Cosmic Professional Gladiator

“Everyone, don’t be in a hurry to leave,” Liu Xin said with a smile when she saw this. “Our official livestream will continue broadcasting for six hours. During these six hours, we will broadcast all the Divine matches being held today! After all, only the top experts can rely on the preliminaries to reach Divine on the first day of the virtual world’s launch. Their matches will also be extremely exciting.”

“I also want to remind everyone that in order to ensure the stability of your working life and your physical health in reality, limits on your online time in the virtual world will be put in place starting at midnight July 26. Minors under the age of 16 are limited to 8 hours a day!” Liu Xin said.

There were a bunch of comments below.

“Not only is there an eight-hour limit, but usage of weapons and armor are also prohibited.”

“They are making us fight with our bare hands!”

“It’s unfair!”

“When have we ever been better than adults in a fight with our bare hands?”

Countless children were shouting at the top of their voices.

Huang Yong smiled and said, “Weapons are only an extension of the hand! Many boxing techniques with bare hands are also very important. Spear Demon Xu Jingming also practiced the Eight Extremities Poking Foot from a young age. He mastered his spearmanship using his foundation in the Eight Extremities Poking Foot… Fighting with your bare hands is also a way to build your foundation!”

“The better the boxing technique, the faster one delivers their weapon,” Qin Yiwen added.

“For those above 16,” Liu Xin said. “Starry Sky and Silver Moon players can spend a maximum of 10 hours per day online. Radiant Sun players are limited to 12 hours of online time! Divine experts are limited to a maximum of 16 hours a day! Therefore, if you want to stay longer in the virtual world, make yourself stronger.”

“I’d like to remind everyone that you can also watch our official livestream in reality—on television and other media platforms,” Liu Xin said. “Although the effects aren’t as shocking as in the virtual world, it can save your time in the virtual world.”

With that said, Liu Xin tapped gently, and the livestream behind her locked onto a livestream—three people were ready.

“Three people are ready for the second Divine battle. It looks like we need to wait a little longer,” Liu Xin said.

The display suddenly changed.

It changed to—”Two people are ready.”

“Someone has withdrawn,” Liu Xin said helplessly. “From the looks of it, a Divine expert needs to tend to something else.”

The number of viewers in the stands below had dropped to around 300 million.

I don’t have much weaponry experience, so it’s best not to embarrass myself. I’ll endure it for now, thought a stocky man. He was the one who canceled his place in the queue. Didn’t Brother Wu Sai just embarrass himself?

This stocky man was the greatest boxing champion in Chinese history, Xiong Tianshan. He had been a world boxing champion of five different weight classes ranging from 122lbs to 140lbs. His appearance fee for a match between titans could reach hundreds of millions, and he was now on the national patronage list. Although he was stronger than Wu Sai, he had to be careful after seeing the latter embarrass himself.

I’ll practice cold weapons in the virtual world for three days before fighting, Xiong Tianshan thought.

…

Brother Xu is really invincible without his leg injury. Yang Qingshuo sat in the stands and was surprised. In terms of spearmanship, I’m indeed inferior to Brother Xu.

I have to work hard too. I have to reach Divine as soon as possible. Yang Qingshuo got up and left.

…

Old Xu has really stolen the limelight. A muscular man stood up in the stands, his eyes filled with anticipation. Without his leg injury, he unleashed his full strength and defeated Gao Chong. He’s even stronger than me. I have to work hard.

This man was Heng Fang, Xu Jingming’s good friend from the national team. The two were on par and often sparred.

…

“Dad, these ten Divine experts are all impressive, but Senior Brother Xu is the most dazzling of them all. Senior Brother Xu is really impressive,” a young girl exclaimed in surprise.

“When he was young, I knew he had a limitless future.” The handsome middle-aged man with a ponytail smiled and said, “That’s why I took him in as a disciple. Look at how confident he was just now—he had the basics of Poking Foot down from his childhood training. This is called… a good teacher producing a good disciple!”

This middle-aged man was Xu Jingming’s other master in his youth—Mingyue City’s Poking Foot Sect’s Sect Master, Dai Tongda. He was about the same age as Xu Hong, and he had become much younger after cultivating the evolutionary method.

“Oh, Dad, how strong are you as his teacher? Have you reached Divine?” the young girl asked.

“Ahem.” Dai Tongda shook his head. “As the ancients say, a student is not necessarily inferior to their teacher, nor is a teacher necessarily more virtuous and talented than their student!”

“As the saying goes, the student surpasses the master. If he’s better than his master, it means that the master taught him well.” Dai Tongda shook his head as he spoke, making it sound grander.

“Let’s not talk about Senior Brother. Dad, my combat strength is 896. What about you?” The young girl looked at her father.

Dai Tongda looked at his daughter and finally lost his temper. “Dai Xiaoqing, I raised you single-handedly and taught you martial arts. Is this how you repay me? Just you wait! In half a month, when I’m proficient in my weapons, I’ll compete with you again to see who’s stronger! I’ll let you know… that your father will ultimately be superior!”

With that said, he got up and disappeared.

“Leaving after saying his piece.” Dai Xiaoqing curled her lips, but her eyes were filled with smiles. As she was from a single-parent family, her father had brought her up since she was young. The father-daughter duo was never a family that followed propriety with each other, and they were already used to it.

Dad now has the will to fight with our match in half a month, Dai Xiaoqing thought to herself. In her memory, her father had become very dispirited after the divorce. He was old now, and his health was much worse. She was also very worried about her father, but there was nothing she could do about it.

Now that the evolutionary method was available, her father’s body had undergone a transformation. He also saw a future in martial arts, so his spirit was no longer the same.

This era is wonderful. Dai Xiaoqing got up and disappeared.

******

In reality, the sun rose.

At Xu Jingming and Li Miaomiao’s residence, the two families gathered together and had breakfast.

“Jingming.” Xu Hong held a deep-fried dough stick in one hand and soy milk in the other as he looked at his son. “Although you’ve participated in the World Martial Arts Tournament twice, the World Martial Arts Tournament’s finals probably only have a few hundred million viewers. It’s comparable to the number of viewers this live broadcast has, but the number of viewers in China… will definitely not be able to match the live broadcast in this virtual world.”

“Yes.” Xu Jingming nodded. “No media has ever received an exaggerated number of viewers exceeding 800 million.”

“You became famous overnight.” Xu Hong nodded. “But you mustn’t let it get to your head because this is only the first day of the virtual world’s launch! Professional gladiators like you have practiced for years and have the advantage. Billions of people around the world will subsequently practice evolutionary methods and weapons in the virtual world… Billions of people will work hard together. Geniuses in the medical industry, geniuses from the technology industry, and even geniuses from other industries will enter the virtual world. The competition will be a thousand times more intense.”

Xu Jingming nodded. “Master also said that professional gladiators have the advantage in the first month. In half a year, us professional gladiators will probably drown.”

“Probably 99% of the professional gladiators will drown. Only the most outstanding few… will be able to continue standing at the top in the competition between billions.” Xu Hong looked at his son. “Therefore, you can’t be too arrogant and conceited because of your past achievements. Otherwise, you will just be another face in the crowd.”

“Dad, I’ll keep that in mind.” Xu Jingming nodded.

Grandpa Xu had taken a stroll outside and walked into the living room. He looked at Xu Jingming and asked, “Grandson, you received over 15 million in tips, right?”

“Yeah, more than 15 million.” Xu Jingming nodded. “But the virtual world’s officials take half! I’ll have to pay taxes afterward, so I’ll eventually get about 4 million in the end.”

Half of it meant about seven million.

With his income, he had to pay taxes at the top bracket—45% of his overall personal income—so he would only receive about four million.

“Very impressive. I couldn’t earn that much a year even in my youth,” Grandpa Xu said with a smile.

“This is China’s first Divine battle. It’s relatively special,” Xu Jingming said.

“How many people are following your account?” Grandpa Xu asked. “You can follow contestants while watching a livestream.”

“More than 60 million,” Xu Jingming said.

“More than 60 million followers in a single battle?” Li Miaomiao couldn’t help but say, “I composed so many songs, but the number of fans I received only exceeded ten million.”

The projection on the wall beside him started playing the news.

“This is the morning news.”

“After the virtual world’s launch, China had a maximum of 1.28 billion people online.”

“China’s first Divine battle ended more than an hour ago. The team composed of Spear Demon Xu Jingming, Sharpshooter Wang Yi, Panda Zhang Qian, Bizarro Twin Sabers Dong Xu, and Boxer King Wu Sai obtained the final victory.”

“As of now, seven people are in the queue for the second Divine battle…”

News reports appeared one after another.

There was also exciting news footage, such as Xu Jingming piercing Gao Chong’s chest with his spear.

“Nearly all the 8 a.m.. news is about the virtual world?” Xu Hong exclaimed in surprise. “Times have really changed!”