This villain is too popular.

Chapter 326 Martial Arts Conference
【Safe Zone in the Primeval Forest】

"call"

Chen Kong and Liu Ma leaned against a big tree, panting heavily.

After confirming that he had completely shaken off the tyrannical dragon, Chen Kong immediately pulled open the collar of his tracksuit, revealing his chest, which was soaked with sweat.

At the same time, he didn't forget to reach up and brush the hair on his head. A few strands of charred hair stuck to his fingertips and broke off with a pull, making him wince in pain.

"Vivian! Your shot was way too close!"

Chen Kong held up the scorched hair and leaned close to Vivian, his tone full of accusation.

"This haircut cost me 500 yuan! And in just a few days, you've turned it into dry straw!"

Vivian glanced at Chen Kong's hair and said calmly, "You're lucky you didn't burn your scalp."

Liu Ma, who was standing next to him, chuckled, then took out an old water bottle from his backpack, unscrewed the cap, and gulped down a few mouthfuls.

He casually wiped his hair with his sleeve and said to Chen Kong, who was kicking him while he was down, "Kong, be content! If that guy's tail had been just a little bit off, you wouldn't be here worrying about your hair right now."

After saying that, Liu Ma looked at the pocket watch around Vivian's neck and asked curiously, "Speaking of which, Vivian, this pocket watch of yours is quite interesting. It must be quantum scaling technology, right? When did you master it? I've never seen you use it before."

"I mastered it not long ago. The old one was too bulky, so I changed it into a pocket watch for easy carrying."

Vivian handed over the pocket watch without hesitation, letting Liu Ma examine it himself.

With a hint of curiosity, Liu Ma took the pocket watch and opened its cover.

As the camera zoomed in on the anime, even viewers outside the screen could clearly see the design of the pocket watch.

The pocket watch had intricate patterns, and inside was a miniature model of a cannon. It was so exquisitely crafted that it resembled a work of art, making it impossible to tell that it was actually a deadly weapon.

Just as the three were chatting, a whooshing sound came from above.

A silver-gray patrol airship flew low overhead, its fuselage bearing the unique Five Beasts emblem of Martial Capital.

Without any hesitation, Liu Ma decisively stood up and said, "Let's go. The patrol team from Wudou Tiandu is here. If we don't leave soon, we'll be bombarded with questions."

Vivian and Chen Kong nodded, then followed Liu Ma toward the enormous city overhead.

At the same time, the camera in the anime series began to zoom in.

The closer the three got to the Martial Capital, the more they could feel its immense size.

The enormous floating city was like a continent suspended in the sea of ​​clouds. Not only were the towering towers on it arranged in a staggered pattern, but the Heavenly Martial Qilin Tower in the very center pierced the sky, seemingly blocking out most of the sunlight.

In the face of this enormous city, not to mention Chen Kong and the others, even the towering Tyrant Dragon from not long ago seemed as insignificant as an ant.

This is Martial Capital, one of the seven most important floating cities in the New Federation, a place where martial arts are prevalent.

[Martial Arts City, White Tiger District, a hotel under the Qianxia Group]

jingle!
Amidst the tinkling of the wind chimes at the entrance, Liu, Ma, and their companions pushed open the inn's door.

In an instant, a warm wave of heat, mixed with a faint aroma of tea, swept over me.

The inn was not large; a few wooden tables and chairs were placed in the lobby, and charcoal was burning in a stove in the corner, crackling loudly.

Behind the front desk, a middle-aged man was idly brewing tea, watching an old-fashioned television next to him.

His sleeves were rolled up to his forearms, and his hands had a thin layer of calluses, which clearly indicated that he had practiced martial arts.

"Hello, I'd like to book one single room and one double room."

As Liu Ma spoke, he took out his Qianxia Group employee ID and handed it over.

Although he is currently on vacation, his travel expenses cannot be fully reimbursed.

However, thanks to his Qianxia Group employee ID, he could still get a considerable discount in the Qianxia Group's businesses, which could be considered a benefit for internal employees.

The boss took Liu Ma's documents, verified them, and then began to help the three of them check in.

A moment later, he handed two room keys to the counter and looked at the three of them curiously, saying, "You must also be here to participate in this martial arts tournament, right?"

"Martial arts conference?"

Chen Kong paused for a moment, his hand holding the room card hovering in mid-air.

Liu Ma patted him on the shoulder and explained, "It's the Starry Sky Ladder Ranking Tournament, but people here prefer to call it the Martial Arts Tournament because it sounds more impressive."

"Yes."

The innkeeper grinned, revealing his bright white teeth, indicating that Liu Ma's statement was correct.

"Oh, that's how it is."

Upon hearing Liu Ma's explanation, Chen Kong suddenly understood.

Just as Chen Kong was about to leave with his room key to get some rest before collecting more martial arts badges, he noticed that Vivian seemed to be completely absorbed in something, staring intently at the screen in the corner of the lobby, so focused that she had even forgotten to take her room key.

"What's wrong, Vivian? What are you looking at?"

Chen Kong leaned closer and followed her gaze.

The screen displayed a special list with the title "Celestial Ranking" in large characters, against a background of the Heavenly Martial Qilin Tower.

He squinted and looked carefully for a while, and soon saw many familiar names in the list of three hundred people.

"Hey! Isn't that Chen Xing? And Liu Li and Caroline too! How come they have so many badges?"

[NO.1 Name Hidden, Identity Unknown]

[Number of martial arts badges: 99]

【NO.2 Dust Star · Blazing Sun Family】

[Number of martial arts badges: 96]

【NO.3 Mirror Glass - Frost Sound Family】

[Number of martial arts badges: 95]

[NO.4 Caroline, disciple of the Grand Master]

[Number of martial arts badges: 94]

[NO.5 Yagami Rin·Moon Shadow Family]

[Number of martial arts badges: 90]

Looking at the familiar names followed by double-digit martial arts badges, Chen Kong exclaimed in surprise, "Strange, wasn't it said that as long as you collect seven martial arts badges, you can participate in the Starry Sky Ladder Ranking Tournament? How did Liuli and the others get so many martial arts badges?"

"Is this your first time in Martial Arts City, young man?"

Before Liu Ma could offer an explanation, the owner behind the counter spoke up.

Chen Kong nodded, indicating that he had just arrived in Martial Arts Capital and didn't know much about the place.

In response, the hotel owner simply became a tour guide.

"That's because the more martial arts badges you have, the more places you can go in the central Heavenly Martial Qilin Tower, and the more Heavenly Martial Coins you can obtain."

Tianwu Qilin Tower?
Tianwu Coin?
Upon hearing these two things that he had never heard before, Chen Kong, like the dimensional viewers on Station 13, showed a puzzled expression.

Seeing this, Liu Ma explained.

"The Qilin Tower is the central tower we just saw outside."

"Tianwu Coins are a unique currency of the Tianwu Qilin Tower and can only be used within the Qilin Tower."

Chen Kong asked in confusion, "What can you buy with these Heavenly Martial Coins?"

What can I buy?

Liu Ma, as if he had heard a joke, said in a hopeful tone, "I can buy anything you can think of, and many things you can't even imagine."

"Not to mention, there are many things you can't even hear outside the Qilin Tower."

Upon hearing this, Chen Kong pondered for a moment and said, "In that case, it seems we should also try to obtain more martial arts badges."

"Pfft!"

No sooner had Chen Kong finished speaking than the innkeeper couldn't help but laugh, his eyes full of mockery.

Liu Ma, standing next to him, wore a strange expression.

It's as if Chen Kong said something very naive.

Chen Kong looked at the two of them with confusion, not understanding what was wrong with what he had said.

"Kong, obtaining the Martial Arts Badge is not quite what you expected."

This time, it was Vivian who spoke.

"is it hard?"

Seeing that Kong knew nothing about Martial Arts Heaven, Vivian finally gave an explanation that he could understand.

"You can think of it this way: obtaining each martial arts badge means that you have mastered the martial arts style corresponding to that badge to a proficient level, and thus gained the recognition of the corresponding martial arts tower guardian."

"what?"

PS: That concludes today's update.

(End of this chapter)