Chapter 853: Star Sky Martial Performance Ceremony (16)

Compared to that, Yan Qing's first attempt was clearly less imposing than Lu Ka, but being able to endure the embarrassment and do it means he's already done well.

After all, the onlookers behind him looked increasingly shocked, completely unable to understand what this general's elite guard was doing. Am I defeating myself?

Lu Ka smiled faintly, glanced again at Yan Qing, and kept shouting, "Yan Qing is definitely not my opponent!"

Yan Qing looked embarrassed, but still shouted along, "Yan Qing… definitely not my opponent!"

After the shouts, the two burst into laughter; after those few cries, Yan Qing indeed felt more confident.

"I'm not lying to you! Though I haven't seen much of the world, I have plenty of rich combat experience and hope it can help you!"

Lu Ka and Yan Qing felt they should have met earlier, and earnestly asked Yan Qing his name.

Yan Qing paused, then replied, "…Just call me Cold Edge. In the Celestial Ship language it means 'Cold Sword.' Farewell, Lu Ka." With that, Yan Qing turned and left.

Watching the boy's back, Lu Ka sighed, "…Cold Edge, what a good person with such a cold name."

……

Soon after, Xing returned to the athletes' lounge, found that Lu Ka, who had been shopping, had already come back, and Su Shang had long since brought the dream tapir back.

Lu Ka rubbed his sleepy eyes; just awake, he felt refreshed and couldn't help sharing with Xing, "I was holding this dream tapir and napped a bit, and in the dream I fought an incredibly realistic battle! Against a three‑meter‑long giant cockroach!"

Looking at the dream tapir at his feet, Lu Ka could only think, "Could this dream tapir be used for combat training?"

But none of that mattered now; Lu Ka and Xing went to the athlete panel to check the next arena match opponent's info.

As expected… the opponent was still her old acquaintance.

Boteuo!

Xing vaguely sensed a matching mechanism at work; she knew Boteuo's strength all too well, and wondered why, after Lu Ka finally stringed together a few wins, he now faced him.

Qin's Moon: Tian Xing Jiu Ge.

"Lu Ka, this battle is perilous."

Zhang Liang let out a light sigh; as someone who had witnessed the entire Pinokangni story, he knew the patrol sea ranger's strength better than anyone. Tuopa and those cloud knights would be defeated, ultimately because they are mortal flesh; faced with Lu Ka's iron fist, a single hit would certainly wound them.

But Boteuo's entire body is a golden‑iron frame, assembled from countless intricate mechanisms; its material and craftsmanship far surpass Lu Ka's iron arm. Moreover, Boteuo has been fighting across the galaxy for years, having dealt with countless brigands, so in terms of combat experience, Lu Ka is already at a ten‑percent disadvantage.

"What I saw is roughly the same as what Zifang saw," Han Fei leaned against the rail, saying lightly, "However, ever since I learned that the Celestial Ship arena is run by the Technology Bureau, I have been certain Lu Ka will lose—it's only a matter of time. Human bodies are mortal flesh; even with a golden‑iron arm, the part that takes damage is still flesh. Humans feel fear, feel pain, and when they bleed their consciousness blurs… but those mechanized bodies have long overcome these limitations."

"Not to mention the strange device in Boteuo's hand that can fire projectiles—though very similar to Tuopa's, the user's experience is worlds apart. If a projectile from it hits Lu Ka's head…"

"No need to make it that complicated," WeiZhuang said coldly. "Boteuo's left arm can transform at will; in a blink it becomes an unrivaled firearm. If he wanted to kill Lu Ka, it would be easy. However, the performance ceremony forbids killing; Boteuo, as a patrol sea ranger following the Celestial Ship's 'hunt', certainly won't deliberately break that rule. But if Lu Ka wants to win, he'll probably need to strengthen his iron arm."

The purple lady smiled, her voice like pearls falling on jade: "Exactly as the gentlemen have said, this iron arm is more than sufficient for competitions in Beloberg, after all the lower‑city district consists of ordinary people and mechanized creations. Yet on the scale of the galaxy, Lu Ka's arm is truly outdated. At present, aside from Xing, who else can provide him assistance to remodel this iron arm?"

"Before the arena match, there are a few minor contests to play. Suddenly, Xing received several messages; the sender was the competition liaison of the performance ceremony, indicating that a person named Shuo Jin wanted to issue an invitation match challenge to Lu Ka, and additionally, Miss Tuopa of the Interstellar Peace Company had commissioned them to extend a cooperation invitation to Lu Ka."

"Tuopa's invitation? Cooperation with the company?"

Xing immediately understood: "Looks like your fame has reached another level… the company probably wants you to endorse their products."

Lu Ka instinctively didn't want to deal with company people, but Tuopa said that whether he was willing or not, she hoped to meet the two in Jinren Xiang.

Ka Mei Li, upon learning this, also hoped Lu Ka would consider a business cooperation with the company; although she also came from the company, her role was merely an intern sports reporter, not even a permanent staff, so there was no real business relationship with Lu Ka.

After some thought, Lu Ka decided that whether he refused or agreed, he needed to give his response in person.

Both quickly set off to Jinren Xiang, soon meeting Tuopa. After brief small talk, she got straight to the point: "The Strategic Investment Department wishes to hire athlete Lu Ka as our brand ambassador and engage in deep cooperation across the entire product line. This will boost Lu Ka's visibility—meaning the whole galaxy will see your 'Iron Arm Lu Ka' advertisement."

"Afterwards, Beloberg, as the hometown of a superstar, will surely gain more development opportunities! From both Beloberg's and the company's perspectives, this endorsement contract is a good thing."

"Why are you always thinking about Beloberg?" Xing couldn't help being curious.

"Of course, after all this is a case I've handled. Don't you want to do something for Beloberg? From this angle, we are on the same side."

Lu Ka: "…May I think it over a bit, okay?"

"No problem, take your time~ This cooperation invitation comes from mutually beneficial goodwill; I hope you can set aside your past impressions of the company and, through this partnership, forge deeper trust."

Lu Ka shook his head: "…I'm sorry, but in the end I still have to decline your kindness."

Tuopa's smile remained unchanged: "It seems your trust is very precious; you don't want to casually hand it over to the company."

Lu Ka explained sincerely: "No, Miss Tuopa, I trust your goodwill very much. It's just… my original purpose in entering the competition was to let the world see Beloberg. Cooperating with the company would make my actions feel less pure. I believe in your goodwill, but… whether Beloberg is ready to accept the company's goodwill, and how to accept it… I truly don't know, I'm undecided at the moment."

"…Thank you for your honesty, Lu Ka. If you come around, feel free to contact me~" Tuopa was about to turn away when she suddenly seemed to recall something, "Oh right, I heard you accepted the challenge from the contestant named Shuo Jin?"

Lu Ka was slightly startled: "You mean the invitation match? Why bring it up suddenly?"

"Just consider it a bystander's warning—be careful. That guy has plenty of off‑stage tricks."