Chapter 196: First
Chapter 196: First
The crowd in the Azure Firmament Six Colleges’ zone stared at the Points Leaderboard, their expressions tense.
“Heh~”
“No chance left. There’s still a gap of over two thousand points. We’d need to kill nearly thirty Level-3 Disaster Beasts to catch up. How’s that even possible?” someone sighed, shaking their head.
“But even second place is satisfying,” another laughed. “Who’d have thought we’d end up in second?”
The group around him chuckled too.
That’s right! At the start, who could’ve imagined they’d storm into second place?
Now, just thinking about the amount of training time they’d gain from second place made their hearts race—enough to drastically boost their strength.
They could already picture the envious, resentful looks from students of other colleges.
…
In the large conference room, deputy deans from two other colleges watched Dean Liu with obvious envy.
Who could’ve predicted the Azure Firmament Six Colleges would snatch second place through sheer audacity? Regret gnawed at them—they should’ve done the same.
Back then, second place might’ve been theirs.
Dean Liu couldn’t help but fiddle with his earlobe, his heart pounding with exhilaration.
He knew exactly what they were thinking.
“You need real strength to pull off a last-minute leap—no one can do it but Lin Qi.”
“This kid Lin Qi, and the rest of them… they’re just too extraordinary.”
“Second place is already amazing!”
He felt satisfied—until he saw Lin Qi slowly rise on the live broadcast, facing the encircling Disaster Beasts.
Instead of fleeing, Lin Qi grabbed his black great spear and charged into battle.
Dean Liu froze. “Lin Qi still has energy to fight?!”
…
Disaster Beast Park, Zone 2
At the entrance of a Safe House, Duan Chuchu sat slumped against a wall, her hair disheveled, panting heavily, her entire body steeped in blood and the stench of slaughter.
She glanced at the Points Leaderboard. The Azure Firmament Third College remained in fourth place, while the Six Colleges had surged into second.
She shook her head. “No catching up now.”
Her stamina was utterly depleted. She’d given up completely.
…
In a dense jungle, Zhou Xi Yin, clad in white combat gear, sat on the ground, head bowed, gasping for breath.
“I’ve hit my limit. The rest depends on everyone else.”
…
Plop!
At 1.85 meters tall, Guan Shan swung his battle saber, cutting down Ironthorn Boars swarming around him.
His blade techniques cut like ruthless winter gales, mercilessly reaping the beasts’ lives.
Nearby, another towering figure wielded a battle saber just as fiercely, slicing through Level-1 Disaster Beasts.
Jiang Tao’s expression was resolute as he shouted to Guan Shan, “We’re almost out of strength. Killing Level-3s is impossible now.”
“We’ll just take down as many Level-1s as we can. Every bit counts.”
Guan Shan stared at Jiang Tao in awe. “Didn’t expect you to last this long.”
“You’re Lin Qi’s brother—no ordinary person.”
Jiang Tao grinned proudly. “Of course. Brother Qi’s growing, and so am I.”
“Guan Shan, if you don’t work harder, I’ll overtake you soon.”
Guan Shan’s lips curled into a grin. “Guess I’ve been underestimated.”
The two resumed waiting for more beasts.
…
The wind howled through crumbling ruins, scorching vines swaying in its wake.
Roar~ Roar~
Hulking, crimson-black figures loomed—over two meters tall, nearly four meters long. Their bodies gleamed with scales like glowing hot steel, reflecting blood-red metallic luster under the sun. The sharp-edged scales gleamed like blades.
Their boar-like heads stretched wide, snarling with tusks twice as curved as an Ironthorn Boar’s, their fangs gleaming with cold light. Their thick, pillar-like legs thundered with each step, charging like tanks.
The Ironblood Scaled Boar—Level-3 Disaster Beast. Massive, armored, and devastatingly powerful. Among Level-3s, it was a top-tier predator. Even two Grayspine Wolves would struggle to match one of these beasts.
Haa~ Haa~
Several Ironblood Scaled Boars charged, iron hooves churning up dust clouds as they barreled forward like crimson tanks.
“Here we go!!”
Surrounded but unbowed, Lin Qi’s body surged with energy despite exhaustion. Deep in the crisis, his bloodline gene seemed to awaken—strength, speed, and perception surging beyond his peak condition.
His black Taiyove Great Spear, blood-drenched silver runes still intact, sang through the air. No wonder it was a Tier-3 weapon—the tip bore only minor damage.
Lin Qi exhaled, his twelve major tendons rising like ropes across his body as his muscles swelled, unleashing over 3000 kilograms of force.
His Vital Force roared through his body. He controlled over 60% of it, compressing it into concentrated bursts channeled into the spearhead.
Spinning, he swung the long spear like a vortex, his waist as pivot, legs exploding with power—Thunderflash Body Arts!
He unleashed his full might against the trio of Ironblood Scaled Boars, activating his ultimate technique.
Split Mountain Spear Techniques, Second Form—Tsunami Spiral Strike!
Hoo~ Hoo!!
Like a whirlpool, Lin Qi engulfed the beasts. His Vital Force slithered like serpents along the spear, erupting outward.
Boom!!
Crack!!
The spear struck an Ironblood Scaled Boar’s jaw, Vital Force and impact crashing like tidal waves.
Haa~ Haa!
The sheer force shattered its jaw, the Vital Force piercing its skin, shredding its brain from within.
The beast’s skull exploded, blood trickling from its eyes, nose, and ears as its body flew backward, smashing into a concrete wall. Steel-reinforced bars bent and snapped.
Ironblood Scaled Boar: Dead
Points +100
Lin Qi’s gaze swept the remaining beasts as he launched another strike, his endless Vital Force surging anew.
“Die!!”
A terrifying aura erupted from him. The Golden Vajra Tiger seemed to awaken on his body, his eyes blazing like wildfire, golden light blazing.
“All of you—die!!!”
The spear surged forward like a tidal wave, his momentum rippling outward!
Haa~ Haa!
Boom!
Whoosh!
Shk!
As the Ironblood Scaled Boars screamed in agony, their metallic scales clanged, bodies crashing to the ground.
Boom!!
One by one, the beasts fell, dust clouds rising, blood pooling on the concrete.
Lin Qi’s Points soared.
Points +100, Points +100, Points +100…
Across the Azure Firmament Six Colleges, students stared wide-eyed at the Sixth Institute’s individual Points Leaderboard. Lin Qi’s total climbed relentlessly.
Three minutes before 5 PM, the numbers finally stabilized.
Beep!!
A collective beep echoed from everyone’s wrist devices—the signal: Disaster Beast Hunting Competition officially ended!
In a jungle, ancient trees stood scattered, their roots exposed, the earth stained red with blood and grass. Dozens of Disaster Beast corpses lay discarded.
Guan Shan and Jiang Tao, blood-soaked, leaned against a boulder, too drained to move.
They’d long since pressed the rescue button, awaiting the Imperial Military’s evacuation skycraft.
Jiang Tao opened the ranking list, seeing third place.
“Haha! Third place!”
“6100 Points! Can’t believe how much I’ll earn this time.”
“Guan Shan, I’m only 400 Points behind you. Next time, I’ll definitely overtake you.”
Guan Shan exhaled, feeling the pressure.
Even a top-tier genius like him from Northern Jiang Province felt the strain.
“Jiang Tao’s a genius everyone underestimated. They all looked down on him.”
Then he saw Lin Qi’s name at the top—15008 Points?!
Jiang Tao’s eyes nearly popped out. “Brother Qi’s too crazy!”
That was more than double their totals!!
“Truly a monster!”
…
Boom~ Boom~
A small green disc-shaped Skybreaker Craft descended into Zone 2’s depths, landing amidst abandoned ruins.
A breeze blew, carrying the thick stench of blood. Soldiers in green uniforms stepped out.
The sight before them froze the lead soldier—everywhere he looked, Disaster Beast corpses littered the ground.
Bodies everywhere—blood staining the asphalt. Level-1s, Level-2s, even Level-3s like Grayspine Wolves, all with identical fatal wounds.
All the work of one person? The soldier trembled in awe.
The bodies were too many, still fresh—some twitching faintly, not entirely dead.
Nearby, on a massive boulder cracked by Ironblood Scaled Boars, a figure in black-and-crimson armor sat resting.
The black-red great spear rested in his arms, blood dripping onto the rock.
Suddenly, he lifted his head, cold eyes meeting the soldier’s.
A wave of killing intent slammed into the soldier like a tidal wave.
“What monster is this?!?” The soldier felt like he’d encountered a god of slaughter.
…
In the War Fortress Plaza, the Azure Firmament Six Colleges crowd stared at the total Points Leaderboard, disbelief etched on their faces.
Eyes wide, blinking rapidly to confirm they weren’t hallucinating.
“Am I seeing this right? We’ve surpassed the Azure Firmament First Institute?!”
“You’re not!” someone confirmed.
Many had seen the moment—just minutes ago, the Six Colleges’ total Points had overtaken the First Institute’s.
Only six hundred Points ahead.
“We’re the Azure Firmament Six Colleges—first place!!”
Someone screamed aloud, and like a spark hitting dynamite, the plaza exploded into chaos.
The Six Colleges erupted in celebration.
“Sixth Institute—unstoppable!!”
…
(End of Chapter)
Chapter end
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