Chapter 132: The Preliminaries
Even in the middle of the night, Fila City was still bustling with life.
Feeling bored, Han Ming wandered into an inconspicuous little herb shop.
"Huh? What''s that smell? It feels so familiar."
Han Ming sniffed the air and walked over to a wooden shelf where a small pile of some kind of plant leaves was displayed.
The shopkeeper approached Han Ming with a smile. "This is a new herb we''ve recently introduced. It has some pain-relieving effects, though not very strong. When burned, the smell is quite pungent. That''s why it''s been sitting in this corner, untouched."
The shopkeeper was quite honest. Han Ming nodded.
He picked up a small leaf with two fingers and brought it to his nose to smell.
Han Ming''s body stiffened.
"This... this is..."
Han Ming stared at the small leaf in his hand, trying to suppress his excitement.
"Shopkeeper, how much of this do you have?"
Seeing that Han Ming seemed interested in this otherwise useless herb, the shopkeeper''s eyes lit up. Finally, someone might take this stuff off his hands.
"We have a whole sack of it!"
"I''ll take it all!"
"Great!"
Han Ming left the herb shop satisfied, bought some paper, and happily ran back to his residence.
As soon as he entered, he closed the door behind him and sat down at the table, fiddling with the materials.
After some time, Han Ming looked at his handiwork with satisfaction, grinning from ear to ear.
"Cigarettes! Haha, I never thought I''d find something like this in another world. This is amazing."
Han Ming lit the crudely made cigarette, took a deep drag, and exhaled a long stream of smoke.
"Ah..."
He lay back on the bed, enjoying the familiar sensation.
It had been a long time since he''d felt this way.
Morning.
"Cough, cough, what did you do? Why does it smell so smoky in here? Did you burn something?"
As soon as Kuro pushed open Han Ming''s door, she was hit by the thick smoke and had to step back.
"Come, come, look at this!"
Han Ming excitedly pulled Kuro into the room and showed her the row of roughly made cigarettes on the table.
Kuro picked one up curiously, sniffed it, and looked puzzled.
"Watch this!"
Han Ming''s eyes sparkled as he lit a cigarette, took a gentle puff, and blew out a series of smoke rings.
Kuro tilted her head, watching Han Ming blow smoke rings with fascination, and clapped her hands. "That''s amazing!"
In reality, it wasn''t amazing at all. Has this guy lost his mind? Smoking this stuff? Kuro thought to herself.
"Of course!" Han Ming shook his head proudly.
"As long as you like it," Kuro said, holding the cigarette and frowning. "It''s rolled so poorly."
She took apart one of Han Ming''s poorly rolled cigarettes, thought for a moment, and then started rolling one herself.
In no time, a smooth, neatly rolled cigarette appeared before Han Ming.
Han Ming''s eyes lit up, and he quickly took it, exclaiming, "Wow! Now that''s a proper cigarette, haha!"
"Look at you, so silly. Alright, go wash up. Don''t you have the Tri-Nation Tournament to attend? Today and tomorrow are the last days to register."
Han Ming suddenly remembered that he hadn''t registered yet! How could he forget? He quickly ran off to wash up.
After freshening up, Han Ming returned to his room to find Kuro sitting at the table, her graceful figure focused on rolling cigarettes. Beside her were several already rolled.
Han Ming''s heart stirred as he leaned against the doorframe, quietly watching the woman roll cigarettes for him.
Kuro felt Han Ming''s gaze and smiled slightly, her movements becoming even more delicate.
"If only it could be like this forever," Han Ming thought, his face filled with tenderness.
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Kuro handed Han Ming a pile of neatly rolled cigarettes and wrinkled her nose. "Dream on! Let''s go!"
With that, she grabbed Han Ming''s hand and pulled him out the door to find the registration office for the magic academy.
If anyone had seen the infamous "demoness" acting like a lovestruck girl, their jaws would have hit the floor.
Two days later, the registration period ended, and the grand opening ceremony of the Tri-Nation Tournament began.
But Li Chengfeng still hadn''t returned.
This worried Han Ming deeply.
The tournament was held in a massive coliseum in Fila City, large enough to accommodate 200,000 spectators. Above the center of the arena was a giant four-sided crystal screen that displayed the matches in real-time for the audience. It was a spectacle of luxury.
Due to the sheer number of participants and the removal of the student-only restriction, many independent experts had also signed up for this unprecedented event.
To save time, the tournament was divided into several stages: preliminaries, elimination rounds, top 32, top 16, quarterfinals, semifinals, and the finals.
The elimination rounds featured 50 arenas to quickly sift through the competitors and identify the most talented.
The Monte Empire''s royal family, the tournament''s organizers, would occasionally visit to cheer on the participants. Starting from the top 32, Queen Vivian would personally watch every match, a fact that greatly excited the public.
Even those who usually had little interest in combat competitions were eager to attend, as the chance to see the queen in person was rare.
The matches were determined by a lottery system. Each participant would draw a number from the organizers, with two identical sets of numbers divided into red and blue. Those who drew the same number would face off. The first round was a 10-person free-for-all, with nine participants eliminated. The next round would be one-on-one matches.
The preliminaries were held in two sessions, morning and afternoon, with 50 arenas each. Each session eliminated 2,450 participants, meaning 4,900 would be eliminated in a single day. The preliminaries lasted two days, eliminating a total of 9,800 participants. The elimination rounds would begin on the third day.
Additionally, each nation could nominate five participants to skip the elimination rounds and advance directly to the top 32. Among them were Shang Que, Huang Ying, and Fei''er. As for Zhan Hu, it was said he had fallen ill and would not participate. What had really happened to Zhan Hu was likely known only to Han Ming.
Mai Lun had offered to let Han Ming advance directly to the top 32, but Han Ming declined. He saw this rare competition as an opportunity to hone his skills. Although few could threaten him now, gaining experience and broadening his horizons was always beneficial. With over 10,000 participants, there were bound to be some hidden masters among them.
Han Ming drew the number Red 033 and was assigned to Arena 10, with his match scheduled for the first day of the tournament.
The coliseum was packed to the brim, a sea of heads stretching as far as the eye could see.
Outside the arena, vendors sold weapons, food, and herbs, adding to the festive atmosphere of the tournament.
"Contestants 033, 034, 056, 101, and 550, please enter the arena."
"Good luck!" Kuro stood outside the arena, holding Han Ming''s hands and blowing warm air onto them, her delicate hands rubbing his to keep him warm.
Although the weather was chilly, such temperatures were nothing to warriors or mages. But Kuro''s actions showed her care for Han Ming.
Her warm breath on his hands warmed his heart.
Han Ming gave a thumbs-up, signaling that he was ready, and gracefully leaped onto the arena.
Ten participants, including Han Ming, stood on the stage.
"You may use any weapon, form alliances, or consume any performance-enhancing substances, but killing is prohibited. Violators will be disqualified immediately. Begin!"
The referee announced the rules and signaled the start of the match. Simultaneously, the other 49 arenas also began their matches.
The coliseum erupted in noise as the audience''s excitement reached its peak.
The preliminaries and elimination rounds weren''t broadcast on the giant screen, so spectators had to gather around the smaller arenas to watch. Those who arrived late or couldn''t squeeze in had to return to their seats and watch from a distance.
Han Ming scanned the nine opponents on the arena and noticed that five of them were clearly working together. They likely planned to eliminate the outsiders first and then compete among themselves.
The odds of five people from the same group ending up on the same arena were slim, so Han Ming guessed they had formed an alliance before the match. But he didn''t care. None of the nine were worth his attention.
Kuro stood outside the arena, her eyes sparkling as she watched Han Ming with anticipation.
Han Ming sighed. Kuro had once told him that if he asked, she could ensure that none of those who had wronged him at the banquet would leave alive. But when he had probed her strength, it seemed ordinary, no different from when he had first met her in the Secret Sect. At most, she was a first-stage, sixth-rank warrior.
She must have powerful friends or family backing her, Han Ming thought.
The match began, and Han Ming stopped overthinking. He laughed loudly and said, "Stop wasting time. Come at me together!"
The nine opponents, who had been sizing each other up, turned their attention to Han Ming.
"Since you''re asking for it, don''t blame us."
The nine exchanged glances and quickly agreed to take Han Ming out first.
Han Ming smirked and dashed forward.
The sound of bodies hitting the ground echoed through the arena.
One by one, the nine participants were thrown out of the arena.
The spectators around Arena 10, who had been eagerly awaiting an intense battle, were stunned.
A girl holding a piece of fruit was about to take a bite when she saw what happened. The fruit slipped from her hand and fell to the ground.
"Can you announce the result now?"
Han Ming smiled at the stunned referee.
The referee shook his head, snapping out of his daze. "Oh... oh! Yes! I declare..."
Han Ming flashed his number tag at the referee.
"I declare that contestant Red 033 has advanced!"
The referee finally regained his composure and announced loudly.
Han Ming gave a polite smile and jumped off the arena.
"Wow!! So cool!" A group of women, regardless of age, covered their mouths with their hands, their eyes shining with admiration.
Kuro tenderly wiped Han Ming''s face with a handkerchief, even though there wasn''t a single drop of sweat on it. She glared at the squealing women, grabbed Han Ming''s hand, and led him away from the crowd.
"Who was that? He''s amazing!"
"Yeah, yeah, I''m going to follow him wherever he competes!"
"Don''t be silly, didn''t you see he has a girlfriend?"
"So what? I still like him!"
Listening to the chatter behind him, Han Ming shook his head helplessly. He had been a bit too flashy to save time. He''d have to tone it down in the future.
"Ouch!"
Han Ming felt a sharp pain in his arm.
He looked up to see Kuro grinning at him, her sharp nails pinching the tender flesh of his arm.
"Feeling proud, are we? Already have female admirers. Does it feel good?"
Han Ming broke into a cold sweat and quickly replied, "No, no, not at all."
"Tch... you wish!"
"Haha, haha."
"Come on! We still have time. Let''s go eat!" Kuro let go of Han Ming''s hand and skipped ahead like a little girl.
Han Ming hurried after her with a wry smile.
In a VIP box overlooking the arena, Mai Lun watched Kuro''s girlish behavior through a one-way crystal window and couldn''t help but laugh.
"This woman... she''s decades old, and she''s still acting like this!"
He turned to the cautious attendant standing behind him and suddenly asked, "Do I look old?"
The attendant, unsure of Mai Lun''s intentions, didn''t dare to breathe, his face turning red.
"Hmm... after today, summon the royal pharmacist. I need a beauty treatment."
"Uh..."
The attendant stared in shock at the white-haired old man.