Chapter 1 The Golden Sea City

Golden Sea City, Central Sports Plaza.

The scorching sun beat down, but its glare couldn't diminish the enthusiasm of the city's residents. The stadium, with a capacity of fifty thousand, was surrounded by a sea of people.

The White Tiger Martial Arts Gym's decision to host a friendly competition had been heavily publicized for days, with advertisements plastered all over the streets. This competition, involving six cities including Golden Sea, was undoubtedly the grandest event of the year.

In this era of nationwide fitness, nothing was more exciting than a martial arts tournament.

Such a spectacle, coinciding with the weekend holiday, naturally drew countless spectators.

After all, this was a competition featuring martial arts experts from six cities, a contest between cities. Many wanted to see how their local contestants would perform. Moreover, the White Tiger Martial Arts Gym had specifically invited prominent figures from the six cities to solidify its reputation.

Luxury maglev sports cars pulled up in front of the VIP entrance, drawing gasps of amazement. A single one of these cars was beyond the reach of ordinary people, and the people stepping out were even more extraordinary.

"Look, isn't that Old Xu? He actually came!"

"Yeah, isn't that Gym Leader Chen Wu?"

...

Amidst the exclamations, influential figures entered the venue.

At this moment, Shi Feng had just arrived at the sports plaza by car. He had spent a lot of time gathering herbs, and Xiao Yu and the others didn't want to disturb him, so they had come to the venue first. Shi Feng had to come alone by car.

The sheer number of people upon exiting the car was quite astonishing. What surprised Shi Feng wasn't the number of spectators queuing, but the number of contestants. There was a long line at the contestant entrance, numbering over three hundred people, comparable to a provincial martial arts league.

As Shi Feng quietly waited for Liang Jing to pick him up, he suddenly spotted some familiar faces in the queue for audience entrance number five: Zhou Yuhu and his companions from the Underworld Guild.

"Brother Hu, you're amazing. You even managed to get tickets that are so hard to come by. When I got my ticket, all my classmates were so envious," a stocky young man with small eyes, a high nose, and a blue vest said to Zhou Yuhu.

"This is nothing. Brother Hu is a celebrity at our school now. He's not only passed the professional martial arts exam, officially becoming a professional trainee, but he's also one of the top experts in the Underworld Guild at our school. Getting a few tickets to a friendly competition is a piece of cake," said a young man in a T-shirt proudly.

"So amazing! He became a professional trainee so quickly. Doesn't that mean he'll be a professional martial artist in a year or two?" Several delicate-looking, slender young women couldn't help but look enviously at Qin Shuyu, who was beside Zhou Yuhu. "Senior Shuyu, you're so lucky to have snagged Brother Hu so early."

Becoming a professional martial artist was very difficult, requiring talent. It also represented a high income. If one could reach the top ten in the city competition, a high-end apartment and luxury car wouldn't be a dream. Becoming the champion would make one a celebrity in the city, and one would never have to worry about anything for the rest of their life.

"What are you little vixens thinking about all day?" Qin Shuyu, wearing a light blue dress, feigned anger, but there was a hint of triumph in her eyes.

As the group joked, Zhou Yuhu noticed Shi Feng waiting not far away.

"Huh, isn't that Shi Feng?"

Hearing Zhou Yuhu's words, everyone turned their gaze to Shi Feng.

Everyone present knew something about the situation between Shi Feng and Zhou Yuhu. Shi Feng had defeated Zhou Yuhu with one move during their match, instantly making him famous at the school.

However, none of them had ever seen Shi Feng before, because he was a rare sight at the school.

At this time, Shi Feng was wearing a dark blue tracksuit. Compared to a few months ago, he was not only much stronger, but also had a kind of approachable quality about him.

"Why is he here?" Qin Shuyu looked at Shi Feng in the distance with a hint of surprise.

Since the last class reunion and school social event, Shi Feng had seemed to disappear. He had no contact with the other classmates.

After graduation, from what she had heard, Shi Feng seemed to have joined a good game studio and was working for someone else, and was supposedly doing well.

"He's probably here to watch the competition!"

"Watch the competition? Probably not. If he was, he'd be waiting in the entrance queue. Why would he be sitting on a bench enjoying the shade?"

"He's still wearing a tracksuit after graduating. It seems he's not doing so well after graduation. The rumors were so exaggerated. It's all lies."

"Senior Shuyu, your choice back then was really wise. I wish I had your foresight."

Everyone chimed in, saying one thing after another. While some were flattering Zhou Yuhu, the difference between the two was obvious.

One was a well-known executive in the Underworld Studio, earning an income that even white-collar workers envied. He was also a professional trainee. As long as he could pass the city's preliminary round within three years, he could officially become an enviable professional athlete. At that time, martial arts gyms and fitness centers in the city would offer high prices to recruit him.

"Senior Shuyu, should we invite him over? We have extra tickets anyway. It would be a waste to throw them away."

"Yeah, the rear row tickets for the friendly competition are being sold for 1,500 credits. It would be a big loss to keep them. He definitely wants one. We can just sell it to him for 1,200 and do him a favor."

The suggestions pleased both Zhou Yuhu and Qin Shuyu.

The tickets were already expensive. Even a regular rear row ticket cost 500 credits. Originally, the number of tickets was just right, but someone suddenly couldn't make it. If they kept it, they would lose those 500 credits. Selling it to Shi Feng would not only make them some money, but they could also tease him a little.

"Alright, it's a waste to keep the ticket anyway. We're old classmates, and it's been a while since we've seen each other. We can chat." Qin Shuyu nodded.

Just as Qin Shuyu took a few steps, she suddenly saw a beautiful woman in an exquisite business suit, with a slender figure and a charming appearance, walk up to Shi Feng with four bodyguards in black. She seemed very respectful to Shi Feng.

This beautiful woman, whom even Qin Shuyu admired, was Liang Jing.

"Chief Instructor Shi, you've finally arrived. Let's go in quickly. Chairman Xiao and the others are getting impatient. They were about to bring over the virtual reality pods." Liang Jing looked at Shi Feng, who was relaxed and at ease, and complained slightly.

"I'm here now, aren't I?" Shi Feng smiled. "Let's go."

Hearing Shi Feng's words, Liang Jing immediately led Shi Feng towards the VIP entrance. The security guards who were about to come forward to check stopped when they saw Liang Jing take out a gold-plated VIP invitation card and stood respectfully to the side, allowing Shi Feng and the others to enter.

"Damn, who are those people? They even have a gold-plated invitation card. I remember the White Tiger Martial Arts Gym said they only issued twenty of them." The security guards looked at Shi Feng and the others who had already entered the venue in surprise.

Twenty cards were issued in six cities, averaging only three or four cards per city. They were all figures that the White Tiger Martial Arts Gym valued very much.

Meanwhile, Zhou Yuhu and the others waiting in the audience entrance were stunned, their jaws practically dropping.