Chapter 69: Hidden Spiritual Root
Soon after, the last contestant stepped down from the arena, and the scoring for all participants was complete.
During that time, two more contestants from other high schools withdrew, leaving a total of 33 participants to be divided into eight groups for the elimination tournament.
Seven of these groups had four contestants each and would proceed with one-on-one duels determined by a draw, eliminating combatants until only one remained.
The remaining group, however, consisted of five contestants; after the draw, one would receive a bye while the others fought one-on-one, again eliminating combatants until a single victor emerged.
The sole survivor from each of the eight groups would form the final top eight of the competition.
After the scoring round, there was a break. Zhang Yu stretched and decided to find a restroom with Bai Zhenzhen.
But after searching for a long time, they couldn’t find a single one anywhere near the venue.
Spotting Song Hailong walking by, Zhang Yu couldn’t help but ask, “Do you know where the restrooms are?”
Song Hailong smirked arrogantly. “White Dragon High School has no restrooms.”
“What?” Zhang Yu was shocked. “You just go wherever you want?”
Song Hailong’s face darkened. “The teachers and students of White Dragon High School have all undergone digestive system modification surgery,” he said coldly. “We have no need for such backward, filthy, and time-wasting places.”
Zhang Yu was speechless. “Then what are we supposed to do?”
“Go look on the first floor,” Song Hailong said dismissively. “There might be some restrooms there reserved for the lower class.”
So, Zhang Yu and Bai Zhenzhen finally found two makeshift restrooms outside a hallway on the first floor, which charged ten yuan per person.
After borrowing money from Qian Shen again, the two of them finally used the facilities, grumbling the whole time.
By the time they returned to the arena, the eight groups had already been finalized.
Eight massive arenas rose into view, ready to host the elimination matches for all eight groups simultaneously.
Zhang Yu looked at the bracket and breathed a quiet sigh of relief.
Thank goodness Zhen and I aren’t in the same group.
But her group…
Seeing the high-scoring contestant in Bai Zhenzhen’s group, Zhang Yu frowned slightly.
They’re very strong.
It was a demon-kin contestant from Red Pagoda High School.
He had a humanoid body but the head and striped fur of a tiger, looking like some kind of anthropomorphic tiger.
Previously, when Zhang Yu had used his Heaven’s Eye Talisman to investigate, a series of component analyses had appeared over the contestant’s head.
Conservation / Dragon-Tiger Demon Blood / Alchemical Vat / Steel Bones
Zhang Yu recalled Lei Jun’s translation: “From a demon conservation, a tiger-demon bloodline mixed with dragon’s blood. He’s consumed a lot of alchemical enhancers and has undergone some kind of skeletal modification surgery.”
I remember he scored 266 in the evaluation round, right? Zhang Yu thought. That’s the second-highest score among the Red Pagoda High School students.
Based on his performance in the scoring round, Zhang Yu’s assessment was that this demon-kin, named Hu Yuntao, was a well-rounded fighter with high strength, agility, offense, and defense, showing no obvious weaknesses in combat.
This guy didn’t participate in the last Magic Power Competition, so he’s probably not good at magic power control.
But the fact that he’s in the Martial Arts Tournament means his practical combat skills must be exceptional.
Zhang Yu’s gaze swept over the sharp, gleaming claws on his hands.
Shouldn’t demons have to get declawed to compete? It’s like bringing your own weapons. What a cheat.
This has to be the kind of opponent Zhen hates most.
With a trace of concern, Zhang Yu walked toward his own group’s designated area.
Don’t go broke, Zhen. I don’t have any more money to lend you.
Bai Zhenzhen arrived at her group’s competition area.
The other three contestants were already there, hailing from White Dragon High School, Purple Cloud High School, and Red Pagoda High School.
The most conspicuous among them was the contestant from Red Pagoda High School, whose tiger-headed appearance hardly seemed human.
The four of them then drew lots, and Bai Zhenzhen was matched against Hu Yuntao.
After their one-on-one match, the victor would face the winner of the other pair to determine who would advance from the group.
Bai Zhenzhen touched her lower abdomen, feeling the power latent within as she slowly walked onto the arena.
I’ve held back for so long. Finally, I have a chance to use you.
Today, it’s finally my turn to soar to the heavens and astonish everyone!
Across from her, Hu Yuntao ambled onto the stage, seemingly paying her no mind as he casually glanced around.
Hu Yuntao, like Xiong Bufan from the Magic Power Competition, came from the breeding center in the demon-kin conservation area.
But Hu Yuntao had never been ashamed of his origins, nor did he consider his demon-kin status inferior; on the contrary, deep in his bones, he held a profound pride in his race and bloodline.
For he possessed the blood of dragons; the draconic lineage flowed within him, making him far nobler than any mere mortal!
In the conservation area, his ‘Father,’ the director of Red Pagoda High School, would inseminate gestating females of every race each month, ensuring the mothers in the breeding center would conceive ‘Father’s’ children.
Every month, hundreds upon thousands of demon-kin were born in the center, each bearing the dragon’s blood of their ‘Father’ and thus destined for greatness.
From the moment of conception, these children were constantly injected with a variety of alchemical enhancers and subjected to adaptive training.
The weak work, the strong study—this was the principle Hu Yuntao learned as he grew.
Those who failed to adapt to the enhancers from a young age were sent to work in the food processing plants.
Later on, those found lacking in intelligence became workers in the ecological preserve.
And as they grew older still, those deemed to have insufficient potential were sent to work in garment factories, tanneries, textile mills, and the like.
Only by passing trial after trial, escaping one ‘work opportunity’ after another, could one finally reach the paradise known as Red Pagoda High School.
There, they would sign a contract with ‘Father,’ becoming one of his truly acknowledged sons.
Only then did they earn the opportunity to continue their studies and test into a university.
I don’t want to work! I want to study! This was the cry in the heart of every demon-kin in the breeding center.
And Hu Yuntao was one such son of the School Director, having passed through countless trials to study at Red Pagoda High School.
He had endured innumerable tests, breaking free from the divergent path of labor time and again, to finally earn the right to attend high school and test for university.
Now, he would use the bloodline his father had bestowed upon him to defeat every opponent in this competition and make his father proud!
On the arena stage.
As the referee counted down—three, two, one—Hu Yuntao shot forward with a whoosh, his claws trailing a foul wind and a cold light, slashing toward Bai Zhenzhen like razor-sharp blades.
The woman before him was his inferior in size, strength, and speed. Hu Yuntao was confident he could shred her hands, tear open her throat, and claim total victory in the next instant.
This one strike will cost you at least 600,000 in medical bills.
But in the next moment, a powerful sense of danger welled up within him, causing him to instinctively halt and leap backward.
He looked at Bai Zhenzhen again and sensed wisps of spiritual energy in the air surging toward her, even beginning to condense at her fingertips into what looked like a faint sword-light.
Hu Yuntao’s eyes shifted. “A combat spiritual root?”
In the spectator stands.
Qian Shen looked toward Bai Zhenzhen’s arena and asked curiously, “What kind of spiritual root is that? I don’t think I’ve ever seen it before. But the way it’s drawing in spiritual energy is impressive. It must be a Heavenly Spiritual Root, right?”
Zhao Tianxing added, “No wonder Zhen didn’t have money for food. She must have spent it all on renting a combat spiritual root. It looks like she’s dead set on winning.”
Considering the travel time and the hours the tournament would last, Zhao Tianxing figured the rental fee for the combat spiritual root had to be at least tens of thousands. He was secretly astonished; this Martial Arts Tournament was a truly expensive endeavor.
On the arena stage.
Feeling the spiritual energy suffusing her body, Bai Zhenzhen thought, They must all think I rented a combat spiritual root for the Martial Arts Tournament.
But she knew that wasn’t the case.
She would rather spend money on alchemical enhancers and cultivation techniques than on renting a spiritual root.
After all, she had a spiritual root of her own.
In order to hide this spiritual root, Bai Zhenzhen felt as if she’d been holding in the urge to use the restroom since childhood, and she had been holding it for ten years now.
“Zhen, you must control yourself. Don’t absorb spiritual energy. Don’t let anyone discover you have a spiritual root.”
This was the first thing Bai Zhenzhen heard every single morning for countless years.
“Zhen, hold it in! Don’t cause a spiritual energy disturbance. Don’t let anyone discover you have a spiritual root.”
Countless nights, she would be woken up and forced to regain control over her spiritual root, forcing it to cease its activity.
“Zhen, I know it’s difficult, but we can only return to Songyang when you have it under control, when no one can discover your spiritual root.”
It was like being surrounded by air but unable to breathe, finding water but unable to drink, or feeling the urge to relieve oneself but being denied a restroom.
Don’t let them find the spiritual root!
Don’t let them find the spiritual root!
Don’t be discovered!
Don’t be discovered!
Bai Zhenzhen held it in and held it in… until one day, she felt as if her spiritual root had been suppressed out of existence.
That was the happiest day of her life since she was old enough to understand.
After nine years of suppression, nine years of hiding, the troublesome thing was finally gone. She didn’t have to hold back anymore.
But she soon discovered it hadn’t disappeared, only hidden itself away. And it wasn’t just the spiritual root that was hiding…
After “holding her breath” time and time again, the spiritual root had hidden her along with it.
She became like a ghost, and no one could see or perceive her… or perhaps, everyone else became like ghosts to her, and no one paid her any mind or spoke with her.
That night… it seemed as if she were the only person left in the entire world.
Until she found a way to make herself seen again.
Seeing the spiritual energy surging toward Bai Zhenzhen with increasing intensity, Hu Yuntao decided not to give her any more time and charged forward with a roar.
But in the next instant, Bai Zhenzhen vanished before his very eyes.
Hu Yuntao’s eyes shot wide as he scanned the entire arena.
Nothing!
Nothing!
Nothing!
A stealth-type combat spiritual root?
To find her, he quickly retreated to a corner, his eyes scanning the entire stage before him, but he couldn’t see the slightest trace of her.
Could it be…
In the next moment, he snapped his head up toward the sky, but still saw nothing!
An instant later, an extreme sense of danger washed over him.
Bai Zhenzhen had reappeared right in front of him, her finger jabbing toward his dantian.
Though the attack was sudden and perilous, Hu Yuntao’s reaction was incredibly fast; the instant Bai Zhenzhen appeared, he swiped a claw toward her extended finger with lightning speed.
“Hmph! Weak and slow. Even with the element of surprise, how could you possibly beat me?”
But in the next moment, as if she had already seen through his movements, Bai Zhenzhen altered her finger-sword’s path and retreated.
Hu Yuntao moved to pursue, only to feel a sharp pain at his feet as he was tripped.
It was all so perfectly timed it was as if he had actively charged forward to trip himself.
With a soft thud, Hu Yuntao watched himself tumble off the stage, his heart filled with indignation.
Roar!
“I don’t accept this! I wasn’t even using my full strength!”
Watching the flailing Hu Yuntao being dragged away by the scruff of his neck by the referee, Bai Zhenzhen nonchalantly flicked her fingertips.
“What an idiot. I wasn’t using my full strength either.”
In this match, Bai Zhenzhen was victorious!