Chapter 232: Dark Horse Emerges
Chapter 232: Dark Horse Emerges (Requesting Monthly Vote)
The students from other academies in the audience were equally stunned.
“The gap is too huge. It feels like we can’t even compete anymore.”
“All these competitors are geniuses! Our school had over a hundred students reach the main tournament, but half were eliminated after just two rounds.”
“How can students from the top three academies be so much stronger than us?”
“Killing talents like us feels no different than slaughtering chickens for them.”
“Even the terrain can’t hinder their performance.”
Many ordinary martial arts university students felt utterly crushed.
As the second round of the main tournament continued, Lin Qi quietly logged out.
Stepping out of the Neural Pod, he stood on the soft mats of the Martial Arts Training Hall. After a brief warm-up, he began cultivating.
“Time is precious. I need to use this period to enhance my strength.”
With this thought, he launched into practicing Fist Techniques—Five Elements Boxing. His muscles tensed and cracked as his spiritual perception spread outward.
His Mind’s Eye innate talent activated automatically, sensing the tension in his muscles and the force within every fiber.
The circulation of Vital Force followed—a unique Vital Force specific to Five Elements Boxing, gentler than Mountain-Sundering Force’s explosive power.
It flowed like streams of water under his control, calm yet relentless.
He focused inward, sensing an unusual energy stirring deep within his bloodline.
He tried to channel and unleash it fully.
…
The next day, the entire academy buzzed with excitement over the National Freshman Competition.
Yet at Azure Firmament Six Colleges, 01 Villa remained unusually quiet.
Inside the Martial Arts Training Hall, Lin Qi—soaked in sweat—continued punching, his expression sharp with focus.
“Bang! Bang!”
His muscles trembled as Vital Force surged. His cells churned violently, and a mysterious power stirred deep within his body.
[Through practicing Five Elements Boxing, you’ve gained new insights into Fist Techniques. Fist Techniques +1%]
[Minor Divine Ability “Golden Vajra Transformation” unlocked 99%]
[Fist Techniques: Third Stage 20% → Third Stage 21%]
…
Lin Qi exhaled slowly, checking his Status Panel.
“The progress on Minor Divine Ability finally reached 99%—just 1% left. I hope the National Freshman Competition lasts long enough for me to complete it.”
Feeling the urgency, he pushed himself harder. He sensed this year’s competition would attract talents with awakened Special Abilities.
Mastering Minor Divine Ability was critical.
…
Minutes later, Lin Qi logged back into the National Freshman Competition.
The audience roared with discussions about the morning’s second round.
He stared at the massive Points Leaderboard projected before him. After the second round, rankings had shifted dramatically.
Guan Shan ranked fifth, Jiang Tao fell to sixth, and Guo Heng dropped out of the top ten.
Wang Qiufeng, Zhou Xi Yin, and Li Zhou led the pack.
Chen Zichuan barely made the cut at 898th place.
Yu Jing also ranked high, raising Lin Qi’s alertness.
“Competitors!”
Deputy Principal Xu Wenji reappeared in a swirl of crimson light.
“The National Freshman Competition has entered its second day. Congratulations to the 964 competitors who advanced to the third round!”
Thunderous applause erupted from the audience. For them, reaching the third round already marked the pinnacle of genius.
“Now, let me explain the third round rules.”
As the clapping faded, Xu Wenji raised three fingers.
“From this round onward, we adopt a free-match system. Everyone will be paired against an opponent.”
“Only half the competitors will advance.”
“Additionally, those who pass this round will receive a reward of 1,000,000 Xia Kingdom Currency.”
Xu Wenji’s words reignited the tension.
By now, aside from the three top academies and ten elite schools, nearly all 23 other martial arts universities had been eliminated.
Of the remaining 968 competitors, the top three academies averaged over 300 each, while the ten elite schools held their own.
Within these ranks were only the strongest talents—victory would require pure, unshakable power.
Xu Wenji raised a hand, summoning a crimson energy sphere that exploded into countless holographic fighters, automatically pairing them on a giant chessboard.
A green screen displayed the third-round matchups.
“The third round of the National Freshman Competition now begins!”
As Xu Wenji vanished, the arena transformed, dividing into eight isolated zones.
Sixteen pillars of light descended, separating the matches from view—only the audience could witness all eight battles simultaneously.
Lin Qi exhaled. The third round would take time.
He logged out to train.
Meanwhile, top talents from the three academies—Huo Wanyang, Ao Feng, Li Hanjiang, Wei Peng, Liang Yuxin, and Zhong Xinyan—also chose to log out for cultivation.
As geniuses, they all felt the pressure to improve further.
…
That evening, in the Martial Arts Training Hall, a breeze stirred as Lin Qi—dressed in a black martial arts uniform—sat cross-legged, eyes closed.
Within his Consciousness Realm, a towering Golden Vajra Tiger roared, absorbing Primordial Energy that surged into his body, refining his skin and flesh.
He opened his eyes.
The Golden Vajra Tiger awoke—a surge of power erupted from him, sending gusts of wind rippling outward.
[Through yesterday’s training, your Vital Energy Stat has improved. Vital Energy Stat +0.5]
[Vital Energy Stat: 65 → 65.5]
…
Lin Qi stood, feeling endless energy.
He checked his Status Panel.
“Unknowingly, my Vital Energy Stat has reached 65.5—close to 70.”
“Among freshmen, even Ten Institute geniuses probably can’t surpass me.”
“My Body Constitution is equally unmatched.”
He approached the Punch Strength Analyzer.
“When I had 40 Vital Energy Stat, I increased it by 25. Breaking the Second Realm only requires 30. Let me test my current Fist Strength.”
“Beep!”
The machine’s screen flickered.
A minute later, Vital Energy surged through Lin Qi’s body. His punch—like an artillery shell—slammed into the red target.
“Boom!!!”
The device trembled violently. Numbers flashed: “4,567.8 kg!”
Lin Qi smiled. He was just under 5,000 kg—the minimum for the Fourth Realm.
A punch with 4.5-ton force could shatter ordinary boulders.
“My innate talents keep evolving. My Fist Strength already dwarfs ordinary martial artists at this stage. When I reach the peak of Third Realm, will I surpass 7,000 kg?”
He tested his speed next.
Two minutes later, the Speed Tester displayed: “49 m/s”
Close to the Fourth Realm’s 54 m/s minimum—far beyond his peers.
He recorded the data:
Fist Strength: 4,567.8 kg
Speed: 49 m/s
“My Body Constitution can handle any expert now. Only the Ten Institute geniuses remain unpredictable—I lack detailed intel on them.”
“To be safe, I’ll master Minor Divine Ability first.”
With that, he resumed training.
…
November 27th – Day Three of the National Freshman Competition
The audience buzzed with discussions.
“The third round was incredible! I never imagined Blade Techniques could be used that way.”
“Even among the top three academies, the gaps are huge.”
“Jiang Tao, Guo Heng, and others are so strong.”
“Unexpected geniuses from the ten elite schools have risen too.”
“Wonder how they compare to the top seeds?” murmured the crowd.
In Azure Firmament Martial Academy’s section, Jiang Tao said, “Brother Qi, it’s your turn today!”
Lin Qi nodded. After today’s matches, 482 competitors would advance to the fourth round, joining their 30 seeds for a total of 512.
Zhou Xi Yin added, “A prodigy named Mao Jia from Shu Chuan Martial University ranked 65th in the National College Entrance Exam but showed S-Rank Genius-level strength yesterday.”
“Another top talent, Yi Shaojie from Xia Yu Military Academy, ranked 105th but has seed-level power now.”
“Mao Jia, Yi Shaojie,” Lin Qi memorized the names.
“Lu Wei was right—elite schools can produce one or two top talents.”
Jiang Tao sighed, “Their progress is absurd. Must’ve poured insane resources into them.”
“They topped the Points Leaderboard in the second round.”
“We’re counting on you, Brother Qi.”
As chatter continued, Xu Wenji reappeared.
“The third round has ended.”
“Today begins the fourth round.”
“Thirty seed players will join the competition—this is where the real excitement starts.”
“The free-match system continues. Only 256 will advance to the fifth round.”
“Advancers will receive 1,500,000 Xia Kingdom Currency.”
Flames erupted around him, shaping into a new matchup table.
…
(End of Chapter)
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