Chapter 231: A Dark Horse Appears
At the same time, the students from the other academies in the audience were also completely stunned.
"The gap is too big. It feels like there’s no point in even fighting anymore."
"Everyone who made it to the main competition is a genius!"
"Our university had over a hundred people make it to the main competition, but half of them were already eliminated after just two rounds."
"We’re all from Martial Arts Universities, so how are the students from the three top academies so much stronger than us?"
"It feels like they can take out geniuses from Martial Arts Universities like ours as easily as slaughtering chickens."
"Even the terrain can’t affect their performance."
Many students from the Ordinary Martial Arts Universities seemed to have suffered a huge blow to their confidence.
As the second round of the main competition continued, Lin Qi quietly chose to log off.
He stepped out of the Virtual Cabin, stood on the soft mats of the Martial Arts Room, and after a few simple stretches, he began his Cultivation.
’Time is precious. I need to make good use of this period to increase my strength.’
With that thought, he began to practice his Fist Technique. As he executed the Five Elements Fist, his muscles and tendons engaged with a series of CRACKING sounds, and he slowly released his Spirit Perception.
His Heart Eye Talent activated on its own, perceiving the exertion in his muscles and tendons, sensing the power in every fiber and texture of his muscles.
The Flow of Power was the unique Power of the Five Elements Fist, lacking the explosive impact of Mountain-Splitting Power.
It was exceptionally gentle, like countless streams flowing under his control.
He calmed his mind and felt for a peculiar power deep within his bloodline.
He wanted to draw it out and unleash it completely.
...
The next day, the entire academy was buzzing with the excitement of the National Freshman Competition.
But at the Azure Sky Sixth Institute, in standalone villa number 01, it was unusually quiet.
Inside the Martial Arts Room, Lin Qi was drenched in sweat, still practicing his boxing with a focused expression.
BANG! BANG!
His muscles exerted force, his Great Tendons vibrated, his Power flowed, and his muscle cells were in a state of intense activity.
An unknown power was also stirring deep within his body.
[By practicing the Five Elements Fist, you have gained a new understanding of Fist Technique. Fist Technique +1%]
[Little Divine Power "Vajra Transformation" Comprehension: 99%]
[Fist Technique: Tier Three 20% → Tier Three 21%]
...
"Hoo~"
Lin Qi slowly retracted his fist, took a deep breath, and looked at his status panel again.
’The Little Divine Power’s progress has finally reached 99%.’
’Just one percent more and I’ll be able to comprehend it. I hope the National Freshman Competition lasts a little longer.’
Lin Qi felt like he didn’t have enough time. A sense of urgency pressed down on him; he needed more time to devote to his Cultivation.
He had a hunch that there would most likely be geniuses with Awakened Special Abilities participating this year.
That made his Little Divine Power absolutely crucial!
...
A few minutes later, Lin Qi went online and entered the National Freshman Competition.
The audience was still bustling with activity, all discussing the second round of the main competition from that morning.
He looked at the massive Points Chart projected in front of him. With the end of the second round, the full Points rankings were out.
The rankings had changed dramatically.
Guan Mountain was ranked fifth, Jiangtao had dropped to sixth place, and Guo Heng had fallen out of the top ten.
Wang Qiufeng, Zhou Xiyin, Li Zhou, and others were at the top of the list.
Chen Zichuan had also managed to squeeze into the third round, ranked 898th.
Finally, there was Yu Jing, also ranked near the top, which put Lin Qi on high alert.
"Esteemed contestants!"
Vice-Principal Xu Wenji’s projection reappeared in a convergence of red light particles.
"The National Freshman Competition has now entered its second day."
"After yesterday afternoon’s fierce competition, the second round has concluded. Let us congratulate the 968 contestants on the Points Chart who have successfully advanced to the third round!"
CLAP! CLAP!
Thunderous applause erupted from the audience. To them, anyone who could advance to the third round was already among the most incredible geniuses they had ever seen.
"Next, allow me to introduce the rules for the third round."
After the applause died down, Xu Wenji continued, holding up three fingers.
"Starting from the third round, we will adopt a free-for-all matchmaking system. Everyone will be matched with an opponent."
"Only half of the contestants will be able to advance to the next round."
"Furthermore, contestants who advance from the third round will also receive a reward of 1,000,000 Xia Country Coins."
As Xu Wenji finished speaking, the intense atmosphere of competition surged once again.
By the third round, aside from the three great academies and the Ten Great Schools, the students from the remaining twenty-three Martial Arts Universities had been almost completely eliminated.
Of the 968 contestants, this averaged out to just over three hundred from each of the three top academies, with the rest being geniuses from the Ten Great Schools.
Averaging it out among the Nine Great Academies, that’s only about thirty or so people each, and all of them ranked this high were top-tier geniuses.
To achieve victory, one had to rely on true strength.
Xu Wenji spread his hands, and a massive, crimson energy sphere formed from special effects appeared between them.
BOOM!!
The Energy exploded, releasing countless virtual figures that landed on a giant chessboard, automatically completing the matchups.
A huge green screen was projected, displaying the match bracket for the third round.
"I now declare the third round of the National Freshman Competition officially open!"
As Xu Wenji’s projection dissipated, the arena began to transform, splitting into eight separate areas for simultaneous matches.
A moment later, sixteen pillars of light descended upon the arena, isolating the contestants from each other’s view.
Only the spectators in the audience could clearly watch the eight exciting battles.
Lin Qi let out a breath. The third round would definitely not be short.
That meant he had plenty of time to cultivate.
Thinking this, he immediately chose to log off.
At the same time, top geniuses from the three great academies, such as the Deans of various institutes—Huo Wanyang, Ao Feng, Li Hanjiang, Wei Peng, Liang Yuxin, and Zhong Xinyan—all logged off one after another to cultivate.
As geniuses, they all felt immense pressure and wanted to push their strength to the next level.
...
「That evening.」
Inside the Martial Arts Room, a gentle breeze was blowing, and gusts of fierce wind swept through the room.
Lin Qi, dressed in a black Martial Arts Uniform, sat cross-legged with his eyes tightly shut.
In his Consciousness Space, an astonishingly lifelike and majestic Vajra Tiger roared at the sky, frantically absorbing the boundless Source Energy around it.
He felt the Source Energy enter his body and begin the Refinement of every part, with his skin being the primary focus.
"Hoo~"
The next moment, Lin Qi opened his eyes, and it was as if a Vajra Tiger had awakened.
A tyrannical aura erupted from his body, stirring up fierce gusts of wind like waves.
[Your body has been tempered through Refinement. Qi and Blood Value has broken through. Qi and Blood Value +0.5]
[Qi and Blood Value: 65 → 65.5]
...
Lin Qi stood up, feeling an endless supply of power in his body.
He looked at the information on his status panel and let out a breath.
’Unknowingly, my Qi and Blood Value has broken through to 65.5. I’m not far from 70.’
’My Qi and Blood Value is already considered high among the freshmen. Even the geniuses from the Tenth Institute can’t have a value much higher than mine.’
’And my physical fitness is definitely no worse than theirs.’
Lin Qi slowly walked over to the Punch Force Tester.
’I’ve already increased my Qi and Blood Value by 25 since it was 40. Breaking through to the Second Realm only requires a Qi and Blood Value of 30. I need to test just how strong my Fist Power is now.’
BEEP!
The electronic screen of the Punch Force Tester lit up.
「One minute later.」
BOOM!!
Lin Qi’s Qi and Blood surged throughout his body, an explosive aura rushing outwards as his fist, like a cannonball, smashed heavily into the red Punching Target.
BAM!!!
With the heavy blow, the Punching Target shook violently, and a string of data appeared on the electronic screen—"4567.8 kg!"
Lin Qi revealed a satisfied smile. He was less than 500 kg away from the minimum 5,000 kg Fist Power of the Fourth Realm.
A single punch delivered over 4 tons of force; an ordinary boulder wouldn’t be able to withstand his fist at all.
’My body’s Talent is constantly evolving. My Fist Power at the same Realm is becoming more and more ridiculous compared to an Ordinary Martial Artist’s. I wonder if I can break 7,000 kg of Fist Power when I reach the Peak of the Third Realm?’
After some brief thought, Lin Qi went to test his speed.
「Two minutes later.」
The Speed Tester’s display flickered rapidly before settling on a string of data—"49 m/s".
He wasn’t far from the Fourth Realm’s minimum speed of 54 m/s, far surpassing other Martial Artists his age.
Lin Qi recorded the data.
Fist Power: 4567.8 kg
Speed: 49 m/s
’With my current physical fitness, I’m strong enough to handle any expert. The only ones I’m not sure about are the geniuses from the Tenth Institute. I don’t have any detailed intelligence on them.’
’So, to be on the safe side, I still need to comprehend that Little Divine Power.’
Lin Qi looked at the data, no longer dwelling on it, and resumed his Cultivation.
...
「November 27th, the third day of the National Freshman Competition.」
The spacious spectator stands were bustling with noise as the eliminated students discussed animatedly.
"The third round was amazing! I never knew Saber Technique could be used like that. I learned a lot."
"I never expected the gap to be so huge, even among the three top academies."
"People like Jiangtao and Guo Heng are so strong."
"And those geniuses who suddenly emerged from the Ten Great Schools are really powerful too."
"I wonder how they compare to the seeded contestants from the three top academies?" many spectators discussed among themselves.
In the Azure Sky Martial Arts Academy’s section of the audience!
"Brother Qi, it’s your turn to fight today!" Jiangtao said, leaning in closer.
Lin Qi nodded. After a full day of competition, the 482 contestants who had advanced to the fourth round were all determined.
Adding the 30 seeded contestants, the total came to a perfect 512.
Zhou Xiyin, who was beside him, also spoke slowly:
"Brother Qi, a genius emerged from Sichuan Martial Academy this year named Mao Jia. He ranked 65th on the college entrance exams, but the strength he showed yesterday was extremely high, stronger than any of us. He has the power of an S-class genius."
"Also, a top-level genius from Xia Imperial Military Academy named Yi Shaojie appeared. He was ranked 105th on the exams, but his strength now is incredible. He’s at the level of a seeded contestant."
’Mao Jia, Yi Shaojie.’ Lin Qi committed the two names to memory.
’Teacher Lu Wei was right. The Ten Great Schools can also produce one or two top-level geniuses.’
Jiangtao also sighed in amazement. "The improvement in their strength is insane. I can’t imagine how many resources were poured into training them."
"The two of them held the top two spots on the Points Chart in the second round."
"In our Sixth Institute, you’re probably the only one who can beat them, Brother Qi."
In the midst of their casual chat, Xu Wenji’s projection appeared once again.
"Greetings, students. The third round has concluded."
"Today, we will begin the fourth round of the competition."
"The thirty seeded contestants will also be joining the fray, so the real excitement is just beginning."
"The fourth round will also use a free-for-all matchmaking system. Only 256 contestants will be able to advance to the fifth round."
"Furthermore, contestants who advance to the fifth round will receive a reward of 1,500,000 Xia Country Coins."
As soon as his voice fell, his surroundings burst into flames, enveloped by a scorching fire special effect.
A moment later, the searing flames coalesced into a brand-new match bracket.
...