157: Chapter 157 Public Opinion Orientation

Sister Bai's voice echoed over the Arena: "The match is over! Imperial Capital No. 1 High School wins and advances to the next round!"

As soon as her voice fell, the entire stadium erupted into thunderous applause and cheers.

On the stage, five students from Xiling No. 1 High School were being carried onto stretchers by the medical team.

Qin Zhaobai of Imperial Capital No. 1 High School stood in the center of the stage, brushing the dust off his school uniform cuffs.

The four teammates behind him were adjusting their wrist guards, their movements unhurried.

Just as Lu Cheng's gaze swept over them, Qin Zhaobai also caught sight of Lu Cheng, his gaze revealing a hint of disdain.

---

Over the next two days, the matches continued.

Lu Cheng appeared at the commentary desk on time every day. For every match, he could provide precise commentary on tactical breakdowns, player characteristics, and key turning points within three seconds of the match ending.

His social media follower count multiplied dozens of times over the course of two days.

On the trending list, the topic #Genius Commentator Lu Cheng# changed from "Hot" to "Explosive," followed by a flame icon.

At 7:00 AM on the third day, Lu Cheng was still eating breakfast in his room.

On the table were the sandwich and warm milk prepared by Su Wan, along with a small dish of cut fruit.

He had just taken a bite of his sandwich when his terminal suddenly vibrated.

Lu Cheng picked it up and took a look; it was a string of links sent by Manager Yu Xiuqi.

The first was a report just released by a martial arts news platform.

"Eighteen-year-old Meridian Opening Realm? The True Talent of Navigator Academy Freshman Lu Cheng Exposed"

The second was a discussion post on a social media platform.

The third was an edited video.

The video began with an old photo of Lu Cheng standing at the gate of Rong City No. 3 High School, with a line of eye-catching text beneath the photo.

[F-grade Talent.] [Commoner background.] [Eighteen-year-old Meridian Opening Realm.]

Lu Cheng's hand holding the milk cup froze in mid-air.

Su Wan sat opposite him, quietly eating her sandwich. Seeing him stop, she looked up.

"What's wrong?"

"I've been exposed."

Lu Cheng turned the terminal around. Su Wan glanced at the screen, her expression not changing much.

"It was bound to happen sooner or later."

Lu Cheng scrolled down through the comment section.

"I don't really understand how the words F-grade Talent and Meridian Opening Realm can be put together." "I have an F-grade Talent too; I suddenly sat up straight when I saw this." "Stop joking. F-grade and eighteen-year-old Meridian Opening Realm? If this is true, shouldn't the talent rating system be redone?" "Is it possible that his F-grade is real, but his hard work is also real?"

Further down, the comments had already split into several factions. Some felt this was an inspirational story. Some suspected it was marketing. Others began to seriously discuss whether there were loopholes in the talent rating system itself.

Lu Cheng glanced at it a little and lost interest... It was normal for such news to be dug up... There was nothing to hide about his high school days anyway... Manager Mei and the others probably didn't try to hide it either; this was the situation they wanted.

Just then, the terminal rang... Lu Cheng glanced at the caller ID; it was indeed Mei Wushuang. Speak of the devil...

The lazy voice of Mei Wushuang quickly came from the other end of the line: "Seen it?"

Lu Cheng leaned back in his chair, his tone wistful. "Are you talking about those messages?"

"How is it? Not bad, right? A hero emerges from the youth!"

Mei Wushuang was in a rare good mood; this trend of public opinion was exactly in line with her expectations.

"Isn't this too big of a commotion..." "And... it's so awkward..."

Lu Cheng got a headache thinking about the scene when he went out to eat a few days ago... This won't keep happening from now on, will it??

The sound of typing came from Mei Wushuang's side, and there seemed to be people walking back and forth in the background. "Where are we even at yet? I didn't fabricate anything about you. Is your talent F-grade?"

"Yes." "Are you of commoner background?" "Sort of... I guess?" "Are you an eighteen-year-old in the Meridian Opening Realm?" "Yes." "Then that settles it, right?"

Mei Wushuang said righteously. "I just reorganized the facts and chose an angle that is easier to spread."

Mei Wushuang laughed, very happy! "You can't just rely on match commentary to gain popularity forever, right?" "The public prefers to hear things with stories, especially stories they can relate to, rather than so-called 'geniuses'."

"There are double-digit numbers of Saint Realm experts in the Dragon Kingdom, so why is only the War God widely known by everyone?" "Because he is the true commoner God of War!"

Lu Cheng listened to the voice on the phone and didn't speak for a moment. He had to admit that Mei Wushuang really understood how to spread information.

On the other end of the phone, Mei Wushuang asked again: "How is it?" Lu Cheng was stunned. "How is what?" "How was the writing of this hot topic?" There was a hint of pride in Mei Wushuang's tone.

Lu Cheng remained silent. Su Wan sat opposite him, picked up her milk and took a sip, a faint smile seeming to flash in her eyes.

Lu Cheng rubbed his brow. "Aunt Mei, can you tell me next time before you do something like this?"

"No." Mei Wushuang answered quickly. "You definitely wouldn't agree if you knew."

Lu Cheng: "..." She certainly had self-awareness.

"Then... how are things moving over there?" Lu Cheng just wanted to know if this action had any effect...

Mei Wushuang didn't directly answer what he said, but continued: "Don't worry, we've barely started; there's even fiercer stuff later! You underestimate Navigator Academy too much..."

After speaking, the phone hung up. The room went quiet. Lu Cheng put the terminal back on the table and lowered his head to continue eating his sandwich.

Su Wan looked at him and said indifferently: "Are you... planning to build momentum for Navigator Academy?"

In his previous life, a very powerful girl emerged from Navigator Academy, and the faction led by her stood in opposition against the Black Seed and the Origin... It's just that... the ending wasn't that good.

Lu Cheng took a bite of his sandwich, his voice a bit muffled. "I don't know. Since they've already set the stage, let's see how far this fire can burn."

---

On the fourth day, the quarter-finals and semi-finals took place.

The spectator stands were packed full, and even the aisles were crowded with people. The semi-finals were dominated by four seeded schools, and the match-ups for the final four were scrolling across the four giant screens simultaneously.

Imperial Capital No. 1 High School VS Modu No. 3 High School. Jingmen High School VS Shenglan Private High School.

Lu Cheng was wearing a dark gray jacket today, sitting at the commentary desk, his tone more relaxed than the previous two days.

"Modu No. 3 High School's fast-attack system encountered a real opponent in the quarter-finals. Qin Zhaobai of Imperial Capital No. 1 High School possesses a Triple-S Talent, and his personal strength is enough to suppress the dual core of Zhou Yan and Jiang Yingxue. In this situation, how Modu No. 3 High School adjusts their tactics is the biggest highlight of today."

The match began. Modu No. 3 High School indeed changed their tactics. Zhou Yan and Jiang Yingxue no longer broke through separately but combined forces, both of them charging at Qin Zhaobai's position at the same time.

The other three team members tightened their formation, specifically to delay the support of the other four from Imperial Capital No. 1 High School.

This formation change did indeed work for the first two minutes. The pincer attack from Zhou Yan and Jiang Yingxue forced Qin Zhaobai to take two steps back, and Modu No. 3 High School seized the opportunity to tear open a gap.

However, the two steps Qin Zhaobai took back were to wait for his teammates to get into position.

The other four from Imperial Capital No. 1 High School suddenly accelerated, crushing their way through the defensive zone of Modu No. 3 High School's backline. The three backline defenders tried to hold off the four, but they were broken through in less than three seconds.

Once the gap opened, Qin Zhaobai immediately counterattacked. His aura fully unleashed, faintly reaching the late stage of the Source Gathering Realm, and a pale golden flame of Source Power exploded as he slammed a fist onto Zhou Yan's arm guard.

With a "crack," the arm guard shattered into three pieces. Zhou Yan was sent flying sideways, landing with one hand on the ground to barely steady himself. His left arm was trembling, a gash had split open at the web of his thumb, and blood was dripping down his fingers.

Jiang Yingxue immediately retreated, wanting to reorganize the defense. But the second person from Imperial Capital No. 1 High School had already cut in from the side, sweeping a whip kick against the back of her knee. Jiang Yingxue knelt on one knee, gritting her teeth to stand up, but the third person's fist was already in front of her face... and she was sent flying.

The referee raised a hand: "The match is over! Imperial Capital No. 1 High School advances to the final four!"

Lu Cheng held the microphone: "Modu No. 3 High School's tactical adjustment was correct, but they underestimated the breakthrough ability of the other four from Imperial Capital No. 1 High School. Once the defensive line is breached, no matter how strong the offensive is, it cannot hold."

In the second match, Jingmen High School faced off against Shenglan Private High School.

The five members of Jingmen High School were all power-type fighters. The team leader, Shi Kaiyue, was 1.9 meters tall and weighed a conservative 200 jin. With one punch, he smashed a hole directly into Shenglan High School's triangular formation.

Luo Jingxiu's triangular formation was strong in coordination, but Jingmen High School didn't care about coordination with you.

The five of them fought their own battles; each person was a humanoid demolition machine. Their fists smashed into the opponent's armor, and the metal arm guards deformed directly.

Shenglan High School lasted for five minutes; the triangular formation turned from a hole into a crack, from a crack into fragments, and finally, they were all sent off the stage one by one by Shi Kaiyue's punches.

The referee: "Jingmen High School advances to the final four!"

Lu Cheng commented: "Jingmen High School's power system is the most extreme in this tournament. They don't engage in tactical coordination, relying purely on personal strength and resistance to damage to crush their opponents. Shenglan High School's formation was good, but Jingmen High School didn't give them any chance to execute it. The captain split the battlefield, forcing one-on-one combat, so the result is imaginable."

With this, the finalist teams were determined: Imperial Capital No. 1 High School VS Jingmen High School.

Sister Bai stood at the commentary desk, her voice rising: "Dear spectators! The finalist teams for this tournament have been decided! Tomorrow afternoon at 3:00 PM, Imperial Capital No. 1 High School and Jingmen High School will compete for the highest honor!"

The whole stadium was in an uproar.

---

The commentary ended, and Lu Cheng stood up from the desk, stretching his back.

Su Wan was already packing up, putting her terminal and notebook into her bag, and then conveniently helped Lu Cheng close the lid of the water cup he had left on the table.

"Let's go," Lu Cheng said, draping his jacket over his shoulders, "Today is finally..."

He didn't finish his sentence. A chill shot from his tailbone all the way to the back of his head.

Lu Cheng's body entered combat mode in an instant. His entire body's muscles tensed, his blood circulation accelerated, and his right hand subconsciously clenched into a fist.

His gaze swept towards the direction of the Arena's spectator exit.

Seeking Good Fortune and Avoiding Bad Luck suddenly activated...