Chapter 47: The Mountain
A series of detection patches were pressed onto the students' arms. Then, the judges gently tapped their fingertips onto the designated spots, slowly injecting a special Martial Energy into each student’s body.
At the same time, numbers on the patches’ digital displays began to climb—0.5, 1.3, 2.4… steadily rising until they reached 5 and stopped. This meant the judge had injected exactly five units of special Martial Energy into the student’s arm.
During this process, the judges were extremely careful—afraid of making a mistake that could accidentally kill the student. Even if it was just a regular high schooler, injuring or killing them would mean paying compensation, with prices varying depending on the student’s category. If the student was under a formal Contract—owned, trained, and funded—it would be far more expensive.
After all, there had been cases before where a Foundation Establishment cultivator’s battle aftermath accidentally killed a passerby—only to discover later that the victim was one of over a dozen top-tier genius seniors who had been heavily invested in. The final compensation bill included training fees, food expenses, tuition, tutoring costs, sterilization fees… and the family was left bankrupt.
As the Martial Energy poured in, the student’s body tensed sharply, breathing deepened—clear signs that the special energy had already begun affecting their system. Even without active manipulation, the energy lingered inside, causing gradual internal damage.
But thanks to painkillers, the discomfort was manageable—still painful, but not unbearable.
Once the injection reached five units, the detection patch began timing the student’s ability to neutralize the foreign energy. The shorter the time, the higher the score. Since each student received the energy at different moments, rankings weren’t based on order—but on individual completion times.
After finishing the injection, the judge took a capsule from an assistant, popped it into his mouth, and smiled at the camera.
“Replenishing Martial Energy? Choose Ziyun. One Ziyun Qi-Ling capsule, and my energy is restored instantly. I could inject fifty students without breaking a sweat.”
And so, as the competition began, several judges one after another injected the special Martial Energy into the students’ hands.
More and more participants closed their eyes, focusing entirely on purging the intruding energy. The arena grew quieter and quieter—until only the soft rhythm of breathing and cultivation remained.
Since the special energy had been injected, Zhang Yu felt a searing heat in his right arm, like a fire burning from within. As the energy continued to pour in, the heat intensified—burning hotter and hotter.
The sharp pain shot up his nerves, making him understand why so many competitors had taken painkillers. Right now, he wanted nothing more than to punch the old man in front of him who was still injecting the energy.
“Damn it… no wonder I saw people selling insurance earlier. This event’s way too dangerous.”
Quickly activating the Huangniu Zhenhun Xinfa, Zhang Yu felt the unbearable pain gradually subside. Then he directed his internal Martial Energy from his dantian toward his right arm.
“This is a heat-type special Martial Energy. I need to counter it with cold-type energy.”
Recalling Teacher Yan’s teachings on energy transformation, he channeled his internal energy, reshaping it into a stream of cold energy that surged toward his arm. Where it passed, a refreshing coolness spread through his body—as if a bucket of ice water had been poured over him.
When the cold energy met the invading heat, the burning sensation began to fade. But his own cold energy was rapidly depleted—like pouring water onto a fire. The flames cooled, but the water vanished.
Zhang Yu pushed himself to transform more energy—faster, stronger. Fortunately, the Zhou Tian Cai Qi Fa allowed for full-body energy circulation, constantly replenishing his reserves. The Huangniu Zhenhun Xinfa kept his mind steady. And his exceptional control over Martial Energy enabled him to sustain the transformation.
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Not long before, while the judges had yet to reach Songyang High School…
Inside Bailong High School’s competition zone, Han Xingye glanced at Song Hailong, who was currently channeling his energy to neutralize the foreign energy in his body. Then he looked up at the large screen ahead.
Should be about to happen soon…
Inside Song Hailong’s body, his Martial Energy flowed like a mighty river—endless and powerful—rushing toward the scorching mass in his arm. With Kangling Needle continuously restoring his reserves, and his already prodigious energy capacity, he could unleash his energy freely, even wrapping the entire heat cluster in a wave of energy, aiming to extinguish it all at once.
Thanks to medication, the pain was suppressed to near nothing. Song Hailong barely felt anything—just focused on his task.
With my energy reserves and control, who could possibly beat me?
Suddenly, a cry rang out from the arena.
A student groaned and collapsed to the ground. Immediately, someone rushed over and administered a Dispelling Medicine.
“Fine, just exhausted his energy. Medicine’s already given.”
Moments later, another student screamed in agony, spitting up blood as he fell.
Improper handling during energy neutralization had caused the special energy to scatter throughout his body—inflicting severe internal injuries.
Han Xingye glanced at the fallen student.
Not worth noticing. Not worth noticing. Not worth noticing.
He knew more and more ordinary high school students would soon collapse—either due to insufficient energy reserves, poor control, or low-quality medicine. They’d be eliminated one by one.
He didn’t care.
Thinking you can close the gap just by taking the same pills?
Everyone taking medicine only widens the gap between ordinary schools and the three top academies…
Just then, the large screen flickered—then flashed a name.
Bailong High School – Song Hailong – 1:29
Han Xingye smiled faintly.
“Oh? Faster than in school. The atmosphere here really gets him fired up.”
Then, one by one, names began appearing on the screen—filling the top ten rows.
Only the top ten were displayed.
The rankings shifted constantly—positions changing between second and tenth—yet Song Hailong’s name remained firmly at the top, like a single figure holding back the tide of all competitors.
But soon, more names stabilized. The second through tenth spots stopped changing.
Students stared in shock at the unchanging list—then quickly noticed a striking pattern.
These ten… all students from Bailong High School!
Though Bailong wasn’t among the first to receive the energy injection, once Song Hailong broke the top, the rest followed swiftly—each finishing at their own time, and now, ten Bailong students dominated the rankings.
Teacher Yan watched the screen, seeing ten unchanging names. It felt like a mountain had been erected in front of Songyang High School.
Sigh… the three top academies. This is truly their domain.
At that moment, the second through ninth positions all dropped by one.
A new name surged up to second place.
Hongta High School – Xiong Bufan – 1:35
Hongta High School’s students were finishing their energy neutralization.
After Xiong Bufan claimed second, two more students from the same school squeezed into the top ten.
Han Xingye turned toward Hongta High School’s section—and instantly located the most obvious anomaly through his Heavenly Eye Charm.
Protection Zone | Medicine Barrel | High-Speed Martial Energy
The Protection Zone was easy to understand—Han Xingye guessed the student was from a demon-blooded reserve.
High-Speed Martial Energy… He wasn’t sure yet—but the medicine barrel? He knew exactly what that was.
How much medicine did they cram into that demon?
Experimenting on demons with banned substances? Should report this.
Wait… you’re doing it too? And using it on humans?
…Never mind. Forget it.
Though Xiong Bufan’s performance brought Hongta High School glory, he hadn’t reached first. The leaderboard still stood as Bailong’s dominance.
But then, the top nine all dropped one position.
And suddenly—Ziyun High School – Le Mulan – 00:25—appeared at the top.
Twenty-five seconds!
A wave of gasps spread through the crowd.
They couldn’t believe it—while most were still struggling to purge the foreign energy, someone had neutralized it in just twenty-five seconds.
Was that even human?
Everyone could picture it—Le Mulan would surely score a perfect 100 on this round. But the 100-point ceiling limited her lead—she could have been even farther ahead.
Han Xingye was stunned—again.
Frowning at the words “Ice-Skin Jade-Bone” hovering above Le Mulan’s name, he thought: Her speed must be due to a unique physique.
Meanwhile, Song Hailong didn’t look angry. Instead, he laughed aloud, eyes fixed on Ziyun High School.
“Interesting… interesting. Looks like my biggest rival for the next three years will be this Le Mulan.”
Over a minute later, the rest of Ziyun High School’s students finally completed their purging. Lian Tianji and one other student made it into the top ten.
In the end, the top three were occupied by Le Mulan, Song Hailong, and Xiong Bufan.
The top ten was completely divided: four from Bailong High School, three from Ziyun, and three from Hongta.
The final rankings stood unchanging.
The crowd of high schoolers felt a heavy silence fall over them.
For many, it was the first time they truly felt the gap between themselves and the three elite academies.
The ten names and scores on the screen loomed like a mountain—demonstrating the chasm between the top schools and everyone else.
Then, the screen flickered again.
From fourth to tenth, all dropped by one.
And in the midst of the three elite academies’ dominance, someone broke through—shooting straight into fourth.
Songyang High School – Zhang Yu – 1:38
When Zhang Yu finished purging, the timer chimed softly.
That tiny beep sent ripples through the hearts of Songyang’s students.
The elite students glanced toward Songyang—surprised to see someone matching their level.
Teacher Yan stared at the ranking—and immediately pulled out his phone to snap a photo.
This is vital teaching material.
(End of Chapter)
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