Chapter 238: The Strongest Power
Meanwhile, Lin Qi returned to the stands.
The seventh round officially ended. Only 34 people advanced to the eighth round. Besides the 30 seeded contestants, there were also top geniuses like Mao Jia and Yi Shaojie, who had been meticulously groomed by the Ten Great Schools.
Lin Qi looked around. Aside from himself, everyone else from their Azure Sky Sixth Institute had been eliminated.
Jiangtao, Guan Mountain, Guo Heng, and Yu Jing had all been knocked out in the seventh round.
Among them, Jiangtao’s performance had been the most outstanding. He faced the Dean-level Zhuang Yang and, at one point, fought him to a standstill.
He already possessed nearly the strength of an S-class genius.
"Give me a few more months, and I’ll have the strength of an S-class genius too," Jiangtao said indignantly.
The people around him fell silent. After the seventh round’s matches, they understood that Jiangtao had officially surpassed Guan Mountain to become number one in combat power within the Azure Sky Sixth Institute, right under the Dean.
Guan Mountain felt the most pressure. If he didn’t want to be surpassed by more people, he would have to work even harder.
"Contestants!"
Vice Principal Xu Wenji’s projection reappeared, coalescing from particles of light and shadow.
"Let’s congratulate the 34 contestants who have successfully advanced to the eighth round. Every one of them is the elite of the elite."
"The upcoming matches will be even more exciting."
In the stands, many contestants were eager to fight. Basically, everyone left was an S-class genius; there wasn’t a single weak one among them.
"Contestants who pass the eighth round will receive a prize of 6,000,000 Xia Country Coins."
"Also, of the 36 contestants, only 18 will be able to advance!!"
As soon as Xu Wenji said this, a commotion erupted in the stands.
"Thirty-six contestants? Not thirty-four? Where did the extra two come from?" someone asked in confusion.
"Maybe Principal Xu misspoke."
Just as the audience was bewildered, geniuses like Lin Qi, Huo Wanyang, Li Hanjiang, and Liang Yuxin all frowned, a bad feeling rising within them.
Xu Wenji chuckled and began to explain:
"Just last night, two contestants used wild cards to join the competition midway."
"So we now have 36 contestants!"
After Xu Wenji’s loud announcement, the screen in front of him began to refresh. In addition to the original 34 contestants, two more names now appeared at the end of the list.
[Tan Pei’er (Shanyu Martial Arts University)]
[Han Zhen (Azure Sky Martial Arts Academy)]
...
The moment the two names appeared, the expression on Liang Yuxin’s face, who was in the Shanyu Martial Arts University section of the stands, changed drastically.
’So a genius from the Tenth Institute really did enter!’
’And of all people, it’s that shameless Tan Pei’er. But the National Freshman Competition prohibits the use of Special Abilities, so there isn’t much difference between her and me.’
’I might even be able to defeat her!’
At this thought, the furrow in Liang Yuxin’s brow smoothed out.
In the Nether Sea Martial Academy stands, Li Hanjiang even broke into a smile:
"This is unexpected, but it’s good that they’ve entered."
"Just fighting Lin Qi isn’t that interesting. A battle with a genius from the Tenth Institute is more stimulating. Maybe my Spear Technique will even improve."
In the Azure Sky Sixth Institute stands, Lin Qi frowned. ’As I thought,’ he mused. ’My intuition was right. Geniuses from the Tenth Institute really did enter the competition.’
Not one, but two!
"What’s the deal with Tan Pei’er and Han Zhen?" Jiangtao asked, confused.
"They hold wild cards and have joined the competition directly at this stage. Only geniuses who have Awakened a Special Ability are qualified," Guo Heng explained, his expression grave.
"Damn, that’s not fair! Who can beat them if they have Special Abilities?" Li Zhou said, shaking his head.
"They will be prohibited from using their Special Abilities," Guo Heng explained again.
"Then there’s nothing to worry about," Jiang He and the others said, breathing a sigh of relief.
"Brother Qi, we’re here to fight the best. We’ll walk over these geniuses to take the championship," Jiangtao said seriously.
Lin Qi smiled as well. Jiangtao’s thoughts aligned perfectly with his own. He had trump cards; even against geniuses from the Tenth Institute, he was confident he could defeat them.
In a corner of the stands, several figures appeared, among them Tan Pei’er and Han Zhen.
They looked at the screen, their expressions eager for a fight.
...
Meanwhile, the crowd in the stands also began to understand what was going on with the wild card contestants, and an uproar ensued.
"Are they the geniuses who have Awakened Special Abilities?"
"They’re actually participating too?"
"We finally get to see the mysterious geniuses from the Tenth Institute!!"
They all felt the competition was only going to get more exciting from here.
"Then, I declare the eighth round of the National Freshman Competition officially open!"
Xu Wenji slowly extended his hand, and a huge black Magic Cube appeared in it. It had thirty-six faces, each bearing a contestant’s name.
BANG!
In the next instant, the black Magic Cube shattered, and its 36 blocks reassembled into a brand new match-up bracket.
Eighteen pairings appeared before everyone.
Lin Qi memorized the bracket in a single glance. His own match-up stood out.
[Match 1: Lin Qi (Azure Sky) VS Wei Peng (Nether Sea)]
Lin Qi was quite surprised. He was up in the very first match.
"Next, let’s welcome the two contestants for the first match: Lin Qi from Azure Sky Martial Arts Academy and, from Nether Sea Martial Academy, the top scorer of the college entrance exam, Wei Peng!"
Xu Wenji’s projection dissipated, but his voice continued to ring out.
CLAP! CLAP!
Applause erupted from the stands. This was bound to be a spectacular match-up; they were starting things off with a main course.
On one side was Lin Qi, the current number one freshman of Azure Sky Martial Arts Academy, who had taken the top spot by defeating Huo Wanyang, the college entrance exam’s runner-up.
On the other was Wei Peng, the former top scorer of the college entrance exam and currently the number two at Nether Sea.
It was also a clash between Azure Sky Martial Arts Academy and Nether Sea Martial Academy, promising plenty of highlights.
In the stands, Lin Qi slowly stood up and transformed into a crimson pillar of light that descended onto the arena. The people around him were completely confident; there was no way Lin Qi could lose.
"How about a bet? How many moves will it take for Brother Qi to finish Wei Peng?" Jiangtao proposed.
"I bet ten moves. Putting down a hundred bucks!"
"I’ll bet on nine moves!"
The group started placing their bets.
...
On the ruin-like arena, two crimson pillars of light descended onto the asphalt road.
A few seconds later, two figures slowly emerged from within.
Lin Qi was still wearing his black Combat Suit, holding the 100-kilogram Black Great Spear in one hand.
His gaze locked onto the opposite side as a burly figure emerged, wielding a heavy, sharp War Axe.
Wei Peng wore a violet-black Combat Suit. The tight-fitting suit revealed his burly frame and rock-like muscles.
His presence was incredibly oppressive. He was over 2.2 meters tall, like a frenzied giant bear on a battlefield.
Seeing Wei Peng, Lin Qi could tell just from his aura that the Source Energy Skill Wei Peng cultivated was the *Strong Bear Evolution Technique*.
It granted Cultivators unparalleled, world-shaking physical strength.
Wei Peng grinned at Lin Qi and said:
"Lin Qi, so you’re the number one freshman from Azure Sky Martial Arts Academy."
"Even Huo Wanyang lost. Looks like he wasn’t all that great after all."
"Next, I, Wei Peng, will defeat all my opponents and take the championship, starting with you, Lin Qi!"
He swung his War Axe, pointing the sharp Axe Blade at Lin Qi as he spoke with confidence.
Lin Qi tilted his head up and said calmly, "Try me with your full strength."
As he spoke, an invisible aura emanated from him, and his eyes seemed to erupt with a golden light.
It was as if a giant golden tiger had awakened within his body.
[Countdown: 3, 2, 1...]
[The first qualifying match has officially begun!]
Above the arena, the voice of the intelligent system instantly echoed through the stands.
Millions of pairs of eyes turned to the arena in unison.
...