Eric Dawson secretly took a deep breath and spoke again, trying to sound casual: “By the way, what’s your QQ number? I think there are a few other classmates from our grade who also got into Songcheng. Maybe we’ll have a chance to get together.”

After saying this, he held his breath, his heartbeat seeming to stop.

That last sentence was just a random excuse—the real reason was to get her QQ number!

Grace Bennett didn’t hesitate. With a gentle smile, she pointed to the red string around her neck: “It’s inconvenient to get my phone out in these clothes. You can write down my QQ number first, and I’ll add you later. Remember to note ‘Class Four, Grade One, Lou’—Eric Dawson—I don’t add strangers. My QQ number is XXXXXX.”

“Okay.” Eric Dawson was overjoyed and almost couldn’t contain himself. He silently repeated the number while pulling his phone from the left pocket of his jeans, logged into QQ, and chose to search. When he saw the result, he almost burst out laughing. “Is it ‘澹台翠花’?”

That username was just too ridiculous. Grace Bennett’s online persona was so different from her real-life self...

Grace Bennett’s eyes curved with a clear smile: “Yeah, don’t you think this name is really down-to-earth?”

She paused, then added, “You don’t know the meme?”

“Is it that meme about ruining the classy double-surname?” Eric Dawson wasn’t sure, but the style was so obvious that he could guess.

Surnames like Murong, Huangfu, Shangguan, Zhuge, and 澹台 are all quite special and feel very classy. If you pair them with a good name, in romance novels and TV dramas, they’re always the main character or a major supporting role. But if you add a rustic name, it becomes hilarious. Even if it’s not rustic, just a name with a bit of an old-fashioned vibe has the same effect, like Murong Jianjun, Huangfu Sufen, Shangguan Weiguo, and so on.

Grace Bennett’s eyes sparkled with amusement: “Yeah, isn’t it funny?”

“It’s pretty fun. Should I change my QQ name to ‘Zhuge Ergou’?” Eric Dawson felt he was really enjoying the conversation with Grace Bennett, almost wishing they could keep chatting forever. But suddenly, a cough sounded behind him—Brian Carter had arrived.

Eric Dawson restrained his impulse, waved to Grace Bennett: “My friend’s here. I’ll head in first. Bye.”

“Bye.” Grace Bennett waved back, drawing the attention of others.

Eric Dawson turned around and, pretending to be decisive, walked over to Brian Carter, unable to hide the joy on his face.

“Not bad! I thought you’d stutter when you talked, but you’ve got potential.” Brian Carter took a few steps and entered the main doors. The noisy crowd surged around them, and he didn’t bother lowering his voice.

The central area of the martial arts gym was divided in two. One half was set up as a ring, about the size of a basketball court, with rows of bleachers in front and behind. The other half connected directly to the ring and was as big as four or five basketball courts, surrounded by all kinds of equipment—clearly the usual training area, now being used for the welcome event. The place was packed, bustling with people, far more than Eric Dawson had imagined.

“Wasn’t I just forcing myself?” Eric Dawson grinned. “There sure are a lot of people in the martial arts club.”

“Of course! Martial arts competitions are the most popular events in the world, and martial artists are the most beloved figures everywhere. Naturally, the martial arts clubs at every university are the biggest organizations.” Brian Carter straightened his back, showing off his hidden master’s aura, then gossiped, “Did you get the QQ number?”

There’s no ranking in literature, but there is in martial arts. After years of peace, matches between martial artists have become more and more common. Their superhuman strength, surpassing the limits of the human body, gets the audience’s adrenaline pumping, making them imagine themselves as heroes, no longer afraid of bullies or worried about being weak. As this trend developed, with the media and entertainment industry getting involved, formal martial arts competitions emerged.

These competitions are divided into two types. One evolved from the original rivalries between martial arts schools, with various schools, martial arts associations, and clubs competing as teams to determine the strongest group and lineage. The other is individual competition, fighting for the title of number one.

The former is now the wildly popular “Professional Martial Arts Tournament,” divided into four tiers. The top tier consists of the twelve most powerful forces in domestic martial arts. For them, the greatest humiliation is to finish last in their matches against each other, to be demoted to a lower tier—a disgrace beyond words.

The latter currently has five major national individual ring tournaments, also known as “title” matches. If you win first place in one of these, you earn the corresponding title and are recognized as one of the strongest in the country. For example, if you win the “Martial Saint Battle,” you get to hold the title of “Martial Saint” for the next year. As the saying goes, above first class, there are “titles”!

These competitions generate huge commercial revenue, making the major forces and martial arts masters rich and famous, with honor, wealth, and adoring fans. The influence is so great that even universities can’t escape it, leading to things like the “National University Martial Arts Tournament,” and the martial arts clubs at each school are thriving as a result.

Did you get the QQ number? Eric Dawson couldn’t help but curl his lips:

“Of course! Love guru, what should I do next?”