Chapter 165 I’ve Never Felt This Confident in My Life!

Time flew by in the blink of an eye. After two days of intense preparations, the opening ceremony of the International Martial Arts Exchange Conference finally arrived as scheduled.

On the early morning of Xuanwu Mountain, the sun shone brightly and a gentle breeze drifted through the air. The mountains were lush and green, filled with the fresh fragrance of vegetation—along with a faint sense of tension and anticipation.

Inside the newly built outdoor venue, not a single seat was empty. All 1,000+ seats were filled with visitors, martial arts enthusiasts from across the country, and accompanying members of international teams. Everyone had expressions of eager expectation.

Outside the venue, crowds had also gathered to watch the excitement. If there were no seats, they simply stood—after all, it was an outdoor venue. People stood on tiptoe, craning their necks to catch a glimpse of this international event. The atmosphere was bustling and lively.

Before the opening ceremony began, Miao Yunyou and her team had already changed into their uniform outfits, becoming a striking sight within the venue.

These uniforms were no ordinary garments—they were crafted by the world’s top embroiderer, Wen Xiuning. Each piece was meticulously handmade, with no room for carelessness, infused with immense dedication.

The outfits followed a unified Chinese martial arts style, primarily in a gentle silver tone. There were no flashy decorations—simple yet elegant.

The fabric was a specially made mulberry silk blend. It felt as soft as clouds to the touch, yet when worn, it held a crisp and structured form, allowing complete freedom of movement. Smooth lines flowed from the shoulders down the back, accentuating the upright posture of the team members. At the cuffs and hems, fine gold threads embroidered layers of auspicious cloud patterns.

These patterns used Wen Xiuning’s exclusive stitching technique. Each cloud looked vivid and lifelike, reflecting subtle golden light under the sun. It carried both the elegance of Chinese aesthetics and a quiet sense of grandeur.

Wearing these uniforms, the team members stood tall and handsome, exuding strong presence. At a glance, they were exceptionally eye-catching, drawing many sideways glances from the crowd. Some even took out their phones to snap photos—

“My god, it’s not that tomato-and-egg color scheme anymore.”

“Who designed these uniforms this time? Pretty good taste!”

“Wow, the embroidery is so beautiful!”

“Look closely—the patterns on each outfit seem different. This definitely isn’t machine-made, it must be hand-stitched.”

“So high-end! So stylish!”

“What should I do? I want one too!”

Standing at the very front of the team, Miao Yunyou held the bright Chinese national flag. Looking at her neatly lined-up teammates, she felt both nervous and filled with anticipation. For a moment, it felt like she had returned to her university sports day—both familiar and strangely distant.

With a solemn announcement from the chairman of the organizing committee, the opening ceremony officially began.

Rousing music filled the air as teams from various countries entered one after another. Each team carried their national flag, marching in orderly steps around the venue, full of spirit, receiving the gaze and applause of the entire audience.

The Chinese team entered last.

As coach Miao Yunyou held the national flag, behind her were Luo Xinglan, Shen Yan, Wei Zijun, and the substitute Hua Ying. As they slowly walked into the venue, the entire crowd erupted into thunderous applause and cheers. Shouts of “Jiayou!” rose one after another, deafening in intensity.

Miao Yunyou gave a slight nod, a confident smile appearing on her face as she waved steadily toward the audience.

She felt that she had never been this confident in her entire life!

After the entrance ceremony, it was time for the most anticipated segment—the match draw. This would directly determine all subsequent matchups, and everyone present fixed their gaze tightly on the giant screen and the draw box at the center of the venue.

The staff had already prepared everything. On the massive screen, numbers from 1 to 53 slowly appeared.

Below each number were ten empty slots.

After the chairman pressed the confirm button, the numbers on the screen began to shuffle rapidly, and all the slots were filled with different numbers.

This determined the sequence of matches for the points-based competition!

Next came the draw to decide each team’s number.

The chairman and two notaries stood beside the draw box, supervising the entire process to ensure fairness and transparency, giving every country confidence.

Inside the draw box were 53 white ping-pong balls, each containing a slip of paper with a number. Coaches from each country stepped forward one by one, randomly drawing a ball without seeing the number inside, thus determining their team’s competition number.

When it was Miao Yunyou’s turn, the entire venue fell silent.

Everyone held their breath, eyes fixed on her every movement, hardly daring to breathe.

Calm and composed, Miao Yunyou stepped forward, reached into the box, and gently drew a ping-pong ball. She slowly opened it.

The number inside was 6—

China had drawn number 6!

Soon, all 53 countries completed the draw. The big screen began updating rapidly again, matching each number with a country’s name and automatically generating the date and time for every match. It was clear and easy to understand—everyone could see their country’s schedule at a glance.

All eyes, almost instinctively, turned to the first match—

Group A: No. 1 vs No. 6
Group B: No. 2 vs No. 37

Number 6 was the one Miao Yunyou had just drawn.

And Number 1…

Number 1 was South Korea!

The very first match would be China vs. South Korea—instantly igniting the atmosphere. The audience buzzed with discussion, their eyes filled with excitement and a hint of tension. No one had expected the opening match of this international event to be this compelling.

According to the procedure, the teams competing in the first match needed to give on-site interviews.

Host Brother Li, well-versed in hospitality, knew that the South Korean team were guests from abroad. So he first walked quickly over to their coach with a microphone and translator, wearing a polite smile as he asked:

“Hello, as one of the teams competing in the opening match, how do you and your team feel? What are your expectations for the upcoming competition?”