Chapter 411
Chapter 411
Lu Sheng had been searching for Dong Qingxue’s location. He soon found her sitting with Lin Wanwan. Dong Qingxue glanced at him briefly before turning back to talk to Lin Wanwan.
Lu Sheng’s gaze shifted to Dong Shengyi, who was sitting further away. Dong Shengyi was dressed in a snow-white martial arts uniform with the emblem of the Transcendence Martial Arts Academy on the left chest.
He sat quietly by himself, his black hair draped over his shoulders, his eyelids lowered, revealing no emotions. After a couple of glances, Lu Sheng withdrew his gaze, paying him no further attention. Though Dong Shengyi was quite strong, he never considered him a rival.
Dong Shengyi was like a majestic mountain, admired by many. But Lu Sheng was the sun. When the sun traversed the sky, it might glance down at the mountains, perhaps even praise their grandeur, but it never compared itself to them. They simply weren’t on the same level.
As Lu Sheng pondered, he gently massaged his temples. Maintaining the third stage of the Empty state, his brain received and released vast amounts of information every second, sometimes causing a bit of headache and fatigue. Fortunately, since the Heaven Bridge had opened, Lu Sheng’s spiritual power had been growing constantly, gradually alleviating this condition.
“The Martial God state is similar to my current state, but on a much higher level. In the Martial God state, I probably process more information in a second than I do in a day now. So the ‘CPU’ can easily overheat, making it difficult to maintain the Martial God state for long …”
As Lu Sheng mused, someone stepped into the center of the martial arts arena and shouted, “Attention everyone!”
The large arena fell silent immediately, almost to the point where one could hear snowflakes falling from the sky.
“The East Military Region’s grand competition is about to begin. Now, let us invite the Marshal and Commanders to speak …”
The host was General Xu Xuan, a five-star general who had previously shown goodwill to Lu Sheng at the General Star Center. After Xu Xuan’s announcement, several generals on the highest platform, including the Eastern Region Marshal, began to speak one after another.
Lu Sheng didn’t pay much attention to their words, focusing instead on their appearances. He had only seen two of the five generals of the Eastern Military Region before: Yu Xinghai and He Dingjun. The other three included a woman who appeared to be in her forties with a heroic demeanor, a man with a stern face and a mole on his brow, and another with sharp, chiseled features suggesting mixed heritage. As for the Marshal sitting in the center, he seemed like an ordinary elderly man with a slightly imposing aura, nothing particularly remarkable. However, Lu Sheng knew this man was one of the top figures in the martial arts hierarchy of the Dragon Kingdom, second only to the three Martial Sages.
“Perhaps I could find an opportunity to spar with a Region Marshal to estimate the real combat power of a Level 9 Martial …” Lu Sheng thought as he watched the elderly man speak, his eyes glinting slightly.
“The combat power of a Region Marshal is conservatively estimated to be over fifty stars. I wonder if my current combat power has reached fifty stars?” Lu Sheng tapped his finger lightly on his temple, where the number of immortal cells had long exceeded three.
“Alright, the military Region competition officially begins now!” Xu Xuan announced loudly after the East Region Marshal finished speaking.
The first to compete were the officers below the General Star rank. Despite being briefed on the rules by Wang Ye on the way here, seeing it firsthand, Lu Sheng couldn’t help but marvel at the unique military style.
Unlike the one-on-one matches of the National University Martial Arts Conference he had participated in, the military competition was a large-scale free-for-all. All participants entered the arena and engaged in a chaotic battle, with no weapons allowed but free to attack any opponent nearby. Once knocked down, a participant was eliminated until only one person remained standing. Simple, brutal, yet filled with the distinctive rugged style of the military, which suited Lu Sheng’s taste.
“What if someone cheats? Like teaming up to take out the strongest opponent first, or bribing others to protect them and secure the first place?” Lu Sheng casually asked Wang Ye, who was standing by his side.
Wang Ye smiled and said, “The first scenario isn’t considered cheating; alliances are allowed by the rules. And if someone can be taken down by a group, they aren’t truly strong. After all, strategy is part of one’s strength. As for the second scenario … it has happened before. Even if such a person wins, many will challenge them privately. Without true strength, they won’t be able to hold the title for long. Eventually, fewer people resort to such tricks for a hollow title …”
Lu Sheng understood. The military was different from other places, with a strong martial spirit and many martial arts enthusiasts. To be number one, one had to be prepared for constant challenges unless they were so strong that no one dared to challenge them. Otherwise, they would be pulled down from the top sooner or later. Thus, the title of military Region champion was both an honor and a test.
“Is the General Star group competition under the same rules?” Lu Sheng asked Wang Ye.
Wang Ye hesitated and said, “The General Star group doesn’t follow the same rules. Since there are fewer participants, they use a one-on-one draw format …”
Back to drawing lots again, Lu Sheng thought, shaking his head slightly as he focused back on the arena. At this moment, over a thousand officer martial artists were battling in the arena. The weakest among them were Level 5, with the strongest at Level 6, Level 6 peak, and even quasi-masters. The sight of over a thousand martial artists fighting, with white energies clashing, blood roaring like rivers, and the sounds of fists landing on flesh, was enough to make the spectators’ blood boil. Such a grand and spectacular scene could only be seen in the military.
Over a hundred referees moved around the arena, pulling out those who were injured and had fallen, checking their injuries, and then removing them from the field. Anyone caught carrying weapons, using hidden weapons, or poisoning was immediately taken out and handed over to the political department for handling.
The number of participants quickly dwindled from thousands to hundreds, then to tens, until only three remained. These three were all in poor condition, with bloodstains on their bodies but strong vital energy, all at the quasi-Master level. They exchanged glances and immediately engaged in a chaotic battle. Moments later, one was thrown out, another fell, and the last one standing was a sturdy man in his forties, pale-faced but raising his right fist high.
“First!” The man shouted hoarsely, coughing blood as he roared to the sky.
The surrounding officers stood up, shouting in unison, “First! First!” The sound shook the heavens, and the falling snowflakes were shattered by the sound waves. The converging energies were like a blazing bonfire. In this atmosphere, a new power surged from the sturdy man in the center of the arena. His energy soared, breaking through to the Grandmaster level. The crowd’s cheers grew louder, faces flushed with excitement.