Chapter 140: The Disparity Between Masters
"WHOOSH~"
A wind stirred from nothing inside the Martial Arts Room, whistling softly around Lin Qi.
Within his Perception, he could feel a dense concentration of Source Energy Particles gathering around him. ’Perhaps because no one has absorbed them for so long, a massive amount of Source Energy has accumulated.’
The massive Vajra Tiger opened its cavernous maw and let out a roar, pulling all the Source Energy Particles toward it.
’I’m at the Joint Training Base right now, right next to Celestial Sea Martial Arts University.’
’I’ve heard that both the military and the Martial Arts Universities have the technology to open a Space Gate. It’s some kind of super-advanced, almost magical tech.’
’They can open micro Space Gates to channel Source Energy Particles from the Otherworld to Blue Star.’
’That’s why the concentration of Source Energy Particles in their territories is so high.’
Lin Qi thought to himself as the surrounding Source Energy Particles converged. It was like a faucet had been turned all the way up; a torrent of Source Energy flowed unceasingly into his body.
His stomach grew hotter and hotter as it furiously digested the nutrient meal.
His entire body was like an engine revving at high speed.
He immersed himself in the process, guiding the Source Energy to transform and evolve his muscles and tendons. With each deep breath, his chest heaved, and his aura steadily grew stronger.
「Two hours later.」
"BOOM!!"
"WHOOSH~"
Lin Qi opened his eyes, releasing a powerful aura as a Golden Light flashed within them.
He heavily exhaled a breath of stale air, creating a small gust of wind.
[You have absorbed a large amount of Source Energy. Your Qi and Blood Value has broken through. Qi and Blood Value +0.3]
[Qi and Blood Value: 23.2→23.5]
...
Lin Qi was secretly astonished. The effect in this Martial Arts Room was incredible.
’Is this the Cultivation environment at a university? If I could always cultivate in an environment like this... ’
’The rate at which my Qi and Blood Value increases would get another huge boost.’
’I might be able to break through to the Third Realm very soon.’
"DING DONG!!"
The doorbell suddenly rang. Lin Qi opened the door to see who it was.
The moment the door opened, Jiangtao felt a piercing Sharpness wash over him. His expression changed slightly, and an inexplicable discomfort settled in.
’Brother Qi got stronger again?’
’Just how strong is he now?’
Seeing his reaction, Lin Qi quickly reined in his aura and asked:
"What’s up, Taozi?"
Jiangtao gathered his thoughts before speaking:
"I just got a notification. The official combat training doesn’t start until tomorrow."
"But this afternoon, there’s going to be a simple warm-up match, and it has prizes!"
"This is also the first year they’ve held it!"
Hearing this, Lin Qi’s eyes lit up:
"Tell me about the rules and rewards!"
Jiangtao took out his smartphone and said, "I asked Teacher Zhang about it. He’s going to announce it to everyone in the group chat soon."
"We can log in to the Celestial Sea app. There’s a link for the warm-up match at the very bottom where you can register."
"The warm-up match starts in exactly one hour!"
"The rule is that 50 people are thrown in together to fight each other. The last person left standing in the melee wins and gets a cash prize."
"The prize amount is unclear, but it’s definitely not small."
Lin Qi mused on this. A 50-person free-for-all. He’d never experienced anything like it.
He then took out his phone and started the registration process. He had too few channels for earning money.
So, he wasn’t about to pass up any opportunity to make some cash.
About ten minutes later, Zhang City did indeed post a message in the group chat.
Lin Qi opened the app and saw the number of registered participants climbing continuously. It quickly surpassed the 1,500 mark.
「Ten minutes later.」
"CLICK!"
Jiangtao closed the door and said, "Let’s go. We should head to the virtual hall."
Lin Qi nodded, and the two of them set off together.
According to the map, the virtual hall was located in the center of the dormitory complex.
Soon, the two arrived at the virtual hall. The first thing they saw was a spacious hall with brand-new decorations.
It was obvious the renovations had been completed very recently.
Neatly arranged in the middle were rows of new, white Virtual Cabins, numbering over a hundred by his estimate.
In Lin Qi’s eyes, it was about 80% similar to the virtual hall at the Red Dome Martial Arts Dojo.
A clamor of voices reached Lin Qi’s ears. A large crowd had already gathered.
"Brother Qi!"
Just then, not far away, Lv Xiang, Wu Feng, Qiu Siying, and Guo Heng spotted Lin Qi and hurried over.
"Lin Qi, I knew you’d definitely join an event like this," Guo Heng said after bumping fists with him.
"Can’t be helped. Poor family, need the money," Lin Qi joked self-deprecatingly.
The group caught up and chatted for a while.
"There are only three minutes left before it starts, and the number of registrations has already passed two thousand."
"If we’re randomly split into groups of 50, that means over 40 people will be able to get a prize. We all have a chance," Lv Xiang said excitedly.
If it were 100-person groups, they wouldn’t stand a chance.
"BOOM!!"
「Three minutes later.」
A loud sound echoed as a figure was projected into the virtual hall.
It was a middle-aged man in a dark green military uniform, with gentle features and a scholarly air.
"Hello, everyone!"
"My name is Yuan Ji, and I will be your host for this warm-up."
"At three o’clock sharp this afternoon, we will begin the warm-up match to prepare for tomorrow’s combat training."
"You are all already familiar with the rules, so allow me to introduce the prizes."
"Each warm-up match will have 50 contestants. As long as you are the last one standing, you will receive one million Xia Country Coins!!"
As soon as he said this, many people’s expressions turned to excitement.
Not everyone came from a wealthy family; the vast majority were from ordinary backgrounds.
Even for those from well-off families, 1,000,000 Xia Country Coins was no small sum.
’Surviving until the end doesn’t necessarily mean you’re the strongest. And it’s completely random, so maybe I have a chance,’ someone thought, clenching their fists and psyching themselves up.
"Now, for the contestants in the first group, you will be notified by text message. Please enter a Virtual Cabin and log into the Red Realm as soon as possible."
After speaking, Yuan Ji waved his hand, and a large screen appeared before everyone.
Projected in its center was a wide, circular arena floating in the air, built from a special, hard, silver-gray stone.
"I got the text!" someone exclaimed.
"I got it too!" Lv Xiang said, showing the text notification to the others gathered around him.
"Good luck!" the others cheered.
Lv Xiang nodded, then turned and joined the other selected participants filing into the Virtual Cabins.
A moment later on the big screen, one by one, figures dressed in various Combat Suits and holding different Weapons like sabers, spears, and swords descended into the arena as crimson pillars of light.
At the same time, the names of the fifty participants and the cities they represented appeared on the screen.
In the bottom right corner, a one-minute Countdown began.
"Zhou Xiyin is in the first group!" someone shouted, pointing at the screen.
[48: Zhou Xiyin (Celestial Sea City)]
Lin Qi and the others also found Zhou Xiyin in the arena. She was wearing a white Combat Suit and holding a sharp Clear Sword, silently observing her surroundings.
[Countdown 3... 2... 1...]
[The slaughter begins!]
An automated voice echoed through the air.
"BOOM!!"
Instantly, all the pillars of light vanished. Countless people began swinging their Weapons at those around them.
"BANG! BANG!!"
"CLANG CLANG~~"
"AHH!!"
The chaotic slaughter began in an instant. Less than two seconds in, someone was already dead.
[Survivors: 49/50]
...
[Survivors: 45/50]
...
[Survivors: 40/50]
...
In the arena, everyone was caught up in a chaotic frenzy of killing.
The number of participants was decreasing rapidly.
Lin Qi’s gaze was fixed on Zhou Xiyin. The moment the slaughter began, she became a phantom, her Clear Sword slicing through the air.
"PFFT~"
A man to her right holding a Battle Saber stared with wide eyes, seeing only a flash of cold light before his throat was slit.
’Too fast!’
A girl in a Red Robe not far away saw this, her eyes widening in terror as she began to tremble uncontrollably.
"It’s Zhou Xiyin!!"
Before the words even left her mouth, Zhou Xiyin’s gaze locked onto her, and the Longsword in her hand shot out like Lightning.
"CLANG CLANG~~"
"PFFT~"
After two consecutive clashes, the Longsword was knocked from the girl’s hand. The next second, a clear line of blood appeared on her throat.
Two kills in ten seconds.
Zhou Xiyin didn’t stop, continuing her slaughter.
"So strong!"
Guo Heng said with a frown, and Jiangtao nodded in agreement.
...