Chapter 42
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Chapter 42: Magic Power Competition Lineup
On the bus.
Because the Magic Power Competition for Third-Year, Second-Year, and First-Year students was held at different times, the bus rented by Songyang High School carried only the contestants from Zhang Yu’s grade.
He Dayou looked in Zhang Yu’s direction, a thoughtful expression on his face as he considered all the effort the other boy had put in recently.
Zhang Yu’s magic power had surged to a level of 15.4, making him the top-ranked student in their year.
However, He Dayou scoffed internally at the thought. He assumed Zhang Yu must have spent all his time just to raise his magic power.
Is it all for the Magic Competition?
The competition isn’t just about who has the highest magic power.
He Dayou was confident that if he were not so focused on building a solid foundation and achieving proficient control, his family could have simply thrown more money at the problem and made him number one in their year-long ago.
This was also why the gap in magic power between wealthy and poor students at Songyang High School did not truly widen until their Second Year.
Their families’ experience had taught them that the First Year was primarily for laying a strong foundation.
On the contrary, excessively pursuing a high magic power value could easily lead to insufficient control, a flaw that could take a very long time to correct.
He Dayou continued his thoughts, In the Magic Competition, a high magic power level is just the basic threshold. What truly determines the rankings is one’s control over that power…
At this, he sighed inwardly. When it comes down to it, sports competitions are Songyang’s only real strength. As for the Magic Competition, we’re just going through the motions, here to be the supporting cast for those freaks from the top three famous schools.
In another seat.
Zhang Yu watched Bai Zhenzhen, who was resting with her eyes closed, and asked, “So? Are you going to tell me who we’re meeting now?”
Bai Zhenzhen rolled her eyes at him and pointed her phone in his direction.
Zhang Yu saw a line of text on the screen that warned him about nearby eavesdroppers and said they should chat on their phones.
He quickly typed back, “So, who are you actually taking me to meet at this Magic Competition?”
Bai Zhenzhen replied, “The paupers from other schools.”
Zhang Yu’s eyes flashed with understanding as he typed, “You mean… students from other schools who are poor and have similar ideas to ours?”
Bai Zhenzhen’s response was simple. “Yes.”
Curious, Zhang Yu typed, “Which schools?”
Bai Zhenzhen sent a ♀(female symbol) followed by a ~ (tilde).
Zhang Yu’s eyes flickered. “A Black girl?” he typed in surprise.
He was genuinely taken aback. Could there actually be Black people in Kunxu? Wait, no… were there really Black people here?
Bai Zhenzhen rolled her eyes, having no idea what he meant by “Black woman”. She typed a direct reply on her phone, “I meant students from the girls’ school and Soul Cultivators.”
[Note: A pun that does not translate directly. Bai Zhenzhen used the female symbol (女) to represent ‘female student’ (女校生) and the tilde (~) to represent ‘soul cultivator’ (魂修生), as the shape is reminiscent of the character for soul (魂). Zhang Yu comically misinterprets this combination as ‘Black woman’ (女黑人), a complete non-sequitur.]
Hearing those two answers, Zhang Yu immediately understood.
Of course. How many wealthy people would undergo sex reassignment surgery or even abandon their physical bodies just to get into a high school?
Radiant Mountain High School and Sacred Maiden Academy were natural strongholds for the poor.
The top students there were undoubtedly from humble backgrounds as well.
After pouring their hearts and souls into graduating with excellent grades, how could they not want to break through their shackles and get into a top university?
Wait a minute.
A new question suddenly struck Zhang Yu. “Can Soul Cultivators even participate in this competition?” he typed.
Bai Zhenzhen shook her head. “They’re probably not here to compete. It seems they’re here to assist the judges, maybe help with reporting on the event, and act as spectators.”
***
The bus slowly drove onto a high school campus.
This was the venue for this year’s Magic Power Competition, Red Pagoda High School, one of Songyang City’s top three famous schools.
The students from Songyang High School followed their chaperone, Teacher Yan, into an indoor stadium, where they saw many other students already waiting.
The variety of colorful and uniquely designed school uniforms showed that they came from many different high schools across Songyang City.
As the group from Songyang High School stepped into the stadium, countless gazes immediately swept over them.
Someone thought with a sigh, Songyang is here too? Another powerhouse.
Someone else observed the group carefully, thinking, Their presence is so strong. Are these the top students from a Key High School?
Yet another person felt a sense of malicious glee. So what if they’re from a Key High School? They’re still just here to be part of the backdrop with the rest of us.
Once they reached the preparation area designated for Songyang High School, Teacher Yan began to go over important points with everyone.
“Today’s competition has three events. Pay attention to your magic power allocation, and do not get nervous. Just treat it like a normal practice session…”
After Teacher Yan dismissed them to rest and use the restroom, Qian Shen hurried off to check the list of participants.
He pulled out his phone and began checking scores while comparing them to the names on his list.
“Bailong High School, Song Hailong, 682 points on the last Monthly Exam.”
“Purple Cloud High School, Le Mulan, 678 points on the last Monthly Exam.”
“Hiss…”
The more scores he checked, the more Qian Shen gasped. “They’re all monsters.”
Meanwhile, Zhang Yu was pulling Bai Zhenzhen along to the restroom when he suddenly felt a heavy pressure ripple through the air.
The ambient spiritual energy… was stirring!
It was like jumping from the shallows straight into the deep ocean.
The two of them instantly turned their heads toward the source of the pressure.
They saw a group of people in white school uniforms slowly walking into the stadium. Each of their uniforms bore a different number, ranging from one to ten.
Zhang Yu was puzzled. “What’s going on? Are the Ten Blades here?”
What he did not know was that this was a special feature of the Bailong High School uniforms. Each person’s clothes could display a number. After every Monthly Exam, the numbers on their chests and backs would be updated to show their ranking.
The numbers from one to ten on these ten students represented their status as the top ten in their grade.
But Zhang Yu knew that the source of the spiritual energy disturbance came from the leader of this group.
He was a giant who stood two and a half meters tall, resembling a Titan. His head was crowned with a mass of hair that shot straight up into the sky.
As everyone turned to look at him, the giant grinned sheepishly and rubbed his towering hair with a touch of embarrassment. “Sorry, everyone. This new Heavenly Spirit Root is still a bit unfamiliar. I’ll try to control it…”
With his low shout, the oppressive force in the air gradually subsided and returned to normal.
Bai Zhenzhen watched this scene and muttered in exasperation, “Showing off right from the start. What a pretentious rich kid.”
But the thought of likely losing to these people in the upcoming sports competitions filled her with a fresh wave of helplessness.
After days of cramming and practice, Bai Zhenzhen had confirmed that her natural talent for pure Magic Power control was far inferior to Zhang Yu’s. She was destined to be a mere bit player in this competition.
Meanwhile, Qian Shen glanced at the uniforms of the Bailong High School students, and the scores he had just checked immediately came to mind.
As he matched the numbers on their uniforms to his list, Qian Shen stared at the giant and thought, “That must be Song Hailong. He’s the leader of Bailong High School’s first year class, an ultimate monster with a score of 682. He’s probably a super-species that’s already reproductively isolated from us.”
He Dayou glanced in Song Hailong’s direction and raised an eyebrow. “What a show-off. But is he really bringing a Heavenly Spirit Root to the competition? His Magic Power should be surging wildly. It must be incredibly hard for him to control.”
Shortly after Bailong High School arrived, a series of sharp whistling sounds pierced the air outside the stadium. A massive Flying Boat had already come to a halt in the sky above the venue.
The sight of this left countless poor students from ordinary high schools with their breath caught in their throats. An aura of pure wealth seemed to instantly sweep through the stadium.
A group of students in purple uniforms then disembarked from the Flying Boat. Zhang Yu recognized one of them as Lian Tianji, whom he had met at the art exhibition.
Zhang Yu had even exchanged contact information with him afterward and often saw his name in the top three of the daily step-count rankings.
Lian Tianji seemed to spot Zhang Yu as well. He smiled and waved, then appeared to say something to the girl beside him while pointing in Zhang Yu’s direction.
The girl’s face was as cold as ice. Following Lian Tianji’s gesture, she glanced at Zhang Yu and gave him a distant nod.
Zhang Yu thought to himself, She looks like a genuine ice queen beauty, not a fake one like A-Zhen.
Qian Shen also turned his gaze toward the Purple Cloud High School team. He searched online for photos of Le Mulan and compared them with the students, his eyes finally settling on the cold, aloof girl beside Lian Tianji.
“That must be Le Mulan from Purple Cloud High School, a high-caste existence with a score of 678. To her, any living creature scoring below 650 is probably no different from dirt!”
Shortly after the teams from Bailong High School and Purple Cloud High School arrived, the participating team from Red Pagoda High School, the host, finally made their belated entrance.
But when Zhang Yu saw the most conspicuous member of their team, he blurted out in surprise, “A demon?”
Bai Zhenzhen immediately leaped to the side and pointed at Zhang Yu. “Hey, hey, hey! Watch your language. He’s a Monsterfolk from Songyang City.”
Although the student wore a school uniform, his glossy red fur, thick tail, and round face made him look exactly like a red panda.
As Zhang Yu stared at the student who resembled a red panda, he was instantly hit with the impression that this person was incredibly weak.
“No, but how did this little panda get into Red Pagoda High School?” Zhang Yu asked curiously. “It could not have been just because of his innocent smile, could it?”
Though the little panda’s smile did seem genuinely innocent, Zhang Yu believed he must have some special talent that allowed him to enter a Key High School and even participate in the competition.
Bai Zhenzhen shrugged beside him. “Monsterfolk from Songyang City are usually gifted in Physical Strength. But looking at him, I feel like I could take down three of him with one punch.”
“Then he must be exceptionally talented in Magic Power?”
As they chatted, they each entered separate restrooms.
After they were done, Bai Zhenzhen dragged Zhang Yu around, following a message on her phone to a viewing platform on the second floor of the venue.
Two girls were already waiting there. Zhang Yu recognized one of them as Wu Qingqing, the girl from Sacred Maiden Academy who had also attended the art exhibition last time.
Zhang Yu’s gaze shifted slightly toward the other girl as he thought to himself, So this must be another big shot from Sacred Maiden Academy?
“Hehe, long time no see,” Wu Qingqing greeted Zhang Yu and Bai Zhenzhen as she approached. The girl trailing behind her, however, seemed completely oblivious to her surroundings. She kept her head bowed over a book in one hand while the other clutched the corner of Wu Qingqing’s clothes, following her every step.
It felt as if Wu Qingqing could lead her straight into oncoming traffic and she would still just keep her head down, silently following with her eyes glued to her book.
“These two are Bai Zhenzhen and Zhang Yu, the poor geniuses from Songyang High School.”
After making the introductions, Wu Qingqing pushed the book-reading girl forward and said, “This is Ye Qianyun, the top student in our First-Year class at Sacred Maiden Academy.”
She added proudly, “She is also the only girl in our advanced class who has not had surgery.”
Wait, What exactly on earth are you proud of here? Zhang Yu wondered.
Ye Qianyun looked up and nodded silently at them before immediately returning to her book.
