crowd.
“I’ve long heard of Young Master Chi. I apologize for any lack of hospitality,” Yu Haojie said, bowing courteously.
Chi Jinchen returned the greeting with a faint smile. “I was delayed by some matters and arrived late. I hope City Lord Yu, Madam Yu, and Miss Yu will not take offense.”
“Luo City has been bustling with preparations lately. Xiao Luo mentioned that you’ve already purchased several properties here, so it seems you plan to stay for the long term. If that’s the case, allow me to extend a warm welcome. If you ever need anything, just ask—after all, you’re part of the city now.”
“That is indeed my intention. Once I finish my current affairs, I’ll visit personally. I hope City Lord Yu won’t mind.”
“Haha! If we’re fortunate enough to have Young Master Chi visit, it would be an honor for the Yu family!” Yu Haojie laughed heartily, gesturing for him to take a seat.
Chi Jinchen’s seat happened to be next to Ye Lu, bringing them into close proximity for the first time. Ye Lu, feeling an inexplicable hostility, instinctively tensed.
Chi Jinchen nodded politely at him before shifting his attention elsewhere. But this calm and indifferent demeanor only made Ye Lu even more irritated!
“Young Master Chi, you certainly have a grand presence. Buying twenty properties in one go shows remarkable confidence. Where are you originally from?”
“I travel wherever the winds take me. When I arrived in Luo City, I found it appealing, so I invested here. But Young Master Ye, you seem rather well-informed about my affairs.”
Ye Lu…
This guy was clearly a smiling tiger! Three sentences in, and he had already backed Ye Lu into a corner.
Keeping his face composed but inwardly fuming, Ye Lu forced a grin and replied smoothly, “Haha, Young Master Chi, you jest. It just so happened that one of the properties you purchased was one I had my eye on, so I was naturally curious.”
With that, Ye Lu turned his attention back to the arena. At that moment, Luo City’s guards struck a large brass gong three times, followed by five massive war drums being pounded in unison.
Then, fifty martial artists dressed in elegant, flowing robes, each wielding a long sword, gracefully leaped onto the stage using their light-footwork techniques. They performed a mesmerizing sword dance, their movements precise and breathtaking.
Yu Luo had gone to great lengths for this event. Despite the rushed preparations, she had managed to handpick fifty of Luo City’s best-looking fighters who also excelled in light-footwork techniques. She had them train relentlessly day and night to perfect this performance.
When the fifty warriors landed on the stage like celestial beings and executed their first synchronized strike, the audience erupted into thunderous applause, completely immersed in the spectacle.
The first to start clapping were the workers and residents of Luo City. Their enthusiasm quickly spread to the gathered spectators and martial artists, who eagerly joined in.
After the dazzling performance concluded, Tao Ming took a deep breath and ascended the stage.
Having been temporarily appointed for this role, he had spent two nights memorizing his speech. Though he was usually articulate and outgoing, standing before an audience of nearly ten thousand made him momentarily nervous.
“I am Tao Ming, and on behalf of the citizens of Luo City and City Lord Yu’s family, I extend a warm welcome to all the heroes and warriors gathered here from all corners of the land…”
After his speech, another round of applause and drumbeats echoed through the arena. Then, Hu Liu took the stage to announce the tournament’s rules.
“As of last night’s registration deadline, the total number of contestants has reached 4,800.
Now, I will officially outline the tournament structure. The competition will be held in three stages: the preliminaries, the semifinals, and the finals.
The preliminaries will consist of ten rounds, with each round featuring 480 competitors. The order will be determined by a lottery system. Each contestant has a registration number on their wooden plaque. During each drawing, ten numbers will be selected at a time.
If there are no objections, I will now proceed to explain the rules for advancing to the semifinals?”
