Chapter 169: Azure Sky Martial Arts Academy
"Looks like everyone’s here!" A deep, powerful voice sounded from behind the crowd.
In the distance, Yue Feng—dressed in a black suit, with an incredibly burly and powerful build and rugged features—strode over with great, powerful strides.
Manager Sun followed behind him.
Seeing Lin Qi, Yue Feng broke into a smile.
"You’re here!"
"Uncle Yue!" Lin Qi greeted him with a nod.
Yue Feng nodded, glanced around at the crowd, and said, "Everyone, follow me outside!"
With that, he walked toward the main entrance, and the group followed him out of the Martial Arts Dojo.
"RUMBLE!!"
A black shadow in the sky, at the very edge of their vision, grew steadily closer, gradually coming into view.
In the blink of an eye, it resolved into a giant, steel bird, rapidly approaching.
Many recognized it as a Giant Sparrow military transport aircraft.
However, compared to the transport planes from the Practical Training Camp, this one was black and red, brand-new, its steel body glinting coldly in the sunlight.
"WHOOSH~"
Amidst powerful gusts of wind, the Giant Sparrow transport plane came to a stop before them.
"K-CHUNK!"
The cabin door opened, and a formidable figure emerged. He walked up to Yue Feng, who was at the front, extended his hand, and spoke.
"Hello, I’m Duan Wei. I’m in charge of escorting the students this time."
Yue Feng nodded. Sensing that the man’s aura was quite strong—that of a Martial Artist at the Peak of the Sixth Realm—he reached out and shook his hand.
"I’m leaving these kids in your hands!"
Yue Feng turned to the crowd, his voice booming like a great bell.
"Alright students, board the transport plane in an orderly fashion."
Finally, he glanced at Lin Qi.
Duan Wei also spoke up. "Once you’re on the plane, find the seat marked with your name. Don’t sit in the wrong seat, or you’ll be responsible for the consequences."
After speaking, he too looked curiously at Lin Qi, the top scorer from Cang Province. The primary objective of this mission was to ensure Lin Qi’s safety.
With that, Lin Qi, who was standing at the very front, was the first to board the transport plane, with Jiangtao right behind him.
The others boarded the plane in succession.
"RUMBLE!!"
Once everyone was aboard, the fuselage shuddered slightly, then let out a roar as it began to slowly ascend.
Yue Feng stood his ground, letting the fierce wind whip around him, tugging at the corners of his clothes.
"Old Sun, what kind of results do you think Lin Qi will achieve at Azure Sky Martial Arts Academy?"
Manager Sun shook his head. "I can’t even imagine."
Yue Feng smiled. "A great roc soaring ninety thousand li straight up into the sky—that might just be Lin Qi."
"Facing even more top-level geniuses, he might be able to go even further. I’m really looking forward to it!"
...
The Imperial Capital, the political heart of Xia Country and a Martial Arts Sacred Land.
It was home to the most powerful forces in Xia Country’s Martial Arts world, including not only the headquarters of the Red Dome Martial Arts Dojo, but also the Azure Sky Martial Arts University.
These were the strongest of the Three Great Martial Arts Dojos and the three top universities, respectively.
Cang Province was in the south of Xia Country, nearly two thousand kilometers from the Imperial Capital. The flight by transport plane would take two hours.
"RUMBLE!!"
In a deep mountain range dozens of kilometers from the Imperial Capital’s city center, ancient trees towered into the sky, their leaves weaving a natural canopy.
On the transport plane, dozens of people gazed out the windows at the endless mountain range.
"In Xia Country, Martial Arts Universities are all built deep in the mountains, far from human cities."
"This is mainly because of the Space Gate technology. If it’s not properly controlled, it can cause immense destruction."
"Another reason is that the mountains are large enough to build a bigger campus."
The lean and powerful Duan Wei, sitting at the front, slowly began to explain to the group.
"I see the school!" someone shouted.
In the distance, a large patch of pitch-black suddenly appeared amidst the dark green mountains.
As they drew closer, they could see that it was a chain of colossal steel beasts, linked together as if lying dormant in slumber.
They were war fortresses, like a Steel Great Wall, their cold metal glinting in the sunlight.
Massive cannon muzzles and watchtowers stood majestically. The fortress’s metal walls were covered with countless scars of battle: blood, marks from weapons, and the claw marks of Calamity Beasts.
Within the countless war fortresses lay a vast, boundless complex of buildings that dominated everyone’s field of vision.
Unlike the fortresses on the perimeter, the buildings within were of various bright colors and different shapes, filled with a futuristic, high-tech style.
The various structures looked as if they were assembled from countless modules, like Transformers.
Countless flying vehicles moved in and out, and numerous metal spheres floated in the air.
At the same time, a massive statue appeared before them.
It was another colossal humanoid statue, over a hundred meters tall. Its body was tall and burly, and the muscles, carved from black stone, seemed to contain astonishing power.
It held a sharp Battle Saber, swinging it toward the sky as if to shatter the Azure Sky.
Its face was blurry and indistinct, its specific features impossible to make out.
Next to the statue was a giant stone plaque, on which were written four large words in a flamboyant, calligraphic style:
Azure Sky Martial Arts University
"Could this statue be the first headmaster of Azure Sky Martial Arts University—Emperor Red?" someone asked, their eyes shining.
"Why isn’t the face carved?" someone asked in confusion. Lin Qi wondered the same thing.
Guo Heng spoke up to explain, "It’s said that the face was originally carved by Emperor Red himself, and it contained his Sword Skill Realm."
"If an Ordinary person looked at the statue’s face, it would be as if they were struck by ten thousand blades of light, and their Spirit would instantly perish!"
"So, Emperor Red sliced it off, leaving behind the blurred features."
"And the remaining fragments of the face are said to have become a Heavy Treasure of our Azure Sky Martial Arts Academy. Many experts in Saber Techniques wish to observe it to enhance their Saber Technique Realm."
Everyone came to a sudden realization. "That’s incredible! A carving that contains a Mental Realm can actually kill people."
Lin Qi was also shocked to hear this. ’This is so much more powerful than the headmaster’s statue in front of Tianhai Wuda.’
He clenched his fists, his heart burning with passion. ’One day, I’ll also reach Emperor Red’s Realm.’
「A few minutes later」
The Giant Sparrow transport plane entered the Azure Sky Martial Arts Academy and slowly descended onto a massive plaza, not an airfield.
"Alright students, time to deplane!" Duan Wei stood up and announced.
Everyone stood up and disembarked from the transport plane in an orderly fashion.
The moment Lin Qi stepped off, he felt as if he was being targeted.
He frowned. The sky was filled with a dense array of black and red metal spheres, monitoring everyone.
"RUMBLE!!"
A fierce wind kicked up. Looking up, they saw another transport plane landing.
New students from that plane began to disembark one after another.
Lin Qi scanned his surroundings before finally looking at the gate in front of him. It was a massive metal school gate, forged from a special alloy, with a silver-white sheen.
The gate’s mechanical passageway was long, a good five or six meters, and was lined with steel machinery. There were also brawny guards in black and red uniforms and more than three intelligent robots.
"Why are we stopping at the gate? Shouldn’t we be at an airfield?" someone asked, confused.
Just then, Duan Wei stepped forward and addressed the crowd in a loud voice.
"From now on, every single one of you must pass through a security check to enter the campus."
"Don’t ask why. Just do as you’re told."
Seeing Duan Wei’s stern expression and powerful aura, the crowd suppressed their questions.
Guo Heng leaned closer to Lin Qi and said, "Brother Qi, you’re an S-class genius, so you should know about the Insect God Association and the Insect Race, right?"
"There are geniuses from several different years here who have Awakened Special Abilities, so they have to prevent the Insect Race from getting in."
Lin Qi nodded. He had already thought of that.
"RUMBLE!!"
Just as everyone was starting to line up to enter, a black and red, saucer-shaped ship suddenly appeared in the sky and flew directly onto campus.
"Why don’t they have to go through security?"
Someone asked, pointing at the saucer-shaped fighter craft in the distance.
Duan Wei smiled. "That’s a Sparrowhawk Fighter. It’s specifically for picking up geniuses from all over the country who have Awakened Special Abilities."
"The whole reason for the security check is to ensure their safety."
"If you were a genius who had Awakened a Special Ability, you wouldn’t need to go through security either. The academy’s vice headmaster might even come to pick you up personally."
After that, the person who asked fell silent.
"RUMBLE!!"
Another Sparrowhawk Fighter flew overhead, and countless people watched with envious eyes.
Lin Qi sighed inwardly. ’Even among S-class geniuses, the gap between those who have Awakened a Special Ability and those who haven’t is just too big.’
He queued up patiently, and soon it was his turn.
He stepped into the black passageway. The air hummed, and he could clearly feel an invisible wave repeatedly scanning his body.
Other than a slight feeling of discomfort, he felt nothing else.
"BEEP!"
"Sixth Institute freshman, Lin Qi, passed!"
At the end of the passageway, an electronic screen displayed the word "PASSED."
’So this is all it takes to pass!’
Lin Qi passed through the security checkpoint and entered the grounds of Azure Sky Martial Arts University.
The other geniuses from Cang Province also passed through the security checkpoint one by one.
"BANG!!"
Just then, a series of loud bangs caught the attention of Lin Qi and the others.
Not far away, a row of machines shaped like Punch Force Testers was set up.
Above them, two huge green screens were projected, filled with long lists of names.
"BANG!!"
Someone threw a heavy punch, striking a Punching Target, and data appeared on an electronic screen.
"Fist Power of 1620 kg!"
"Damn it, my Fist Power of 1620 kg isn’t even enough to get into the top 100?"
"What is this?" Jiangtao asked curiously.
A crowd slowly gathered to watch.
Duan Wei stepped out again, looked around, and began to explain in a loud voice.
"What you’re seeing is an old tradition here at Azure Sky Martial Arts Academy—a small entrance test."
"A Fist Power test. It’s a more direct way to display your strength."
He then pointed to the two screens and said, "The one on the left is the freshmen ranking, and the one on the right is the all-time ranking."
"The names on there are the Fist Power readings of your upperclassmen when they first enrolled."
"Anyone who’s interested can come give it a try."
"Of course, the moment you entered Azure Sky Martial Arts Academy, the competition had already begun."
"The Fist Power test allows you to get a rough idea of your own level and the level of others, which can better stimulate your competitive spirit."
As soon as he said this, the air fell silent for a moment.
Many students glanced at those around them, and a thick atmosphere of competition spontaneously erupted.
Lin Qi, meanwhile, was observing his surroundings. Hundreds, if not thousands, of people had already gathered around the Punch Force Testers.
It was as if a fire had been lit in everyone’s eyes, and it was now burning fiercely.
...