Chapter 410 - 396: Genius Competition
Many people’s brows furrowed, every one of them shocked by the number.
Everyone here was an Awakened genius, the most elite of the millions of martial arts prodigies each year.
An Awakened genius, the kind that only appeared once in every several hundred thousand Martial Arts Students.
They were all exceedingly rare, true prodigies.
Because they were so few and had Awakened Special Abilities, they all possessed a distinct sense of superiority.
But now, this place was filled with Awakened geniuses—and quite a few of them at that. Their sense of superiority vanished in an instant.
An intense sense of urgency and pressure washed over them like a tide.
This was true for everyone, whether they were an SS-level or SSS-level genius.
The principal, Liy Qifeng, who was dressed all in black, continued speaking:
"Every student here is a genius!"
"Or rather, being an Awakened genius is merely the minimum requirement for entry."
"You are the future pillars of our Xia Country! You are the future!"
"Calamity Beast invasions are becoming more frequent, and High-Level Calamity Beasts are emerging endlessly. The situation is growing dire, and the Insect Race lurks in the shadows."
"If we don’t become stronger, what awaits us is a doom from which there is no recovery—the extinction of humanity!"
"Time is precious. We don’t have much of it left."
"Time waits for no one!"
Upon hearing his words, everyone felt a heavy weight settle on their shoulders. They were geniuses who had enjoyed honor and praise, so it was only natural that they must also bear the responsibility.
Liy Qifeng said in a solemn voice,
"We don’t have much time, so you must all mature at an accelerated pace."
"We need to draw out even more of your potential."
"All you Awakened geniuses will compete together, and at the same time, we will provide you with even more Cultivation Resources."
"I hope that within a year, enough of you geniuses will be able to break through to the Seventh Realm."
When he finished, he raised his hand and projected a large green screen, which displayed a wealth of text and images.
"Our cultivation facilities are no different from those at your universities."
"The Refining God Tower, the Gravity Room, and the Disaster Beast Trial Tower!"
"Our focus will be on the Disaster Beast Trial Tower."
"We will also be ranking performances in the Disaster Beast Trial Tower—by year, and even among the entire student body."
"Rewards will be distributed at the end of each month!"
"The rewards will consist mainly of Cultivation Resources, with monetary prizes as a secondary incentive."
"Priority will be given to rare resources, such as the flesh and blood of a Level 7 Calamity Beast, or even the flesh and blood of a Level 8 Calamity Beast!"
At these words, the eyes of the more than one hundred students lit up, and another uproar swept through the crowd.
"It’s actually Seventh Realm Disaster Beast Flesh! That’s incredibly valuable!"
Wan Ming’s eyes widened, equally stunned.
"They’re really going all out!"
"For all Calamity Beasts, reaching the High-Level rank marks a qualitative transformation."
"Their corpses are treasures from head to toe."
"Their flesh and blood contain astonishing levels of nutrients and Source Energy. Every corpse is broken down and used in all sorts of Potions and Combat Suits."
"Consuming the flesh and blood directly can also trigger a massive transformation in a Martial Artist’s body."
"It’s even more effective than just practicing a Source Energy Skill!"
"In other words, consuming the flesh and blood before undertaking Source Energy Cultivation maximizes your efficiency."
Pei Jiu nodded in agreement.
"We’re all Fourth Realm Martial Artists. The Seventh Realm is several whole Realms above us."
"Once we consume their flesh and blood, our Qi and Blood Values will soar, and we’ll quickly break through to the Fifth Realm. Reaching the Sixth Realm in the future won’t be difficult either."
Chu Yu’s eyes lit up as well. The flesh and blood of a Seventh-Realm Calamity Beast was an immense temptation for him.
’Seventh-Realm Calamity Beast flesh and blood... You can’t buy that on the Red Dome House.’
Even for a High Realm Martial Artist, consuming the flesh and blood of a Seventh-Realm Calamity Beast is very effective.
Not to mention, he had just broken through to the Sixth Realm of Marrow Refining. If he could get his hands on the flesh and blood, he could greatly increase his progress. If there was bone marrow, it would be even better.
Liy Qifeng’s words piqued most people’s interest and ignited their passion.
He nodded in satisfaction. The competition in the Disaster Beast Trial Tower would serve to hone their Martial Arts.
Then, with the rewards they earned, they could enter the Refining God Tower and the Gravity Room to advance using the high Source Energy Concentration.
However, compared to raising their Qi and Blood Value, the institute placed more importance on improving their Martial Arts Skills.
Improving one’s Skill relied not only on Comprehension but also on stimulating potential through conflict.
"Now then, I declare this meeting adjourned!"
Liy Qifeng turned and left, and the other Eighth Realm Martial Artists also stood up.
Meanwhile, Lin Qi and the others in their seats received a message from Dean Liu.
[Dean Liu: Come to Classroom 02 on the 3rd floor for a meeting!]
The group headed to the Celestial Dome Tower and took the elevator to the third floor.
Everyone looked at the brand-new lecture hall. The walls were made of a special white alloy, and the glass windows projected various patterns.
A moment later, the entire classroom was filled with more than forty people.
They were clearly divided into factions led by the three top academies.
Chu Yu’s gaze locked onto a girl with an upright posture, delicate features, and wearing a military uniform.
Her aura was powerful; unbelievably, she was a Sixth Realm of Marrow Refining Martial Artist, just like him.
’An SSS-level genius?’
At this moment, Dean Liu, dressed in a white robe, walked in, accompanied by several men and women with powerful auras.
Dean Liu smiled and began to speak:
"Welcome, everyone, to the Celestial Vault Institute!"
"Let me introduce myself. My surname is Liu. I was previously the vice dean of the Sixth Academy at Azure Sky Martial Arts Academy."
"From now on, I will be the advisor for the second-year students. I am in charge of all matters, so feel free to ask me if you have any questions."
"Also, these teachers beside me will be your instructors, teaching you Martial Arts General Knowledge."
Dean Liu spoke briefly, then added everyone to a group chat.
He glanced around at all the students.
"There are no classes today, so you can all head to the Disaster Beast Trial Tower and begin your trials."
"For the 50 geniuses present, I’m sure the coming school year will be very interesting."
"Dismissed!"
After speaking, he turned and left with the other teachers.
The students began observing one another. They had competed against each other before during the global freshman tournament.
There were a full 50 Awakened geniuses present, all of them experts at the Fourth Realm.
No one wanted to be the weakest among them. Or to put it another way, everyone wanted the highest rank possible.
And so, they all hurried away.
Outside the Celestial Dome Tower, Lin Qi and the others left together.
Wan Ming was the first to exclaim.
"I never thought our second-year class would have another SSS-level genius, and one from the military at that."
The others nodded. Although the military also had geniuses, they were far from the level of the three top academies.
It was incredibly difficult to produce an SSS-level genius.
"Should we go back and start the Disaster Beast Trial?"
"I want to see just how strong I really am," Yu Zhuoran said.
"Brother Qi, where are you going?"
Wan Ming asked curiously, seeing Lin Qi heading in a different direction.
Lin Qi answered from the tram car he was in:
"The Refining God Tower!"
"I’m going too!"
A few others also followed Lin Qi toward the Refining God Tower.
A moment later, the group arrived at the Refining God Tower.
Compared to the Refining God Tower at Azure Sky Martial Arts Academy, this one was much shorter.
Wan Ming shook his head and commented,
"Everyone who can enter the Celestial Vault Institute is an Awakened genius. None of them have weak Spiritual Power."
"So the Spirit Shock on the very first floor will be terrifying."
Lin Qi looked at the tower. ’A sharp axe makes for easy work,’ he thought. ’Boosting my Spiritual Power first will make it easier to improve my Spear Technique.’
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