A wave of sighs swept through the auditorium as three students, calling themselves a team, watched the drawing ceremony silently from the back row.

These three were Han Jiangxue, Xia Yan, and Gu Shi'an.

As members of the national team, after watching Jiang Xiao's first match, they did not choose to return to Muhei City, but continued to stay here, preparing to watch Jiang Xiao's second match and continue to cheer him on in person.

And after the draw for the individual competition, the main event arrived.

Tomorrow is the individual competition, and the day after tomorrow is the advancement match for the winners' bracket of the team competition.

14 into 7.

The people in the individual competition were already used to watching another event's draw after their own, after all, Jiang Xiao was also there. This level of support was something the national team members did very well.

And Liu Yang's prediction seemed to have become reality.

"You're such a jinx!" Wu Haoyang said, sitting in the middle with Liu Yang to his right and Jiang Xiao to his right, next to the aisle.

As Wu Haoyang spoke, he shoved Liu Yang's arm, pushing him directly into Jiang Xiao's arms.

Jiang Xiao, looking disgusted, pushed Liu Yang back...

Liu Yang: "..."

My heart is bitter, but I won't say it.

Sandwiched between two burly men, Liu Yang pouted, covered his face with his hands, and rested his forehead on the table.

He really didn't know what to say. Perhaps, Huaxia was really being targeted.

Or rather... when *wasn't* the mighty Huaxia targeted?

The entire modern history of Huaxia's rise was a history of survival in the cracks, of relentlessly fighting for a path forward.

The Huaxia team had won the lottery!

On the image for the number 2 spot, Gu Shi'an stood with his hands in his pockets, tilting his head with a carefree smile. Behind him, on either side, Jiang Xiao and Xia Yan beamed, and above them in the position of the Demon King, Han Jiangxue stood with her hands clasped behind her back, a small red flag fluttering beside her forehead. This was the number one seeded team from Huaxia.

And in the number 1 spot, four pale, almost translucent men and women with confident smiles on their faces looked at everyone.

The Kingdom of Beilu!

Europe had always been a hotbed of magic, this was a globally recognized fact.

And among the magic users in that hotbed, the most terrifying ones were undoubtedly the lightning-type Star Warriors from the Kingdom of Beilu.

The history of the World Cup, edition after edition, told people to change their stereotypes about the people of the Kingdom of Beilu.

At least for the lightning magic users of the Kingdom of Beilu, they were wild! Explosive! And had a lot of personality! In the previous World Cup, one Beilu player had self-destructed on the spot... choosing to perish together.

Wu Haoyang couldn't help but sigh, "This is the real final. These two teams should have met in the finals."

Jiang Xiao rested his elbow on the table, propped his chin with one hand, and looked up at the big screen in front of him, appearing thoughtful.

From the other side of the aisle, a long arm reached over and gently patted Jiang Xiao's arm.

It was like comfort, and like encouragement.

Jiang Xiao turned his head and saw Yi Qingchen looking slightly worried.

She said softly, "You have to be careful."

Once the lightning of the Kingdom of Beilu touches you, it might be impossible to escape.

Not to mention the Beilu players who specialized in lightning, even if Han Jiangxue's lightning Star Techniques were to graze Jiang Xiao, he would feel numb all over and might have difficulty escaping.

Jiang Xiao looked at Yi Qingchen expressionlessly and said, "You're worried about me because you don't understand me."

Yi Qingchen felt a little embarrassed and quickly said, "No, I'm sorry, that's not what I meant. I believe in your strength, I..."

But Jiang Xiao continued, "If you understood me, you would have given up on me by now."

Yi Qingchen: ???

"Hehe." Jiang Xiao's expression changed, and he chuckled, raising his right fist and declaring heroically, "After flattening this highest mountain, it's time to let the world look east."

Behind him, Han Jiangxue and Xia Yan couldn't help but smile at each other when they heard Jiang Xiao's words.

Gu Shi'an put one foot on the table, leaned back, with only two legs of the chair on the ground, and swayed leisurely. He put two fingers in his mouth and blew a sharp whistle.

Sensing the team's super confidence, the suppressed atmosphere in the auditorium immediately livened up.

The people involved weren't worried at all, so what were we, the audience, worried and scared about?

Liu Yang looked at Jiang Xiao with a dumbfounded expression, then turned his head to look at the relaxed trio behind him and couldn't help but click his tongue in amazement.

"Xiao Pi."

Jiang Xiao: "Huh?"

Liu Yang: "Those are four Beilu Thunder Gods, their output is explosive, and their defense is off the charts. Don't underestimate them, this team is on a completely different level than other teams, they're a real god-tier team. Even if Han Jiangxue is a Star Sea..."

Jiang Xiao patted Liu Yang's shoulder and said, "Thanks, I'm going back to prepare."

As he said that, Jiang Xiao looked around and found Zheng Xiyou, saying, "Don't be nervous, stay in good shape, good luck."

"Mm." Zheng Xiyou pouted and made a nasal sound.

The one that Jiang Xiao pointed out was naturally the one everyone was most worried about, but after the opponents for the team competition were determined, people's attention shifted.

In fact, Zheng Xiyou's battle was the most dangerous.

Zheng Xiyou was a support, but she took the output route, mostly in the style of a mage, supplemented by certain combat skills.

If it was Yi Qingchen who drew the Apennine Peninsula - Marta, Jiang Xiao could be more at ease with the explosive physique of a *Jiu Xing Du Nai* (Nine-Star Poisonous Milk), but Zheng Xiyou...

...

July 16th, Bailin Olympic Stadium.

The atmosphere was boisterous and lively.

The stadium, which could accommodate 75,000 spectators, was already dominated by the color red.

Today, the four individual competition participants from the Huaxia team were all competing in this venue, and the Huaxia audience had directly turned this Yi Zhi country's stadium into Huaxia's home field.

Their own cubs had to be strong at critical moments!

In the locker room, Zheng Xiyou, Yi Qingchen, and Piao Miao sat on the bench, watching the TV on the wall.

Under normal circumstances, Yi Qingchen and Piao Miao should have been separated, but the two of them had good personalities when not fighting, so they sat in the same locker room.

On the TV screen, Jiang Xiao and the Gu'ai Sha King were warming up.

"CCTV! CCTV! Hello, viewers! Today is July 16, 2019, and this is the Yi Zhi Country - Bailin Olympic Stadium.

Today, we will be broadcasting the Star Martial World Cup - Round 6 of the Individual Competition for you! I am the host, Li Li!"

A female voice rang out at the right time, "I am the host, Ye Xunyang."

Li Li explained excitedly, "Today, in this stadium, there will be four Huaxia players appearing! They will be competing in three matches, one of which is a Huaxia civil war!"

Ye Xunyang: "The first one to appear, and is currently warming up, is our country's player, Jiang Xiaopi. His opponent is Bu Dao Ji, the Sha King from the Gu'ai Republic."

Li Li looked at the information and continued to introduce, "The second match in the morning will feature Zheng Xiyou, a medical support-type Star Warrior from Xiangnan Military Academy, and her opponent is Marta Merida, a nimble combat-type Star Warrior from the Apennine Peninsula, known as the 'Cruel Dancer on the Tip of a Knife'."

Ye Xunyang continued, "The first match in the afternoon will be our Huaxia civil war, Piao Miao versus Yi Qingchen. There's no doubt that today's match day will be a gluttonous feast for the Huaxia people."

Li Li sighed, "Yes, I don't know how many members of the Huaxia team will advance after this round, but what's certain is that we've already locked in a spot in the top eight. The winner between Yi Qingchen and Piao Miao will represent Huaxia in the battle for the world's top eight."

Ye Xunyang seemed to have thought of something and suddenly asked, "By the way, Li Li, did you see the *Weibo* that Xiao Pi posted last night?"

Li Li nodded immediately. Paying close attention to every Huaxia participant was essential to his job, especially since he was also a veteran fan of *Jiu Xing Du Nai*.

Li Li said, "All are mortals with fleeting lives, boasting of divinity with the arrogance of Yelang."

"Hehe." Ye Xunyang covered her mouth and chuckled, saying, "I wonder who Xiao Pi is talking about with these two lines?"

Li Li thought for a moment and said, "I don't think Pi Shen is talking about today's opponent. I think Pi Shen should be talking about their team battle opponents tomorrow, the Kingdom of Beilu team.

You know, since the opponents for the team battle were determined yesterday, a large number of people, both domestic and foreign, have been touting the Kingdom of Beilu team, it's practically a carnival!

Many people are willing to see this championship battle come early, it seems that in their hearts, only the Kingdom of Beilu can defeat the number one seeded Huaxia team.

And the arrogant words spoken by the nimble combat-type warrior from the Kingdom of Beilu during an interview have also given many people a reason to jump up and down."

If they were to stop in the top 14, then the Huaxia team, which possessed the Star Sea magic user Han Jiangxue, would indeed be nailed to the pillar of shame.

"Sigh..." Ye Xunyang sighed with emotion. Of course, she had also paid attention to this situation. She could understand the foreign carnival, after all, the Huaxia team had almost become a public enemy.

She could also understand the provocation of the Beilu players, which might be a pre-match tactic.

But what Ye Xunyang couldn't understand was that a considerable number of people who were touting the opponents, discrediting the team, and waiting to see the joke were Huaxia citizens themselves.

Ye Xunyang murmured softly, "All are mortals with fleeting lives, boasting of divinity with the arrogance of Yelang. I wonder why the young Xiao Pi would make such a statement.

In the latter half, I can see the vitality and ambition that he should have at this age, but in the first half..."

"Mm..." Li Li pondered for a moment and said, "What we see more of is their state of being admired by thousands of people, their magical Star Techniques, their powerful martial arts, and their smiles and waves after winning. But in reality, they are hovering on the line of death in every match.

In the current World Cup, three Star Warriors have already lost their lives.

Let's shift our focus away from the World Cup. Jiang Xiaopi, as a Star Warrior and as a wasteland reclamation soldier, may have experienced too many hardships, even life-and-death trials, that we don't know about.

Maybe he's very young, but... he should have experienced much more than ordinary people like us."

Ye Xunyang didn't say anything more. She had already made a decision in her heart to send Jiang Xiao a *Weibo* private message after today's match, suggesting that he change the *Weibo* text.

Regardless of whether the text was sincere or not, this slightly desolate thing was not suitable for the current environment.

Li Li shifted the topic back to the match and said with slight worry, "In this match, the Gu'ai Sha King's combat characteristics and Star Technique arrangements are more restrained against Jiang Xiaopi."

"Mm... that's true." Ye Xunyang nodded with the same slight worry, saying, "Whether it's the Blessing or Tearful Rain series, Xiao Pi's Star Techniques will all be rejected by this endless desert sand."

Li Li: "Yes, this is also the first time that Jiang Xiaopi has encountered a player from the Gu'ai Republic in the World Cup arena. I hope he's prepared for it."

Ye Xunyang looked at Jiang Xiao's opponent, Bu Dao Ji, in the information, then looked at Zheng Xiyou's opponent, Marta, and then looked at the Huaxia civil war in the third match...

Ye Xunyang sighed heavily in her heart.

If I didn't love this job, I would have cursed already!!!

Ugh! I'm so angry, but I still have to pretend to smile elegantly...