Infinity, The Arcade Age-Chapter 356: The Outcast Expelled from the Sect

He had even learned to fraternize with such disreputable characters!

Deciding without delay, Mai Shiranui commanded her female disciples, armed with training wooden spears, to forcibly push Qin Ming down the mountain.

Standing at the front with her hands on her hips, her eyes blazing with fury, Mai shouted,

"You! And you! Both of you, wait for me! When the King of Fighters Tournament comes, I will, in front of everyone, teach you this expelled disciple of Shiranui a lesson you won't forget!"

With that, Mai Shiranui turned and strode off. Following her, Blue Mary, with a broad, arrogant smile, waved her hand dismissively before placing her hands on her hips and turning away.

King, exasperated, shook her head and left as well, unwilling to get involved in the internal mess of the dojo.

At the doorway, only Qin Ming and Kasamoto Eri were left, standing alone.

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Seeing that Mai Shiranui really intended to drive him away, Qin Ming shouted hurriedly,

"Hey! Go ahead and beat me up if you want—but how am I supposed to compete? I don't even have an invitation!"

No sooner had his words ended than a large invitation card spun through the air and landed squarely in his hands.

Grasping the tournament invitation thrown by Mai Shiranui, and watching her and the others disappear down the mountain path in a huff, Qin Ming finally refocused his gaze.

He then turned his head furiously.

Right next to him, Kasamoto Eri reacted on reflex, her whole body trembling as she almost instantly turned and bolted.

She ran, and Qin Ming chased after her—removing one shoe in the process and waving it as if to hit her.

"What's this? If you're not going to fight, why are you grabbing her chest? Are you that used to acting like a pervert?"

Smack!

"Ah! Stop hitting! Didn't you say before that you'd already 'taken care of her'?"

"Well, I said I'd even take down the final boss, Orochi! Are you gonna try grabbing his chest too?"

"You can do it—but why shouldn't I?"

"You little brat! I'm not finished with you today!"

On the street, the two figures chased and dodged each other wildly, careening about in chaos.

Qin Ming was genuinely furious now—who could have expected that the first thing Kasamoto Eri would do upon showing up would be to go after someone's chest!

Yes, when they were drinking earlier, he'd boasted about how quickly he could take down Mai Shiranui and Blue Mary!

But that was nothing but boastful talk—drunken bragging isn't an excuse! He'd even said that his Nightmare Space was his!

Who would have guessed that Kasamoto Eri would actually believe him? Not only did she go up and grab, she even buried her head in it!

Originally, after being away for more than a year, for him to suddenly shout out about a woman had already shocked Mai Shiranui.

Now, for her to immediately start acting like a thug upon meeting him again was beyond shocking!

Before he could fully process it, Qin Ming and Kasamoto Eri found themselves ruthlessly double-teamed by the combined assault of Mai Shiranui and Blue Mary, who forced them out of the mountain gate.

Well, now his newly found organization was gone. The only consolation was that at least he had the invitation card in hand, so unlike the other adventurers, he wouldn't have to desperately search and scheme to get one.

Those who were issued an invitation were either already renowned experts or possessed formidable backing—hardly something one could easily secure.

Just obtaining the invitation alone would disqualify over ninety percent of adventurers.

Half an hour later, by the roadside, two figures walked side by side.

Qin Ming, scowling, led the way, while the beaten-down Kasamoto Eri, hunched slightly lower, trailed silently behind.

After a long while, Qin Ming finally sighed."Fine, if I'm kicked out, I'm kicked out. With Mai Shiranui's temper and Blue Mary's penchant for stoking trouble, if I don't play the pervert, I'd probably get kicked out too. Once they cool off, it'll all be fine."

Taking a deep sniff, he stared at the faint outline of the city ahead and furrowed his brows."The urgent matter now is to quickly find a teammate—since without three people, we can't form a team for the tournament. Do you have any good candidates for a teammate?"

Qin Ming called out, "Kasamoto Eri!" Since his original plan was to form his own team, he would naturally have to split from Mai Shiranui and the others.Although the process didn't go exactly as he had anticipated, the end result wasn't far off from his expectations—at least he had successfully secured the invitation.However, without the backing of Mai Shiranui and her local cronies, finding another teammate became a major problem.In a sea of people, where could they possibly find a top fighter to join their team?

Hearing Qin Ming's inquiry, Kasamoto Eri, who had been trailing behind, furrowed her brows and, after a brief moment of thought, answered decisively,"Magical Athena!"

Smack!"Use your head—get it out of your heels and think! She's from the superpower team! How on earth could she team up with us? Are you fixated on her again? I warn you, don't stir up trouble—she's a vegetarian! And her master, Zhen Yuanzhai, is no joke!"

"Tch."Eri, having been lightly smacked on the back of her head, glared at Qin Ming with a sour expression and spat out,"Isn't that an obvious answer? Blue Mary has already joined the Women's Fighters Team—replacing someone else! So let's go find the member who got bumped off!"

"Bumped off? Oh! You mean that woman called 'Orange'!"

"She's named Todoh Kasumi! The current head of Todoh Koryu! Don't underestimate her, alright? She's the ultimate mechanism monster—even able to take on the Cosmic Phantom with brute resilience!"

"I've told you several times: don't mix game mechanics with reality. Chen Guohan in the game is still among the top fighters!"

As Qin Ming tried hard to recall any intel on Todoh Kasumi, the more he thought about it, the tighter his brows became.Because there was so little information about her—Qin Ming only knew that she was a perennial daughter-searcher, and aside from that, practically no intel was available.After all, she rarely appeared—only a few times in total—but each time she did, thanks to her unique skill mechanics, she was always portrayed as a top-tier, high-performance fighter.

Teaming up with her for the tournament would be promising; while Blue Mary's nickname is "Queen of Turnarounds," Todoh Kasumi is also famed as a "slayer of rookies."

With a target quickly in mind, Qin Ming and Kasamoto Eri immediately set off toward the city. As for why they walked instead of catching a ride?Eri explained, "With your two-meter-three build, who would dare let you ride in a car? They'd have to be insanely bold!"

Hurrying along, they finally reached the legendary Todoh Dojo before nightfall.Staring at the enormous dojo before them, both men were visibly stunned—especially Qin Ming. He had never imagined that the Todoh Dojo, merely a minor side character in the game's storyline, would have such a massive territory and so many disciples!

Inside that gigantic dojo were over a thousand members—hardly the insignificant establishment one might expect.Clearly, the intel Qin Ming had collected was incomplete.

Although in the backstory the Todoh Dojo was only mentioned in passing—and its former head, Todoh Longbai (Kasumi's father), had suffered devastating defeats at the hands of Sakazaki Takuma and the Sakazaki father-son duo, causing him to vanish in shame—that in no way meant the Todoh Dojo was small! Todoh Koryu is a venerable school with over twenty generations of tradition!Todoh Longbai himself was considered on par with the karate master Sakazaki Takuma as an Aikido grandmaster in Japan!Otherwise, the two wouldn't have clashed fiercely over who deserved first place back in the day.

To hold his own against Sakazaki Takuma in a back-and-forth fight—and to make Takuma take notice—one could hardly be called weak.And his dojo? How could it be a small establishment?The long lineage of Todoh Koryu even surpasses that of the Extreme style!

"Sir, ma'am, are you here to train? If so, please sign up here."Seeing Qin Ming and Kasamoto Eri at the entrance, two disciples guarding the door brightened and immediately approached, displaying boundless enthusiasm.Their enthusiasm was well justified—after all, Qin Ming's imposing physique made him a living billboard!Even if he wasn't the best fighter, having someone so strong as a disciple was a tremendous asset.

Nowadays, the newly risen Shiranui Dojo is all the rage. Although it caters mainly to women and is sometimes criticized by other dojos as unorthodox, no one can deny that they are envious of its ability to rake in money and forge influential connections.The Shiranui Dojo had become the designated meeting place for high society, where not only did women work out, but it also served as a relaxation spot for well-to-do men.

While other dojos had struggled for generations to build a name and secure some influential backers, the Shiranui Dojo managed to pull it off in less than a year, and I've even heard rumors they're about to go on TV! They're in formal talks with the local government, promoting a healthy lifestyle—not just that martial arts are for fighting, but also for shaping a better life!

While other dojos were still fighting over territory, the Shiranui Dojo had already started its public listing. Naturally, other dojos couldn't help but be envious.It's a pity, though, that the various secret medicines of the Shiranui Dojo can only be refined using a special method unique to them—others simply can't replicate it.Even if they could, a dojo known solely for fighting that suddenly starts selling bust-enhancing medicine wouldn't exactly be well received.So the other dojos have been scrambling to bolster their own images, shifting their focus to publicity—a field they'd never really prioritized before.

And a bear-like man such as Qin Ming is nothing short of a perfect, natural promotional tool!"You can beautify and nourish your skin? Enhance your bust and firm your butt?I, on the other hand, can build strength and bulk up!"

(End of Chapter)