As the Tang Sect vehicle drove toward the sports stadium, Tang Wulin discovered that the traffic was a lot more congested than the day before.
There were clearly more people on the streets, and in particular, many people were crowding around the Tang Sect vehicle in an attempt to see the Tang Sect Master at close quarters for themselves.
Among these people, there was a clear predominant female demographic, and some of them were holding banners with his name written on them.
Tang Wulin had even seen some strange banners such as one that read: "The Tang Sect belongs to the Star Luo Empire! Please stay, Sect Master Tang!"
A surge of warmth flowed through Tang Wulin"s heart at the sight of these banners, and he found the citizens of the Star Luo Empire to be very adorable. In contrast with the Douluo Federation, which was renouncing and oppressing the Tang Sect at every turn, he felt far more at home here.
The Tang Sect would truly have made a resurgence once they became just as popular in the federation, and he was confident that that day would arrive.
Hu Jie was sitting beside Tang Wulin, and he smiled as he said, "You seem to be very popular, Sect Master. You were in a mecha yesterday, so you"re most likely going to attract even more attention today."
A wry smile appeared on Tang Wulin"s face. "I have no confidence in today"s battle at all. I wonder if their att.i.tude toward me will change if I lose."
Hu Jie said, "Don"t put so much pressure on yourself. Everyone is already astonished that you won yesterday"s match; if you win this match as well, His Majesty will probably jump out of his seat! At the very least, yesterday"s battle proves that you"re the best mecha pilot in the entire empire; isn"t that enough for someone of your age? You"ve already secured more than enough glory for the Tang Sect, so take on the rest of the Trial of Five G.o.ds without any inhibitions, and really enjoy yourself. I understand that you"ve agreed to accept this trial mostly for a chance to improve yourself, and I think that"s a very good mindset. In that case, there"s no need to worry too much about the outcome. Perform to the best of your abilities, and continue to improve through the matches; that"s all that you need to do."
Tang Wulin nodded in response. The Smiling Douluo"s words had somewhat settled his nerves. Indeed, he should enjoy this Trial of Five G.o.ds. Perhaps at the conclusion of the trial, he would undergo another evolution.
With imperial vehicles clearing the way, the Tang Sect vehicle finally arrived at the imperial sports stadium. In the instant that Tang Wulin got out of the car, he was greeted by a barrage of screams, cheers, and some words of abuse. It seemed that he was a slightly polarizing figure, but also definitely a very popular one.
Instead of making his way into the sports stadium right away, he turned around to the people who had gathered to see him, and extended a slight bow. "Thank you all for coming out to see me."
His words were very calm and concise, but the commotion ringing out from the crowd instantly died down, and everyone felt as if this voice had sounded right inside their minds. This was a very peculiar feeling; they felt as if a stream of warm water had flowed through their brains, suddenly calming them down and striking them with an indescribable sense of comfort.
All of their excitement and frustration quickly gave way to calmness, and this was a feeling that they had never experienced before.
They couldn"t help but focus their attention on Tang Wulin, and as they appraised his handsome features and listened to his voice reverberating in their minds, all of them began to see him through new eyes.
The calming effect of spiritual power was one of its many applications. It could put one in a healthier mental state, and it was especially effective on those with conditions such as depression and anxiety.
Tang Wulin had injected his spiritual power into his voice as a way to reciprocate all of the people who had come out to see him. Regardless of whether they supported or despised him, that wasn"t important. Everyone had their own circ.u.mstances, and Tang Wulin would much rather believe that all people were kind at heart.
After that, he turned and made his way into the sports stadium, and only then did the crowd slowly return to their senses.
"What just happened? Why did I feel so relaxed and calm after hearing this voice? He"s so handsome! He"s even more handsome than he is on TV, and his voice is so soothing as well; I think I"ve fallen in love with him!"
"Where"s the guy that was selling his ticket before? I accept your price; hurry up and hand over the ticket!"
"I changed my mind! I"m going to keep the ticket and watch Sect Master Tang"s match myself. Just hearing his voice was such a fantastic experience; how can I see this ticket for money? I"m sorry, everyone, but if I miss out on this match, I"m sure I"m going to regret my decision for the rest of my life."
"I really shouldn"t have insulted him just now. Sect Master Tang is only here to strengthen the relations.h.i.+p between the Tang Sect and our Star Luo Empire, and the Trial of Five G.o.ds is really only a series of sparring matches; I"m sure all of the matches will be extremely spectacular regardless of the outcome."
"That"s not what you said before! You were ranting yesterday about how disgraceful it was that our empire was losing to a mere sect!"
"Did I say that? I don"t remember. I don"t know why, but after seeing Sect Master Tang just now, I suddenly feel so calm, and all the resentment I harbored toward him has disappeared."
"Did you also hear his voice just now? Why is it that we were still able to hear his voice so clearly even though we"re standing so far away?"
"I guess this is just one of the many abilities that set powerful beings like Sect Master Tang apart from people like us."
Tang Wulin"s greeting toward the crowd was quickly sensationalized by everyone who had gathered to see him, and word of the seemingly insignificant interaction spread like wildfire.
At this point, Tang Wulin had already made his way into the resting area, and he calmly reviewed the strategy that he had prepared in his mind.
He had already made ample preparations, and with his physical const.i.tution, the mecha battle from the day before hadn"t had any residual negative impact on him, so he was still in his best condition.
There was still half an hour until the commencement of the match, but the entire sports stadium was already packed to the rafters, and it was so lively and bustling that even Dai Tianling was quite startled when he first arrived. Such a scene was normally only reserved for the grand finals of important sporting events held in the empire. It seemed that the spectacular battle that had taken place the day before had left a very strong impression on the spectators.
En Ci strode onto the rostrum alongside Dai Tianling, and the former"s expression remained completely calm and neutral.
"What do you think of Tang Wulin"s chances of securing victory today, Teacher?" Dai Tianling asked.
He had asked the same question the day before, and En Ci had replied with 30%, only for Tang Wulin to give him a resounding slap on the face by winning the match.
A faint smile appeared on En Ci"s face, and he replied, "If you ask me, he only has a 20% chance at most today. Soul spirits are different from mechas. At the very least, the mecha battle was held on equal footing as both sides were using black mechas, and Tang Wuiln even had an advantage as his mecha was completely constructed from soul refined metals."