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Chapter 439: Rising Reputation
Chapter 439: Rising Reputation (Requesting Monthly Vote)
The first round of the main tournament featured ten matches, each lasting thirty minutes. With six hours of competition, the entire round could conclude within a single day.
May 4th dawned clear and sunny.
Inside Training Hall No. 36 of the Star Cultivation Mansion, Lin Qi stood tall and motionless, his eyes tightly shut. Before him rested a blue scroll.
Silence filled the air, yet within his consciousness realm, chaos erupted.
A colossal wolf howled toward the heavens, its shoulders towering over six meters, its body stretching more than ten meters long, every muscle as hard as forged steel. Its deep gray fur shimmered with metallic luster.
This was a sixth-grade Disaster Beast—the Steelbone Wolf.
Lin Qi had conjured it through meditative visualization. Within the void of his consciousness realm, the Steelbone Wolf was joined by other sixth-grade beasts: the Ironspine Warbear, Tyrant Tiger, and Ironclad Rhinoceros… Ten monstrous beasts, each as massive as hills, encircled the wolf in a coordinated hunt.
Lin Qi controlled the wolf’s movements, pitting it against the pack in a brutal struggle. His spiritual power surged and refined itself through the battle, and his senses sharpened relentlessly.
Thirty minutes later, the Steelbone Wolf stood victorious, all ten foes slain. A tremor rippled through its body, and Lin Qi’s mind felt refreshingly clear. He opened his eyes, releasing a surge of spiritual power that radiated outward like a wave.
【Your spiritual power martial art Annals of Calamities has advanced. Your Spiritual Power has increased. Spiritual Power: 3185 → 3200】
A deep breath escaped him, stirring faint breezes in the training hall. Lin Qi rose slowly, his gaze piercing and his expression vibrant. His thoughts raced faster, his awareness of the surroundings intensified.
Staring at his status panel, he noted his Spiritual Power now surpassed his Vital Energy by nearly 200 points. Higher spiritual power amplified his cultivation efficiency, making future breakthroughs easier.
He stepped into his Neural Pod, logging into the Scarlet Realm for the Global Martial Arts Championship.
A moment later, he materialized in the audience stand, the crowd’s chatter buzzing in his ears.
"Brother Qi!" Jiang Tao and the others greeted him as they logged in. Jiang Tao sighed, saying,
"Making it to the second round is brutal. Only a thousand slots—and almost none left per country. Our Xia Kingdom only has around two hundred spots. Besides awakened geniuses, most are seniors from last year’s class."
Guo Heng nodded. They’d been eliminated in the preliminaries. Even S-Rank Genius Ao Feng and Duan Chuchu faced the same fate. They’d likely have to wait until their senior year for another chance.
Lin Qi’s gaze shifted to the points leaderboard:
【2nd: Chu Yu (Xia Kingdom), 312 Points】
【3rd: Tracy Campbell (White Eagle Federation), 308 Points】
【4th: Du Shanyan (Xia Kingdom), 306 Points】
【5th: Andrew (Bear Republic), 303 Points】
These top five were all Sss-Rank Geniuses—five in total this year, a record. Xia Kingdom alone claimed three, while no other nation had produced a single one. Sss-Rank Geniuses appeared only twice a decade, future candidates for the Nine Realms. With three grades competing together, the combined number of Sss-Rank Geniuses reached nearly twenty, all seeded in the top 32.
"Competitors!" boomed a voice.
A silver-robed projection of the Mountain and River King solidified above the arena, his form coalescing from crimson light particles. He surveyed the crowd.
"The first round concludes. Congratulations to the thousand qualifiers advancing to the second round."
Polite applause rippled through the stands.
"The second round begins now. The thousand seeded players will join the competition. According to the rules, two thousand players will be randomly matched—only the strongest thousand will advance to the third round. Additionally, the thousand players reaching the third round will receive a reward of one billion Xia Kingdom Credits and 500 kilograms of Grade 7 Disaster Beast Flesh."
Gasps erupted across the audience.
"Did I hear that right? Grade 7 Disaster Beast Flesh? That’s only for high-stage martial artists to consume! We’ll get to eat it too?"
Past championships had offered generous bonuses, but never Grade 7 flesh. The crowd buzzed with excitement, though only a few—unawakened seniors or small-nation geniuses—truly cared.
Lin Qi’s heart leapt. If Grade 7 flesh was the second-round reward, imagine the prizes for Top 32 or Top 16! Grade 8 flesh could accelerate his path to Sixth Realm Peak. Grade 9 flesh would be even better.
The Mountain and River King gestured, his Grand Scenic Aesthetic erupting—a vast, undulating mountain range and river system swirling like an ink painting. Two thousand names coalesced into a battle array atop the arena.
"Buzz!"
Millions of eyes locked onto the list as Lin Qi scanned it. His name appeared swiftly:
【Match 10: Lin Qi (Xia Kingdom) vs. Song Zhengzai (Korea)】
Song Zhengzai. Lin Qi paused, recalling the name—a Korea SS-Rank Genius ranked among the top fifteen in his tier.
In Korea’s audience stand, Song Zhengzai, a burly man with coarse features, scowled at his matchup. His goal had been the top 500, but fate pitted him against Lin Qi in the opening round. Last year, he’d witnessed Lin Qi’s dominance firsthand, defeating every SS-Rank Genius to claim victory. Defeating Lin Qi now seemed impossible. Sympathetic glances surrounded him as his confidence crumbled.
"Buzz!"
The arena transformed, splitting into eight smaller platforms.
"Step forward, competitors from Matches 1–8!"
Sixteen crimson light pillars descended, revealing players clad in battle suits. Weapons gleamed as Fifth Realm and Sixth Realm auras surged—only awakened geniuses could reach this stage, having slain countless Vermin Race-enhanced martial artists.
In a secluded Vip stand, partitioned for eighty nations, leaders of powerhouses like Xia Kingdom, White Eagle Federation, and Bear Republic observed the action.
"The talent this year is exceptional", remarked the Mountain and River King, his aura as solid as a mountain.
Xu Wenji chuckled. "With Heaven’s Dome Institute established, the pressure’s higher. Competition breeds strength."
"Lin Qi’s match is starting", Dean Liu added.
All eyes shifted to Match 10’s crimson pillars. Two figures emerged.
The Mountain and River King leaned forward. "That’s Lin Qi? The SS-Rank Genius who awakened last year—already capable of defeating Sss-Rankers?"
Xu Wenji nodded. "He won last year’s Global Freshman Championship before awakening. After awakening, he made the Six-Strong in the Azure Firmament Grand Tournament, defeating even senior S-Rankers like Junior. He’s still ranked fifth in the Disaster Beast Trial Tower."
The Mountain and River King whistled. "A genius indeed."
On the arena floor, Song Zhengzai, clad in gray battle armor, twirled his silver saber. His two-meter-one frame radiated a mountainous aura.
"Breath steady", he muttered. As an SS-Rank Genius, he’d never felt this pressure—not even against Sixth Realm seniors.
"Match 10 begins now!"
The moment the announcer spoke, Song Zhengzai erupted. Golden sand materialized, hardening into armor across his body. A mountainous aura surged around him—his Special Ability, Heavy Earth, activated. With a roar, he lunged, saber slashing toward Lin Qi, unleashing his full power from the first second.
(End of Chapter)
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