68: Chapter 68

68

Jiang Haojie's expression gradually grew solemn.

With his current strength, dealing with Tier 4 was manageable, but if he truly faced Tier 5, it might be a bit strenuous.

Fortunately, one of them was a Psionic, whom he wasn't too wary of; however, the other was a Physical Enhancer, which forced him to be cautious.

It seemed he had somewhat underestimated these people before.

The others didn't matter, but these two suspected Tier 5 individuals required extra attention.

If they truly met, it would likely be a hard-fought battle.

He looked closer: they were a man and a woman.

The man was named Lu Baichuan, from Zhanwu Academy, a senior student whose ability was called 'Crystal Physique'

physical enhancement.

The woman was named Song Gaoling, a senior at Beichen Academy, and her ability was Wood Element Psionic.

Hopefully, he wouldn't run into them too early, otherwise, it would be troublesome.

Jiang Haojie thought for a moment and replied to Su Qingxue with a 'Thank you'

.

Regardless, it was a kind gesture from her, and he had to appreciate it.

At the same time, he secretly breathed a sigh of relief—Su Qingxue didn't seem truly angry, or she wouldn't have sent this information.

However, he didn't know how to repay this favor.

On the other side of the room, Su Qingxue stared at the short reply on the screen and let out a soft 'Tch'

sound.

"Who cares."

Despite saying that, the corners of her mouth curled up ever so slightly.

Jiang Haojie continued browsing the data when suddenly, there was a knock on the door.

He was a bit puzzled about who would come looking for him at this time.

Opening the door, it turned out to be Su Qingxue.

"Why are you here?"

Jiang Haojie was startled.

"What, I can't come?"

Su Qingxue glanced at him and sidled into the room.

For some reason, Jiang Haojie subconsciously glanced left and right outside the door, and only after confirming no one saw did he gently close it.

"Did you look at the stuff I sent you?"

"I'm looking at it now,"

Jiang Haojie looked up, "Where did you get this information?"

"It's all on the forums.

I figured you definitely hadn't checked them, so I sent it to you."

"What forums?"

Jiang Haojie was even more confused; he had never heard of them.

Su Qingxue's smile faltered, looking slightly embarrassed: "It's our internal forum... I forgot you don't have access."

The Five Great Academies and the Top Ten Prestigious Schools all had their own internal forums where almost any information could be found.

She looked at Jiang Haojie apologetically, but he just shook his head, not minding it.

"Have you eaten? How about... eating something together?"

Su Qingxue suddenly asked.

Jiang Haojie looked at her with a strange expression: "Drinking again?"

"Go to hell!"

Su Qingxue grabbed a nearby pillow and threw it at him, then turned and pushed the door open to leave.

Getting a bit of benefit and then acting up—it was truly helpless.

Jiang Haojie sighed softly and said no more.

The next morning, after packing his gear, Jiang Haojie pushed open the door and headed straight for the designated gathering point for the event.

"Students, please listen to me."

Just as classes at Longcheng University were about to begin, Zou Wenlin's voice suddenly broadcasted over the campus speakers.

"I believe everyone is already aware of the news regarding the National Academy League.

Although our Longcheng University has always been an ordinary institution and has never participated in such competitions, in this session, we finally have a student standing on that stage."

"That student is Jiang Haojie."

"Now, please turn on the television equipment in each classroom.

Although we cannot be there in person to cheer for him, we can cheer for Jiang Haojie together here on campus."

As Zou Wenlin's voice fell, many students showed complex expressions.

Some of them had heard Jiang Haojie's name and knew he was the former top scorer of the college entrance examination.

Many had once thought he would fade into obscurity, never expecting him to step onto the stage of the Academy League.

Even so, most people still didn't think he could go very far.

The teachers followed instructions and turned on the TVs, tuning the channel to the league's live broadcast.

At this moment, not only Longcheng University, but countless viewers were already waiting in front of their screens.

This annual academy showdown had always been highly anticipated.

"The previous champion was Zhanwu Academy; I wonder who will take it this year."

"I'm betting on Beichen Academy, after all, it has ranked first among the five academies for years.

Their last defeat was because their top student didn't compete; this time they will surely go all out."

"Not necessarily.

In recent years, Nanyu Academy and Yongye Academy have shown clear signs of rising, possessing the strength to challenge Beichen.

This year's champion will likely come from one of those two."

Before the match even started, speculations in the comments section were already surging like a tide.

Inside Zhanwu Academy, Jiang Haojie followed the staff into an open-air arena.

This venue was grand in scale, large enough to accommodate a hundred thousand spectators.

In the center of the grounds was a square arena of about a hundred square meters, with the surrounding area divided into three sections: the judging panel, the spectator seats, and the contestant seats.

Jiang Haojie was led to the contestant section to take his seat.

Aside from the judging panel, this was the position closest to the arena.

But because the venue was too vast, even sitting in the front row, it was difficult to see the details without the help of equipment.

To address this, Zhanwu Academy had installed over ten large screens in the venue, ensuring that spectators in every corner could clearly capture everything on the stage.

Jiang Haojie's seat was arranged in an inconspicuous spot on the edge.

By this time, many participants had already taken their seats.

When passing by Bai Yang, the other party cast a cold gaze.

"Jiang Haojie, you actually dared to come."

The corners of Bai Yang's mouth curled into a mocking arc, "I hope you don't run into me too early.

Otherwise, I'll make you thoroughly understand exactly what kind of distance lies between us."

Jiang Haojie curled his lips, revealing a clean smile: "Sure, I also want to see just how far apart we are."

He had already read the subtext of this competition from the announcement released by the school.

Although the rules didn't explicitly forbid casualties, fists and feet have no eyes, and blades are even more heartless; no accident on the stage would be considered strange.

In the history of this academy's martial arts competitions, cases of losing one's life were not rare.

He ignored Bai Yang and turned to walk toward his seat.

"What are you so proud of,"

Bai Yang snorted through his nose, "Wait until he gets on stage, let's see if he can still be this arrogant."

Xu Qing glanced at him: "Is it really necessary to bicker with someone like that? It's beneath you."

In her view, only the truly strong were worth noticing; someone like Jiang Haojie, destined to sink to the bottom, didn't even have the right to enter her sight.

The stadium gradually filled up.

The contestant area was full, and the spectator stands were filled layer by layer until no empty seats remained.

A moment later, several middle-aged men in suits walked onto the judging panel.

The one in the center took a step forward, his voice spreading through the loudspeaker: "Hello everyone, I am the Dean of Students of Zhanwu Academy, Ma Chenyu.

First of all, thank you all for taking the time to come and observe this session's Academy Grand Competition."

"The process of this Grand Competition was originally the same as previous ones, but this morning we received notice—to inspire all participants, the officials have specially added a reward to be granted to the final winner."

He paused slightly and said clearly, "That is, an admission invitation to the Holy Academy."

The whole place was instantly in an uproar.

"What? The reward for first place is actually an invitation? If I had known, I would have signed up too!"

"I miscalculated, I miscalculated. Why didn't they say so earlier... can I still sign up late?"

"Hahaha, serves you right for not signing up before. This time, first place is mine."

"Stop dreaming, first place will only belong to me."

The matter of Jiang Haojie receiving a Holy Academy invitation a while ago had already made many people envious.

No one expected that to build momentum for the Academy Grand Competition, the officials would actually offer another one.

Those who hadn't signed up regretted it deeply, and even the contestants who had already signed up were breathing heavily—compared to other rewards, the attraction of this invitation was simply too lethal.

Xu Qing narrowed her eyes, a cold light flashing in them.

The Holy Academy invitation—she had to get her hands on it.

Whoever dared to block her path, she would make them disappear.

Perhaps Jiang Haojie was the only one in the whole place who remained calm.

This was not just because he already held an invitation, but because he already viewed first place as something already in his pocket that no one could take away.

The only thing that made him slightly hesitant was whether this invitation would still fall into his hands if certain identities were exposed.

But he soon dismissed the thought—it was just a piece of paper, whether it was given or not didn't matter; what he wanted was just the 'Number One'

position.

Ma Chenyu raised his hand to suppress the noise and spoke again: "You all already know the competition rules, but I will briefly reiterate them here."

"This school's Grand Competition uses a five-stage system, namely: Elimination, Advancement, Finals, Top Five, and Championship."

"Elimination and Advancement each have three rounds, one round per day, totaling six days; the Finals are divided into two rounds, one round per day; the Top Five and the Championship each take one day, for a total of ten days."

"Although there are no hard constraints on the stage, fists, feet, blades, and swords have no eyes. I hope everyone will stop at the right point and not hurt the friendship between fellow students."

"That is all. Now we will begin drawing lots to determine the match order."

Just as Ma Chenyu finished speaking, a wide light screen slowly descended from the top of the main stage.

The images and data of all participating students appeared on the screen one by one.

All eyes in the arena converged instantly, everyone holding their breath.

The Holy Academy's invitation pushed this school competition to an unprecedented peak, with everyone looking forward to witnessing the brilliance of the young powerhouses.

The information on the light screen flickered rapidly, and after three seconds, it froze, showing two faces and brief introductions.

"The candidates for the first battle are set—Wang Xiaohan from Qinghai University versus Tong Tong from Lujiang University.

Please take the stage, you two."

***

### After a moment, a man and a woman leaped onto the stage one after another.

The referee's hand dropped, and the battle suddenly erupted.

Wang Xiaohan was a Tier 1 Mutation Type, and her ability 'Black-backed Form'

which allowed her to transform into a vigorous and fierce hound; Tong Tong was a Tier 1 Psionic, controlling the power of cold ice.

Wang Xiaohan knew well the advantage of a Psionic's long-range attacks; only by closing in could she break the situation, so the moment she started, she pounced toward her opponent like an arrow from a bow.

Tong Tong also perceived her intention, and while retreating quickly, she waved her hand, and several inch-long ice crystals condensed in the air, shooting forward rapidly.

Wang Xiaohan's figure flickered quickly, avoiding the sharp ice crystals with continuous side-steps, her pace remaining steady.

Tong Tong immediately activated her Psionic energy, erecting three layers of ice barriers in front of her, trying to block the approaching threat.

Although the ice walls stood, they appeared fragile under the opponent's rapid momentum.

Both showed sharp judgment of combat opportunities, their offense and defense revealing an alertness far exceeding their tier.

However, the gap in talent was ultimately difficult to bridge—Tong Tong only had C-rank Ice Control, while Wang Xiaohan possessed B-rank Beastification ability.

After several rounds, Wang Xiaohan suddenly activated her talent; her body expanded, her hair stood on end, and she turned into a black shadow, pinning Tong Tong to the ground with her grim teeth hanging before the other's throat.

She didn't attack further, only letting out a low growl, giving the opponent a chance to admit defeat.

Tong Tong panted and spat out the words 'I admit defeat,' and Wang Xiaohan stepped back, returning to her normal appearance.

"First battle, Wang Xiaohan from Qinghai University wins!"

As soon as the referee's announcement fell, cheers erupted from the Qinghai University seats.

In contrast, the Lujiang University side was silent.

"Now drawing for the next group."

Ma Chenyu's voice rose, and the light screen flickered again.

After a moment it froze, with two images appearing together.

Seeing the information, the observers couldn't help but show subtle expressions.

"Cao Shengsheng's luck... Tier 1 against Tier 2, he actually ran into Ai Yi."

"Indeed, but rules are rules, and no one can interfere with the results of the system matching."

"I just hope there will be fewer such situations later."

"Cao Shengsheng from Qingyun University, Ai Yi from Guanglu University, please take the stage."

A man and a woman walked onto the martial arts stage one after another, and before the referee could even finish speaking, Cao Shengsheng had already raised his hand to signal surrender.

He turned and left the stage, his back looking decisive.

A few soft sighs came from the spectator stands.

Tier 1 against Tier 2—no matter who it was, they would probably make the same choice.

Several people on the judging panel exchanged helpless looks.

Under the data-matching mechanism, they were also powerless to adjust—unless they divided the competition groups by awakening level, but that would make the suspense and tension of the competition vanish completely.

"The winner is Ai Yi from Guanglu University."

...

"Next group, Wang Shiqi from Beihua University versus Deng Xue from Wannan University."

...

"Next group, Luo Mingze from Nanyu Academy versus Lei Tianyu from Yongye Academy."

...

Five hours passed quietly.

Although the pace of each match was quite fast, due to the large number of participants, the entire schedule still required three days to fully unfold.

Jiang Haojie leaned against the back of his chair, his expression indifferent.

This kind of competition was truly tedious to him.