Chapter 67: The Gap, The Scoring
Zhang Yu listened for a while to the specifications of this scoring competition and quickly got the gist of it.
“So they’ll stick sensor patches all over my body, and on the Yellow Turban Strongman as well, and then the number of times each sensor patch is hit will be recorded.”
“For example, hitting the sensor patch on the Yellow Turban Strongman’s back is worth five points, the chest is three points, and an arm is one point.”
“Conversely, if the sensor patch on my back gets hit, five points will be deducted…”
“The final tally will be the total score within a one-minute combat period.”
“Of course, there’s another method: directly knocking the Yellow Turban Strongman out of bounds, which adds 300 points in one go.”
Zhang Yu understood that the purpose of this scoring competition was to prevent high-scoring contestants from being grouped together in the subsequent group stage, lest they be eliminated too early.
“This way, no powerful contestant should deliberately hide too much of their strength, because that might land them in the same group as another strong fighter.”
Thinking this, Zhang Yu nodded slightly and turned his gaze toward the Yellow Turban Strongman.
It was a humanoid figure over two meters tall, clad in golden armor and a golden faceplate, with slabs of exposed muscle that looked like marble, inscribed with dense, overlapping runes.
“Hmm… feels like it’s missing a little something…”
Just as Zhang Yu was thinking this, a staff member came over and sprayed advertisements on the Yellow Turban Strongman.
On its chest was ‘Oasis Foods, for the healthy diet of all Kunxu people’, and on its back was ‘The ultra-potent, ultra-fierce, world-dominant Wilan Pharmaceuticals’.
Seeing this, Zhang Yu finally nodded, thinking to himself, I knew something was missing. Now that’s more like it.
He remembered that this Oasis Foods was the company that promoted synthetic food, and it was backed by the Netherworld Palace, one of the Ten Great Sects.
Wilan Pharmaceuticals, on the other hand, was different from Purple Cloud Supplements; it was a company more focused on combat-use drugs and was also a sponsor of this martial arts tournament.
Meanwhile, Bai Zhenzhen, standing to the side, looked at the Yellow Turban Strongman and commented, “Songyang High School is so much worse than White Dragon High. Look, they get to use Yellow Turban Strongmen for exams and competitions, while we still have to make students beat each other up.”
Zhang Yu nodded and said, “The realism of this model of Yellow Turban Strongman is very high; it almost looks like a real person.”
It was also Bai Zhenzhen’s first time seeing a Yellow Turban Strongman in person, and she agreed, “The hobbies of the rich are just like this; they love making valuable things look cheap.”
“Like making designer clothes look like garbage bags, or making a Yellow Turban Strongman look like a person like this.”
Zhang Yu suddenly had an idea. “Then do you think our school could hire someone to play the part of a Yellow Turban Strongman?”
Just then, Lei Jun, who was behind them, spoke up. As the martial arts combat teacher and the organizer of Songyang High’s combat exam, he said with a dark expression,
“Someone who could act as a Yellow Turban Strongman… would their fee be cheap? Who do you think will pay for hiring someone? Are you hoping to pay a fee to take the monthly exams?”
At this, Lei Jun snorted coldly and jutted his chin toward the ring.
“The first round of the scoring competition is about to start. Watch carefully and learn. Don’t embarrass me when you get up there.”
When the contestants had gathered earlier, White Dragon High School, as the host, had already distributed contestant numbers and tags; they would go up to fight the Yellow Turban Strongman according to their numbers.
Under everyone’s watchful eyes, the announcer walked onto the ring and stood beside the Yellow Turban Strongman.
“Welcome, everyone, to this year’s Songyang City First-Year Martial Arts Championship, jointly sponsored by Oasis Foods and Wilan Pharmaceuticals.”
“Delicious and all-natural, wellness through nature. All meals at this event are provided by the Oasis Group.”
Hearing this, Zhang Yu and Bai Zhenzhen both made a sound of disgust.
Synthetic food? Not even a dog would eat that.
The announcer continued, “A thousand-year heritage, an essential for any outing. Whether it’s a tournament in the ring or a brawl on the streets, Wilan Pharmaceuticals is your trusted assistant… Any contestants wishing to purchase alchemical enhancers may do so at the pop-up pharmacy next to the arena.”
Finally, after the announcer finished all the sponsor advertisements, the first round of the scoring competition was about to begin.
“Now, let’s welcome our first contestant to the stage!”
A contestant wearing the White Dragon High School uniform walked onto the ring and, following a countdown of 3, 2, 1, engaged in a fierce battle with the Yellow Turban Strongman.
Zhang Yu could tell that this White Dragon student’s strength and speed were on par with the Yellow Turban Strongman’s 1.98-level physical fortitude.
Every punch and kick followed a fierce and powerful style, directly blocking the Strongman’s attacks while striking the sensor patches on its body to score points.
From a distance, it looked like two giant bears tearing at and fighting each other on the ring; the sound of every impact was like the clash of metal, shaking the heart of everyone watching.
When the one minute was up, the White Dragon student had earned a total of 128 points.
The next few contestants who took the stage were from either White Dragon High, Purple Cloud High, or Red Pagoda High.
The more Qian Shen watched, the more alarmed he became.
“Every single one of these top students from the three great high schools has a physical fortitude that would place them as the absolute number one in Songyang’s first year. Is the gap really this big? Are these the kind of people Zhang Yu and Bai Zhenzhen have to face today?”
He Dayou, however, was completely unsurprised by this.
“Unless you can join our school’s athletic competition team and receive the special training program, it’s impossible to surpass this batch of freaks from the three great high schools in terms of physical fortitude.”
“Not to mention the gaps in other areas like magic power, martial arts, and spiritual roots. When combined in actual combat… it’s even more despairing.”
As the Son of the School Director, He Dayou knew all too well the gap between Songyang High and the three great high schools.
When it came to the admission slots for the Ten Greats’ top universities each year, the top students of Songyang High could often only fight for the leftovers with White Dragon High’s second-tier experts after White Dragon’s absolute top students had taken their pick.
Just then, a White Dragon student who was over two and a half meters tall, resembling a titanic giant, slowly walked onto the ring.
Standing in front of this student, even the Yellow Turban Strongman seemed almost delicate by comparison.
And as this student appeared, the White Dragon students in the audience, who had been sitting upright and proper, suddenly all stood up to applaud and cheer.
Zhang Yu, however, was more focused on the opponent’s current hairstyle.
“Isn’t that Song Hailong? Why did his hairstyle change?”
Song Hailong was White Dragon High’s number one first-year, the contestant with a large ‘1’ displayed on the chest and back of his uniform.
Zhang Yu still remembered that when he participated in the Magic Power Competition last time, he had long hair that shot up toward the sky.
Today, however, it was a short buzz cut.
Song Hailong smiled faintly, reached out a hand toward the audience, and pressed down. In the next moment, the cheering and applauding White Dragon students immediately sat back down, silent and still.
Watching this scene, Zhang Yu was suddenly reminded of the legendary low-score slavery system at White Dragon High. Those White Dragon students in the audience truly gave Song Hailong their absolute obedience.
Bai Zhenzhen, at his side, stared at Song Hailong’s new hairstyle and said, “He definitely changed his external spiritual root again!”
“His last external spiritual root was obviously one that affected spiritual energy, meant for magic power cultivation.”
“Since this is a martial arts combat competition, that Song Hailong must have switched to a combat spiritual root.”
With that, Bai Zhenzhen turned her head to look at Zhang Yu and urged, “Yu-boy, Yu-boy, quick, take out your 100,000-credit Talisman Tome and use a Heaven’s Eye Talisman to check out Song Hailong’s details.”
Over the past two weeks, besides focusing on martial arts, Zhang Yu had also been familiarizing himself with the Talisman Tome from time to time.
But he didn’t dare touch any of the paid features inside, only daring to use the single free daily attempt to practice talismans.
The two talismans he practiced the most were the Detainment Talisman and the Heaven’s Eye Talisman, which were taught in school.
At this moment, Zhang Yu carefully took out the Talisman Tome, his fingertip swiping quickly across the screen. As the Heaven’s Eye Talisman activated, he immediately felt the whole world change.
For a non-clerical professional, this was the enhanced view one got after paying.
For a short period, component evaluations floated above each person’s head. Having practiced this several times, Zhang Yu was already used to this perspective and now focused his gaze on Song Hailong in the ring.
Elephant Tendon Body (Expand Details)
Elephant Tendon Body / Demon Slayer / Heavenly Spirit Embodiment / Unyielding Battle Spirit / White Dragon Slave Master / The King Son of the Family
At the same time, Song Hailong on the stage let out a wild laugh, grabbed the Yellow Turban Strongman’s large hand, and then, under the shocked gazes of everyone present, sent the Yellow Turban Strongman flying out of the ring with a deafening boom.
In less than a single second, the battle was already over.
Song Hailong, 300 points.
The White Dragon students in the audience immediately erupted in fierce applause and cheers.
And watching Song Hailong slowly walk off the stage, the many contestants felt as if they weren’t looking at a person, but at a ferocious, giant beast.
Qian Shen gasped, watching this scene. “Song Hailong, 683 points on the last monthly exam… Seeing him in action in person is just as shocking as that score.”
On the other side, Zhao Tianxing had just entered the arena and was still looking for Qian Shen in the audience when he saw the scene on the stage.
“Too brutal. Zhang Yu and Bai Zhenzhen have to fight this kind of monster?”
A trace of worry couldn’t help but surface. “Will they really be okay? They won’t get seriously injured, will they?”
Meanwhile, Zhang Yu stared at the long string of component evaluations above Song Hailong’s head.
“What is all this stuff?”
After he read them out, Bai Zhenzhen, who was next to him, explained, “I know about Heavenly Spirit Embodiment. It should refer to an Embodiment Spiritual Root. It’s a combat-type spiritual root within the Heavenly Spiritual Root category. The spiritual energy meridians formed by the spiritual root will entwine around the entire body, comprehensively increasing the user’s strength, speed, stamina, and resilience.”
Zhang Yu couldn’t help but give Bai Zhenzhen a second look.
This girl, Zhen… it was the same last time with the external spiritual root. She recognized it at a glance.
She clearly can’t afford a spiritual root, so how does she know so many of them?
While Bai Zhenzhen was unsure about the other component evaluations, Lei Jun, from behind them, suddenly spoke.
“Implanted with elephant demon muscle, has long-term combat experience against demonic beasts, rarely shows negative emotion, a top student of White Dragon, and the Song family’s ace son for this generation.”
Zhang Yu was surprised. Old Lei, you understand the Heaven’s Eye Talisman too?
Seeing their surprised looks, Lei Jun said calmly, “If a Daoist art could be used for free like you do, it would be quite useful indeed.”
Old Lei! You have betrayed the martial path!
With Lei Jun’s explanation, Zhang Yu and Bai Zhenzhen also gained more information from this round of the scoring competition.
On the ring, more powerhouses began to display their strength.
First was Lian Tianji from Purple Cloud High, whose fists and feet were like a torrential storm, completely suppressing the Yellow Turban Strongman whose physical fortitude was maintained at level 1.98, wildly scoring 261 points.
Not long after, a student from Red Pagoda High who looked like a brown bear took the stage, instantly tackled the Yellow Turban Strongman to the ground, and then threw it out, scoring 300 points.
Soon after, Le Mulan from Purple Cloud High made her appearance. With just one hand, she pressed the Yellow Turban Strongman to the ground, completely subduing it.
Then, the woman kicked the sensor patch on the center of the Yellow Turban Strongman’s back again and again until she reached 305 points, deliberately stopping only after surpassing Song Hailong’s 300. She then gave Song Hailong a glance and walked off the stage.
And from the moment Le Mulan appeared, the Purple Cloud students in the audience remained completely silent, a field of stillness.
Zhao Tianxing found this strange.
Upon hearing his question, Qian Shen explained as if he were an expert, “At Purple Cloud High, scores are updated daily based on students’ classroom performance, and the grade ranking is also updated daily. The number one student of the grade each day can set a grade-wide rule for one day, as long as it doesn’t disrupt the educational order.”
“As far as I know, since the first day of school, Le Mulan has always been number one in Purple Cloud’s first year.”
“And the daily rule she sets has never changed.”
“That is, all first-year students must remain silent in her presence, and plebeian students with scores below 650 are not allowed to speak to her without her permission.”
Plebeian students below 650? Hearing this, Zhao Tianxing instantly felt as if he had been insulted as well.
But then he considered that Qian Shen, who was speaking, hadn’t reached 650 either, and his mood immediately stabilized.
Zhao Tianxing asked, “How do you know so much?”
Qian Shen gave a faint smile. “I’ve done a bit of research on matters concerning the three great high schools.”
In the contestant area on the other side, the provoked Song Hailong burst out laughing.
“Le Mulan, I’ll be waiting for you in the finals!”