Chapter 22: The First Soccer Match in the Martial World

Chapter 22: Chapter 22: The First Soccer Match in the Martial World

Gongsun Jie suddenly stopped in his tracks, his mind going blank once more.

When he saw the flyer, he had thought that Sirius Valley was making quite a fuss, but he hadn’t expected the spectacle to be this massive.

Even as a revered Sect Leader with vast experience, seeing this scene so abruptly made his eyelids twitch rapidly, and a thought of retreat sprouted in his heart.

Glancing at Li Ye with a resentful look, Gongsun Jie asked, "Sect Leader Li, why did you drag so many commoners into a Martial World sect competition?"

"Sharing the joy is better than enjoying it alone. You’ll understand once the match is over." Looking at his masterpiece with satisfaction and feeling the increase of Demon Qi in his body, Li Ye smiled faintly. "In the future, Sect Leader Gongsun will come to love this feeling."

"Love it?" Gongsun Jie looked at Li Ye, sneering incessantly in his heart. "Once I finish killing you demons, I will retire after a successful campaign. What future? Did you really think that just because there are so many commoners present, I wouldn’t go in for the kill?"

Without realizing it, Gongsun Jie had internally changed his form of address for Li Ye from "scoundrel" to "demon."

Li Ye waved at a nearby staff member, signaling him to receive Gongsun Jie on his behalf. Then, he cupped his fists at Gongsun Jie and said, "Sect Leader Gongsun, someone will guide you onto the field shortly. I need to go prepare. I’ll see you on the pitch."

Gongsun Jie nodded subconsciously, but he quickly came to his senses. He wanted to stop Li Ye to ask a few questions, but before he could speak, Li Ye had already drifted far away. The swift Body Technique made his heart tremble again.

He thought, "Li Ye’s Body Technique is already on par with my own. If he is allowed to grow, he will likely become another formidable enemy of the Righteous Dao. I might have to risk my old life to take him down during the match later."

He only felt a bit of regret for being overly confident and coming to Sirius Valley alone. If he had known this would be the situation, he should have brought the Sect’s Elders down the mountain with him.

In the Profound Light Sect’s waiting area.

Gongsun Jie met Zhong Wenhao and Zhu Zhirou once again.

The moment he saw him, Zhong Wenhao immediately rushed over to explain. "Elder Gongsun, don’t listen to Li Ye’s provocations. We really aren’t on the same side as him."

"I know." Gongsun Jie sat cross-legged, trying hard to calm his state of mind in preparation for the upcoming fierce battle. "Later, I will keep Li Ye occupied. You two will be responsible for dealing with the others."

"No problem." Zhong Wenhao let out a long sigh of relief and hurriedly promised, "Elder, my junior martial sister and I have already asked around. Apart from Shi Xiang, the others on the team are just ordinary martial artists of the Martial World. Shi Xiang’s martial arts are about the same as mine. As long as you take down Lord Li, Elder, I’ll hold off Shi Xiang, and my junior sister can handle the rest by herself."

"Yes." Zhu Zhirou nodded, gripping her longsword tightly. She gritted her teeth and said, "This time, we will definitely show that Lord Li a thing or two."

Gongsun Jie inexplicably thought of Cao Bin. He sighed and said, "Just stall the others. After I kill Lord Li, I will lend you a hand."

"Yes, Elder Gongsun," the two replied in unison.

At this moment, the deafening cheers of "Fun Seekers must win!" echoed from outside once again.

Gongsun Jie looked out through the window.

In the middle of the pitch, over a dozen players dressed in red team uniforms had already entered.

They had the character for "Fun" on their chests and numbers on their backs. Li Ye was among them, bearing the number ten on his back. After taking the field, he and Shi Xiang stood at the very front of the formation, while the remaining eight players were distributed in two rows of four, neatly lined up behind them, spaced far apart.

Under Li Ye’s foot rested a black-and-white ball, and he occasionally reached out his hand to respond to the spectators in the stands.

Gongsun Jie was taken aback, wondering, "What kind of formation is this? Their positions are so scattered. If a real fight breaks out, it would be very difficult for them to coordinate with each other!"

"What are they doing?" Zhong Wenhao asked with a bewildered look on his face.

"Grandstanding." Unable to figure it out, Gongsun Jie simply stopped thinking about it. He snorted and said, "Ignore them. Just act according to the plan we agreed upon."

Before he could finish speaking, Wang Zhenghui pushed the door open and walked in. Cupping his fists, he said, "Sect Leader Gongsun, it is time for your entrance."

Gongsun Jie cast a glance at him, stood up, and said, "Let’s go." ℯℯ𝘭.𝘤ℴ𝘮

With that, he took the lead and walked outside, while Zhong Wenhao and Zhu Zhirou hurriedly followed.

Stepping out of the waiting tunnel, the cheers from the stands erupted once again:

"Gongsun Jie, must win!"

"Gongsun Jie, must win!"

"Gongsun Jie, you have to kick those little brats’ asses over there! Go!"

"Gongsun Jie, I want to have your babies!"

The plants that Li Ye had arranged in the audience were naturally instructed to be as explosive as possible.

The chaotic voices instantly disrupted the state of mind that Gongsun Jie had just managed to calm.

Zhong Wenhao was startled. His left foot tripped over his right, nearly causing him to fall. By the time he regained his footing, his fair face was entirely flushed with embarrassment.

Zhu Zhirou had never seen such a scene before. She stood there dumbfounded, completely at a loss for a moment. Upon hearing the comment about having his babies, a blush crept up her cheeks, and she muttered, "Shameless."

"Calm your minds. Do not be affected by these cheap tricks." Gongsun Jie’s face darkened. He took a deep breath and said in a deep voice, "Don’t look at the people on the hillside. We’ll end this quickly."

After saying that, he ignored the two behind him. With a loud shout of "Scoundrel, surrender your life!", he leaped forward and lunged at Li Ye.

He was as fast as a gale and moved like lightning.

In a flash, he arrived in front of Li Ye and threw a punch straight at his face.

Li Ye flicked the tip of his foot, popping the football up into the air just in time to block Gongsun Jie’s fist.

BANG! A loud thud rang out.

The impact between the football and Gongsun Jie’s fist was like a stone dropping into a pond. Rings of shockwaves radiated outward from between his fist and the football, blowing Gongsun Jie’s hair back.

Subsequently, the football flew toward the backfield like a cannonball.

Having punched the ball away, Gongsun Jie was just about to follow up with a second strike when he suddenly realized that his Inner Strength felt as if it had been sealed away. Even his body had gone completely stiff. Stricken with horror, he gasped, "You—"

Handball!

Li Ye smiled faintly and raised his hand.

SLAP! A resounding slap landed on Gongsun Jie’s face, helping him break free from his stiffness.

Gongsun Jie crashed heavily to the ground.

Groin Kicks, Heart-Piercing Elbow Strikes... Li Ye actually had plenty of moves to quickly dispose of Gongsun Jie just now. But if the opposing team’s star player was wiped out right at the start of the match, it would be far too boring to watch.

No matter what, he had to stall for time to give the audience a more perfect experience.

More importantly, even though this match was an unfair eleven-versus-three, the momentum was immense. Li Ye’s Demon Qi had been growing continuously, and he couldn’t bear to give up this opportunity for growth. Furthermore, his Derived Skills hadn’t been triggered yet!

Zhong Wenhao, who had just rushed to the midfield and hadn’t even engaged Shi Xiang yet, blinked in disbelief. The venerable elder had been swatted down by a single slap from Li Ye. This bizarre sense of whiplash made his eyes widen as round as saucers. "Elder Gongsun..."

But very quickly, Gongsun Jie, freed from his stiffness, sprang up like a coiled spring. He lunged at Li Ye once again, throwing a barrage of punches that nearly eclipsed Li Ye. "Scoundrel, I will slay you!"

For a Half-Step Grandmaster, a mere slap didn’t even count as a superficial wound. However, to be slapped to the ground in a single exchange in front of so many people completely destroyed his dignity as a Sect Leader. His hair and beard bristled with fury, and all his schemes and calculations were thrown to the wind.

Only one thought remained in his mind: kill Li Ye and tear him into a million pieces using the most cruel methods possible.

After the two sides engaged in battle, the stands quieted down temporarily.

The fact that Gongsun Jie had charged forward so fiercely only to be swatted down by a slap left the spectators absolutely stunned. For a moment, dead silence fell over the valley, and only Gongsun Jie’s roars could be heard.

Li Ye ignored the furious Gongsun Jie and turned around to chase the ball.

Gongsun Jie followed closely.

Right at this moment, Tong Yi’s voice appropriately rang out over the loudspeakers: "The match begins! Sect Leader Gongsun took the initiative to launch an attack. A heavy punch with the momentum of thunder smashed toward Lord Li’s face! Lord Li lightly flicked his foot, and the football blocked the space between them. Handball! Sect Leader Gongsun committed a handball and was slapped to the ground by Li Ye! The Fun People Club takes a temporary lead! It seems that Sect Leader Gongsun is still not quite used to this new type of match..."