Lou Chengding's small hotel near the train station was converted from a regular guest house. It is run like a youth hostel. The price is based on beds instead of rooms. It is relatively cheap. It is suitable for students like him who must save money.
Of course, this small hotel is a bit more upscale than a youth hostel. According to online reviews, it is quieter, more formal, and less complicated.
After spending ten minutes jogging to the hotel, Lou Cheng registered his ID card and entered the room under the guidance of the waiter. It was a standard room with two beds. The one in the back was already occupied. He was snoring loudly in his sleep, but he was not disturbed.
Awakened by the sound of the door opening.
Lou Cheng frowned, but thinking about the small hotel that only cost a few dozen yuan, he felt comfortable again. You get what you pay for, so you can't expect too much.
After the waiter left, he locked his backpack and valuables in the cabinet of his bed, entered the bathroom quietly, brushed his teeth, took a shower and squatted in the pit. After finishing all this, he took off his jacket and jeans and lay down on the bed.
The bed was not soft, but it was much better than the train seat. It soothed Lou Cheng's body from every contact point, allowing his emotions to slowly drift away.
A strange city, a strange place, a strange bed, everything is so strange, and there seems to be no connection with the past life.
The sound of snoring rises and falls, the wind howls outside the window, and from time to time you can hear the sound of engines roaring by. Lou Cheng feels a little cramped, and feels a little isolated and independent as a young man. It seems that he is the only one in the world who is still awake, still enjoying the tranquility and strangeness of the night.
of freshness.
Withdrawing his thoughts, he told himself to fall asleep as soon as possible. There would be a game tomorrow and he must maintain the best mental state.
He sent a message to Yan Zheke, saying that he had arrived in Yanling safely, then charged his mobile phone and put it under the pillow inside to prevent it from being stolen. Then, in order to fight against the snoring noise, he hugged Yuan Shouyi and watched
I wanted to fall into silence and let go of my thoughts while the bright nebulae slowly rotated.
Unknowingly, he fell into a deep sleep, but when half past five came, his biological clock urged him to wake up naturally. Instead of staying in bed, he turned over neatly and put on his *coat.
After brushing his teeth, washing his face with cold water and combing his hair, he regained his energy. He opened the cabinet, took out his things, rummaged through his backpack, and changed the one inside into a navy blue "Dragon Tiger Club" martial arts uniform.
Then, he put his luggage on his back and quietly left the room. He went through the formalities under the surprised eyes of the front desk on duty and walked out of the door.
It was still dark after five o'clock in the morning in winter, and none of the breakfast stalls were open. There were only a few cleaners sweeping away the snow nearby. Fortunately, it was a big city and there were street lights everywhere, illuminating people's future in the biting cold wind.
Taking out his mobile phone, opening the map and searching for the route to the competition venue and current location, Lou Cheng muttered:
"It's only a little over 20 kilometers away. It's not very far. I might as well run there. It's just a good time to do morning exercises and warm up for the competition."
Just over twenty kilometers? Not very far? The cleaner next to him raised his head and looked at Lou Cheng blankly, suspecting that he heard wrongly.
Even if we take a taxi, it's not close, right?
After stretching his muscles, Lou Cheng put on his backpack and started running, facing the cold wind and darkness, until the morning light shone, the sun rose in the east, and the number of vehicles on the street gradually increased.
Before seven o'clock, he arrived at the competition venue - the Yanling City Martial Arts Hall. He stood nearby, practiced his fighting skills, and completed his warm-up. Then he found a breakfast shop and ate five large meals in one go.
I ate fresh meat buns and drank a cup of soy milk with satisfaction.
At this time, the phone beeped, and Yan Zheke replied: "Lazy Chengzi, get up quickly! Be careful of being late for the game!"
In a strange place and familiar chat, a smile appeared on Lou Cheng's face unconsciously: "You're so handsome, you've been up early! I'm already near the competition venue."
"You worked really hard for the competition. You didn't go to bed so late last night." Yan Zheke made a "touching his head" expression, "Are you feeling well? If you play in the afternoon, you can find a place to sleep first.
.”
"Nervous and excited, I'm in good spirits." Lou Cheng described his state truthfully and made a silly smile.
Yan Zheke did not bring up the topic of asking Lou Cheng to perform well, and kept talking until they arrived at the airport, boarded the plane, and turned off the communication tool.
Lou Cheng put away his cell phone, carried his backpack, and came to the reception desk of the event host committee. After queuing for a few minutes, he handed the invitation letter to the reception girl.
The pretty girl wearing light-colored glasses looked through the invitation, entered the number into the computer, and compared the information.
"Please give me your ID card to verify." She glanced at Lou Cheng curiously.
He has no class and is very student-like. How did he get the invitation letter?
Lou Cheng took out his ID card and handed it over. The receptionist checked it carefully several times before returning it, and gave him a black round plate, half the size of a palm, with a phoenix embossed on it and the number "656" written on it.
"This is your number and appearance certificate. After entering the venue, first go to each big screen to read the match list and find your opponent, the ring and the match number. Go to the side and wait in advance. If you want more information about your opponent,
For detailed information, you can go to the service desk to obtain it." The pretty girl said seriously and responsibly.
"Sorry to trouble you." Lou Cheng smiled and thanked him, "I'm sorry, but I have another question. Is there a place to store my luggage?"
"Yes, go to the service desk." The reception girl showed a standard smile.
The Yanling City Martial Arts Hall was larger than Lou Cheng had imagined, with at least 20,000 to 30,000 spectators. In addition to the huge arena in the center of the venue, nine simple arenas were separated by white lines in the surrounding training grounds. In the first few rounds, there were many martial artists.
At that time, ten arenas will have competitions at the same time, one immediately after the other, and the most watched part will be arranged in the central arena.
When it comes to the group stage, the simple arena is removed and only the competition is held in the central arena.
There are many large screens in the stadium for distant spectators to use or to replay exciting moments. At this time, the page is being turned to display the lineup. Lou Cheng leaned in front of one of them and looked for his name based on the numbers.
After turning a few pages on the screen, he finally saw himself:
"The seventh arena, the fifth match, 'No. 656' Lou Cheng, eighteen years old, no rank, 'No. 237' Liu Yinglong, twenty-two years old, fourth rank amateur."
Damn it, I met a master of amateur level 4 as soon as I came here... Lou Cheng felt aggrieved. Although it was much better than directly meeting a professional expert of level 9 or even level 8, for him, this was already a sign of his fortune.
, I am quite confident when it comes to playing against amateurs of rank 7, 8 or 9.
Do you really want to go on a round trip and change your ticket to go home today?
Forget it, just think of it as gaining practical experience!
In front of another screen, several men were also looking at the match list.
"Eighteen years old, no rank, senior brother, you are so lucky." A man with a mustache wrapped in a dark down jacket smiled at the leader.
The leader is a young man of average height, with bushy but messy eyebrows, and traces of acne on his forehead. The most eye-catching thing about him is his arms, which are much longer than normal people, almost reaching his knees, which is quite exaggerated.
Facing the cheers of his junior brothers and sisters, Liu Yinglong calmly shook his head: "It's not worth being happy for the time being."
"Why isn't it worth being happy? Senior brother, is this the best and best opponent? Eighteen years old, no rank!" A girl in martial arts uniform asked doubtfully.
Liu Yinglong took a deep breath: "There is another kind of person who is also eighteen years old and has no rank. Those direct disciples of the great martial arts sects don't bother to participate in the amateur qualifying competition, and they just wait to become a master and be designated as a professional."
"That's right." The mustache showed some worry at first, "Senior Brother, let's go and get detailed information."
Ten arenas are competing at the same time. It is naturally impossible for the audience to enjoy them all. They will make corresponding choices. The selection criteria is to look at the match list and determine whether they are interested based on the situation of the two sides, whether the time is suitable, etc.
Once you have a rough goal in mind, you will go to the service desk to ask for the detailed information of the players and make the final selection. As for those warriors and competitions that are highly valued, the service desk will also recommend them to the audience.
Lou Cheng was carrying a big bag and lined up in front of one of the service counters. While waiting, he took out his mobile phone and opened the webpage, wanting to know the results of the draw for "Road to the Arena" and "One Punch Invincible".
In the Dragon Tiger Club forum, a live post for the "Phoenix Cup Xiao Wu Sheng Arena Competition" has been created. "Road to the Arena" said with a funny expression: "I'm lucky, I got the amateur seventh-level guy. It seems that I will compete in the arena this time."
Sai is blessed by the goddess of luck, and his small boxing is okay. My opponent is a fifth-level amateur, and the gap between him and me is quite obvious."
"Then you have to bring glory to the forum. If you don't advance to the group stage, bring your little brother to see you!" "Always Pure Love Jun Okamoto" replied below.
Female IDs such as "All the grass and trees in the world are beautiful" also cheered and asked for "Road to the Arena" and "Invincible with One Punch" photos.
"We'll take the photo when we win this match!" "Road to the Arena" replied with a hint of complacency.
Lou Cheng bared his teeth and was quite envious of their good luck.
Arriving in front of the service desk, he asked for his opponent's and his own information, checked his backpack, and walked towards the seventh ring while watching.
"Liu Yinglong, male, 22 years old, a senior disciple of Baiyuan Martial Arts School in Yanling City. He only started practicing martial arts when he was 20 years old. He is already a fourth-level amateur and is good at arm-through boxing..." Lou Cheng became more and more guilty as he watched.
On the other side, Liu Yinglong also got the information, took a look at it, and said with a smile: "Fortunately, I didn't meet that kind of monster. I'm just a rookie here to gain practical experience. I'm probably preparing for the final product competition after the year."
The man in the dark down jacket with a mustache looked over and said, "Songda student? Why do you come so far to compete?"
"Maybe my home is nearby." Liu Yinglong said nonchalantly, "Your opponents are relatively strong, so you have to brace yourself and deal with them carefully."
…………
When Lou Cheng found the seventh ring, the match was about to begin. The two warriors from the first match entered the ring, but the audience was sparse and could only be regarded as dotted with seats, and most of their eyes were on the central ring.
"Watching the game so close, I can gain something..." he comforted himself.
At nine o'clock, a bell rang, and the "Phoenix Cup Xiao Wu Sheng Arena Competition" officially began!