Chapter 172 Changes in the Times

While Xu Jingming and Li Miaomiao were enjoying their time together, Heng Fang and his wife were shopping at a mall.

"This is supposed to be the most bustling commercial complex in the city. Is it always this deserted?" Heng Fang and his wife strolled around, looking up at the sparse crowds on each floor. "It feels like there are more sales assistants than customers in those gold and jewelry shops."

His wife also observed, "Ever since the virtual world opened up, fewer and fewer people have been going out at night. Most of them enter the virtual world as soon as they get off work."

Heng Fang nodded slightly. "That's right. Nowadays, most sales are done through live-streaming in the virtual world. You can try on clothes as much as you want there, and you can find any kind of clothes you're looking for! It's convenient and not tiring at all. Shopping in the real world... it's time-consuming, and there's less to see."

"Look over there." His wife pointed to several closed-off areas in the mall. "Those are all closed. Many tenants have already terminated their leases. The virtual world has only been open for a little over a month, and it's already having such a big impact... If you ask me, in half a year, there will be far fewer merchants in the mall than there are now."

"If it gets any more deserted, the mall might have to close down," Heng Fang said.

"Closing down won't matter. We can order food delivery; it's all from top-notch chain restaurants, and the chefs are all top-tier professional robots," his wife said. "And some entertainment is much cheaper in the virtual world."

"Cherish the malls we have now; they'll become a memory in the future," Heng Fang said with emotion.

This was the tide of the times. Originally, some internet companies were being impacted, but now the real economy was being hit on all fronts. Those selling goods were also moving to the virtual world, where the cost of selling was lower and the customer base was larger.

…

"Are you eating this slowly on purpose? It's been half an hour! And you're still not done!" Liu Chongyuan, as burly as a bear, roared at his three daughters. "When I was your age, I'd wolf down my food and finish in no time. You guys just chatter on and on while you eat. Don't you know you're not supposed to talk while eating or sleeping?"

The three daughters lowered their heads and ate slowly.

"Eldest, it's just a piece of meat, can't you chew it up and swallow it in one go? That piece of meat has been in your bowl for ten minutes. How many times have you gnawed on it, and you haven't even finished half of it?" Liu Chongyuan glared at his eldest daughter.

"The meat is a little tough," the eldest daughter said softly.

"And you, second daughter, look, look at all the rice grains on your table! Is your mouth leaking? Clean it up now!" Liu Chongyuan roared.

"Okay," the second daughter said, picking up a tissue to wipe the table.

"One tissue is enough, can't you be less wasteful?" Liu Chongyuan's temples throbbed with anger as he turned to his third daughter. "Third, don't laugh! You're the slowest eater."

"Dad, I feel a little dizzy," the third daughter said, clutching her head. "I might have had heatstroke from exercising during the day."

"You're already practicing an evolution technique, and you still get heatstroke? Can't you come up with a better excuse? Hand!" Liu Chongyuan picked up a ruler.

"Mom!" the third daughter immediately shouted.

Her mother, watching the screen and reading the news in the distance, remained calm and said casually, "Don't call me. Your dad is in charge of your meals today. I'm not interfering!"

"Snap, snap, snap!" Liu Chongyuan grabbed his third daughter's palm with one hand and struck it with the other. "That's for lying, for lying again!"

Eight minutes later.

"Let's go to the virtual world!" the three daughters immediately went to their rooms.

Only then did Liu Chongyuan slump into the living room.

"Too tiring. Watching them eat a meal is more exhausting than fighting ten matches," Liu Chongyuan said, sitting down.

"Don't worry, it'll get better when the children get older," his wife comforted.

"Why did you have to give birth to three of them? One gives me a headache; three... they're not my little darlings; they're three huge mountains," Liu Chongyuan lamented.

His wife said helplessly, "How would I know I'd have three in one go?"

"Also, we need to start looking at houses," Liu Chongyuan said. "We need to move to a bigger place quickly. The three little girls chatter on and on; it gives me a headache. And we need to buy a better butler robot to help take care of the kids."

His wife immediately became expectant. "We have money?"

"Soon. The prize money will be in hand as soon as the competition ends," Liu Chongyuan said, thinking of the prize money with delight. "At least ten million in prize money. If we make it to the finals, the prize money will be even higher! This is the most I've ever earned. This time, it's all thanks to Old Xu carrying us; I'm just along for the ride!"

"You have to try your best too. Don't hold him back," his wife said.

"Don't worry, I'm working hard too," Liu Chongyuan said.

"Are you confident about today's semi-finals?" his wife asked.

"Well..." Liu Chongyuan said with a headache, "Senior Lei Yunfang is still a bit scary."

…

"You got the three-digit addition and subtraction right, but you got the two-digit addition and subtraction wrong?" Yang Qingshuo said, looking at his son. "Yang Tao! What's wrong with you? You can't even get 18 plus 3 right? You could do those in kindergarten!"

"My eyes were blurry," Yang Tao said, lowering his head.

"Do a hundred two-digit addition and subtraction problems. You're not allowed to enter the virtual world until you finish them," Yang Qingshuo said.

"Okay," Yang Tao said, hugging his father and leaning against him. "Dad, don't be angry. I'll do them carefully."

Yang Qingshuo gently stroked his son's head.

"Little Shuo, I could hear you yelling from inside. You need to be patient when teaching children," Yang's mother said, walking out.

"Mom, can you help me look after Tao Tao for a bit? I need to go to the virtual world first. It's the semi-finals tonight, and I need to practice some more," Yang Qingshuo said, getting up.

"Go, go," Yang's mother said with a smile.

…

Inside a personal training ground.

A battlefield scene unfolded as a hundred cavalrymen charged toward Wang Yi. Wang Yi, alone with her bow, rapidly fired arrows, each arrow flying with incredible speed. One by one, the cavalrymen fell. As the last cavalryman charged to within five or six meters of Wang Yi, he too was shot down by an arrow.

"Archery has long become an instinct for me, but I still haven't broken through to the third tier," Wang Yi thought. "I've been trying to learn the 'Fifth-Tier Archery Technique' that the country gave me, but I still can't break through."

"Why is breaking through to the third tier so difficult?"

Wang Yi had long reached 99% in all aspects of the second tier and had been stuck at the bottleneck for over half a month.

"If I don't break through to the third tier, I won't be able to play any role in this competition," Wang Yi thought, continuing to practice her archery. "I'll keep practicing."

******

Late at night, the official virtual world live-streaming channel was incredibly lively. Massive numbers of people continued to flood into the channel, with the number of viewers fluctuating between five hundred million and six hundred million.

In recent days, various media outlets had been providing comprehensive coverage of the Fire Seed Cup competition, making it the biggest event in Xia Country. People were naturally drawn to it, and as the battles became more intense, the attraction only grew.

Xu Jingming and Li Miaomiao also arrived in the stands and saw both sets of parents, who had arrived earlier.

"Old Xu!" Liu Chongyuan shouted from afar, bringing his three daughters with him.

"Old Xu, why are you so late?" Heng Fang and Yang Qingshuo also walked over.

"You guys are too early. The match doesn't start until midnight; there are still twenty minutes left," Xu Jingming said with a smile. "Sister Yi hasn't arrived yet? So I'm not the slowest."

The group gathered together.

"Jingming, I need to gather with the team. Come with me and say hello to your elders," Xu Hong called out.

"Coming," Xu Jingming immediately went over.

"Let's go."

With a gentle click, the two of them teleported to where Liu Hai was standing.

Liu Hai stood there, surrounded by Dai Tongda, Tian Yiqu, and Qiu Yong, as well as some relatives, including Dai Xiaoqing. At that moment, Zhou Fan appeared with his son, Zhou Yi.

"Quickly, come and meet your elders," Xu Hong said, leading Xu Jingming over.

"Master." "Master."

Xu Jingming called out to Dai Tongda and Liu Hai. Dai Tongda smiled and said, "This kid Jingming has only had three masters in all these years, strictly speaking. Me, his dad, and the captain! Now all three of his masters are on our team... Jingming, if you make it to the finals and you attack us, that'll be betraying your masters!"

"What are you talking about?" Zhou Fan walked over and said with a laugh. "Xu Jingming doesn't even need to attack you; his teammates can handle you. The only one Xu Jingming needs to take on is the captain."

"I'm looking forward to him defeating me," Liu Hai said, looking at Xu Jingming.

"I'm still far behind Master," Xu Jingming said. "And the biggest challenge we're facing right now is Senior Lei Yunfang. We're under a lot of pressure for the upcoming semi-finals, and we're not confident at all about getting through it."

The members of Liu Hai's senior team nodded in agreement.

"Lei Yunfang is very strong," Liu Hai nodded. "With his movement techniques, it'll be difficult for you to form a siege. One-on-one... this semi-final is very dangerous for you. In any case, don't think too much. Just do your best."

"We won't know who's stronger until we fight," Xu Hong said.

Xu Jingming nodded.

"Xu Jingming," Zhou Yi walked over and shook hands with Xu Jingming.

"Zhou Yi," Xu Jingming said, also extending his hand.

"I watched your fight with Fang Yu. You completely suppressed Fang Yu and thoroughly defeated him. I admire that," Zhou Yi said. "I lost to him."

Xu Jingming said, "He's wearing heavy armor, which gives him an advantage over you."

"If I were to encounter you, even if you were holding two shields, you'd still be able to charge in front of me and smash me to death with one shield," Zhou Yi said, shaking his head. "My strength is indeed weaker than you two. My archery isn't good enough; otherwise, Fang Yu wouldn't be able to defend against my arrows. And my movement techniques aren't fast enough. If they were fast enough, he wouldn't be able to get close to me."

"Let's all work hard together," Xu Jingming said.

Zhou Yi took a deep look at Xu Jingming, nodded, and then left.

Xu Jingming walked toward Dai Xiaoqing.

"Senior Brother," Dai Xiaoqing said with a smile.

"Are you feeling a lot of pressure?" Xu Jingming asked, looking at the girl.

"A mountain of pressure," Dai Xiaoqing said with a bitter face. "My dad and the other elders are all cunning and scheming. The most terrifying one is Senior Liu Hai. He's the best in the world. Our entire team is going in with the idea of giving it our all. We'll take down as many as we can."

"Good luck," Xu Jingming encouraged her.

Dai Xiaoqing glanced at a system notification and said, "I need to gather with my team. I'm about to go on stage."

"Go quickly," Xu Jingming nodded.

…

After making a round and seeing some friends, Xu Jingming returned to his own team's side. The time had also reached midnight. The Fire Seed Cup semi-finals, under the full attention of the nation, had finally begun.

**

Today's two chapters are the normal updates. I'll add an extra chapter for every five thousand monthly tickets. Tomato will continue to work hard and won't skimp on the updates.