Chapter 228: They Can Only Look Up
BUZZ!
Lin Qi opened his eyes, and the world before him had completely changed. What was once an empty void was now a vast, clear sky.
He now wore the red and white uniform of Azure Sky Martial Arts Academy, its emblem—a crimson Sharp Sword—embroidered on his right breast. His feet stood on solid, smooth ground.
The sky overhead was a clear blue, with white clouds drifting by.
A cacophony of voices filled his ears.
"Is this the National Freshman Competition?"
"Are we floating in the sky?"
The crowd of students looked around, filled with curiosity about everything they saw.
"Brother Qi!"
Lin Qi turned his head to find that his friends—Jiangtao, Guo Heng, Wang Qiufeng, Zhou Xiyin, and Li Zhou—had all logged in and were gathering around him.
They were surrounded by students from the Azure Sky Sixth Institute. In the distance, students from the other institutes were also logging in one after another.
The Nine Great Academies were clearly separated, with each assigned its own area. Their Deans all stood at the forefront of their respective groups.
"Brother Qi, it’s Nether Sea Martial Academy and Shanyu Martial Arts University!"
Jiangtao pointed into the distance, and many others followed his gaze.
Lin Qi looked to his side. They were situated on a solid white Floating Island. To the left and right of their Azure Sky Martial Arts Academy island floated two others.
He could clearly see a massive flag fluttering in the wind.
It was a blue flag, embroidered with an exquisite school emblem depicting the sea.
To his left, the flag bore a solid black school emblem depicting the earth.
Lin Qi looked up and saw the red and white flag flying directly above him.
The Floating Islands of the three top academies were arranged in a triangular formation.
If he chose to, Lin Qi could clearly see the top geniuses of the other two Martial Arts Universities standing on their own Floating Islands.
"Below them are the Ten Great Schools, and on the third tier are the other twenty-three Martial Arts Universities!"
Jiangtao again pointed below their Floating Island, and only then did everyone notice the layers of other Floating Islands beneath them.
The Thirty-six Martial Arts Universities of Xia Country were arranged in a three-tiered Pyramid.
The first tier consisted of the three top academies, the second tier held the Ten Great Schools, and the third tier was for the remaining twenty-three Martial Arts Universities.
The disparity in strength was on full display. The students on the second and third tiers could only look up with envy at those from the three top academies.
"Esteemed contestants!"
BUZZ!
Just then, a colossal figure was projected in the space between all the academies.
He had a lean face, a beard, and an air of refined elegance.
The students of Azure Sky Martial Arts Academy recognized him as their vice principal—Xu Wenji!
"Esteemed contestants, the National Freshman Competition is hosted in rotation by the three top academies. This year, it is our turn at Azure Sky Martial Arts Academy. I am the vice principal of Azure Sky, Xu Wenji, and I will be the host of this year’s competition."
Xu Wenji spoke slowly, his voice carrying clearly into everyone’s ears.
"First, allow me to welcome all of you to the preliminary round of the National Freshman Competition."
"The National Freshman Competition is divided into a preliminary round and the main tournament."
"Today, from over 1.5 million freshmen, we will select the 15,000 contestants who will advance to the main tournament."
"Out of 1,536,521 contestants, 99% will be eliminated."
"We will throw all contestants into the preliminary arena. More than 1.5 million of you will battle it out, and only 15,000 will be able to advance."
After Xu Wenji finished speaking, everyone could feel the chilling brutality of the announcement.
Some schools might only have a handful of students advance to the main tournament; the rest were just there to be cannon fodder.
"Of course, in this first preliminary round, for every opponent you successfully kill, you will receive a reward of ten thousand Xia Country Coins."
"The limit is 500,000 Xia Country Coins!"
As soon as he said this, many of the students erupted with excitement.
Not every prodigy was from Azure Sky Martial Arts Academy; most of them had only signed D-level contracts, or even contracts below that.
Their Martial Arts Dojos had only given them a few hundred thousand Xia Country Coins in signing bonuses.
For them, ten thousand Xia Country Coins was not a small sum.
"I’ll kill a few people. Maybe I can make a fortune."
"I’ll use the money I earn to buy resources and get stronger."
Many students clenched their fists, their eyes hardening with resolve. For the money, they would give it their all.
Xu Wenji gave a light laugh and raised his open palm.
"Then I declare that the first round of the national preliminaries... has officially begun!"
As he finished speaking, an object in his palm began to expand, growing larger and larger, while all the Floating Islands began to recede.
A vast forest appeared in every student’s line of sight.
Lin Qi knew what it was. ’It’s a forest, shrunk countless times to look like a model.’
WHOOSH! WHOOSH! WHOOSH!
At the same time, everyone around him began to transform into crimson pillars of light.
"This time, I’m going to kill 50 people and earn that 500,000 Xia Country Coins!" Jiangtao shouted.
With that, he transformed into a pillar of light and was shot into the massive forest below.
At the same time, over 1.5 million crimson pillars of light descended into the boundless forest.
Lin Qi glanced around. The crowd was gone; only he and the other chosen contestants remained.
Nearby stood the Deans of Nether Sea and Shanyu. Lin Qi’s gaze locked onto a tall, powerfully built man from Nether Sea Martial Academy. He had broad shoulders, a ramrod-straight posture, and resolute features that looked as if they were chiseled from stone.
The man’s aura was as frigid as arctic ice. He was the number one student of Nether Sea: Li Hanjiang.
In the area for Shanyu Martial Arts University stood a tall, slender girl in a black uniform. Her hair was silver-white with streaks of black, and her features were exquisite.
She was the strongest student of Shanyu Martial Arts University—Liang Yuxin.
As Lin Qi observed them, they were also secretly studying him.
[Countdown complete. The preliminary round has now begun!]
The sound of an AI voice echoed through the air, and Lin Qi turned his gaze back to the forest arena.
The arena was truly wondrous. As Lin Qi’s gaze swept over it, every detail within became perfectly clear to him.
It gave him the feeling of looking down on a chessboard.
"Kill!"
Across the sprawling jungle, countless crimson pillars of light descended. The contestants materialized and were given one minute to choose their Combat Suits and Weapons.
They were scattered into every corner of the jungle, each person appearing just two meters away from another.
The preliminary round was now underway. As the pillars of light faded, the slaughter began. Countless contestants immediately swung their Weapons at the person beside them.
A screen hovered above each person’s head, displaying the name of their academy.
"KILL!"
The clash of Weapons echoed throughout the entire jungle.
BANG!
PFFT! PFFT!
Some contestants were killed instantly. There were no limiters; the simulation scanned and replicated their real-world Qi and Blood Values and physical attributes.
The gap in their strength was instantly revealed.
"Too weak!"
"I’m from Jiangnan Wuda! How could you possibly be a match for me?"
A tall man swung his War Axe in a fierce downward chop. His opponent blocked with his saber, but the immense force of the blow slammed him to his knees in the mud.
"So strong!"
The opponent went numb. A second later, the sharp War Axe slit his throat.
"That makes three!"
"Thirty thousand Xia Country Coins in the bag! Haha!" The man with the War Axe roared with laughter.
PFFT!
Just then, a cold glint of light flashed from behind, instantly piercing the man’s neck as blood sprayed into the air.
The man’s eyes went wide as he collapsed, his body dissolving into nothingness and vanishing on the spot.
A handsome, resolute-looking man appeared in his place, swinging a Battle Saber.
"Idiot!"
The screen above his head read: [Azure Sky Martial Arts Academy—Chen Zichuan]
...