"Five minutes remain until the official match time. If participants have not arrived within five minutes, they will be automatically considered to have forfeited and cannot rejoin the competition in any way. Countdown, commencing."
The host took a sip of water to moisten his throat. Major streaming platforms began interviewing attending celebrities, and the scene became somewhat chaotic.
"What is Ren Yuanhao up to! He's making me anxious."
Yang Lingxue glanced towards the entrance every three to four seconds, her heart tightening with each look.
"Don't worry, maybe he's already on his way."
Ye Lan, wearing sunglasses and a black hat, appeared unwilling to be recognized.
Although she said that, she was just as anxious inwardly.
Time ticked by, and after the host tallied the participants, he returned to the stage and said in a clear, high-pitched voice, "It seems some participants are under too much pressure and have withdrawn before the competition even began. I express my deep regret. Countdown, one minute. The competition waits for no one, and esteemed audience members, please do not wander off. The excitement will continue shortly!"
The crowd below roared with cheers, but Jiang Cheng couldn't find any joy.
His goal for this battle was not just for ranking or results. More importantly, he was determined to crush Ren Yuanhao underfoot, to humiliate him severely in front of all the live streaming platforms, television stations, the audience, and Shen Lan Ni, making him lose all face from then on.
Whether he could win back her heart was no longer important.
"Thirty seconds to go."
The host checked his watch. Uplifting music began to play, and all participants started their warm-up exercises. Only Jiang Cheng stared intently at the entrance.
And at this moment, the host began the ten-second countdown!
"Ten, nine... three, two, one!"
Just as he was about to announce the disqualification of participants who had not arrived, a moon-white Alfa Romeo screeched to a halt at the side of the stage, like a streak of white lightning!
Ren Yuanhao, dressed in black martial artist attire, leaped from the car and announced loudly, "Wait, I'm here too!"
"Ren Yuanhao! You finally showed up!" Jiang Cheng gritted his teeth and sneered, his crimson eyes seeming to bleed.
"Just in time, just in time!" Yang Lingxue couldn't help but stand up from her seat, cheering with delight.
At the same time, Zhou Lin, Lin Yue, and Zhang Yingfang, who knew Ren Yuanhao, all turned their heads and said in unison, "Why is he participating in this kind of competition too?"
The host sought the opinions of several chief judges, who unanimously agreed to allow Ren Yuanhao to participate.
"Go on, quickly." Shen Lan Ni's car driving into the venue had already caused a stir.
He slowly paced towards the participants' area and first saw Jiang Cheng's cold, excited gaze. He made a throat-slitting gesture, his lips curving slightly upwards, like a man-eating beast.
Zhang Liang, however, was more surprised by his appearance. Even more astonishing was that the wound on his neck had vanished!
"What kind of perverted recovery ability is this?" Zhang Liang, unlike Jiang Cheng's arrogance, seemed more like a fox lurking in the shadows.
At this moment, Zhang Liang's father struck the competition's grand drum, and the host began to briefly explain the rules.
"Esteemed participants, the Martial Arts Association Competition adopts an elimination point system. In principle, continuously challenging and winning increases the accumulated points. For example, challenging one person and winning earns one point, challenging the second person consecutively earns two points, and so on. Ultimately, the more points obtained, the higher the ranking. Of course, the highest score is first place in this competition!"
"Secondly, this is the 28th Martial Arts Association Competition, a traditional event with a long history in our city. In principle, malicious injury is not allowed. However, for the sake of viewing pleasure, we will have the chief judges unanimously decide to interrupt any bouts that may be life-threatening. We hope everyone prioritizes the inheritance of martial arts spirit and knows when to stop."
Having said this, the host finally cleared his throat and exclaimed, "The competition officially begins!"
The stage was instantly cleared, the audience fell silent, and dozens of cameras were all focused on the arena.
At this moment, the first to leap onto the stage was none other than Jiang Cheng, who had long been unable to contain himself!
"Truly, a dragon sires a son who flies. With such presence, I wonder which participant dares to step forward and challenge!"
The host led the applause, and the nearly ten thousand people in the audience erupted in a tidal wave of applause.
"Damn, it's just the beginning, and Young Master Jiang is already so arrogant, pushing the atmosphere of the event to its peak!"
"Who said it wasn't? With him on the stage, I'm even more curious as to who is brave enough to challenge him."
"In any case, the first one to go up is definitely giving away points!"
The audience chattered and discussed. Zhou Lin, at this moment, clasped her hands tightly, her beautiful eyes fixed on the tall and handsome Ren Yuanhao.
Zhang Yingfang knew he had been seriously injured and was incredibly anxious. She had also heard of Jiang Cheng's name. She clasped her hands together, praying to heaven for Ren Yuanhao's safe return.
At this moment, Jiang Cheng had been on stage for a full thirty to forty seconds, and still, no one dared to challenge him. His gaze remained fixed on Ren Yuanhao. Seeing that Ren Yuanhao showed no significant movement, he couldn't help but feel impatient.
"What's wrong, Ren Yuanhao? Are you going to be a turtle in a shell? Or are you planning to let these spineless worms wear me down first before challenging me?!"
Jiang Cheng's words made it even harder for anyone to step forward. The audience began to jeer, and the more they jeered, the more arrogant Jiang Cheng became, continuously making throat-slitting gestures towards Ren Yuanhao.
In contrast, Ren Yuanhao showed no signs of impatience. He was even chewing gum, and only when Jiang Cheng's face gradually turned red and embarrassed did he leap forward to confront him.
"Incredible, incredible! Someone finally dares to challenge Jiang Cheng. By the way, this face is very unfamiliar. I wonder which sect or school he's from. There don't seem to be any emblems on his clothes. I wonder if any of the audience members recognize him?"
The audience naturally didn't recognize him, as Ren Yuanhao himself was not a martial artist. The audience simply thought an unknown nobody had come to concede points, and jeers erupted from all sides.
"You finally decided to come up." Jiang Cheng twisted his neck, his bulging muscles displaying absolute power.
"The reason I came up so late is mainly because I ate eggs this morning and my mouth felt uncomfortable, so I had to chew some gum to clean it. Besides, letting you stay on stage for another two minutes, to be arrogant for two minutes, can also be considered respect for your family."