It had to be said that Shen Muzhi's luck was quite good.
After the three-day registration period ended, everyone drew lots to see their opponents. Shen Muzhi's opponent was indeed neither Lu Wuming nor Liu Buli.
Seeing this, Shen Muzhi was greatly relieved.
Lu Wuming, on the other hand, was completely uninterested in his own opponent. Instead, he craned his neck to look at the slip of paper in Liu Buli's hand and curiously asked him, "Master, who is your opponent?"
Liu Buli glanced at his own slip of paper following his gaze and shook his head, "Not a big shot. Not even a sect leader. I don't recall anyone like this in the cultivation world. I guess they're like you and Yun Xiang, here to gain some experience and don't actually have much skill."
Lu Wuming nodded and let out a soft "Oh."
He didn't have much impression of these people in the cultivation world anyway. Since his Master said it wasn't anyone formidable, there was no need to worry.
But then again, his Master was so powerful, he wouldn't need Lu Wuming to worry too much, would he?
Lu Wuming thought to himself, feeling more and more that his Master was amazing, as if he glowed. Not only was he beautiful, but he was also incredibly powerful, so perfect that one couldn't look away.
He stared at Liu Buli like this, his mind filled with praises for how wonderful his Master was. His thoughts wandered for a moment, and he looked so foolish that he was almost drooling while staring at Liu Buli.
Liu Buli surveyed the surroundings. When he looked back and noticed Lu Wuming's expression, he felt a bit helpless. He reached out and waved his hand in front of the other's eyes, saying, "Wuming, have you thought of something happy again? You're smiling so brightly."
"No," Lu Wuming immediately snapped back to attention. He shook his head and replied instinctively, "As long as Master is by my side, I'm happy. I don't need anything special."
Liu Buli's cheeks flushed at his words.
He knew Lu Wuming wasn't speaking sweet nothings. All his answers were what he genuinely felt. But precisely because of this, Liu Buli became even more shy.
He raised his hand and tapped Lu Wuming on the head, glaring and saying, "Don't you know any shame? Don't say such things outside."
This time, Lu Wuming felt utterly wronged.
Master was the one who asked the question, and he had simply answered it properly.
How could he still get hit for that?
Master was becoming more and more unreasonable!
But even an unreasonable Master was still so cute.
Thinking this, Lu Wuming felt extremely happy again.
Liu Buli went to ask about Yun Xiang's opponent. Like his own, it was someone with no fame and not very high cultivation.
After confirming that everyone else was fine, he took Lu Wuming back to their courtyard. After closing the courtyard gate, he asked Lu Wuming, "Wuming, who is your opponent? Let me see."
Lu Wuming was taken aback.
His mind had been entirely on Liu Buli, and he had almost forgotten that he was also participating in the competition.
He scratched his head. He had initially wanted to say that he wasn't important. But seeing that Liu Buli insisted on an answer, he obediently took out his slip and handed it to Liu Buli.
Liu Buli looked down. The moment he saw the name on the slip, his expression changed drastically.
Frowning, Liu Buli sighed, "I originally thought we were all quite lucky, but I didn't expect yours to be..."
"What's wrong with this person?" Lu Wuming looked at the slip and read out the name, "Wang Mingning? That's a strange name. What does he do?"
"He is the楼主 (lǒuzhǔ - master/owner) of Xueyu Lou. If you consider it, he is among the top cultivators in the current cultivation world," Liu Buli stroked his chin and recounted what he remembered, "This person cultivates ice and snow techniques, which are somewhat counteractive to your water-based spells. If you two were to face each other, your chances of winning wouldn't be very high, especially if you only rely on spiritual energy, where you're already at a disadvantage. So, in my opinion, it's fine to lose, it's no big deal."
Lu Wuming nodded.
He hadn't taken this competition seriously from the start. Since his Master said it was okay to lose, he naturally had no desire to compete fiercely.
After all, the most important thing was not to expose his identity as a ghost clan member. His Master had reminded him of this many times, and Lu Wuming knew what was more important.
However, after hearing Liu Buli's explanation, he pondered for a moment and then asked, "Then Master, if you were to face that person, what would be your chances of winning?"
"I don't know about that," Liu Buli smiled and said, "To be honest, the novel doesn't precisely divide the cultivation levels of everyone. The differences in strength are only apparent during battles. At this stage of the novel, the protagonist hasn't fully grown yet, so when the protagonist looks at these people, they all seem very powerful."
Lu Wuming suddenly understood, "But the current situation is completely different from the novel. Master, you are much stronger than in the novel. We've also been diligently cultivating together during this time, and our cultivation has already improved significantly. Perhaps dealing with those people will become much easier, right?"
Liu Buli thought for a moment, "Easy might be an exaggeration, but we probably won't be at a significant disadvantage. However, this is just our speculation. The specific situation can only be determined after we fight. Since our circumstances have changed, you can't guarantee that others haven't changed. If the cultivation levels of the entire cultivation world have increased significantly, then perhaps the differences in strength won't change much."
Lu Wuming shrugged. He didn't care about these things.
Liu Buli continued, "In the novel, the ultimate winner of this martial arts tournament was not Wang Mingning, but Wang Mingning's strength ranked in the top three. Therefore, when you face him, do not underestimate him. If you can't win, surrender. Don't get yourself injured, understand?"
"Don't worry," Lu Wuming grinned, "Master, Wuming won't make you worry."
He promised very earnestly, but Liu Buli still had to repeat his instructions several times before he was satisfied.
After finishing these unnecessary words, Lu Wuming tilted his head and looked at Liu Buli seriously for a moment, saying, "But Master, the competition will start in two days. Since we don't know the strength of our opponents, why don't we improve ourselves further? What do you think?"
Liu Buli nodded instinctively, "We will definitely need to cultivate diligently these two days, so... Ah!"
Before he could finish speaking, he was already scooped up in Lu Wuming's arms.
Seeing Lu Wuming carry him into the room, Liu Buli's eyes widened, "What are you doing again, you brat?"
"Listening to Master, cultivating diligently," Lu Wuming replied readily, "Dual cultivation is the best way to improve. You taught me this, Master. I haven't forgotten."