153: Chapter 153 begins!

When Manager Yu Xiuqi came out of the room, Mr. Zhao was still standing in the hallway.

His two assistants had their briefcases clutched to their chests, their postures stiff as stone statues.

"Mr. Zhao, I have already communicated with Director Wang."

Mr. Zhao's Adam's apple bobbed up and down.

"Then... what is Director Wang's intention?"

"This matter ultimately depends on the thoughts of Lu Cheng." Manager Yu Xiuqi stepped aside to clear the doorway. "Please, both of you, come in."

Mr. Zhao, as if granted amnesty, said "Good, good" repeatedly and walked quickly into the room with Sister Bai.

Su Wan was sitting beside him. Seeing Mr. Zhao and Sister Bai enter, she put down her cup and stood up.

"I'll excuse myself for a moment."

"No need." Lu Cheng waved his hand. "Just stay seated."

Su Wan glanced at him and sat back down.

Mr. Zhao walked to the coffee table and, without a word, performed another ninety-degree bow.

"Student Lu Cheng! Regarding tonight's incident, it was Xingyu Group's error in judgment that caused you trouble. On behalf of everyone at Xingyu Group, I express my sincere apologies!"

Sister Bai also bowed.

"Student Lu Cheng, I'm sorry." She raised her head, her delicate face full of sincerity. "Agent Lin's words and actions were indeed too much. As the person involved, I failed to stop her in time, and I also bear responsibility. I hope you can forgive us."

Lu Cheng looked at the two people in front of him and frowned slightly... Honestly, he really didn't have a good impression of that Agent Lin.

But Mr. Zhao and Sister Bai...

The latter didn't say anything and even tried to stop her, though her personality was a bit soft...

The former, even more so, rushed to the scene immediately after things blew up and handled it cleanly.

Lu Cheng wasn't the type to make things difficult for others. He placed his milk tea on the coffee table.

"Alright, get up."

Mr. Zhao and Sister Bai straightened up.

"Student Lu Cheng, this incident..." Mr. Zhao started to speak.

"There's nothing to talk about." Lu Cheng interrupted him. "It's not a big deal to me, so you don't need to be so nervous."

He stood up and walked in front of Mr. Zhao.

"That agent has already been fired, and you have apologized, so let's turn the page on this. There's no need to make things difficult for the Education Bureau, nor is there a need to make things hard for Manager Yu."

Mr. Zhao was stunned, and then his eyes turned a bit red.

He really hadn't expected this.

"Student Lu Cheng, this..." Mr. Zhao took a deep breath. "I, Zhao, will keep this in mind."

Sister Bai also breathed a sigh of relief...

"Alright, alright." Manager Yu Xiuqi stepped in at the right moment to smooth things over and clapped his hands. "Since Student Lu Cheng has said so, then this matter is completely closed. Mr. Zhao, Ms. Bai, let's sit down and continue with the real business."

Mr. Zhao quickly nodded and sat down on the sofa with Sister Bai.

Manager Yu Xiuqi brought up a document from his terminal, and a light screen unfolded above the coffee table.

"Since the cooperation continues, we will proceed according to the original plan. Ms. Bai, arrive at the Arena at six o'clock sharp tomorrow morning to go through the rehearsal process and familiarize yourself with the camera positions and the rhythm of the lines."

"No problem." Sister Bai nodded.

"Additionally," Manager Yu Xiuqi looked at Lu Cheng, "to help Student Lu Cheng better enter the commentary state, I just organized the information for all the participating schools this time."

He swiped on the light screen.

Dense team information popped up.

The school emblems of the eight seeded schools lined up at the top of the light screen, followed by the lists of participating contestants and basic information for each school.

Lu Cheng leaned over and scanned it.

Manager Yu Xiuqi's fingers slid across the light screen, clicking on the detailed page for each school in turn.

"Imperial Capital No. 1 High School, their overall strength ranks in the top three among these eight schools. Their ace contestant is named Qin Zhaobai, who is in the early stage of the Source Gathering Realm..."

Lu Cheng's gaze fell on that name.

Qin Zhaobai.

The boy in the photo had delicate features, skin so white it was unbelievable, black hair combed neatly, and his school uniform worn meticulously. He smiled at the camera, a gentle and proper smile; he looked like a model student who excelled in both character and studies.

But Lu Cheng stared at that photo for three seconds, and his brows slowly furrowed.

Qin Zhaoye's brother?

This person looks a bit sinister...

Seeking Good Fortune and Avoiding Bad Luck actually triggered a slight sensation at this moment...

"What's wrong?" Su Wan noticed that Lu Cheng's gaze had lingered on Qin Zhaobai's photo for too long.

"Nothing." Lu Cheng withdrew his gaze. "I just think this Imperial Capital No. 1 High School is quite interesting."

Manager Yu Xiuqi continued to introduce them.

"Saint Lan Private High School, an established powerhouse in the Imperial Capital. Their tactical style leans towards group coordination; the tacit understanding among their seven members is the highest among these eight schools..."

"Modu No. 3 High School, focusing on speed and explosive power, skilled in blitz warfare..."

By the time all the information was finished, it was past eleven at night.

Early the next morning, the Imperial Capital Central Arena.

This Arena was located in the core area of the East District of the Imperial Capital, covering an area of over 200,000 square meters, with an exterior designed as a giant inverted dome.

The surface of the dome was covered with silver-gray alloy panels, reflecting a cold metallic luster under the morning sun.

The interior of the Arena was even more exaggerated.

The circular stands were divided into three levels—upper, middle, and lower—capable of accommodating a total of 150,000 spectators.

The top third level of the stands was over sixty meters from the ground; looking down from that height, the contestants in the center of the venue looked no bigger than matchsticks.

Four giant light screens were suspended directly below the dome, broadcasting the situation inside the venue in real-time.

At this moment, the light screens were not fully lit; only the same image was displayed on all four screens: the official logo of the National High School Martial Arts Competition.

The center of the venue was paved with dark gray alloy flooring, the entire floor composed of thousands of independent sensor units spliced together, capable of monitoring the Source Power fluctuations, physical energy levels, movement trajectories, and attack intensity of the contestants on the field in real-time.

On the platform, three chairs were lined up.

Lu Cheng sat in the middle, with Su Wan and Sister Bai on either side.

In front of each of the three people was a translucent operating light screen, displaying the interface of the competition commentary system.

Lu Cheng was wearing a dark gray stand-collar jacket today, with the Navigator Academy school emblem embroidered on the cuffs.

Su Wan had changed into a light blue suit, her long hair tied into a ponytail, making her look clean and sharp.

Sister Bai wore a moon-white modified cheongsam, with silver trim on the cuffs and collar, her long hair pinned into a bun at the back of her head, and her makeup was light and elegant—a completely different person from the timid, apologetic figure of last night.

The audience in the stands had already started entering.

The flow of people poured in from eight entrances simultaneously, and the 150,000 seats were filled at a speed visible to the naked eye.

The sound in the spectator stands gradually rose from a buzzing hum into a roaring wave of noise.

Some people held up banners with the names of the participating schools. Some waved glow sticks, and others were directly shouting the names of the ace contestants they supported at the top of their lungs.

"Qin Zhaobai! Qin Zhaobai!"

"Luo Jingxiu!! Saint Lan must win!!"

"Beijiang High School! Beijiang High School!!"

"Tian Yin takes the field, sharp edge fills the sky; Sister Bai protects the flight, glory shines bright!"

The waves of sound came one after another, and the entire Arena was vibrating slightly.

Lu Cheng leaned back in his chair and looked down at the process table on the operating light screen.

Opening Ceremony Process: Host gives opening remarks, introduces special guests, introduces participating teams, introduces seeded contestants.

Nine o'clock sharp in the morning.

The four giant light screens directly below the dome of the Arena lit up simultaneously. The official logo on the light screens disappeared, replaced by a high-definition panoramic view of the central field of the Arena.

A beam of light shot down from the center of the dome, landing in front of the platform.

Sister Bai stood up and walked to the standing microphone at the front edge of the platform.

She stood there, her moon-white cheongsam glowing softly in the beam of light.

The sound of the 150,000 spectators in the stadium dropped in an instant.

Sister Bai spoke.

"Distinguished guests, audience members, and participating contestants from all over the country, good morning, everyone."

Her voice spread through the Arena's full-surround sound system, every word as clear as if she were speaking right next to their ears.

"Welcome to the 58th National High School Martial Arts Competition!" Sister Bai's voice rose by a notch.

"This competition is jointly hosted by the Federal Education Bureau and the Imperial Capital Martial Arts Association, and sponsored and titled by the Shenshi Group. Four hundred and seventy-six contestants from sixty-four high schools across the country will compete here for five days, and the overall champion of this competition will be decided!"

Applause poured in from all directions, like waves crashing against a reef.

Sister Bai smiled and waited for the applause to subside slightly before continuing: "Before the competition officially begins, please allow me to introduce today's two special guests."

"First is this person sitting on the far left!"

The beam of light hit Su Wan.

The giant light screen in the stands simultaneously cut to a close-up shot of Su Wan.

The young girl had her hair in a ponytail, her face cool and indifferent, sitting upright in her chair, her gaze calmly looking forward.

"Student Su Wan from Navigator Academy!" Sister Bai's voice carried just the right amount of amazement. "In the recent selection competition of Navigator Academy, Student Su Wan stood out with second place! She is not only a young martial artist at the peak of the Source Gathering Realm, but also one of the most capable observers of this competition!"

Applause rang out again.

Su Wan stood up, bowed slightly, and sat back down.

The beam of light shifted and hit Lu Cheng.

"The other one!!!" Sister Bai's voice rose another notch, this time with a very subtle emotion in her tone!

The light screen cut to a close-up of Lu Cheng. He was leaning back in his chair, one hand resting on the armrest, his posture a bit casual, a faint, indiscernible smile at the corners of his mouth.

It was a sharp contrast to Su Wan, who was sitting upright beside him.

"In the recent selection competition of Navigator Academy, he ranked first!"

Sister Bai's voice echoed over the Arena.

"At such a young age, he has already reached the Meridian Opening Realm! Undefeated among his peers!!!"

She paused.

"He is the special commentary guest for this competition, Lu Cheng!! Also from Navigator Academy!"

Sister Bai had also been shocked when she found out Lu Cheng was in the Meridian Opening Realm... If Agent Lin had known in advance that Lu Cheng was in the Meridian Opening Realm, she would never have said those words.

The moment her voice fell, the roar in the stands exploded.

This round of applause was on a completely different level than before...

Although most ordinary people didn't know what Navigator Academy was...

they all knew what it meant for a high school student to have the strength of the Meridian Opening Realm!

"Lu Cheng!!"

"Navigator!!"

The shouts in the stands rose and fell, and a few students holding banners of other schools directly threw their banners aside and stood up to peer toward the platform.

Lu Cheng stood up and raised his hand to signal.

The movement was small, but the giant light screen magnified this scene to the extent that the entire stadium could see it.

Sister Bai waited for the applause to gradually subside before continuing the process.

"Next, please allow me to introduce the sixty-eight participating teams of this competition!"

The image on the light screen switched to team photos one by one.

Each school's contestants were wearing their respective school uniforms, lined up in neat rows, with their school flags and school emblems behind them.

Sister Bai read out the name and city of each school in turn. Every time a name was called, the team from that school would stand up in unison in the waiting area at the edge of the field and wave to the audience in the stands.

The reactions in the audience were different.

And the most prominent among them were the eight seeded teams...

Every one of them was a star contestant!