Chapter 66: The Competition Begins
Just as Zhang Yu and Bai Zhenzhen stood in speechless despair, contemplating asking Lei Jun for a loan, a familiar voice called out.
“Zhenzhen, Zhang Yu, you’re already here.”
The two whipped their heads around, and the sight of Zhao Tianxing emerging from the subway station was like that of a savior. They rushed forward like a pair of zombies, throwing their arms around him.
Zhao Tianxing had come today specifically to watch their competition.
Zhang Yu said, “Old Zhao, lend us some money. We need to buy dinner.”
But after a moment, Zhao Tianxing only managed to transfer 10 credits, saying with a helpless look, “My mom’s afraid I’ll spend money recklessly, so this is all she lets me carry when I go out.”
Useless mama’s boy. I’m ashamed to be associated with you.
But ten credits were better than nothing. Zhang Yu and Bai Zhenzhen could only drag their famished bodies to a nearby convenience store and buy a few buns.
However, with their current cultivation levels and physical conditioning, a few buns were nowhere near enough to quell the hunger gnawing at them.
Bai Zhenzhen’s eyes gleamed as she stared at the convenience store, and she suddenly said, “Yu-boy, let’s rob the place.”
Zhang Yu nodded. “Sure. You do the robbing, I’ll be in charge of disposing of the loot.”
Bai Zhenzhen then asked, “Do you think White Dragon High School will provide free food?”
Zhang Yu replied, “Free? We’ll be lucky if they don’t charge us double.”
Just then, both of their eyes lit up.
A familiar figure was standing before the main gate of White Dragon High School, gazing at the school sign with reverence as he snapped pictures with his phone.
“Old Qian!”
Zhang Yu and Bai Zhenzhen hurried over, grabbed Qian Shen’s hand, and said, “Treat us to dinner. We’re too hungry to compete.”
Qian Shen looked at them quizzically, opened his phone, and asked, “Is 300 enough?”
Holy crap! Zhang Yu was stunned.
He then began to reflect on what he had been doing for the past two months.
Befriending a debt-ridden person like Bai Zhenzhen? Befriending a mama’s boy like Zhao Tianxing?
Old Qian! You are my, Zhang Yu’s, one true friend!
Thanks to Qian Shen’s treat, Zhang Yu and Bai Zhenzhen devoured twelve 10-credit meal sets at the convenience store, costing Qian Shen 120 credits.
Patting her slightly bulging stomach, Bai Zhenzhen said with satisfaction, “This should be enough. We have to compete soon, so being half-full is perfect.”
Zhang Yu nodded in agreement and said to Qian Shen, “Don’t worry, Old Qian. After the competition, as soon as we get the prize money, we’ll pay you back.”
Qian Shen, however, didn’t seem concerned about that. He suddenly scratched his head and asked, “Um… will the 699-point Zhang Pianpian be coming to watch you compete today?”
Zhang Yu cast a pitying glance at Qian Shen.
Ah, poor fool, utterly captivated by a high-scoring student.
Zhang Yu really wanted to tell him that with his score of six hundred twenty and her six hundred ninety-nine, the gap between them was simply too vast for them to ever be friends.
But feeling the meal settling in his stomach, Zhang Yu said, “Probably not. She’s extremely busy, how would she have time to watch a first-year competition?”
Qian Shen nodded, seeming to be lost in thought.
“That’s true. She’s a third-year now, so she must be busy preparing for the college entrance exams and university interviews, right?”
Zhao Tianxing, who had been standing to the side, kept glancing nervously at the time on his phone.
“Didn’t you guys arrange to meet Teacher Lei at midnight? It’s almost time, shouldn’t we head over?”
So, the group of four made their way back to the main gate of White Dragon High School. Seeing that Teacher Lei Jun hadn’t arrived yet, Zhang Yu suggested they wait inside.
However, the moment the four of them came within a meter of the gate, they seemed to trigger some kind of sensor.
A warning voice sounded from a nearby electronic screen: “Non-White Dragon High School personnel, please do not enter.”
The four turned to see the screen displaying a message:
To tour the school, please scan the code to purchase a visitor’s ticket.
Single-person 12-hour tour ticket, access to floors 3 and below, price: 500.
Those with monthly exam or college entrance exam scores of 660 or above may enter for a free tour.
Those with scores below 550 and those without a high school education are prohibited from entry.
What the hell… No underachievers allowed, is that it? Banning those below 550 is one thing, but why do you need a 660 just for free entry?
Zhang Yu looked at the information on the screen, then at his friends.
He felt that in that instant, all four of them were being thoroughly looked down upon by White Dragon High School.
And as for buying a ticket… where was he supposed to find 500 credits in his bank account?
Was he really going to be eliminated outside the school gates by a 500-credit fee before the competition even began?
Zhang Yu could only turn his head in embarrassment and look toward Qian Shen again, only to find that Bai Zhenzhen was doing the exact same thing.
Qian Shen, however, was gazing at the gates of White Dragon High School with a look of pure yearning.
“It’s true what they say,” he sighed. “Not just anyone can walk through the gates of White Dragon.”
With that, he prepared to scan the code and buy a ticket.
Just as Zhang Yu and Bai Zhenzhen were about to ask to borrow money, Teacher Lei Jun finally arrived.
“You two don’t need to buy tickets,” Lei Jun said, waving them over. “We’re here for the competition; White Dragon High sent us tickets.”
After receiving the electronic tickets from Lei Jun, the group finally entered White Dragon High School, leaving only a mortified Zhao Tianxing standing outside the gate.
Under their collective gaze, Zhao Tianxing scratched his head furiously.
“You guys go on ahead,” he said repeatedly. “I’ll call my mom for money. I’ll buy a ticket and come find you.”
Lei Jun knew that Qian Shen and Zhao Tianxing were here to watch the competition, so he nodded.
“The venue is on the first basement level. You can make your own way there.”
The moment Zhang Yu and group stepped into the White Dragon High School building, he noticed a peculiar scent in the air.
Beside him, Qian Shen took a deep breath.
“Do you smell that?” he said in awe. “That sweet fragrance in the air? White Dragon High adds a special intellect-enhancement agent to its air circulation system. It boosts concentration and neural excitability. They’ve also added a hint of fruit and floral scents…”
Zhang Yu was speechless. Holy crap, the air in White Dragon High School really is scented.
The group continued forward, where they saw the corridor floor divided into white and red lanes.
The white lane ran down the middle, inscribed with the words: For students of this school with scores of 660 and above only.
The red lanes flanked the sides, marked with: For students of this school with scores below 660 only.
Zhang Yu paused for a second, then let out an exasperated laugh.
Unbelievable. So if your score is below 660, you have to walk along the edges?
Qian Shen explained from the side, “All the different areas and facilities in White Dragon High have score-based standards for student access. Students must stay within the areas designated for their score range.”
Zhang Yu was speechless again. Hey, why are you explaining all this? Qian-boy, you’re from Songyang, how do you know so much about White Dragon? Planning to transfer?
They proceeded down the corridor to the elevators, intending to take one to the basement, only to find a sign that read: Students with scores below 660 are prohibited from using the elevator.
Zhang Yu was starting to get it. At White Dragon High, if your score was below 660, you weren’t treated like a person; you could barely move.
Fortunately, as visitors, they didn’t have to abide by the rules meant for the school’s own students.
The group took the elevator down to the first basement level, and in an instant, a massive gymnasium, ten meters high and covering over ten thousand square meters, appeared before them.
The venue was filled with high school students milling about. Clearly, the contestants from many schools had already arrived.
But as Zhang Yu looked around, nearly all the competitors were from the three great schools. He could barely see anyone from the other high schools.
Compared to the Magic Power Competition, this martial arts competition has practically become an internal league for the three great schools.
In the surrounding spectator stands, apart from a few scattered students from various schools, there were three large, organized blocks of students sitting bolt upright, like phalanxes.
Zhang Yu looked at the students sitting in neat rows and at their uniforms, surprised.
“Are those students from the three great schools?”
He found it astonishing.
“Students from the three great schools aren’t using every single second to study, and are here watching a competition instead?”
He especially noticed the students from White Dragon High, who were wide-eyed and ramrod straight, their faces glowing with an energetic fervor, as if they were on stimulants.
Just then, a male voice sounded from nearby.
“They are all first-year students from the three great high schools. After all, observing the battles of powerful peers also helps one improve their own practical martial arts skill, recognize the gap between themselves and the strong, and further strengthen their Dao heart.”
Zhang Yu and the others turned toward the source of the voice.
Lian Tianji from Purple Cloud High School was walking slowly toward them, a smile on his face.
“I guessed you would participate in the martial arts competition,” he said to Zhang Yu. “And I was right.”
He then glanced at Zhang Yu’s small group, surprised. “Is this everyone from Songyang?”
A moment later, he nodded thoughtfully. “Then again, it’s understandable. This is Songyang, after all.”
Zhang Yu felt his Songyang uniform being subtly insulted once again.
However, Zhang Yu was no die-hard patriot for his school. What did Songyang being looked down on have to do with him? His real identity was as a contract employee of the Songyang City Patrol.
So, Zhang Yu asked curiously, “How many people came from the three great high schools?”
Lian Tianji pointed toward one side of the arena. “Look, they’re all over there. Purple Cloud, White Dragon, and Red Pagoda—each school sent a full team of ten. We already had a preliminary round at our own schools; only the top ten finishers could come compete.”
After they parted ways with Lian Tianji, Lei Jun said, “Let’s go. We need to check in at the contestant rest area. Qian Shen, you go find a seat in the stands.”
Zhang Yu and his group arrived at the rest area assigned to their school.
Zhang Yu looked at the rest areas for the three great high schools, the key high schools like Songyang, and the other ordinary high schools.
How to describe it.
Zhang Yu felt the three types of rest areas were like the difference between a “VIP lounge,” a “sun tent,” and a “straw mat.”
The “VIP lounges” for the three great schools had sofas, reclining chairs, drinks, fruit, and snacks.
The “sun tent area” for the key high schools had a row of chairs and a case of water.
And the “straw mat area” for the ordinary high schools had just a row of benches.
It’s like White Dragon is terrified the riff-raff from the ordinary high schools will come and freeload.
“This is completely discriminatory.”
Meanwhile, after watching the three of them leave, Qian Shen made his way up into the spectator stands alone.
Just as he was looking for a place to sit, he noticed that the person sitting in front of him looked very familiar from behind.
He walked up quickly and saw that the person was wearing a hat, sunglasses, and a mask, and immediately turned their head away when they saw him.
Qian Shen looked at the top of the person’s head, then at their face, and said with a jolt of recognition, “You… are you the 611-point He Dayou?”
A 611-point He Dayou was worthy of sitting with him to watch the competition.
He Dayou really hadn’t wanted to be recognized, especially by people from his own school. He didn’t want anyone to know he had come to watch the martial arts competition, and he particularly didn’t want anyone thinking he was here for Zhang Yu and Bai Zhenzhen, which was why he had come in disguise.
But now, having been identified by Qian Shen, he could only turn his head back reluctantly.
“Yeah, you’re here too, Qian Shen.”
Qian Shen asked curiously, “Are you also here to watch Zhang Yu and Bai Zhenzhen compete?”
He Dayou gave a dismissive laugh. “Their skill level… isn’t even average in this competition. What’s there to watch?”
“Actually, a friend from my middle school is competing and specially invited me to come.”
Qian Shen sat down beside He Dayou and asked, “Which high school is your friend from? What’s their score?”
He Dayou turned his head away, looking as if he didn’t want to speak.
…
On the other side of the arena.
The contestants first gathered together to listen to the organizers announce the rules.
“To prevent powerful contestants from being eliminated too early, this competition will begin with a seeding round.”
“Based on the scores from this round, all contestants will be divided into eight groups. They will then compete within their groups via random pairings. The winner from each of the eight groups—a total of eight contestants—will advance to the final elimination tournament…”
Just as everyone was wondering how the seeding round would be scored…
With a series of heavy thuds, a two-meter-tall golden figure slowly strode into the arena.
The referee at the front announced, “For the seeding round, each of you will take turns fighting a Yellow Turban Strongman.”
“The average physical strength level of the contestants in this competition is 1.98, so the Yellow Turban Strongman will maintain a physical strength output of 1.98 and will fight each of you for one minute.”
“Afterward, a panel of judges will score your performance during that minute.”
“The specific scoring rules are as follows…”