Chapter 143 Heart of a Master

When Li Miaomiao received the message, Xu Jingming was in the quiet room on the second floor, cultivating his mind. This was a daily practice for him.

Xu Jingming sat cross-legged on the floor, his mind as tranquil and eternal as the stars in the sky.

His mental awareness naturally expanded, sensing everything around him without a single thought arising. In this state, his perception of his body and the surrounding environment was unprecedentedly clear.

His mind was like a mirror, reflecting everything.

As time passed, the sun gradually moved westward. It was already past four in the afternoon when Xu Jingming finally opened his eyes, stood up, and left the quiet room. He habitually headed to the courtyard to practice his evolutionary method.

He practiced the evolutionary method three times a day: once in the morning, once in the late afternoon, and once after dinner.

"Jingming," Li Miaomiao called out from the living room. "Director Zhou contacted us today."

"Director Zhou?" Xu Jingming became serious. "Is there something important?"

"It's about Sakura Country," Li Miaomiao said. "Miyagawa Akihito has sent a message through Sakura Country's official channels, requesting a duel with you. We can decide on the time of the duel. Should we accept?"

"Miyagawa Akihito?" A smile appeared on Xu Jingming's face.

Although his strength wasn't that great, his fighting style was indeed the most unpredictable in the world right now, making him perfect for honing his shield techniques.

"Accept," Xu Jingming said.

Li Miaomiao's eyes lit up. "Great! A precise time is needed for the duel, down to the second!"

"Then let's make it 9:15:33 tonight," Xu Jingming said, setting a specific time.

…

That night, after entering the virtual world, Xu Jingming booked a queue time in 'Global Confrontation,' setting the time to 9:15:33 PM. Afterward, he continued to hone his shield techniques.

When the time arrived, the system automatically began matchmaking.

At that moment…

On the Global Confrontation platform, many God-level experts were scheduling matches. However, the one closest in strength to Xu Jingming was naturally Miyagawa Akihito, who was queuing at the same time. The virtual world naturally paired them together.

Inside the battle arena, Xu Jingming appeared out of thin air and immediately saw his four teammates.

"Xu Jingming!" his four teammates exclaimed in surprise, immediately turning to look at the opposite side. Across from them was the Sakura Country team, which included a young man with a unique aura. He was a figure of great renown globally. This surprised the Xia Country team members even more. "Miyagawa Akihito!"

"It's a duel between Xu Jingming and Miyagawa Akihito! We actually ran into it."

At the same time, the four members of the Sakura Country team were equally surprised and delighted, looking at Miyagawa Akihito with reverence and admiration, and then glancing at Xu Jingming from afar.

Without a doubt, this was a world-class showdown! And they were able to participate.

Xu Jingming and Miyagawa Akihito also looked at each other.

…

"Both sides have entered the preparation area." In the Xia Country official broadcast room, the host and two guests were somewhat excited. After all, having hosted so many broadcasts, this one clearly had a much higher level of interest.

"Without a doubt, apart from experts like Liu Hai who haven't revealed their full strength, Xu Jingming, Miyagawa Akihito, and Tiger Fussen are probably at the highest level globally. This battle between Xu Jingming and Miyagawa Akihito… has also attracted global attention," said Jin Fan, the male guest, his emotions clearly agitated.

"Yes," said Liu Xin, the host, glancing at the data. "The number of viewers worldwide has already broken records, surpassing the 4 billion mark! Major countries are all broadcasting it live."

The number of viewers in the Xia Country livestream was also climbing.

Because Global Confrontation occasionally broadcasts matches, people had become desensitized. Some matches struggled to break 100 million viewers! However, this was Xu Jingming's second time participating in Global Confrontation. Xu Jingming had a great appeal, and his opponent was Miyagawa Akihito. Large numbers of people had come to the livestream, with the number now reaching 900 million.

"Last time, Xu Jingming completely crushed Alan Emelianenko, which was so satisfying to watch. In this battle, Xu Jingming will definitely beat that Sakura Country kid to a pulp!"

"Xu Jingming is invincible!"

"Xu Jingming has never let me down!"

Countless comments poured in.

After the battle with Alan, Xu Jingming clearly had many more ardent fans.

"Both sides are beginning to select their weapons and equipment," said Liu Xin, the host. "Jin Fan, Sister Ju, who do you think has a better chance of winning this battle?"

"Without a doubt, it's Xu Jingming!" Jin Fan, the male guest, said immediately. "Although Miyagawa Akihito has been getting stronger, he only recently became comparable to Xu Jingming. Xu Jingming wouldn't have made zero progress either, so… what, he chose a shield?"

Liu Xin, the host, and Ju Wenqing, the female guest, also saw that Xu Jingming had chosen a spear and a shield this time.

"Last time against Alan, Xu Jingming only chose a spear," Jin Fan said, frowning. "But this time, he chose a spear and a shield. Since he chose it, he must intend to use it. Xu Jingming's shield skills are currently unknown."

"A person's energy is limited. There's definitely one skill that's stronger than the other between spearplay and shield techniques," Ju Wenqing said. "Instead of choosing what he's best at, he chose both weapons?"

Both guests felt that Xu Jingming wasn't cautious enough.

He should be more cautious and choose what he was best at! He should go all out against his opponent!

"Although I trust Xu Jingming a lot, he might be a little careless this time," Jin Fan said. "Against an opponent like Miyagawa Akihito, he can't afford to be careless."

"You don't know anything!"

"Just shout 666. Don't question my Xu Jingming!"

"A Jin Fan who shouts 666 is the best Jin Fan!"

Countless comments immediately targeted Jin Fan.

…

In the Sakura Country's official livestream, a male and female host were paired up.

"Xu Jingming is a very strong opponent. The strength he showed when he fought Alan Emelianenko was enough to shock us. Although he hasn't fought recently, he's probably made some progress. Our Miyagawa Akihito must be extremely careful and use all his strength to face him," the male host said solemnly.

"Xu Jingming is already twenty-nine years old, while Miyagawa is only seventeen! In terms of potential, Miyagawa is much higher," the female host said. "I believe that with time, Miyagawa Akihito will leave Xu Jingming further and further behind. But right now, Miyagawa still needs to be cautious."

"What, Xu Jingming actually chose a spear and a shield at the same time?" the male host said in surprise. "Instead of choosing what he's best at, he chose two weapons? This Xu Jingming is too careless. His carelessness might lead to him losing this battle quickly."

As a host, he had broadcast too many matches.

He had discovered that one-on-one duels among global experts mainly relied on their best weapon. In general, five-person team battles relied on the combination of different weapons, which could have amazing effects. But now… the four teammates were clearly not worth Xu Jingming and Miyagawa Akihito sacrificing themselves to cooperate with.

"Miyagawa!"

"Miyagawa is so cute!"

"How can Miyagawa be so strong!"

Countless people in Sakura Country were incredibly excited.

…

At that moment, in the official livestreams of various countries, as well as in the Blue Star Alliance livestream, experts from around the world were watching the battle.

Liu Hai, Tiano Xire, Tiger Fussen, Haru Singh, the current number one expert of the Roman Empire 'Merritt,' the number one genius of the Rakshasa Empire 'Akinlov,' the number one expert of the Silla Kingdom 'Lee Mun-soo,' as well as the old generation's Martial Arts World Three Kings, Reven Gullit, Kiyosato Touichi, and others were all watching in various official livestreams.

"Director, there are many opinions from the public now," the secretary said cautiously. "They feel that with the current strength of global experts, one-on-one matches might be more exciting. As for team battles? After all, it's difficult for each country to assemble a team of five members with comparable strength."

"The rules of the virtual world aren't set by our Xia Country," Director Zhou said, watching the match calmly. "The virtual world has only been open for three months. We need to have a long-term vision and look at what things will be like in three years, thirty years, or even three hundred years!"

"Yes," the secretary nodded. "But is it possible to create a separate one-on-one format in addition to the current format?"

Director Zhou glanced at the secretary. "You've been with me for thirty years, so you should understand that the Blue Star Alliance must have its reasons for making this decision."

The secretary's heart trembled.

As the director's personal secretary, he had access to a lot of confidential information and was very clear about the director's character. The director's words, 'You've been with me for thirty years,' were actually a sign of dissatisfaction.

"The battle has begun." Director Zhou looked at the livestream. The ten experts had already entered the battle map.