Chapter 104: A Sea of Voices
With a sigh, Wang Hai stepped into the disinfection channel, his gaze instinctively drifting toward the White Dragon students in the other lane.
As the remaining members of his team passed through the disinfection channel, their eyes were also drawn to the White Dragon contingent.
The appearance of that group was simply too eye-catching.
Zhang Yu thought to himself, Yu Xinghan looks the same as when I saw him filming that commercial.
But Song Hailong, who’s following behind him, has changed drastically…
Besides the number on his chest and back changing from a 1 to a 2, Song Hailong’s skin now looked coarse, as if polished by rock. His limbs were far thicker than before; his forearm alone was as thick as Zhang Yu’s waist. The overall impression… was as if he had transformed into a humanoid giant elephant.
But Song Hailong’s transformation was relatively minor; at least he still looked human.
Looking past Song Hailong, the White Dragon students further back looked less and less human, their forms approaching that of demonic beasts.
Zhang Yu recalled the intelligence his sister, Zhang Pianpian, had given him.
“White Dragon High School’s body tempering technology has indeed achieved a breakthrough. It’s no longer as simple as Song Hailong’s previous partial elephant muscle implants.”
“They can now transform a student’s muscles into imitation demonic muscle, forcibly breaking through the body’s natural limits to achieve explosive growth in physical strength.”
“The wealthier the student, the more imitation demonic muscle they have transformed, and the less human they appear.”
“However, this imitation demonic muscle possesses a certain plasticity. If a student can fully master the power within, they can gradually retract the demonic beast features and look more and more human.”
Zhang Yu stared at Yu Xinghan, who was walking at the very front, momentarily unsure if the Golden Core disciple had undergone the imitation demonic muscle surgery.
After exiting the disinfection channel, the group from Songyang High School found a rhinoceros in a White Dragon High School uniform waiting for them.
It was unmistakably a rhinoceros, from its coarse, gray-black hide and the horn-like protrusion on its forehead, to its small eyes, elongated face, and thick limbs… the creature gave the impression of a humanoid rhino.
The rhinoceros waved at Zhang Yu and greeted him, “Zhang Yu, long time no see.”
“Oh, you probably don’t recognize me now, do you?”
The rhinoceros smiled faintly. “It’s me, Chu Qiuhe, the White Dragon High student you defeated in the last martial arts competition.”
Hearing the rhinoceros speak, a look of astonishment appeared in everyone’s eyes. Chu Qiuhe’s current humanoid rhinoceros form was so vastly different from before that it was as if he had been completely reborn.
The reason Chu Qiuhe came to see the Songyang group was simply because he wanted to confirm one thing upon seeing their team.
And that was whether Zhang Yu, the champion of the first-year martial arts competition, was representing Songyang High School this time.
Chu Qiuhe knew he wasn’t the only one curious about this; many of the students who had been defeated in the martial arts competition were looking forward to avenging their loss in this athletics meet.
Seeing that Zhang Yu was indeed on the Songyang High School team, Chu Qiuhe couldn’t help but feel a flicker of anticipation.
Chu Qiuhe looked at Zhang Yu and smiled faintly. “Many people were hoping you would participate in this athletics meet…”
Just then, a loud bang erupted from the White Dragon contingent ahead.
Song Hailong had viciously driven an elbow toward Yu Xinghan’s temple. Amidst a sound like a cannon blast, Yu Xinghan’s head twisted a mere four or five degrees from the blow before stopping.
Then, with a sharp jerk of his head, Yu Xinghan sent Song Hailong, who was taller and two to three times his size, flying.
With a resounding thud, the tumbling Song Hailong landed steadily on his feet, an unwilling look on his face as he stared at Yu Xinghan.
Yu Xinghan, however, calmly remarked, “Not good enough, little Song. That blow had far too much killing intent. There was no sense of a sudden, covert attack. You still need more practice.”
The other White Dragon students seemed unfazed by this, continuing to follow Yu Xinghan forward.
The students from Songyang High School watched this scene of internal strife with surprise.
He Dayou was shocked. The second-ranked student dares to attack the first-ranked? Have White Dragon’s school rules changed?
Beside them, Chu Qiuhe chuckled and casually explained, “It’s been like this ever since Yu Xinghan became number one.”
Bai Zhenzhen frowned. “Is Song Hailong that petty? He ambushes whoever surpasses him?”
Chu Qiuhe clarified, “Big Brother Hailong isn’t that petty, of course. It was Yu Xinghan who demanded it. He requires Song Hailong to attack him with full force five times every twenty-four hours, saying he wants to use it as a training method.”
Chu Qiuhe said with some emotion, “As a demand from the top-ranked student, Big Brother Hailong had no choice but to accept.”
“From then on, his eyes and mind have been filled with nothing but Yu Xinghan. There’s no one else.”
“I suspect he’s constantly thinking about how to take down Yu Xinghan. He’s on the verge of madness.”
Shaking his head with a sigh, Chu Qiuhe clapped Zhang Yu on the shoulder and said meaningfully, “Well then, I’ll see you on the field. I look forward to competing with you.”
Gazing at the retreating backs of the White Dragon students, at their inhuman forms, Zhang Yu suddenly felt a sense of melancholy.
First, Red Pagoda High School, in its pursuit of results, turned demonic beasts into people. Now, White Dragon High School, in its pursuit of greater strength, is turning people into demonic beasts.
Guided by the receiving teacher, the group walked among the pavilions and terraces of Purple Cloud High School and soon arrived at a massive indoor stadium.
The teacher introduced, “This is the largest stadium at Purple Cloud High. It’s generally only used for major competitions and school-wide events.”
Even before entering, they could feel the deafening roar of a crowd.
Upon entering, the first thing they felt was the brightness of day.
Unlike the midnight outside, the ceiling of the stadium was hung with what looked like numerous small suns, illuminating the entire indoor stadium as if it were noon.
The second thing they noticed was the immense size of the indoor stadium and the sheer number of people.
Unlike the dangers of the martial arts competition, this athletics meet didn’t carry the risk of being beaten into bankruptcy, so almost every key high school and regular high school that could participate had come.
Within the massive arena, students and coaches were everywhere. Some were injecting drugs to warm up, some were trading alchemical enhancers, and others were being insulted by the three major high schools—a vibrant scene of Kunxu’s passionate high school life unfolded before them.
Besides the competitors, Zhang Yu and the others also saw staff members on the periphery and countless spectators in the stands.
He Dayou asked, puzzled, “There are a lot of people filming.”
The receiving teacher beside them explained, “They are all professional spectators invited by the sponsors of this competition. There are media reporters, influencers, and many people from various corporations.”
Zhang Yu looked up and indeed saw many people in suits and ties with weary expressions. The stench of corporate overtime wafted over from a great distance; they were clearly corporate drones who regularly worked late.
Zhang Yu then looked toward the spectator stands. The largest indoor stadium at Purple Cloud High School had tens of thousands of seats, and at this moment, it was packed with people.
Aside from the students of the three major high schools, Zhang Yu also saw many figures completely wrapped up, looking like mummies or rice dumplings.
Just then, a hearty laugh rang out.
“You’ve finally arrived.”
“Those are student spectators from other regular high schools. To prevent them from dirtying the venue, they were each given a clean suit upon entry to avoid too much contact with us from Purple Cloud High.”
The newcomer was Lian Tianji of Purple Cloud High School. He nodded to the receiving teacher beside him and seamlessly took over the task of guiding the Songyang High School contestants.
Facing this major client for his clothes, Zhang Yu laughed and positioned himself behind Bai Zhenzhen, greeting him warmly, “Brother Lian, what brings you here to receive us?”
Lian Tianji replied, “I know where the rest area for Songyang High School is. Let me take you there.”
On the way to the rest area, Zhang Yu saw all sorts of advertisements on the floor, walls, and billboards. He also saw numerous influencers, both large and small, filming the arena and interviewing students and corporate personnel.
They were truly influencers of all sizes, with the larger ones standing over four meters tall and the smaller ones less than two. Their follower counts were generally directly proportional to their physical size.
There were also corporate people in suits and ties walking about, constantly filming and recording something.
Feeling the deafening roar of the entire arena, Zhang Yu once again understood what Zhang Pianpian had said.
Zhang Yu murmured to himself, This athletics meet truly is an extension of the corporate battlefield, a stage for them to promote their new technologies.
Along the way, Zhang Yu also saw many students in Purple Cloud High School uniforms, their entire bodies tinged with purple, bowing to Lian Tianji. They only resumed their activities after he was out of sight.
Zhang Yu once again recalled the intelligence from Zhang Pianpian.
“Purple Cloud High School’s technological breakthrough lies in enhancing a cultivator’s metabolic rate and drug resistance, allowing them to take more than ten times the amount of drugs as before. All sorts of prohibited substances can be taken as if they were routine.”
“However, due to the side effects of the Purple Cloud Supplements, the more fiercely they take the drugs, the more purple drug residue remains on their skin. In other words, the more money one has to take more drugs, the more purple their entire body becomes.”
“But at a more advanced stage, for those who can rapidly refine the medicinal power, the drug residue on their skin is completely broken down, leaving only a purple mark on their forehead. At this point, the more medicinal power one refines, the more complex the pattern on their forehead becomes, eventually forming a tattoo of a purple eye.”
Zhang Yu and Bai Zhenzhen occasionally glanced at Lian Tianji beside them, noticing a thumb-sized purple circular mark on his forehead.
“We’re here.”
Lian Tianji smiled and pointed forward. “This is the rest area for Songyang High School.”
Zhang Yu and the others looked up and saw an area enclosed by partitions. Not only was it fully equipped with sofas, power outlets, drinking water, and energy drinks, but there were even fruits and snacks. It once again made them feel the immense investment in this athletics meet, that even the humble Songyang contingent could receive such treatment.