Like a Fire

After bumping into a wall with "Mellie", Muyang didn't care too much. His fiancé had some tempers, but it was nothing serious.

Anyway, he was confident that he could calm her down and teach her not to be arrogant.

While Muyang and others were chatting, the staff of the Martial Arts Tournament was busy debugging various instruments.

Because it was the first official Martial Arts Tournament, all the work had to be done very meticulously.

Soon, the top sixteen matches would begin, and there would be a lottery before that.

Muyang and the others put their hands into the draw box and took out the numbered balls from inside.

Soon, the order of the top sixteen matchups was determined, and the order was:

First match, Aso vs. Booker.

Second match, Barney vs. Joluth.

Third match, Liz vs. Yayori.

Fourth match, Mellie vs. Furse.

Fifth match, Lida vs. Arlo.

Sixth match, Son Gohan vs. Kane.

Seventh match, Muyang vs. Wuting.

Eight match, Gillo vs Enmundi.

In the top sixteen, only four whom Muyang had never seen before; Arjory, Jorut, Foss, and Enmondi.

All of the remaining contestants had either participated in the last World Martial Arts Tournament or were Muyang's acquaintances.

After the schedule chart was hung up, Wutian took a glance at it and grinned, "My luck isn't very good. I ran into Muyang in the first match; I might be eliminated soon."

Kane didn't look excellent either, and shook his head depressingly, "I ran into Muyang in the last tournament, but now, although I didn't run into him again, I met Master Roshi's disciple. I'm sure I'll be eliminated as well; my luck is so bad too."

"You can't say that..." Son Gohan shrugged his shoulders, "According to the arrangement of the tournament; I might meet Muyang in the semi-finals."

"Well, at least it's in the semi-finals!" Kane looked envious.

Muyang laughed, "You all should stop badmouthing. The lottery decided it, you were going to run into each other sooner or later anyway, so you don't need to have such expressions."

Son Gohan, "..."

Kane, "..."

So that meant it was just a matter of time?

It always felt sadder somehow.

Son Gohan clapped his hands and said, "Forget it. We joined the World Martial Arts Tournament to train ourselves, not to compete for that championship title. The result of the competition isn't the most important thing, do you agree?"

If the previous World Martial Arts Tournament was still a competition between the major schools, then with the World Martial Arts Tournament's officialization, this competition was much less of a rivalry and more of a competition between the participants.

"I guess that's you guys. I feel like as a real person, the title of champion is quite a catchy...." Kane leaned aside and envied.

Thud--

The sound of the yellow bell's gong sounded. The official host of the World Martial Arts Tournament stepped into the ring to announce the tournament rules in front of thousands of audience.

As it was a tournament open to the general public, the World Martial Arts Tournament organizers had effectively considered the general public's knowledge of martial arts.

That was why they had arranged for the host to explain the matches during the tournament. This would become a standard routine at every future martial arts event.

The host didn't need to be powerful, but he had to do his duty and explain the tournament situation clearly.

"I have kept you all waiting for a long time. The World Martial Arts Tournament has been going on for decades and is now in its twelfth year. From this tournament onwards, it will be officially hosted every five years, with the venue chosen to be held in a different part of the world. Yesterday, 768 masters from worldwide had been selected after a day's selection, and the top sixteen of the tournament had been decided."

On the tournament stage, the host held a megaphone and enthusiastically announced.

The entire martial arts arena was about fifty meters long and wide. The ground was paved with hard stone slabs, and a green lawn was left between the martial arts stage and the fence, where the staff maintained order for the tournament.

The arena faces the audience on three sides, with one side leading directly to the competition hall.

The entire venue's layout was roughly the same as the World Martial Arts Tournament in the original story.

However, since it was officially hosted, a great deal of effort had been put into the venue's layout.

There was an elevated platform built over the audience stand, enough to accommodate thousands of audiences watching the match simultaneously without worrying about any crowding.

"Without further ado, let's proceed to the first match. Aso of the Kami School, versus Booker of the Battle Multi-Form School!"

"Kami School was formerly known as the Heavenly Sky School; it is the same school where the previous tournament's winner, Muyang, belongs..."

The host introduced the information about the two participants as he announced the first match.

With the host's introduction, the originally lively crowd became even more boisterous and noisy.

The audience peeked their heads one by one towards the competition ring. They were all watching such a unique match for the first time.

"Aso, it's your turn to go on stage."

Muyang patted Aso's shoulder. He then looked to the other side, where the Battle Multi-Form School, Booker, was also ready. After that, the two tightened their belts and leaped onto the sides of the martial ring.

As the two entered the stage, there were even more loud cheers from the venue.

The two fighters looked at each other for a moment, adjusting their status to battle mode.

Without any unnecessary pleasantries, the battle began immediately after the two sides showed each other a salute. An overpowering whirlwind swirled above the ring.

The two moved quickly, and the crackling sounds of a fight rang out in the venue.

The host holding the megaphone was slightly stunned. For him, who had been hosting the Fighting Competition for years, hosting the World Martial Arts Tournament for the first time was both refreshing and a grind.

He didn't expect the fight's pace to be so explosive when it was only the first match.

The good news was that his excellent professionalism made him quickly adjust to the situation and provide an excellent commentary for everyone.

These commentaries were not necessary, but they brought the atmosphere of the scene on fire.

.......

"Muyang, who do you think will win between the two of them?" Wuting looked at the two men in the ring with a smile on his face.

Muyang said, "It doesn't matter who wins or loses. We might as well see how long the match can last."

"For a short period, Booker will have an advantage, but as time goes on, they'll both increase their consumption, and then Aso will have the advantage."

Both the former Heavenly Sky School and the current Kami School had excelled at sustained combat.

Their use of ki was longer. With Booker's Multi-Form School that excelled at assault combat, if the winner couldn't be decided in a short period, then Aso's advantage would become more and more apparent.

Wuting was surprised, "In other words, you're optimistic about Aso?"

"You could say that. As long as he carries it through upfront!" Muyang was very confident.

Wuting nodded and continued to watch the two men in the ring. Sure enough, with the inability to affect Aso for a short period, Booker's ki began to get disoriented.

Even after making a Multi-Form Punch, the scales of victory still tipped towards Aso.

Seeing this, Wuting admitted that Muyang's eyesight was much better than his.

...…

In the audience, Isaac clapped his hands to his chest. A faint smile on his face.

As he watched the disciple's performance on stage, his heart was pleased, without a doubt.

In addition, the disciples of the Kami School also stood up; they were very excited.

"Go senior brother Aso!" April shook her arms and cheered. Her brown hair was blowing in the wind.

"Aso's performance hasn't lost its class. This match should be a solid ten." Despite being eliminated in the qualifier round, Yiya kept her mind in good shape.

He was now sitting on top of the stands with her peers' rest, watching intently with one eye.

Sure enough, as the match heated up, Aso's advantage became more and more apparent.

Even some of the laymen were gradually seeing that he might be winning. Finally, in an airwave sweep, he took the first win.

Isaac and several other elders from the sect were grinning from ear to ear. This was another ki wave.

The ki wave, which they were proud of before, was now "blossoming" among the younger generation.

Upon looking at the younger generation, it had to be said that the Kami School was developing better and better. They, however, gradually felt that they were getting old.

How could they feel this way, when they were only middle-aged!

.....

The second match was Barney vs. Joluth.

Barney was the Cross Fist School's descendant, and Joluth, Muyang had never heard of him before.

He was said to be a perennial champion of the Fighting Circle. The audience at the scene, on the other hand, consisted of many people who had come for his name.

Although this match was not so exciting, it could only be described as moderate.

Even though Cross Fist, as a martial arts school, had some similarities with fighting techniques, which was initially born from this school, Barney won the match after a tough fight.

The atmosphere was surprisingly bizarre for a moment as Joluth's defeat heralded the fighting circles' annihilation and other representatives of regular events.

The banners that had been unfurled were taken back. The salutes used to celebrate the victory were no longer necessary.

Some of the fanatics even cursed spouted blackouts and whatnot, then left the arena in anger.

Of course, many more people still saw a whole new world through this World Martial Arts Tournament, broadened their horizons, and became interested in martial arts as a result.

...…..

The third match was Liz vs. Yayori.

This one didn't have much suspense; Liz of the Crane School was, after all, a seeded player from the last World Martial Arts Tournament, while Yayori was only a disciple of a small school.

This time she had made it to the top sixteen and already belonged to the short ones picking the tall ones, with a few luck elements.

In the end, Liz was victorious.

...…..

In the fourth match, Mellie took the stage, and her opponent was the previously unknown Furse.

Although the opponent didn't have much of a reputation, Muyang still focused on this match.

After all, it was his fiancée Mellie (Mexia) who participated in the match. So, he also wanted to get a glimpse of how much Mexia had grown.