Chapter 236: Ten Institute Competes
Chapter 236: Ten Institute Competes (Requesting Monthly Vote)
"The Ten Institute competition this time—you came in last place."
"Don’t you want to prove your strength by dominating all these so-called geniuses?" a girl teased with a grin.
The round-faced boy shook his head firmly. "Nah, I’d rather just watch the matches."
Inside, though, he hesitated. She wasn’t wrong. Ever since his Special Ability awakened, he’d been the center of attention in high school. But after entering the Tenth Institute of Azure Firmament Martial Academy, surrounded by twelve students with Special Abilities, he’d become ordinary—someone who couldn’t beat anyone in competitions. It crushed him.
The girl’s words stirred something in him, but the thought of being mocked held him back. He wavered, torn between ambition and fear.
"I’ll think about it…" he muttered, unconsciously clenching his fist. The seed of competition had started to take root.
...
The Xia Kingdom Freshman Competition had lasted half a day, and now the second stage officially began.
"Attention, everyone!"
Xu Wenji’s projection reappeared, this time holding up a holographic screen displaying 256 contestants who advanced to the fifth round.
"Let’s congratulate these 256 fighters for making it to the fifth round!" he announced.
Lin Qi studied the screen. Out of the 256, the three major academies averaged less than ninety each. At Azure Firmament Martial Academy, these were the top ten from each of the nine institutes.
Among them, Azure Firmament’s Six Colleges had only themselves: Lin Qi, Jiang Tao, Guan Shan, Guo Heng, Zhou Xi Yin, and Li Zhou. Others like Chen Zichuan had already been eliminated.
Meanwhile, the nine-institute battles continued. Each round advancement earned contestants Points, with higher tiers awarding more. Final rankings would be determined by total Points.
For Lin Qi, winning the championship would earn enough Points to catapult the Six Colleges to first place.
"Next up—the fifth round. Out of 256 contestants, only 128 will advance to the sixth round."
"Those who advance will receive a reward of 3,000,000 Xia Kingdom Coinage."
Xu Wenji’s voice carried steadily. As the competition progressed, the prize money kept rising. Even wealthy geniuses couldn’t ignore it.
Lin Qi was no exception. The fifth round alone offered 3 million. If he won it all, the prize would easily top ten million.
"Boom!!"
Suddenly, torrents of blue water surged around Xu Wenji, swirling into a massive vortex before solidifying into a new battle chart.
Lin Qi quickly found his match:
Match 5: Lin Qi (Azure Firmament) vs Gong Hui (Shanyu Academy)
"Brother Qi, Gong Hui’s got rotten luck. Drawing you in the fifth round means he’s done!" Jiang Tao chuckled.
"Looks like Gong Hui’s joining Mao Jia in the Revival Match", another remarked.
Lin Qi scanned the chart. Out of 128 matches, only two pitted top-tier seeds against each other. Gong Hui was one of them—the national 11th-place finisher in the National College Entrance Exam.
At Shanyu Academy’s stands, a lean, sharp-featured man exhaled slowly, his expression hardening.
"Academy Head, be careful—Lin Qi’s strong", a friend warned.
Gong Hui nodded. "My strength isn’t comparable to Mao Jia’s."
"As the 11th-place national scorer, I’m a top-three genius at Shanyu. Even if I can’t win, I won’t be one-shot."
"Others might fall to his one-hit kills, but I’m different."
"I’ll last at least thirty moves!" A flicker of confidence sparked in his eyes.
"Unmatched, our Academy Head!" classmates praised.
...
The fifth round kicked off without pause.
Fifteen minutes later:
Match 4: Guo Heng (Azure Firmament) wins!
Guo Heng’s eyes blazed with triumph. His opponent had been formidable, but he’d emerged victorious. His goal was the seventh round—higher meant better.
As he returned to the stands, Lin Qi stood, wordless. A crimson light erupted, and he descended to the arena as a blazing pillar.
The battlefield, still a wasteland of shattered walls, saw Lin Qi stride forward in a tan-yellow combat suit, wielding a golden long spear. His presence was like a centuries-old boulder—unmoving, unshakable. His expressionless face gave him the look of a stroke patient.
Over two meters tall, his muscular frame flowed like liquid steel. Broad-shouldered and long-armed, even Jiang Tao seemed slight beside him.
From his aura alone, Lin Qi discerned Gong Hui’s style.
Countdown: 3, 2, 1...
Fifth Round, Match 5 begins!
The arena’s AI voice boomed.
"Whoosh!"
Lin Qi lunged, his foot slamming the ground with the force of a tiger descending. The black long spear in his hand cleaved the air, piercing forward.
Gong Hui felt a terrifying killing intent—as if a tiger lurked, ready to pounce.
"He’s really strong!"
Gong Hui knew Lin Qi was formidable, but confidence surged as he recalled his own skills. He dropped his center of gravity, anchoring himself like an ancient oak. His golden spear swung, its body as unyielding as an Adamantine Pillar.
This was his martial art: Adamantine Body Spear Techniques—a defensive style that countered speed-based fighters like those using Meteoric Spear Art.
Eyes locked on Lin Qi’s spear tip, he braced. He’d weather the storm.
"Come on!"
Lin Qi’s lips twitched upward. He’d anticipated this.
He knew Adamantine Body Spear Techniques intimately. His mind instantly simulated how Gong Hui would block.
In an instant, his wrist snapped, muscles coiling with precision. The Starlight Piercer technique surged, covering the spear in a blur of motion.
Buzzzz!!
The spear trembled. In a flash, he thrust multiple times—like meteors streaking across the sky, leaving only afterimages.
Stellar Lance (Starlight Piercer)!
"That move won’t work on me!"
Gong Hui gripped his spear, twisting sideways like a shield.
"Clang! Clang!"
First and second strikes blocked. Gong Hui’s heart leapt—then his eyes caught a glint.
Fast—too fast!
He spun his spear to deflect the third.
"Shk!"
Too late!
The gleaming spearhead pierced his neck and throat in a spray of blood. The battle ended.
For Lin Qi, it was a simple kill. Gong Hui’s skill was decent, but not enough for a one-hit finish.
Match 5: Lin Qi (Azure Firmament) wins!
The AI voice announced.
Back at Shanyu Academy’s stands, Gong Hui reappeared via teleportation. His face remained blank, but his twitching eyelids betrayed turmoil.
"Academy Head, weren’t you saying thirty moves?" a classmate asked, puzzled.
Gong Hui replied flatly: "Did I?"
"Must’ve misheard me."
The classmate swallowed. "Yeah, must’ve."
Gong Hui clenched his fists, grinding his teeth. He hadn’t expected such a crushing defeat.
Thirty moves? No—three!
"Meteoric Spear Art has advanced to third tier. My second tier can’t keep up", he admitted. Third-tier martial artists were rare, and the gap was vast.
...
"Clap! Clap!"
"Lin Qi’s the man!"
"Only three moves for a seed competitor—unmatched!"
"Looks like the championship’s his already!"
The stands roared with applause and cheers. For martial artists, strength was everything—and Lin Qi embodied it.
At Shanyu Academy, Liang Yuxin muttered:
"The records said he trained Split Mountain Spear Techniques, but he’s using Meteoric Spear Art. Mastering two manuals this well—his strength’s monstrous."
At Minghai Martial Institute, Li Hanjiang clapped enthusiastically:
"The stronger, the better!"
"More exciting this way!"
...
The competition continued, but Lin Qi logged out, retreating to the Martial Arts Training Hall to refine his skills.
On November 27th afternoon, the fifth round began—256 contestants became 128.
That night, the sixth round started November 28th morning—128 became 64. Lin Qi easily advanced, joining the 64 contenders by noon.
In the afternoon, the Revival Match began—a second chance for those eliminated from round three onward. Four fighters resurrected, including Mao Jia and Gong Hui, rejoining the 68 who’d made the seventh round.
These 68 were Xia Kingdom’s finest freshmen.
...
At Shanyu Martial Academy’s Tenth Institute, a tall, pink-haired woman lounged in a pink-accented living room. She watched the massive holographic screen, a smirk playing.
"Already the seventh round? 68 contestants left—I should join."
"Otherwise, registration for the 34th Round will close soon."
With that thought, she typed her details.
Name: Tan Peier
School: Shanyu Martial Arts University
After submitting, she grinned:
"Will Liang Yuxin fall into despair when he sees I’m competing?"
...
Back at Azure Firmament Martial Academy’s Tenth Institute, a broad-shouldered man over two meters tall sat in a 500-square-meter luxury lounge, brow furrowed.
Before him, a screen flickered—the registration interface for Ten Institute prodigies. They could join the Xia Kingdom Freshman Competition at any time.
"Since entering Azure Firmament, I’ve been dead last. My control over special powers is the weakest."
"I can’t match these monsters—but against ordinary geniuses, I’m a game-breaker."
"But crushing them feels embarrassing..."
As he hesitated, the screen refreshed, shifting his options.
(End of Chapter)
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