novelraw Chapter 117: Rules to Restrict the Strong
Chapter 117: Rules to Restrict the Strong
After several hours of exhausting travel, Fly and the others finally arrived in Sycamore City.
Although Mr. Carter had pinched pennies on transportation, he didn't compromise at all when it came to their accommodations.
The boutique hotel he booked for Fly and the others was highly rated in Sycamore City, situated close to the tournament venue with extremely convenient transportation.
But, to Mr. Carter's surprise, when they got off and he tried to pay the fare, the driver actually refused the money.
"Just consider it my way of supporting you guys in the tournament."
"If you need a ride when heading back, just call this number."
The driver said, pulling a business card from his shirt pocket and handing it to Mr. Carter.
Before driving off, he didn't forget to shout to Fly and the team, "Go get 'em, Star City's Avengers!"
"I'm looking forward to your triumphant return!"
Watching the minibus drive away, Fly couldn't help but feel a bit moved.
"There really are more good people in this world than bad."
"Of course there are. Let's head inside!" Mr. Carter felt similarly touched.
Although Star City wasn't as economically developed as several other cities, its people were relatively honest and kind-hearted; he had always loved Star City.
If they really managed to take the championship in The Jade State League this time, it would truly bring glory to their hometown.
The hotel Mr. Carter found wasn't exactly luxurious, but it was incredibly clean and hygienic; everyone had their own private room with a spacious interior, complete with a bathtub, a lounge chair, and even a small balcony overlooking the entire hotel courtyard.
Not only did it offer buffet meals for breakfast, lunch, and dinner, but there was also a free gym available for use.
After everyone had stowed their luggage, Mr. Carter gathered them all together once more.
"The group stages don't start until 5:00 PM tomorrow, so your only mission today is to rest up and recharge your batteries." Mr. Carter explained while distributing their competitor IDs, reminding them to keep the badges safe.
"Isn't 5:00 PM a bit late?" Jett asked, somewhat puzzled.
"Scheduling the matches at that time is all about boosting television ratings," Mr. Carter explained.
During the day, most people were tied up with work and couldn't get away; they only had the free time to tune into the tournament in the evening.
5:00 PM was just the call time for competitors to arrive at the arena and warm up; the actual matches wouldn't officially kick off until around 6:00 PM, right when everyone was getting off work and had free time.
It was basically prime time for television networks.
"The Jade State League only happens once a year, so naturally, the networks aren't going to let those ratings slip away."
Fly nodded slightly, feeling his anticipation for the league grow even stronger.
Next up was dinner time.
Even though the hotel provided a free buffet, it wasn't exactly a culinary masterpiece, nor was it particularly nutritious.
To ensure Fly and the group could properly unwind, Mr. Carter paid out of pocket to take them to a nice restaurant outside for a massive feast.
On the way back, they even strolled through a nearby shopping mall.
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Ever since transmigrating to this world, it was the first time Fly had completely tossed cultivation to the back of his mind, wholeheartedly letting loose and relaxing.
By the time they returned to the hotel, it was already 10:00 PM; Fly took a quick hot bath and immediately went to bed.
When Fly woke up again, it was already 9:00 AM the following morning.
Yawn...
Sitting up in bed, Fly gave a lazy stretch, feeling the stiffness in his bones and muscles completely melt away.
Knock, knock, knock...
A short while later, a series of knocks echoed from the door.
"You up yet, Fly?"
"Mr. Carter?" Fly hopped out of bed, rushing to open the door for him before he even had the chance to fully dress.
Standing there, Fly's physique wasn't just tall and lean; his muscles were solidly defined and chiseled.
"You've been building out quite the frame," Mr. Carter couldn't help but praise, before shifting gears. "Oh, by the way..."
Mr. Carter pulled a document from his briefcase and handed it to Fly.
"What's this?" Fly was taken aback by the sheer thickness of the paperwork.
Did they have to sign some sort of contract just to compete in The Jade State League?
"It's the tournament rulebook," Mr. Carter explained. "I've made copies, one for each team member."
Fly glanced at the page count and realized the document Mr. Carter had handed him was over sixty pages long. "This much?"
He remembered that during the Freshman Invitational, there hadn't been a massive rulebook like this; the arbiter had just briefly rattled off a few basic rules before the match began...
"Well..." Mr. Carter was equally speechless at the exhaustive list of rules, but he patiently explained, "The Jade State League is a state-level tournament after all. It's broadcast across the entire state, maybe even the whole Federation. You can't exactly compare it to a localized event like Star City's Freshman Invitational."
"Registration? What does this mean?" Fly asked, pointing at a specific clause in the rulebook.
It stated that every participating Beast Warrior had to pre-register the exact number of clones they possessed.
During each match, a Beast Warrior was permitted to use a maximum of three clones, along with any related abilities.
As the name implied, they had to submit a separate clone registration list for the group stages, quarterfinals, semifinals, and the grand finals.
Only registered clones or similar Stand-Ins were allowed to make an appearance during a match.
Fly raised an eyebrow.
In other words, his Spectral Roach swarm tactic was completely banned?
"Doesn't the ability to produce more clones or Stand-Ins just prove that a Beast Warrior is stronger?" Fly asked, thoroughly confused. "Why implement a rule like this?"
"Did the tournament committee catch wind of my abilities beforehand and make this specifically to target me?"
"What are you on about?" Mr. Carter retorted. "What's with this 'everyone is out to get me' paranoia?"
"This rule has been around for a long time."
"As you know, educational resources are severely unequal across the cities in the Jade State. In past tournaments, students from Sovereign High would rely on their vast resources to employ tactics involving massive swarms of clones and Stand-Ins to crush their opponents."
"It led to a situation where competitors from weaker Martial Academies literally had zero means of countering them."
"To maintain fairness, to give other schools a fighting chance, and, more importantly, to protect television ratings, the committee deliberated extensively before enacting this rule."
"This way, the matches don't become completely one-sided, and at the very least, you avoid scenarios where the stronger side wins without even breaking a sweat."
"Oh, that makes sense..." Fly had a sudden moment of clarity.
Even though he could summon a massive number of Spectral Roaches to pull off a "swarm tactic," and 'Emperor' Valerius's Cerberus Totem also possessed cloning abilities, things weren't nearly as convenient for Genevieve and Jett.
If a rule like this wasn't in place, they would have had a grueling time facing off against students who lacked nothing in resources and possessed identical cloning or Stand-In abilities.
Afterward, Fly quickly skimmed through the rest of the rulebook and didn't spot any other unfair clauses.
In fact, it was quite the opposite...
These rules seemed specifically tailored to handicap the Martial Academies from places with highly developed educational resources, like Sovereign City and Willow City.
"Has Sovereign High never protested against this?" Fly asked curiously.
From a certain perspective, these rules weren't exactly fair to them.
"If large-scale tournaments didn't have rules like this, the gap between kids with money and resources and those without would only widen, leading to a phenomenon where the strong simply stay strong. Once class barriers become fully entrenched, trying to take corrective measures would be next to impossible."
"And that phenomenon itself flies directly in the face of the Universal Martial Arts policy."
"When Scholar Felix Mundus first popularized Beast Totem Cards back in the day, his intention wasn't to spawn a new Martial Nobility. He wanted the strong to uplift the weak, ensuring that every Beast Warrior could reach the absolute heights of their own natural talent."
"But human nature is selfish. To prevent those pioneers from monopolizing martial resources, Felix Mundus established countless rules right from the very beginning."
When Mr. Carter spoke those words, his tone was laced with profound respect.
Human society always manages to give birth to a few individuals brimming with such idealism.
It was just a pity that the vast majority of people in this world, upon gaining power, immediately slammed the door shut on anyone trying to follow in their footsteps.
They'd rather have a single person or a single family ruthlessly devour every last scrap of resources.