I am Really a Superstar 3

by Little Merger

Zhang Ye was originally a mundane college graduate with aspiring dreams to become a star, but unfortunately has below average looks and height. However one day, he woke up and suddenly found himself in a parallel world!It’s like the same world, but wait a minute…many brands, celebrities and even famous works from his world changed and are gone in this new world!

1. 901

I am Really a Superstar #Chapter 901: Aiya, I've been hacked! - Read I am Really a Superstar Chapter 901: Aiya, I've been hacked! Online - All Page - NOVEL NEXT

Chapter 901: Aiya, I've been hacked!

Translator: Legge Editor: Legge

At Tieba's management office.

The company's technical department was a mess!

"The baseball Tieba is not going to hold up any longer!"

"Ban those accounts!"

"Hurry, hurry!"

"I've already banned a lot of them, but there's too many!"

"It's finished, the baseball Tieba has been crashed too!"

"Oh god, why are there so many people online!"

"Quick, make another call and get all the technicians to come back!"

"Boss, it's the first day of the new year. A lot of them have returned home for the new year!"

"Zhang Ye's fans are too brutal!"

"There are also many who're just helping out! Why would the Cosmetics Tieba people join in for a conflict between Zhang Ye and the sporting world? C'mon, what has it got to do with them!"

"It's so chaotic! Everything has plunged into chaos!"

"It's the festive season, yet everyone's gone crazy!"

...

At this moment, several of the sports-related Tiebas that were still standing had given up resisting.

"Turn on the restrictions! Prevent the sockpuppets from posting!"

"I can't turn them on."

"Why?"

"They have a hacker!"

"What?"

"Seven of our moderator accounts can't login anymore!"

"Then, then what do we do?"

"…Nothing."

They simply surrendered!

They had no way to fight in this battle at all!

On Weibo.

Zhang Ye continued with his countdown: "@SportingWorld, there's just 10 minutes left. I'm waiting!"

In the Celebrity Goof Group.

Many of the celebrities were watching!

Ning Lan: "Little Zhang is so domineering it's like it's ingrained into his bones!"

Xiaodong: "Yeah, most people can't even learn from him even if they wanted to!"

Fan Wenli laughed bitterly. "Director Zhang really wants to fight it out with the sporting world today! But looking at how he is right now, I'm afraid that no one can stop him!"

Elsewhere.

The people from the sporting world were shocked by Zhang Ye's imposing manner, so all they could do now was keep mentioning the SARFT on Weibo.

Li Qi from the table tennis team: "@SARFT! Look at what's happening. Is the punishment still not being meted out yet?"

The national table tennis team's head coach, Liu Yifeng: "Leading his fans to make trouble, isn't this illegal? Isn't anyone going to do anything about it? Isn't anyone going to do anything about it?"

Han Li roared in anger on Weibo: "I call for a comprehensive ban on Zhang Ye!"

A defender on the national soccer team named Tang Hechang shouted: "Boycott such undesirable artists!"

But just after they finished making their stance known, their Tieba was crashed! Some of these athletes were not really popular and did not have their own Tieba, while those who were more famous like Han Li and Li Qi would have a Tieba dedicated to them, although the membership wasn't that high and not too many people paid attention to it. But whatever it was, those Tiebas were not spared!

Han Li's Tieba was crashed!

Li Qi's Tieba was crashed!

Tang Hechang's Tieba was crashed!

Tang…Dazhang's Tieba was crashed!

Crosstalk comedian Tang Dazhang was originally calm and quiet, with everyone laughing about and chatting lightheartedly about Zhang Ye's conflict with the sporting world, even posting a thread about it and livestreaming the conflict. Although they were at odds with Zhang Ye, with Tang Dazhang and the crosstalk world's relationship defined as his deadly enemies and often getting into quarrels, the matter today did not concern them. They did not take part in it either.

But out of nowhere, the troll army appeared, and in the blink of an eye, Tang Dazhang's Tieba was getting spammed!

"What?"

"Holy fuck!"

"Ah!"

"Why are they crashing our bar?"

"Your conflict is with the sporting world! We did not argue with you guys today!"

"Your sister!"

Ads by Pubfuture

Tang Dazhang's fans were left in utter confusion!

However, the fan club leader, Big Saber Bro, posted a thread right at the moment before the bar got crashed, leaving all the observing netizens laughing: "Apologies, Tang Dazhang and Tang Hechang's names sounded too alike, so we mistakenly crashed your bar along with his! "

Crashed the wrong bar?

Pfft!

Tang Dazhang's fans nearly fainted!

The spectating netizens cramped up with laughter!

The collateral damage suffered by Tang Dazhang's Tieba caused it to become the most innocent victim in this historical bar crashing operation!

At this time, Zhang Ye's Weibo posted something again. "I want to say something. Today's incident isn't targeted at all the individual Tiebas and our friends participating in them. If we harmed anyone by mistake, I would like to apologize to you right here. But this operation still has to go on as I'm really unable to take this lying down! Alright then, there's still three minutes left!"

"Supporting you!"

"Supporting Teacher Zhang!"

"Yeah, we won't take this lying down!"

"Scolding us first and then demanding for us to apologize? Fuck!"

"Supporting Teacher Zhang!"

"Even a clay figurine retains some heat!"

The sporting world's people were red in the face!

What about the SARFT?

Didn't they say they would deal with this severely?

Weren't they going to review the complaints and give an immediate answer?

Everything had come down to this, so why hadn't anyone said anything yet!

There were only two minutes left until the deadline set by Chief Qian was up!

One minute left!

30 seconds…

10 seconds…

5 seconds…

Operation Crash the Bar also ended with this.

Everyone was staring at the time and waiting for the SARFT to make an announcement!

But then, then there were no more thens!

Many of the people from the sporting world were mentioning the SARFT countless times in shock, but did not get any reply as their complaints all sank into the sea!

Liu Yifeng was stunned. "Why?"

Han Li asked: "Why is this happening?"

Li Qi said: "Didn't…didn't they say they were reviewing it?"

No one knew what was going on!

The deadline of the threat had passed and Zhang Ye was still unaffected!

Famous movie star Ning Lan was surprised at this.

Chen Guang and Fan Wenli wore bewildered expression.

The executive director of Beijing Television's Spring Festival Gala, Chang Xiaoliang, was shocked.

The netizens were also astounded and uncertain about what was going on.

"Huh?"

"Nothing is happening?"

"Everything is fine now?"

"The SARFT…aren't bothering with this issue?"

"Hahahahaha!"

"There was nothing to be afraid of in the first place, we were just scaring ourselves!"

"Yeah, the lines in Teacher Zhang's skit were written to satirize the bootlicking phenomenon these days. This performance carries a very deep meaning and also generates a positive message, so how can it have any problems?"

"This is great!"

"Teacher Zhang is fine!"

"It was a false alarm, a false alarm!"

"What about that Sports Administration chief?"

"Oh yeah, where is he? Why has he disappeared?"

"He was behaving quite insolently when he appeared, acting all high and mighty, making me think that he really had something up his sleeves!"

"Didn't you tell Teacher Zhang to try and see what would happen if he didn't apologize? Teacher Zhang has tried that by now! So can I ask…what then?"

At this point, the battle's outcome was decided!

The strong voices of denouncement from the sporting world were met with a strong defeat. In this moment, quite a number of athletes quietly went offline.

It was terrible!

Ads by Pubfuture

They had lost so terribly!

The onlooking netizens were all clapping in appreciation of what they saw today!

"That was so fun!"

"Yeah, it was truly a battle worthy of being called a classic!"

"'Black New Year's Day' will definitely go down into the annals of history!"

"My drama meter is peaking! If I can witness such an exciting scolding battle every day, I will die without regrets!"

"Today, Zhang Ye has once again proven his fan's cohesiveness!"

"Zhang Ye was so domineering today! He crushed his opponents with just his momentum alone!"

"How satisfying!"

"This battle was well fought!"

The battle ended.

The Tieba authorities were currently cleaning up the mess from the battle.

Weibo's moderators had also started to delete a massive amount of comments with vulgarities in them.

However, the coaches and players of the national table tennis team who were the cause of all these events were utterly unable to accept the outcome. They couldn't figure out why the SARFT had suddenly gone quiet!

No way!

They couldn't just leave it this way!

This was not something they could afford to lose!

Han Li said angrily from the embarrassment: "The SARFT are going to wash their hands of this? Then we will report this to the cyber police!"

Li Qi's eyes lit up. "Yeah, he instigated the netizens into causing trouble and crashing so many bars. This is an act of Internet abuse, so the Internet Surveillance Bureau will surely take on the case!"

"Let's make a complaint!"

"Mention the Internet Surveillance Bureau on Weibo!"

The table tennis team's people hurriedly went to make their complaints!

However, they would probably never know that the previous violation they had reported to the SARFT's department was actually under the jurisdiction of Deputy Chief Wu—who was also Zhang Ye's girlfriend. And now, the Internet Surveillance Bureau they were making their complaints to was headed by one of the world's most famous hackers and cyber police officers, Officer Fan Yingyun—who was also the leader of Zhang Ye's Fan Club! The earlier scolding battle and the spam flooding operation was basically led by this female cyber policewoman from the Internet Surveillance Bureau! Fortunately, the table tennis team and everyone from the sporting world did not know of these facts, or else they might really have vomited blood for three days straight!

When the netizens saw this, they were angered once more!

"They're not done yet?"

"Still making complaints?"

"Haven't you people embarrassed yourselves enough already?"

"What the hell!"

"Teacher Zhang, be careful!"

"This is no trifling matter! We've had scolding battles and spam flooding operations before too, but those were all incited and organized by the netizens themselves. But this time, it happened under Teacher Zhang's command, so if he gets called out for that, this may become a big deal!"

"Ah?"

"Then what should we do?"

"Teacher Zhang, quickly delete your posts!"

"Yeah, hurry up and delete those posts from earlier. Just do it!"

"It wouldn't help even if he deletes them! There's a log for sure!"

A lot of fans were starting to worry again.

When Zhang Ye saw this, he did a little bit of work on his computer with the aid of the Network Technology Experience Books he had eaten in the past. He modified some stuff here, then added some stuff there. Finally, with a nod of his head, he gave Yao Jiancai a call.

"Old Yao, there's something I need your help with."

...

Very soon, Yao Jiancai's Weibo suddenly posted: "Hello, everyone, this is Zhang Ye. Aiya, my account was hacked by someone. What just happened anyway? @Weibo Please help me reset my password. I've already sent in a request."

Following that, an account under the official Weibo replied: "Hello, Teacher Zhang Ye. We just checked and saw that your account was logged into from the United States. The password was indeed changed, so we will need to PM you to verify your identity and cell phone number to help you with the reset."

Zhang Ye on Yao Jiancai's Weibo: "Thank you. That is great, I can finally get back my Weibo account! Also, I would like to say that I really condemn the theft. They're way too brazen!"

Hacked?

You were hacked?

Ning Lan: "…"

Chen Guang was stunned!

Liu Yifeng was dumbfounded!

Han Li vomited blood!

Chang Xiaoliang fainted!

When everyone saw this statement, they nearly facepalmed themselves as ten thousand strings of "fuck you" flashed across their eyes! Everyone couldn't help screaming in their heads: "You're even scorning the hackers now? Fuck, you're the one who is brazen! No one else in the world is more brazen than you!"

What a familiar scene this was!

What a sense of déjà vu this held!

A celebrity's exclusive excuse—getting hacked!

No one in the sporting world had expected Zhang Ye to pull off such a classic trick at this point of time! You were hacked? Then about those comments and insulting posts from earlier? Who else but you could have written them? Now that you're done with the scolding and the matter has been put to rest, you're fucking acting innocent by claiming that you've been hacked? And you even said it with an "aiya"?

Aiya, your sister!

They were all outraged by the brazenness of Zhang Ye!

Ads by Pubfuture

Report chapter Comments

Chapter 902: A-list?

Translator: Legge Editor: Legge

The next day.

On the second morning of the Spring Festival.

Having slept enough, Zhang Ye woke up naturally. He looked at his watch then pulled aside the blanket, yawned widely, and shouted into the living room, "Mom, what's for breakfast?"

His mother's voice came through the door.

"You're up?"

"Uh-huh."

"Breakfast is dumplings."

"What's the filling?"

"Chives, do you like that?"

"Hai, I'll just make do with whatever."

"What do you mean by make do with whatever? If you don't want to eat them, then don't eat!"

After squabbling for a bit, Zhang Ye put on his socks and turned on his cell phone which he turned off the night before to charge. As it had been a chaotic night, there were too many updates and calls from his friends, so Zhang Ye didn't bother keeping up with all that and simply turned it off when he went to bed. As a result, when he turned it back on, he suddenly received a flood of messages that were mostly sent to him late at night. Moreover, most of the messages sounded quite baffling to him and he couldn't understand what was going on.

Dong Shanshan's text: "That was really unexpected from you yesterday, but congratulations anyway, old classmate."

Yu Yingyi's text: "Zhang'er, congratulations in advance! I was watching the scolding battle throughout, you were awesome!"

Yao Jiancai: "Why is your phone off? Hahahaha, you were awesome. This scolding battle was really not for nothing! Your popularity really was gained through all that scolding!"

Hou Ge: "Teacher Zhang, congratulations in advance."

Fan Wenli: "Although we still don't know the exact figure, I'll congratulate you first anyway."

Chen Guang: "After the data is confirmed, our The Voice program team should get together for a meal."

Congratulations?

What are they congratulating me for?

What's this data they're talking about?

Zhang Ye did not understand and replied to them: "What do you mean by this? What are you guys talking about?"

The others probably slept late and weren't awake yet, so there was no response from them even after a long time. As Zhang Ye did not wish to disturb them by calling them, he got out of bed to brush his teeth, then went to eat breakfast.

Chenchen was playing games on her new cell phone.

Zhang Ye sat down and slapped her upside the head. "You only know how to play games!"

Chenchen did not even bother with him and just said straight in the direction of the kitchen, "Grandma, Zhang Ye hit my head."

Zhang Ye was angered into amusement. "You've even learned how to tattle on me now?"

Chenchen looked at him. "—Hur hur."

"What's going on here?" His mother immediately appeared, holding a bowl of steaming hot dumplings as she glared at him. "Don't keep hitting the child's head, or else I'll beat you up."

Zhang Ye said in a speechless manner, "She only knows to play games day in, day out."

His mother's next words left Zhang Ye with nothing to say. "That's still better than you fighting with people every other day!"

Zhang Ye: "…"

His mother snorted, "Did you get into another shouting match with the sporting world last night?"

Zhang Ye made a terse noise in acknowledgment.

Chenchen pouted. "Zhang Ye, you're really childish."

"See." His mother said, "Chenchen also knows how childish that was. You're a grown-up, yet you aren't as sensible as the child is and only know how to scold people!"

Zhang Ye quibbled, "That's part of my job requirements."

The clattering of keys opening the door jangled. It was his father who just returned from outside.

Zhang Ye looked over to the doorway. "Dad, where'd you go?"

"I went to buy the newspapers." His father was holding a thick stack of newspapers in his hands.

Zhang Ye exclaimed, "Did you go on a shopping spree?"

His father removed his shoes after stepping into the house and said, "I usually buy the newspapers that have your news in them. When I saw more than 20 newspapers with your news in them today, I bought them all at once."

Zhang Ye said, "Let me have a look."

His mother nagged, "Finish eating first, the dumplings have already gone cold!"

Taking the newspapers from his father, Zhang Ye stuffed a dumpling into his mouth and read the news as he ate. When he saw what was written, Zhang Ye was tickled and nearly spat out the dumpling in his mouth!

"Beijing TV's Spring Festival Gala wins the viewership ratings championship for the first time!"

"'A Letter to Home' earns an honorable spot on the Top Chinese Music Chart!"

"Zhang Ye and Yao Jiancai's crosstalk routine, 'Everything is Great,' receives rave reviews. Audience broke down in tears at the venue!"

"'Playing it Up' targets the table tennis team!"

"The largest scolding battle of the year began last night!"

"Zhang Ye engages in verbal spar with the sporting world! An earth-shattering battle!"

"Sports-related Tiebas wiped out last night!"

"Tang Dazhang's Tieba caught in 'crossfire'!"

"Zhang Ye claims: 'Aiya, my account was hacked!'"

"The 'account hacker' has once again ended up as the scapegoat!"

"No punishments have been meted out by the SARFT yet!"

All of these were the events from yesterday. The timeliness of news reporting by the traditional newspapers was not really that good. As Zhang Ye had performed his acts on Beijing Television's Spring Festival Gala at night, the daytime newspapers were already published and distributed. Only the online media outlets quickly followed up with his breaking news while the traditional newspapers had to wait until this morning to summarize yesterday's news.

When the television was switched on, the news was reporting about Zhang Ye as well.

"Last night, after being denounced by the crosstalk world last year, the sporting world has now declared war on Zhang Ye as well. Numerous sports stars and coaches, such as Liu Yifeng, Han Li, Li Qi, Tang Hechang, and several others fired off one after another at him. The scolding battle spread all over Weibo and flowed over to several dozen Tieba forums…"

Ring, ring, ring.

His cell phone rang.

It was the executive director of Beijing Television's Spring Festival Gala, Chang Xiaoliang.

He quickly swallowed the dumpling in his mouth and answered the call while mumbling: "Hi, Director Chang."

Over on the other end, Chang Xiaoliang laughed heartily, in high spirits. "Hahaha, Teacher Zhang, you're awake already?"

Zhang Ye put down his chopsticks. "Ah, yes, I'm eating breakfast right now."

Chang Xiaoliang got straight to the point. "The viewership rating for our Spring Festival Gala last night is out!"

"How did we do?" Zhang Ye actually knew already from the newspapers.

Chang Xiaoliang said: "Without a doubt, we were first. It even exceeded the viewership rating of the second place Liaoning TV Spring Festival Gala by a lot. In third place and fourth place are Mango TV and Dragon TV respectively, while Zhejiang TV was placed fifth."

Zhang Ye laughed and said: "That's great then."

Chang Xiaoliang asked: "Did you see the viewership ratings for your acts?"

"Is it out yet?" replied Zhang Ye, interested.

Chang Xiaoliang gave a sound of acknowledgment and sighed with satisfaction. "The viewership ratings of your two acts on Beijing TV's Spring Festival Gala were the highest, even when compared with all the other Spring Festival Galas last night. The nationwide viewership of 'Everything is Great' was 3.77% while the nationwide viewership of 'Playing it Up' was 4.01%. They have broken all the records of the provincial stations' Spring Festival Galas over the years! You might not know this, but when many of the industry insiders saw your viewership ratings, they were all shocked for a long time and regretted not inviting you to appear on their station's Spring Festival Gala this year!"

Zhang Ye was also frightened. "That high?"

A popular show like A Bite of China could only achieve a highest rating of 2.98% in the nationwide viewership ratings, while Zhang Ye's performance on the Spring Festival Gala had actually broken 4%. But it couldn't be compared with those viewership ratings of over 10, 20, or even 30% on Central TV's Spring Festival Gala. After all, even though it was harshly criticized by a lot of people, no matter how terrible the acts were to watch, Central TV's Spring Festival Gala was still Central TV's Spring Festival Gala. This status was something that could never be shaken by anyone. But among the provincial stations' Spring Festival Gala, the viewership ratings of Zhang Ye's two acts were considered very heaven-defying, sweeping aside all the other performances without any of them coming close!

"We are the champions of the viewership ratings!" Chang Xiaoliang exclaimed: "My objectives for this year can be considered to have been completed successfully. I did not let down the station's the trust and expectations they put in me!"

Zhang Ye said: "Congratulations, Director Chang."

Chang Xiaoliang was taken aback, then laughed and said: "Why are you congratulating me? I should be the one congratulating you instead."

Zhang Ye recalled something and asked: "Oh yes, there was a group of people congratulating me in advance this morning, what were they talking about? I reread those messages over and over but I still don't get it."

"Don't you know about it yet?"

"What should I know about?"

"Have you not seen the Celebrity Rankings Index?"

"Uh, I didn't see it as I went to sleep immediately after the scolding battle last night."

"Take a look then. I believe you won't be too far off from the A-list rankings."

"Huh?"

After hanging up, Zhang Ye quickly browsed through the overall popularity scores of the Celebrity Rankings Index which was updated at midnight. The moment he looked at it, he could not find his name in the rankings at all. When he searched for his own name, a message appeared, saying, "Zhang Ye: Ranking pending."

Pending?

His ranking was not shown?

Zhang Ye was suddenly enlightened. Only then did he realize why everyone was congratulating him in advance.

The ranking system of this world was fairly advanced and professional, with the system automatically recording the discussion popularity of each celebrity, the value of their work, the awards they won, and other factors to arrive at a base score that would then be converted into an overall score to rank them accordingly. But a computer system was still a computer system after all and there would be times when it would malfunction. For example, on more than one occasion in the past, when some of the C- or D-list celebrities shot to fame overnight due to their appearance on Central TV's Spring Festival Gala, it resulted in a direct jump for them onto the B-list rankings. When that occurred, the system would have a chance of hanging due to an overly large increase of popularity scores causing the processing to peak and the system becoming unable to handle the calculations. That was why this pending status was shown in place when it happened. It would require human input the next day to assist the system to recalculate the scores to display the most accurate rankings.

Anyway, a pending status was definitely a good thing. It meant that the popularity and exposure figures generated by Zhang Ye yesterday were too great. After the manual assessment, there would definitely be a large increase!

Zhang Ye's previous B-list ranking was at fourth place, which he had just recently been promoted to, so the gap between him and third place was still very wide. In the B-list rankings, especially at the top few places, the popularity and fame required to advance to the next ranking was quite huge!

How many places would he rise with this massive increase in popularity?

To third place on the B-list rankings?

Or second place?

Or could it be first place?

Perhaps even…

Zhang Ye was extremely excited and did not dare to think any further. "Dad, Mom, I've got something to tell you. Haha, my popularity has risen again and there might even be an explosive increase this time!" He explained the situation to them.

His mother was also excited. "Is that true?"

Upon hearing this, his father said in a speechless manner, "You can even gain popularity by scolding people?"

"Did you forget?" His mother interjected, "When our son went from the C-list to the B-list rankings, didn't he do so by scolding others?"

His father: "…It seems like that was the case."

Zhang Ye nearly fainted. "I also performed in a crosstalk and skit last night that set new viewership rating records for the provincial stations' Spring Festival Galas in recent years! Why are you both insisting that I always do it by scolding people?"

Beside him, Chenchen ate a dumpling and looked up at him. "Hur hur."

His mother asked, "So when will the rankings be out?"

Zhang Ye answered, "They should be out soon. I'm sure that they'll be released during the day."

The more his mother thought about it, the happier and more excited she became. She said, "You were at fourth place on the B-list rankings. If you continue moving up further, won't you be really close to getting into the A-list?"

...

Meanwhile.

The outside world was also paying close attention to Zhang Ye's popularity ranking!

The media reporters' concentration was at their maximum!

Many of the celebrities in the entertainment industry also couldn't tear their eyes away!

Report chapter Comments

Chapter 903: Becoming an A-lister!

Translator: Legge Editor: Legge

On Weibo.

The so-called "Black New Year's Day" epic battle had ended, the Weibo popularity of it falling by quite a lot today. Of course, this also had to do with everyone staying up late to scold people and watching the spectacle last night. As it was still very early in the morning and the second day of the Spring Festival was a rest day, most people were still not up yet.

"Is anyone around?"

"Where are all the brothers and sisters who did battle together yesterday?"

"*yawns* I just woke up."

"Same. What's up?"

"Teacher Zhang's popularity ranking is currently pending!"

"Huh?"

"Really?"

"Holy shit, there's going to be a breakthrough in his popularity then!"

"Teacher Zhang's popularity score is going to increase again? How much will it increase by?"

"Of course his popularity score will increase. Just the crosstalk and skit acts alone have become very popular with the people. I have a link here for everyone to watch. It's the viewership stats of all the acts on the provincial stations' Spring Festival Gala yesterday. First and second place are both Zhang Ye's acts, and coupled with the entry of 'A Letter to Home' on the Top Chinese Music Chart and the humorous Weibo insults that mocked the sporting world, which led to that earth-shattering battle with them last night, his popularity score will definitely experience a huge surge!"

"Yeah, how many people in the country would not know Zhang Ye's name by now? Moreover, it has reached the point where people not only know about his name, they also become his die-hard fans. For example, my attention on Zhang Ye before this was not worth a mention at all. I used to liked him, but did not pay much attention to him or follow his news daily. But now? Ever since last night, I've started paying attention to Zhang Ye's Weibo and joined his Tieba fan club to fight alongside him. I even kept refreshing for online news about him, and if I saw any news with his name on it, I would click on the link. When I saw anyone speaking ill of Zhang Ye, I would go up to them and scold them. I believe that was what many people were doing as well!"

"Haha, yeah, me too!"

"Zhang Ye was so cool yesterday!"

"Right, this is the first time I've seen a celebrity with such a fucking domineering air to him! Standing firm against a sporting world chief and numerous sports star champions, he even won in the end! How awesome!"

"What rank do you think Teacher Zhang will reach this time?"

"Second place on the B-list?"

"I think he'll become first place on the B-list!"

"That will be difficult. The second place celebrity on the B-list rankings is currently Dongdong, team leader of the most popular domestic girl group. Her popularity score is very high. Furthermore, she gains additional popularity from the group's popularity, so it won't be that easy to surpass her."

The netizens discussed this.

...

Elsewhere.

In the Celebrity Goof Group.

Xiaodong sent a crying emoji. "Is anyone awake yet?"

Soon after, Fan Wenli replied: "I just woke up."

Xiaodong: "Looking for some moral support!"

Huo Dongfang also appeared. "What's the matter, Xiaodong?"

About eight people gradually came online. "Why are you crying?"

Finally, Xiaodong said: "Teacher Zhang Ye's popularity score is currently pending and not displayed. He was fourth place previously on the B-list whereas I'm second place. I think I'm in danger! *cries*!"

Fan Wenli: "*pats head to comfort you*."

Chen Guang laughed and said: "That won't happen, right? Fourth place is still quite far from you."

Xiaodong sent another crying emoji. "In the past, I thought it was quite far away and felt that it would be a long time before Teacher Zhang would catch up, but I really don't think it's that far anymore."

Fan Wenli said: "Aren't you all going on tour soon? When the album for the tour comes out, your popularity will definitely rise dramatically. You can then push for the A-list when you release your new songs next year!"

Ning Lan was online too. "That's right! Xiaodong, I believe in you!"

Chen Guang: "Go, Xiaodong! I believe in you. Eliminate Zhang Ye."

Huo Dongfang: "Go, Xiaodong! I believe in you. Eliminate Zhang Ye."

Fan Wenli: "Go, Xiaodong! I believe in you. Eliminate Zhang Ye."

A group of people followed along and gave their reply as well.

Xiaodong quickly said: "Thank you, thank you, everyone, for your encouragement."

Then, Zhang Ye appeared. He sent a long string of dots.

Chen Guang immediately said: "Go, Zhang Ye! I believe in you. Eliminate Xiaodong."

Fan Wenli: "Go, Zhang Ye! I believe in you. Eliminate Xiaodong."

Huo Dongfang: "Go, Zhang Ye! I believe in you. Eliminate Xiaodong."

It was that same group of people who replied before this.

Zhang Ye nearly fainted!

Xiaodong vomited at least three liters of blood!

Xiaodong shouted: "You people are so two-faced!"

Ning Lan: "Hahahahaha!"

This chat group named Goof Group really lived up to its name.

...

At home.

His mother kept asking, "Is it out yet? Is it?"

His father said in speechless manner, "Will you give it a rest? Aren't you being a little too irritating?"

"How can I not be concerned about this major event?" His mother stared at his father.

Zhang Ye refreshed the rankings again, then laughed and said, "It's not out yet, so let's wait a little longer."

Incidentally, he suddenly thought of Old Yao and Shanshan's rankings, so he took some time to check them out. When he saw it, Zhang Ye was shocked for a moment. He realized that Yao Jiancai and Dong Shanshan's popularity scores had surged too after last night!

The two of them were on the C-list rankings!

It was easy to explain for Yao Jiancai as he had been in the industry for over 20 years. He was involved with crosstalk routines and acted in movies. That in and of itself was an accumulation of popularity. This accumulation was many times more compared to Zhang Ye, so it was only normal that Old Yao's past works had accumulated enough popularity for him to be successful in the present. But Dong Shanshan being promoted into the C-list rankings at this time made Zhang Ye quite startled. However, after careful thought, it was not actually that shocking either. Although Shanshan did not have many works behind her, her conditions were simply just too good! She was blessed with good looks and a sexy figure, especially that long pair of legs. Not many people in the entertainment industry could compete with her on that. She was born with this advantage and was a good sapling for the entertainment industry. In the entertainment industry, a person's figure and appearance would also be considered an individual's abilities, so they weren't considered something despicable or disgraceful at all. This was because the entertainment industry was different from other professions!

Zhang Ye hurriedly made some calls to give his congratulations.

Du, du, du. The call was answered.

"Who is this?" Yao Jiancai still sounded asleep.

Zhang Ye laughed and said: "It's me. I'm calling to congratulate you. Your popularity has gone up again."

Yao Jiancai said: "Little Zhang, haha. It has increased by quite a bit. I already saw that last night and wanted to call you, but your cell phone was off!"

Zhang Ye said happily: "Great. As the best duo, we've gained quite a lot this time. Shanshan did even better than us and has been promoted to the C-list rankings. Although her ranking is near the bottom of the list, she is still considered a C-lister now!"

"I saw it." Yao Jiancai said: "She has a better prospect than us since she has the bearing of an A-list celebrity."

Zhang Ye replied: "You make it sound like I don't have that."

Yao Jiancai burst into laughter. "What kind of a bearing of an A-list celebrity do you have?"

Zhang Ye said: "I don't have the looks, but it will still happen soon."

Yao Jiancai laughed and said: "You can try to push your advance this year, but it'll still depend on luck."

"Yeah." Zhang Ye declared: "My goal for this year is to try to aim for the A-list rankings. In the past, countless experts and people from the entertainment industry said that my unconventional way of being a celebrity would come to an end upon reaching the forefront of the B-list rankings, that I wouldn't be able to advance any further than this. Ha, but I really don't believe that shit!"

Yao Jiancai said: "Let's see how much you can rise after your pending status is confirmed. Is it out yet?"

"It's not, I'm still waiting…" Just as he said that, he suddenly heard his mother clamoring next to him.

His mother, who was constantly refreshing her cell phone's browser, shouted, "It's out! Son! The ranking is out!"

Zhang Ye was startled and said into his cell phone: "I think it's out. I'll take a look first. Bye."

Yao Jiancai returned: "OK, I'll take a look too."

...

On Weibo.

"It's out!"

"Zhang Ye's popularity score has been released!"

"Quick, go and see!"

"What's the situation now?"

"What place is he on the B-list rankings?"

"Holy shit! Holy shit! Holy shit!"

"Heavens!"

"What's going on? What are you holy shitting for? And why are you shouting heavens? Could Zhang Ye have really overtaken Dongdong?"

"Come and see quickly! What the hell! This is crazy! This is totally crazy!"

The Internet blew up in an instant!

...

Celebrity Goof Group.

Ning Lan: "It's out!"

Chen Guang also shouted: "The rankings index has been updated!"

However, the many celebrities who saw the rankings were all shocked!

Fan Wenli was dumbfounded. "This…"

Chen Guang: "Holy shit!"

Huo Dongfang gasped: "This is…"

Xiaodong: "...@*$*)(*$)(@! ! !"

...

At home.

His mother was also shouting, "Son! Quick, take a look at this! Look at this!"

His father came over and said, "Stop shouting, you're disturbing the neighbors."

"What's the matter, Mom? How much did my popularity score increase by?" Zhang Ye quickly took out his cell phone to look at the latest updated B-list celebrity rankings and was stunned by what he saw!

What does this mean?

Why isn't my name on it yet?

Zhang Ye said helplessly, "Mom, don't know how to use a cell phone? It's still not updated yet, my name isn't there at all."

His mother said ecstatically, "It is! It is!"

Zhang Ye was stunned. Suddenly, he thought of a seemingly impossible possibility and immediately picked up his cell phone excitedly again and tapped on the A-list celebrity rankings!

He browsed to the next page!

And the next page!

And further to the next page!

Finally, he saw his own name at the last spot!

Zhang Ye was dumbfounded!

He was totally dumbfounded without any mental preparation at all!

The A-list?

He had become an A-list celebrity just like that?

Report chapter Comments

Chapter 904: Becoming an A-lister even without a proper job?

Translator: Legge Editor: Legge

At Ha Qiqi's house.

After just waking up, she received a call from Little Wang, only to hear her shouting and yelling on the other end.

Little Wang screamed, "Ahhh!"

Ha Qiqi said in a speechless manner: "Who stepped on your foot?"

"Director Ha! Director Zhang has become an A-lister!" Little Wang exclaimed.

"What A-lister?" Ha Qiqi was startled.

"An A-lister! You know, an A-lister!" Little Wang yelled.

Ha Qiqi finally realized what was going on and asked in a stunned manner: "Are you saying that Director Zhang has gotten into the A-list rankings?"

"Yea!" Little Wang was extremely excited. "He's so awesome! He's amazing!"

Ha Qiqi immediately sat up and said in surprise: "How is that possible? Wasn't he just fourth place on the B-list rankings before this? How did he suddenly get into the A-list rankings?"

...

Beijing Times.

At the entertainment section's editorial department.

An exclamation of "holy shit" loudly reverberated in the office!

"Zhang Ye…has become an A-lister!"

"Ah?"

"What?"

"That's not possible!"

"Did they make a mistake?"

"Him? A-lister? How could he become an A-lister so quickly?!"

"Fuck, let me see!"

"This wicked wretch can also become an A-lister?"

...

The people at Central TV also found out about the news instantly!

Xu Yipeng was stunned!

Chen Ye was stunned!

Jiang Yuan was stunned!

Those who were on the program team of the Spring Festival Gala were also stunned!

"Zhang Ye be-became an A-lister!"

"Uh…"

"This…"

Silence!

Or rather, they were cursing in their minds!

Even he can become an A-lister? He really became an A-lister? Is there any justice? Is there any law? What has this fellow done? He had not done any proper work before at all. Taking into account those current A-list celebrities in the entertainment industry, the majority of them were either singers or actors. Hosting was considered an obscure profession in the entertainment industry. Furthermore, Zhang Ye did not even do his main job as a host properly. Instead, he became a director, involved himself in the field of mathematics, took up positions as a university professor, piloted a plane, dabbled in calligraphy, wrote novels, composed poems, and even performed crosstalks? You have not done any proper work at all!

You can even do it like that?

You can even become a goddamn A-lister like that?

...

The media was making a racket!

The entertainment circle was making a racket!

Thousands and thousands of people were also making a racket!

When they saw the rankings, everyone's first reaction was disbelief!

Actually, wasn't that the case for Zhang Ye too? Zhang Ye was even more shocked that he became an A-list celebrity than the media, the netizens, and his colleagues. After working so hard for his goal, he had finally reached it just like that? Zhang Ye did not feel any sense of realism in this as he stood rooted to the spot for a long time, not even believing it himself!

His mother laughed loudly and said, "Son! You're really an A-lister now! Although it's only the last spot!"

His father was also stunned.

Chenchen came out and said, "Zhang Ye, do you need me to step on your foot?" Saying that, she actually stepped right onto his foot.

"Why are you stepping on my foot?" Zhang Ye said speechlessly to her.

Chenchen calmly replied, "I'm just letting you know that you aren't dreaming."

Pfft!

This bad kid!

Zhang Ye was angered into amusement. "Looks like I have to thank you then."

Chenchen acknowledged, "You're welcome."

Suddenly, the phones rang noisily!

His mother's cell phone rang first, followed by a lively ringing tone of Zhang Ye's cell phone, then Chenchen's cell phone also rang at almost the same time. The house phone in the living room rang as well!

There was ringing sounds everywhere!

His mother answered and said joyfully: "Hello…aiyo, Mengmeng…that's right, that's right, your brother has been promoted to the A-list. We just found out about it too….Right, right….Thank you….Your brother is busy answering calls now, I'll get him to call you back later….Is your mom at home? She is? Get her on the phone…."

His father picked up the house phone. It was from an old neighbor. "Hello? Brother Liu….Yes, he's an A-lister now….Thank you, thank you, congratulations….Let me thank you on Little Ye's behalf….Alright, OK…come over to our home when you're free!"

Chenchen was talking to her classmate on the phone. "Hello? Who's this? Oh…Black Widow."

Everyone was busy answering their phones.

Zhang Ye moved far away from them and went back into his bedroom to answer the calls.

The first call was from Dong Shanshan.

Dong Shanshan immediately said: "Are you for real?"

Zhang Ye laughed heartily: "Maybe, probably, it's most likely real!"

Dong Shanshan said: "I saw your popularity score pending in the middle of the night and knew that you would definitely leap up in the rankings. I even sent a message to congratulate you in advance, but who knew that you'd leap by this much? This is not just about jumping several spots in the rankings anymore, but a direct promotion into the A-list?"

Zhang Ye laughed and said: "You were very impressive too. You're now a big shot C-list celebrity!"

"That still can't be compared to you." Dong Shanshan chuckled. "How many years has it been since any of the graduates from Media College have become an A-list celebrity? Three years? Or five years? Who could have expected that it would be you to achieve that!"

Media College specialized in the broadcasting major, and in this specialty, they were ranked number one in the country without others coming close. But because of this, those who graduated from Media College found it difficult to gain any great achievements. It was not easy for a host to stand out in the entertainment industry as they were not mainstream celebrities. And in the other majors, such as singing, directing, and acting, Media College was unable to compare with the Central Conservatory of Music, Central Academy of Drama, and Shanghai Theater Academy. But today, after a few years, Media College had finally produced another A-list celebrity. This undoubtedly made the students of Media College very excited!

After hanging up with Dong Shanshan, many of his other friends called as well.

His beloved Teacher Su of Media College was similarly excited.

"Little Zhang, good job! You did great!"

"It was all thanks to Teacher Su's guidance!"

"Knock it off. Which school or teacher can produce such a reckless celebrity like you? That's all your own hard work!"

"Man, why does it sound like you're lecturing me?"

"Hahaha. Kid, you've brought a lot of pride to our alma mater this time! Good! Very good!"

"Thanks, Teacher Su."

"President Hu contacted me earlier and wanted me to congratulate you on behalf of the college."

"Oh, then please give my thanks to President Hu!"

A while later, the people from Peking University also called!

"Congratulations, Little Zhang!"

"Thank you, Dean Pan!"

"Our mathematics field has produced an A-list celebrity this time around! Hahaha!"

"You can even count this?"

"Why not? Aren't you a Peking University math professor?"

"—Yes."

"Then of course it's counted since you're part of Peking University's Mathematics Department!"

"Uh, alright then."

When the Chinese Department's Dean Chang and Secretary Zhen called, they said something similar as well.

"Little Zhang, congratulations to you. To think that a teacher from Peking University's Chinese Department could become an A-list celebrity! When are you free to come back? We'll hold a celebration for you when you're here!"

"Thank you, Dean Chang, I'll treat everyone when the time comes!"

"I'll hold you to your words then!"

It could be imagined that when Peking University started its school term this year, the entrance of the Chinese Department would definitely have a banner hung with words like "A warm congratulations to Peking University Associate Professor Zhang Ye from the Chinese Department on being promoted to the A-list." Then the Math Department would hang a similar banner saying, "A warm congratulations to Peking University Associate Professor Zhang Ye from the Math Department on being promoted to the A-list"! Damn, hopefully they won't end up fighting when that time comes!

The calls kept coming!

Chen Guang and Fan Wenli called to offer their congratulations!

A call from songstress Zhang Xia.

A call from skit actress Ci Xiufang.

A call from Qu Haiying who was hospitalized at the moment.

Five calls!

Ten calls!

Twenty calls!

Thirty calls!

Finally, even Zhang Yuanqi gave him a call.

She did not speak much, but it left Zhang Ye in a good mood.

Old Zhang: "You're alright."

Zhang Ye: "Haha, I'm not bad."

Old Zhang: "To be honest, I was rather surprised that you managed to get into the A-list."

Zhang Ye: "I haven't come around yet from all that has happened either."

Old Zhang: "Not bad, but you're still far off from becoming an S-list Heavenly King."

Zhang Ye: "Hur hur, who knows? I might catch up to you by next year."

Old Zhang: "Sure. I'll be waiting."

The news of Zhang Ye getting promoted to the A-list had shocked and startled lots of people!

It was not very long ago that Zhang Ye was just a Media College graduate who could not find a job. He stumbled along in his journey, scolding his leaders, getting involved in fights, working on shows, piloting a plane, battling the global mathematics field, and arguing with the crosstalk and sporting worlds. The difficulties and hardships that he faced along the way could basically be compiled into a book as thick as three Journey to the West books, with an additional book of The Golden Lotus! But now, he was finally promoted to the A-list! This was an affirmation to all of Zhang Ye's efforts over the past two years. He was glad that he had chosen this path and had kept following it all the way until now!

After finishing with all the calls, Zhang Ye breathed a sigh of relief as he finally got some time to call Wu Zeqing. "Old Wu, I'm an A-lister now."

Old Wu laughed and said: "I've already seen it."

Zhang Ye said with a smile: "There's nothing else. I just wanted to thank you. I still remember clearly how no one believed in me back then. Everyone thought that I would not be able to advance any further after I had reached the B-list rankings, that it was impossible for me to have an opportunity or the qualities to rise another level. But it was because of your encouragement that I persisted onward. Now that this bro has managed to persist thus far, I will still continue to move upwards as there are still the S-list and international stage that I want to get to. I won't be stopping here for sure!"

Old Wu said smilingly: "Then don't stop. I, too, am especially looking forward to seeing how far you can go."

Zhang Ye laughed and said: "As long as you're beside me, I can even aim for the skies!"

Report chapter Comments

Chapter 905: Zhang Ye's live interview!

Translator: Legge Editor: Legge

On the same day, the news was out!

The newspapers, television, and online media were all fighting to cover this piece of news!

"Zhang Ye promoted into the A-list!"

"The latest Celebrity Rankings Index!"

"The A-list Celebrity Rankings have finally been updated!"

"Zhang Ye surprisingly breaks into the A-list!"

"Can Zhang Ye maintain his ranking as an A-lister? Let us wait and see!"

"A raffish celebrity creates a miracle that won't be replicated by anyone!"

"A journey: How Zhang Ye walked his path to fame!"

"Zhang Ye: A prodigy not recognized by his industry peers!"

"Feats or faults, leave it to the future generations to judge for themselves?"

In fact, Zhang Ye was ascending to cloud nine looking at all these headlines!

The A-list Celebrity Rankings had stayed unchanged for a long time. It had always cycled between the same few people moving up and down on the list without any new entries. After all, even if one were to shoot to fame overnight, they would at most get onto the B-list. This would be in the most extreme of circumstances where a celebrity shot to fame. But to get onto the A-list? This was something that required results, with a need for background and an accumulation of popularity. A celebrity who shot to fame overnight would never be able to hold onto the status of an A-lister, which was why this ranking had been stable for such a long time. Most outsiders could never break into it!

But today, Zhang Ye had broken the stalemate. A celebrity with average looks, someone who could never depend on his looks to make a living, this person had actually managed to stumble his way to a new height. In the eyes of many, this was a miracle. If it was just the B- or C-list rankings, this would have been acceptable. But in the ranks of the A-list, which celebrity did not depend on their looks to make a living? Even if they depended on their talents and other factors, their looks were definitely still outstanding. This had become one of the prerequisites of the A-list, but with Zhang Ye's appearance on it, it had surprised everyone. For someone who had just debuted for less than two years, someone who only looked a little better than average, he had somehow been promoted into the A-list?

Although he was still ranked last.

Although his popularity was still unstable as of now.

In the afternoon, Zhang Ye received a call and left in a hurry.

...

At Central TV.

The heavens were kind today with clear skies.

When Zhang Ye arrived, Yan Tianfei's secretary was waiting for him at the entrance. The secretary was already walking up to welcome him when he spotted Zhang Ye's car arriving from afar.

"Teacher Zhang, congratulations! Congratulations to you!" the secretary said.

Zhang Ye smiled and said, "Thank you very much."

The secretary immediately said, "The interview will be done on Central TV Live News. Please come with me."

Zhang Ye nodded and followed. "Alright. It won't take long, right?"

The secretary replied, "At most ten minutes, but it's a live broadcast."

"Alright, I understand," Zhang Ye said.

The secretary laughed. "I was afraid that you wouldn't come."

Zhang Ye shrugged and remarked, "If it's a live interview with Central TV, why would I not come?"

Right now, Zhang Ye needed to solidify his position and popularity. Having just been promoted into the A-list, the newcomer clearly could not compare with the other A-listers as he wouldn't have their foundations of fame. In the short term, he couldn't compete with them, so there was no need to think about surpassing them. But for the people behind him, their popularity did not differ much from his. That previous A-lister Zhang Ye had replaced was currently at the top of the B-list rankings, so it could be said that he might still return to the A-list at any time and push Zhang Ye back down the rankings. At this time, it was Zhang Ye's most unstable and vulnerable period. He needed to solidify this place he had fought so hard for!

Since there was an interview?

And it was even a live interview on Central TV?

Then of course he had to come. Otherwise, that former A-list celebrity might just come up with something and Zhang Ye would return to the B-list the next day, becoming the most short-lived A-lister in history.

Besides, it wasn't easy to secure this interview either!

There were a lot of going-ons behind it.

After receiving news of Zhang Ye getting promoted into the A-list, Central TV News Channel contacted Department 14 and communicated with them, hoping to arrange for a short live interview with Zhang Ye. According to convention, whenever a celebrity was promoted into the A-list, it was always considered a major event. Therefore, Central TV—being the big brother of television stations—couldn't possibly miss out on reporting such news, so they would usually arrange for a one-on-one live interview with that celebrity on the day of. But the reason why this was delayed until the afternoon was mainly because of the rather awkward relationship between Central TV and Zhang Ye. Having gone through a lawsuit, having fought and scolded each other, the people of the Central TV News Channel could not make the decision to do this interview. They had to urgently seek out the heads to communicate their intentions and hold a meeting to discuss it. It took until the afternoon before this live interview with Zhang Ye was approved, although that would be considered a good thing even with all the setbacks.

Suddenly.

In front of him, his colleagues all appeared!

"Director Zhang!"

"Director Zhang!"

"Teacher Zhang!"

Ha Qiqi, Little Wang, Tong Fu, and Huang Dandan were all here!

Zhang Ye was surprised by them and said with a smile, "Whoa, why are you all back at work on the second day of the new year?"

Ha Qiqi smiled. "We're not. We knew that you were going to come for a live interview, so we came back specifically for that. We wanted to congratulate you and to also cheer you on."

Little Wang gave him a thumbs up and said in admiration, "Director Zhang, you're so awesome! When I heard about you becoming an A-list celebrity, I was totally stunned by the news!"

"Director Zhang, treat us!"

"Yeah, you have treat us!"

"Treat, treat, treat!"

"Zhang Zuo and Wu Yi will be coming over in a while too!"

Zhang Ye laughed and said, "Alright, don't leave then. After the interview is done, I'll treat everyone!"

...

The outside world.

The news had long since been released.

"Zhang Ye's going to appear on Central TV's live broadcast!"

"What time?"

"It's almost time!"

"Ah, then I must definitely catch it!"

"Uh, didn't Central TV and Zhang Ye have a falling out?"

"But this is such big news. They still have to invite Zhang Ye for an interview no matter what. He's an A-list celebrity now, a big shot in the entertainment industry, so how can he still be treated like he was before? Even if Central TV dislikes him, for such a big piece of news, they would definitely have to report it!"

"It's only a ten-minute live interview? Back when Huo Dongfang rose into the A-list, he gave an interview for half an hour! They even made a special program to cover him!"

"But the key here is that it's Zhang Ye!"

"Pfft, with his relationships, how can he possibly be compared to Sect Leader Huo?"

"Hahaha, it's already considered very good that he has ten minutes!"

"Let's see if Teacher Zhang can use this chance to solidify his position. The original A-lister who was knocked down to the B-list is hot on his heels. The difference in the popularity scores is just tens of thousands!"

"Teacher Zhang, we're cheering you on!"

"You must definitely hold onto your position!"

A popularity score difference of tens of thousands of points might sound like a lot, but at this level, it would be considered very little. It could just be the difference of one song, a commercial, an interview, or an incident on Weibo. Their popularity scores were very close. Whoever would be in the A-list tomorrow was still an open question!

The interview was about to begin!

His parents turned on the television.

Zhang Ye's relatives and neighbors also tuned into Central TV News Channel.

At home, Yan Tianfei switched on his television.

Chen Guang and Fan Wenli were watching.

Zhang Xia was watching.

Ci Xiufang was watching.

Dong Shanshan was watching.

Yao Jiancai was watching.

Peking University's Teacher Su Na was watching.

Central TV Department 1's Jiang Yuan, Xu Yipeng, and Chen Ye were watching.

The peers of the crosstalk world were watching.

Those from the sporting world were watching.

Zhang Yuanqi and her manager were watching.

Even Wu Zeqing was watching.

Zhang Ye's relatives, friends, colleagues, fans, even his foes, those who liked him, those who disliked him, many of these people were waiting and watching their televisions at this moment, waiting for Zhang Ye's first appearance since getting into the A-list Celebrity Rankings. They wanted to know just what he would say after getting promoted into the A-list.

...

On Central TV News Channel.

Central TV Live News began its live broadcast!

The host was a woman in her thirties. Her name was Zhang Ya, which was a rather strange name. She was a veteran host of Central TV who had even hosted News Simulcast for a period of time. She was also one of the few remaining people at Central TV who had never had any conflict with Zhang Ye. Therefore, her interviewing Zhang Ye today came as no surprise at all.

A long table.

And two chairs.

The two of them sat facing each other.

Zhang Ya put on her signature smile and announced, "We're very happy to be able to invite my colleague to today's Central TV Live News—welcome, Teacher Zhang Ye."

Zhang Ya smiled and said, "Hello, Teacher Zhang Ya."

"Speaking of, we were probably family 500 hundred years ago," Zhang Ya said with a smile.

Zhang Ye nodded. "Right, I heard of your great name long ago."

Zhang Ya asked, "Oh? Teacher Zhang knows of me?"

Zhang Ye chuckled. "I often watch your news shows, so in my mind, you're just like the stars in the sky!"

Zhang Ya said in surprise, "Wow, do I shine that brightly to you?"

"Hai." Zhang Ye then followed with, "Whether there's one star more or one star less, it doesn't make any difference to me."

"Pfft!" Zhang Ya, host who had anchored news shows, had always done her job with only two kinds of expressions, with a serious look or a professional smile! But today, in this process of the live broadcast, Zhang Ya had giggled because of Zhang Ye's words!

The people watching their televisions were also entertained!

"Hahahaha!"

"Aiyo, Zhang Ye is really amazing!"

"It's a live broadcast and he's still talking that way?"

"It feels like he's performing a crosstalk instead!"

"Of course! How can Zhang Ye's interviews be like the others? Hahaha!"

"I like this! I like him so much!"

"That flamboyance can only come from someone like him!"

His mother also said in a speechless manner, "That rascal, he isn't afraid to say anything!"

On TV.

Zhang Ya laughed for a long time before finally giving a helpless expression. "I've finally had a taste of Teacher Zhang's eloquence today."

"It's just a joke, just a joke," Zhang Ye cracked.

In fact, after being together at Central TV for so long, Zhang Ya and Zhang Ye were coming face to face for the first time officially. To say that this was her first humbling experience with Zhang Ye, that was really the truth and she really did learn a little from Zhang Ye. She had interviewed countless celebrities and done countless news reporting in the past. Even for the celebrities who had just risen into the A-list, she had interviewed two of them before. When those newly promoted A-listers came here to Central TV Live News, they would tend to be serious and polite, or keep thanking their fans and family. But this was truly the first time she had come across someone like Zhang Ye who immediately cracked jokes the moment he spoke. At that instant, she wasn't too prepared and couldn't help but lose her composure. She could only smile wryly as she thought of how Zhang Ye was really different from other stars!

Report chapter Comments

Chapter 906: I'm Unfamiliar with this World!

Translator: Legge Editor: Legge

In the recording studio.

Zhang Ya smiled and said, "Teacher Zhang, let's get serious now."

Zhang Ye looked at her and said, "Did you think I wasn't serious just now?"

Zhang Ya: "…"

Zhang Ye cleared his throat and said, "Fine, I'll really be proper this time."

Zhang Ya was holding a cue card in her hand as she gave a wry smile. "After your antics, I really don't know how to host or what to ask."

In front of her was Zhang Ye, who was also an excellent host himself. When these two hosts met, neither of them really knew who would be the one asking or answering the questions.

"It's fine, you can ask me anything." Zhang Ye smiled and said, "Treat it like we're chatting as friends. I'm a very casual person, so I wouldn't know what to say if it gets too formal."

Zhang Ya then said in a relaxed manner, "Alright then, let's just treat it as if we're chatting as friends."

Zhang Ye said, "Sure."

Zhang Ya smiled and said, "Regarding the news that was just released this morning, you have officially been promoted to the A-list. I especially would like to know what your reaction was when you found out about it."

Zhang Ye threw up his hands and said with a smile, "My first reaction was to look at the sun outside the window."

Zhang Ya asked puzzled, "Did you feel that it would bring you a sunny warmth?"

Zhang Ye shook his head. "Nope."

Zhang Ya asked again, "Did you feel like you were glowing from the sun's rays?"

Zhang Ye shook his head. "It's not that either."

Zhang Ya asked in curiosity, "Then why did you look outside at the sun?"

Zhang Ye said, "I was looking to see if the sun rose from the west today."

Zhang Ya reacted, "Pfft! Just for that?"

Zhang Ye nodded his head seriously and said, "Yes, that was it."

The audience was also entertained!

"That mouth on Teacher Zhang!"

"If you were in disbelief, just say that you couldn't believe it. Why are you talking about looking at the sun!"

"Pfft, a Beijinger's bad habit of speaking nonsense has rendered me speechless!"

"Yeah, he never wants to speak properly and has to beat around the bush for some reason!"

"What an informal interview this is!"

"Haha, it's quite good that they're being informal. I like to watch Zhang Ye's teasing!"

At the recording studio.

Zhang Ya said in amusement, "Looks like you were also very surprised by this news."

Zhang Ye said, "Yes. I also read the netizens' comments and watched the reports on television. Honestly, you might not believe this. You thought you guys were surprised? I was even more surprised than all of you. Such an unpopular person like me in the entertainment industry could actually push into the A-list overnight? If you were me, would you believe it?"

Zhang Ya smiled and said, "If I were you, I wouldn't believe it either."

"That's right." Zhang Ye said, "My feelings right now are the same. That's why I really want to ask about something. Are you sure that there hasn't been a mistake?"

Zhang Ya smiled pleasantly and said, "We're sure."

Zhang Ye suddenly sat up straight and said with a smile, "Then that's great, I can finally straighten my back. I didn't dare sit up straight since I entered the recording studio as I was feeling guilty. I was afraid that someone would suddenly come in and drag me off in the middle of the broadcast, saying that there had been a mistake."

Zhang Ya laughed again for a long time.

One question.

Two questions.

Three questions.

Zhang Ya asked the questions while Zhang Ye answered them, occasionally bantering.

Very soon, the ten-minute duration was almost up.

Zhang Ya received the time update by the technical director over her headset and said, "Since the moment you debuted, you seemed like you couldn't fit in with this world and never got along with your industry peers. Up to now, despite all the doubting voices against you, you've endured and kept walking toward the stage of an A-list celebrity. I'm actually very impressed by that." Pausing, she added, "So, since we're coming to the end of our interview, do you have anything else to say to our audience? Or something you'd like to express? I'll leave the rest of the time to you."

It's already time for the closing remarks?

What should he say?

What should he express?

Zhang Ye suddenly thought of himself being in this other world and remembered his choice of choosing this path filled with disaster. He suddenly had some mixed feelings and for the first time, he organized his thoughts about his life and the situations he encountered. When he first came to this unfamiliar world, he went through many situations that forced him into silence; made him humble; left him disappointed; needed him to be brave; infuriated him; set him against the heavens; set him against the earth; and set him against other men. He had really been through a lot.

He truly had something he wished to say.

Hence, Zhang Ye turned to the camera and "looked" at all the viewers watching their televisions and uttered softly:

"I'm unfamiliar with this world.

"But this isn't the cause of my silence.

"I still have a lot of questions

"about the south, my roots, hope, and about distance."

Zhang Ya was stunned!

"I'm unfamiliar with this world.

"But this isn't the cause of my despair.

"I still have a lot of passion

"for division, death, yesterday, and solitude."

This…

Listening to this, the viewers watching their televisions were all stunned!

Zhang Ye smiled and said:

"I'm unfamiliar with this world.

"But this isn't the cause of my deceit.

"I still have a lot of candor

"I can't do without, or let go; yet lives, and loves."

Zhang Ye smile slowly faded as he gently went on:

"I'm unfamiliar with this world.

"But this isn't the cause of my 'loneness.

"I still have a lot to demand:

"I need comfort; to share, get upset, and tell you."

...

At home.

His parents were watching the television in shock.

When Chenchen—who was playing with her cell phone—heard Zhang Ye's voice, she also raised her head to look for the first time.

Zhang Ye's voice sounded like it came from afar, yet it felt very near.

"I'm unfamiliar with this world.

"But this isn't the cause of my coldness.

"I still have a lot of feelings

"for time, the white clouds, the night, and for destiny."

...

At a villa.

Chen Guang's home.

"I'm unfamiliar with this world.

"But this isn't the cause of my shirking.

"I still have a lot I long for:

"my dreams, memories, my failures, and desires."

Chen Guang and Fan Wenli looked at each other as they listened to Zhang Ye's voice. For some reason, they suddenly felt very touched and were full of admiration for him!

Good.

This poem was really good!

...

Somewhere in Beijing.

Zhang Yuanqi's home.

Zhang Yuanqi and her manager, Fang Weihong, were watching Zhang Ye on TV. The two of them were chatting and munching on sunflower seeds a while ago, but had suddenly turned quiet for some reason.

"I'm unfamiliar with this world.

"But this isn't the cause of my weakness.

"I still have a lot of courage,

"renouncing loss, the gods, the Heavens, and the Earth."

Renouncing the Heavens?

Renouncing the Earth?

...

Wu Zeqing's home.

Zhang Ye's deep voice resounded through the house.

"I'm unfamiliar with this world.

"But this isn't the cause of my sorrow.

"I still have a lot of delight:

"I have my being, worth, uniqueness, and meaning."

...

At Central TV Department 14.

People like Ha Qiqi, Zhang Zuo, Yan Tianfei's secretary, and others who were waiting for Zhang Ye in their office said nothing and just stared straight at the figure speaking on TV.

"I'm unfamiliar with this world.

"But this isn't the cause of my turmoil.

"I still have a lot of angles

"to move forward, look back, to leap, and stop to rest."

...

At this moment.

Thousands and thousands of viewers were staring at their televisions, listening in silence to Zhang Ye's life.

"I'm unfamiliar with this world.

"But this isn't the cause of my splitting.

"I still have a lot of wholeness,

"at the least, I must fulfill myself."

About to recite the last stanza, Zhang Ye smiled again.

"I'm unfamiliar with this world.

"But this isn't the cause of my selection to die or to live.

"I still have a lot of choices;

"By chance, of these two, neither of them were options."

He finished reciting.

Zhang Ya was listening to him with rapt attention.

At last, Zhang Ye smiled at the camera and host before saying, "That is all, thank you."

The time was up.

The live broadcast signal was cut.

Zhang Ye got up to leave but suddenly heard applause coming from around him!

Zhang Ya stood up and started slowly clapping her hands.

A few of the technical directors in the studio also came to their senses and applauded loudly for Zhang Ye!

Everyone was dumbfounded by what they'd heard!

They believed that these lines were definitely not prepared by Zhang Ye beforehand!

That was why they were so dumbfounded by what they heard! As a result, they were clapping their hardest for him, even forgetting about the conflict that existed between him and Central TV!

Zhang Ye smiled and said, "Thank you."

Zhang Ya was very touched and felt a mix of emotions. She said, "Teacher Zhang, I've met a lot of people and celebrities before, and heard a lot about their life experiences as well. But I feel that you are the most wonderful person amongst them."

Was it wonderful?

It probably was.

Zhang Ye flashed a smile but did not say anything. That was because he did not know how to respond to her. There were too many things that he could not say, not even to his own family. In this world, only Zhang Ye alone knew that he was…truly unfamiliar with this world! He did not belong to this world at all!

But there was something he would not waver on.

He would continue to walk down this path without stopping, until he reached the highest point of this unfamiliar world!

Original Text with Pinyin

"我和这个世界不熟."

"Wǒ hé zhège shìjiè bù shú."

"这并非是我安静的原因."

"Zhè bìngfēi shì wǒānjìng de yuányīn."

"我依旧有很多问题."

"Wǒ yījiù yǒu hěnduō wèntí."

"问南方,问故里,问希望,问距离."

"Wèn nánfāng, wèn gùlǐ, wèn xīwàng, wèn jùlí."

"我和这个世界不熟."

"Wǒ hé zhège shìjiè bù shú."

"这并非是我绝望的原因."

"Zhè bìngfēi shì wǒ juéwàng de yuányīn."

"我依旧有很多热情."

"Wǒ yījiù yǒu hěnduō rèqíng."

"给分开,给死亡,给昨天,给安寂."

"Gěi fēnkāi, gěi sǐwáng, gěi zuótiān, gěi ān jì."

"我和这个世界不熟."

"Wǒ hé zhège shìjiè bù shú."

"这并非是我虚假的原因."

"Zhè bìngfēi shì wǒ xūjiǎ de yuányīn."

"我依旧有很多真诚."

"Wǒ yījiù yǒu hěnduō zhēnchéng."

"离不开,放不下,活下去,爱得起."

"Lì bù kāi, fàng bùxià, huó xiàqù, ài dé qǐ."

"我和这个世界不熟."

"Wǒ hé zhège shìjiè bù shú."

"这并非是我孤寂的原因."

"Zhè bìngfēi shì wǒ gūjì de yuányīn."

"我依旧有很多诉求."

"Wǒ yījiù yǒu hěnduō sùqiú."

"需慰藉,待分享,惹心烦,告诉你."

"Xū wèijí, dài fēnxiǎng, rě xīnfán, gàosù nǐ."

"我和这个世界不熟."

"Wǒ hé zhège shìjiè bù shú."

"这并非是我冷漠的原因."

"Zhè bìngfēi shì wǒ lěngmò de yuányīn."

"我依旧有很多动情."

"Wǒ yījiù yǒu hěnduō dòngqíng."

"为时间,为白云,为天黑,为天命."

"Wéi shíjiān, wèi báiyún, wéi tiān hēi, wéi tiānmìng."

"我和这个世界不熟."

"Wǒ hé zhège shìjiè bù shú."

"这并非是我逃避的原因."

"Zhè bìngfēi shì wǒ táobì de yuányīn."

"我依旧有很多憧憬."

"Wǒ yījiù yǒu hěnduō chōngjǐng."

"对梦想,对记忆,对失败,对希冀."

"Duì mèngxiǎng, duì jìyì, duì shībài, duì xījì."

"我和这个世界不熟."

"Wǒ hé zhège shìjiè bù shú."

"这并非是我卑微的原因."

"Zhè bìngfēi shì wǒ bēiwéi de yuányīn."

"我依旧有很多勇敢."

"Wǒ yījiù yǒu hěnduō yǒnggǎn."

"不信输,不信神,不信天,不信地."

"Bùxìn shū, bùxìn shén, bùxìn tiān, bùxìn de."

"我和这个世界不熟."

"Wǒ hé zhège shìjiè bù shú."

"这并非是我失落的原因."

"Zhè bìngfēi shì wǒ shīluò de yuányīn."

"我依旧有很多高昂."

"Wǒ yījiù yǒu hěnduō gāo'áng."

"有存在,有价值,有独特,有意义."

"Yǒu cúnzài, yǒu jiàzhí, yǒu dútè, yǒu yìyì."

"我和这个世界不熟."

"Wǒ hé zhège shìjiè bù shú."

"这并非是我迷茫的原因."

"Zhè bìngfēi shì wǒ mímáng de yuányīn."

"我依旧有很多方向."

"Wǒ yījiù yǒu hěnduō fāngxiàng."

"往前走,回头望,会跳跃,会停息."

"Wǎng qián zǒu, huítóu wàng, huì tiàoyuè, huì tíngxī."

"我和这个世界不熟."

"Wǒ hé zhège shìjiè bù shú."

"这并非是我撕裂的原因."

"Zhè bìngfēi shì wǒ sī liè de yuányīn."

"我依旧有很多完整."

"Wǒ yījiù yǒu hěnduō wánzhěng."

"至少,我要成全我自己."

"Zhìshǎo, wǒ yào chéngquán wǒ zìjǐ."

"我和这个世界不熟."

"Wǒ hé zhège shìjiè bù shú."

"这并非是我选择死亡或者生存的原因."

"Zhè bìngfēi shì wǒ xuǎnzé sǐwáng huòzhě shēngcún de yuányīn."

"我依旧有很多选择."

"Wǒ yījiù yǒu hěnduō xuǎnzé."

"刚巧,这两者,都不是选项之一."

"Gāngqiǎo, zhè liǎng zhě, dōu bùshì xuǎnxiàng zhī yī."

Report chapter Comments

Chapter 907: The battle for the A-list rankings!

Translator: Legge Editor: Legge

At Central TV.

After Zhang Ye came out of Central TV Live News, he saw Ha Qiqi, Zhang Zuo, and the others already waiting outside for him.

When they saw Zhang Ye, everyone congregated around him.

Zhang Zuo said, "Director Zhang, I was caught in a traffic jam on the way here. Congratulations!"

Zhang Ye smiled and said, "Thank you."

Wu Yi hurriedly said, "We watched your live interview just now at the office. You did really well!"

"That poem was really good!" Ha Qiqi sighed.

Little Wang even said, "Director Zhang, I nearly cried listening to that poem!"

Zhang Ye looked at his assistant and said in amusement, "Aren't you a little too easily moved?"

Department 14's Huang Dandan replied, "It's not because we're easily moved, but that the poem was truly touching!"

Zhang Ye smiled and said, "Alright, let's head off now. I'll be treating everyone to lunch. Let me call Director Yan to see if he has time to join us. We should all have a get-together."

But Zhang Zuo suggested, "Director Zhang, if it's a hassle, we can skip the get-together today. I think you should still have some matters to attend to for now. Who knows when the previous A-lister, Li Yu, might catch up to you again?"

Little Wang, realizing the situation, agreed, "Yeah, that's true!"

Tong Fu said, "I just checked. Your popularity score and Li Yu's popularity score are pretty close!"

Ha Qiqi considered for a moment before saying, "Director Zhang, let's just skip today's meal and take a rain check. There'll be plenty of opportunities for a get-together later. Now that Li Yu has been nudged down to the B-list, he's sure to take action. He definitely won't do nothing and there might still be a popularity battle to fight tonight, so you should be careful."

Zhang Ye smiled and said, "Let's go. We should just do whatever we want to do. If I get nudged back down, there's nothing I can do about it. If it's mine, it's mine. I can't force the situation either."

"I'm Unfamiliar with this World," the poem he had just recited, was thought to have originated from Bei Dao. But after some verification, it seemed like it wasn't Bei Dao's work at all. It was more likely that it was just a fan's pastiche instead. As for who the original poet of this poem was, Zhang Ye couldn't figure it out either. He loved this poem regardless, but had never been able to find a suitable occasion to bring it out. However, he was able to fulfill that wish today and that made Zhang Ye feel like he was finally freed! He was like an alcoholic who had not had a drink in a month and was able to finally grab a bottle of Erguotou to drink to his heart's content. As such, he felt like he had been set free from his chains, and at this moment did not really care about that battle for the A-list spot.

He would just do whatever needed to be done.

And say whatever needed to be said.

And after that? Whatever goes!

...

On Weibo.

A lot of netizens were crying out and clamoring!

"I like this poem so much!"

"That's right! I really like it!"

"Why did the live interview end so quickly? Zhang Ye, say a few more words!"

"Central TV News Channel didn't allocate much time to Zhang Ye at all!"

"If Teacher Zhang were to come up with such poems every day, how great would that be!"

"I'm unfamiliar with this world. / But this isn't the cause of my weakness. / I still have a lot of courage, / renouncing loss, the gods, the Heavens, and the Earth."

"I was really touched! I was really touched by this!"

"This poem is absolutely the best!"

"The poem was really wonderful, but the key is that Zhang Ye's life is wonderful in the first place!"

"That's right. If this poem were recited by someone else, it would never have brought about the impact on me like it did when Zhang Ye recited it! Because this poem is talking about Zhang Ye and his life, so if it were any other? Who could have the same great of ups and downs like Zhang Ye has had in his lifetime? Zhang Ye's path in the entertainment industry was truly much harder than anyone else's! That he could journey to this point, I'm not the least bit surprised. No one knows more about determination than he does!"

"This poem is really awesome!"

"Teacher Zhang is really awesome!"

After "I'm Unfamiliar with this World" was broadcast live, it immediately began to set off a wave on the Internet. There were not a lot of people who forwarded this poem, because most of the netizens felt that if this poem were written text alone, it would be wholly unable to express the impact it had on them. As such, that short ten-minute interview on Central TV Live News was forwarded like crazy instead!

10,000!

50,000!

100,000!

The comments instantaneously filled up to the point of shooting through the roof!

...

Hong Kong.

Li Yu's personal studio.

"Hurry up!"

"Send them a reminder again!"

"We must get this taken care of by today! There's no time left!"

"If we don't hit back today, our chances of getting back onto the A-list will only get slimmer and slimmer!"

"Teacher Li, we have already communicated with our partners in mainland China. Regarding the micro movie, 'The Shooting,' that you took part in last month, they've agreed to move the release date to today!"[1.]

"Very good!"

"That's great! We've finally got that settled!"

"There won't be a problem then!"

"We'll definitely regain the A-list spot tonight!"

"Right!"

"That's right!"

"Let's go! Everyone, let's put in our best efforts!"

Li Yu was a celebrity active in the Greater China region. He was a well-known actor and a Cantonese singer. He had debuted for over a decade already and had even received a prestigious domestic film award for best supporting actor. Of course, Li Yu was still best known for his singing. His popularity in Hong Kong was practically unmatched and he'd released over a dozen albums. Almost half of the songs he had released were well-known tunes that everyone could hum along to. He also had the title of "Little Singing God." The once big shot A-lister had ruled the A-list Celebrity Rankings for many years, even though he had not been able to break through any further in both the acting and singing fields. Thus, he just kept circling around at the bottom of the rankings, but had never dropped off from the A-list rankings before!

But today, Li Yu had been replaced in his A-list spot by Zhang Ye. His team was suddenly coveting the return of the position!

This was a battle!

A battle of life and death!

It was a battle for honor!

...

2 o'clock in the afternoon.

The long promoted micro movie "The Shooting" was unexpectedly released in advance. It even premiered first on the Internet through an online video hosting site and was free to watch!

This was a sequel to one of Li Yu's previous movies!

It was also Li Yu and his company's way of testing the waters of the micro movie art form!

It was suddenly getting lively on the Internet!

"Heavens!"

"They're premiering the micro movie so soon?"

"That's great! I'll go and have a watch!"

"I like Li Yu!"

"A veteran A-list celebrity's strength is definitely not something that a person like Zhang Ye who only knows how to scold people every day can match!"

"They're contending with each other already?"

"Li Yu and Zhang Ye have sounded the gong for their popularity battle!"

"'The Shot' was a classic! So the sequel is definitely a must-watch!"

"Zhang Ye's in danger now!"

"Yeah, Teacher Li's team has made their move!"

Many of the Greater China citizens were practically in full support of Li Yu.

"Who is Zhang Ye?"

"I don't know, I've never heard of him before!"

"I only recognize Teacher Li Yu as an A-list celebrity!"

"Tonight, the outcome will be decided!"

"Teacher Li, go for it!"

The entire entertainment industry was watching!

From a subjective perspective, there was no such thing as a higher or lower art form. Some people might like this celebrity, while the others might prefer that celebrity; this was very normal behavior. But objectively, Zhang Ye and Li Yu were actually two very different types of celebrities. Alright, actually Zhang Ye's style was basically just different from everyone else and he had always been a unique one. Zhang Ye's current popularity score on the popularity rankings was just a little higher than Li Yu's, almost to the point of being negligible. The two's overall popularities were nearly identical, with Li Yu being much more popular in the Greater China region, while Zhang Ye was ahead in mainland China. Therefore, if they started contending, it would be very difficult to say who the eventual winner would be.

The micro movie was released and only ran for 31 minutes.

But the moment it was released, the reviews online were extremely good!

"It's really quite good!"

"Ahhh, it was great!"

"Li Yu is so handsome! My idol!"

"It's indeed a classic! It continued the high quality of 'The Shot'!"

"It's such a good watch!"

"Recommending it! Recommending it with everything I've got!"

"The ending really deserves praise! What a turnaround!"

"Hahahaha, Teacher Li is going to return to the A-list!"

"Yeah, I have a feeling that might be so!"

The views on the micro movie climbed at a very fast rate and it was trending highly as well!

Last but not least, a lot of Li Yu's good friends who were also big shot celebrities in Greater China came to support him too. They all rallied behind him and helped promote his new film, "The Shooting"!

With that, there were even more people who went to watch it!

"Wow, so many celebrities have appeared for Teacher Li?"

"Teacher Li has a really good network!"

"Much better than Zhang Ye's!"

"Pfft, thanks, Captain Obvious. You can randomly pick any celebrity in the entertainment industry and I'm sure their network will be better than Zhang Ye's!"

"Zhang Ye's position is now up in the air!"

"Yeah, the A-list will be changing again!"

...

At a restaurant in the vicinity of Central TV.

In the restaurant's private suite.

Little Wang was getting anxious. "What are we gonna do! What are we gonna do!"

Huang Dandan was also anxious about the situation. "Why was Li Yu's micro movie released ahead of time?"

"They must have done it to compete with Director Zhang!" Wu Yi said.

Central TV Documentary Channel's Director Yan Tianfei suggested, "Little Zhang, why don't you go back first? We're almost done eating anyway, so maybe you should get back to work?"

Zhang Ye smiled and said, "No need, let's continue eating."

Yan Tianfei's secretary said anxiously, "You're acting way too calm."

Zhang Ye threw up his hands and said, "Didn't Central TV Live News interview me just now?"

The secretary said in a speechless manner, "That was just a ten-minute live interview. Besides, you only recited a poem. How do you expect that to be able to compare to a movie by an A-list celebrity from Greater China?"

...

Li Yu's studio.

The team members were nervous and busy with their work. There was even someone who was tracking Zhang Ye's Weibo and followed any news regarding him so that they would be able to take countermeasures if he took action.

Then, an hour passed. Followed by two more hours.

But Zhang Ye didn't move a muscle, doing absolutely nothing!

"What's going on?"

"Zhang Ye did not post anything?"

"No!"

"He did not do any promotions?"

"No!"

"How can his team's public relations be so bad?"

"Sis Xu, I heard that Zhang Ye does not have a team!"

"Ah?"

"He doesn't even have a manager!"

"Ah? Why didn't his management agency assign one to him?"

"He, he doesn't have an agency either!"

"What?"

"That's how it is."

"—Are you serious?"

"Yeah, everyone in mainland China's entertainment industry knows about this!"

"No agency? And not even a team or a manager? Then how did he get all the way into the A-list? Did he fly up there? Never mind him, we're almost definitely going to get our spot back! He just appeared on Central TV Live News for an interview and recited a…cryptic poem? Then he better forget about contending with us anymore!"

"That's right!"

A lot of the people here did not really understand modern poetry, so they used the word "cryptic" to describe the poem.

...

Goof Group.

The messages kept popping up in the chat group.

Chen Guang said excitedly: "The battle has begun!"

Huo Dongfang: "@LiYu @ZhangYe Are you two online?"

There was no response from Zhang Ye. He wasn't online.

But the seldom online Li Yu actually appeared this time. He was also one of the participants of this group. "Old Huo, looking for me?"

Huo Dongfang: "Yu-zai, long time no see."[2.]

Li Yu: "I've been very busy lately, so I haven't released any new works in a while. And since I dropped off the A-list, I had to quickly get my micro movie released in advance."

Fan Wenli: "The micro movie is quite good. I've already watched it twice."

Li Yu: "Thanks, Wenli."

Ning Lan was also online. "Yu-zai, you're really unlucky to have met with Zhang Ye this time."

Li Yu said: "I know about Zhang Ye, he's very popular in mainland China."

Xiaodong appeared too. "Both of you, do your best."

Ning Lan asked: "Let's hold a poll. Who does everyone think will win today?"

Xiaodong: "I know both Teacher Zhang and Teacher Li, so I'll abstain."

Huo Dongfang: "I'll stick with Yu-zai. After all, he's brought out his micro movie as his ace in the hole!"

Fan Wenli added: "Yeah, especially when it's the sequel to the classic movie, 'The Shot.'"

Chen Guang said: "Director Zhang's on thin ice."

Ning Lan laughed: "Yu-zai, I believe in you too." Then she wondered: "But why is Zhang Ye not taking any action? He went completely quiet after the live interview? And only recited a poem on it?"

The people in the chat group were all chiming in with their opinions.

Most of the people still believed that Li Yu would be able to reverse the situation today.

But at this moment, Zhang Yuanqi actually made a rare appearance in the chat group. "Don't underestimate his poems. They have always been one of Zhang Ye's most powerful weapons!"

"Yo, Sister Zhang!"

"You think Zhang Ye can maintain his ranking?"

"Zhang Ye's poems might be powerful, but after all is said and done, they're not mainstream."

"Yeah, no matter what, a micro movie is still a movie. It's the most mass-marketed and mainstream art form that the people would have no reason to reject."

...

At night.

With great anticipation, midnight arrived!

The latest Celebrity Rankings Index had been updated!

But when everyone from the entertainment circle and the citizens saw the rankings, the results caught a large portion of them by surprise. Some people even had their jaws drop as they stared at the rankings!

There were no changes to the list!

The two of them had an increase in their popularity scores!

But Zhang Ye was still on the A-list while Li Yu was still on the B-list. Furthermore, the previous popularity score difference in the tens of thousands had now been stretched by a bit more, to a difference of almost a hundred thousand points!

This outcome greatly shocked many people!

How could this be?

Why was it like this?

Report chapter Comments

Chapter 908: What do I know of determination? All I rely upon is stubborn endurance!

Translator: Legge Editor: Legge

Li Yu's studio.

Everyone was still working overtime despite it already being midnight. They'd all stayed behind because they wanted to witness Teacher Li Yu's reascendance to the A-list. They felt that it was because their team and Teacher Li Yu had underestimated Zhang Ye all along that it led to them slipping up and him leapfrogging into the A-list rankings and taking Li Yu's position. They thought it was their mistake! So today, they became serious and paid close attention to their objective. They did all they could, even messing up their future work arrangements. They brought out their ace in the hole, releasing "The Shooting" ahead of its original schedule. They thought they had everything covered!

Yet reality had given them a great big slap!

The rankings did not change!

In fact, the popularity scores had even widened by a bit more!

The studio manager said in shock, "Why?"

Li Yu's manager was so angry that his hands were trembling. "This is impossible!"

"Teacher Li, he…"

"Why was he still unable to catch up?"

"This…this…"

"Could there have been a mistake in the calculation?"

Everyone in the studio was unable to accept this outcome!

Including Li Yu himself, who sat there in shock for a very long while.

...

Online.

The netizens were also very surprised!

"Zhang Ye won?"

"Damn, he won just like that?"

"Just how on earth did Teacher Zhang do it?"

"Li Yu even released the micro movie he starred in! But as for Zhang Ye? What did Zhang Ye do? He only recited a poem on Central TV Live News?"

"This result is too surprising!"

"Fuck, I never expected this either!"

"Teacher Zhang's popularity has already reached such a state?"

"He could actually use a poem to beat a movie?"

"This is too goddamn barbaric!"

...

The people from the literary world were also shocked by this fact!

Just a poem, and it was just a simple modern poem, but it could actually fucking stand up to the popularity of a movie? Even if it was a micro movie, it was still a movie! It was still the sequel to a classic movie that had earned over a hundred million RMB at the box office! That achievement in itself would have contributed a lot to the popularity scores! But it still wasn't enough to finish off Zhang Ye? It couldn't even finish off a poem of Zhang Ye's?

Damn!

Since when did modern poetry have such a strong influence on people?

Why were the poems composed by the people from the Writer's Association not as powerful then?!

A lot of the literary world members were very perplexed by this, especially the poets. They almost vomited blood, thinking that comparison always ended up torturing people indeed!

Zhang Ye wrote poems.

They also wrote poems.

But why was the attitude toward it and its influence on people on a totally different level!?

...

The people from the entertainment industry were trembling in fear!

"Why?"

"Why didn't Yu-zai move up in the rankings?"

"That doesn't make any sense!"

"That micro movie was really good too!"

"Yeah, it was wonderful! So why didn't…"

...

Only Zhang Ye's friends and family were heaving sighs of relief.

At home, Ha Qiqi didn't whether to laugh or cry. "I got scared and worried for Director Zhang for nothing!"

When Zhang Zuo, who had gone to a bar with an old classmate, saw the results, he roared with laughter thrice. In his state of happiness, he toasted himself and chugged his drink before wiping his mouth and saying, "So it was because Director Zhang already knew how it would end!"

Several of his classmates started conversing.

"I really envy you."

"Out of our group of classmates, you're the only one who is doing rather well now."

"Zhang Ye is really great!"

"Yeah, I love him!"

Having had a few drinks, Zhang Zuo was also more talkative. "It's all because of Director Zhang that I'm doing as well as I am now. If it weren't for him bringing together our team, I wonder which TV station I'd have ended up at as someone's assistant. How could I have possibly become an assistant director of the number one team in the industry? You guys don't know this, but Director Zhang is truly capable and also a very loyal person to his friends! In my thirty-some years of life, I admire only him, really!"

"Now that Zhang Ye is an A-lister, it would only get better for you guys in the future!"

"Yeah, Zhang Ye can consider himself solidified on the A-list now!"

Zhang Zuo downed another glass before excitedly proclaiming in a slurred voice, "A-list, ma ass! We're gonna head for the S-list from here! Towards da international S-list! We'll destroy whoever stands in our way. Fuck, we dun care who it is!"

...

In the Goof Group.

The results had been published.

Ning Lan: "What do you guys think of this?"

Xiaodong sent a wry smile emoji. "What do I think of this? Well, I think Teacher Zhang Ye is completely out of the ordinary! I'm not young anymore and debuted many years ago, but this is the first time I've witnessed someone use the influence of a poem to combat the popularity of a movie! And…it even won!?"

Huo Dongfang: "I'm afraid that Yu-zai might not have a chance to regain his place in the A-list rankings in the short term. Zhang Ye has firmly established himself there. I guess Sister Zhang does have a good eye for detail."

A B-list actor suddenly appeared. "He only recited a poem? That's really amazing! Hai, when will I get the chance to achieve what he did with such flamboyance?! But I've really got to admit that sometimes, I'm really quite envious of Teacher Zhang Ye!"

At this time, yet another big shot A-list celebrity who was rarely seen online appeared and simply said: "A-list celebrities, do take care. The wolf is here!"

The wolf is here?

Yes, a wolf had really entered the mix of the A-list celebrities now!

And from a certain perspective, those words represented many of these heavyweight celebrities' acknowledgment of Zhang Ye as an A-list celebrity for the first time ever!

...

The next day.

The news was published.

"Zhang Ye establishes his place in the A-list rankings!"

"Li Yu regrettably defeated!"

"I'm Unfamiliar with this World: Possibly one of most representative works of Zhang Ye!"

"Using a poem to subvert the entire entertainment industry's understanding of what is mainstream and what is not!"

"A niche work that can turn the world upside down—Zhang Ye has done it!"

"The brewing of a literary miracle!"

"From today onward, no one would dare claim, 'There is no place for literature at the top of the entertainment industry'!"

In the morning, Zhang Ye began inviting guests over.

At noon, he invited his relatives over for lunch. At night, he brought his old colleagues from Beijing Television and the new friends he made from Beijing Television's Spring Festival Gala out for dinner. Later in the night, he bought rounds for Zhang Xia, Chen Guang, Fan Wenli, and a bunch of other friends.

It was the same the next day.

And the day after next.

Zhang Ye had treated all of his close friends and relatives to meals and drinks. To him, he felt that the reason he could stand here today was because of all their help and support. Now that he had finally established his place in the A-list, he definitely had to hold a feast to give them his thorough thanks, as well as celebrate his own achievements.

He drank continuously for a few days in a row.

He treated all those who deserved it and thanked those who he was supposed to thank.

On this day, Zhang Ye began to slow down and relax. He checked his Weibo and saw many comments left for him by his fans on his blog or within Weibo directly.

"Teacher Zhang, my sincerest congratulations to you!"

"We will walk with you all the way!"

"Teacher Zhang Ye, your determination has given me strength!"

"Yeah, you're the celebrity I admire most of all. From you, I have learned so many things. I want to continue learning from you and stay determined on my chosen career path by enduring all the way until the end!"

When Zhang Ye saw that, he thought for a moment before he started to type out a long passage of thankful words. "To my fans, and also to those who have ever helped me out before: Thank you, everyone. Those are the words I've wanted to say for a long time now, and it seems that I've said it many times before too. But as all of you know, which I believe that you all do, every time I say those words that have been repeated so many times, it has always come from the bottom of my heart. I am not great, nor am I excellent. I seek fame and wealth, I'm picky about what I eat, and also love to laze around. I do not have the great character and sentiments of my forebears; I'm not even worthy of being compared to them. All I am is just an ordinary citizen, an ordinary person like one you might pick out from the crowds on the street. Yes, that's right. That person you pick out might just be me. We're neither related by blood nor bond, and you won't find fame or wealth through me, but all of you have always supported me, fought alongside me, and scolded other people with me. You guys are the greatest. Really."

After typing that, Zhang Ye posted his message.

When a lot of the people saw this, they suddenly felt a tide of emotions surging within them!

"Teacher Zhang!"

"Teacher Zhang Ye!"

"Please don't say that!"

"We're not great!"

"Yeah, we just like you, that's all! We just like battling alongside you and scolding other people!"

A fledgling musician said: "Teacher Zhang, I wanted to give up several times during this journey of mine. But because of your greatness, your spirit, they made me gain the determination to stay on the path!"

Zhang Ye's fans were appearing all over the place!

Some of them were even tearing up!

Zhang Ye continued to type: "I have nothing that I can repay your kindness with, so all I can do is give everything that I've got, to cheer everyone up and make all of you happy to your satisfaction. Perhaps this might not be much, but it's the only thing I can do for all of you. You guys might not know this, but I'm not as determined as you guys think I am. I'm not the one who's encouraging you, I'm not the one giving strength to you. In fact, all of you are the ones who are encouraging me and giving me strength. Otherwise, I couldn't have traveled this far and stood here today."

He thought about the times when his leaders suppressed him.

He thought of the times when his peers scolded him.

He thought of the times when he was attacked by the netizens.

Then, he asked himself, "Determination?"

Zhang Ye forced a smile and typed out: "What do I know of determination? All I rely upon is stubborn endurance!"

When that was posted onto Weibo, silence ensued!

At this moment, Zhang Ye's fans went quiet!

The netizens who saw this Weibo post also stayed silent!

Chen Guang sighed.

Zhang Xia felt her heart get wrenched.

Ha Qiqi, Little Wang, and the others could also feel their heartstrings being pulled.

Zhang Ye's friends all experienced a heavy heart from these words that Zhang Ye had written.

In the past, when Zhang Ye was in front of his fans, friends, family, and the media, when had he not put up a brave front? He always acted like he wasn't going to be pushed around and was always full of energy! But today, Zhang Ye had shown the most helpless side of himself to them!

He had shocked many people!

But at the same time, moved many of them!

Suddenly, the fans started to voice themselves!

"Teacher Zhang, we will stubbornly endure together with you!"

"Right! We will always be by your side!"

"Let's stubbornly endure till the end!"

"We will fight it out with them all the way!"

Thousands of people!

Tens of thousands of people!

Hundreds of thousands of people!

Zhang Ye's fans were appearing from everywhere like crazy!

Some of the female fans even cried as they typed their responses!

"Stubbornly endure till the end!"

"Stubbornly endure till the end!"

"Stubbornly endure till the end!"

When he saw this, Zhang Ye was very touched. At that instant, he could feel his blood pumping and stirring within him. Unable to stop himself, he impulsively typed out on the keypad: "Don't worry. Even if the sky falls someday, I'll definitely be the last one to fall! Alright, for my journey from here on out, let us stubbornly endure together…till the end!"

Report chapter Comments

Chapter 909: The Pollution Problem!

Translator: Legge Editor: Legge

On the eighth day of the Spring Festival.

It was back to work again.

Perhaps due to the setting off of firecrackers during the festive period, the air quality was not too good. Zhang Ye put on a face mask that was specially used for filtering out fine particles and went off to work very early in the morning.

At Central TV.

The Spring Festival was actually not over yet. The Central TV staff who came to work were still in a festive mood, with some of them discussing how much New Year's money they had given out, some arranging to go out at night and have some drinks, and some others dragging their luggage to work. From the looks of that, they must've just gotten off the train that ran during the Spring Festival and transported passengers to Beijing.

Suddenly, someone looked over.

"Teacher Zhang?"

"Morning, Teacher Zhang."

"Congratulations, Teacher Zhang!"

"Congratulations!"

"Teacher Zhang, happy belated New Year. Hope you've had a good one so far."

"Congratulations on ascending to the A-list!"

A small group of people walked past Zhang Ye and greeted him.

Central TV News Channel's Zhang Ya was also walking over at this time. When she saw Zhang Ye, she smiled and waved at him.

Zhang Ye smiled and said, "Have a good New Year, too, thanks."

Actually, after Zhang Ye had sued Central TV and caused chaos at the annual staff party, whenever most people bumped into him at work, they would usually try to avoid him as much as possible. They didn't risk greeting or talking to him for fear of getting into trouble. But today, a lot of them were a lot more friendlier. This was due to Zhang Ye's status being different from before!

An A-list celebrity!

Of all the Central TV staff, how many were at least an A-list celebrity?

None!

Not a single one!

Zhang Ye was the one and only!

If this were during the time when Zhang Ye had just arrived at Central TV, he would just be considered one of the more popular hosts of Central TV and maybe one of the several pillars of Central TV. But now, being known as one of some was no longer relevant. Right now, he was the most popular host in Central TV and the pillar of the station! Although, it was unlikely that this pillar would be supporting Central TV much longer. Everyone within Central TV knew that Zhang Ye's contract with Central TV was going to end soon and that Central TV would definitely not be renewing his contract, nor would Zhang Ye be renewing it with them!

Upstairs.

Central TV Department 14.

The Documentary Channel.

Half the staff had already arrived at the office.

"Teacher Zhang!"

"Morning!"

"Teacher Zhang, Director Yan is looking for you. He asked for you to see him in his office after you arrived."

"OK." Zhang Ye waved in acknowledgment and put down his bag. Then he knocked on Yan Tianfei's door and entered, finding him sipping tea at the moment. "Director Yan, you were looking for me?"

Yan Tianfei sighed with pleasure. "This Da Hong Pao you gave me is delicious!"

Zhang Ye sat down and said generously, "Haha, I will bring more for you next time."

"Forget it, I can't afford to drink this tea." Yan Tianfei waved it off and put down his teacup. He then said with a smile, "After the new year fully passes, you'll almost be a free man."

Zhang Ye sighed and said, "Yeah, it's been quite quick."

Yan Tianfei laughed and said, "Yeah, pretty quick. It's almost been a year, eh? So, what are your future plans? What are you thinking of doing next? Will you still be working at a TV station?"

Zhang Ye shrugged. "I haven't actually thought about it."

Yan Tianfei asked, "You're an A-lister now, so aren't lots of people waiting at your door to try to recruit you? Don't you have any preferences for yourself?"

Zhang Ye shook his head and smiled. "I really don't have any. Anyway, it's still going to be awhile before my contract finally runs out, so I would like to use this period of time to rest up. After joining Central TV and up till now, I have not had any time for myself. Since there's no rush, I'll just rest and think about it along the way. When the time comes and my contract runs out, I'll decide it then."

Produce a show?

Host?

Sing?

Act?

Write novels?

He had too many options to choose from, making it difficult for him to decide what to do next.

Yan Tianfei nodded and said, "It's important to contemplate how you want to continue your journey. The competition is intense within the A-list. You could even describe it as brutal, so protecting your position there is considered a huge achievement. Moreover, you're thinking of going even further than this, which makes it even harder for you. I think that it's right for you to put some serious consideration into this."

After chatting for a while.

The secretary came in and said, "Director Yan, everyone has arrived."

Yan Tianfei looked at his watch and said, "Alright, tell everyone to gather in the meeting room."

In the meeting room.

Everyone from Department 14 was here.

The first thing Yan Tianfei announced was, "During the new year celebrations, Director Zhang treated us, but many you had gone back to your hometown at that time. Therefore, I would like to make use of this opportunity and have everyone give their congratulations to Director Zhang for getting promoted into the A-list!"

Applause thundered!

Everyone was excitedly clapping their hands!

"Director Zhang, congratulations!"

"Congratulations, Director Zhang!"

"You're amazing!"

"Yeah, when I found out about the news in my hometown, I was totally dumbfounded!"

"You've brought a lot of pride to our Documentary Channel again!"

Those colleagues who did not spend the new year in Beijing were all giving him their congratulations.

Zhang Ye laughed and said, "Director Yan, it was just a small thing. Why are you bringing it up at the meeting?"

Yan Tianfei laughed. "How many Central TV hosts have ever become A-listers? There's practically no one. Besides, you even achieved it while you were a part of Department 14, so how can that be a small thing?"

The meeting continued.

He gave a summary of last year's performance and very quickly summed up everything. Yan Tianfei was not one to drag things out. Soon, they were touching on the job assignments for the upcoming year. "With the new year, the pressure on our department to perform will be enormous. As everyone knows, Director Zhang will be leaving us soon." Saying that, Old Yan smiled and said, "But the legacy that he has left for us is much too great. Using a documentary, he ruled over the nationwide viewership ratings for two straight months. That has now become a source of pressure for us as well as our motivation, spurring us forward."

Everyone gave a wry smile at Zhang Ye. Yes, this hat was certainly too big for their heads and the results were too brilliant. In the future, after Zhang Ye left, what would they do? How could they shoot another documentary like A Bite of China? Thinking about if gave them with a splitting headache. But from a different perspective, this was a good thing. Since when had an unloved and uncared for documentary channel like them been able to attract so much attention from the audience? Essentially, Zhang Ye had helped them lay a strong foundation before he left so that their path ahead would be much smoother!

Yan Tianfei took out some documents and handed them to his secretary to pass out. "During the festive season, people set off firecrackers. It created a ton of smog everywhere. I've been coughing for several days and feeling bad because of that, but when I read some of the newspapers, they don't seem be placing any emphasis on new terms like PM readings and such. As a result, a lot of citizens are not conscious of the need to protect themselves against this. I've noticed that the only ones who wore a mask to work were Teacher Zhang and Little Huang, right?"[1.]

Huang Dandan coughed and said, "I've been having some breathing problems lately."

Next to her, her boyfriend, Tong Fu, gave her a cup of warm water. "Drink up."

Zhang Ye asked, "Is it serious?"

"Cough, cough…" Huang Dandan coughed several times again. "It's alright, it's just a slight cough. Maybe a cold."

Zhang Ye said, "The skies are getting smoggy, so everyone should wear a face mask."

Yan Tianfei said, "Director Zhang is right, we should all take precautions. I have a few friends who are experts in the related fields and they told me that this is a very serious problem that will cause great harm. Moreover, it's a slow-acting chronic harm, so why are the media and government not placing any importance on this problem? Whenever the issue of pollution is brought up, it only receives superficial mentions from them? There's too many concerns involved in this problem, like economic and societal factors that make it very complicated. Therefore, after some thinking, why shouldn't our Documentary Channel be the first to bring about the changes to this issue? We should create a documentary based on the pollution problem and bring the citizens' attention to it. We have to make the enterprises contributing to the issue panic and pressure the environmental departments to govern this with more regulations so that we can get rid of the pollution problem! What do you guys think about that?"

"That's good!"

"It'll work!"

"Whatever you say! We'll do it your way!"

"Right, please assign the tasks to us!"

Yan Tianfei said, "Alright, our Documentary Channel's first project this year has been decided. We'll set up a program team and collect data, conduct interviews, and film onsite. As for the documentary's executive director…hmm, let me think about who will be the most suitable for the role."

Zhang Ye was amused. "Director Yan, are you already excluding me?"

Yan Tianfei looked at him and said, "I of course know that you're the most suitable for the role, but your contract will be up soon and I can't possibly hold you back from leaving, can I?"

Zhang Ye bluntly said, "Each day that I'm still at the Documentary Channel, I will keep working. I will leave only after I leave. Besides, I would also like to make this documentary investigating the pollution problem. I already have an idea in mind for it. I'm not going to ask for the role of the executive director, because I think either Old Ha or Zhang Zuo are more suitable for it. So just let me be in charge of the planning for the documentary."

Yan Tianfei considered this for a moment before saying, "Alright! That's fine!"

...

The meeting ended.

Ha Qiqi and Zhang Zuo came looking for him.

Zhang Zuo said helplessly, "Director Zhang, if you're not leading the team, how can we film this?"

"Yeah." Ha Qiqi added meekly, "The two of us have always worked under you. We can't handle the role of executive director."

Zhang Ye replied, "When it comes to work experience, the two of you are better than me, so why can't you do it? I'll be leaving soon, and I don't even know if that will be before or after this documentary is completed, so of course it has to be one of you who takes the role, haha. Besides, I was thinking of taking some days off to rest at home for a while and relax, so the interview and filming here can only be overseen by you two. Don't worry, I'll draft an outline of the interviews and shoot to let you two have a guideline on what to do. Just follow it and you'll be fine. If you really encounter something that you can't handle, or you can't find a suitable candidate for the interviews, just wait for me to come back after my break and I'll help out with that!"

Only then did Zhang Zuo finally smile. "Sure. With you saying that, I can feel relieved."

Zhang Ye said, "Don't worry, I won't refuse to work. The outline will definitely be drafted by the end of the day."

The two of them left.

Zhang Ye's assistant, Little Wang, brought in a cup of hot tea for him then went back out.

Zhang Ye, now alone in the office, picked up a pen and closed his eyes to think for a long time. Finally, he started scribbling on the piece of paper!

A documentary on the pollution problem?

The first thing he thought of was that documentary film by Chai Jing that caused a great deal of controversy across the nation, the famous Under the Dome: Chai Jing's Documentary on Air Pollution in China! It was also the first documentary in his previous world that brought such large-scale concern of the fearful problem of pollution to the attention of the citizens. It was the highly influential and controversial missing piece to the understanding of this subject.[2.]

Naturally, Zhang Ye had to use it as his reference for the new documentary.

He spent the entire day cooped up in his office to finish drafting the outline of the documentary!

Report chapter Comments

Chapter 910: The Landlady Auntie's whereabouts!

Translator: Legge Editor: Legge

The next day.

He happily slept in until it he woke up naturally. Since the outline of the documentary on air pollution was already given to the staff, Zhang Ye did not bother with the rest of the production or how they were going to shoot it. He had already applied for some time off and was preparing to sleep well. He did not wish to do anything at all in the coming few days.

His mother was making breakfast.

His father was watching the morning news.

His mother asked, "Up already?"

Zhang Ye returned, "What are we having?"

His mother replied, "Buns. I steamed them myself."

Zhang Ye said, "OK, I'm gonna go out for a run first and eat when I come back."

His mother remarked, "Heh, you're quite hardworking, aren't you?"

Zhang Ye said, "It's just some exercises to build up my stamina and recharge myself."

His father inquired, "Didn't you take the week off? You might as well take a vacation and enjoy yourself."

Zhang Ye said, "That sounds good too. I'll think about it."

Outside.

Zhang Ye ran a long lap around Caishikou and found it not satisfying enough, so he ran another two laps and ended up at Guozixiang where he got recognized by someone at the bus stop. There were two girls shouting and yelling like they had gone crazy!

"Look, it's Zhang Ye!"

"Quick, come and take a look, it's Zhang Ye!"

"Heavens! It's really him!"

Zhang Ye quickly adjusted his sunglasses before running back the other way.

The two girls chased him with all their might as the crowd grew larger and larger. In the end, it turned into a pack with at least a dozen people "jogging" together behind Zhang Ye.

After becoming an A-list celebrity, Zhang Ye could clearly feel that the treatment he was receiving was totally different from when he was just a B-list celebrity. When he left work yesterday and was behind the wheel stopped at a traffic light, he nearly got surrounded by the people who recognized him.

After reaching home.

Zhang Ye was panting heavily. "Aiyo, I'm so exhausted!"

His father looked at him and asked, "What's the matter? Why did you run so hard?"

"Some people were chasing after me!" Zhang Ye quickly took a towel to wipe away his sweat and said, "Fortunately, this bro has been training and running from time to time over the past two years, or I would have really been surrounded by them!" Ever since he had learned Taiji Fist…alright, after eating the Taiji Fist Skill Books, he had gained a greater enthusiasm for training his body. At times, his training would be delayed when he got too busy with work. But once he had some free time, he would go for a run to keep himself active.

"Chenchen, get up and eat breakfast!" Zhang Ye went to her room to wake her up.

However, he found Chenchen still sleeping very soundly.

Suddenly, Zhang Ye's cell phone rang in the living room. He went out to check who it was from and saw that it was actually Rao Aimin calling him. He immediately answered and said angrily: "Old Rao, why was your cell phone switched off for the past few days?" He was very unhappy with Rao Aimin since he did not even address her as Big Sis Rao anymore, but instead directly addressed her as Old Rao!

At the other end, the landlady auntie's lazy voice spoke: "Where's Chenchen?"

Zhang Ye snapped: "She is still sleeping. I tried to wake her but she won't get up."

Rao Aimin said: "Uh, it's been hard on you, kid."

Zhang Ye chuckled: "You telling me that, are you? Did the sun rise from the west today?"

"And thank your parents on my behalf too," Rao Aimin added calmly.

Zhang Ye said: "Alright, don't talk about those useless things. When are you coming back? Before you left, you said that you would be back within the month, or at most be gone for an entire month. Just look at which day it is already! Which year it is already! Every month I called, you always said that you would be back soon, so where did you go to? It's already been more than six months!"

Rao Aimin answered: "It will be soon for real this time. I'll be back in Beijing in another two days."

Zhang Ye paused for a moment, then asked in bewilderment: "Did something happen to you?"

Rao Aimin said: "Just a minor matter."

"But why do I feel that something is not right?" Zhang Ye had already gotten used to Rao Aimin's venomous mouth which she would always use to deride him and not say anything nice the other times she had called. But what was wrong with her today? She acknowledged how it's been hard on me and even thanked me?

However, Rao Aimin sounded quite spirited. "I'm very good. In fact, I've never been better. Alright, I'm not going to chitchat with you any longer! I'll be back in at most another two days." However, Rao Aimin's next lines made Zhang Ye shudder with fear. "If I don't make it back, take good care of Chenchen. My houses at Jiaomen will all go to you. That's all, I'm hanging up now!"

"Eh, what do you mean by that? Hello? Don't hang up!"

The connection was severed!

Zhang Ye hurriedly called back but her cell phone was already switched off!

Dammit!

Don't make it back?

Take good care of Chenchen?

The houses will all go to me?

What's the meaning of all that!

Sensing something amiss, his mother quickly asked, "Was that Chenchen's aunt? What's wrong?"

Zhang Ye quickly whispered, "I don't know. She said she would be back in two days, but at the end of the call, she added that if she didn't make it back, her houses at Jiaomen would all go to me and requested that I take good care of Chenchen!"

His father was startled. "What happened?"

"Why…why would she not make it back?" His mother was also badly shocked and said, "Was she just kidding?"

His father immediately said, "Is she suffering from some illness? Did she go away to treat her illness for the past six months? Is she getting surgery?"

Zhang Ye immediately said, "Nonsense, I've never even seen her catch a cold. Even if I die twice from illness, she would still be alive!"

"Pui!" His mother said angrily, "Why are you saying such inauspicious things during the new year?! Why are you talking about dying!"

His father also said with worry, "Something serious must have happened to Chenchen's aunt!"

"It is definitely something big!" Zhang Ye said, "For a miser like Big Sis Rao who would even pick up a cent from the ground and wipe it clean before pocketing it, she is actually saying that she would leave me those dozens of small-sized apartments over at Jiaomen for free? Fuck! Something really serious must have certainly happened!"

His mother: "…"

His father: "…"

Zhang Ye quickly searched through his cell phone's contacts, saying, "That won't do, I have to ask around!"

If Rao Aimin had switched off her phone, then he would have to call up Old Rao's junior brother, Lu Yuhu who was working at the Ministry of Public Security.

However, when he called, that phone was also switched off.

What was happening?

What sort of situation was this?

He made another call to Director Dong of the Internet Surveillance Bureau, who was also the head of Big Saber Bro's—Fan Yingyun's—department. Back then, when Zhang Ye was sent to the police station after beating up Lee Anson at the Spring Festival Gala, it was Rao Aimin who got Lu Yuhu to contact the Internet Surveillance Bureau's Old Dong to let Zhang Ye seek refuge there.

Du, du. The call connected.

"Haha, Teacher Zhang, congratulations! You're an A-list celebrity!" Old Dong said.

Zhang Ye did not have time to thank him and immediately said: "Director Dong, can you contact Lu Yuhu?"

Old Dong was dumbfounded. "Why? Can't you get through to him?"

Zhang Ye said: "His cell phone is switched off!"

Old Dong sounded surprised and replied: "Alrighty then, I'll help you ask around."

Zhang Ye said: "Please help me ask around. I'm looking for him regarding some urgent matters!"

However, he received a call back a few minutes later.

Director Dong said: "Sorry, I was also unable to get through to him. Who knows where he might have gone for a mission again. Their Ministry of Public Security is constantly very busy with something!"

After hanging up, Zhang Ye couldn't help but let out a curse as he felt very anxious. Although the landlady auntie was very sharp-tongued, when he had just graduated from university and was without a job or money for food, it was Rao Aimin who helped him out. Now that she had suddenly left behind what was seemingly her last words, Zhang Ye's heart was thumping furiously in anxiety!

I don't really have any guts, so please don't scare me like that!

Where on earth did you go?

Finally, Zhang Ye went back into his room and closed the door behind him. Then he powered on his computer and hacked into the airport, the train ticketing system, the car rental stop, the cell phone service provider, and some other websites, hoping to check up on Rao Aimin's whereabouts. In his impulsiveness, Zhang Ye even hacked into the bank system to trace the balance of Rao Aimin, to see which city she had used her bank card at. Since Zhang Ye was the most wanted hacker with the highest bounty in the world, this action was extremely risky for him. Even so, Zhang Ye still could not find any information. It was not that his hacking skills were bad, but because a lot of the websites and access points were not under the same network. If he were to really check them one by one, it would be too much work for him to avoid all the firewalls and web security at any given time. If he really had to run an in-depth trace, it would take at least three to five days to track her down. Judging from Rao Aimin's tone, her event was definitely going to happen within the next two days!

What should he do?

What should he do?

Zhang Ye had no ideas left as he pushed open the bedroom door and scolded, "Where on earth did that Rao Aimin disappear t—" Before he finished, he quickly shut his mouth. "Chenchen, you're awake already?"

Chenchen looked at him. "What happened to my aunt?"

His mother quickly signaled to her son.

Zhang Ye just laughed it off and said, "It's nothing, it's nothing. Your aunt called just now and asked whether you did your homework and how your learning is progressing. I told her everything was good."

Chenchen could sense something was off as she stared at him and asked, "Where's my aunt?"

Zhang Ye stuttered, "She…will be back in another two days."

"Let's have breakfast!" His mother changed the topic as she smiled and said, "Come, Chenchen, taste the big buns that Grandma made and steamed."

His father picked up his chopsticks and gave a bun to Chenchen with a smile. "Try it. It's delicious."

Chenchen didn't move and simply stared unblinkingly at Zhang Ye. "Zhang Ye, where's my aunt?"

"Didn't I already tell you?" Zhang Ye forced a smile and said, "She'll be back very soon."

"Have some buns, Chenchen." His mother smiled and said, "They're going to turn cold."

Chenchen's expression sank and she jumped right out of the chair. She went over and tugged on Zhang Ye's arm, ordering, "Zhang Ye! Bring me along to find my aunt!"

This child was way too clever!

Zhang Ye said, "Stop making a fuss."

Chenchen shouted, "Zhang Ye! Zhang Ye!"

Zhang Ye tried to scare her. "I'll get angry if you keep making a fuss!"

Chenchen was not even listening as she continued pulling Zhang Ye's clothes at the direction of the door while yelling, "Zhang Ye! Bring me to find my aunt!"

This was the first time that Zhang Ye had seen Chenchen get so anxious!

When his mother saw this, she could no longer pretend and felt her heart wrench as she teared up!

Zhang Ye was also feeling a sense of uneasiness. "I would like to know where she is too. Where am I going to find her?!"

Chenchen's cries were getting louder and louder. "Zhang Ye! Bring me there!"

"I don't know where we can find her." Zhang Ye's heart softened the more he heard her cries.

Chenchen shouted, "Zhang Ye! Bring me along to find my aunt! Zhang Ye! Zhang Ye! Zhang Ye!" The child's voice was turning hoarse from all that shouting!

Thinking of Rao Aimin.

Looking at Chenchen.

Zhang Ye's heart was wrenching!

"Zhang Ye! Zhang Ye!"

Suddenly, Zhang Ye clenched his teeth and slapped his thigh. "Fuck! Alright! I'll bring you along to find her! Even if she is hiding in the Sahara Desert, I'll goddamn locate her!"

Chenchen was finally quiet.

"It wasn't easy for me to get a few days off, do you think I have it easy?!" Zhang Ye turned around and said to his parents, "Dad, Mom, I'm gonna be out for a few days!"

His mother asked anxiously, "Where on earth are you going to find her?"

Zhang Ye said exasperated, "God knows where! I'll think of a way!"

Report chapter CommentsI am Really a Superstar #Chapter 911: Searching for Rao Aimin! - Read I am Really a Superstar Chapter 911: Searching for Rao Aimin! Online - All Page - NOVEL NEXT

Chapter 911: Searching for Rao Aimin!

Translator: Legge Editor: Legge

Later that morning.

Zhang Ye packed his luggage while continuing to call.

The cell phones were switched off.

They were still switched off.

He could not get through to either Rao Aimin and Lu Yuhu!

If it were anyone else, Zhang Ye would not have been so worried. For example, people like Dong Shanshan and Zhang Yuanqi would basically not get into any big trouble. Even if they did meet with some problems, their lives were not likely going to be in any danger. Rather, it was easier for a highly skilled person like Rao Aimin to get into trouble because of her involvement with the Chinese martial arts world, which many talented people were a part of. Zhang Ye had seen Rao Aimin's martial arts before and they were really great. But as for how great her martial arts really were and what situation Rao Aimin—the Senior Sister of her generation in the Eight Trigrams School—was in, Zhang Ye basically had no clue whatsoever. He was not from that world after all.

Chenchen quickly finished breakfast.

His mother instructed repeatedly, "Be careful on the way and stay safe!"

"I understand, Grandma." Chenchen nodded.

His father also said, "Listen to Little Ye on the way and don't misbehave."

Zhang Ye added, "Right, you can come together with me, but before we go, let's make it clear that you must listen to me on all things. Otherwise, I won't bring you along, alright?"

Chenchen was especially obedient today. "I got it."

After packing. "Alright, let's go!"

His mother walked them out and said, "Come back quickly!"

His father said, "Go search for Chenchen's aunt thoroughly and make sure to bring her back!"

"I understand. Don't you two worry." Zhang Ye started the car and drove out from the district.

On the road.

Chenchen looked at him and asked, "Zhang Ye, where are we going to look for her?"

Zhang Ye was also thinking about it. "Chenchen, before your aunt became your guardian, hadn't you always been taken care of by the relatives on your father's side? Would they know anything?"

Chenchen shook her head and said, "My aunt has never spoken to them."

Zhang Ye asked, "Then what about the others? Is there anyone else you know? What about Old Rao's junior brothers and sisters?"

Chenchen shook her head and said, "I don't know how to get in contact with them!"

"Where do they live?"

"I don't know."

"Does the Eight Trigrams Palm have a sect headquarters? Where is it located?"

"…I've forgotten."

Even if she was clever, she was still just a nine-year-old child. It was impossible for her to know everything.

Zhang Ye truly did not have any leads at all. He could not get in contact with any of those people he knew were related to Rao Aimin and could not pin any hopes on Chenchen's cluelessness either. If there was one thing that they knew, then it was only: Old Rao was not in Beijing.

"Dammit, let's go to the airport!"

Suddenly, Zhang Ye thought of a way!

Although it was an extremely terrible and unreliable way!

...

At the capital's airport.

China Airlines' ticket sales counter.

Zhang Ye was so fully geared up with his sunglasses and face mask that the China Airlines female employee could not recognize him immediately. It was only when it was Zhang Ye's turn in line and he handed over his identification card that he got recognized!

The female employee of China Airlines said with a face full of shock, "T-T-Teacher Zhang?"

Zhang Ye nodded and said, "I need two airplane tickets."

That female employee said excitedly, "Sure, sure! Aiyo, I have met an idol today! Teacher Zhang, congratulations on your promotion to the A-list. Also, I would really like to thank you for the time when the airplane got hijacked. One of the air stewardesses you rescued back then is my older cousin. I haven't had the opportunity to thank you until now!"

Ads by Pubfuture

Zhang Ye smiled and said, "You're welcome."

The female employee was very talkative and could not stop speaking. "You may not know it, but after that incident, many of our air stewardesses would either carry your photo with them or hang your posters in the crew rest areas during a China Airlines' flight. My cousin says that your photo can ward off any evil!"

Zhang Ye: "…"

Eh, why does it sound like she's insulting me?

Chenchen urged him, "Zhang Ye, get the tickets!"

Zhang Ye remembered, "Right, right, right!"

Only then did that China Airlines' employee realize. "Alright, I'll process it for you. As you are our honored passenger, you are entitled a free lifetime pass on our China Airlines' flights. If you brought anyone with you, uh, don't worry, that will be free too. Do you want tickets for today?" Actually, the lifetime honored passenger only applied to one person, but if that person was Zhang Ye, it did not matter at all for them to give an additional one or two more tickets. Even the CEO of China Airlines would not say anything to this.

Zhang Ye nodded. "Yes."

The female employee smiled and said, "Which flight would you like to be on?"

However, Zhang Ye's next sentence made that female employee's jaw drop!

Zhang Ye declared, "Any flight!"

The female employee was dumbfounded. "Ah?"

Zhang Ye repeated, "Just get me on any flight!"

Chenchen added, "Hurry up!"

The female employee could not quite react in time. "Then, then where would you like to go?"

Zhang Ye smartly said, "Anywhere!"

Chenchen echoed, "Anywhere!"

The female employee nearly fainted!

Anywhere?

Fuck, you can even be so random when it comes to traveling? Aren't you being too goddamn casual about it?!

"If you're not telling me where you're going, how…how am I going to print the boarding pass for you?" The female employee stared with her eyes wide.

But Zhang Ye said, "Whatever boarding pass you print for me, I'll travel to that place!"

Chenchen said, "Hurry up!"

At this moment, Zhang Ye opened up the game ring's virtual screen and activated the Lucky Halo (Upgraded). There rested an angelic halo over his head that no one else could see as it emitted a pulsating glow that rippled outward. One pulse, two pulses, three pulses. His reputation points were dropping as fast as water coming out of a running tap!

-100,000!

-100,000!

-100,000!

That's right!

Zhang Ye's way was this: trying his luck!

It sounded totally unreliable but this was the only way out now!

The female employee dabbed at her sweat, not knowing how to handle this situation. If it were another passenger who said such a thing to her, she would classify that person as a troublemaker. But the person right in front her was Zhang Ye, an illustrious A-list celebrity, an associate professor at both Peking University and Media College, a world-class mathematician, a great poet, a literary scholar, and even a hero who had previously rescued their China Airlines' flight. He was a lifetime honored passenger of China Airlines!

She hurriedly went to consult her manager.

The female manager, standing not too far away, quickly rushed over to them.

"Anywhere?" When the female manager heard that, she nearly fainted. "Teacher Zhang, please give us a destination that you would like to go to, or just tell us a location and we'll print the boarding pass for you!"

But Zhang Ye did not say anything in specific. "Just choose any destination for me."

The female manager and employee were nearly in tears. "Are you bringing the child on a trip somewhere? How about going to Sanya? The weather there is very suitable for a trip right now."

Zhang Ye said, "Sure!"

The female manager exclaimed, "Yangzhou is not bad too and the environment is very good."

Zhang Ye said, "That's fine too!"

Ads by Pubfuture

The female manager asked again, "What about Guilin?"

Zhang Ye nodded and said, "Anywhere is fine!"

Dammit, Teacher Zhang, could you please stop making things difficult for us?

This manager and the female employee had worked here for around five years. What kind of passengers had they not encountered? What problems had they not faced? But this was actually the first time they came across a person buying airplane tickets in the way Teacher Zhang Ye did! They had never had such an experience before!

-100,000!

-100,000!

The Lucky Halo (Upgraded) was still in effect.

The female manager had no other choice. Seeing how Zhang Ye was so insistent and the little girl beside him was also urging desperately, she could only say, "You just want to go anywhere for a relaxing trip, right? Then we're really going to print a boarding pass randomly for you, OK?" With that, she patted that female employee beside her and said, "Just print two boarding passes for anywhere!"

That female staff was getting nervous!

Randomly?

How could she just print them randomly?!

Her hand was shaking so badly that she even misclicked on the random destination. "Aiyo, I've made a mistake and clicked on Xinjiang instead. That is not a very famous scenic area, le-le-let me change it to another place!"

Unexpectedly, Zhang Ye suddenly said loudly, "That's it! Don't change it!"

The female manager: "…"

The female employee said, "You…you haven't even asked where in Xinjiang you're headed to!"

"There's no need to ask. It's there!" Zhang Ye heartily said.

The female manager: "…"

The female employee was silent for a moment before saying, "Alright then."

After getting the airline tickets, Zhang Ye deactivated the Lucky Halo.

After receiving the boarding passes, Zhang Ye brought the child to line up at the security checkpoint and expectedly took the green lane. China Airlines was still very good to him by giving two first class tickets!

During the security checks, they had to reveal their faces to match the photos. When Zhang Ye removed his sunglasses and face mask, the three security officers got quite excited!

"Zhang Ye!"

"Aiyo, Teacher Zhang!"

"Are you going somewhere for business?"

Actually, the security officers at the airport had seen more celebrities than they could count and would usually come across at least one or two celebrities each day. But even that did not get them as excited as they were now. That was because Zhang Ye was different from other celebrities, especially in the context of an airport where he was simply a legend. Back then, this fellow was just an amateur when he piloted a large commercial airliner to a safe landing, shocking every higher-up and airport employee who had concluded that the hijacked plane could not be saved. The security officers were also watching the situation closely that day and had a very deep impression of Zhang Ye because of this. The shocking scenes from that time were something they would never, ever forget in their lifetime. It was a very shocking memory make their blood boil!

While going through the security checks, a female security officer even whispered into Zhang Ye's ear, "Teacher Zhang, I'm a diehard fan of yours and really like you a lot!"

Zhang Ye smiled and said, "Thank you."

When the security officer next to her heard that, he laughed and said, "Are you the only diehard fan here? Of all the people working at the airport, which of us are not fans of Teacher Zhang!"

Zhang Ye engaged in a little bit of banter with them.

Chenchen was not happy at this and tugged at his arm. "Zhang Ye, hurry up."

"Alright, alright." Only then did Zhang Ye lead the child and walk off.

When they reached the departure gate.

Only now did Chenchen gaze at him with a doubtful face. "Zhang Ye, are you really sure of this? Can we really find my aunt by going to this place?"

"Didn't we already agree that you would listen to me when we are out?" Zhang Ye rolled his eyes.

Chenchen stared at him. "But I feel that you aren't very reliable!"

Zhang Ye smiled wryly. "In any case, I'll try my best."

Chenchen's face darkened. "You promised me that you would find and bring my aunt back!"

"Since I promised you, I'll definitely do it!" Zhang Ye reaffirmed his confidence. "My luck has always been good. Trust your Uncle Zhang!"

Trust him?

Actually, this fellow did not even trust himself!

Trying to depend on luck, just sheer, blind luck, would that really be OK?

Ads by Pubfuture

Report chapter Comments

Chapter 912: Damn, we actually found her!

Translator: Legge Editor: Legge

9:30 in the morning.

They boarded the plane.

On this small plane, there wasn't much distinction between the first class and economy class seating. Zhang Ye and Chenchen were seated in the fourth row, which was slightly further at the end of the first-class cabin.

"Fasten your seatbelt," Zhang Ye said.

"OK," Chenchen replied.

"Sit properly and don't run around later," Zhang Ye reminded.

"I know," Chenchen said impatiently.

When most of the passengers had boarded the plane, the cabin door was closed.

As Zhang Ye was wearing sunglasses and a face mask, the people in first class did not recognize him. They all had their heads lowered and were busy with their own affairs, some reading the newspaper while others were preparing to turn off their cell phones.

A while later, the plane took off.

When the plane reached cruising altitude, an air stewardess walked out with two cups of hot tea and headed straight to where Zhang Ye was seated. She squatted down and smiled sweetly, saying, "Teacher Zhang, please have some tea." Although the other passengers could not recognize Zhang Ye, how would she not know who he was? All the flight attendants had a passenger list with them.

Zhang Ye was surprised as he took the tea from her. "Oh, thank you."

The air stewardess smiled at Chenchen. "Little kid, have some tea too."

Chenchen glanced at her and said, "I want to drink soda."

Zhang Ye slapped her upside the head and said, "Why don't you just drink whatever you're given?"

"I want to drink soda." Chenchen frowned.

The air stewardess immediately said, "Sure, no problem, Auntie will get it for you." Very quickly, the air stewardess served the soda and even brought along a plush toy. "Is this nice? It's for you."

Chenchen had a glance and just said, "Orh."

Zhang Ye stared at her and said, "Say thank you."

Chenchen said unwillingly, "Thank you."

The air stewardess was smiling widely. "You're welcome."

At this moment, some of the surrounding first-class passengers looked over with a blank expression. Didn't the plane just take off? It shouldn't be time for the in-flight service yet. Why did she start serving drinks the moment she appeared? And even gave the little girl a toy? Eh, why aren't we getting such treatment as well?

However, what would make them faint even harder was only just starting.

The moment that air stewardess left, another air stewardess came.

This was a plumper air stewardess and the moment she came over, she headed straight to where Zhang Ye and Chenchen were seated. She squatted down with a smile and said, "Here, it's quite cold on the plane, Auntie got a blanket for you."

Zhang Ye immediately said, "Oh, thank you."

The plump air stewardess said, "You're welcome, this is my job." She even took the initiative to cover Chenchen with the blanket and said, "This child is really beautiful, how old is she?"

Zhang Ye smiled and said, "She's almost nine years old."

A moment later, under the dumbfounded gazes of the surrounding passengers, a female purser in her thirties also came over.

The female purser smiled and asked, "Is the child used to riding on a plane?"

"It shouldn't be a problem." Zhang Ye smiled.

The female purser looked at Chenchen and asked, "Do you want something else to drink? Is the seat comfortable? Is it cold? You can tell me if you have any needs."

Chenchen suddenly spoke, "I want to take a look at the cockpit."

Zhang Ye rolled his eyes at her. "Why do you want to look at that?!"

Chenchen said, "I want to take a look."

This child was overly curious!

The female purser giggled. "You want to have a look at the cockpit? Alright, I'll go and check with the captain first." She then walked away before returning a few minutes later. She clapped her hands together and said, "Alright, Auntie has spoken with the captain. I'll bring you over now, but once you are inside, you mustn't touch anything, OK?"

Chenchen blinked several times and got up from her seat.

Zhang Ye quickly said, "Sorry for troubling you."

The female purser smiled and said, "It's not troublesome, it's no trouble at all."

Looking at the purser leading the child into the cockpit from afar, the surrounding passengers were even more dumbfounded. Fuck, she's even getting a tour of the cockpit? What kind of treatment is this? We are also first-class passengers! Why haven't we heard of such privileges in first class?! They get handed drinks, receive a toy, and even get a tour of the cockpit?

At once, everyone looked at that man wearing the sunglasses.

Who was this person?

How can he be so privileged to get such treatment?!

Unbeknownst to them, that person beside them was the one who had saved a China Airlines plane with hundreds of passengers and cabin crew in it. Other than allowing the child to get a tour of the cockpit, even if he were to ask to take over the first officer's role for a while, no one would say anything since this person had really piloted a plane before!

...

A few hours later, the plane landed.

Outside the airport.

Zhang Ye looked around the place as he was unfamiliar with the surroundings.

Chenchen asked, "Where are we going now?"

Zhang Ye said in a composed manner, "Let's hail a taxi first."

Very quickly, they flagged down a taxi and opened the door to get into it.

The taxi driver spoke in nonstandard Mandarin, "Where do you want to go?"

Zhang Ye stuck to his usual practice and activated the Lucky Halo immediately before telling the taxi driver, "Just go wherever!"

"Where?" The cab driver turned around to ask.

Zhang Ye repeated, "Just drive anywhere!"

The cab driver nodded back at him, seemingly unsurprised. He did not ask any further and just drove off.

Perhaps he had heard Zhang Ye wrong when he said "just go to wherever" and "just drive anywhere" or he misheard it as the name of a place or some landmark instead, so he directly drove straight to that place. Zhang Ye did not say anything and just sat in the back while holding Chenchen's hand. This fellow did not have any objectives now as he simply kept the mindset of leaving it all up to fate for the entire journey. He could only take one step at a time!

Awhile later.

The taxi stopped at the curb. It seemed they were somewhere near a mall.

The taxi driver said, "We're here."

Zhang Ye paid the fare and led Chenchen out of the taxi.

The clouds here were rather low. It felt like they could be easily touched just by reaching out their hands. The sky was especially clear, a limitless span of blue. It was too beautiful.

Zhang Ye took a deep breath and felt more refreshed than before.

But Chenchen looked at him and asked, "Zhang Ye, what now?"

Zhang Ye coughed and said, "Now?"

Chenchen probed, "How should we proceed from here?"

"Uh, wait for me for a while." Zhang Ye made a decision as he bent down slightly to remove his right shoe. He then activated the Lucky Halo again.

-100,000!

-100,000!

Next, with Chenchen looking at him suspiciously, Zhang Ye threw his shoe up into the air.

Bada!

The shoe landed on the ground with its toe tip pointed in a direction!

Zhang Ye waved his hand excitedly and said, "Let's go this way!"

Chenchen: "…"

Around them, some passersby were floored when they saw this. They wondered to themselves about just what the hell this idiot was doing. In this era, there were still people using the method of throwing a shoe to find their way? Did you just emerge from the remote mountains?

They headed straight!

They kept heading straight!

They walked for a full 30 minutes!

Chenchen could no longer walk any further. "Zhang Ye, are you sure this is the right way?"

"Cut the crap and just follow me!" Zhang Ye became even more guilty the further they walked. And the further they walked, the less confidence he had. But he could not show it in front of the child, so he could only persevere and curse silently in his head!

Fuck!

Where the fuck was this place?

Why was it getting more and more remote the further they walked?

"Zhang Ye."

"Mmm."

"Zhang Ye."

"Stop calling my name."

"Zhang Ye, are you dependable?"

"How can I not be dependable?"

"Then when are we going to reach the place?"

"Uh, about this…"

Just when Zhang Ye was wondering how to answer her question, they reached a location that looked like it was a long-distance bus station. This bus station felt very different from the one in Beijing as there was not even a gate at the entrance. If they did not notice the sign, he really wouldn't know that this was a bus station.

Suddenly, they overheard three to five people dressed in Chinese tunic shirts talking.

The several people did not deliberately lower their voices but they were not talking too loudly either. All of them were speaking with a northern accent.

"Why isn't the bus here yet?"

"Let's wait a little while more. It should arrive soon."

"Why is the annual Martial Arts Conference organized by the National Martial Arts Association held at Tianshan this year? Although it's a nice place, it's quite a ways away."

"It was inevitable. Who knew that there would be such a big mess happening at this year's Martial Arts Conference! It definitely has to be held at a remote place!"

"Have you guys heard about it?"

"Yes, I've heard about it."

"Who doesn't know about that in the Chinese martial arts world!"

"Hai, it's Rao Aimin from the Eight Trigrams School again. That senior is much too ruthless!"

"Hur hur, she is Rao Aimin after all."

"Hey, the bus has arrived."

"Let's go, we'll talk on the bus."

A long-distance bus drove over slowly.

But Zhang Ye and Chenchen were standing by the roadside in shock!

Rao Aimin?

The National Martial Arts Association?

The Martial Arts Conference held at Tianshan?

Zhang Ye said dumbfounded, "Holy shit! We really found her!"

Chenchen was also stunned with her mouth agape. The little kid had been holding it in for a long time now before she finally said, "…You can even do that?"

During the journey, Zhang Ye brought her to buy some airplane tickets to anywhere, then hailed a taxi to bring them to wherever, and finally resorted to the method of throwing a shoe for directions, but all of those actions had actually managed to lead them to finding Rao Aimin!

Zhang Ye erupted into laughter, "Hahahaha! Let me see who still dares to say I'm not dependable! I've said that my luck is good! Look! Look at it how turned out!"

Chenchen pulled at him in panic. "Zhang Ye, the bus is leaving!"

Zhang Ye finally reacted as he hastily pulled Chenchen by the hand and ran forward. "Let's get on the bus first! We have to follow them!"

Report chapter Comments

Chapter 913: Grandmaster Rao Aimin!

Translator: Legge Editor: Legge

On the long-distance bus.

Zhang Ye brought Chenchen with him up on the bus before paying for the tickets. Behind them, a few other passengers also boarded before the bus sluggishly started its engine and drove out of the bus station. The people dressed in Chinese tunic shirts sat in the middle row on the right side of the bus. They were talking among themselves and did not seem bothered by Zhang Ye and Chenchen's presence. There were not a lot of passengers on the bus, so Zhang Ye did a quick scan and found two seats in the second to last row to sit down at. He did not dare to get too close to the group but did not want to be too far away either, so he just left an empty row of seats between themselves and the group.

On the bus, those people deliberately lowered their volume, or perhaps it was due to the noise on the bus that made it sound like they were speaking softer.

Zhang Ye leaned slightly forward and had to make a great deal of effort to hear what they were saying.

"Bro Liu, you're glowing! Your martial arts must have improved again."

"Hahaha, Bro Li, you too."

"I'm not as good. My foundations are poor and I'm not talented either. Back then, when I wanted to be a disciple under the Zhou Family Style, they did not accept me. They said to me that even if I were to continue practicing and trying, it would still be very difficult for me to be admitted. Hai, it's already been six or seven years now, but it was really as they said. My boxing techniques have reached a plateau."

"Zhou Family Style?"

"Bro Li, you're fortunate that you didn't get admitted into the Zhou Family!"

"Yeah, I'm incredibly lucky. If I had been in this generation of the Zhou Family's disciples, I would have encountered that crazy woman, Rao Aimin. I probably would have ran for my life if that had happened!"

"Hur hur, you wouldn't have been able to get away!"

"Yeah, I couldn't have gotten away, hai!"

They were making small talk when the topic came back to Rao Aimin again!

Chenchen anxiously perked up her ears to listen.

Zhang Ye was also trying very hard to listen to what they were saying to analyze the situation!

Zhou Family Style?

Never heard of it!

Perhaps it was a boxing style that originated in this world? Similar to the Hung Gar 1 mode of naming?

From the tone of their voices, he could sense some fear in them, as though they were afraid of some impending event.

"The Zhou Family has really attracted big trouble this time. Speaking of, it was all because of that match those years ago and that incident in which the incumbent sect leader, Old Master Zhou Tianpeng, fought and injured the younger sister and brother-in-law of the current generation of the Eight Trigrams Palm's eldest senior sister. The two of them suffered serious injuries and fell sick soon after that incident, then passed away one after the other a year or two later. By right, in a normal tournament match, every participant is responsible for their own lives and whoever gets injured is down to their own lack of martial arts foundation. But that Old Master Zhou Tianpeng was, after all, one of the four grandmasters at that time and was a force to be reckoned with in the Chinese martial arts world. Even if he was up against two opponents, it was still a case of bullying the weak. Heh, but back to the point, he did it all because of his son. Hai, that is the power of a parent's love I guess."

Chenchen was stunned!

Zhang Ye was also stunned by that. He could suddenly feel the little kid beside him trembling and when he turned to look at her, he couldn't help feeling a pain in his heart. He hurriedly held Chenchen's cold little hands into his!

Rao Aimin's younger sister and brother-in-law?

Then did that mean they were referring to Chenchen's parents?

So that was how Chenchen's parents died?

So there were actually so many things that happened all those years back?

Grandmaster?

Zhou Family Style's Zhou Tianpeng?

In this world, grandmasters actually existed!

In Zhang Ye's previous world, the usage of the term "grandmaster" was already almost nonexistent. Chinese martial arts had fallen behind, the talent pool had withered, and martial arts were long synonymous with the sport of martial arts, as well as with movies and novels of this genre. Although there were still a lot of martial arts schools and classes, they mainly taught only fancy moves and stances. There were even competitions purely focused on the performance aspect of such martial arts. There weren't many martial arts masters who were recognized by the Chinese martial arts world anymore, much less be recognized as a grandmaster in the field.

But it was clearly different in this world. They actually still had such a thing as grandmasters!?

There were even four of them?

And one of them was Zhou Tianpeng?

Then what about the others?

In front of them, another person of the Chinese martial arts world, sporting a mustache, vividly described, "Because of that, a deadly grudge between the Zhou Family Style and Rao Aimin was formed. Even after the intervention by many leaders of the Chinese martial arts world, including the current leader of the Eight Trigrams Palm, to help reconcile this difference, they were still unable to stop Rao Aimin from seeking revenge. She is truly a legend of the Chinese martial arts world, even daring to go against her master's wishes by single-handedly fighting her way to the front steps of the Zhou Family's headquarters. At that time, Zhou Tianpeng was on extremely good terms with another martial arts grandmaster, Chen Xi. According to rumors, the two of them were having tea together when Rao Aimin fought her way there. Chen Xi intervened and wanted to reconcile the two's differences by urging Rao Aimin to stop whatever she was planning. However, he did not expect that Rao Aimin would not give in and even went up against both of them by herself. What left the people of the Chinese martial arts world even more surprised was that not only did Rao Aimin not get disadvantaged by the numbers, she actually matched blows with them! She even made Zhou Tianpeng and Chen Xi sweat after taking them on for several dozen rounds!"

"It's a pity that she still got defeated at the end."

"Yes, Rao Aimin still lost at the end. With the two grandmasters teaming up, who could have made it past three attacks from them? Yet Rao Aimin managed to battle them for a hundred rounds. Although she was seriously injured, she also injured Zhou Tianpeng! I did not witness that battle with my own eyes that year, but just thinking about it makes me shudder with excitement. From that day onward, the Chinese martial arts world welcomed its fifth grandmaster!"

Hearing this, Zhang Ye was dumbfounded!

What?

The fifth grandmaster?

Old Rao, that woman…was actually a grandmaster?

Zhang Ye simply couldn't believe it. He knew that Rao Aimin was incredible, possibly even to the degree of being able to use concealed power. He had witnessed Old Rao using her bare hands to split metal before, but never did he think that Rao Aimin could be a martial arts grandmaster, and even one of just five such grandmasters at the top of the Chinese martial arts world!

That person was still rattling off, "What Rao Aimin did at that time shocked the entire Chinese martial arts world! Later, even Grandmaster Chen Xi admitted to his friends over a drinking session that if Rao Aimin had been born a male, he and Grandmaster Zhou Tianpeng would probably have only managed to fight to a draw with her! So you can clearly imagine how strong Rao Aimin is. From that day onward, no one in the Chinese martial arts world dared to mess with her. Also, Rao Aimin did not return to her martial sect after that. It was as if she had vanished from the martial arts community for good."

"But in the past half year, this one and only female grandmaster of the Chinese martial arts world reappeared again!"

"Yeah. At that time, it caused such a ruckus in the Chinese martial arts world. Rao Aimin had issued a challenge to the Zhou Family, but Zhou Tianpeng did not respond to it. I guess it was because he knew that he was no match for Rao Aimin, so he chose not to accept the challenge. But Rao Aimin was still the same old her from all those years ago. When she gets mad, no one can stop her at all. She went around the entire country challenging all the training halls and martial arts schools under the Zhou Family. How could any of these second or third generation disciples of the Zhou Family Style possibly be a match for a martial arts grandmaster like her? They wouldn't be able to take even a single blow from her! Within half a year, the number of Zhou Family Style disciples injured by her numbered over a hundred and more than 30 training halls and schools closed down! Because there were already no masters who could stay standing to continue teaching! They were left with no choice but to close down!"

Zhang Ye was getting shock after shock from hearing all of this. Only then did he realize that Old Rao was actually so amazing! When she said she would be back within a month, it was because she had gone to seek revenge for her sister. But the opponent did not respond to her challenge, so she spent half a year going around the country and bringing down their training halls and schools instead, going up against the disciples of the Zhou Family Style to force their sect leader out!

Single-handedly, she challenged the entire Zhou Family Style?

What sort of audacity was that!

The sect leader of the Zhou Family Style could not even utter a word of objection?

The members of the Chinese martial arts world just kept silent?

Then, he heard those people speak again. "Several days ago, Zhou Tianpeng finally said something, likely because he was getting forced into a corner. If it went on like this, the Zhou Family Style would cease to exist. Therefore, Grandmaster Zhou found Grandmaster Chen Xi and all the martial sects, including those leading figures of the martial arts community and called for an early convening of the Martial Arts Conference this year. He sent out mass invitations to the martial arts community and arranged for the Conference to be held at Tianshan, even releasing word that he would settle the feud with Rao Aimin during the event. Needless to say, Rao Aimin will definitely show up at tomorrow's Martial Arts Conference!"

"Yeah, it will surely be interesting to watch when the time comes!"

"It'll be super interesting. A battle of grandmasters? Who in the Chinese martial arts world does not want to come and witness this?"

"The Conference this time is probably going to be the most attended in its entire history!"

"Right, or else they wouldn't have also invited people like us who don't have any official recognition."

"Hai, rather than say we were invited, it might be better to say that we came uninvited, hur hur."

"We're just here to observe the happenings and see how the grudge will be resolved. I heard that not only is Senior Rao Aimin the only female grandmaster of our current time, she's also a peerless beauty."

"I've heard that too!"

"It's sucks that Bro Tan could not make it."

"Haha, he was really unlucky to have met with an accident at such a time and broken his leg!"

"Yeah, his invitation card is still with me."

Hearing everything from start till end, Zhang Ye could basically piece together the whole story and clearly understand what was happening. From the words of these people, he even knew why Rao Aimin had vanished from the martial arts community those years ago and ended up settling down in Beijing as a landlord collecting rental. She did all of that to take care of Chenchen! It was because she wanted to bring up her sister's child! Now that Chenchen had grown up and became more sensible, she put her in the care of Zhang Ye and returned to the Chinese martial arts world to avenge the feud from all those years back! Was that her reason for saying that line "if she doesn't make it back"?

The Martial Arts Conference was going to take place tomorrow?

Zhang Ye suddenly got very worried. Invitation letter? He didn't have that! All he knew now was that the landlady auntie was going to be there, but how would he and Chenchen get into the event?

"Zhang Ye!" Chenchen said anxiously.

Zhang Ye put a finger to his lips to shush her. "I know what to do."

Chenchen kept tugging agitatedly at his arm. "Quickly think of something!"

Zhang Ye thought hard for a while before he took a deep breath and said to Chenchen, "Sit here and don't move. I'm going over for a bit." Saying so, he stood up and took a few steps toward the seats in front of them.

Those several people were still chatting.

Zhang Ye went straight up to them and gave a fist and palm salute. "Sirs."

The few of them were taken aback. "Huh?"

Zhang Ye smiled and said, "I accidentally overheard your conversation just now and realized that we're going to the same place. You're all going to the Tianshan Martial Arts Conference, right?"

One of the mustached youngsters asked suspiciously, "You are?"

Zhang Ye gave him a fist and palm salute, saying, "My name is Chen Zhen 2 ."

The other person blinked and looked at him.

Zhang Ye said in a serious tone, "I am the disciple of… Huo Yuanjia 3 !"

Huo Yuanjia?

Who is this Huo Yuanjia?

Suddenly, the long-distance bus hit a bump and the thermos flask that they had put in the netting on the back of the seats in front of them fell out in the direction of Zhang Ye.

Zhang Ye did not move his body and with a flick of his ankle, he miraculously caught the thermos flask on the tip of his toe, kicking it straight back up. As it hung in the air, Zhang Ye casually grabbed it and passed it back to them with a smile. "You dropped this."

Great agility!

Nice moves!

When the several of them saw this, they were immediately impressed. Those moves were not something that just anyone could pull off!

The four of them stood up together at once and cupped their fists in a salute. "We're pleased to meet you!"

"So Bro Chen is also one of us!"

"Good footwork!"

Zhang Ye said humbly, "You're being too generous with your praise."

One of them asked, "So why did you greet us?"

Zhang Ye made a noise of understanding then said, "It's like this. I brought a child with me this time, but as she was throwing tantrums on the way here, my Tianshan Martial Arts Conference invitation letter was lost. I don't know what else I can do, so I wanted to ask the four of you if you know whether I can enter the event without an invitation letter. Before I traveled here, my teacher had repeatedly reminded me to step out to see the world and gain some experience. But I lost the invitation letter the moment I stepped out, so if I were to go back just like that, I won't have it in me to face my old teacher! Hai! Hai!"

The four of them looked at each other.

The mustached youth immediately broke out into a smile and gave him another fist and palm salute. "Bro Chen, how coincidental for you. One of the people in our group did not come because he was admitted to the hospital." Saying that, he rummaged through his bag and found a letter which he handed over to Zhang Ye. "Here, I happen to have an extra one."

Zhang Ye hurriedly asked, "Is this, is this appropriate?

The mustached youth laughed. "What's inappropriate about it? We won't be using this extra invitation anyway. Besides, only the name is written on the front side of the invitation letter and there is no photo ID on it. They will only check to see if you really have an invitation letter but won't look at the names. You'll definitely be fine using this to enter." There was something that they did not dare to say: It was even if they did check the names on the invitation letters, with their status in the Chinese martial arts world, no one would know them regardless. They were at most considered a fringe group of the Chinese martial arts world.

Zhang Ye said, "Aiyo, then I must really thank you senior bros!"

"You're so polite!"

"Don't worry about it!"

"We're all from the Chinese martial arts world, so you don't need to be so polite!"

The attitudes of these four people toward Zhang Ye were still quite good. Due to Zhang Ye showing off a moment ago, they felt that he had really wonderful moves. Additionally, Zhang Ye's expressions and manners left the four of them who were invited to this conference with no doubts that he was one of them too.

From this, a fact could be proven.

Life is just like a show, it's all about the fucking acting!

Report chapter Comments

Chapter 914: Arriving at the conference venue!

Translator: Legge Editor: Legge

On their way there, the five of them had a very engaging conversation.

Zhang Ye brought Chenchen to sit in the seat behind them. They chatted about random topics and he conveniently fished for information about the Chinese martial arts world at the same time. He was basically clueless about everything regarding it right now.

"Bro Chen Zhen, where are you from?"

"The capital."

"Aiyo, that's a good place."

"Haha, it's not too bad."

"Those moves of yours were pretty impressive."

"I'm just OK."

"What style does your master teach?"

"My master is Huang Feihong, and I learn—"

"Eh, didn't your say your master was Huo Yuanjia?"

"Ah? Did I?"

"You said so yourself just now."

"Oh yes, Huang Feihong is my other master."[1.]

"Wow, Bro Chen is practicing two forms of martial arts?"

"I'm just dabbling in a bit of everything."

Chenchen, who was listening to Zhang Ye make things up on the fly, could only roll her eyes and stay quiet.

These men were very talkative and friendly.

They were all non-affiliates, which was a nicer way of identifying those who did not belong to any sect or walked an unconventional path in Chinese martial arts.

In the group, two of them were brothers related by blood. Both were bald-headed men with domineering statures and looked like they practiced external styles. They looked like they probably packed a punch with their attacks too. One of them was named Liu Yiquan, while the other was named Liu Yizhang, and as their names suggested, the elder brother practiced fist-based martial arts and the younger brother practiced palm-based martial arts. As for the details, Zhang Ye did not probe any further, although it was unlikely that these names were given by their parents. They were more like nicknames than anything.[2.]

There was another person called Li Quanneng who looked like he was quite skilled. Whether he was as all-around as his name suggested was something still to be seen.[3.]

The last person's name was He Badao. Likewise, his name sounded similarly quite fearsome.[4.]

They were all young people, even though there were some who looked rather old. Zhang Ye only found out that the oldest among them was thirty-one years old after he asked, while the rest were only in their twenties. This wasn't surprising as there was a saying that went "fistfights favor the young and vigorous." This suggested that only the young ones in their prime were suited for hand-to-hand combat, while the older ones would suffer a drop in their physical performance. Only practitioners of internal style martial arts might have it slightly better, like Grandmaster Zhou Tianpeng and Grandmaster Chen Xi, who continued to maintain and even improve their skill levels from their prime. Some grandmasters could still fight even after they turned ninety. But for most of those who practiced external style boxing, how many sixty-year-olds could still be seen leading the charge?

Liu Yiquan asked, "Bro Chen Zhen, is this your first time taking part in the Martial Arts Conference?"

Zhang Ye nodded, "Yeah, it's my first time here. You senior bros must be regular attendees of the Conference already, right? When we get there, I hope to seek your advice if there's anything I don't understand. Please don't find me bothersome at that time."

Liu Yizhang laughed heartily. "Of course not, Bro Chen. No need to be so polite with us."

He Badao smiled and said, "The four of us are just here to have fun. We only got invited because we knew someone on the inside, but when we get there, we're only as good as any other bystander. It's always like this for us every year."

Zhang Ye gave a fist and palm salute, and said, "Then you're all veterans of the event!"

He Badao hurriedly replied, "We dare not claim so!"

Li Quanneng noted, "Bro Chen Zhen is still quite young but already so skilled. I believe he will surely become someone of stature in the future!"

Zhang Ye repeatedly said, "I can't compare to the four of you senior bros for sure!"

Everyone spoke good things and dished out lavish praises about one another!

...

Soon, the five of them came to the topic of martial arts.

Zhang Ye did not really know what to say, so he took some time to whisper to Chenchen, "When we get there, don't run your mouth off. Listen closely to me and my instructions, understand?"

Chenchen asked, "Zhang Ye, will my aunt be alright?"

Zhang Ye consoled, "Don't you know what your aunt is like? Even if anything were to happen to anyone else, she would still be fine. Let's think about sneaking into the event first before we think of what to do next."

Contemplating this, Zhang Ye couldn't help but bring up the interface of the game ring on his left pinky finger.

The game interface appeared.

Total Reputation Points: 2.1 billion!

This was how many reputation points Zhang Ye currently had. It could be described as an astronomical figure. Back when he was just a B-list celebrity, the greatest amount of reputation points that Zhang Ye had gotten was only in the figure of several hundred million. But ever since he had experienced a boost in his popularity, more and more people started to learn about him and the influence of his works became greater as such. With A Bite of China, the Spring Festival Gala where he performed his skit and crosstalk, as well as the large-scale scolding battle that happened after that, his position in the Celebrity Rankings Index had risen into the A-list. With that, his reputation points accumulated in the game ring also broke above the staggering 2 billion figure. This was even the amount that he had left over after having used the Lucky Halo (Upgraded) several times on his way here!

Now, to check on his inventory items.

As he hadn't been doing any lucky draws of late, they were all the same old items.

[ Difficulty Adjustment Die ] 1.

[ X-ray Vision Eye Drops ] 1.

[ Pause Game ] 1.

[ Stamina Potion ] 10.[5.]

[ 1-Up ] 1.

That was about it.

Zhang Ye knew very well that Rao Aimin would stir up big trouble at the conference this time, but he didn't know if he could be of any help to her.

...

The journey took slightly less than two hours and the five of them chatted throughout. It felt like they had gotten very close and even had their arms around each other like brothers. Since they were all martial arts practitioners, it was definitely much easier to become friends. He Badao nearly even decided to acknowledge Chenchen as his god-daughter along the way! Zhang Ye also spoke up and said that if they visited the capital in the future, they could just call him up and he would take care of all their meals and accommodation!

The bus stopped.

They reached their destination.

After getting out of the bus, they led Zhang Ye on a hike for around two kilometers before they finally arrived—it was the venue of the Tianshan Martial Arts Conference!

Only then did Zhang Ye realize that even though the conference was held at Tianshan, it didn't mean that they were going up into the tarns or to the peak of the Tianshan mountains. That place was a national tourist scenic area. For a motley group of people like them to go there, the scenic area's management would probably not allow it. When they spoke about Tianshan, all it meant was the area near the Tianshan mountain range at the foot of the mountains. This place had very good scenery and the snow-covered mountain caps could even be seen from far away.[6.]

As they got closer to the venue, they saw more and more people.

With a sweeping glance, he could see at least a few hundred people arriving at the same time. They were all lining up to get into the venue, which looked like a large holiday resort of sorts. This venue was probably fully booked by the National Martial Arts Association. Inside were many buildings that looked similar to inns. It was a great contrast to the scenery that they saw on their way here.

At this moment, Liu Yizhang, Liu Yiquan, and the rest of their group met some familiar faces.

"Hey, Bro Pang!"

"Aiya, Bro Liu!"

"You're here too?"

"Yeah, I just arrived!"

"Come on, let's go inside."

"Let's walk together, hahahaha!"

On the way in, they introduced Zhang Ye to those people who had just joined them.

While they were in line, Zhang Ye heard some interesting news that left him rather speechless.

A youth, who had newly joined their group and wore a training outfit, sighed, "The Conference is tomorrow, but I heard that a few masters won't be participating in it anymore."

He Badao asked in surprise, "What happened?"

Liu Yizhang said with his eyes wide, "Could it be that they met with their enemies on their way here?"

"That's not possible," Liu Yiquan mentioned.

Zhang Ye's and Chenchen's ears perked up.

That youth sighed and said, "Master Zhang of the Hidden Weapons School had traveled with his weaponry and got arrested when he went past the security check conducted by the railway police! Master Sun from an Iron Palm branch was extorted by someone on the way here and didn't have any money left for the remainder of his travels. Then he got lost and is now wandering around Shaanxi on foot! Kongtong Sect's second senior brother of the current generation will be flying over later as his earlier flight was canceled. He's still stranded at the airport and leading the other passengers in a protest right now!"[7.]

Zhang Ye: "…"

Chenchen: "…"

Liu Yiquan sighed loudly, "What is this world!"

"Morality is no longer what it used to be!" He Badao said angrily.

On their way here, Zhang Ye heard these people talking in such extravagant ways that he had somehow gained a newfound respect for those masters and experts of the Chinese martial arts world. But after this youth's account to them, the image of those martial arts masters was completely shattered in Zhang Ye's mind!

[1. Wong Fei-hung or Huang Feihong was a Cantonese martial artist, physician, and folk hero, who has become the subject of numerous martial arts films and television series. He was considered an expert in the Hung Gar style of Chinese martial arts.]

[2. Quan (拳) means "fist," and zhang (掌) means "palm."]

[3. Quanneng (全能) means "able in everything."]

[4. Badao (霸道) means "rule by tyrant" or "tyrannical."]

[5. This was named "Strength Potion" during the Quit Smoking Campaign. It should be called a stamina potion instead.]

[6. Tianshan - meaning the Mountains of Heaven or the Heavenly Mountains.]

[7. It's a 33 hour (3,071.1 km) travel by car to Tianshan from Shaanxi according to Google :D]

Report chapter Comments

Chapter 915: All-out brawl!

Translator: Legge Editor: Legge

Arrested by the police?

Extorted by someone?

Leading passengers in a protest?

Oh my god, I'm floored! What sort of martial arts masters are these!?

Zhang Ye didn't know whether to laugh or cry. He thought to himself about why these martial arts masters sounded so ordinary. But giving it some thought, it was also true that this was unavoidable in such an era. If you took the train while carrying darts and throwing knives all over your person, how could you expect to not get arrested! By the time the Tianshan Martial Arts Conference ended, this fellow would probably still not be released as he would be detained for at least three days!

...

In the Tianshan region.

Somewhere.

The people from the Eight Trigrams School gradually arrived!

Lu Yuhu, Rao Aimin's junior brother, was also in the crowd. He had handed over the cases that he was following to a colleague, turned off his phone, and rushed over to Tianshan without even applying for leave from his workplace. At the moment, he was anxiously pacing around. As he was the least skilled of the current generation of the Eight Trigrams School's disciples, all he could feel now was a sense of helplessness!

What should I do?

What should I do right now?

At this time, another two people arrived outside. It was a man and a woman.

Lu Yuhu went up to them, shouting, "Fifth Senior Sis!"

"Little Junior Bro!" His fifth senior sister strode over to him.

The senior brother beside her asked anxiously, "Where is Eldest Senior Sis?"

Lu Yuhu said, "She's in closed-door training!"

His fifth senior sister said anxiously, "She clearly knows that this is an extremely dangerous place, so why is she still so insistent on coming!"

Lu Yuhu sighed deeply and said, "Who can stop Eldest Senior Sis when she has decided on something?"

His fifth senior sister observed their surroundings. "We only have this many?"

One of the junior brothers who arrived early said, "This is all there is!"

His fifth senior sister asked, "Where is our Eldest Senior Bro? And Second Senior Bro?"

Lu Yuhu said angrily, "Don't bring them up. A lot of people couldn't come because they have been pressured by Master. Eldest Senior Bro and company even tried to force their way here! But they were held back forcefully at the training hall! None of them made it out!"

Hearing that, every one of them fell silent.

The group was made up of men and women, with most of them young people who were the current generation of disciples. When some of them heard about the Martial Arts Conference, they all started rushing over, starting from a few days ago. Some of them just made it here today, with no luggage and not even a change of clothes. It could be seen just how much of a hurry they were in to get here!

"Why did Master do that?"

"Master said that this was Eldest Senior Sis's personal grudge that had nothing to do with the Eight Trigrams School, so he wouldn't allow us to join her! He even said that Eldest Senior Sis has already left the Eight Trigrams School!"

"Master, he…"

"Eldest Senior Sis will always be our Eldest Senior Sis!"

"Don't blame Master for this. He has no other choice! Eldest Senior Sis has angered too many people this time and flouted the rules of our martial arts world. She has forced the Zhou Family Style School into a corner, injuring so many of their disciples and masters, and overturning so many of their training halls and schools at the same time. There is a written rule in the National Martial Arts Association forbidding such behavior, so the motive of the Conference this time is basically targeted at her. They're trying to gather the support of our entire martial arts world to denounce Eldest Senior Sis. Although our Eight Trigrams School is considered as one of the large sects, that is more because of the status we gained during the Qing dynasty. Our style has already weakened since then and Master does not wish to offend our entire martial arts world. If he did, then our Eight Trigrams School would definitely have no chance of survival!"

"But that's Eldest Senior Sis we're talking about!"

"Master has his considerations, so it's not our place to speak. But whatever it is, now that Eldest Senior Sis is in trouble, we definitely have to support her. I'll try to contact the other disciples who are outside and see if we can get more to come! We can't let Eldest Senior Sis battle on her own! Do they really think that the Eight Trigrams School can be easily pushed around?"

"Don't call the junior disciples. They won't be of any help even if they came!"

"Will it be OK with just this many of us?"

"What else can we do? We can only take them head on!"

The disciples of the Eight Trigrams School gathered together and started to discuss their strategy!

...

In the evening.

It was getting dark.

At the Tianshan Martial Arts Conference, Zhang Ye had already sneaked into the venue with Chenchen using his invite. Only the organizer's staff looked curiously at Zhang Ye who had brought a child along with him, but they did not say anything or even check his invite and allowed him into the venue. They arranged for them to check into an inn on the west side of the resort.

The rooms were on the third story.

Right after Zhang Ye put down their luggage, Liu Yiquan, Liu Yizhang, and the others came over.

"Bro Chen Zhen, wanna grab dinner?"

"Alright."

"Do you drink?"

"That's a must!"

"Hahaha, great, let's have a couple drinks together!"

"Let's go!"

They headed downstairs. The dining areas were located within this large holiday resort. When they got there, the restaurant was already full, so they had to wait more than ten minutes before they got a table that had been temporarily set up on the first floor's lobby. After all, there were too many people and the seating both upstairs and downstairs were filled to the brim with at least several hundred people eating. But all they wanted now was a steaming hot bowl of rice, so it didn't matter where they were seated.

Sitting down, they ordered some dishes.

Zhang Ye could hear the conversations of those around him from all the different sects and schools of the Chinese martial arts world. Some of them were drinking wine and talking especially loudly.

"If Rao Aimin attends this Conference, then she better not think that she can leave standing!"

"She's bullying us as a more skilled martial artist. How is that the bearing of a grandmaster?"

"Our brothers from the Zhou Family Style have had it hard this time!"

"It's already been half a year and their training halls and schools have all closed down one by one. Even if Rao Aimin is a grandmaster, she can't break the rules like that. We definitely cannot forgive her and must seek justice for our brothers of the Zhou Family Style!"

"Right, supporting Old Master Zhou!"

"The Conference this time is basically a denouncement session aimed at Rao Aimin!"

"Has anyone from the Eight Trigrams School arrived yet?"

"They're not here yet, but there's nothing to be afraid of even if they are. How many people can they have?"

"Haha, that's right. With grandmasters like Zhou Tianpeng and Chen Xi taking helm, it doesn't matter how many of their people are here! Rao Aimin wasn't a match for the two grandmasters several years ago. Several years later, she still won't be a match for them. This time 'round, we can just sit back and watch how it plays out tomorrow!"

"We from the Kongtong Sect will definitely be supporting Old Master Zhou!"

"Our Iron Palm Sect will support Old Master Zhou too. Senior Rao Aimin has really gone too far this time!"

"Let me thank all of you on behalf of the Zhou Family Style's disciples!"

"Bro Huang, don't mention it!"

"Yeah, if you thank us like that, you're just treating us as outsiders. This sort of problem calls for our indignation, so of course we will be supportive! Or else it would end up with us witnessing Rao Aimin destroying the legacy of the Zhou Family Style!"

Some disciples belonging to several other schools did not say anything and only ate.

But some people started clamoring, shouting, and saying things like calling for the denouncement of Rao Aimin. From the looks of it, these schools had already reached a consensus with the Zhou Family before they arrived. Grandmaster Zhou Tianpeng's social ties within the Chinese martial arts world had always been quite good. He was also a long recognized grandmaster of the Chinese martial arts world. With such a status and reputation, there were many martial schools that had a good relationship with him. With such events happening this time, a lot of the martial schools did not hesitate in showing their support for Old Master Zhou.

The food was served.

Chenchen's face was sunken and she did not even pick up her chopsticks.

Zhang Ye had only just found out that so many of those who were participating in the conference this time were actually here to denounce Old Rao. This was obviously an extremely dangerous place for her to be!

One of the newcomers who'd joined their group said, "Senior Rao Aimin is in big trouble this time!"

He Badao said in a low voice, "Let them say whatever they want, but we should not get involved."

Liu Yiquan agreed, "It's none of our business, so let's just observe. This is a fight between the gods; it's nothing we can take part in even if we wanted to."

"This dispute entails details that are too murky for us," Liu Yizhang remarked.

Li Quanneng raised his cup and said, "Let's drink. Bottoms up."

A lot of those who were eating quietly at the restaurant were people like Liu Yiquan, Liu Yizhang, and others who weren't affiliated with any sect or school. There were a lot of these non-affiliates who did not belong to any traditional sect or school of the Chinese martial arts world. Some of their kung fu was blindly practiced by themselves and they did not even have a proper teacher to guide them. They were purely born out of an unorthodox background without any roots in the Chinese martial arts world. As a result, they had no say in most of the matters in it and just kept a low profile.

They ate and drank their fill.

But the shouting got louder and louder. Before long, even those seated on the second and third floors joined in.

"Denounce Rao Aimin!"

"Drive her out of our martial arts world!"

"We can't let her continue being arrogant like that!"

"Right!"

"Well said!"

"Kill that bitch!"

"Return our martial arts world its clear blue skies! Kill that bitch!"

The Zhou Family Style's disciples were especially rowdy after downing a few drinks and were getting even more agitated!

Zhang Ye was becoming irritated from hearing all those voices. Hey, are you guys finished? Zhang Ye also stared hard at those who kept shouting "bitch" and burned their faces into his mind. You guys are dead!

Chenchen's expression was even darker!

Suddenly, a loud voice exploded not too far away from them!

"Why is it so expensive?" It came from a table of seven youths. Judging by their clothing, they should also be non-affiliates.

However, Zhang Ye was taken aback by the sight, because he had spotted a familiar face in that group. If Zhang Ye wasn't wrong, that person was called Yan Hui. During the hijacking incident when Zhang Ye couldn't hold his bladder and had to go to the bathroom, it was Yan Hui who held back the hijackers briefly and prevented the passengers from getting hurt. He held them off until Zhang Ye returned. After the airplane landed, Yan Hui, along with some of the injured passengers and aircrew, were transported to the hospital. That was the last time Zhang Ye saw him, so it was really unexpected to bump into him here. Eh, but he suddenly remembered that back on the airplane, didn't Yan Hui use karate? Although his skills were not much to talk of, his character was pretty good and Zhang Ye's impression of him was extremely good too. It looked like he had switched to practicing Chinese martial arts now? He was also here to participate in the Tianshan Martial Arts Conference?

The restaurant waiter glanced at them and said, "That is the price."

Yan Hui's companions shouted, "There's just the seven of us, why would it come up to over 3,000 yuan for the bill?"

Yan Hui said angrily, "You guys are out to slaughter us!"

Of the non-affiliates who came to attend the event this time, most of them were not rich to begin with. A bill of over 3,000 yuan was definitely too expensive for them. The other non-affiliates around them who heard this were also shocked. Even among those who belonged to a sect, some of them were relatively poor due to the fact that their sect's training halls and schools were not earning as much as before.

"Over 3,000 yuan?"

"This…"

"Who read the menu just now?"

"I looked through it, but I don't think there was anything this expensive in it."

"Then how much would it cost for our table?"

"I don't know!"

A commotion started in the restaurant.

That waiter frowned and said, "The wine you ordered was expensive. Our restaurant fermented this wine ourselves and a jug of it costs 2,000 yuan. It's all written on the menu, didn't you see?"

When they heard that it was the wine that was expensive, a lot of those people at the surrounding tables heaved a sigh of relief as they did not order it.

Yan Hui said angrily, "What wine is this that it costs so much?"

Another person said, "A jug costs 2,000 yuan?"

Another companion shouted, "Whose restaurant is this? I demand to see your boss!"

A table of people at the other side of the room looked over.

One of them who stood up was the Zhou Family Style's fourth senior brother of the current generation of disciples. As he ranked number four in the Zhou Family Style, everyone usually greeted him as Fourth Bro Zhou. Fourth Bro Zhou said stiffly, "The Zhou Family Style School are part owners of this restaurant, so this is our property. Do you have any problems?"

The restaurant was owned by the Zhou Family?

When many of the people heard this, they dared not utter another word.

Old Master Zhou Tianpeng's reputation was too great within the Chinese martial arts world!

Yan Hui also stood up. "You're all scammers!"

Fourth Bro Zhou sneered at him. "Don't come and eat here if you don't have the money! What are you going off about for!"

"You…" Yan Hui was infuriated.

His companions beside him dragged him back and tried to calm him down. This was the Zhou Family Style School! They were a large sect in the Chinese martial arts world, and their sect leader was a grandmaster. Even if they had to close down a lot of training halls after Rao Aimin's antics, their status as a large sect was still there. They definitely should not be messed with!

The seven of them decided to swallow their pride and let it go.

But at this time, a young man wearing a pair of sunglasses indoors, at night, suddenly sprang up and said loudly, "The Zhou Family has gone too far!"

It was Zhang Ye!

Everyone was stunned.

Liu Yiquan, Liu Yizhang, and the others were dumbfounded!

Yan Hui and his companions were also stunned! What?

They heard Zhang Ye angrily say while he pointed at Fourth Bro Zhou, "Don't come if we don't have the money? We all heeded Old Master Zhou's invitation and came to the Martial Arts Conference this time to support the Zhou Family's denouncement of Rao Aimin. Some of us came from the capital, some came from Shandong, and there were even some who rushed back from overseas and traveled thousands and thousands of kilometers to get here, all because we wanted to come here to support you! None of us complained! But you guys? After sending out a mass invite to the martial arts community, it seems like their intention was just to cheat us of our meal money by slaughtering us with exorbitant prices? Cheat us of our wine money? Not only are they asking us to support them, they're even blatantly making money off us? What motives do you have! Where is your conscience!"

Listening to these words, Fourth Bro Zhou was in shock!

Fuck, what did I say? When did I ever fucking mean it like that!

When the surrounding people heard that, their expressions turned to anger at once and people stood up!

"Yeah! What is the meaning of this?"

"The Zhou Family invited everyone here to give you our support, so why are you still trying to cheat us of our money?"

"The bill for a seven-person meal came up to over 3,000 yuan, isn't that just like a scam?!"

Fourth Bro Zhou quickly tried to explain, "That wine was meticulously fermented by our—"

Zhang Ye instantly cut in, "This wine was meticulously planned by you guys! The bill for their table came up to 2,000 yuan for the wine, then for another table, it would be 2,000 yuan for the food! And another table would run up 2,000 yuan for the tea. No one can run from it! You're the ones who're doing all the talking anyway, so it's just going to be whatever price you want to set it at! We were initially full of respect for the Zhou Family Style School and also held a deep reverence for Old Master Zhou. But today, we all have really been disappointed! Everyone here knows that the Zhou Family has been in an abject state for the past six months. You have closed down many training halls and your income stream must have had a sharp decline. But you can't just try to cheat us of our money because of that! Were your training halls and schools brought down by us? Why should we be paying for it? 2,000 yuan for a wine that you bought in bulk? It's even more expensive than Maotai!?"[1.]

When some of the people heard this, they had a sudden realization!

"The Zhou Family is in need of money!"

"No wonder!"

"But we're all on the same side. Surely you can't scam us like this."

"Right, why are you all cheating us of our money?"

"How can there be wine bought in bulk that costs 2,000 yuan! That bro in the sunglasses is right! This scam is way too obvious!"

Everyone was slowly getting convinced the more they listened!

Fourth Bro Zhou flew into a rage. "Which sect are you from?"

Zhang Ye banged the table and shouted, "Which sect am I from? Listen to that! Just listen to that! If we're not from any sect or if we're from the small sects, we can only suffer the slaughter of the Zhou Family! While those from the large sects get to eat and drink for free! This is a clear act of bullying! They are clearly targeting people like us from the small sects! Because our money can be easily cheated! Because we don't have much foundation and talent, we're a good pick for getting bullied! They can easily scam us of our money without much effort! Getting us to come support the Zhou Family Style School and using us a tool in their fight, we came without questions. When we got here, they want us to pay them for our meals, and we also have to pay without question! They want our support and want our money too! They're taking us for idiots!"

A burly man who was a non-affiliate also slammed his fist against a table. "Fuck!"

A tipsy group of disciples from a small sect also jumped up in anger. "So what if you're from a large sect! Do you think you can take us for idiots?"

"Despicable!"

"You people from the Zhou Family, what's the meaning of all this?"

"You guys are pushing it too far!"

"You even dare to profit with such ill-gotten gains?"

"Do you still have a shred of martial righteousness in you?"

Liu Yiquan, Liu Yizhang, and the rest of their group also got angry. They followed Zhang Ye and stood up!

Fourth Bro Zhou was completely stupefied! Damn, what the fuck did I say? I only fucking asked you which sect you were from! All I did was ask that!

At this moment, one of the bad-tempered senior brothers of the Zhou Family Style suddenly smashed the teacup that he was holding onto the floor. He was just frustrated by what was going on and wanted to vent!

Crash!

The cup was smashed to pieces!

Then, Zhang Ye shouted furiously, "Smashing the teacup as a signal? You guys are even thinking of attacking us!?"

After those words left Zhang Ye's mouth, all of a sudden, many of the expressions on the faces of the non-affiliates and disciples of the small sects changed. They suddenly blew up in anger!

"Son of a bitch!"

"You guys are even thinking of attacking us?"

"Attack us then!"

"C'mon! Fuck! Let's fight!"

"Fuck you, Zhou Family!"

That senior brother of the Zhou Family Style was dumbfounded!

Fourth Bro Zhou was also dumbfounded!

Fight?

Smashing the cup as a signal?

I'll goddamn smash your second granny instead!

Some of the people at Yan Hui's table were already walking toward them, swearing at them as they approached the people from the Zhou Family Style!

Suddenly, the group of people seated at the Kongtong Sect table stood up as well. They grabbed Yan Hui and held him back, saying, "This is the Tianshan Martial Arts Conference! Don't make trouble here!"

The unprepared Yan Hui suddenly stumbled and was thrown back.

Zhang Ye roared, "The large sects are hitting us! They're all in cahoots! Fuck! Fuck them!" With that, Zhang Ye immediately led the charge forward. He found the person in the Zhou Family Style School who spoke ill of Rao Aimin earlier and brutally gave him a flying kick to the face!

The non-affiliates and small sect disciples were so angry that they lost their heads too!

"Fuck them!"

"Motherfuckers!"

"They were really going to attack us?"

"They're taking it too far!"

"Dammit, I'm gonna take them on!"

"A warrior prefers death to humiliation!"

That person from Kongtong Sect who held back Yan Hui was dumbfounded. "Attacking? Who's attacking anyone now? I was just—" Before he could finish, he had already received three punches to the face. "Aiyo! Who the fuck hit my face!"

The Kongtong Sect people were suddenly infuriated!

Two sects beside them who were on good terms with the Zhou Family Style School were also angered. They kicked aside their chairs and joined in the clash!

Yan Hui rushed forward. "Get them!"

The brothers Liu Yiquan and Liu Yizhang shouted angrily, "The large sects are taking it too far with this bullying! If this can be tolerated, then what would be intolerable?!"

He Badao roared, "You want to see who has more people? Would we non-affiliates have anything to fear when it comes to that?"

Li Quanneng had already sent a flying kick and downed a disciple of a large sect. "You want to scam us non-affiliates of our money? You should ask if I, Grandpa Li, am willing to be scammed or not first!"

It was a mess!

A free-for-all!

Before the Tianshan Martial Arts Conference could even be convened, a huge brawl had broken out!

Report chapter Comments

Chapter 916: The shit stirrer of the Chinese martial arts world!

Translator: Legge Editor: Legge

"Fuck them up!"

"Fuck!"

"Charge!"

"Beat them up!"

"Charge! Fight it out with the large sects!"

"You thieving small sects, don't force me!"

"You guys forced our hands first!"

"Damn! Charge at them! Kill this group of non-affiliates!"

At once, chaos broke out on all three floors of the restaurant, as pots and pans, ladles and bowls came crashing to the floor. The tables were all flipped over one by one by the "martial artists"!

It was a brawl!

Close quarters combat!

The restaurant waiter exclaimed, "Stop fighting! All of you, stop fight—aiyo!" He got punched and wounded in the crossfire!

Yan Hui's companions kicked him a few more times and said, "This is what you get for trying to run a scam! You deserve it!"

The waited cried out, "Help!"

Three people from the Iron Palm Sect rushed over at once. "Fuck!"

After exchanging three blows, Yan Hui's two companions were beaten to the ground!

Yan Hui suddenly sent a flying kick and brought down one of the opponents before he got kicked in the stomach!

At this moment, the Liu Yiquan and Liu Yizhang brothers rushed over. "Who dares lay a hand on our non-affiliates bros!" The two of them took on one each, and threw kicks and punches as they got embroiled into the chaotic melee!

The large sects were indeed the large sects. Their disciples' kung fu was definitely of a higher standard, especially that Iron Palm opponent taking on Liu Yiquan. His kung fu was amazing and his Iron Palm movements felt like they were full of power!

Liu Yiquan could only keep retreating as he got hit by several palm strikes!

Zhang Ye arrived and said, "Bro Liu, I'm here!"

Liu Yiquan called out, "Bro Chen Zhen, come and assist me quickly!"

Zhang Ye bent down and picked up something braced under the legs of a makeshift table before rushing toward them!

When that middle-aged man of the Iron Palm style heard that, he sent a palm strike behind him without even looking.

But before his palm could strike anyone, a dark object had flown straight at his face and battered him!

"Aiyo, fuck!" The Iron Palm disciple immediately fell onto the ground. He was nearly crying and had a bloody nose as he screamed piercingly, "Who the fuck threw that brick at me?!"

Many of the large sect members were furious!

"Shameless!"

"Shameless to the extreme!"

"How dare you use a hidden weapon?"

"Scumbag!"

"Take them out!"

Liu Yiquan, Liu Yizhang, and the others were stunned! Damn! Bro Chen Zhen is too vicious!

When the small sects and non-affiliates saw this, they learned from it and picked up the chairs around them to smash them into their opponents. Someone even picked up a pot of hot soup and splashed it at the Zhou Family Style's disciples!

"Ah!"

"Fuck! Who poured that on me!"

"I'm fucking scalded!"

"Fuck! Pick up whatever you can find!"

"Take them out!"

The Zhou Family Style School and several of the large sect members went berserk. They also picked up some random items as weapons to fight against their opponents!

There were some members of three to five small sects who originally had no intention of partaking in the fight, distancing themselves far from the fight when it broke out. However, an unidentified flying object came hurtling at them amid the chaos!

"Aiyo!"

"My head!"

"Goddamn motherfucking Zhou Family!"

"I won't take this anymore! Charge them!"

As a result, the non-affiliates and small sects added another large wave of combat strength to their side!

On the second floor was a table with around nine Shaolin monks. The eminent monks were not bothered by the ongoing battle around them, as it seemed they had reached a very high state of cultivation and were very calm despite the happenings, continuing to dine as though the brawl did not involve them.

Crash!

A teacup smashed onto their table!

The chief monk of the table smiled and said, "Amitābha, do not be bothered."

"Yes, yes."

"That's right, that's right."

"Haha."

The other eminent monks also replied alike.

Then, a leg of a chair came flying over and clattered into two of their plates of food.

One of the eminent monks pressed his hands together and said, "Amitābha, don't be angry, don't be impatient."

"Don't be angry, don't be impatient."

"Let's eat, let's eat."

"That's right, that's right."

They smiled again and continued with their meal.

Next, a clay pot half-filled with hot soup flew over. When the soup splashed onto the monks, they couldn't carry on eating anymore!

One of the eminent monks pressed his hands together devoutly and said, "Amitābha, maintain our original mind."

"That's better, that's better."

"That's right, that's right."

"Extremely correct, extremely correct."

The monks still maintained their composure and were not affected by what was going on.

Suddenly, a disciple of a large sect came flying over. His whole body landed onto and smashed their table into pieces!

The chief monk said calmly, "Amitā—I'll Amitā your grandpa!" He jumped up and roared angrily, "Kill those sons of bitches!"

"Kill those sons of bitches!"

"The small sects are running rampant! They're really pushing it too far!"

The eminent monks of the Shaolin Monastery joined the fray as well, so you could imagine how out of control the fight had spiraled!

"You thieving bastard, watch out for my palm strike!" One of the Shaolin monks went straight for Zhang Ye!

Zhang Ye was someone who had eaten over a hundred Fruits of Agility, so his reaction was extremely quick. He did not even have to break out his Taiji Fist and could just shift his body sideways to avoid the attack. As he avoided it, he reflexively used the brick in his hand to hit his attacker!

The Shaolin monk grabbed his face and cried, "Aiyo!"

Zhang Ye pulled back his arm just as a Zhou Family Style boxing specialist was about to sneak up on him. Zhang Ye smashed the brick into the face of this attacker, which made the man fall backwards as two of his front teeth came flying out and spun through the air!

With that one action, he had hit both his targets!

"Bro Chen Zhen, good one!"

"Beautiful!"

"Bro Chen Zhen was really majestic there!"

"Good brick technique!"

When Liu Yiquan, Liu Yizhang, He Badao, and the others saw this, they didn't forget to cheer Zhang Ye on mid-fight!

Fourth Bro Zhou of the Zhou Family Style School was stunned, as though exclamation marks were written all over his face as he looked on with his jaw hanging!

Even now, he still could not understand how this fight had broken out. How did they start fighting? In all this time, he had only managed to say three and a half goddamn sentences in total! The first two sentences were: "Don't come and eat here if you don't have the money! What are you going off about for!", followed by half a sentence of "That wine was meticulously fermented by our—". The last sentence was "Which sect are you from?" All in all, it was only three and a half sentences. He could swear to the heavens that that was all he said! Besides, even if he said them again now, those words should not have been considered offensive! Fuck! Then how did it fucking cause a fight to break out!?

The facts had proven again that Zhang Ye's mouth was too damn wicked. Wherever this fellow went, there would be no peace. The entertainment industry insiders' evaluation of this person was truly spot on. He was just a goddamn hooligan, a downright shit stirrer. Whichever industry he went to, he would bring about bloodshed. Previously, in the literary world, the entertainment circle, and even the education world, those industry peers were all cultured people who were rather eloquent and could speak well. Whether it was this professor or that doctor, they had had more than enough arguments with Zhang Ye. But even so, those people still could not beat Zhang Ye a single time when it came to scolding! Now that this fellow had sneaked into the Chinese martial arts world—a place where the level of education was generally not too high—for a person that even the Tsinghua and Renmin University professors and people of the crosstalk world could not outargue, this place stood basically no chance!

They were nowhere near a match for him!

Now that this guy had arrived at the Chinese martial arts world, he was just like a wolf among sheep. With just a few words, he had caused internal strife at the Tianshan Martial Arts Conference. It had even spiraled so out of control that the fight could not be stopped even if anyone tried to stop it!

Fourth Bro Zhou shouted out, "Everyone, listen to me, I―"

Suddenly, a punch was thrown at him!

The unprepared Fourth Bro Zhou received a brutal punch to his right cheek, utterly infuriating him. He rolled up his sleeves and rushed forward saying, "Who the fuck hit me? Do you people think that our Zhou Family Style School are pushovers? How dare you people make trouble at the Tianshan Martial Arts Conference! If you want to fight, let's fight! Do you think we all have anything to be afraid of?"

Fourth Bro Zhou also rushed forward!

Then a brick met his face!

"Fuck!" Fourth Bro Zhou covered his face and cursed angrily!

"Fourth Senior Bro!"

"Get them!"

"We will bloody you today!"

"Right, we'll bloody you!"

Witnessing this scene unfolding in front of her, Chenchen was totally speechless.

Zhang Ye was quite unreliable in a lot of the things that he did, but that mouth of his could definitely be relied on to be the most sarcastic in this world! What was supposed to be a martial arts conference attended by all the members of the Chinese martial arts world had now turned into a civil war even before the event was convened!

In fact, the conflict was still growing!

Another wave of the Zhou Family Style's disciples arrived from outside!

"What is happening?"

"What's going on?"

"The hell, who hit me?"

"Damn! Bros, get them!"

When this group of people arrived, before they could even announce who they were or ask what was happening, they were already getting beaten up. They then immediately joined the fray without another word!

The non-affiliates had even more backup arriving!

"Bro Zhao, I'm here!"

"Hold on, our bros are here to help!"

"The Zhou Family is throwing their weight around and bullying us! This is outrageous!"

"Outrageous! Kill them!"

"The large sects are too arrogant! We must get revenge today!"

"Baldie, receive this palm strike from your grandpa!"

"Fourth Bro Zhou, you have often committed all kinds of evils! Let me rein you in today!"

Who said that there were no highly skilled non-affiliates?

A few of the non-affiliates who rushed over upon hearing the news turned out to be extremely skilled at kung fu. When Zhang Ye saw them fighting, even he was surprised as they all were seemingly on par with him. The Chinese martial arts world was truly filled with hidden dragons and crouching tigers. With this fight happening, all the experts started showing themselves! When a lot of them heard the shouting, they knew there was obviously some private grudge between the two groups. The large and small sects, along with the non-affiliates, clearly had grudges that existed in the past. Everything just happened to spill over today!

More and more people arrived!

100!

200!

300!

The restaurant was close to being torn apart!

The battlefield was even extending out into the courtyard and outside the resort, the sounds of fighting coming from everywhere!

When Zhang Ye, who was never afraid of too much trouble, saw this, he shouted again, "Our small sect and non-affiliate brothers! Today's outcome is a matter of our honor! Will we just watch and allow the large sects to climb all over us?"

"No, we won't!"

"No, we won't!"

"No, we won't!"

"No, we won't!"

Many of them were shouting like crazy!

Zhang Ye roared, "Will we just watch our dignity get trampled under their feet like that?"

"No, we won't!"

"No, we won't!"

"Definitely not!"

Many were roaring in response!

Zhang Ye yelled, "On the path of martial arts! Everyone stands equal! It has never been segregated between large and small sects! Today is the day that we stand up to this! Today is the day that we shout to make our voices heard! If we don't shout, there won't be another chance! If we don't shout, they will soon be sitting over our heads and shitting on us! Why are you bros still watching the fight from outside? What are you still waiting for? Roar if you see injustice! Take action when the time comes! Do it with all your passion and hope!"

"Let's take action!"

"With the Zhou Family bullying us, how much longer are we going to keep quiet and endure this?"

"Kill them!"

"Charge!"

"Charge at them together with me, brothers!"

With Zhang Ye's speech, a lot of the onlooking non-affiliates and small sect members who were still hesitant earlier suddenly got pumped up, and roared as they charged forward!

Report chapter Comments

Chapter 917: Zhang Ye versus the Kunlun Taoist!

Translator: Legge Editor: Legge

Outside, the sky had turned dark and the entire holiday resort was dark, except here at the restaurant which was still brightly lit. Cries calling for a massacre could be heard coming from everywhere!

A passerby asked in panic, "What's happening in there?"

A non-affiliate, who was injured and covering his bloody nose, said, "That bunch of bastards from the Zhou Family ganged up with all the large sects and started a fight against us non-affiliates!"

"What? How could something like that happen? Bro, bear with it. I'll go get reinforcements!" After the passerby heard that, he quickly rushed back to inform the others. "Something has happened! Something has happened!"

On the way, as he ran back, he coincidentally bumped into a friend.

This other person asked anxiously, "What's going on over at the restaurant?"

Short of breath, the passerby panted, "I can't run anymore. You came at just the right time, quickly go back and inform the others! That bunch of bastards from the Zhou Family ganged up with all the other large sects to start a fight with all of us!"

"What did you say?" The friend was shocked. "I'll go call for reinforcements immediately!"

At the entrance of an inn.

Everyone came rushing out when they heard the ruckus.

"What happened?"

"Why did they start fighting?"

"Who's fighting who?"

"Should we go and take a look?"

"W-What serious event has just happened there?"

At this moment, that passerby's friend came running back with all his might. "Something has happened! Something has happened! That bunch of fucking bastards from the Zhou Family Style ganged up with the large sects to exterminate all of us!"

Everyone was angered and surprised at the same time!

"Ah?"

"Exterminate all of us?"

"Fuck your grandmas, Zhou Family!"

"They're pushing it too far! They're really pushing it too far!"

"Let's fight it out with them!"

"Fight them!"

"Brothers! Call for help! Get your weapons, and let's kill them!"

"Exterminate all of us? I'll fucking exterminate your entire clan instead!"

With the same message being passed down three times, it had already changed from a fight…to becoming exterminating all of them!

Instantly, another group of "reinforcements" set off as though they were on adrenaline. When they rushed into the restaurant and saw the people from the Zhou Family Style School and other large sects, they charged at them while angrily shouting "exterminate your entire clan" as they attacked!

This group of people randomly rushing in made many of those from the large sects jump in shock. They were completely caught off guard as they suffered defeat after defeat and were left wailing. Their expressions were extremely shocked as they did not even know what had hit them. Fuck! Wasn't this just about some non-affiliates thinking that the jug of wine was too expensive? Didn't the fight break out because they got into a war of words over that issue? How did it become about exterminating an entire clan? You people are looking to exterminate our entire clan just because of 2,000 yuan? Have you people all gone insane from being too poor?!

The people from the large sects were also furious. "We'll exterminate all of you!"

The non-affiliates shouted loudly, "We'll exterminate your entire clan!"

The people from the large sects yelled in anger, "We'll exterminate all of you!"

The people from the small sects said angrily, "We'll exterminate your entire clan!"

Both sides swore something as they fought!

From talking to having a war of words to starting a fight and finally turning into an extermination of clans, the entire process took only ten minutes!

A free-for-all!

A chaotic free-for-all!

Sounds of fighting could be heard everywhere and the fire of battle could be seen throughout the place!

The non-affiliates and small sects had a numerical advantage of about 2.5 to 1, but the people from the large sects had the advantage of superior skills. Even for some of the large sects' most ordinary disciples, their martial arts skills were still very good. Even if two fists were no match for four hands, it would not be that difficult to hold out. Furthermore, there were many experts among the large sects who could probably take on five opponents at the same time!

And Zhang Ye had encountered one of them!

It was a Taoist from the Kunlun Sect![1.]

Zhang Ye sparred with him for a while using his real skills and immediately knew that he was going to be a tough one. His opponent turned out to be trained in internal style martial arts as well, and his power was likely a little better than Zhang Ye's. Zhang Ye had eaten over a hundred Taiji Fist Skill Experience Books, so he could be considered as one of the top few fighters in this pool of ordinary martial artists. It would not be much of a problem for him to take on 20 of them. But if he were to really meet with a real practitioner of the martial arts, he would not exactly be a match for that person. With just those few skill experience books, he could only be considered to have barely stepped past the doors of the Chinese martial arts world, or perhaps be at a slightly higher level than most. He certainly could not be considered to be at the master level. Moreover, Zhang Ye's boxing techniques were not slowly trained by himself, but rather gained directly through the eating of all those skill experience books. His strength and stamina were also unable to keep up with his opponent, and his Taiji Fist only worked at times. All these key factors affected his overall ability. But fortunately, Zhang Ye's 100 Fruits of Agility were unleashed to their greatest effect. His reaction speed was not slower than those real practitioners of martial arts, so even if he could not defeat his opponent with his attacks, it was still enough to deal with him for a while!

Furthermore, he still had a brick in his hand!

With a brick in hand, I own the world!

"Watch my kick!" The Kunlun Taoist threw out a punch!

Zhang Ye dodged agilely and cried out, "Watch my kick!" But he used the brick to attack instead!

That Taoist dodged angrily. "Receive my palm strike!" But he aimed his kick at Zhang Ye's privates instead!

"Receive my roundhouse kick!" Zhang Ye dodged the attacks perilously as he shouted, but he did not move his leg and still attacked with the brick!

The Taoist shouted loudly, "Fish Leaps Over the Dragon Gate!" Then he threw himself prone to dodge the brick attack!

"Carp Skip-up!" Zhang Ye gurgled up a mouthful of phlegm and spat at him!

When the surrounding people saw that, they nearly fainted!

Roundhouse kick, your sister!

Fish Leaps Over the Dragon Gate, your sister!

Carp Skip-up, your sister!

The moves that the two of you executed were totally different from what you had shouted!

These two fellows were also from the martial arts community? Why was each of them more sly than the other?!

Liu Yiquan, Liu Yizhang, He Badao, Li Quanneng, and some others were also engaged in battles with their "enemies" around Zhang Ye. When they saw the fight between Zhang Ye and that Kunlun Taoist, they broke out in cold sweats!

They could do it like that?

This had to be a meeting of two rogues!

On the bus, they had chatted happily with Zhang Ye and felt that this "Bro Chen Zhen" was a very righteous person. From a glance, he could be assumed to have come from some righteous sect. But who would have expected that when this fellow got into a fight, he would actually be such a hooligan and use a brick to make sneak attacks, randomly call out his moves, and even spit at his opponent! This scene made Liu Yiquan, Liu Yizhang, and the group of people who came from an unorthodox martial arts background feel embarrassed! Why is Bro Chen Zhen's martial arts even more unorthodox than ours?!

When that Taoist had his clothes hit by a mouthful of phlegm, he flew into a rage. He was quite well-known in the Chinese martial arts world and was always reputed to be a vicious and devious person. When his name was mentioned, as long as it was someone in the martial arts community who had heard of his exploits before, they would definitely choose to avoid him. Even in normal circumstances when his fellow Kunlun Sect disciples sparred, no one would choose to be his opponent. He initially thought that he was already devious enough, but never did he expect to bump into someone today who was more devious than him!

The Taoist shouted, "What style do you practice?"

Zhang Ye threw a punch and questioned back, "What style do you practice?"

The Taoist said loudly, "The style I practice is called the Kunlun Universe Palms!"

Zhang Ye would naturally not reveal his background to anyone. He swung the brick towards the Taoist and said, "Then the style that I practice is called the Swimming Body Eight Trigrams Brick!"

Upon hearing that, the surrounding people fainted all at once!

One of the disciples of the Zhou Family Style School lost his concentration and was immediately floored by a punch and two kicks from two small sects' disciples! After he collapsed onto the ground, his mind continued to wonder about the skill that the sunglasses-wearing youth proclaimed that he had used!

They all knew about the Swimming Body Eight Trigrams Palm which was also known as the Eight Trigrams Palm!

But what the fuck was the Swimming Body Eight Trigrams Brick!?

Which sect's martial arts have you ever come across that train with fucking bricks?

Report chapter Comments

Chapter 918: The National Martial Arts Association steps in!

Translator: Legge Editor: Legge

The situation was getting out of control!

The organizers were startled as well!

Chen Xi, the vice president of China's National Martial Arts Association, the current leader of the Huashan Sect, and one of the five grandmasters of the current Chinese martial arts world, led a large group of people and hurried to the restaurant. In the group were a deputy sect leader of the Kongtong Sect, a leader from an Iron Palm branch, an eminent monk of the Shaolin Monastery, and a master from the Wudang Sect. All of them were, without an exception, famous figures within the Chinese martial arts world, and were also the backbone of their sects, even to the point of being the strongest in their respective sects. But Grandmaster Zhou Tianpeng of the Zhou Family Style School was nowhere to be seen. He was probably secluding himself in preparation for the big battle tomorrow at the Tianshan Martial Arts Conference!

When this group of people got to the entrance of the restaurant, they were completely stunned by what they saw!

Liu Yizhang was keeping a disciple of the Zhou Family Style down with two hands, while his brother, Liu Yiquan, was furiously hammering at that Zhou Family Style disciple!

He Badao and a Kongtong Sect disciple were rolling around on the ground, throwing punches and kicks at each other!

Li Quanneng and Yan Hui were each holding a table leg in their respective hands, gotten from who knows where, chasing a group of four or five people from the large sects and hitting them with the legs. It was utter chaos!

"Kill them!"

"Senior Bro, save me!"

"Hang on! You must hang on!"

"Kill this bunch of non-affiliates!"

"We must exterminate them all!"

The most noteworthy duel was still between Zhang Ye and that Kunlun Taoist.

Zhang Ye swung his brick. "Watch out for my Huashan swordsmanship!"

The Huashan Sect leader, Chen Xi, fainted then and there!

The Kunlun Taoist dodged away. "Have a taste of my Iron Palms!" Then he crouched and swept a kick at Zhang Ye!

The eldest senior brother of the previous generation of the Iron Palm branch wobbled in place when he heard that!

"I'm going for your lower body!" The brick swung towards his opponent's head!

"I'm targeting your left!" The Kunlun Taoist threw a punch at his right!

Zhang Ye shouted, "I'll spit on your face!"

The Taoist replied, "I'll fuck your grandpa!"

"I'll fuck your grandma!"

"Are you sick?"

"Do you have any medicine for me?"

"How much do you need?"

"How much do you have?"

"I'll give you however much you require!"

Zhang Ye spoke, "I'll eat however much you have!"

The Taoist asked again, "Are you sick!"

"Do you have any medicine for me?"

They did not exchange too many blows between them before transitioning into scolding each other with everything they had, even spitting at each other!

The fighting made these people of distinction and leaders of the various martial sects within the organizers and Chinese martial arts world nearly vomit blood! What kind of fucking people did the Tianshan Martial Arts Conference invite this time!?

That Taoist's martial uncle was the Kunlun Sect leader. He was also in this group that had just arrived. At the moment, he was pretending not to have seen anything as he looked up at the sky—he could not afford to be embarrassed like this.

Chen Xi roared, "Stop it! All of you, stop it!"

Everyone who was fighting was incensed and crying out their killing intents, so why would they bother listening to anyone calling for them to stop?

That eminent monk from the Shaolin Monastery was also stunned by the brawl, as he noticed a few of his junior brothers in the chaos with bruised and swollen faces. He called out loudly, "Junior Bro Jie Jiao? Junior Bro Jie Zao? Why did you all get involved in the fight as well?"[1.]

A monk who was currently fighting a small sect's combat expert shouted, "The small sects are taking this too far!"

The eminent Shaolin monk called out, "Stop the fight and get over here! Stop fighting already!"

Another Shaolin monk was still enraged as he spoke with a Henan accent, "Senior Bro, stay out of it! I must take care of these bastards today no matter what!"

Their senior brother: "…"

The usually mild-mannered Shaolin monks were all cursing and swearing!

Chen Xi watched in astonishment. "W-What on earth happened?"

"I don't know!"

"Why is everyone fighting?"

"Aiyo! How are we going to handle this?"

"In all the years of holding the National Martial Arts Conference, nothing like this has ever happened before!"

"Terrible, this is truly terrible!"

"Could it be that someone died, leading them to fight like this?"

"It has to be!"

At this moment, Fourth Bro Zhou of the Zhou Family Style School finally came running out from the chaos. His nose dripped with blood as he limped toward them. "Senior Bro! Second Senior Bro!"

Second Bro Zhou was taken aback. "Fourth Junior Bro? Quickly, tell us what's going on!"

Fourth Bro Zhou was already on the verge of tears, though nobody knew if it was from the pain or because he was infuriated to such a state. "Those non-affiliates were unhappy about us selling our Nu'er Hong at an expensive price!"

Chen Xi was stunned. "And then what?"

Second Bro Zhou's expression changed immediately. "Then did you guys kill someone because of that?"

Fourth Bro Zhou nearly vomited blood at that. "Then we started fighting because of that!"

The eminent Shaolin monk admonished, "But you can't kill someone over that!"

"Who did we kill!" Fourth Bro Zhou shouted.

The eminent Shaolin monk was stunned. "No one died?"

Fourth Bro Zhou protested, "Of course not!"

A leader of a small sect asked, "Then how did it become like this?"

Fourth Bro Zhou wiped away the blood from his nose and said, "The fuck I know! I only said a few words, telling them not to drink if they did not have the money. But it somehow ended up becoming a fight! They were even shouting and calling for our entire clan to be exterminated!"

A Kongtong Sect deputy leader said dumbfounded, "All this was over a jug of wine? At a respectable event like the Tianshan Martial Arts Conference, you all actually got into such a massive brawl involving several hundred people?"

Chen Xi: "…"

The eminent Shaolin monk: "…"

The Kunlun Sect leader: "…"

They all glanced at one another, embarrassed!

Chen Xi composed himself then forced a voice out from his diaphragm. "All of you, stop!"

Some of those involved in the brawl heard this and were startled when they turned to look. Seeing their sect leaders, masters, or martial uncles all here, they quickly stopped fighting.

But some of the non-affiliates were still at it!

Chen Xi closed his eyes and suddenly lifted a foot. Without using much strength, he stamped it down, and a loud crash reverberated. The entire surface of the floor seemingly shook. When he lifted his foot again, the concrete floor was deeply imprinted with his shoeprint! It was a very clear imprint too!

Concealed power!

This was made by concealed power!

Among a hundred Chinese martial arts experts, only a few could train to such a level!

"Stop fighting!" Chen Xi shouted.

This time, everyone turned their heads all at once!

Chen Xi did not depend on the one-sided story of Fourth Bro Zhou, but instead called over a few of his own Huashan Sect disciples. He listened to them as they related the entire situation that led to the fight, but as Huashan Sect was also one of the large sects that partook in the fight against the small sects and non-affiliates, their side of the story naturally did not favor the non-affiliates!

The people from the small sects and the non-affiliates were showing their anger at this, but did not dare say anything due to the domineering air of the grandmaster.

However, in the crowd was someone who was not afraid of anything. At this moment, that youth wearing the sunglasses once again "bravely came forward."

Zhang Ye brought a stool with him and stood onto it, shouting, "Brother and sisters, fellow countrymen and elders, the large sects seem to be confusing right and wrong. Are we just going to say nothing?"

With someone taking the lead, everyone who fought side by side earlier started raising a ruckus.

"No, we won't!"

"No, we won't!"

"No, we won't!"

"No, we won't!"

There were hundreds of voices of men and women, all shouting loudly with their hands up in the air!

Zhang Ye shouted, "Who were the ones who tried to scam us of our hard-earned money!"

"The Zhou Family!"

"The Zhou Family!"

"The Zhou Family!"

Zhang Ye shouted again, "Who were the ones who started the fight?"

"The Kongtong Sect!"

"The Kongtong Sect!"

"The Kongtong Sect!"

Zhang Ye bellowed, "We were scammed of our money and even got attacked by the large sects. Can we take this lying down?"

"Definitely not!"

"Definitely not!"

"Definitely not!"

The small sects and non-affiliates were emboldened by their numbers and their morale suddenly increased by quite a bit as well!

When the group in the organizing party heard this, some of the small sect leaders and chiefs also showed signs of anger. Subconsciously, they were moving toward their own disciples to stand with them.

A leader of a small sect said while stifling his anger, "The Kongtong Sect made the first move?"

A deputy leader of the Kongtong Sect was taken aback and simply said, "About that…" Then he looked over to his own disciples.

The disciples of the Kongtong Sect nearly went crazy!

"Master, we really did not!"

"It wasn't us!"

"Senior Bro was only trying to hold someone back!"

Holding back? That counted as making a move!

Chen Xi frowned and gave a look to the Kongtong Sect members.

That Kongtong Sect senior brother in question was almost kneeling by now. "I, I was only trying to mediate the situation!"

At this time, the youth wearing sunglasses standing on a stool shouted, "2,000 yuan for a jug of Nu'er Hong? Did you use gold to ferment it?"

Yan Hui shouted, "Did you use gold to ferment it?"

Liu Yiquan roared, "Did you use gold to ferment it?"

A junior sister of some small sect: "Did you use gold to ferment it?"

Zhang Ye cried out, "Hand over the person guilty of hitting our people!"

"Hand over the person guilty of hitting our people!"

"Hand over the person guilty of hitting our people!"

Everyone echoed him loudly in unison!

Zhang Ye again cried out, "Hand over the person who fermented the wine!"

"Hand over the person who fermented the wine!"

"Hand over the person who fermented the wine!"

Everyone echoed him loudly in unison again!

Zhang Ye cried out for the third time, "Compensate us for our losses! Compensate us for our medical fees! Otherwise, we won't let this rest!"

"We won't let this rest!"

"We won't let this rest!"

"We won't let this rest!"

Everyone's shouting was increasing in volume!

The upper management of the National Martial Arts Association was facing a headache regarding this problem. If it were only one or two people, it would have been easy to settle. But since this was a matter of several hundred people making trouble, they could not handle it as easily. Although the upper management positions were mainly filled by people from the large sects, there were also many experts and talented people from the small sects too. The National Martial Arts Association grassroots' positions were generally held by these people. If the issue was not handled properly, the entire Martial Arts Association might fall into disarray!

Several of the upper management's people were getting flustered. "What the hell is going on! There has never before been a situation like this at the previous Martial Arts Conferences! What is going on this year?"

Chenchen's hearing was sharp. When she overheard those people begrudgingly say all that, she could only give a silent "hur hur" in her head. That is because Zhang Ye did not attend the previous conferences, but if he did, you guys would have been in trouble long ago!

But Fourth Bro Zhou retorted, "You people still dare to demand recompense?"

Those wounded disciples from the Kongtong Sect added, "You're all trying to shift the blame!"

This problem wasn't easy to handle, as both sides pushed their own rhetoric. But it was obvious that the non-affiliates and small sects had the greater advantage in numbers!

Finally, the National Martial Arts Association sent someone out to negotiate. He was a steward of the Martial Arts association and also one of the representative members of a large sect. He was the junior brother of the Huashan Sect leader, Chen Xi.

This person's name was Fan Wen.

Huashan Sect's Fan Wen stepped forward. "The responsibility of this issue lies with both sides as it takes two hands to clap. Let's put this matter to rest here and everyone can take a step back. Can't we give the National Martial Arts Association some face?!"

Zhang Ye said, "No way!"

"No way!"

"No way!"

"No way!"

Everyone was just blindly following at this point!

Fan Wen's eyes twitched. He looked at them and said, "A jug of Nu'er Hong for 2,000 yuan is indeed a little expensive. Why don't we do this? I'll make a decision here and waive everyone's bill for the meal. The things that were smashed will be taken care of by our Martial Arts Association as well, so no one has to compensate anything. How does that sound?"

Zhang Ye said, "No way!"

"No way!"

"No way!"

"No way!"

Fan Wen was speechless at this. Then he said loudly, "Then what do you propose the compensation should be?"

Zhang Ye shouted, "Make the person who started this apologize! Compensate us for our medical fees! Pay each of us 100,000 yuan! That is non-negotiable! Not a cent less! We will not accept if it's a cent less!"

"We won't accept it!"

"We won't accept it!"

"We won't accept it!"

"We won't accept it!"

100,000 yuan?

Not a cent less?

The people from the large sects were getting mad!

"Bullshit!"

"Despicable!"

Huashan Sect's Fan Wen was also furious, "That's such an unreasonable demand! You people have absolutely no intentions on negotiating, right?! 100,000 for each of you? Bullshit! It would be more than enough to compensate you 1,000 yuan per person!"

Zhang Ye suddenly raised his hand and said, "—Deal!"

Fan Wen was stunned!

What?

Deal?

Under everyone's dumbfounded gazes, Zhang Ye jumped down from the stool and said, "Let's go, everyone!"

The people from the small sects and non-affiliates suddenly dispersed when the order was given!

Leaving a bunch of people from the large sects and National Martial Arts Association staring wide-eyed!

Didn't they say not a cent less?

That they would not accept it if it were a cent less?

Fuck all of your grandpas!

Wasn't that a non-negotiable request?

1. Jie Jiao (戒骄) means 'free from arrogance' and Jie Zao (戒躁) means 'free from impetuousness.'

Report chapter Comments

Chapter 919: The appearance of Rao Aimin!

Translator: Legge Editor: Legge

At the holiday resort.

The sky was gradually getting darker. Various non-affiliates and others from the small sects were supporting each other as they made their way back to the inns. Some of them had injuries to their legs, some had injuries on their hands, and some also had their hair pulled out. But at this moment, everyone was very friendly and helping each other, propping one another up in support. After all, they were now compatriots who had fought side by side. Moreover, speaking of the injuries that they had suffered, they definitely got off much lighter than those from the large sects. With two or three people against one, their opponents were definitely much more seriously injured than them!

"What a good release it was!"

"Right! It felt great!"

"Having lived for so long, I've never felt as satisfied as I felt today!"

"That's right. Although my nose was punched and my ass was kicked twice, I still feel really wonderful. That bunch of people from the large sects have already bullied us for too many years! I finally vented all my pent-up anger on them!"

"Same here!"

"I've been wanting to beat up that Kongtong Sect bastard for a long time too!"

"The Zhou Family's Fourth Bro Zhou has always been a dishonorable character, so I took advantage of the chaos just now and kicked him. It felt so good!"

"Hahaha, after beating up those large sects' people, not only did we get a waiver for our meals, we even earned a thousand yuan's compensation for nothing. It would be great if such a good thing happens at every conference! I don't mind even if I have to get beaten up every year! So even we non-affiliates can turn the tide! And we didn't have to act in accordance with the will of the large sects for once!"

Everyone was very excited.

Elsewhere.

Liu Yiquan took two steps forward and gave a fist and palm salute, saying, "Bro Chen Zhen, if not for you rushing to help me in time back there, I truly could not have handled that person. Thank you so much!"

Zhang Ye also gave a fist and palm salute. "Don't mention it, there's no need."

He Badao laughed heartily. "It's all thanks to Bro Chen Zhen stepping forward!"

Li Quanneng said, "Yeah, if not for Bro Chen, we would definitely have been scammed by them today! Once the grandmaster and those large sect leaders appeared, the rest of us would definitely not have dared to say anything, but just look at how Bro Chen Zhen showed no fear at all! Admirable, admirable!"

Zhang Ye smiled and said, "Thank you, thank you."

"Bro, your name is Chen Zhen?"

"Thank you!"

"Good one, Bro Chen!"

"Thank you so much!"

"If you go to Shandong in the future, come and look for me!"

"If you ever go to Northeast China, I will buy you some wine!"

"Considering Bro Chen's martial arts style, uh, uh, it is really…very unique!"

"Haha, it doesn't matter whether Bro Chen used a brick or a wine jar, as long as he can win with it, it is a good weapon!"

"That's right, that's right. Bro Chen's skills, no, brick skills were truly godly!"

Everyone gave their praise!

Yan Hui and a few of his friends also stepped forward at this moment to give their fist and palm salutes. "Bro Chen Zhen, words can't express our gratitude!" Then he turned around and said to all the non-affiliates and disciples of the small sects, "And to all the other brothers and sisters, thank you so much for today. If not for everyone helping us to seek justice, we would really have been scammed by them!"

"Happy to help, happy to help!"

"We're all on the same side!"

"After they scam you, they would scam us next!"

"Right, helping others is equivalent to helping ourselves!"

"Everyone has been injured, so let's disperse for now."

"Go back and rest. We'll meet again at the Tianshan Martial Arts Conference tomorrow!"

The non-affiliates gradually dispersed and left.

When Yan Hui was about to leave, he turned around and doubtfully glanced over in Zhang Ye's direction.

A friend beside tugged at him. "Let's go-oh. What are you looking at?"

Yan Hui blinked and said baffled, "Somehow, I find that person to be quite familiar."

"That's enough, hurry back to the inn. Aiyo, my arms! Help me to apply some medicated red flower oil on my arms in a while. Those bunch of bastards from the large sects were really aggressive in their attacks!"[1.]

In the end, Yan Hui still did not manage to recall anything.

Or rather, he never even suspected that it might be that person!

...

Over at the restaurant.

The moment these people left, Fan Wen's face turned green with anger!

The others from the large sects embroiled in the battle earlier were also unable to accept this outcome!

"Compensation?"

"Why should we compensate them?!"

"We are the ones who were seriously injured!"

"No, we can't just let the matter rest like this!"

The disciples of the large sects started to make a scene.

Fan Wen said, "I'll go and stop them!"

However, he was held back by the Huashan Sect leader, Chen Xi, who was beside him. "Forget it."

Fan Wen said dejected, "Senior Bro, what the heck is this!"

Chen Xi sighed and said, "Isn't it only 1,000 yuan per person? The National Martial Arts Association will fork out this sum of money. It's definitely better that we appease everyone's anger first."

The Kongtong Sect deputy leader said, stifling his anger, "But—"

Chen Xi declared, "Has everyone forgotten what the purpose is of organizing the Tianshan Martial Arts Conference this year? Before the conference takes place, there mustn't be any screw ups. It's more important to resolve the matter of Rao Aimin before anything else! That is what matters the most!"

"Yes, Senior Bro."

"That's true."

"Understood."

The sect leaders and elders all looked at one another but did not speak further. Yet they somehow were left a certain feeling—it was as though they had been scammed by someone!

...

At night.

In the Tianshan region.

At a certain location.

"Senior Sis!"

"Eldest Senior Sis!"

"You've finally appeared!"

"How is your condition right now?"

Rao Aimin walked into the room languidly as she yawned. "My condition is quite good. Little Fifth, Little Sixth, Little Lu, what are the bunch of you here for?"

Though they hadn't not seen her in quite some time now, Rao Aimin was still the same as before. She neither put on weight nor slimmed down, and didn't grow taller or became shorter; she was just the same old her.

Lu Yuhu said anxiously, "How can we possibly not come when you are in trouble!"

His fifth senior sister said, "Eldest Senior Sis, you are in great danger this time!"

His sixth senior brother said, "That's right. The purpose of organizing the Tianshan Martial Arts Conference was to deal with you, how could you not understand that? We are here to give you our support and a helping hand!"

His thirteenth junior brother said, "It's a pity that Eldest Senior Bro and Second Senior Bro couldn't come! Master locked—"

Lu Yuhu's fifth senior sister glared at him to stop him from saying any more.

Rao Aimin glanced at him. "That old man is still alive?"

Everyone from the Eight Trigrams School: "…"

Rao Aimin waved it off and said, "Alright, that doesn't matter, but it's useless even though you guys came here. You guys didn't train properly, so what can you help me with? It's pretty good if you don't drag me back. Hurry up and get lost."

"Eldest Senior Sis!"

"Wherever you go, we go too!"

"Right, if you're going to the Martial Arts Conference tomorrow, then we'll go together as well!"

"Let's fight it out with those people from the large sects!"

"Fight them!"

Rao Aimin glanced at them and said, "They have hundreds of people, how are you guys going to fight them?"

Suddenly, Lu Yuhu received a call right after he turned on his cell phone. He walked away to answer it. But when he returned, his expression had turned into one of bewilderment!

His fifth senior sister looked at him and asked, "Little Lu, what's the matter?"

His sixth senior brother kicked his foot and said, "Say it!"

His seventh senior brother asked anxiously, "Little Junior Bro, you have the best network amongst us, so what news did you just receive? Hurry up and tell us, what are you staring at?"

Lu Yuhu said, "Shit, the people at the venue of the Tianshan Martial Arts Conference got into a fight!"

When they heard that, everyone from the Eight Trigrams School was shocked!

"What?"

"They got into a fight?"

"Who dueled with who?"

Lu Yuhu didn't know whether to laugh or cry. "It's not about who dueled with who, it was more of a civil war! The people from the large sects fought with the small sects and non-affiliates. They were locked into a battle so fierce that they almost destroyed a three-story restaurant at the resort! Hundreds of people were injured! Even the National Martial Arts Association was alerted and had to step in to prevent the brawl from getting out of control!"

His fifth senior sister laughed heartily. "Great fight! They deserve it!"

His sixth senior brother was tickled. "To think they were even intending to deal with our Eldest Senior Sis together! Look at what's happening now, they've gotten into infighting first!"

"Man, surely that couldn't have happened, right?"

"How did the conference turn into such chaos when it has not even started yet?"

"What was the cause of it?"

"How can there be so many people fighting each other?"

Lu Yuhu also found it difficult to accept this news because it sounded inconceivable to him. "It seems that the cause of the incident was due to the organizers selling overpriced wine and the Zhou Family turning out to be part owners of that restaurant as well. As a result, someone named 'Chen Zhen' represented the non-affiliates and small sects by stepping forward to resist the large sects. That was how they ended up fighting!" Then he smiled and went on, "No matter what, the Heavens are really helping us!"

His fifth senior sister laughed. "Right, even the Heavens can't bear to watch any further!"

His sixth senior brother said, "Chen Zhen? He sounds like he is not bad!"

His fifth senior sister nodded. "Yeah, what that Chen fellow did was beautiful!"

Lu Yuhu couldn't help but laugh. "The National Martial Arts Association wanted to band everyone together to deal with Eldest Senior Sis in order to exert pressure on her and even stood on the moral high ground to criticize her, but what happened in the end? The Martial Arts Conference has not even started yet and they are already fighting amongst themselves! Those people are really unlucky!"

"Yeah!"

"Well done!"

"Which sect is this Chen Zhen from? How can he be so bold? He even dared to stand firm against the large sects?"

"I'm not sure. My friend there did not say which sect he was from either."

"What style does he practice?"

"Uh, he said it was Swimming Body…Eight Trigrams Brick!"

"What?"

"Swimming Body Eight Trigrams Brick?"

"What kind of a weapon did he use?"

"—A brick."

"Pfft! What the hell?"

"Don't tell me it's closely related to our Eight Trigrams School's Swimming Body Eight Trigrams Palm?"

"Closely related, my ass! This two styles definitely have nothing at all to do with each other!"

"This Chen Zhen sounds like a really interesting person. He must be talented!"

"Where did this person come from? I must be on the lookout for him tomorrow!"

Everyone from the Eight Trigrams School chimed in one after the other and started chattering away. Regarding the infighting over at the Tianshan Martial Arts Conference, they expressed that their present mood could only be described with one phrase: Let's have another round of drinks!

1. Red Flower Oil - /a/Yl9nv

2. We could do with some reviews here. It's not getting much love :'( https//series/im-really-a-superstar/#comments

3. Don't forget to vote with your power stones!

Report chapter Comments

Chapter 920: Zhang Ye, Enhanced Edition! (Beginning)

Translator: Legge Editor: Legge

Nightfall.

Peace and quiet had finally descended upon the world.

The last non-affiliate from Shanghai who insisted on training his hard qigong downstairs at the inn was getting tired. He let out a shout before cooling down with the closing form, then proceeded upstairs back to his room to sleep.

In Zhang Ye's room.

Chenchen called out, "Zhang Ye."

Zhang Ye looked over and asked, "What?"

Chenchen said, "Why were you so mean?"

Zhang Ye blinked. "Was I mean?"

Chenchen asked, "Zhang Ye, why is it that wherever you go, that place would always suffer?"

"I was just stepping in to help in the face of injustice, ha!" Zhang Ye boasted without shame, "Did you see your Uncle Zhang's imposing manner when I commanded the masses earlier? Did you see it? That's what you call appeal and charisma. How was it? They still had to agree to compensate everyone's medical fees at the end, didn't they?"

Chenchen pointed out, "Didn't you ask for 100,000 yuan in compensation? Wasn't it non-negotiable?"

Zhang Ye chided her in embarrassment, "What 100,000 yuan? We should not be too greedy."

Chenchen said, "Zhang Ye."

Zhang Ye replied, "What?"

Chenchen looked at him then asked in all seriousness, "Is this what they were talking about on television when they mentioned 'healthcare disturbance'?"[1.]

Pfft!

Zhang Ye nearly fainted!

Healthcare disturbance, your sister! Could you put it any more scandalous than that?

"You insolent brat, go to sleep already!" Zhang Ye rolled his eyes and said indignantly, "If you have the time, you should be learning to be good from your Uncle Zhang instead. Don't always learn from your aunt." But after saying that, Zhang Ye's face turned red. What good could she learn from him? Throughout the day, he had not really done anything good for her to learn from.

Chenchen nodded in acknowledgment.

After settling Chenchen down and watching her fall asleep in bed, Zhang Ye found a chair to sit down on and started rubbing his arms and legs in pain. He had received a few blows in today's fight and it was really painful for him. With this fight, it also allowed Zhang Ye to gain a comprehensive understanding of the Chinese martial arts world. He had now formed a general understanding of the conflicts that existed between the sects, the role that the National Martial Arts Association played, the size of the community, and the martial arts skills of this world. By contrast, he gained a better understanding of his own martial arts skills now. With his subpar skills, he realized that they weren't really enough to do anything. Any one of those ordinary disciples from the large sects who'd trained every day since childhood would already be equal to Zhang Ye's level. If they were more talented, like that rogue from the Kunlun Sect today, Zhang Ye would definitely not be able to take them on if they were to fight for real!

His skills were still not at that level!

The key issue was that his physical fitness could not keep up!

As the Martial Arts Conference would officially be convened tomorrow, he didn't know if Old Rao would make an appearance or not. In any case, he knew that the situation would not be good after listening to the conversations between those large sects' disciples at dinner. Many of them were here to deal with Rao Aimin, and this made Zhang Ye feel very nervous. He did not know what the situation would be like tomorrow, but if any trouble occurred, he would be of little help with his mediocre kung fu. Not only would he be of little help, he would also find it difficult to fend for himself. After all, this was the most important convention of the Chinese martial arts world. All the talented and reclusive experts, as well as sect leaders of the martial arts community, would be in attendance and every one of them possessed unique skills that were incomparable!

This won't do!

He had to improve his physical fitness!

If not, he wouldn't even be able to truly wield the power of those hundred-plus Taiji Fist Skill Experience Books effectively since his strength and stamina were limiting his abilities!

Zhang Ye felt that he was like a child with extraordinary skills. Even with his impressive martial arts and deep set of skills, if his physical fitness wasn't there, it would be impossible for him to beat an adult of similar standing. These objective conditions would be the decisive factors. This was the state Zhang Ye was in. A city dweller who went through a nine-year compulsory education, a person who did not even do the dishes or laundry, someone who could not even pass his PE classes; even if he had learned the Melancholic Palms, he could not have brought out the prowess of it! He might even twist his back![2.]

As such, Zhang Ye was only left with one choice!

It's time for the lottery draw!

He opened the game ring's interface. It had been a long while since he had used the lottery functions of it. As such, when Zhang Ye saw the interface, he felt a strange sense of familiarity. He managed to quickly recall it, and with a slight hesitation, did not open the Lottery Draw (Two), but chose the lower grade lottery draw that only cost 100,000 Reputation Points per try. Because today, Zhang Ye only wanted to get the items from the Stats Category. As long as they could improve his physical fitness and build up his body's foundations, he would accept whatever he got from the lottery draw. As long as his foundation was strong enough, he would be able to increase the proficiency of his kung fu!

Here we go.

It was time to give it a spin and see how his luck would turn out.

100,000 Reputation Points were spent. To a person with close to 2.2 billion Reputation Points, this was just a drop in the bucket to him.

The wheel began to spin. The lottery draw began!

Once around…

Twice around…

Thrice around…

Zhang Ye went to the bathroom and turned on the fan. He lit a cigarette, and after a few drags, the result of the lottery draw was out. The needle had actually stopped in the Stats Category slice. A Treasure Chest (Small) appeared. Zhang Ye laughed as he opened it, hoping to test his luck. But when he opened the golden treasure chest, he found that there was nothing in it—it was empty and he had wasted his Reputation Points! Zhang Ye didn't know whether to laugh or cry at this bad start! In the Lottery Draw (One), the chances of receiving an empty treasure chest were extremely low. He had only met with one such occasion before in the many spins of the lottery draw. This was the second time.

Again. Let's give it another try.

Without further ado, Zhang Ye tapped the lottery draw button again!

The wheel began to spin!

Zhang Ye did not really mind the outcome of this round either. The first two draws were just to warm up. After the needle stopped, Zhang Ye had a look at the result and was very disappointed when he saw that it was a Consumption Category's treasure chest. Although some rather good items had appeared in this category before and given Zhang Ye some really important help in the past, he did not feel that he needed these today. His target was the Stats Category's Treasure Chest (Small). That was the most pressing matter right now.

Since that was what he had gotten, he just opened it.

He flipped open the treasure chest—out came a familiar item!

Lucky Bread: Increases the player's luck stat for a duration of five minutes.

Zhang Ye had gotten this item before and even earned the right to purchase a similar item from the Merchant Shop under the Special Category—the Lucky Halo. Actually, upon further thought, the luck effects of the Lucky Halo and Lucky Bread should be exactly the same as they were the most basic of luck enhancement items. Of course, Zhang Ye later earned the right to purchase the upgraded version of the Lucky Halo, which had now become the Lucky Halo (Upgraded) item.

Zhang Ye smiled as this item was rather good too. It was good since he was unwilling to spend so many Reputation Points by activating the Lucky Halo (Upgraded) to draw in the Lottery Draw (One). This Lucky Bread had come at the perfect time!

He ate it! The Lucky Bread was activated! Go!

Zhang Ye immediately put the Lucky Bread to use!

Lucky Bread in effect: Counting down. 4:59.

Following that, Zhang Ye did not dare waste any more time and instantly started the next round of the lottery draw. He waited as the wheel spun round and round!

One revolution…

Five revolutions…

The wheel began slowing down!

Zhang Ye treated it seriously and was fully focused this time. His mind was also continuously predicting the position that the needle would stop at. Eh, it seemed like it was going to stop at the Stats Category?

It's gotta be it!

Zhang Ye immediately put in the additional stakes. 100 stakes, 300 stakes, 500 stakes. Initially, he hesitated a while here, but he grit his teeth like he was gambling and thought, Fuck it! If we're gonna play, let's play big!

1,000 additional stakes!

Counting the original stake, the total was now 1,001 stakes!

100 million Reputation Points! This was 100 million Reputation Points Zhang Ye had used up just like that!

Fruit of Strength!

Fruit of Strength!

It must be strength!

Zhang Ye kept wishing for it in his head. This was what he wanted the most right now and also what he lacked the most!

The wheel stopped and the needle was really pointing at the Stats Category! Zhang Ye took a deep breath and clenched his fists. Then he abruptly opened up the Treasure Chest (Small)!

[Fruit of Stamina] 1,001: Permanently increases the stamina of the player.

It was not strength?

But a Fruit of Stamina instead?

Haha, this wasn't too bad either!

Zhang Ye was feeling excited all the same. There was no need to explain how important stamina was for a martial artist. This was one of the most basic foundations of physical fitness that Zhang Ye was desperately lacking. Every martial arts expert must have exceptionally good stamina that could be put to great use. For example, one could run farther than others when fleeing for one's life.

Of course, it would, without a doubt, be useful during a duel too!

1. Violence against doctors in China (https/en./wiki/Violence_against_doctors_in_China). The phenomenon of Yi Nao (Chinese: 医闹; literally: 'healthcare disturbance') has been identified as a contributing factor in violence against medical personnel. Yi Nao is the organized disturbance of hospitals or medical staff, usually to obtain compensation for actual or perceived medical malpractice.

2. Melancholic Palms - http/wuxia./wiki/Melancholic_PalmsI am Really a Superstar #Chapter 921: Zhang Ye, Enhanced Edition! (Middle) - Read I am Really a Superstar Chapter 921: Zhang Ye, Enhanced Edition! (Middle) Online - All Page - NOVEL NEXT

Chapter 921: Zhang Ye, Enhanced Edition! (Middle)

Translator: Legge Editor: Legge

He'd received 1,001 Fruits of Stamina!

However, Zhang Ye did not have the opportunity to eat them yet. Because at this moment, the duration of the Lucky Bread was not over and there was still a bit of time left.

0:59.

0:58.

Zhang Ye quickly started another round of the lottery draw!

The wheel began to rotate!

One revolution.

Two revolutions.

Three revolutions.

To Zhang Ye's surprise, the needle again looked like it was going to stop in the Stats Category zone. Of course, there was also a chance of it ending up in the Skills Category zone, so Zhang Ye purposely waited for a while until it was easier to judge before suddenly putting in his additional stakes!

999 additional stakes!

Counting the original stake, the total now was 1,000 stakes!

At this moment, the duration of the Lucky Bread's effectiveness was up!

Although Zhang Ye knew that the luck effect of the Lucky Bread was quite good and had helped him get the category of items he needed, it was still just the most basic of luck effects. The luck effectiveness of the Lucky Bread was probably not enough to get Zhang Ye the items that he needed the most. He would require something at a higher level!

As such, Zhang Ye did not hesitate to open up the merchant shop to activate the Lucky Halo (Upgraded)!

-100,000!

-100,000!

It was only activated for a short time.

In the blink of an eye, the needle came to a stop!

Only then did Zhang Ye turn off the Lucky Halo and reach out to open the newly drawn Treasure Chest (Small)!

Golden beams of light glowed!

The item in the treasure chest appeared!

[Fruit of Strength] 1,000: Permanently increases the physical strength of the player.

Hahahaha!

The item appeared!

It was really the Fruit of Strength!

Zhang Ye was very excited, and thought about how great the difference was between the upgraded and normal version of the luck items. Although it was a lot more expensive to activate, it proved to be extremely useful at this critical time! Of course, on the other hand, even the upgraded version of the Lucky Halo might not necessarily fulfill the user's wants 100% of the time and would only increase the probability of the outcome. For instance, previously at the Central TV annual staff party's lucky draw, the Lucky Halo (Upgraded) had "failed" once there. Therefore, he could only depend on himself when it came to things, and the Lucky Halo should just be treated as an assistance method at most.

He had done it!

It was time to "eat" them all!

Zhang Ye began to gobble down the Stats Category Fruits one by one!

100!

200!

500!

He chose to eat the Fruits of Stamina first. With every Fruit he ate, he could feel his spirit getting boosted slightly, while his feelings of weariness and fatigue were reduced by a little. Although it could not be seen with the naked eye and there was no detailed data, Zhang Ye instinctively knew that the Fruits of Stamina he had eaten were already taking effect. His stamina was rising substantially, no, rather, it could be said that it was rising at the speed of a rocket jetting into outer space!

1,000 Stats Category Fruits, a full 1,000 of them! In the past, the most that Zhang Ye had ever eaten was probably the 100 Fruits of Agility and the effectiveness that the 100 Fruits of Agility brought to him was already astonishing enough, let alone 1,000 of them. Zhang Ye's body was getting warmer and warmer. He felt that even if he were to run for 20 kilometers around Tianshan now, he would not feel tired at all as his whole body was currently overflowing with vim and vigor! He felt great!

He finally ate the last fruit.

Then, something happened all of a sudden.

As Zhang Ye ate the 1,001st Fruit of Stamina, he found that there was no effect and felt nothing course through his body. Afterwards, a notification appeared from the game ring on his pinky finger.

[System Notice: Stats Category Fruit usage limited to 1,000!]

Fuck.

It had hit the limit?

He couldn't eat them anymore?

Zhang Ye was speechless, but after giving it some thought, he was not surprised by it. Yes, a 100 Stat Category Fruits had already had a very astonishing effect. But with 1,000 of them now, wouldn't that have an earth-shattering effect? This could be the human limit!

Man, he actually managed to max out a stat with the Fruit of Stamina?

Zhang Ye savored his awesomeness for a bit then began eating the Fruits of Strength!

100!

500!

Just like when he ate the Fruits of Stamina, Zhang Ye felt like his body was about to explode at any time. He could feel a surge of explosive power in his body that felt so explosive it was like it was about to explode in his body. This sort of explosiveness, or perhaps better described as a surge, could be felt as an unlimited amount of strength forcefully started filling up inside him. What was most critical was that he had eaten the 1,000 Fruits of Stamina beforehand. As stamina and strength were basically inseparable, they complemented and boosted each other's effects, causing this explosiveness to become even greater. He felt that even if he were to go and run 20 kilometers around Tianshan while demolishing all the old folks' homes en route, he could still easily do it without losing breath!

Alright, let's cut the crap.

In truth, this fellow did not know how strong he was right now.

Zhang Ye thought of testing himself to find out, but shot down the idea for the time being as he wanted to go for one more draw. He was insatiable, wanting to bring his strength up to the highest limits!

So what was there left now?

Zhang Ye went quiet. Then he tapped the "start lottery draw" icon and activated the Lucky Halo (Upgraded) at the same time, hoping for one last gamble!

The wheel began to rotate.

The needle started to spin.

This time Zhang Ye did not hesitate at all and just put in the additional stakes like a compulsive gambler!

He added 899 additional stakes, totaling 900 stakes—this number was clearly worthy of remembrance, because Zhang Ye had eaten 100 Fruits of Agility in the past. Considering the upper limit of 1,000 for the basic Stats Category Fruits, deducting the amount that he had eaten before, he would need exactly 900 fruits this time!

One revolution!

Another revolution!

And yet another revolution!

However, the needle was slowing down as it approached the Special Category zone!

Zhang Ye was shocked. Fuck, this bro does not want that now, please don't give me this shit!

It was getting closer and closer!

Closer and closer!

Ba da. The needle went past the Special Category at the last moment and caught nicely on the border of the Stats Category zone!

Alright, let's see what I got from the lottery draw this time!

Please, bro, it has to be that item!

At this moment, Zhang Ye was feeling extremely nervous, but it was unavoidable as there were 100 million Reputation Points at stake. If he received 900 Fruits of Strength or 900 Fruits of Stamina again, then it would all go to waste. He had already "eaten" those to the maximum level and could no longer "eat" them anymore. Even if he got 900 Fruits of Charm, it would still be a failure as that was useless to him at the moment!

Hocus pocus!

Give me what I want!

When Zhang Ye opened up the golden treasure chest and saw the item lying inside, this fellow nearly went crazy!

[Fruit of Agility] 900: Permanently increases the agility of the player.

Hahahahahahaha!

I really fucking got it!

Zhang Ye quickly turned off the Lucky Halo (Upgraded) that was using up his Reputation Points. He had already reached an extremely excited state and couldn't express himself!

Eat!

Eat!

Eat!

He immediately ate all the Fruits of Agility one after another!

His eyes grew brighter and brighter!

Due to the special property of agility, the increase was not at a steady and constant rate like the Fruit of Stamina or the Fruit of Strength. The more he ate, the slower the agility increase became. This was because in the physiological structure of a person, the maximum limit would be a fixed value and it would be impossible to break through this human limit, otherwise…he would be an alien. As a result, Zhang Ye understood this very well. Actually, after he ate those 900 Fruits of Agility, he felt he could shoot up into the upper atmosphere of the Earth. Although the rate of increase became slower with every Fruit he ate, in actual fact, at this stage he was nearing the limits of reaction speed. Even if it only increased by a little bit each time, it was still a qualitative leap forward! The difference between the highly skilled experts was sometimes just this bit of reaction speed and this "bit" was enough to decide who would be the victor!

He finished eating them all.

He had also reached the limit for the Fruit of Agility with that. If he still got them from the lottery draw in the future, he would not be able to eat them anymore!

Zhang Ye took a deep breath to calm himself, but was completely unable to calm down!

What did Chinese martial arts depend on?

What was the most basic of qualities that a martial arts expert should possess?

Not the moves!

What mattered was the physical body!

What were the most important aspects of the physical body?

1: Strength.

2: Stamina.

3: Reaction speed.

These three aspects!

As for the current Zhang Ye, he had fucking maxed out after eating 1,000 Fruits of Strength, 1,000 Fruits of Agility, and 1,000 Fruits of Stamina!

Report chapter Comments

Chapter 922: Zhang Ye, Enhanced Edition! (End)

Translator: Legge Editor: Legge

In the bathroom.

The weird sounds coming from Zhang Ye were emanating from the inside!

Chenchen was woken by that and tossed around several times in bed, but the weird sounds from the bathroom did not stop. She threw aside the blanket and got up, shouting in her childish voice, "Zhang Ye, what are you doing?"

Zhang Ye then came out from the bathroom, but was still wearing a silly smile on his face.

Chenchen got even angrier. "Zhang Ye, why are you so childish?"

Zhang Ye was in an extremely good mood, so he replied happily, "Haha, you're awake? Chenchen, don't address me as Uncle Zhang anymore from now on, you mustn't call me that, alright?"

Chenchen said, "I've never called you that before anyway."

Zhang Ye laughed and said, "From now on, call me Iron Man."

Chenchen: "What?"

Zhang Ye confidently repeated, "Iron Man!"

Chenchen was already returning to her bed. "OK, Iron Rod."

Zhang Ye: "…Iron Rod, your sister! It's Iron Man!"[1.]

After putting the little rascal back to sleep, Zhang Ye reopened the game interface in reverie. Even though he had spent 300 million of his Reputation Points in the lottery draw this time, he did not seem affected by it and kept smiling. There was no reason for this other than that the Reputation Points were well spent. It was just worth it. Of all the Stats Category Fruits he wanted the most, he had gotten them all. Compared to all the lottery draws that he had done in the past, Zhang Ye had never had it as smooth as today!

He checked his current Reputation Points.

Remaining Reputation Points: Just under 1.9 billion!

It was still a lot. This was still an astronomical figure—all the Reputation Points that had been accumulated by Zhang Ye for the past year were finally unleashed. This was going to be his metamorphosis!

He made a few slight movements and could already feel that his current physical fitness was no longer what it used to be. Just an ordinary arm stretch felt unusual. Back when Zhang Ye ate the 100 Fruits of Agility, he also took a very long time to get used to the changes due to the sudden improvement of his reaction speed. Now that he had eaten 1,000 Fruits of Agility, Strength, and Stamina all at once, he definitely needed more time to refine his reflexes. Luckily for him, he had the experience of eating the Fruits of Agility the previous time and that left him more mentally prepared for it, helping him get used to it much quicker than before!

He threw a few punches.

He whipped a few palm strikes!

Even his sneezing felt much more powerful than before!

At present, Zhang Ye could even consciously determine that the 100-odd Taiji Fist Skill Experience Books could finally be controlled and unleashed to their potential now that his physical fitness had risen to a new level. It would no longer be ineffective at the critical junctures as he had finally understood why that used to occur. It was due to the fact that his body did not suit the wielding of this level of skill, therefore it was only effective at times. But everything was good now. With these 1,000 Fruits of Strength, Agility, and Stamina as his base, not only would he be able to control these 100-plus Taiji Fist Skill Experience Books, he would still be able to do it even if it was much more than that! At this moment, Zhang Ye's physical potential was just starting to develop. He was now getting into the groove of becoming a truly high-skilled martial artist, or rather, it was only now that he possessed the physical fitness of a person who had been training and improving their basic kung fu on a daily basis since childhood. In fact, his foundations might have even far outstripped those people!

As for how skilled he might be?

Or how deep his foundations ran?

That was still unclear currently.

When he thought about all this, Zhang Ye decided that he wanted to find out for himself. He put on a coat and eagerly headed downstairs.

The cold wind was blowing like knives cutting his face. But perhaps due of the effects from the Stats Category Fruits that he had eaten, or maybe because of his excitement, Zhang Ye did not feel cold at all. He proudly strode out against the wind and stood in the courtyard, looking around for something.

Oh, there it is!

That's the one!

It was a very thick wooden signboard, on which the phrase "Welcome, passing heroes" was written. It belonged to the inn and was around five centimeters thick. It was not hung up on anything and just left on the ground next to the inn.

The thickness seemed fine and the hardness was also quite suitable, likely to be made of solid wood. Zhang Ye got ready to use it as a test subject to see how his physical fitness was now, and if he would be able to compare to those truly skilled martial artists.

Come on!

Zhang Ye steadied his breathing and circled around the sign twice. This was to calm himself down, while warming up his body at the same time. Then he took a deep breath, and with a swift hand movement, an opening form of the Taiji Fist was easily conjured by him. His right hand moved across his body and his left hand retracted, all in one swift motion. Compared to when he could barely summon up the skill back then, it formed a sharp contrast. With that, Zhang Ye's entire momentum was completely different from before!

In the dead of the night, he dared not shout his intent but simply did so in his mind!

With a push of his hands, all the strength in his body seemingly gathered into his right palm in an instant. He took a step forward and suddenly expelled the force from his right palm and struck it into the wooden signboard, hard!

Smash!

A loud crash resounded!

Splinters flew!

Zhang Ye slightly grimaced in pain with that, but the moment his hands retracted, he was astonished to see that the thick wooden signboard was left with a deep palm impression. The top half of the wooden signboard was cracked apart and the word "welcome" was split in twain!

Zhang Ye looked at his right palm, dumbfounded, then looked back at the wooden signboard.

Fuck!

Was…was I the one who did that?

He was in a slight state of disbelief. He subconsciously lifted his leg rather high and stomped down hard, only to hear a loud bang. The wooden signboard was once again broken further by the large force!

Zhang Ye was surprised, as he knew that this was not some sort of Taiji Fist move, nor was it any specialized skill, but the effect of his current physical fitness combined by his pure brute strength and stamina! Damn, has this bro become this awesome now?

Just when Zhang Ye was secretly getting excited over himself, a cry suddenly came from the upstairs of the inn!

"What was that noise?"

"This is bad!"

"There's an assassin!"

In an instant, the entire inn was brightly illuminated by countless lights!

After the battle with the large sects tonight, many of these small sects' disciples and those non-affiliates were on high alert. No one dropped their guard; they were all extremely sensitive to any movements around them!

Zhang Ye nearly fainted when he heard that!

An assassin?

Assassin, your grandpa!

At this moment, he couldn't hide even if he wanted to!

A lot of people had already rushed out to the entrance of the inn by now. Liu Yiquan and Liu Yizhang were also among them. Some of them were holding staves, some holding teapots. There were all sorts of weapons in hand, everything imaginable. There were even some who were still in their pajamas and holding a clothes hanger. Clearly, a lot of them had just randomly grabbed a "weapon" when they ran down here in haste.

When they saw that wooden signboard, everyone was shocked!

"This…"

"What an exceptional palm technique!"

"What kind of strength is that?"

Then, many of them looked at Zhang Ye.

He Badao asked, "Bro Chen Zhen, what happened here?"

Yan Hui said in astonishment, "This wooden signboard was…"

A female disciple of a small sect also asked, "Bro Chen, you were the first to get here. What on earth happened?"

From the other side, the innkeeper and a few employees had also rushed over when they heard the commotion. When they saw the splintered and cracked wooden signboard, they all started scolding and cursing!

"Who was it?"

"Which son of a bitch is so cruel!"

"Th-This is solid old wood! It's an item that's been passed down for many decades at our inn!"

"Who the hell did it? Step forward now! Which motherfucker was it!"

The innkeeper was raging mad and kept crying out in anger!

When Zhang Ye saw that over a hundred of these people were looking at him, he sighed in his mind. After that, he realized that there was no way to hide from this. He took a deep breath and suddenly roared angrily, "The large sects are too shameless!"

Everyone was stunned.

Then, they became infuriated!

"It's the people from the large sects!"

"Holy shit!"

"Judging from the damage, it was obviously the work of the Iron Palm! And it's likely to be one of the experts from an Iron Palm branch!"

"What do they mean by this?"

"Is this a demonstration?! Are they trying to show us something?!"

"Look, the word "welcome" has been split in half. They're obviously trying to slap our faces by saying that their large sects do not welcome us at all! They want us to get the fuck out of here!"

"Despicable!"

"The large sects are too despicable!"

"Carrying out a sneak attack in the middle of the night, what kind of hero can they call themselves!"

"This is infuriating! I'm furious!"

Everyone started cursing!

The innkeeper was also swearing nonstop, "Fucking large sects! I'll fuck your grandmas!"

The several inns located in the holiday resort were all independently operated by their owners. The large sects and the non-affiliates had essentially been arranged to stay apart and were all housed at different inns. For example, the inn across from them was the base of several large sects.

The shouting was so loud it woke those staying at the inn across the way.

The windows were all pushed opened one by one as those people from the large sects peered out.

"What's the matter?"

"Why are you guys shouting in the middle of the night?"

"What happened?"

With that, the non-affiliates looked over at once and stared at those large sect disciples angrily. The powder keg was on the verge of exploding!

Finally, a Kongtong Sect senior brother who was involved in the fight earlier yelled at them in a strong northeastern accent, "What're ya lookin' at?"

Liu Yiquan was infuriated. "You! So what!"

Another large sect's disciple was peeved and said, "Look again, I dare ya!"

The non-affiliates and small sect disciples shouted in unison, "Then we dare!"

The people from the large sects shouted in unison, "What're ya lookin' at?!"

The non-affiliates and small sect disciples shouted in unison, "You! So what!"

The people from the large sects shouted in unison, "Look again, we dare ya!"

The non-affiliates and small sect disciples shouted in unison, "Then we dare!"

More and more people emerged, and more and more people joined in!

The windows of the large sects' people were all open now, while the people from the small sects and the non-affiliates gradually gathered in the courtyard after coming downstairs!

"What're ya lookin' at?!"

"You! So what!"

"Look again, we dare ya!"

"Then we dare!"

From 12:10 AM onward, the large sects and those from the small sects with the non-affiliates kept at each other until it was past 2 AM. For a full two hours, everyone was pointing and scolding at each other in the cold wind!

As the person responsible, and the only person who knew the truth, Zhang Ye felt a little guilty. He coughed and wiped the sweat off his forehead, feeling rather sorry for all this.

The large sects: "What're ya lookin' at?!"

"You! So what!" Zhang Ye shouted angrily alongside everyone else!

So, what is a hooligan?

This is a goddamned hooligan!

Report chapter Comments

Chapter 923: The National Martial Arts Conference begins!

Translator: Legge Editor: Legge

The next day.

On the day of the Martial Arts Conference.

Beautiful snowflakes were lightly floating down from the sky.

Since morning, people were gradually arriving at the main venue located on a hilltop on the eastern side of the holiday resort. No one knew if this was part of the holiday resort itself, or if it was a different scenic area, but the scenery was extremely beautiful anyway. Birds and flowers…there were none of any of that! There was only a single pathway leading up and down to the peak where a wide platform stood. This place was set up long ago by the organizers, with horizontal banners, a fight ring, plum blossom pillars, and assorted weapons. But upon a closer inspection, none of the weapons had live edges. The weapons were mainly just used for training and performances.[1.]

A broadcast continuously blasted from the top of the hill.

"Welcome, all members of the martial arts community, to this year's Martial Arts Conference organized by the National Martial Arts Association. The event this time is proudly sponsored by Tianshan Holiday Resorts, Nu'er Hong Wine Enterprises, and Strong Brand Red Flower Medicated Oil."

Other than the large area designated for the fight ring, the rest of the venue was divided into many sections as well.

There was an area for the Huashan Sect.

The Kunlun Sect.

The Shaolin Monastery.

The Wudang Sect.

The large sects had many disciples and members, with each having around 10 to 20 members turning up for the event, so they were allocated a separate seating area by themselves. As for the small sects, some only had one or two representatives, while the non-affiliates were here on their own, so there was no way to properly designate an area for them so all of these people were squeezed into one area.

A lot of those who had just arrived immediately started to chat with others.

"Hey, Old Wang!"

"Yo, Old Chen!"

"Why are you limping?"

"My leg hasn't healed yet, how's your nose?"

"It's fine. I've already bandaged it."

"Why were you so late? Didn't we arrange to meet at 8 AM?"

"Hai, don't mention it. The inn that I was staying at last night was provoked by those people from the large sects. They even smashed the signboard of the inn, so a bunch of us from the small sects and non-affiliates got into an argument with them until 2 AM this morning! I did not get much sleep at all. I only just got up, but lot of people are still in bed right now!"

"Haha, I heard about that!"

"You know about it too?"

"Of course! An argument in the middle of the night involving more than two hundred people, how could anyone not hear of that? The non-affiliates near me were thinking of going over to back you guys up. We even readied our weapons, but when we saw that it didn't escalate into a fight, we stayed put instead! Those large sect members are too despicable!"

"Despicable to the extreme!"

"They're practically shameless!"

"Come on, let's head over there to get a seat."

"Right, we won't sit together with those from the large sects!"

Those non-affiliates started their scolding immediately after they reached the venue. Some of those who were allocated seats at an area close to the large sects harrumphed as they carried and moved their chairs 100 meters away to keep their distance!

When the large sects saw this, they just stared angrily and did the same by carrying their chairs in the opposite direction, keeping their distance from the non-affiliates and small sects.

One side went left.

The other side went right.

Both sides marked a clear distinction between each other!

At this moment, the sunglasses-wearing Zhang Ye led Chenchen up the hill. Right when he arrived, a number of the non-affiliates and small sects' disciples waved to him warmly, as though they knew him very well!

"Chen Zhen!"

"Bro Chen!"

"Good morning, Bro Chen Zhen."

"Are your injuries better? How'd you sleep?"

Zhang Ye smiled back at everyone and greeted them.

Some of the non-affiliates who had just arrived today still didn't know about the events of last night. They all looked at Zhang Ye with some uncertainty.

A small sect's junior sister who had bandages wrapped around her head met with an old acquaintance and immediately pulled him over to introduce him. "Senior Bro Sun, let me introduce you to Bro Chen Zhen. When we were bullied by the others last night, it was all thanks to Bro Chen, who stepped forward chivalrously to lead us to battle against the large sects. Then late into the night, it was also Bro Chen who stepped up first and led everyone to scold back at the large sects' members throughout the entire night. He's a really nice person, and a really loyal friend!"

When Senior Brother Sun heard this, he gave a fist and palm salute in admiration, saying, "Bro Chen Zhen, pleasure to meet you! I couldn't make it here on time yesterday, so I wasn't of much help. How shameful."

Zhang Ye returned the fist and palm salute. "You're too polite. I was just stepping in to help in the face of injustice!"

A non-affiliate whose arm was bandaged up said, "Bro Chen Zhen, let me introduce a martial arts expert to you also!"

Another small sect member who was also taped up with gauze said, "Old Bro Chen Zhen, this is Senior Liu from Dahu Medical Hall. He would like to get to know you too!"

"Bro Chen Zhen…"

"Bro Chen…"

"Big Brother Chen…"

"Sunglasses Bro…"

"Senior Chen…"

Quite a number of people found their way over and some even addressed him as "senior."

Chenchen looked around at all these people and was at a loss.

Although this was Zhang Ye's first time participating in the Martial Arts Conference—or perhaps to phrase it better, this was the first time that he'd sneaked into a martial arts conference through his acting skills—in just a single night, he had totally integrated into the circle, becoming a mini-celebrity among this group of people and was very well respected by them. Thus, the facts had proven yet another point. If you're a piece of gold, you'll still shine brightly no matter where you are. But if you're a stick, then you should be able to stir up some shit no matter where you go!

Then, the Huashan Sect members arrived.

Grandmaster Chen Xi led his people in. All his disciples were dressed in custom-made attire and they walked in a tight formation, making them look very professional. The only flaw was that some of the people in the group were limping or bandaged. Someone in the group even found a wooden stick from somewhere to use as a crutch as they walked in.

Following them, over a dozen Taoists from the Kunlun Sect arrived. There were a total of 17 of them, but 15 had bruised and swollen faces. One of them even had his head wrapped in thick bandages.

Next were the eminent monks of Shaolin Monastery who made an entrance by "strolling" into the venue. One of the eminent monks had his beard pulled off, one of them had a black eye, and one of them kept his mouth closed and at times exposed his teeth to show two missing front teeth. It was an extremely tragic sight to behold.

The sects all entered one by one into the venue.

The National Martial Arts Association's upper echelons were looking at everyone that arrived and could only be speechless at their appearances.

Suddenly, another person walked up from the bottom of the hill.

It was Master Sun, from one of the Iron Palm branches. He held a very senior position in the Iron Palm Sect!

"Ah, Master Sun!"

"Martial Uncle!"

"Martial Uncle!"

"You're here?"

"Didn't you meet with some trouble on the way here?"

A lot of the Iron Palm branches' disciples were pleasantly surprised and came rushing over to his side.

Yes, this was the highly skilled Master Sun who had been extorted and ended up getting lost in Shaanxi. Thanks to the help of fellow martial artists who rushed there to aid him, he finally managed to make his way here today!

But the Iron Palm's Master Sun did not answer them. When he arrived at the hilltop, he was dumbfounded by what he saw. Seeing the disciples of the Iron Palm branches all bruised, with swollen faces, then looking at the eminent monks of Shaolin Monastery who were missing a beard and two front teeth, and then finally seeing all the experts of the other sects limping and looking defeated, the entire venue seemed very tragic. Almost everyone here was in bandages. Master Sun could not react in time to this!

Fuck!

What on earth happened here?

Why was everyone in such an abysmal state?

Wasn't today supposed to be the Martial Arts Conference? Or was this actually a gathering of the disabled instead!?

For a brief moment, Master Sun wondered if he had come to the wrong place!

Report chapter Comments

Chapter 924: The Eight Trigrams School arrives!

Translator: Legge Editor: Legge

Master Sun said angrily, "What's going on here? Why is everyone in such a sorry state?"

When they saw an elder of their sect, the Iron Palm branches' disciples started complaining to him.

"Martial Uncle!"

"You're finally here!"

"There was a fight yesterday!"

"The small sects and non-affiliates went too far!"

"They even framed our Iron Palm Sect!"

The several of them kept pointing in the direction of the small sects and non-affiliates.

The people from the small sects and non-affiliates were having none of it. Clearly, it was you people from the large sects who colluded with each other to scam our money. Your Iron Palm Sect even came over for a sneak attack in the middle of the night, yet here you are trying to shift the blame? In the blink of an eye, the small sects and non-affiliates all glared at them. Several hundred sets of eyes were now staring down the Iron Palm Sect!

Master Sun was furious and glowered back at them. He pointed at them and uttered a line that would probably get voted by netizens as the most likely to trigger the next world war. "What're ya lookin' at?" He did not know what had happened yesterday, but as that was his usual way of talking, he just said it like how would have anyway.

As a result, it escalated the entire situation!

The small sects and non-affiliates were suddenly angered and over a hundred people aggressively pointed back at him, saying in unison, "You! So what!"

It was deafening!

The reply was too uniform!

It was so uniform that it felt like he was watching the 50th anniversary military parade!

Master Sun, who had never witnessed such a strong show of force before, was startled. Fuck! What are you all trying to do? Did you people practice this beforehand? Why does it seem like everyone shot up!

The large sects were infuriated. They kicked aside their chairs and sprang up, then reflexively reacted by pointing at those several hundred people and shouting, "Look again, we dare ya!"

Master Sun jumped again when he heard so many people behind him shouting back. He stared with his mouth agape at his sect's disciples, as well as those from the large sects. Fuck, why are all of you able to do this so uniformly!?

The non-affiliates pointed. "Then we dare!"

The large sects pointed. "What're ya lookin' at!"

The small sects pointed. "You! So what!"

The large sects pointed. "Look again, we dare ya!"

The small sects and non-affiliates pointed. "Then we dare!"

There, they were at it again!

Chen Xi covered his face in dismay!

Those from the National Martial Arts Association were also getting quite fed up by this!

At this moment, the Zhou Family arrived.

Grandmaster Zhou Tianpeng and the Zhou Family Style's disciples were the last batch of attendees to arrive at the venue. Probably due to the Zhou Family Style's disciples being the center of conflict last night, they were the main targets of the non-affiliates, who "took care" of them. Their number of injured personnel was also much higher than the others. At least five people were limping, leading to their late arrival in getting up to the hilltop. When the Zhou Family finally got up here, they were also left speechless by the scene unfolding in front of them. Zhou Tianpeng's expression instantly became very strange!

This…

What the hell is this!

Zhou Tianpeng stayed silent.

Around him, there were sighs all around.

"Hai!"

"What's going on with this year's Martial Arts Conference!"

"What a shame! What a shame!"

"How did it end up like this!"

"This is unwatchable! What a mess!"

"Luckily this is just an internal meet and no outsiders are present!"

A few high-ranking seniors of the Chinese martial arts world marveled at the happenings. When had any of the past Martial Arts Conferences not been a flourishing and vibrant event, with everyone showing a deep interest in the pursuit of a higher level of martial arts, exchanging blows and learning from one another. But why did this year's conference devolve into such strife?

"This won't do. Where is the decency, where has all the decency gone to!" An 80-year-old veteran of the Chinese martial arts world could no longer watch. He was so infuriated that his mustache became ruffled as he said, "We have to teach them a lesson!" Then he pointed in a random direction, "All of you, shut up! Chinese martial arts emphasizes the self-cultivation of one's body and moral character. It is important to train your breathing and calm your hearts, but you all—"

The people over there reflexively reacted by pointing at him. "What're ya lookin' at!"

The old veteran nearly fainted from anger, as his temper flared too. "You! So what!"

Everyone: "Look again, we dare ya!"

The old veteran flicked his sleeves and roared angrily, "Then I dare!"

The old veteran, who was just questioning about values, had immediately joined in the scolding battle at the next moment!

Fan Wen: "…"

Chen Xi: "…"

Zhou Tianpeng: "…"

After the National Martial Arts Association spent a long time trying to calm everyone down, even needing Chen Xi and Zhou Tianpeng to act, the crowd finally ceased all their unpleasant activities and gradually quieted down.

After the farce, the venue was in total disarray. The main venue of the conference which had been neatly set up ahead of time was filled with scattered chairs and littered with spilled mineral water bottles.

Zhou Tianpeng walked up into the fight ring and picked up the microphone that was placed in there. He tested the sound system before looking down at everyone below the ring. "I am Zhou Tianpeng, the incumbent sect leader of the Zhou Family Style School and the vice president of the National Martial Arts Association. I believe all of you should know me, so I won't go into an in-depth introduction."

Below the ring, some people gave him their support.

"Sect Leader Zhou, who wouldn't know you."

"Yeah, do you even need an introduction?"

"Haha!"

Zhou Tianpeng smiled. "There are always new friends joining us for the first time."

It could be seen that Zhou Tianpeng commanded a lot of respect in the Chinese martial arts world. Even among those from the small sects and non-affiliates, there was no sign of any disrespect at this moment.

Below the ring, Zhang Ye deliberately observed him for a while. He was a man in his forties or fifties, and did not really look to have an outstanding physique. Although he couldn't be described as lean, he wasn't considered burly either. He looked to be around 1.7 meters tall and probably weighed around 60 kilograms or so. In the chilly weather with cold winds blowing, he only wore a single-layered black training robe that had the Zhou Family Style's logo printed on it. Just standing there, his aura was very domineering and anyone would know immediately that he was a tough person to deal with.

Was this what it meant to be a grandmaster in today's world of Chinese martial arts? It was quite different from what Zhang Ye had imagined, mainly because he wasn't really good looking. But when he remembered Rao Aimin's sharp tongue and stingy character, Zhang Ye was still somewhat relieved. Compared to her, these Grandmasters Zhou Tianpeng and Chen Xi still had the demeanor of a grandmaster.

Zhou Tianpeng then continued, "Dear friends who have traveled from afar, welcome to this year's National Martial Arts Conference. Before the commencement of today's event, there is a piece of good news that I would like to share with everyone." With that, he looked at Chen Xi and said, "Old Chen, why don't you do it?"

In the audience, Chen Xi waved it off and said with a laugh, "I'll let you announce it instead."

Zhou Tianpeng explained, "The National Martial Arts Association has always been fighting to get a special fiscal fund injection from the country, and it has finally been approved. The funding is substantial and will involve many aspects, like the restoration of the sect and school grounds, reimbursing travel expenses, and subsidizing the taxes involved in the opening of new training halls. All of the funding will be used in support of the building and protection of our Chinese martial arts world's intangible cultural assets. As long as the sects and schools are registered with the National Martial Arts Association, everyone can enjoy this subsidy. If your martial sects don't have a long enough history, or if the martial arts style being practiced is not officially recognized in the books, you may still apply for the funding, subject to our approval. If it doesn't pass, don't worry. Because the subsidy will still be given out without being a single cent less than needed. If the National Martial Arts Association doesn't have enough funding, our Zhou Family will chip in the difference!"

After that announcement, everyone suddenly got a little bit excited!

"We have money now?"

"This is great!"

"It's finally been approved!"

"This is a real cause for celebration!"

"Yeah, the government has finally loosened its purse strings!"

"Grandmaster Zhou, how can we make you pay the expenses as well!"

In the audience, Chen Xi smiled and added, "This issue, the National Martial Arts Association, Old Zhou, and I put in a lot of effort to make it work. It wasn't easy, and Old Zhou contributed a lot to push this through. When we met up a few days ago, he said that if the money wasn't enough to go around, he would fork out the additional amount."

The martial artists in the audience immediately gave their gratitude.

"Thank you, Grandmaster Chen!"

"Thank you, Grandmaster Zhou!"

"Sect Leader Zhou, thank you!"

"Thank you for keeping us in mind! It's really difficult to set up a martial arts training hall these days to bring in new disciples and to hand down our legacies! Not many young people have the determination to persevere!"

"Yeah, although everyone seems to be doing well, it has also been really hard!"

"Thank you!"

Zhou Tianpeng smiled. "We're all colleagues of the martial arts world; it's only right to help each other out. Since the Zhou Family has a slightly better income than most of the schools here, we must definitely take on the responsibility."

Other than the large sects that were deeply rooted in society—like the Zhou Family Style School which had set up training halls all over the country, or a well-known sect like the Shaolin Monastery which had even become a national tourism spot—the smaller sects, which also covered large sects like the Huashan Sect, did not have much income to speak of and were in fact very poor. Otherwise, they wouldn't have fought so aggressively over such a simple thing as the meal money. When Zhou Tianpeng stepped forward with his offer, even those from the small sects and non-affiliates appreciated his good intentions!

In the audience, the conference officially kicked off and moved onto the main event.

According to each year's arrangements, the opening event always started with the various sects performing a demonstration of their martial arts.

The first sect to do this today were the disciples of the Huashan Sect. Just over a decade ago, the Huashan Sect was not considered a large sect at all. But ever since Chen Xi reached the pinnacle and was recognized as a grandmaster, the Huashan Sect welcomed a period of expansion and quickly increased their number of disciples. In today's demonstration, they chose to showcase their sect's sword formation!

At least a dozen disciples were involved.

They went into the ring.

They put on an elaborate sword dance.

But what was meant to be a beautiful image was not so this year. Every one of the participants was wounded and bandaged, and looking at the dozen or so Huashan Sect disciples injured and limping as they brandished their swords, a lot of the martial artists below the ring formed the mental image of a grass mud horse galloping across their vision!

Next up was the Shaolin Monastery. One of their monks successfully performed the Iron Head skill with his head wrapped with bandages.

Then it was the Iron Palm Sect's turn as a disciple supported by a crutch demonstrated an Iron Palm routine, while rooted to the spot.

This was immediately followed by the Kunlun Sect's wounded, erm, heroes, who took to the ring.

"Hah!"

"Heh!"

"He!"

"Hoo!"

Those bros were really putting in a lot of effort into their performances. However, it resulted in an accident at the next moment. One of the Kunlun Sect's performers sprained his waist while going through their sequence and cried out with a loud "aiyo" as he sat down unable to move. His fellow disciples around him then started panicking because of this, before several people ran into the ring and carried him out. The Kunlun Sect's performance had no choice but to cease. Meanwhile, the Kongtong Sect disciples, who were up next, limped into the ring in a hurry with their crutches to rescue things and started their performance.

Zhang Ye could only roll his eyes.

A proper event like the Martial Arts Conference had become like a post-earthquake relief donation site!

Suddenly, the crowd stirred!

"They're here!"

"Ah!"

"Quick, look!"

"They're really here!"

No one bothered to watch the performance anymore as their gazes all fell on the pathway leading up to the hilltop behind them!

Chen Xi wore a dignified expression.

Zhou Tianpeng was resting his mind with his eyes closed.

Chenchen anxiously looked over!

Zhang Ye and everyone else also turned around to see!

There was only one thing that could make everyone turn their heads like this—the arrival of the Eight Trigrams School!

Report chapter Comments

Chapter 925: Rao Aimin's appearance!

Translator: Legge Editor: Legge

The Eight Trigrams School received a lot of attention from everyone.

Under everyone's gaze, the Eight Trigrams School's disciples walked up one by one from the small pathway leading up to the hilltop. There were men and women, both young and middle-aged. All of them were wearing their Eight Trigrams School's robes with a black and white Eight Trigrams pattern printed on the front and back. It was an awe-inspiring sight.

"They're finally here!"

"They really dared to come!"

"Look, that's the fifth disciple of this generation's Eight Trigrams Palm, Song Jiao!"

"The Eight Trigrams School's Xu Fan is here too!"

"Who is that? Why have I never seen him before?"

"He's the ninth disciple of this generation's Eight Trigrams Palm. He's called Zhao Yunlong. He doesn't usually leave the training hall and I only saw him once last year. He is extremely skilled in kung fu and not many outsiders know that!"

"Why aren't their eldest senior brother and second senior brother here?"

"I don't know."

"It doesn't matter who comes today, it'll be useless!"

"With only about a dozen of them, they still have the guts to make an appearance?"

The people from the Chinese martial arts world were busily commenting as they pointed fingers at them, but when the last figure appeared, everyone reflexively withdrew their outstretched fingers and did not dare point anymore.

Because Rao Aimin had arrived!

Dressed in a very casual white training outfit and wearing a pair of normal-looking canvas shoes that could be bought for just 10 or 20 yuan, Rao Aimin appeared in front of everyone as she strutted in leisurely. It did not look like she was here to attend a Hongmen Banquet 1 , but rather like she was just going for a post-meal stroll on the streets.

"It's Rao Aimin!"

"Ah?"

"She is Rao Aimin?"

"One of the current five grandmasters of our martial arts world?"

"That's her?"

"This…"

"So she really is that beautiful, damn!"

"I thought the rumors were false!"

Rao Aimin's name could be heard everywhere in the Chinese martial arts world. Basically, no one would not have heard of her name since she was one of the five grandmasters left. Who would not know her? Whenever the martial arts community mentioned her name, they would talk about her in whispers, like it was some taboo topic. It wasn't too much to say that one's expression would change whenever her name was mentioned. However, there were only a few people present who had seen Rao Aimin in person before. The number of up-and-coming, rising stars of the Chinese martial arts world was nothing like in the past. As a grandmaster, Rao Aimin had disappeared for some years now, so even her fight with the two grandmasters that had shocked the Chinese martial arts world back then was not witnessed by many. The majority of those present were only seeing Rao Aimin in person for the first time.

Liu Yiquan was very excited. "This is the latest grandmaster?!"

Liu Yizhang could not hide his excitement either. "She has such an elegant aura!"

Li Quanneng nodded his head firmly. "This is my exact mental image of a female grandmaster! Beautiful and elegant! I can tell that she is extremely skilled at kung fu just by looking at her!"

Yan Hui, not far away, sighed in amazement. "This is the one and only female grandmaster of our era? And her kung fu is even at a higher level than Grandmaster Zhou Tianpeng's and Grandmaster Chen Xi's?"

"Aunt!" Chenchen hurriedly tried to run over to her.

However, she was pulled back by Zhang Ye. "Wait and see."

Chenchen was not having any of that. "Zhang Ye!"

Zhang Ye whispered, "We agreed that you would listen to me when we are outside!"

Chenchen did not resist any further.

The main reason that Zhang Ye did not allow Chenchen to go over was because he was afraid something would happen due to the absolutely unusual situation today. It would be dangerous to let Chenchen go to the Eight Trigrams School's side since there was so much uncertainty right now. So rather than that, he might as well just keep quiet and observe. It still would not be too late to act after that. He could save the trouble of not getting Rao Aimin distracted if she had to protect Chenchen while fighting someone else. That would only burden her, so it was better not to let Chenchen go.

On the other side, many of the large sects were stunned!

A few people who had seen Rao Aimin or come across her before forced a smile. Looking at the astonished crowd around them, they only shook their heads slightly and said nothing.

"Senior Sister."

"Senior Sister."

"Eldest Senior Sister."

When she arrived, the disciples of the Eight Trigrams Palm opened up a path for her.

Rao Aimin who was right at the back of the group walked leisurely to the front.

In the ring, the martial arts performance was still going on. The injured disciples of the Kongtong Sect couldn't possibly stop their performance just because someone had arrived. They just carried on performing their boxing routine and put in much more effort than before.

Rao Aimin looked up at those Kongtong Sect disciples who were swathed in bandages. Suddenly, she lowered her head as she reached into her pocket and felt around in it. Then she took out something from the pocket and threw it up into the ring.

Jingle jangle.

It was a one-yuan coin.

The Kongtong Sect disciples in the ring were stunned.

Numerous martial artists outside the ring were also stunned.

What?

What was the meaning of that?

Rao Aimin turned around and told her juniors, "Spare them some change, everyone. They're still performing in the streets even though they're this badly injured. It must hard on them." After she said that, she turned to the people in the ring. "Broken physically but firm in spirit, that's very good. I have high hopes for all of you. Will you guys be smashing any concrete blocks on your chests? Perform that, I love watching it."

The Kongtong Sect people nearly fainted from anger!

Smashing concrete blocks on the chest?

I'll smash your grandpa!

Why do you have to be so sarcastic?!

We're in this state already, so who the fuck could still have a concrete block smashed on them!

A deputy leader of the Kongtong Sect did not take this well. He quickly stood up and said, "Rao Aimin, you're targeting our Kongtong Sect the moment you arrive. What do you mean by this?"

Rao Aimin leered at him. "Are those people from the Kongtong Sect?"

The Kongtong Sect deputy leader said, "Yes, they are!"

Rao Aimin made a noise of acknowledgment and asked curiously, "When did the Kongtong Sect people start practicing square dances? Not bad. I was just wondering which professional square dancers they are to have sneaked into here. So they turned out to be Kongtong Sect's disciples!"

The deputy leader was getting frustrated and shouted, "Rao Aimin, don't push it too far!"

Rao Aimin looked at him and said, "That's what I'm doing. What are you going to do about it?" She looked at his teeth and remarked, "Oh, so you've replaced the front teeth I knocked out a few years ago? And they're even gold teeth? How rich!"

The Kongtong Sect deputy leader's face flushed then lost color. "You…"

The Iron Palm's Master Sun said angrily, "Now is the time for the martial arts performances put on by the large sects. As a grandmaster, you ought to be more respectful to martial arts, and respectful to—"

Rao Aimin interrupted him and pointed to the ring. "Do you call those limping moves a martial arts performance? I could watch a performance like that at any old folks' home."

Master Sun raged, "Are you picking a fight?"

Rao Aimin said, "Would you like to fight? Sure then, I'll fight you one hand tied behind my back!"

Master Sun was just quick with his mouth, so when he heard Rao Aimin say that, he immediately fell quiet. He was considered one of the top few fighters in the Chinese martial arts world. If not, he wouldn't be addressed as "master" wherever he went. But he knew the disparity between a master and grandmaster was vast as the distance between heaven and earth. Let alone Rao Aimin giving him a one-hand handicap, even if Rao Aimin fought without using her hands, he would still be unable to beat her!

An eminent monk from the Shaolin Monastery asked, "Almsgiver Rao, do you intend to offend everyone from our martial arts world?"

Rao Aimin replied in a nonchalant tone, "I've already offended many people in the past, so there's no difference in offending another one or two sects. Do you have any opinions about that? If you do, why don't we spar to settle our differences?"

The eminent monk was rebutted by that. Of course he wouldn't spar with Rao Aimin. Some years ago, their previous abbot of the Shaolin Monastery could not even take twenty attacks from her. Him? He could not even hold her for three attacks!

The surrounding "martial artists" who were seeing this one and only female grandmaster of the Chinese martial arts world for the first time were quite startled. Their image of a martial arts grandmaster was instantly shattered!

"So this is Rao Aimin?"

"This is…a grandmaster?"

"Uh…"

"This…"

"Why is this grandmaster kinda…"

The brothers, Liu Yiquan and Liu Yizhang, wiped their sweat away.

Li Quanneng and He Badao looked each other in the eye.

Why was this female grandmaster totally different from what they had expected!

Only Zhang Ye and Chenchen heaved a sigh of relief.

Seeing this, Zhang Ye was no longer worried about her. Having not seen her in over six months, Old Rao was still behaving the same. She had not changed at all!

Report chapter Comments

Chapter 926: Zhang Ye steps into battle!

Translator: Legge Editor: Legge

At the Martial Arts Conference.

The Eight Trigrams School got seated in the outermost area that was reserved for them. Rao Aimin led her juniors over and immediately closed her eyes in a composed manner, as though she was already getting ready for the upcoming duel. The Eight Trigrams Palm's disciples did not disturb her.

Everyone was well aware of the intention of today's gathering, therefore the focus right now was all on the Eight Trigrams School, with lot of people casting glances at them every now and again. Secondary to that, they were also very curious about the legendary grandmaster of the Chinese martial arts world that was Rao Aimin. The Zhou Family Style's disciples and masters were particularly staring at her more frostiness and hatred in their eyes. They did not intend to avoid giving death glares to the Eight Trigrams Palm's disciples. Some of the Zhou Family Style's masters were carrying old battle injuries which preceded yesterday's events and were clearly dealt to them by Rao Aimin—the Zhou Family Style's training halls and schools all over the country had been challenged and defeated by Rao Aimin in the past half a year!

The performances continued.

Next was the Wudang Sect's turn.

Followed by the Qingcheng Sect 1 .

Followed by South Wudang.

Then the Xingyi Fist Sect.

Afterwards was a small sect called the Flying Door Sect.

And so on.

Finally, it was time for the finale performance by the Zhou Family Style School.

An hour later, the performances ended.

An organizer from the National Martial Arts Association walked into the fight ring and raised the microphone to his lips and said, "Thank you to all the various sects and schools for their wonderful displays. Next, we will officially begin the next segment, the free sparring rounds. As per previous years, the match will be decided by individual skill, but do remember not to take it overboard. The matches will be held in ten separate sections, and the challenger can nominate any opponent they wish to duel. But the person being challenged may choose to decline the challenge. All matches will be refereed by the professionals from the National Martial Arts Association."

It was finally time for the key segment!

When they heard that, everyone's spirits at the venue were jolted!

This segment had been a standard event in every year's conference. Most grudges and disputes between the martial schools, or personal grievances, were usually settled in this setting. With so many martial sects existing in the Chinese martial arts world, it was impossible that they would be wholly united. There were in fact countless disagreements between them. Naturally, they would need a setting to resolve those issues as the Chinese martial arts world did not allow any large-scale vicious battles to take place between the martial schools. After all, they lived in a governed society. Of course, there were also other reasons for taking part in the duels. For example, for the newcomers to the Chinese martial arts world who were aiming to shoot to fame, this stage was naturally the best way to do it. In addition, for those expert martial artists who believed in their own strength, this was the best place for them to make their name known!

Right as the announcement ended, someone stood up.

It was someone from South Wudang!

That middle-aged expert stood up and gave a fist and palm salute. "I am South Wudang's Liu Qing, and I would like to challenge the deputy leader of the Wudang Sect, He Yanqing. Would Deputy Leader He like to accept my challenge?"

The Wudang Sect's deputy leader sneered, "I've long since been waiting for you!"

That person from South Wudang swept an arm out. "Please!"

"Please!" The Wudang Sect's deputy leader entered the ring.

The grudge between the Wudang Sect and South Wudang was long-standing. At each annual Martial Arts Conference, they would always challenge each other, so no one was surprised.

In the audience, other people gradually began standing up as well.

"As the Qingcheng Sect's Li Xiaonian, I challenge the eminent monks of the Shaolin Monastery to be my opponent!"

"Who do you want to challenge?"

"Any one of them!"

"What big talk. Then let this old monk take you on!"

"Please!"

"Please don't be too hard on me!"

...

"I am the non-affiliate, Cao Liwei. Would you dare to take me on, Zhou Yunian?"

"Haha, why would I not dare?"

"Then bring it on!"

"Let's do this!"

"We must definitely decide on a victor today!"

...

"I'm just a newcomer of the non-affiliates, giving a challenge to any heroes here. Would anyone like to give me some pointers?"

"I'll do it!"

"Thank you for your guidance."

"You're welcome. I won't hold back."

"Sure!"

"Please!"

...

In the blink of an eye, nine of the ten sections divided for the matches were occupied. There was one section still empty. No one said anything for the time being.

A while later.

Someone finally said something.

Zhang Ye could sense someone in the crowd not far away glaring at him. He raised his eyes to look over and noticed a familiar figure.

It was the Zhou Family's Fourth Bro Zhou!

He saw Fourth Bro Zhou's provocative eyes staring at him. "Non-affiliate Chen Zhen, dare you exchange a couple blows with me?" After going back yesterday, Fourth Bro Zhou contemplated the sequence of events of last night. He knew clearly that he had only said about three sentences in the lead-up, but why did that end up with so many people getting involved in a brawl? It was clearly that non-affiliate named Chen Zhen who incited the situation. That mouth was so venomous that he could change something from black to white. After getting lectured by a senior of the Zhou Family, Fourth Bro Zhou's anger was all pent-up. As a result, he pointed straight at Chen Zhen who he deemed to be the leader of the non-affiliates and small sects for last night.

The small sects and non-affiliates were stunned at this.

Liu Yiquan's expression changed slightly as he quickly said, "Bro Chen, this Fourth Bro Zhou might not be the most skilled amongst this generation of the Zhou Family Style's disciples, but he's still an above average expert!"

Li Quanneng immediately added, "Be careful!"

He Badao also said worriedly, "Don't go if you can't do it!"

Everyone had seen Zhang Ye's martial arts skills yesterday and were not too optimistic about his chances.

But who could have expected that Zhang Ye would simply give a smile and say, "I've already been identified in person by name. It wouldn't make sense if I didn't go up then, right? Fourth Bro Zhou was such a bully last night, trying to scam us non-affiliates and the small sects. But after meeting with our resistance last night, he even has the cheek to come and challenge me today? Should I not stick my neck out? If I don't accept the challenge, wouldn't that make him even more arrogant in the future?! Wouldn't that be telling him that we're scared? I must fight him in this match today! Even if I cannot beat him, I will take him on and take a chunk out of him! I cannot sacrifice the dignity of the small sects and us non-affiliates! We cannot let the large sects think that we're easily pushed around!"

When the people around him heard that, they started cheering in support!

These words of Zhang Ye's whipped everyone up into a frenzy, seemingly elevating his status even further!

"Well said!"

"Bro Chen! Nicely put!"

"Fuck, that's right!"

"Yeah, we aren't going to be pushed around easily!"

"For our dignity! Fuck!"

"Bro Chen, do well!"

"Go for it!"

"Fucking kill that Fourth Bro Zhou!"

"Fucking kill that shameless man!"

"Fucking kill the despicable villain that bullies the weak and fears the strong!"

"If you're so good, challenge me instead! Bullying a newcomer like Bro Chen doesn't make you better!"

"Fuck! Shameless!"

Listening to the shouting from over there, Fourth Bro Zhou nearly fainted from anger. Fuck your grandpas! What the hell did I say? All I did was ask if he dared to exchange a couple blows with me! What was all that about me being a shameless man coming out of nowhere? What was all that about me being a despicable villain about? Chen, you're too goddamn wicked! That mouth of yours is simply so venomous that it is leaking with pus! I will make sure that you leave on a stretcher today! Otherwise I won't be called Fourth Bro Zhou!

Fourth Bro Zhou was extremely angry!

The Zhou Family Style School's disciples were also supporting him in full force!

"Fourth Senior Bro, you can do it!"

"Get him!"

"That Chen Zhen is ridiculously infuriating!"

Fourth Bro Zhou and Zhang Ye both came forward and walked up into the fight ring. This wasn't some fighting platform that was set up with a wooden frame, but a demarcated area measuring 10 by 10 meters within the main fight ring.

The organizer's referee allowed the two of them into the area and said, "To reiterate, don't take it overboard. We just need decide on a victor."

Fourth Bro Zhou nodded while nursing his hatred.

Zhang Ye said, "Understood."

The referee asked, "Do either of you need any weapons? If you do, you may choose something."

Fourth Bro Zhou looked at Zhang Ye and said, "I need one, how about you?"

Zhang Ye nonchalantly replied, "Then I'll use something too."

The referee pointed. "The weapons are over there."

The weapons on the rack were all blunted.

Fourth Bro Zhou had already chosen something as he went over to grab a sword. He gave it a few swings then switched to a different one that he was more satisfied with. He carried the sword back to the dueling area.

However, Zhang Ye did not head over to the weapons rack. Under the watchful eyes of the referee and everyone else, he looked around until he spotted something. With a glint in his eyes, he walked away to a spot over 20 meters away, to a corner of the hilltop where he picked up a brick. Satisfied, he turned around and headed back to the fight area.

The referee was startled. "That will be your weapon?"

Zhang Ye nodded. "Yes."

The referee was dumbfounded. "Are you sure of your choice?"

"I am sure," Zhang Ye responded.

Fourth Bro Zhou's eyelids constantly twitched from anger. He felt extremely insulted.

But the small sects and non-affiliates did not seem bothered by this. They had already witnessed Bro Chen Zhen's brick techniques last night, so they knew his main mode of attack…kinda followed this approach.

"Go, Chen Zhan!"

"Go, Chen Zhen!"

"Bro Chen, you can do it!"

A lot of people were cheering on Zhang Ye!

Some of the other duels had already began and a lot of the others had their attention on the other nine areas. With the sudden cheering over on this side, all of their attention turned here. When they saw one of the participants holding a brick in the fight area, many of these martial artists' jaws dropped!

What sort of weapon is that?

My god, why is it a brick?

The Eight Trigrams School also looked over at this moment!

"Chen Zhen?" spoke one of the junior sisters.

Fifth Senior Sister Song Jiao said in astonishment, "That is Chen Zhen?"

Sixth Senior Brother Xu Fan was stunned. "Damn, he's really using a brick?"

The ninth disciple, Zhao Yunlong, was speechless.

One of the junior brothers exclaimed, "Is that really going to be his weapon?"

Song Jiao asked, "Junior Bro, is it him?"

Lu Yuhu was in a sort of daze. "I guess so."

"What's the matter?" Song Jiao wondered.

Lu Yuhu said with some suspiciousness, "It's nothing much, but I find that guy wearing the sunglasses kinda familiar. I might be wrong, though."

Rao Aimin still had her eyes closed and was not bothered by all these little distractions.

In the ring, the duel was about to begin.

The referee asked, "Are you both ready?"

Fourth Bro Zhou stared hard at Zhang Ye and said, "I'm ready!"

Zhang Ye said calmly, "I'm ready too."

"Alright then." The referee raised his hand, then swooped it down. "Begin!"

With that, the referee immediately retreated to the edge.

According to the rules of the Chinese martial arts world, Fourth Bro Zhou gripped the sword handle, blade down, and gave a fist and palm salute. "Fight hard!"

Opposite him, Zhang Ye returned with a slight fist and palm salute. "Fight hard."

But sometimes, it only took an instant to decide the outcome between winning and losing!

Right after they finished speaking, Fourth Bro Zhou flipped his sword upright. But before he could even grip it properly, he was shocked to discover that a reddish object was already flying at him!

It was a brick!

Zhang Ye had shamelessly given this attack a pompous name. He bellowed, "Take my Brick Descending from the Heavens!"

This attack was just a simple one, and Fourth Bro Zhou thought that he could dodge it. After all, when one had reached the level of an expert, their reaction speed and agility were at an elevated state. Let alone a brick, even if it were against a hidden weapons expert, in the readiness of a combat situation, Fourth Bro Zhou was still confident that he could dodge a throwing knife. But just as he was leaning aside to dodge the attack, he realized that he was wrong!

He could not dodge it at all!

The brick was approaching too quickly!

It was so fast that he thought he heard the whistling of the wind as the brick traveled at high speed and hit him right in the face. Fourth Bro Zhou could only avoid it to the point that the bridge of his nose would not get hit. He slightly turned his head but the brick still smashed hard into the left side of his face!

"Ah!" Fourth Bro Zhou screamed in pain. His left face was momentarily depressed inward and his entire body tilted as he fell down to the floor on his sides!

Many people were watching in shock!

This!

What kind of speed is that?

What kind of strength is that?

"You're using a hidden weapon!" Fourth Bro Zhou shouted angrily and started to rise to his feet to fight.

But before he could stand up, a shadow of a punch was already approaching his face!

Thump! It landed on Fourth Bro Zhou's face again!

The force was so great that Fourth Bro Zhou's entire person twisted as he was thrown to the ground. With a heavy crash, he banged against the floor. Just listening to that sound alone showed how strong that punch was!

The bruised and swollen-faced Fourth Bro Zhou was knocked nearly unconscious!

With a brick and a single punch, he had already lost all of his fighting spirit!

Zhang Ye did not even use a single kung fu move and only depended on the basic physical qualities of his body! Chinese martial arts were just like that. It was nothing like in the novels or the movies, where fights of a thousand rounds happened without much of a fuss. That was basically impossible, since a hundred rounds already sounded close to impossible, and that was even speaking in the context of a duel between experts. Most dueling matches in the ring were basically decided after a few punches or kicks, so how could there be a fight lasting several hundred rounds?

The referee was stunned. Everything had happened so quickly that he only managed to react just now. He hurriedly rushed over and shouted, "Stop, stop fighting!" Then he looked at Fourth Bro Zhou lying on the floor before he announced, "The winner: Chen Zhen from the non-affiliates!"

The Zhou Family Style School's disciples were furious!

Meanwhile, those from the small sects and non-affiliates all raised their arms and started cheering!

"Great!"

"Great fight!"

"Good punching!"

"Good brick technique!"

"Old Bro Chen's brick technique has improved!"

"Kill that shameless man!"

"Beat up that despicable villain!"

"Hahaha, how enjoyable! Good fight!"

"The villain will definitely get what he deserves!"

Liu Yiquan, Liu Yizhang, Liu Yiquan, and a few other people whom Zhang Ye had gotten close to were cheering the loudest!

Chenchen looked at Zhang Ye in disbelief, as though in disbelief at how Zhang Ye could have gotten so strong all of a sudden!

Amid everyone's cheers, Zhang Ye gave a fist and palm salute in gratitude as he came out of the ring while laughing. "Thank you, thank you. I got lucky that the thieving bastard did not succeed!"

"Bro Chen, great showing!"

"That felt so good!"

"The thieving bastard will definitely lose!"

"Evil will never prevail against good!"

When Fourth Bro Zhou, who was lying on the floor, heard that, he almost vomited blood. He was so angry that he didn't know what he could say. Clearly, that Chen fellow had resorted to a sneak attack! He even shamelessly threw a hidden weapon to hit his face!

But as it stands?

Why am I the despicable one?

And shameless?

And I'm even called a thieving bastard now?

Fuck your grandma!

Do you people still have any shame!?

Report chapter Comments

Chapter 927: Then I'll listen to you people!

Translator: Legge Editor: Legge

Fourth Bro Zhou was carried out of the ring via stretcher.

Winners were crowned and losers vilified. That was how all matches ended in the Chinese martial arts world. Whoever was more skilled would have the last say. The loser didn't have any right to speak.

The duel ended just like that.

The tenth match was the last to begin but the first to finish.

The Eight Trigrams School's disciples nearly fainted when they saw this.

"So that is Chen Zhen?"

"Uh…"

"Isn't his strength a little too great?"

"Eleventh Bro, can your strength beat his?"

"Man, that's hard to say."

"Is that an external style he's using?"

"I don't know! He didn't even use any martial arts moves!"

"That's right. I couldn't even tell which martial school's moves those were!"

"Don't tell me that there's really a style called the Swimming Body Eight Trigrams Brick?"

"…"

Song Jiao, the fifth senior sister, evaluated, "Unless concealed power or some special type of kung fu was used, very few people in the entire Chinese martial arts world can compare to his strength. With normal training techniques, even if a person trains their entire life, their greatest strength would be no more than this!"

Lu Yuhu commented, "He's an expert."

Upon returning, Zhang Ye was surrounded by a group of people who gave him extremely good treatment.

"Bro Chen, I didn't know you had hidden talents!"

"Please don't say that."

"That brick smash was wonderful!"

"Thank you very much, thank you very much."

The Zhou Family Style School's Sect Leader Zhou Tianpeng did not look up at all. As for some of the older boxing specialists of the Zhou Family Style, their focus was not on these "brawls" between the juniors. At today's Martial Arts Conference, only Rao Aimin was their cause of concern. She was their most formidable enemy!

In the main ring, the duels gradually came to a close.

The duels with both parties using weapons ended slightly faster while the unarmed duels took longer.

In the match between both Wudangs, the Wudang Sect emerged victorious.

The Shaolin Monastery came out on top in the match against the Qingcheng Sect.

Victory was also decided among the non-affiliates.

Today's dark horse was a newcomer to the Chinese martial arts world. He had actually managed to defeat a rather well-known boxing specialist of the Chinese martial arts world. His win earned him some fame.

Of course, Zhang Ye gained some fame as well. Actually, this fellow was famous since last night. Who from the large sects did not know about "Chen Zhen"? Basically everyone hated him to the bone!

Afterwards, someone else came forward to issue a challenge.

"Qian Dong, come and have a match with your grandpa!"

"Grandson, Grandpa is coming!"

"Who is Grandson calling?"

"I'm calling you grandson!"

"Whose grandson are you?"

"I'm your grandpa!"

The enmity between them clearly ran very deep. They cursed at each other as they walked up into the ring and even continued to curse at each other while dueling.

"Grandson, take that!"

"Receive this palm strike from your grandpa!"

"Grandson, watch out for my attack!"

"Your grandpa is watching out!"

"Haha, my grandson got punched!"

"Haha! Grandson, you're only helping your grandpa scratch his back!"

The referee didn't know whether to laugh or cry while watching this.

The National Martial Arts Association's people were also speechless. They felt somewhat embarrassed as the Chinese martial arts world was opening up, standardizing, and taking the high-end route in the market. But those martial artists' characters and educational qualifications were not in line with this market expansion. There were always some people who liked to scold others, or liked to fight with a brick, or liked to scold others and fight with a brick. They could not curb the behavior of such people, so could only turn a blind eye to it all.

After some of the others went into the ring to duel, an unexpected person came forward. He was the Huashan Sect leader, Grandmaster Chen Xi's junior brother—Fan Wen. He was the person whom Zhang Ye met with at the entrance of the holiday resort's restaurant last night. The compensation of a thousand yuan per person was "negotiated" by Zhang Ye and Fan Wen at the time.

The moment Fan Wen stepped forward, he called out, "Little Bro Chen Zhen, it looks like you were born with superhuman strength and your martial arts are very good, so I was hoping to learn a little from you as well. Would you object to that?"

"Ah?"

"Steward Fan?"

"Steward Fan has issued a challenge too?"

"Senior Fan, take care of him!"

The large sects were getting excited. After watching the match between Zhang Ye and Fourth Bro Zhou, they were largely unsure if they would be a match for that Chen Zhen opponent, so they did not dare step forward to challenge him. Even the Zhou Family Style's disciples were staying silent. With the Huashan Sect's Senior Fan issuing a challenge, he could definitely beat that Chen Zhen.

However, the people from the small sects and non-affiliates were outraged.

"Isn't this bullying!"

"Senior Fan, how can you, as a senior, issue a challenge to a junior?"

"You're totally on a different level!"

"Despicable!"

Zhang Ye was tickled.

When Fan Wen heard that, he said, "Alright then, since I'm your senior and older than you, then how about this, I'll give you a one-hand handicap. We'll exchange some pointers since I would like to see for myself what Little Bro Chen's fighting, uh, brick style is like." The words "brick style" sounded very odd no matter how it was put.

Liu Yiquan shouted, "Bro Chen Zhen, don't go!"

Li Quanneng hurriedly said, "That old man is really formidable!"

"Yeah." He Badao said, "Fan Wen is an expert who is ranked in the top three of the Huashan Sect. He is also a prominent martial artist of the Chinese martial arts world! He's a master martial artist! You're not his match!"

Liu Yizhang tugged at him. "Bro Chen, be cautious. A wise man does not fight when the odds are against him!"

The other non-affiliates all said the same.

"Don't go!"

"Don't bother with him!"

"This is bullying!"

"They're obviously targeting you!"

"The Huashan Sect has always been in cahoots with the Zhou Family!"

"That's right! Don't go!"

After listening to all that, Zhang Ye gave a fist and palm salute to the surrounding people. "Thank you, everyone, for your kindness."

Everyone sighed when they heard this, as they knew their words had fallen on "Chen Zhen's" deaf ears. However, they were simply making a passing remark. At this sort of martial arts conference, there had never before been a precedent of anyone declining a challenge. That was because it was more embarrassing for a martial artist to refuse a challenge than to lose a match. Of the many duels each year, even if they clearly knew that they could not beat their opponent, they still braced themselves to face the challenge, all because there was no other way to it.

Zhang Ye walked out from the crowd as he said, "I feel very flattered that a Huashan Sect senior is challenging me. I would also like to see for myself what the Huashan Sect's martial arts are like!"

Fan Wen smiled and gestured with his hand, saying, "Little Bro Chen, as you please!"

Fan Wen walked toward the dueling area.

As Fan Wen's reputation was well-known, numerous people at the venue looked over. They were surprised that Fan Wen would actually spar with a junior. Hur hur, this Chen Zhen will surely have a hard time!

The non-affiliates were still trying to talk him out of it.

"Be careful!"

"Don't be rash, Bro Chen!"

"Be cautious! Be cautious around him!"

"Senior Fan is not easy to deal with!"

"Don't go!"

Zhang Ye waved them off and said righteously, "Everyone, please don't try to talk me out of this! I've already decided! Since the large sects want to use me as an example to warn others, I definitely can't avoid it today. It doesn't matter whether I advance or retreat. For the dignity of the small sects and us non-affiliates, what reason do I have to back away from this challenge? I have to fight even if I die!"

Everyone was moved. They knew that Bro Chen Zhen was going to accept the challenge for sure!

"Bro Chen's heroism will reach the clouds!"

"Bro Chen is a heroic man!"

"Think carefully!"

"It's not embarrassing even if you don't go!"

Fan Wen was ready.

The referee had already gone up into the ring.

Zhang Ye suddenly looked around at the non-affiliates and flapped his hands, saying, "Don't talk me out of this. Everyone, please don't do that…why are you all still trying to talk me out of it? Hai! Whatever, I'll just listen to your advice then!"

Saying that, Zhang Ye turned around and walked back to his seat.

Everyone present was dumbfounded by what they saw!

Liu Yiquan fainted!

He Badao fainted!

Fan Wen fainted!

Everyone from the large and small sects nearly faceplanted!

Fuck, you really aren't gonna fight?

We were just being fucking polite with you, alright!?

Report chapter Comments

Chapter 928: Is the legacy of the Taiji Fist actually lost?

Translator: Legge Editor: Legge

With this episode, the venue's atmosphere became rather awkward! Although the saying went: "Listen to advice and you won't starve," weren't you still too easily talked out of it by us? Didn't you say that you would be fighting for the dignity of the small sects and non-affiliates? That you'd go into the fight even if you knew you would die? Weren't you not going to give in to the large sects' despotism? Your sister! Where exactly do your principles lie? Why did you choose to turn around just because others politely tried to talk you out of the challenge! You, you're totally going against the grain of martial arts routines!

Zhang Ye walked cool as a cucumber back to his seat. He did not consider this event to be of any importance.

Liu Yizhang wiped away his sweat and said, "Bro Chen, w-why did you come back?"

Contrary to expectations, Zhang Ye gave a look of astonishment and said, "Didn't you guys tell me to walk away from the fight?"

Liu Yizhang: "…"

Liu Yiquan: "…"

Li Quanneng: "…"

Yan Hui: "..."

We did try to talk you out of it!

But no one was expecting you to agree so readily!

But with Zhang Ye saying that, they could not find any other reasons to reply to him, because they had really shouted for him to walk away from the fight!

Whatever!

You win!

The Eight Trigrams School's disciples looked at one another.

Song Jiao said with exasperation, "That Chen Zhen, why does it seem like he's kinda shameless?"

Xu Fan was also dumbfounded. "It's not that he seems that way, but that he's actually kinda shameless!"

Zhao Yunlong said, "Take away the 'kinda.' He's just shameless!"

Lu Yuhu said in a speechless manner, "Why do I find that person so familiar?"

With the crowd there, they could not even see "Chen Zhen" clearly, much less spot a little girl like Chenchen.

The Huashan Sect's Fan Wen, who was already ready to go in the dueling area, furrowed his brows in anger. "Chen Zhen, do you intend to duel me or not? What's the meaning of this?"

The large sects were angered too!

Especially the Huashan Sect's disciples, who felt that their martial sect's senior had gotten played, making all of them infuriated.

When Grandmaster Chen Xi heard the commotion over here, he also frowned and swept his gaze to Zhang Ye.

"Shameless!"

"Say so if you're afraid!"

"Hey Chen, I bet you're just afraid to fight!"

"You just can't beat our Martial Uncle Fan! Stop finding excuses!"

"If you're skilled enough, you should step forward!"

"Right, if you're skilled enough, come out and fight!"

"Chen Zhen, let me ask you a simple question: Do you have the courage to exchange blows with our Martial Uncle Fan?!"

"Our master has already said that he'd give you an advantage, but you're still afraid of taking on the challenge?"

"Come out!"

"Come out!"

"Come forward if you're so skilled!"

The Huashan Sect kept goading him from their side!

But Zhang Ye was unmoved. He was neither embarrassed nor nervous and was completely untroubled by them. Instead, he started chatting, a smile on his face, with Liu Yiquan who was seated beside him. "Look at how wonderful the fight over at section three of the dueling area is."

Liu Yiquan grunted, "Ah."

Zhang Ye asked, "Which martial sect is that person from?"

Liu Yiquan answered, "Uh, it looks like the Xingyi Fist."

Another Huashan Sect disciple called out, "Not brave enough to challenge my martial uncle? Chen Zhen, do you have the courage to challenge me instead, then?! This won't be considered bullying, right?"

"Second Senior Bro!"

"Go get him, Second Senior Bro!"

"Destroy him!"

"Right, destroy him!"

"That Chen Zhen is super infuriating!"

Yan Hui was afraid that he would be on the losing end, so reminded, "That is the Huashan Sect's second senior brother. He's one of the most outstanding disciples of this generation. Compared to the Zhou Family Style's Fourth Bro Zhou, he's way better than him, so you must be careful!"

But as it turned out, Zhang Ye was still chattering away with Liu Yiquan, as though he had heard nothing. He even conveniently turned around to Yan Hui to ask, "Eh, Bro Yan, what style of martial arts do you practice?"

Yan Hui: "…"

The surrounding people: "…"

The conversation went on until Liu Yiquan and Yan Hui could no longer keep a straight face, yet Zhang Ye was still as indifferent and calm as ever. This made Liu Yiquan, Liu Yizhang, and a number of the surrounding non-affiliates and small sect disciples feel extreme admiration for him! Bro Chen Zhen's skin is really goddamn thick! This was also a skill that most people did not have!

The Huashan Sect's disciples shouted until their voices turned hoarse!

Fan Wen was so angry that he just returned to his seat!

The Huashan Sect's second senior brother also looked extremely angry!

But Zhang Ye remained in his place. No matter how his opponents tried to draw him in, he did not step forward. Why would he want to duel? Earlier, in the match with Fourth Bro Zhou, Zhang Ye only did it because he had wanted to test his skills in a real fight. Moreover, after watching so many matches, he had gained a slight understanding of his personal power. He had also gained a deeper understanding of the entire Chinese martial arts world's standards and the division of ranks for the experts, so why would he still bother with dueling anyone? It wasn't like he was here to fight anyway! Oh, just because you guys shouted and tried to incite me, I must step forward to duel you guys? Do you think I'm an idiot? Do you know how much this bro is worth? This bro can command an appearance fee of over a million RMB just by appearing in an interview. Can you people pay me such a sum?

A fellow like Zhang Ye was not someone from the martial arts community anyway. All he knew was that he had to sneak into the enemy's camp today to make a mess of things. But as for the rules of the Chinese martial arts world, or whatever honor or dignity, he did not care for any of that! As a result, he would naturally feel that this wasn't something to be embarrassed about!

The large sects could watch no longer.

"Forget about him!"

"What kind of a hero is that!"

"He's a disgrace to our martial arts world!"

He's even afraid of accepting a challenge?"

"How infuriating! I've never come across such a ruffian before!"

"Why did the National Martial Arts Conference invite someone like him to participate?"

"In so many conferences, there has never before been someone who didn't accept a challenge! He is the first!"

A lot of those from the large sects glared at Zhang Ye with contempt, looking very uncomfortable with being labeled together with him as members of the Chinese martial arts world. All of them were indignant at Zhang Ye for the Huashan Sect!

The Huashan Sect leader, Chen Xi, spoke, "Quiet down, everyone."

With that, all the large sects and Huashan Sect's disciples did not utter another word. They looked up and realized that all the matches had ended and that there was no one else who came forward to issue a challenge to anyone!

Everyone was startled and knew that the main event was starting soon!

In the blink of an eye, the entire venue fell silent. They no longer cared about denouncing "Chen Zhen."

Chen Xi stood up. "Is there anyone else?"

No one answered.

Chen Xi asked again, "Let me ask again, is there anyone else?"

Still, there was no answer.

Only then did Chen Xi nod his head and signaled with his hand for the ten National Martial Arts Association's referees to get out of the ring and stand to the side. Then, quite a few National Martial Arts Association's employees came into the ring to clear the area and put the weaponry back on their racks. A female employee picked up the brick that Zhang Ye had taken from somewhere and took a long, hesitating look around before she finally just threw it somewhere onto the ground.

The second round of events at the Martial Arts Conference ended.

Liu Yiquan looked up into the ring.

Zhang Ye raised his head.

Chenchen scowled.

The Zhou Family Style's disciples clenched their fists.

The Eight Trigrams School's disciples looked to the ring.

"It's beginning!"

"It's time for official business!"

"How do you think they will fight to settle their differences?"

"I don't know!"

"A battle of grandmasters, it'll be really wonderful to watch!"

"Yeah, it's a once-in-a-lifetime battle!"

"This year's National Martial Arts Conference certainly won't be like the ones before it. The events of today will be immortalized for future generations, and as witnesses to it, we truly should feel honored!"

"How exciting!"

"Let's see how this feud will be settled!"

"Supporting the Zhou Family! Grandmaster Rao has definitely crossed the line this time. She is openly provoking our martial arts world by upsetting the norms. The National Martial Arts Association definitely won't let this go!"

Amid everyone's gaze, the incumbent leader of the Zhou Family Style School, Zhou Tianpeng, finally opened his eyes. His eyes were clear, as though he had been preparing a long time for this moment. It felt like a sharp sword suddenly being unsheathed. He stood up and strode toward the fight ring, then suddenly kicked off the ground and launched himself into the air before landing in the ring that was around 1.4 meters tall. He did this without any effort at all, but landed inside the wooden ring with a loud crash and violently shook it. The dust particles swirled up against the glow of the sun upon impact!

"Great kung fu!"

"Beautiful!"

"Grandmaster Zhou's skills have advanced greatly!"

"He's indeed worthy of the title of grandmaster!"

For most jump and land moves, this wouldn't seem unusual in the eyes of a real expert. As they say, "Laypersons watch the buzz, while professionals examine the skill." But at this moment, the Huashan Sect's Fan Wen was a little astonished. In his opinion, compared to the Grandmaster Zhou he had seen a few years back, even though Zhou Tianpeng had aged by a little, his martial arts skills did not seem to have regressed one bit. In fact, it even looked like he had improved. Reaching the level of grandmaster was the pinnacle of Chinese martial arts. But there was also a division of strength among the grandmasters. For example, their Huashan Sect leader, Chen Xi—who was also Fan Wen's senior brother—would be considered the weakest of the five grandmasters when it came down to their martial arts skills. Meanwhile, Rao Aimin was the strongest of the five. Several years ago, Zhou Tianpeng was supposedly at the level between them, a little stronger than his senior brother but a little weaker than Rao Aimin. However, that was a comparison from those days. Today, it was more difficult to determine who was the strongest of the grandmasters. Besides, how could people like him judge the martial arts of these grandmasters? There was no way he could assess their skills at his level. He could only get a general feel of how it might be!

For instance, the way that Grandmaster Zhou Tianpeng made his appearance today clearly gave many people the feeling that his martial arts were much better than a few years back.

It was probably the same for Chen Xi since internal style martial artists usually improved over time.

The only unknown was whether Rao Aimin's skills had regressed during this time. In the past few years, no one had seen Rao Aimin, nor knew where she had gone, nor what she had done. In the past six months of challenging the Zhou Family Style School's training halls, it was comparable to using a cannon to kill mosquitoes. The Zhou Family Style's disciples were obviously not worthy of Rao Aimin to exercise her efforts on and stood basically no chance against her. Therefore, Rao Aimin's current martial arts skills were still a mystery to everyone, including to the two grandmasters Zhou Tianpeng and Chen Xi!

The venue was enveloped in silence!

Zhou Tianpeng was in the ring. His expression this time was no longer the same as when he had stood there earlier. The aura he gave off was utterly different from before. This time, he did not even hold a microphone and just projected his voice to speak. Even so, every word that he spoke was loud and crisp. No matter where someone sat, they could still hear him very clearly!

Zhou Tianpeng said, "Dear friends and colleagues of our national martial arts world, the previous events have all come to an end. It is a little shameful to say this, but the next event has to do with me settling a personal feud with a certain someone!"

"There's nothing to be shameful about!"

"Grandmaster Zhou, just announce it!"

"Right, everyone is here as your witness!"

The Kongtong Sect, the Huashan Sect, the Iron Palm Sect, and all the other martial sects were very supportive!

Zhou Tianpeng nodded and said, "Alright, then I shall first give my thanks to everyone present. I am sure that everyone has already heard something about the cause of this issue. As a grandmaster, Rao Aimin has gone around abusing her powers against my juniors, bullying my Zhou Family Style's disciples, and tearing down my training halls. This has brought about great losses to the Zhou Family! Ignoring economic losses, which are secondary, it has hurt our Zhou Family Style's reputation. That is something I won't tolerate!"

Numerous shouts suddenly rang out from the audience.

The Huashan Sect: "Supporting Old Master Zhou!"

The Kongtong Sect: "Supporting Grandmaster Zhou!"

The Kunlun Sect: "Supporting Vice President Zhou!"

"Intolerable! No need to keep tolerating!"

"The Eight Trigrams School has gone too far!"

"Grandmaster Zhou is big-hearted and did not argue with you people in the past, yet you people still don't know where to draw the line? Going around the entire country to bring down the Zhou Family Style's training halls? If this can be tolerated, then what would be intolerable?!"

"This is too despicable!"

Many of those from the large sects were looking angrily in the direction of the Eight Trigrams School.

The Eight Trigrams School's disciples were irritated by this.

Lu Yuhu shouted, "Have you people forgotten about the blood debt of my Senior Sister's little sister and brother-in-law?"

The Huashan Sect's Fan Wen said bluntly, "That was just a very normal match in which they willingly put their lives on the line."

Song Jiao said furiously, "Quit your fucking bullshitting! Old Crook Zhou's son has committed so many evil deeds and used martial arts to bully others. Our Senior Sister's little sister had only agreed to a deathmatch with him to settle their feud. But when Old Crook Zhou saw that his son was about to meet his end, he interfered in the match to save him, dealing some injuries to my Senior Sister's little sister and brother-in-law. Let me ask you then, who were the ones bullying the weak there? Let me ask you again, who did not follow the rules of our martial arts world? How are you going to repay this debt?"

The Huashan Sect's Second Senior Bro harrumphed. "And who witnessed that?"

A deputy leader of the Kongtong Sect scoffed, "Ridiculous. That's complete nonsense!"

The Kunlun Sect leader said, "Grandmaster Zhou is a big-hearted man, how could he possibly do something like that? What you heard were just rumors within the martial arts community and should not be taken seriously. Even if Grandmaster Zhou had hurt those two, it must have been during a normal match. They died a year later, so how can you place the blame on Grandmaster Zhou for their deaths?"

Zhao Yunlong said angrily, "Sect Leader of Kunlun, don't you dare pretend like you don't know a thing! Don't you know what concealed power is? When one gets struck by concealed power, their insides suffer irreparable damage!"

Master Sun, from an Iron Palm branch, repeatedly shook his head. "Where's the proof? The evidence? You keep addressing him as Old Crook Zhou. Do you have any manners?"

Actually, no one could relate the event that happened many years ago too clearly and there were all sorts of rumors flying around. But whatever the truth, one could easily guess what had really happened. All they knew was that Zhou Tianpeng's son was indeed not a good person and Zhou Tianpeng had also fought with Rao Aimin's sister and brother-in-law. As for the details, nobody really knew about them.

The Eight Trigrams School's people started arguing with the large sects!

The small sects and non-affiliates did not say anything and only whispered among themselves.

"Grandmaster Zhou's son was indeed…"

"Oh, I know. You don't need to mention that."

"My opinion about this is pretty close to the Eight Trigrams School's version of events."

"I heard that there were witnesses to the incident, but no one said anything about it afterwards."

"Shhh, be quiet. Don't let anyone hear you."

"We can only speculate among ourselves, but that person is still a grandmaster after all."

"Why do the large sects seem so united?"

"Who knows if they'd already discussed their stand before this!"

"Let's just watch how it turns out. Don't talk anymore."

"Yeah, it's not something that we can really do anything about either."

"It's a fight between gods!"

At the other end, the two sides were still arguing!

The large sects shouted, "Rao Aimin is a tumor within our martial arts world!"

The Eight Trigrams School shouted back, "Old Crook Zhou is despicable and shameless!"

"Bullying and injuring so many of the Zhou Family Style's disciples, who is the shameless one here? If you're so good, you should have brought this up to Grandmaster Zhou directly. Why did you have to injure so many of the Zhou Family Style's disciples?"

"Our Eldest Senior Sis has issued countless challenges to Zhou Tianpeng in the past half a year, but he dared not answer to her challenges due to his guilt! He did not even dare to step out of his hole. How else can she bring it up to him then? All those years ago, when Zhou Tianpeng injured our Senior Sister's little sister and brother-in-law, she went to confront the Zhou Family about it. When Zhou Tianpeng realized that the situation was not to his advantage, he even teamed up with the Huashan Sect leader to take her on and defeated her. So how can you still have the cheek to say that?"

"That's because Rao Aimin had nothing better to do. Her sister and brother-in-law's business had nothing to do with Grandmaster Zhou at all, yet she came looking for trouble. That in and of itself was already her fault for coming to confront others with no good reason, so who cares if the grandmasters teamed up? If a thief breaks into your house, you're not even allowed to retaliate?"

"Bullshit!"

The Zhou Family Style School's disciples cut in, "That incident from all those years ago was due to her sister and brother-in-law being less skilled, yet they still agreed to the deathmatch. Since they were responsible for their own lives, what else is there left to argue about!"

The Eight Trigrams School's disciples were so angry that they were trembling!

The large sects had the numerical advantage. With every one of them just saying something, it was more than enough to drown them out, and even the guilty could be presented as innocent. Moreover, judging from their unity, it seemed like those from the large sects had already discussed this prior to the conference!

Over there.

Chenchen was also trembling!

The large sects and the Zhou Family Style's disciples were speaking about Chenchen's dead parents without a care in the world, and some people even spoke with acrimony of them. There was also someone from the Zhou Family Style who said that they "deserved it for losing"!

Zhang Ye's face sank when he heard that. He clutched Chenchen's little hand, but found that it was ice-cold as she clenched her fist tightly.

Suddenly, the Huashan Sect leader stepped forward.

Grandmaster Chen Xi walked up into the ring and looked down, speaking loudly, "Let me say a few words!"

Only then did the large sects put down their hands, which they had been pointing at the Eight Trigrams School. They looked over and waited for this other grandmaster to speak. Chen Xi was representing the National Martial Arts Association as the organizer and also was in charge of this event today!

They heard Chen Xi say, "Today's National Martial Arts Conference was called in advance, mainly because we wanted to settle this issue between the Zhou Family and Rao Aimin. As a bystander, I largely understand the entire situation. Right now, I would like to talk about the following with everyone. Has anyone here heard of the Taiji Fist from over a hundred years ago?"

The Taiji Fist?

Zhang Ye narrowed his eyes.

The people below the ring were taken aback.

"I've heard of it!"

"Of course I've heard about it!"

"I heard my master talk about it once before!"

"Yeah. That's a very famous internal style!"

"A pity that it's already been lost for over a hundred years!"

Chen Xi looked at everyone and narrated, "There are still some historical records about the time when the Taiji Fist first appeared during the Qing dynasty. It pushed internal styles to a pinnacle at that time. Some of the large sects might not be strangers to this name, as a lot of masters and veterans from that time have passed down many legends and stories regarding the Taiji Fist by word of mouth. However, it was exactly this internal style, which had such a colorful history, whose legacy was lost over a hundred years ago. This intangible cultural asset of our martial arts world did not get passed down and it is a heartache both for me and for our martial arts world!"

The Huashan Sect's Fan Wen sighed, "Hai, what a pity!"

The Kunlun Sect's deputy leader also gave a light sigh. "How brilliant would the grandmaster of Taiji be at that time? But to this day, this martial arts style did not even get passed down to our time!"

Liu Yiquan said excitedly, "They're talking about Taiji Fist!"

Li Quanneng could only sigh, "I've heard of it too. It's such a pity!"

Zhang Ye gave both of them a look but did not say anything.

When the Taiji Fist was mentioned, the Zhou Family Style's disciples also had looks of yearning on their faces!

When an ordinary person hears about Taiji, they might not think of it as a fighting style. Many people did not even know what the Taiji Fist was. But within the Chinese martial arts world, everyone had long heard about the Taiji Fist. Some of the real experts and veterans in the martial sects all knew about the legend and brilliance of the Taiji Fist from all those years ago, and knew just how powerful this style of martial arts was. There had been many people who had tried to recreate the Taiji Fist from the written records and oral accounts of those who had witnessed it before, and if they could even recreate 10 to 20% of it, it would have been good enough. However, no one had been able to do it so far, because this was not a martial arts form that followed a strict form. It wasn't like practicing sets that one would for external styles but an internal style martial arts that focused on the application of force, breathing techniques, and the flow of qi, which were all practiced differently from external styles. There was basically no way to recreate it to its original form by simply using bits and pieces of unconfirmed records. Therefore, many people gave up on doing so anymore and the Taiji Fist was just used as an example of a legendary martial arts style in the Chinese martial arts world to be passed down generation by generation. The martial arts community could only hear about the brilliance of the Taiji Fist but were regrettably unable to witness the rebirth of this style of martial arts!

Zhou Tianpeng also revealed a slight tinge of regret. "Hai."

Chen Xi continued, "The times now are different. Our martial arts world has entered a new chapter in its history. We have our own new set of rules and regulations, and the National Martial Arts Association will not tolerate those who break them. A feud between martial sects? Bullying others with martial arts? These are both prohibited activities within our martial arts world! We cannot allow the tragedy of the Taiji Fist to happen again and let those martial arts styles, which have existed for hundreds of years, slip out of our hands! Otherwise, we will be sinners to our national martial arts world. We will be sinners to our nation!"

This speech stoked the anger of many people!

"Right!"

"Grandmaster Chen has put it very well!"

"We have to protect our martial arts heritage!"

"This is the legacy of our nation!"

"The Taiji Fist has already been lost. We cannot allow the Zhou Family Style to disappear as well!"

"By doing what Rao Aimin did, she is basically trying to force the extermination of their school!"

"Compared to the injuries suffered by those Zhou Family Style's disciples, the protection of our Chinese martial arts legacy is much more important! Rao Aimin is trying to end all these decades of the Zhou Family Style's legacy! This is even more vicious than ending one's family line!"

"This is too much!"

"Intolerable!"

"We must definitely punish such behavior!"

"Denounce Rao Aimin!"

"Drive Rao Aimin out of our martial arts world!"

"We can't let her continue acting arrogant like that!"

"Right, we cannot allow the Zhou Family Style to become the second Taiji Fist!"

"Everyone, let's stand together! Strip Rao Aimin of her martial arts!"

"Destroy Rao Aimin!"

Everyone was freely expressing their anger!

Besides the Zhou Family, many of those from the large sects followed along and shouted!

In the end, even those small sects who had much to gain from the subsidy that Zhou Tianpeng was offering, and a small group of non-affiliates, had unknowingly followed along and started shouting when they heard that!

"Protect our martial arts heritage!"

"Supporting Grandmaster Zhou!"

"Drive Rao Aimin out of our martial arts world!"

"The martial arts community has no place for such a grandmaster!"

"Right, our martial arts world does not need a grandmaster like that. Everyone, let's stand united in denouncing Treacherous Rao!"

"Denounce Treacherous Rao!"

Chapter 929: Deathmatch! Zhang Ye makes his appearance!

Translator: Legge Editor: Legge

The atmosphere was highly imposing!

Almost everyone was standing against Rao Aimin!

The Huashan Sect's Fan Wen stepped forward and said, "We of the Huashan Sect hereby proclaim our support for Grandmaster Zhou to seek an answer for the injustice he has suffered!" Although Sect Leader Chen Xi did not say anything, his words earlier had clearly expressed his attitude. Including the two versus one match between the grandmasters those years ago, it was quite evident whose side Grandmaster Chen Xi and the entire Huashan Sect were on. Moreover, Chen Xi and Zhou Tianpeng were friends of many years.

The Kunlun Sect leader stepped up and said, "The Kunlun Sect also expresses our support for Grandmaster Zhou!"

The Iron Palm's Master Sun came forward as well. "I also express, on behalf of our sect, that all the Iron Palm's disciples present today will give our support to Grandmaster Zhou! Any who dare to break the rules are antagonizing our sect!"

The Kongtong Sect deputy leader also came forward. "The Kongtong Sect will also be supporting Grandmaster Zhou!"

"And us, the Maoshan Sect!" an old Taoist with a white beard shouted as he walked forward slowly.

"And us, South Wudang!"

"Us too, the Xingyi Fist!"

"There's also us from the Splitting Mountain Sect!"

"And us, the Zhao Family Style!"

"Count the Qingcheng Sect in as well!"

"Don't forget about us from the Shaolin Monastery!"

Even the eminent monks of the Shaolin Monastery were taking sides in this feud!

Zhang Ye looked at those people and observed them one by one. His eyes got narrower and narrower as he took in all their faces. Those who understood Zhang Ye would know that he was angry now!

Up to now, all of the large sects had shown their support for the Zhou Family and some of the martial sects even warned that if anyone dared to prevent this denouncement of Rao Aimin, it would mean that they would become their sworn enemies! Some of the small sects like the Splitting Mountain Sect also joined their side and stood together with the camp led by Zhou Tianpeng! A lot of the other small sects and basically all of the non-affiliates did not express their opinions and just stood on the sideline. They stayed neutral as they felt they couldn't afford to offend either party. The martial sects or training halls they represented were also wholly unqualified to take part in the affairs of this incident to begin with. On the other hand, there was no one who expressed any support for Rao Aimin, not a single person. There were only a solitary dozen or so disciples of the Eight Trigrams School standing there with her!

Several hundred against a dozen or so?

It was an overwhelming numerical advantage!

Liu Yiquan sighed and said, "Grandmaster Rao is in trouble this time."

"This was indeed a Hongmen Banquet!" Yan Hui remarked.

Li Quanneng said, "She has made an enemy out of the entire martial arts community!"

He Badao said, "Looks like Senior Rao will find it hard to get away today!"

In the ring, Zhou Tianpeng gave a fist and palm salute to his supporters. "I, Zhou Tianpeng, give thanks to every one of you!"

"Grandmaster Zhou, you're being too polite!"

"It's only right!"

"Denouncing that Treacherous Rao is everyone's responsibility!"

"That Rao Aimin intends to exterminate your entire Zhou Family this time. Who knows if she might do that next to our Iron Palm Sect!"

"Right, this is a matter that concerns all of the martial arts community, so you don't have to thank us for anything!"

The Eight Trigrams School's disciples were furious!

Lu Yuhu said angrily, "If you want a fight, just fight! What's with all that pompous reasoning!"

Song Jiao rebuked, "All you sanctimonious people! Do you people really think you're from some righteous sects? Ptui! You're all just shit!"

Zhao Yunlong let out a furious laugh. "What has the loss of the Taiji Fist's legacy for the past over a hundred years got anything to do with your Zhou Family? You're even comparing yourselves to the Taiji Fist? Do you people think you're qualified to be held in such regard?"

Suddenly, Rao Aimin opened her eyes.

"Senior Sis!"

"Eldest Senior Sis!"

"They're really pushing it too far!"

"Those hypocritical villains!"

Rao Aimin motioned with her hands for them to be quiet. She then looked up at Zhou Tianpeng. "Are you finished with your nonsensical talk?" Then she turned to Chen Xi. "Are you also finished with your nonsensical talk? Are we fighting?"

Chen Xi's expression sank a little!

Zhou Tianpeng looked at her. "Of course we'll be fighting today!"

Rao Aimin said impatiently, "Then quit your bullshitting."

Probably only a person like Rao Aimin, who was feared by everyone in the Chinese martial arts world, dared to speak in this manner to the two grandmasters, Zhou Tianpeng and Chen Xi!

Zhou Tianpeng looked at her indifferently and said, "You were the one who issued the challenge, so the rules of the duel will naturally be decided by me. That fine?"

Rao Aimin asked, "What do you propose?"

Zhou Tianpeng's next words astonished everyone. He said, "I propose a deathmatch!"

Everyone at the venue jumped in fright!

"What?"

"A deathmatch?"

"Ah?"

"This…this…"

"A deathmatch between the grandmasters?"

The deathmatch was a practice that had been passed down over many hundreds of years. Even after society had entered an age governed by law, the Chinese martial arts world still engaged in this tradition. But unless it was some great enmity, almost no one would choose to settle things in such a manner, especially when it concerned a feud between two grandmasters. This was a huge event that had never happened before!

Everyone was so shocked their eyeballs nearly popped out!

However, Rao Aimin's response to this astonished them even more!

Rao Aimin did not even hesitate and just said, "Sure!"

Instantly, Zhou Tianpeng was putting forward the rules of the match. "There are a lot of you from the Eight Trigrams School today, so don't say that we're bullying you with our numbers. For this deathmatch, let's send out three people from each side. We shall duel together in the same ring!"

Everyone was stunned!

Zhang Ye's expression changed!

Three people representing each side? A duel involving six people?

What kind of rule was this? Wasn't it supposed to be a one-on-one match? Wasn't this battle supposed to be between the Zhou Family Style's leader and Rao Aimin? Three people? Which three people?

At the next moment, the faces of all those Eight Trigrams Palm people wholly changed!

Because Chen Xi had taken a step forward and stood quietly next to Zhou Tianpeng!

Chen Xi was going to take part in the battle?

Fuck your grandpa!

"Despicable!"

"Bastard!"

"Aren't you people playing dirty this way?"

"Two grandmasters against our Senior Sis by herself?"

"Shameless!"

"Fuck!"

The Eight Trigrams School's disciples were raging!

The non-affiliates outside the ring were also stunned. H-How could they do this? The Eight Trigrams School was right! This really was somewhat of a shameless proposition!

Seeing quite a few of the conference participants stirring, Chen Xi could not help but explain, "Today is a one-off situation. Everyone here should know about Rao Aimin's martial arts. If Old Zhou or I were to take her on alone, we certainly aren't going to a match for her. Yet, we cannot just watch helplessly as she continues rampaging and bullying others. Her actions are threatening to end the legacy of the Zhou Family Style, so we have to go to such lengths today. This is very unbefitting of the title of grandmaster, but there are some things that must be done. After much hesitation, we decided that this would be for the greater good. After today, I will voluntarily resign as the vice president of the National Martial Arts Association!"

Zhou Tianpeng frowned. "Bro Chen, you're doing this because of our Zhou Family Style's problems. If anyone resigns, it should be me!"

Chen Xi gave a wave of his hand. "Don't say anymore, Old Zhou. I've already decided!" Then he turned to the Eight Trigrams School and said, "We won't be filling all three places for the duel. It'll be just me and Old Zhou representing our side!"

Below, some of the large sects were shouting.

"Grandmaster Chen, you don't have to do what you said!"

"Right, why do you have to resign?"

"You're suffering this humiliation on behalf of our martial arts world!"

"That's right! Treacherous Rao's kung fu is more advanced! It's not embarrassing even if it takes two grandmasters to take her on! You're dishing out justice on behalf of the heavens, so of course you have to ensure that it gets served! It was Rao Aimin who issued the challenge first, and our martial arts world has its rules as well. The rules of the duel have always been set by those who get challenged, so there's nothing wrong with that at all! Besides, only the two of you are participating. That's already considered as giving them some leeway!"

"Yeah, Grandmaster Chen, Grandmaster Zhou, the two of you are the real heroes here!"

"You'd rather bear the infamy of teaming up than letting that treacherous bitch get away! That's something that requires a lot of courage and strength to do! You're both truly worthy of being the grandmasters of our time!"

Many from the large sects were cheering them on for their actions!

Some of the Zhou Family Style's disciples were even holding back their tears as though they were suffering great heartache for the tremendous stress their sect leader was going through!

Liu Yiquan: "…"

Liu Yizhang gave a look to his brother. "Uh…"

Zhang Ye was exasperated!

He was truly exasperated!

Rao Aimin was showing the exact same expression as Zhang Ye. "Looks like I did not guess wrong. You've been holed up outside for the past half a year and not daring to go anywhere, and when you finally accepted my challenge all of a sudden, you clearly did not dare to take me on by yourself."

Chen Xi sighed. "Just choose your representatives!"

Lu Yuhu roared with rage, "Choose? Choose, my ass!"

Xu Fan exploded in anger, "How are we going to fight this way?"

Song Jiao said anxiously, "Eldest Senior Sis, let's leave!"

When she said that, a number of the Huashan Sect and Zhou Family Style's disciples reacted the quickest. They blocked off the only pathway to get down the hill and said, "If you're not fighting, don't even think of leaving this place today!"

"Right!"

"Denounce Treacherous Rao!"

"Otherwise, we won't let this rest!"

"The challenge was proposed by your side! But you people are thinking of running away now?"

The path was blocked off!

The Eight Trigrams School was now a target for everyone!

But Rao Aimin did not seem to mind. She narrowed her eyes as she looked at Chen Xi and Zhou Tianpeng, then with a tap of her toe, she also jumped up into the ring. "Alright, let me take on the two of you and practice some today!"

"Auntie!" Chenchen, in the crowd, rushed to her.

Zhang Ye pulled her back right away!

Chenchen cried, "My aunt won't be able to win if the two of them team up!"

Zhang Ye muttered in a low and serious voice, "I know that."

Not only did he know this, the Eight Trigrams School's disciples knew it as well, as did everyone from the Chinese martial arts world who were present at the conference. No matter how skilled Rao Aimin was, she would still find it difficult to take on two people at once. It would be exactly like the time she took on Chen Xi and Zhou Tianpeng several years ago. She would at most be able to injure one of her opponents, but at high risk of getting injured herself. There was no chance she would emerge as the winner. Further, Zhou Tianpeng's skills had improved again and Chen Xi was also not at the same level as he was before. No one knew about Rao Aimin's kung fu, but even if she had improved as well, the circumstances were still the same. She couldn't possibly beat two grandmasters. This was a feat that was impossible!

Nominate three people for the battle?

Lu Yuhu rolled up his sleeves in anger. "I will go and hold one of them off!"

"Get back here!" Song Jiao stopped him. "Your kung fu is the weakest of everyone here! Like you would be able to hold them off! If we must go, it will be me and Sixth Junior Bro!"

Xu Fan immediately stood up. "I'm ready!"

"Don't be rash!" An older disciple of the Eight Trigrams Palm said, "The opponents are both grandmasters! What can you two do even if you take them on? Hold them off? How many attacks can you hold them off for? A single blow? Or two? Perhaps three? Among us, our Fifth Senior Sis and Sixth Senior Bro have the best skills and even they can't even hold them past three attacks! It'll only drag down Eldest Senior Sis if you guys fight! She'll get distracted by wanting to protect you guys! Don't forget, this is a deathmatch we're talking about!"

Lu Yuhu cursed in frustration, "Dammit!"

Zhao Yunlong said anxiously, "Then what should we do? What should we do?"

Xu Fan clenched his fist in indignation and said, "If Eldest and Second Senior Bro were here, that would've been great! With the two of them taking on a grandmaster, they could at least hold them off for more than ten attacks!"

"What's the point of delaying them for ten attacks!"

"Eldest Senior Sis is more skilled Old Crook Zhou, but only by a little. They certainly couldn't settle their differences within ten attacks. At the very least, Chen Xi has to be held off for 30 attacks! Even with Eldest and Second Senior Bro, we wouldn't be able to do that! This, this is a doomed match! It was totally targeted at Eldest Senior Sis! They want to make sure that Eldest Senior Sis will lose this match! There was no intention of letting her leave this place at all!"

"Bastard!"

"Let's take them on!"

"Take them on with what? They have several hundred people on their side!"

"Then what can we do?"

"Senior Sis! You should leave!"

"Right, with your skills, no one can stop you! Don't bother with us!"

However, Rao Aimin stayed motionless and just stared straight at Zhou Tianpeng!

The Eight Trigrams School's disciples were getting worried and really had no way to deal with this. The entire Chinese martial arts world was now standing against them. No one was willing to support them!

Zhou Tianpeng looked in the direction of the Eight Trigrams School and said, "Nominate your people!"

Nominate what people?

How could they possibly nominate anyone!

It was useless whoever they nominated!

To everyone at the venue, it was clear that this was a deathmatch of two grandmasters against one grandmaster. No one else would be allowed to interfere because no one could! Even all the martial arts experts in attendance, like the Iron Palm's Master Sun or the Kunlun Sect's Taoist Han, none of them could possibly hold off a grandmaster for more than ten attacks, let alone this new generation of Eight Trigrams Palm disciples! It wasn't like there were no skilled experts who could take on a grandmaster. For instance, that eminent monk of the Shaolin Monastery who had long since gone into seclusion, and that highly elusive non-affiliate Taoist. There were still quite a few of these hermits of the Chinese martial arts world who could probably fight a grandmaster and hold them off for many attacks. Unquestionably, none of those who could do it were in attendance of the conference today. But even if they were, they would not likely stand with Rao Aimin!

Therefore, the outcome of the match was already decided!

To say that they wanted to kill Rao Aimin today was probably a little over the top, but her keeping her skills was definitely something they wouldn't allow. No one could or would help her!

However, there was someone who refused to let this to happen!

While the Eight Trigrams School's disciples were anxiously circling around, a voice suddenly boomed, "Is this how the righteous martial sects and schools behave? Ha, today is such an eye-opener for me. Zhou Tianpeng bullied others and caused the loss of two lives, then explained that it was just a normal duel and how everyone was responsible for their own fates. But when someone else came to challenge your Zhou Family Style without even taking any human lives, and just injured a few disciples, it became a matter of treason and heresy? An outrage? The National Martial Arts Association has to step in to denounce people? And it's even two versus one? You want to take her life too? Strip her of her martial arts? Fuck you people! What bullshit is this?!"

He Badao said in shock, "Bro Chen!"

Liu Yiquan was also stunned. "Bro Chen Zhen!"

None of them expected "Chen Zhen" to actually say something at this point in time!

"Bro Chen, you…" Yan Hui was also dumbfounded. At this moment, the entire Chinese martial arts world is denouncing Rao Aimin, so what are you trying to do here?

"Bro Yan." Zhang Ye pulled Chenchen over and handed her to him. In the group, Zhang Ye trusted Yan Hui the most. Although Yan Hui did not recognize him, Zhang Ye definitely had not forgotten him. On the airplane, they had gone through life and death together, so he knew what Yan Hui's character was like. "Help me take care of the kid."

Yan Hui was taken aback. "What do you intend to do?"

A number of non-affiliates around them were also dumbfounded!

"Bro Chen Zhen!"

"Bro Chen, you..."

Everyone was looking at him!

Amid everyone's dumbfounded gazes, Zhang Ye strode out from the crowd and unfastened the buttons of his down jacket. With a cold expression, he tore it away and flung it behind him!

With those words, he had shocked the whole venue!

Zhang Ye called out, "Nominate three people? There's no need for that! Just the two of us will be enough!"

With a lift of his leg, Zhang Ye went up into the ring!

Report chapter Comments

Chapter 930: Rao Aimin's old flame?

Translator: Legge Editor: Legge

At the Martial Arts Conference's venue.

Everyone present at the ring was stunned!

This martial arts conference was clearly organized as an effort by the large sects to denounce Rao Aimin. It was clearly an assault of several hundred people against her. It was clearly a situation in which the outcome was fixed after the two grandmasters joined hands for the battle. To say nothing of Rao Aimin, even the Eight Trigrams School's disciples would find it difficult to return home safely. It didn't matter who stepped up; it was useless. With Zhou Tianpeng teaming up with Chen Xi, they had the greatest combat strength that the Chinese martial arts world could muster. But no one had expected that at such a critical moment, someone would actually side with the Eight Trigrams School and go up into the ring despite the large sects' hostility!

What did you say?

The two of you would be enough?

Has this person gone crazy?

You're gonna team up with Rao Aimin to take part in a deathmatch against the two grandmasters?!

Liu Yiquan became anxious. "Bro Chen! Stop fooling around!"

"Come back!" Liu Yizhang shouted too.

Yan Hui was getting anxious. "Aiyo! What is going on here? What the hell is going on here?"

He Badao shouted, "Damn, why the fuck did you go up into the ring? Are you drunk, Bro Chen Zhen?! Don't spout such nonsense, c-come down quickly! Quickly! This isn't something that non-affiliates like us can be involved in! The opponents are two martial arts grandmasters. Wh-What are you going up there for!"

Many of the non-affiliates and people from the small sects outside the ring were on rather good terms with Zhang Ye. After last night's fight against the large sects, they had forged a good friendship, so when they saw this occur, they started panicking as well!

"Holy shit!"

"Chen Zhen, get back down here!"

"Don't try to play the hero! This isn't the time for that!"

"It's useless no matter who goes!"

"This is a deathmatch we're talking about!"

"Are you throwing your life away, Bro Chen Zhen?"

The people from the large sects were angered by this. Some of the Eight Trigrams School's disciples present today were quite skilled at kung fu. For example, the fifth disciple, Song Jiao, the sixth disciple, Xu Fan, and even Zhao Yunlong's kung fu were acceptable. But even they did not go up as they knew they would drag her down if they did. But why did you not know that?

"What is that person trying to do?"

"Isn't he Chen Zhen?"

"It's him! It's that shameless guy!"

"Fuck, why did he go up into the ring?"

"Yeah, when Senior Fan and the Huashan Sect's senior brother challenged him just now, he wasn't even their match since he was too afraid to accept their challenge. So why is he going up there now? Two vee two? You were too afraid to even accept a Huashan disciple's challenge. How the fuck can you fight with grandmasters? Will you die if you don't show off?!"

"You're really a fearless one!"

"Isn't he insulting everyone here by doing that?!"

"Chen! You're gonna die!"

"Get the fuck down!"

"Right, get the fuck down!"

"As a nobody, why are you causing trouble!"

"Amitābha, Little Almsgiver, retreat!"

Many people from the large sects spoke out, wanting to stop this farce!

The Huashan Sect's Fan Wen shouted, "This isn't a match that you can be involved with! Get down!"

A nobody interfered with the deathmatch involving three grandmasters, and he even wanted to participate in the match? This was an insult to many of the large sects' members. If someone qualified had to enter the ring to fight, it should not be him! With his mediocre kung fu, he could not handle an attack from any one of the participants in the ring! In this crucial deathmatch that is about to take place, are you trying to be the fly in the ointment? Take a look at yourself. Do you even think that you can take on grandmasters?

Chen Xi looked at Zhang Ye.

Zhou Tianpeng also stared at him. "Who are you?"

The two grandmasters had such an authoritative gaze that most normal martial artists would not be able to handle looking at them. But Zhang Ye was oblivious to it and nonchalantly uttered, "What does it concern you?"

"Bastard!"

"How can you talk to my master in that manner?!"

The Zhou Family Style School was infuriated!

Zhang Ye laughed. "I've said what I've said. What can you do about it?"

The Iron Palm's Master Sun stepped forward and shouted, "I've said it already. Whoever dares to help Old Crook Rao will be an enemy of our Iron Palm Sect and we will oppose him to the bitter end!"

Zhang Ye looked at him and asked, "Who do you think you are? Who does the Iron Palm Sect think they are?"

Master Sun was furious. "You're looking to die!"

The Eight Trigrams School's disciples were floored as they did not expect such a thing to happen. At this moment, the person who went up into the ring turned out to be that troublemaking non-affiliate from last night!

Xu Fan quickly said, "Chen Zhen, our Eight Trigrams School appreciates your kindness. But you are not their match and you won't help much even if you fight!"

Fifth Senior Sis Song Jiao said, "Please come down."

Zhao Yunlong said anxiously, "This isn't something that a non-affiliate can be involved in! Do you understand that?"

However, Lu Yuhu was stunned. Hearing the words that were spoken by "Chen Zhen," looking at the appearance of that "Chen Zhen" behind his sunglasses, the sense of familiarity strengthened and started surging within him!

In the ring.

When everyone thought that this person was just being ridiculously overconfident in himself, Rao Aimin's words shocked everyone present so much that their jaws almost dropped. Everyone who gave the matter some thought had believed Rao Aimin to be one of the fighters who would definitely not allow an unknown, weird non-affiliate to cause trouble like this, and would definitely have chased him off. With Old Crook Rao's bad temper and sharp tongue, she would probably have lectured him and not appreciated his kindness at all. However, everyone present was stunned when they heard Rao Aimin's response!

Rao Aimin glanced at "Chen Zhen" and asked, "What are you doing here?"

Rao Aimin recognized him at first glance. Ignoring the fact that Zhang Ye was wearing a pair of sunglasses, even if he were to cover his entire head with something, Rao Aimin would still recognize him from his voice. After all, they were quite familiar with each other and understood one another very well.

Zhang Ye snapped, "Why do you think I'm here?"

"Who asked you to come here? Get lost." Rao Aimin raised her chin.

Zhang Ye got angry. "Get lost, your sister. It was easy for you to leave without even saying a proper goodbye, and you didn't even bother to call back much over the past six months. Tell me, who have I offended?"

Rao Aimin replied, "I had important matters to handle. Didn't I already tell you that?"

"You said that you would be back in at most a month, but you, do you know what year it is already? Only you had important matters to handle? Like I don't have important business to attend to?" Zhang Ye became angrier the more he listened. "Do you think that I'm not busier than you? Do you think I don't have more on my plate?"

Rao Aimin scoffed and scorned, "You call 'fighting' with people every day important business?"

Zhang Ye said angrily, "You don't need to worry about who I 'fight' with. At least you can find me when you need me. But you? You actually disappeared for six straight months. Even better, your cell phone was turned off for the past two days. Tell me what you're trying to do. If there's a problem, you can just tell me. If not for my wit, I wouldn't have even known where you'd gone. Let me tell you this, Old Rao! Only I could have found you. If it were anyone else, it would have been impossible to find you!"

The two of them started arguing noisily in front of numerous members of the Chinese martial arts world as though no one else were around!

Liu Yiquan was shocked!

Li Quanneng was shocked!

Yan Hui was shocked!

Chen Xi was shocked!

Zhou Tianpeng was shocked!

The disciples of the Huashan Sect were shocked!

The Zhou Family Style School was shocked!

The people from the large sects were shocked!

The small sects and non-affiliates were shocked!

The Eight Trigrams School's disciples also wore expressions of shock!

What was the meaning of this?

This man…actually knew Rao Aimin!?

And from their tones, why did it sound like two exes talking?

Report chapter Comments