Chapter 47
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Chapter 47: Contention
Inside the competition venue.
Drones flew in, delivering box after box of lunch.
With the first and second rounds of the Magic Power Competition completed, it was now time for the lunchtime.
Yet the many contestants eating their boxed lunches were still discussing the highlights of the previous two matches, their eyes occasionally glancing at the rankings on the large screen.
Except… the name that had been in fourth place was now gone. The top ten was once again dominated by the three famous school of Bailong High, Purple Cloud High, and Red Pagoda High.
This was because with the first and second rounds now fully concluded, the top ten displayed on the screen had been replaced by the top ten in total scores.
Only a top-ten finish in the final overall ranking of the Magic Power Competition would earn a contestant prize, a true ranking, and an achievement recognized by universities, something that would be influential during their interviews.
But the name that had torn open a gap in the second round and forcefully squeezed into fourth place had now vanished like a phantom.
It was as if a small bird trying to break through the heavens had been swatted back down by a giant hands formed by the three famous schools.
Teacher Yan sighed inwardly. Zhang Yu’s score in the first Flying Sword Match was just a bit too low, and it dragged him down. That’s why his total score wasn’t enough to break into the top ten.
But what could be done about it?
The wealthy held an absolute advantage in Flying Sword mastery. Teacher Yan could not blame Zhang Yu’s family for being unable to buy him a magic-powered Flying Sword.
If there’s anything to blame, it’s just bad luck, running into a competition sponsored by a Flying Sword manufacturer.
Elsewhere, Zhang Yu looked at the boxed lunch in his hand, eating while complaining with disdain, “80 yuan for just this one box? Why doesn’t Red Pagoda High School just go rob people?”
As Zhang Yu was grumbling, another boxed lunch was shoved in front of him.
He looked up to see Teacher Yan holding it out.
Teacher Yan smiled benevolently and said, “You must be starving after such a tiring morning. I knew you’d be hungry, so you can have this one too.”
Watching this from the side, Bai Zhenzhen secretly pursed her lips. As if he’s hungrier than I am. Yu Zi dispelled his unique magic power in a minute and a half, but I had to hold on for over eight minutes before it was over. It nearly killed me.
Teacher Yan watched Zhang Yu devour both meals, growing more satisfied by the second. Such a large appetite was clearly the sign of a good student.
And what about Bai Zhenzhen, Qian Shen, and He Dayou eating so much? Hmph. They have no chance of placing in this Magic Power Competition. Eating like that just makes them gluttons and freeloaders.
Teacher Yan encouraged Zhang Yu, “You did very well this morning. Just do your best this afternoon and don’t put too much pressure on yourself.”
Although Teacher Yan desperately wished Zhang Yu would give it 400 % of his focus and fight with everything he had, she knew that things like Magic Power manipulation could not be rushed. A calm mindset was crucial, or the effort could backfire.
So, afraid that placing in the second round that morning had put too much psychological pressure on Zhang Yu, she had immediately come over to comfort him, hoping he could compete in a relaxed state.
Meanwhile, Teacher Yan could not help but calculate Zhang Yu’s score in her head.
“80 points in the first round and 93 in the second, that makes it a total of 173 points.”
She glanced up at the large screen, her eyes scanning from the first-place score of 195 down to the tenth-place score of 176.
“If Zhang Yu can make up just 4 points in the next round, he’ll get into the top ten.”
4 points might not sound like much, but Teacher Yan knew that in a highly difficult and competitive event like the Magic Power Competition, every single point became harder to earn as the scores climbed higher.
This was especially true when thirty top students from the three famous school were all vying for those top ten spots.
Thinking about the four-point difference, Teacher Yan could not help but feel a slight tension. “It all depends on what this final round tests.”
The lunch break ended quickly, and the final round of the afternoon’s Magic Power Competition officially began.
The host walked onto the stage and began his announcement. “To learn Martial Arts and Dao Arts, come to Immortal Cloud. With three hundred laboratories and one hundred Masters of Cultivation Arts, we have dedicated ourselves to education on the Path to Immortality for a century. We thank the Immortal Cloud Education Group for sponsoring this Magic Power Competition…”
Immortal Cloud Group. Zhang Yu remembered that this company was a subsidiary of the Myriad Laws Sect. It was the same major corporation where he had participated in the skill assessment and obtained the Cosmic Orbit Energy Gathering Method.
He also recalled meeting the Songyang City Branch Director of the Immortal Cloud Group at Li Xuelian’s art exhibition.
A few moments later, a complex Energy Flow Diagram was distributed to each of the student participants.
The task for the final round of the Magic Power Competition was to transform their own Magic Power into a unique magic power by following the routes depicted in the diagram.
At the same time, the Soul Cultivators’ cameras scanned the entire venue. They were constantly monitoring each contestant’s state, which would also make it easier to record the order in which they completed the assessment.
As the timer officially started, students began circulating their magic power along the routes depicted in the Energy Flow Diagram.
Zhang Yu frowned slightly as he studied the diagram.
This… seems to be a type of unique magic power designed for combat.
While his Level 10 Cosmic Orbit Energy Gathering Method granted him exceptional control over his magic power, the circulation route in this diagram was drastically different from the method he was familiar with.
If the Cosmic Orbit Energy Gathering Method was an internal circulation technique focused on self-improvement, this diagram depicted a method of channelling magic power outward for combat purposes.
He sensed that, in terms of complexity, this route was less intricate than the Cosmic Orbit Energy Gathering Method. However, both the circulation path and the techniques it employed were entirely unfamiliar to him.
In particular, a technique involving vibrational refinement was something he had never encountered before.
“This Magic Power Competition is way beyond the curriculum,” he muttered.
And yet…
Zhang Yu glanced at the Feather Book that had materialized beside him, finding no change within.
Isn’t this supposed to be a cultivation art?
Guess I have no choice but to try and force my way through it..
Zhang Yu channelled his Dantian’s magic power and cautiously began circulating it according to the Energy Flow Diagram.
***
Meanwhile, in the area for Purple Cloud High School…
Lian Tianji watched Le Mulan nearby. Her confident demeanor prompted him to think, “The sacred student is sure to achieve impressive results. My job is not to drag us down and to help boost our school’s overall score.”
Le Mulan studied the Energy Flow Diagram before her, tilting her head slightly. I think I’ve seen something similar to this before. Let me think… Isn’t this the protective gang qi from Martial Dao Techniques?
She circulated her inner magic power, and sure enough, she expertly began converting minute strands of magic power into the unique magic power depicted in the diagram.
Protective gang qi, transformed from magic power, was considered a unique magic power belonging to the Martial Dao system within the immortal Dao system established by the Ten Great Sects.
Le Mulan remembered that converting magic power into protective gang qi required a step called magic power vibration. The higher the quality of the protective gang qi, the more vibrations were needed. Each magic power vibration refines the quality of the Gang Qi formed from magic power, but it also makes it harder to control.
According to this diagram, I need seven magic power oscillations, then I have to follow the energy flow path…
Suddenly, her brow furrowed slightly.
Listening to the muffled groans and cries of pain from nearby, she found the noise distracting and annoying.
These were students injured during the previous match while dispelling the magic power. Their injuries had not healed yet, and the moment they started cultivating, their wounds flared up.
Can’t these students from ordinary high schools afford decent healing medicine?
Even if they can’t afford good medicine, can they not even buy quality painkillers?
As Le Mulan thought this, it suddenly struck her that these poor students from ordinary high schools might truly be unable to afford expensive painkillers.
This was the sound of poverty.
It’s affecting my exam.
But Le Mulan knew that the power of money could silence the sound of poverty.
With a flick of her hand, she pulled on a pair of noise-cancelling earmuffs worth tens of thousands of yuan. Feeling the sudden quiet, a smile played on her lips as she resumed her magic power conversion.
***
Over at Bailong High School, Song Hailong stared at the Energy Flow Diagram in his hand. His magic power had already begun to circulate naturally, moving as if guided by his thoughts and gradually aligning with the diagram’s instructions.
Years of practicing magic power circulation with the Heavenly Spirit Root had made controlling his magic power feel effortless now that he had removed it.
Moreover, he had practiced many similar exercises countless times before, which made his movements even more fluid and his speed was also noticeably faster.
Boom!
A cluster of magic power in his dantian violently oscillated and momentarily scattered before Song Hailong calmly gathered it back together..
First magic power oscillation complete!
Easy! Easy! Easy! Too easy!
My parents had the best genes, carefully selected from countless candidates.
I stopped needing sleep when I was five years old.
Now, at eighteen, I have been the top performer in the Song Family every year, with the highest scores and strongest physique among my peers! I am also the only one among them who has never attempted suicide, hated school, or suffered from depression! I am the Song Family’s ace son!
What right do these trash in this competition have to compete with me!
At this moment, his mind was completely focused, without a single distraction. He was determined to master the technique in the diagram as quickly as possible and crush the top students from the other two famous school beneath his feet.
At the same time, Xiong Bufan of Red Pagoda High School was crouched before the Energy Flow Diagram. His eyes were closed, and his fluffy tail twitched rhythmically, as if he had reached a critical juncture in his cultivation.
The Competition Coach watching nearby thought to himself, Bufan and his cohort at the breeding base were medicated starting from when they were in the womb. By the time they entered High School, his physique was the most outstanding.
When the school brought him from the Protected Area’s breeding base, the toughness of his Meridians was already more than ten times that of an ordinary student. He could cultivate as recklessly as he pleased without worrying about injury.
Since his enrollment, I have had him focus on training his Magic Power circulation speed.
He has also practiced protective gang qi countless times.
This time around, he is bound to be the first to master this Energy Flow Diagram.
Hmm, the Principal really should assimilate more Demons… no, that’s wrong… I mean, plan to enroll more Monsterfolk Students.
How could one possibly be enough? I think we could easily have four more on the Competition Team. Those leaders who insist on pure human team are too conservative. I hear the neighboring city already has an pure Demon… I mean, a pure Monsterfolk roster.
***
Zhang Yu had to admit that without prior training or preparation, achieving a ranking in this round seemed nearly impossible.
This competition was not just a test of talent and aptitude but also a contest of financial power, influence, and deep-rooted backing.
Damn it!
Is this the end of my competition journey?
Zhang Yu! Are you going to be defeated by money?
***
Not far away, Teacher Yan watched Zhang Yu’s distressed expression and sighed inwardly.
She then glanced at the other Songyang High School students, seeing them drenched in sweat, pale-faced, or looking so anxious they might shit themselves. Teacher Yan shook her head helplessly.
Songyang High School students were already inferior to the Top Students from the three famous school. After failing to achieve any meaningful results in the Magic Power Competition for years, the school had simply stopped investing in it altogether.
Without the school’s investment, their performance in the Magic Power Competition grew worse and worse, which naturally made the school even less willing to invest. It was a vicious cycle.
Teacher Yan understood that without the school’s full support and proper training, they were already at a disadvantage from the start.
Just then, a student suddenly raised his hand. “I need to use the restroom.”
Teacher Yan cursed inwardly. So you really did have to go.
“Hurry up!”
Just then, Teacher Yan suddenly heard the sound of bones and sinews cracking nearby.
Turning her head, she saw it was Bai Zhenzhen practicing martial arts.
Has she given up completely? This is a Magic Power Competition. Why is she practicing martial arts?
Zhang Yu was also drawn by the sound. After a quick glance, he sighed inwardly. A-Zhen has truly been driven mad.
Huh?
Suddenly, Zhang Yu felt an inexplicable familiarity with Bai Zhenzhen’s movements. It seemed as if they could be combined with something.
The martial art form was very simple and consisted of only six moves repeated over and over. After watching it through, he suddenly had a realization.
Could this martial art form be combined with the Energy Flow Diagram?
Seeing the words “Limitless Cloud Hands Level 0” appear on his Feather Book, Zhang Yu wanted to scoop Bai Zhenzhen up and spin her around.
A-Zhen!
You’re a saint!
The savior of Songyang High School!
The Energy Flow Diagram detailed the method for circulating Magic Power, while Bai Zhenzhen’s movements were external martial art techniques.
Together, they formed a complete combat martial art called Limitless Cloud Hands.
This was an Advanced-Grade Martial Art Technique.
However, this Cultivation Art prioritized internal cultivation over external techniques. The key was the application of Magic Power and how to transform it into protective gang qi. The six external stance techniques were less like true techniques and more like six practical examples.
This time, the Magic Power Competition had singled out the technique’s Energy Flow Diagram to use as an exam question.
For ordinary people, whether or not the technique included external stance techniques would not affect their ability to learn the method of transforming Magic Power into protective gang qi.
But for Zhang Yu, whether it was a complete Cultivation Art that could be recorded in the Feather Book made all the difference in the world.
Zhang Yu had no idea how Bai Zhenzhen had comprehended the external stance techniques. All he could do now was quickly switch his Feather Book specialization to Limitless Cloud Hands and begin practicing.
Limitless Cloud Hands Level 0 (0/1, 15.4/5 Magic Power)
One repetition!
If he could just complete one repetition, even if it was riddled with errors and a complete mess, he could completely master the Limitless Cloud Hands technique.
