Chapter 198: Individual Tournament Begins
Chapter 198: Individual Tournament Begins (Requesting Monthly Votes)
By now, Jiang Tao and the others had also sat down to rest, drinking Restorative Elixirs to recover from exhaustion.
"Haha, I never expected we'd end up taking first place after all!" Jiang Tao suddenly burst out laughing as his strength began to return.
"Right? Who knew we'd be this strong? Closing a 50,000-point gap in nine hours is insane", Guo Heng added, shaking his head in awe.
"That just proves we're no pushovers", Zhou Xi Yin said with a smile.
Guan Shan turned to Lin Qi. "Actually, we owe this to Brother Qi. He went full beast mode in those last nine hours, stacking over 10,000 points alone."
"Almost a fifth of our total came from him!"
Guan Shan's eyes glowed with admiration. Lin Qi's performance had been otherworldly—the so-called Bei Jiang Province prodigy had buckled under the pressure long before Lin Qi finished the job.
"Brother Qi's amazing!" Jiang Tao shouted.
"Brother Qi's amazing!" The others echoed, exchanging grins before joining the chant.
Lin Qi waved them off, shaking his head. "Stop it, you're overdoing it. This victory was a team effort."
He glanced at the points leaderboard, reflecting on their narrow margin. Even after his killing spree, the college had barely edged out Azure Firmament First Institute by 600 points. Without Ao Feng and Huo Wanyang dropping out, their Sixth Institute would've been crushed.
Still, outsmarting the system felt damn good.
"Attention, students!" A massive 3D projection materialized before the crowd of 9,000.
Deputy Principal Xu Wenji surveyed the sea of faces. "The 41-hour Disaster Beast Hunting Competition has concluded. There were surprises and setbacks—but that's martial arts for you. Nothing's impossible."
He paused. "Congratulations to the Azure Firmament Six Colleges for claiming first place!"
A wave of reactions rippled through the crowd. The Six Colleges' students grinned—their reward meant nine extra hours of public training resources and a 90% boost in dormitory Primordial Energy concentration. Meanwhile, Azure Firmament Nine Courtyards and First Institute's members fumed, their earlier smugness evaporated.
"Rest well tonight", Xu Wenji continued. "Tomorrow begins the Individual Tournament. Prize money for beast kills will be distributed after the event."
His projection faded as the crimson sun dipped below the horizon.
---
Half an hour later
Boom! Lin Qi kicked open his villa door, lugging gear from the transport shuttle. After stripping off his combat suit for cleaning, he stepped into a steaming shower.
As the hot water rinsed away grime, his Status Panel flickered:
[Spear Techniques proficiency increased by +3% through life-or-death combat.
Spear Techniques: Second Stage 79% → Second Stage 82%]
He exhaled sharply. Three days of relentless slaughter had pushed his skills to the brink. Even the Ironblood Scaled Boar—a Level-3 beast powerhouse—had fallen to his limits.
"My body's maxed out. Vital Energy Stat should climb soon", he mused, recalling how his cell absorption capacity had skyrocketed during the team event.
---
Two hours later
[Your body's exhausted, but Primordial Energy absorption surges.
Vital Energy Stat: 38.1 → 38.6]
Golden light flashed in his eyes as he stood, muscles humming with energy.
"Training efficiency's through the roof", he realized. "Three days of beast-hunting starvation really paid off."
A blue projection of Xiaochan interrupted. "Advisor Lu Wei scheduled a 10 PM meeting."
---
Lu Wei's video conference
The screen flickered green as Lu Wei addressed 1,000 students. "The Individual Tournament rules: 9,000 freshmen compete. Academy Heads are seeded to Round 2."
He zoomed in on the match flow. "Round 1? 8,991 fighters in one arena—cut down to 900. Second Round splits into nine matches, each whittled to 10. Third Round introduces seeds. Only then do we crown a champion."
Lin Qi tuned out the survival tips. Luck might carry you through Round 1, but real strength ruled from Round 2 onward. His targets? A select few.
---
August 13 – Tournament Day
In the Martial Arts Hall, Lin Qi drilled Five Animal Forms—Tiger Claw, Crane Wing, Snake Strike, Dragon Fist, Ape Palm.
Crack! Each strike sent shockwaves through his muscles, even without weapons.
[Fist Techniques increased by +1%.
Fist Techniques: Second Stage 92% → Second Stage 93%]
"Almost Third Stage", he marveled. The Five Elements Boxing creator was a genius—the deeper he delved, the more layers he uncovered.
Sliding into the Neural Pod, he logged into the academy's site. The Individual Tournament portal shimmered.
Boom! Reality warped as he teleported into the giant arena.
"Brother Qi!" A familiar voice echoed.
---
(End of Chapter)
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