Chapter 271: There Are Only Two Dragons in the USE

The other six teams that secured spots in the S Tournament are: 11. Prometheus Team of Depuya, 12. Indira Academy of "Head-Wrapping Brother" Kiran Rao, 13. Holy City Team of Xian, 14. Samode Team of Wuxiya, 15. Shahuang Team of Rima.

16. Udier Team of Solomon.

After a month of competition, these sixteen teams will represent Earth in the Pan-Solar System Mecha Tournament.

At this moment, the Tianjing Martial Arts team was already on the transport ship heading back. Wuzang and Zhou Naiyi were still feeling unsatisfied; under the intense competitive atmosphere and sparring with strong opponents, they had gained progress and insights every day. Of course, the battered Ma Long felt like life was meaningless.

"I swear, this World Championship is my first and my last. If I participate again, I'm a dog!"

Ma Laoshi had been tortured to the point of wishing he were dead. Despite giving his all and fighting with his life, he still ended up at the bottom, finishing last in individual performance and even earning the nickname "Lamp Man." Generally, only awesome people get nicknames; Ma Laoshi was the exception—he was a "black lamp." If not for the sake of Li Hao, it would have been difficult for his fair, delicate body to leave the Mid-Season Tournament in one piece.

Zuo Xiaotang was that awesome person. Everyone called him "Fat God." In truth, Zuo Xiaotang wasn't that fat, but since everyone here was a fit, muscular man, he stood out in comparison. Combined with his pinpoint marksmanship, he became the team mascot.

Huo Ying was still wrapped in bandages. His external injuries were mostly healed, but his internal injuries would require months of recovery. However, his mood was exceptionally bright—there was no reason for it not to be, as he was the team's spiritual leader.

"Ma Laoshi, the glorious voyage has only just begun. The S Tournament needs your looks to take the lead."

"Old Huo, look at my face, look at my skin—second-degree burns. Waaah, do you think my Manman will dislike me?" Teacher Ma opened his Skynet terminal and popped up the mirror function. "I'll have to do face masks for a long time when I get back. Brother Wu, how about we form a 'Dragon-Wu' duo? We'll be slaughtering everyone wherever we go!"

"You're responsible for the 'slaughtering'?" Huo Ying interjected out of the blue, and everyone burst into laughter.

"Ma Long, you actually look more pleasing to the eye now than before. Scars are medals; they add a bit of masculine charm," Zhou Naiyi said with a smile.

"Class Monitor, we aren't on the same path. I still have to rely on my face to make a living in the future. I struggle just so I can be more handsome and stand out. Ah, Brother Wu, what about you?"

"What?" Li Wu was busy sending a message.

"I'm asking why you struggle, why you work so hard, why you are so strong. What is your motivation?" Ma Long said with emotion. During this Mid-Season Tournament, he had truly witnessed what it meant to have status and what a big shot was—as majestic as the big brothers in movies.

"Poverty." Perhaps feeling there was more to say, he added, "Very poor."

Dita's messages constantly reminded him that he was a man in debt...

The Skynet terminal rang again. When they parted, everyone had added each other on Skynet, especially the former Apocalypse members. Luo Bi was the most proactive; it wouldn't have been possible not to add him.

The message was from Ye Tong. Ever since realizing the issues with what happened back then, Ye Tong had been very repressed. Li Wu was generally average at communicating with people, and there was no point in counting on Chao Qinglong.

"Second Brother, why did you come back when you knew it was a trap?" Ye Tong had endured for a long time but couldn't hold it in anymore.

Li Wu pondered for a moment, watching Ma Long and the others bickering and chattering. A smile unconsciously appeared on the corners of his mouth. Beside him was a large package—Mars specialties to bring to the kids. He wondered if Er Ya and Dandan had grown their new teeth yet.

"This world always makes us both like and loathe it; I choose to like it."

Li Wu clicked send, and there was no further movement from Ye Tong's side.

In fact, the more powerful a person is, the easier it is for them to go to extremes and become self-centered. Li Wu was the same, but when he hovered on the edge of hell, he had good luck—there was always someone to offer him redemption.

"Brother Wu, what's in that big bag of yours?" Ma Long asked curiously. Could it be a secret stash of food?

"Mars potatoes!"

"What? Potatoes?"

"No, they are Mars potatoes!" On this, Li Wu was quite insistent. These were souvenirs, after all.

At this time, it was night at Tianjing Martial Arts.

In a high-end Western restaurant outside the school, there were grape wine and luminous cups, overlooking the beautiful night view of Tianjing.

One man, four women. Lu Ying hadn't appeared at school for a long time. She wore a low-cut red evening gown, revealing a snowy expanse of skin, and her beautiful legs attracted the eyes of surrounding guests as she crossed them inadvertently. Sitting beside her was a handsome young man with curly hair, who was introducing the long history and preciousness of the red wine in his hand to the girls.

The other three were Tan Ziyuan, Sheng Man, and Lu Lingxiao.

Beautiful women are particularly good at stimulating a man's desire to perform, and the man before them was no exception.

"I fell in love with Maiketang at first sight. By the way, the holiday is coming up. Maiketang, I remember you said you have a villa on the Moon. Shall we go there for a vacation?" Lu Ying said sweetly.

"Sure, no problem. Everyone is welcome to come and play. My place is in the wealthy district on the Moon; it has seventeen rooms and a first-class view. My neighbors are all celebrities on the Moon." Maiketang's eyes roamed over the other three girls. Of course, he was quite mindful of his demeanor; one shouldn't be impatient when picking up girls. One had to play it cool. In fact, the more women there were, the easier they were to handle. If he could slightly provoke their sense of rivalry and competitiveness, it would be much easier to move in.

The three girls smiled. "I have plans with Ma Long. After the Mid-Season Tournament ends, I have to accompany him."

"Ziyuan and I have to accompany the team for training to prepare for the S Tournament," Lu Lingxiao said. Clearly, the three girls weren't interested in this; they just couldn't refuse because Lu Ying had invited them suddenly—after all, they were roommates and classmates. They hadn't expected this kind of scene, though they should have anticipated it would be like this.

"The S Tournament? Did Tianjing Martial Arts make it into the Mid-Season Tournament?" Maiketang said in surprise. "My family's business is also related to the S Tournament."

"Ah, hasn't that team disbanded yet?" Lu Ying flicked her hair casually and said with indifference.

"How could it disband? They will definitely advance to the World Championship. Thinking about it, the time is about right; we should be able to see the results tonight or tomorrow," Sheng Man said.

"It ended this afternoon. Logically, there should be results tonight, but it depends on when the officials release them." Thinking of this, Tan Ziyuan felt a bit nervous.

A man is handsome when he is serious, and a girl is the same, especially when she carries a bit of genuine nervousness—it makes her exceptionally beautiful and relatively pure.

He looked at the voluptuous Lu Ying beside him; her figure and skills were not bad. Then he looked at the three in front of him—they had a different flavor and presented a challenge. The standard in Tianjing was indeed high. He certainly knew why this dinner was happening, and he would play along with Lu Ying as needed.

"I heard the S Tournament changed its format this year. In the past, there were dozens of teams, but this year there are only sixteen. Can a team like theirs, formed on a whim, really make it?" Lu Ying laughed, but her eyes were full of disgust.

Tan Ziyuan and the others weren't angry; to each their own. Suddenly, Tan Ziyuan's Skynet terminal rang, and she jumped up in surprise, grabbing Lu Lingxiao. "We advanced! Tianjing Martial Arts advanced to the S Tournament!"

The people eating nearby heard it too and craned their necks; even the waiter stopped in their tracks.

"Excuse me, is what you said true? The news hasn't been released yet, right? I heard there are only 16 teams this year, the quota is only one-third of what it used to be."

"Yeah, the competition is especially brutal this year. I didn't even have any hope."

"Little girl, where did you get the news? You aren't being scammed, are you?"

"It's first-hand information from a Mid-Season Tournament team member. We, Tianjing Martial Arts, advanced to the S Tournament with a total score of ninth place. Among them, our shooter Zuo Xiaotang..." As Tan Ziyuan read, she covered her mouth. "God, Zuo Xiaotang is fifth on the Mid-Season Tournament shooter leaderboard!!!"

Clatter—Lu Ying's fork dropped onto the table.

Sheng Man's Skynet terminal also rang; it was from Ma Long.

"Manman, did you see the news? Is your husband handsome or what!"

"Is that so? I seem to have seen that Zuo Xiaotang was the one who stood out," Sheng Man said, suppressing her excitement and teasing him on purpose, though her voice was still full of longing.

"Tch, there would be no Tianjing Martial Arts without me, okay? Do you know what everyone is saying now? There are only two Dragons in the USE: one is the Nine-Headed Dragon Chao Qinglong, and the other is me, 'Lantern' Ma Long!" When talking to Sheng Man, Ma Long bragged loudly.

"Lu Ying, thanks for the dinner. I won't disturb your world for two anymore; I have to go back and prepare for Ma Laoshi," Sheng Man said with a smile that was both happy and pained. In terms of satisfying her boyfriend, Sheng Man had a unique skill—no less difficult than the Mid-Season Tournament.

"We're leaving too. Have a happy holiday, you two!"

The joy of the three was written all over their faces, and the surrounding guests toasted them one after another. Left behind, Lu Ying looked at Maiketang, whose gaze was still lingering on the three girls, and for a moment, she felt a bit bored.

At 10:00 PM, the USE, one of the Four Great Federations, was the first to announce the sixteen teams for this year's S Tournament. They were basically as expected, though there were two major upsets: one was the Dome Royal Team being eliminated, and the other was Tianjing Martial Arts actually advancing to the World Championship and even being in the top ten.

The USE EMP section quickly climbed to the top of the hot topics, and various cheers and shouts erupted on the Tianjing Martial Arts campus, with many male students running wild across the campus in groups, shirtless.

When Li Wu and the others were competing, the Tianjing campus was actually incredibly tense. In the past, Tianjing always relied on just sneaking in, since there were many slots and the focus was on participation. But today, things suddenly changed; with only sixteen slots, there was no sense of security at all. If it had been thirty-two, there might have been hope. Everyone was very anxious, setting all sorts of flags to bolster the team.

Now it was time to fulfill those vows; those who promised to wash their hair while doing a handstand were doing so, and those who promised to run naked were doing it. Regardless, there was only one voice throughout the entire campus: Tianjing is awesome.

Tianjing is awesome.

Long Danni didn't go back at all, because she knew the results would come out today, and as the principal, she would definitely be the first to know.

In her hand was a more detailed battle report: ninth place!

Tianjing Martial Arts, she had succeeded.

The EMP said that Tianjing Martial Arts had produced a super-genius Sniper, but what Long Danni held was different. Li Wu defeating Chao Qinglong was internally rated as the best of this Mid-Season Tournament. Of course, for the sake of the S Tournament, this information could only be seen in internal reports. Without a doubt, he was the new leader of the major teams on Earth.

What else could be said? Add a chicken leg to his meal! That kid Li Wu, he was so perfunctory when he left, yet he quietly gave such a big surprise.

The annual mid-year holiday was coming up soon. After the holiday, the major military academies would usher in a round of competition for special students. Tianjing Martial Arts finally had some prestige.

Ding-dong.

Long Danni answered the Skynet, and a familiar voice rang out from the other end.

"Junior sister, congratulations. You fought a beautiful comeback battle," Lu Donglei's voice sounded.

"Senior brother Lu, you didn't go easy on us, did you?" Long Danni laughed.

"I wish I could have, but I didn't have the chance. It seems the teacher still favors you; Li Wu gave us all a surprise."

"That's for sure. Aside from being lazy, that kid has no flaws."

Lu Donglei could also feel the relief Long Danni felt, which was why he made such a playful remark.

"Junior sister, the reason I called this time is partly to congratulate you, and partly to offer a suggestion," Lu Donglei said, also sounding joyful.

Long Danni's expression calmed down; Lu Donglei wouldn't visit without a reason. "I'm all ears."

"The current realistic assessment is that Li Hao possesses the ability to break the deadlock, Zuo Xiaotang has potential but needs to awaken the Golden Zone, Wuzang and Zhou Naiyi can only be considered barely qualified, Ma Long's level is not quite enough, and Huo Ying's injury is likely to have an impact. With the current lineup, if they enter the S Tournament, Tianjing Martial Arts might not go very far. Therefore, during this period, Tianjing Martial Arts needs to supplement its strength. You know that for us, not winning the championship is a total failure," Lu Donglei said in a deep voice. "Once you see the evaluation from the NUP side, you will know the predicament we are facing. Also, you must be careful about Li Hao being poached; we cannot suffer such a loss again."

Long Danni, having put down the Skynet, also fell into deep thought, and suddenly remembered something.

(Dear family, the Mid-Season Tournament has ended. A small questionnaire to understand everyone's true thoughts. Within reasonable limits, a single-choice question regarding the female lead:

1. Single.

2. Room for interpretation.)