With all these qualities, I will eventually become immortal.

Chapter 249 National Talents, the Battle to Settle the Dynasty!
Nine days passed in the blink of an eye.

night.

Meng Chuan lived up to expectations, defeating the United University team at Emei a few days ago.

This morning, he met Zheng Chengcheng in the semifinals and ultimately won the dragon head again, stepping onto the stage of the finals.

And his opponent tomorrow, just as expected, is none other than Luo Qin from the Celestial Master's Mansion!
While practicing Dragon Meditation, he opened the official live stream of the Martial Arts Supernova Tournament.

Its title is simple and direct: "[Form vs. Symbolism, Warrior vs. Mage, Who Will Reach the Pinnacle of Shanghai?]"

Meng Chuan couldn't help but sigh, "The event organizers are really good at generating buzz."

After all, the vast majority of people in the Great Chu Kingdom are ordinary people and low-level martial artists.

What they enjoyed most wasn't practicing boxing, but arguing about which school of thought was superior and which boxing style was stronger.
He and Locsin clearly became catalysts for the event's popularity.

Since this afternoon, the live broadcast room has been in a state of warming up for the finals.

On the screen, memorable battle scenes from the two players' journey through the preliminary rounds were continuously played.

Meng Chuanru was like a demon lord descended from heaven, his body transformed into a crimson flame, his form resembling a mountain.

Luo Qinru is like a banished immortal under the moon, his fingers scattering frost-like petals, his breath like a cold river.

Looking at his own fierce and menacing appearance in the picture, Meng Chuan was secretly puzzled.

"Why do I feel like I'm the villain?"

He understood that this was related to the two men's fighting styles.

He trained himself physically, and his moves were wide and powerful, full of violent aesthetics.

During the fight, Luo Qin's moves were graceful and agile, reminiscent of the Taoist concept of "borrowing the power of heaven and earth," perfectly satisfying the audience's romantic expectations of "fantasy-style combat."

"It doesn't matter, as long as we win."

He will raise the banner of "hardcore martial arts," believing that close-quarters combat is the true romance of men!

Coming to his senses, Meng Chuan saw the barrage of comments below him.

Aside from a few people fishing, most were arguing about who was better.

[A noble mage easily defeats a clumsy warrior, doesn't that?]

[Playing too many games? The kid upstairs, confirmed.]

[Just a passerby, no offense intended. But then again, wouldn't Meng Shen's punch have given this guy a severe case of uterine cold?]

This person is clearly a die-hard fan, but a bit too extreme.
After looking around for a while, he realized that he had quite a few supporters, and many people were cheering him on.

After Long finished his meditation practice, Meng Chuan picked up his phone and switched to his Douyin profile page.

They discovered that their number of followers had already exceeded 25 million.

There are only a little over a hundred people on the entire platform with more followers than him.

Meng Chuan exclaimed that he has now truly become a "top-tier internet celebrity".

In the era of martial arts, good looks and popularity are obsolete, and "pretty boys" who rely on their appearance have no future.

The real way out lies in strength and achievements. Only by relying on hard-hitting martial arts skills and actual combat results, like him, can one win public recognition and become a top star.

As Meng Chuanli gets closer and closer to the national championship, the increase in fans is a natural consequence.

Meanwhile, advertisers are going crazy in the backend.

Currently, the other party is quoting over one million for each advertisement, and they say there is still room for negotiation.

However, Meng Chuan refused to accept the tradition, knowing that focusing on martial arts was the fundamental principle.

Although the martial arts instruction videos he occasionally uploads earn far less than those from advertisements—only fifty or sixty thousand yuan per video—he takes the money with a clear conscience.

With the finals just around the corner, any distraction could affect your performance.

He decisively shut down the microphone and focused on continuing to practice his boxing.

Once I become a martial artist and receive the latest version of the Guoyiquan founder certification, I can enjoy myself to the fullest.

The next morning, Meng Chuan was sweating profusely in the martial arts room of his room.

Only after the training did I see a missed call, with the note: "Secretary of Secretary Wang of Yong'an".

When I returned the call, a steady voice came through:

"Hello Meng Chuan, I am Li Fu, Secretary Wang's secretary. Secretary Wang is very concerned about your performance. The nomination channel for the National Martial Arts Talent Pool will open at the beginning of next year."

If we win this competition, we'll secure the application qualification and be eligible to compete for national support and resource allocation in the future.

Meng Chuan's heart skipped a beat, then he calmed himself and replied:

[Understood. Secretary, your work is demanding, and I dare not trouble you. Please ask Secretary Li to convey my gratitude to Master Wang for his concern.]

He is now a member of the "Key Talents Cultivation List of Yong'an City" and can enjoy an annual martial arts subsidy of 800,000 yuan.

The value of a national talent pool far exceeds that of local city support.

Not only do they enjoy tens of millions of yuan in martial arts development funding, but they also have priority access to strategic resource quotas that money can't buy.

Such resources, once they appear in Wuxie Town, are usually auctioned off to the highest bidder.

Even the descendants of the Heavenly King find it difficult to obtain a single one.

On the other end of the phone, Secretary Li heard Meng Chuan speak politely and generously.

After a moment of contemplation, he offered another suggestion:

[Xiao Meng, without the exposure from this national competition, no matter how talented you are... you know what I mean. Therefore, this is a rare opportunity, you must seize it!]

Meng Chuan understood that there were only a few spots available for nomination in the entire Shaanxi region, and he himself didn't believe there wasn't some kind of "manipulation" involved.

Take the Huo family of Chencang, for example. Their patriarch, Huo Ting, was a highly decorated demon-slaying venerable.

No one can object to giving a nomination slot to a member of one's own family.

Although he had Master Luo as his backing, he still faced nationwide competition. Just as Secretary Li had advised, one must be strong oneself to succeed!
There are countless martial artists and martial arts practitioners under the age of thirty in the Great Chu, yet only five are selected from the National Talent Pool each year.

Even if the application is successful, the subsequent selection process is still extremely competitive, like a thousand troops crossing a single-plank bridge.

Among those who failed to be selected over the years were many outstanding talents from various schools of thought, and some even failed to be selected for five consecutive years.

"First, secure the eligibility to apply, then proceed step by step, and don't aim too high."

Meng Chuan reminded himself of this.

With everything ready, Meng Chuan had some doubts before setting off for the Martial Arts Competition Center.
"If I go back to the National Southwest Associated University, President Yang won't kill me, will he?"

On the sofa at this moment, there is a Crimson Dragon Robe.

Embroidered on the front is a blazing dragon encircled by flames. Its scales and claws are outstretched, its eyes are piercing, and dark red cloud patterns adorn the cuffs and hem, giving it an overall imposing and awe-inspiring appearance.

Meng Chuan steeled his heart, put on the clothes, and stepped out the door.

The reason for this dilemma is that there's also a fire dragon on its back, but with a long advertising slogan stuck to its body.
The advertising slogan uses a special material that makes it shine under various lights, both natural and artificial.
[Impact-resistant and ultra-durable, Hanhai's latest Y-shaped protective suit, the exclusive equipment for combat personnel. The same style worn by Meng Chuan, conquer the field immediately!]

"You're really not afraid to go back to school? Venerable Yang, give you a good beating!"

Luo Guanyun watched from behind, clicking his tongue and shaking his head.

Meng Chuan was also helpless; he had to fulfill his previous contract with Hanhai and cooperate with the advertising operations for the final stage.
"It shouldn't be that bad. Principal Yang isn't that petty."

3 PM, Shanghai Martial Arts Center.

The first National Martial Arts Supernova Competition has begun its final round.

At this moment, the stadium, which can accommodate 100,000 people, is already full.

As the host finished warming up the audience, an elderly man dressed in a yin-yang symbol and with a compassionate expression slowly walked over.

The host said excitedly:

"Let's give a warm round of applause to welcome our special guest for the grand final of this competition—"

One of the founders of the first Martial Arts Association, a pioneer of the current era of Qi and Blood Martial Arts, and a witness to the history of the Great Chu Dynasty, [Divine Strategist Zhao Yingchun] Zhao Tianwang!

Even those who knew nothing about martial arts understood the significance of the name "Zhao Yingchun".

All the audience members stood up to salute, and the camera panned across the audience.

The countless devout faces are the greatest respect shown to this nearly 500-year-old man!

Zhao Yingchun raised her hand to gesture for everyone to sit down, her voice booming like a bell yet gentle as a spring:
"I have witnessed the prosperity of martial arts in the Great Chu for hundreds of years. Today, I am delighted to see the younger generation competing like the Crimson Dragon and Frost Flower."

But I hope you will overcome obstacles with sincerity. Martial arts have no inherent superiority or inferiority, but people's hearts do have their own. The victor should be humble, and the loser can also be honorable.

The online debate about their fight has been going on for a while now, and he's seen quite a bit of it.

Therefore, his words were also intended to quell the escalating factional conflict.

After speaking, Zhao Yingchun walked into the judges' seat and took her seat amidst the cheers of the crowd.

He gazed at the figure in the contestants' preparation area, a glimmer of satisfaction in his eyes.

"This kid has come this far; I knew I hadn't misjudged him."

Meng Chuan's rapid growth greatly pleased him.

The young boy we met back then has grown into a role model for millions of warriors in the Great Chu.

Recalling that two years ago, he overruled all opposition and awarded Meng Chuan the Silver Lion Medal.

Now it seems that everything is what this child deserves; he is worthy of it.

Meng Chuan also noticed Zhao Yingchun's gaze and waved to her from a distance.

"I never expected to see King Zhao here; it's been two years since I last saw him."

He secretly marveled at how Zhao Lao's posture remained as upright as a pine tree, showing no signs of aging.

Coming to his senses, Meng Chuan looked around the audience.

As the host warmed up the crowd, many people were chanting his name.

Meng Chuan waved to everyone, but then noticed a familiar figure in the audience.

Zheng Zhenzhen had her hair tied in a bun on top of her head, and she covered her mouth with her hands, shouting his name loudly.

"Meng Chuan!"

Meng Chuan grinned. Why did this girl come without even telling him?

In the previous round of the semi-finals, he didn't even see Zheng Chengcheng when they faced off, but he never expected to appear in the finals.

Coming to my senses, I heard the host's impassioned voice:
"Let's welcome our contestants to the stage today, Meng Chuan and Luo Qin! Today is a battle of wits between the Four Directions Alliance and the Five Ancient Sects, a pinnacle showdown between Form and Image. Who will reign supreme? Let's wait and see!"

Now, it is no longer a battle between Meng Chuan and Luo Qin.

He represents the rising new power of the Four-Way Alliance after the Great Chu established itself.

Luo Qin also carried the expectations of both Buddhism and Taoism, which was a fierce clash between the old and new eras of martial arts in the Great Chu.

"Go, come on."

Luo Guanyun patted his back to help calm him down and said slowly.

"Ah."

The roar from the audience was deafening; the shouts of 100,000 people were enough to shatter the heavens.

Meng Chuan couldn't hear clearly, but he focused his mind and stepped forward.

He clenched his fists, his eyes burning with fighting spirit.

This battle was the most crucial battle for him to establish his dominance since he began learning martial arts!

(End of this chapter)