There were a total of seven people present, including Ye Bufan. Excluding Ji Feiyang and Ye Bufan, the remaining five were the top five finishers in the martial arts tournament.
"This time, they have brought six people in total. However, only five will be competing against us," Ji Feiyang said. "According to their request, the competition will proceed with the original format of challenging and defending the arena."
Ye Bufan sat on the side, listening to Ji Feiyang's explanation of the rules, and began to form a general understanding.
Since the people from Ying Country were the guests, our side would send out the first defender. The first match was crucial.
"What's the big deal? I'll just go up first," Cheng Xueyi, perhaps feeling exhilarated from winning first place in the martial arts tournament, seemed to underestimate the people from Ying Country.
"To be safe, I think we should send out the third-place finisher, Lin Hong. Then, we can use the strategy of Tian Ji's horse racing," said Wu Zun, who was sitting next to Cheng Xueyi. He was the second-place winner of this martial arts tournament, Sikong Wu.
Ji Feiyang nodded in agreement and clapped his hands. A disciple from the Tianxing Martial Arts Hall entered, holding a small set of materials.
"This is the information we've gathered so far about their team. You can take a look. We don't know how they will fight on the stage, so for now, we can only tentatively draw up a list and adjust it based on the adjustments made by the Ying Country participants."
Cheng Xueyi listened to Ji Feiyang's arrangements, outwardly agreeing, but still felt that Ji Feiyang's planning was unnecessary.
The seven of them were in the conference room, analyzing the information of the Ying Country participants. Ye Bufan also followed Ji Feiyang's lead, looking at the materials.
Soon, a Tianxing Martial Arts Hall student knocked on the door. The Ying Country delegation was ready, and the competition venue was all set up.
The Tianxing Martial Arts Hall had initially intended to find an indoor venue, which would have been more convenient for both Daxia and Ying Country in terms of face. However, they did not expect the Ying Country people to directly request an outdoor venue for the matches.
At the same time, they had also invited television crews to broadcast the event live, not only to audiences in Daxia but also to transmit the signal back to Ying Country.
"It seems they have made thorough preparations," Ye Bufan exchanged a look with Ji Feiyang. "They seem confident of winning this match."
Only when they had absolute certainty would they do something like this, which would allow them to humiliate Daxia and boost Ying Country's national prestige on Daxia's territory.
The more this was the case, the more Ye Bufan and Ji Feiyang suspected a trick.
"Brother Ye, if today's competition unfolds as we suspect, then you will be the last one to fight. You will be the one to regain our dignity. If possible, it would be best to expose their conspiracy on the spot, especially since it's being broadcast live." Ji Feiyang still had great confidence in Ye Bufan, but he was still unsure about today's competition.
An hour later, at the largest outdoor martial arts stage at the Tianxing Martial Arts Hall.
The Tianxing Martial Arts Hall had set up a canopy on both sides of the stage and provided high-quality tea.
"General Ji! We meet again." The Ying Country delegation was already seated in their tent. Upon seeing Ji Feiyang arrive with his people, they bowed to him with cupped fists.
The leader was a man of similar age to Ji Feiyang. He swept his gaze over Ji Feiyang, then settled his eyes on Ye Bufan.
Cheng Xueyi, seeing that the other party's gaze lingered on Ye Bufan, felt displeased. After all, he was the champion of this martial arts tournament. He immediately pulled Ye Bufan behind him and stepped forward.
"Mr. Yamamoto, for this battle, as the champion of Daxia's martial arts tournament, I will not hold back," Cheng Xueyi said, bowing to the Ying Countryman.
The other party merely nodded and then said to Ji Feiyang, "General Ji, since we are all here, shall we begin the friendly competition between our two countries?"
"It can begin," Ji Feiyang replied.
At Ji Feiyang's command, the master of the Tianxing Martial Arts Hall brought out a large gong and struck it heavily.
"Dong—" With the resounding clang, the television crews present also began their reports.
"To our viewers in front of the television, the martial arts exchange competition between Ying Country and our country has officially begun. Let's see who among the top five from this martial arts tournament will be the first to take the stage!"
"Thanks for the big brother's reward, I'll cut off the head for you right away."
In addition to the television stations, the Ying Country delegation had also arranged for some internet celebrities to stream the event live. The atmosphere at the scene was incredibly lively.
Ji Feiyang turned and exchanged a look with one of the Wu Zuns. The latter lightly leaped from his chair and landed on the martial arts stage.
"I am Lu Gongming. I humbly request guidance from our guests from Ying Country." The one who went onto the stage was the third-place finisher of the martial arts tournament. Ye Bufan believed that the opponent had also investigated the participants in this competition.
In the Ying Country contingent, a woman leaped forward, appearing opposite Lu Gongming. She bowed with cupped fists and said, "Ying Country Ninja—Ogura Kayuki."
After she announced her name, everyone from the Daxia side was slightly stunned, confused by Ying Country's strategy.
According to the available information, Ogura Kayuki's ranking was the lowest among all the participants. Ji Feiyang did not understand the purpose of having Ogura Kayuki go first.
"Let's wait and see. We only have their rankings and their past experiences. They haven't fought each other, so we can't accurately gauge their strength. Let's see how the subsequent battles unfold," Ji Feiyang said to the remaining Wu Zuns behind him.
After speaking, Ji Feiyang and Ye Bufan exchanged glances. For some reason, his right eyelid had been twitching, and he felt a vague sense of unease.
The referee for this match was the head of the Tianxing Martial Arts Hall.
After explaining the competition rules, the head of the Tianxing Martial Arts Hall announced that the match between the two was now beginning.
As soon as the words fell, Ogura Kayuki disappeared from her spot. Everyone present gasped, as not a single camera had captured her position.
"Below!" Ye Bufan used his spiritual power to probe and effortlessly determined the opponent's location.
The ground vibrated slightly. Lu Gongming struck the ground with a palm, and then a hand broke through the earth. As the two palms met, Lu Gongming was actually forced back several meters.
"My goodness, Ogura Kayuki and Lu Gongming exchanged a palm strike, and Lu Gongming took several steps back. Ogura Kayuki's strength is quite high." A male internet celebrity from Daxia was vividly commentating on the scene.
Lu Gongming shook his hand, surprised that he had been careless. Although Ogura Kayuki was ranked fifth, she was not to be underestimated.