When Wang Siyu stood up from the preparation area and walked towards the light core main cabin, an extraordinary scene unfolded in the arena.
Countless fans stood up in unison. The sight of hundreds of thousands of people rising simultaneously could only be described as breathtaking.
The waves of cheering instantly ceased as countless eyes fell on Wang Siyu. He was the Soul of Hongye. A genius who had supported Hongye High School for a full four years.
Yes, four years. It was not that he hadn’t been accepted into a university after graduating high school. He had voluntarily repeated a year. Last summer, Wang Siyu, a super star of the league and twice selected for the Liuhe Base City high school team, was fiercely sought after by dozens of prestigious schools. Yet, since he had not had a strong successor at Hongye High School, he had chosen to stay.
He was determined to support Hongye High School for another year. Everyone knew youth was precious. This was even more true for martial artists, since losing a year could potentially cause them to fall behind their peers, leading to a significant decline.
Yet, Wang Siyu had chosen to stay for Hongye High School and for Principal Xiao Hongye, who had recognized his talents. His presence had ensured Hongye High School’s competitive edge in the last season. They had not fallen behind the five prestigious schools.
This year, Hongye High School had welcomed Gu Haochen, the Little Sword Immortal, and the pressure on Wang Siyu's shoulders was finally lightened. After mentoring the younger students for another year, he could confidently move on to university.
But in this moment, he remained the supreme idol, admired by the entire Hongye High School and all its fans. The fans in the stands looked at him as if they were gazing upon a deity of faith. Wang Siyu stood by the light core main cabin, slightly lifting his head to look at the stands. His gaze was calm. He gently clenched his fist and raised it.
He tapped his heart with his fist.
At that moment, the over one hundred thousand spectators in the stands made the same gesture. One hundred thousand fists touched one hundred thousand beating hearts. One hundred thousand voices loudly chanted the same name.
Even in many live streaming rooms, countless virtual figures stood up in their seats, making the same gesture and chanting the same words.
Hongye High School represented a miracle in Liuhe Base City. It also embodied the spirit of progress, effort, and perseverance. Even those who were not from the Hongye High School district held great respect for the school, its students, and its principal.
So one could only imagine just how popular Wang Siyu was. A simple gesture or word from him was enough to stir the blood of over one hundred thousand people. The scene left Li Xiaofei profoundly moved.
Five hundred years ago, there were many stars, actors, and esports players. They had unparalleled popularity on the internet. A casual Weibo post could easily garner tens of thousands, hundreds of thousands, or even millions of shares.
But to Li Xiaofei, the influence of these industry giants might not compare to the impact of the boy standing before him. Perhaps only those soldiers who had sacrificed for the Republic, or the great scientists who dedicated everything for the nation's progress, could evoke such resonance and gratitude among millions of ordinary people.
Li Xiaofei looked at Wang Siyu.
This person deserves respect. He is also someone to learn from.
Li Xiaofei entered the light core mainframe. He adjusted the instruments, inserted the key, initiated the system, and smoothly entered the light core virtual world.
The system randomly matched the map as the battle countdown began. On twenty giant projection screens at the venue, the white fog of war slowly dissipated to reveal a clear map before everyone.
"The Ancient Roman Colosseum."
"One of the top ten classic solo mode maps."
"Great, this map is straightforward and simple. Contestants can face off directly, with no tricks."
"A classic map for a classic match."
"Wang Siyu, height: 1.8 meters, weight: 171 pounds, first stage of the Limit Breaking Realm, suspected hidden cultivation, Rookie of the Year in Season 248, top five in solo mode in Season 249 and 250, a superstar in the traditional martial arts Thousand Buddha Fist, Springing Leg, and Seven Mysteries Palm, and known for excelling in fists, legs, and palms. With a league career win rate of 92 percent, he is an undisputed superstar!"
"Li Xiaofei, height: 1.85 meters, weight: 166 pounds, suspected to be at the tenth stage of the Qi Refining Realm, traditional martial arts, true legacy of an unnamed fist technique, known as the Fist King, maintaining an undefeated record in his short professional career so far..."
"Between the black horse of Red Flag and the king of Hongye, who will walk out of here standing?"
Hundreds of commentators and streamers were all fired up when they saw the number of viewers in their live rooms skyrocketing. This was the allure of a focal battle.
Two beams of light descended onto the map simultaneously as Li Xiaofei and Wang Siyu appeared in the ancient colosseum.
The enormous circular structure was indestructible, with a 500-meter diameter arena surrounded by 100-meter high stone walls. Both combatants were in a fully enclosed space. The battle would not end until one fell.
Li Xiaofei wore his Noble Gentleman outfit from Xiesheng Boutique. Wang Siyu, on the other hand, was dressed in the Hongye High School uniform. However, his uniform was covered with various brand logos, both large and small. Many were sponsors of Hongye High School, while a few were products endorsed by Wang Siyu himself.
One only needed to look at a league player’s team uniform to gauge their popularity. Popular players had their own endorsements and sponsors. The same applied to prestigious school teams. In contrast, a struggling team like Red Flag High School had no sponsors investing in them throughout the year. Their team uniforms were clean, without a single brand logo.
"Li Xiaofei, I've heard a lot about you." Wang Siyu smiled. "Haochen has mentioned you many times. He sees you as his target and wants to defeat you in a match."
Li Xiaofei replied, "I've met him, but with his current skills, he has no hope of defeating me."
As soon as he said this, the stands outside the arena and the various live streams erupted in boos. The phrase, Fist King Li Xiaofei, arrogance unmatched, was popular online. Now it seemed quite accurate.
In the eyes of Hongye fans, the undefeated Little Sword Immortal Gu Haochen, with his masterful swordsmanship, was just as much a dark horse as Li Xiaofei. How could Li Xiaofei be so confident?
Wang Siyu smiled back. "Li Xiaofei, you seem very confident in your abilities."
Li Xiaofei shrugged, "So far, I haven't seen any player in the league who poses a threat to me. Even those so-called superstars are far from it."
A strong fighting spirit flashed in Wang Siyu's eyes.
"And what about me?" he asked.
Li Xiaofei replied, "You are a worthy opponent, but what moves me is not your strength, but your dedication to Hongye High School. To show my respect, I will use my strongest combat technique to defeat you in this battle."
"Oh?" Wang Siyu was even more curious. "Is it the killer move from your unnamed martial technique?"
"No," Li Xiaofei said seriously. "It's a palm technique."
The arena erupted in chaos.
This emerging dark horse intended to use a palm technique to challenge the Soul of Hongye?
Didn't he know that one of Wang Siyu's three strongest techniques was a palm technique?
There was no one even within the Liuhe Base City high school league who was stronger than Wang Siyu in palm techniques.