Chapter Ninety-Six: The Dangerous Preliminary Round

Anjing North Station.

As soon as Gao Wu stepped off the high-speed train, the station caught his interest.

Unlike the usual modern station buildings, the platforms here were designed in an antique style: towering beams interlocked overhead, and the eaves swept upward in a graceful arc.

The transparent dome on the upper level was made to resemble glazed tiles, layered and overlapping; when sunlight fell upon it, it refracted into a rainbow sheen, beautiful beyond measure.

Even the platform paving was made of imitation red brick, each tile carved with decorative patterns.

The whole station blended modern and traditional architecture with exquisite skill, combining the brightness and simplicity of the present age with the elegant dignity of classical design.

Gao Wu had also seen introductions to Anjing online. They all said Anjing was the heart of the North Province, lavish and magnificent, with an extraordinary bearing.

A single station was enough to prove the point.

The other members of the martial arts team were mostly here for the first time as well, and all of them were astonished by the beauty and refinement of the place.

Song Mingyue stood silently beside Gao Wu, her hands in the pockets of her black trench coat. She wore oversized sunglasses, and no one knew what she was looking at.

Yang Ru glanced at Song Mingyue in secret, then leaned toward Han Yang as if to say something. Han Yang shook his head and stopped her.

He knew Yang Ru could only be up to no good, and from so close they might easily be overheard by Gao Wu and Song Mingyue.

This time Song Mingyue had come along as the team assistant, obviously forced into the arrangement by someone in authority. But she neither took up a competition slot nor used up the team’s resources. At most, the school was paying for her lodging and travel.

Everyone knew Song Mingyue had come because of Gao Wu. Who would be foolish enough to pick a fight with her?

Han Yang did not want to offend Gao Wu, and he was even a little afraid of Song Mingyue. For reasons he could not explain, he always felt she was more terrifying than Gao Wu.

Whether that intuition was right or wrong, there was no need for them to provoke this pair.

Gao Wu did not notice Han Yang and Yang Ru’s little exchange. His spiritual power had surged dramatically, and his senses had become extraordinarily sharp, which in turn created some interference for him.

Human senses had evolved over millions of years and adapted to the world as it was. Senses that became too keen were no longer well suited to this world.

Most of the time, all the stray information perceived by such heightened awareness only caused Gao Wu great disturbance.

For instance, the faintest sounds, such as the wind outside the window, falling leaves, or even the rustle of insects moving about. These things were all part of nature, but because he heard them so clearly, they became distracting.

His mind had to first determine where the sound came from, then judge whether it posed a threat, and that greatly increased the burden on his brain.

Or if his clothes had the slightest roughness or fuzz, he would feel uncomfortable.

Because of this, Gao Wu had specially asked Song Mingyue for guidance and learned some techniques for restraining spiritual power.

The advantage was that he was no longer disturbed by all kinds of useless, cluttered information. The disadvantage was that his perception of the outside world had dropped several levels.

Seeing Song Mingyue so calm and composed, he asked casually, “Have you been here before?”

“Yes.”

Song Mingyue said, “The northern district of Anjing is a new district, built for less than twenty years. It was planned with strict symmetry along the central axis, and there are no buildings over fifty meters tall in the entire district.

“All the buildings use a traditional antique style. The executive government, the provincial governor’s residence, and so on are all in the north district, including Anjing University. Property here is extremely expensive.”

Gao Wu clicked his tongue in admiration. “As expected of a major city. This really opens one’s eyes.”

After leaving the station, a medium-sized coach arranged in advance was already waiting to pick them up. Team leader Yang Qiming and coach Song Yunhui led the group onto the bus.

From the station, one could already see that the antique buildings lining the streets were not very tall, most of them with hip roofs or gable-and-hip roofs, covered in glazed tiles, their style dignified and splendid.

After becoming used to glass curtain walls and towering skyscrapers, seeing such a unified traditional architectural style was profoundly shocking.

The martial arts team members all gasped in amazement and kept taking out their phones to snap photos.

Seeing so many team members interested in Anjing’s architecture, Song Yunhui said, “The north district is the center of Anjing, and it’s planned very well. Up ahead is Dragon Gate Bridge, spanning the widest stretch of the White Dragon River. It’s seven thousand meters long.

“Right now the snow upstream is melting, and with the rainy season these past few days, it’s the spring flood season. The White Dragon River is fierce and muddy. Standing on the bridge and looking down, you can see the great river surging and twisting like a dragon, with distant mountains stretching endlessly and buildings on both banks packed in dense rows. It has a grandeur all its own.

“If you have nothing else to do tomorrow, you can all come to Dragon Gate Bridge to watch the river, broaden your horizons, and open your hearts…”

Then Song Yunhui changed the subject. “Do you know why the north district was planned so well?”

Yang Ru cooperated immediately. “Why?”

“Because thirty years ago, a level-seven exotic beast broke in here and razed the north district to the ground, leaving more than a million dead and wounded.

“The upper and lower reaches of the White Dragon River were dyed red with blood... So in the reconstruction, high-rise buildings were abolished in the north district. This made the buildings more stable and also helped control population density effectively...”

As Song Yunhui spoke of this, her expression became solemn. Although she had only been ten at the time, the incident had left a deep impression on her.

Thirty years passed in the blink of an eye, and another generation had grown up.

Three decades of peace had also made people forget the bitter lessons of the past, forget that this world was not safe.

This was the first time many members of the martial arts team had heard of the incident, and all of them were shocked. They could hardly imagine how powerful a level-seven exotic beast must have been, or how much destruction it could have wrought upon a city.

But they all understood how horrifying the number of a million casualties truly was.

The coach fell silent.

Gao Wu looked out at the surging river beyond the window, imagining the terrible carnage of decades past, when blood had stained the great water red. His feelings were complicated.

He had always believed this world to be extremely dangerous. It was only because order had remained stable for a time that people lost their vigilance.

Most people believed danger was far away. Even if an exotic beast truly broke into the real world, it would only be unlucky for a few.

It could not be said that most people lacked wisdom; rather, human beings, for the sake of survival, could not remain in a state of tension for long. Only by constantly adjusting themselves could they find a comfortable zone and better adapt to the world in order to survive.

This story made Gao Wu even more convinced that he had chosen the right path.

Become stronger, keep becoming stronger, and become the number one under heaven. Only then could he seize control of his own fate.

Song Yunhui used the opportunity to educate the students, and she was very satisfied with the effect.

After more than half an hour on the road, the coach entered Qilin Garden on the campus of Anjing University.

Four buildings stood opposite one another in pairs, forming a semi-enclosed area. In the middle grew evergreen spruces and various flowers and plants.

A ring of antique covered walkways surrounded the place, and the branching paths were paved with river pebbles, lending the area a rustic yet tranquil air.

At the end of April, vast patches of roses were in bloom, red, yellow, and white, bright and vivid, adding even more vitality to the place.

Team leader Yang Qiming went to the reception desk to complete the paperwork, then led the martial arts team members into Building One. Two people shared a room, with men and women separated.

As for Song Mingyue, she naturally counted as staff and was assigned a room of her own.

Gao Wu was paired with Han Yang. Fortunately, the room was fairly spacious and, more importantly, very clean. Gao Wu had no complaints about that.

Han Yang, however, was somewhat unwilling. After glancing around the room, he said, “It’s too small. I’m not used to staying with strangers.”

He added, “I’ll go to the front desk and get another room. I won’t squeeze in with you.”

“You can still get another room?” Gao Wu was a little surprised. Wasn’t it already arranged?

“Kirin Garden is a hotel run by Anjing University for the public. You can stay here if you pay,” Han Yang said, waving a hand at Gao Wu. “I’m leaving first. Contact me by messenger if anything comes up.”

Gao Wu did not mind. Living alone would be more comfortable anyway.

At six in the evening, Song Yunhui took everyone to the cafeteria for dinner.

After dinner, she led the group to a private room in the tea hall and gave a brief explanation of the specific schedule for this year’s Kirin Cup.

Every year the preliminaries of the Kirin Cup were adjusted, and only after arriving here did she learn the details.

“This year’s preliminaries will involve entering the White Nether Secret Realm to hunt exotic beasts. The top sixteen teams by points will advance to the next round.”

As Song Yunhui said this, her expression turned serious. “The White Nether Secret Realm has been explored many times. It mainly contains exotic beasts such as snow wolves, white bears, and iron-horned deer. Some adult beasts can condense source power and reach the first level.

“Handguns are permitted, but cold weapons are unrestricted. Each team will have two days. In the end, the score will be based on the number of kills...”

Listening to her, the members of the martial arts team all grew solemn.

Even if they had never entered a secret realm, they knew how dangerous one was. A truly stable secret realm contained no exotic beasts.

Once exotic beasts entered a secret realm, stronger exotic beasts were likely to be drawn in as well. Any accident could become extremely dangerous.

Song Yunhui said, “It is relatively rare for the preliminaries to use a practical combat assessment. Once inside the secret realm, the most important thing is to protect yourselves; hunting exotic beasts comes second.

“Remember, fighting exotic beasts is extremely perilous. Even if an exotic beast has not condensed source power, its powerful body alone is still terrifying...”

She cared more about the students’ safety than their scores.

There was a major problem: these children had been training in sparring rings since childhood. None of them had any experience hunting exotic beasts.

The difference between an exotic beast and a human being was far too great. And a secret realm was by no means a sparring ring. She was truly afraid these children did not understand the dangers and the depths of what they were facing. If anyone were injured or killed, how could she answer to their parents? How could she answer to the school?

The oldest among them was only eighteen, with bright futures ahead. There was no need to risk their lives over a competition. She had to make these things clear.

Finally, Song Yunhui looked toward Gao Wu and said, “Gao Wu, you will be the team captain this time. Han Yang, Yang Ru, Song Minglin, and Yu Rulong, all of you must listen to Gao Wu.

“This is a matter of life and death. No one is allowed to act on their own. The body-mounted recorders will capture everything you say and do, and everyone must take responsibility for themselves and for their teammates.”

Gao Wu nodded, and Han Yang and the others also answered solemnly.

To be honest, all of them felt a little uneasy. They came from good families, had never suffered hardship in their lives, and had never encountered real danger.

When they signed up for the Kirin Cup, they thought they would simply be fighting on a ring. They never expected they would have to risk their lives in a secret realm.

The other martial arts team members were also tense. Most of them had come merely to watch the excitement and broaden their horizons.

Even if they were not the ones entering the secret realm, they could still feel the immense pressure.

Since the preliminaries were so dangerous, Song Yunhui canceled the next day’s rest. She rented a small conference room and spent the entire day explaining the secret realm and the nature of exotic beasts.

Gao Wu listened very carefully. He had once entered a secret realm for an assessment, but he did not dare claim that he had experience.

Although secret realms had been developed fairly maturely, no one could guarantee that nothing would go wrong.

Even a provincial capital like Anjing could still be infiltrated by an exotic beast, let alone a transitional zone like a secret realm that connected the real world and another realm.

If something truly went wrong, there would be nowhere to cry about it.

At five in the morning on April twenty-seventh, ten large coaches set out carrying all the contestants. It was only at ten in the morning that everyone finally arrived at the competition site, Dragon Claw Peak.

As its name suggested, Dragon Claw Peak consisted of five mountain peaks clustered together, and from a bird’s-eye view it looked like a giant claw.

Standing at the foot of the five-hundred-to-six-hundred-meter Dragon Claw Peak, one could not naturally see any connection between the mountain and a dragon’s claw.

Gao Wu only learned the origin of the name after Song Mingyue told him about it.

The entrance to the secret realm was inside a huge cave beneath Dragon Claw Peak, and outside stood a heavily armored brigade guarding the entrance.

On the way in, they had passed through layer upon layer of checkpoints.

Gao Wu could understand that. This place was too close to Anjing, so of course it needed heavy protection.

The ninety participating teams, a total of four hundred and fifty youths, gathered together. Wherever one looked, there were spirited young men and women everywhere.

Amid them, Gao Wu could not help but feel a surge of pride. Here had assembled the finest eighteen-year-old martial artists in the North Province, and even some warriors as well.

If he defeated these boys and girls, then he would be the youth king of the North Province.

At the thought of that, Gao Wu felt his blood stir.

But soon he sensed something was wrong. Someone was watching him.

Following the gaze, he saw Bai Yushuang in camouflage combat uniform.

It had been three months since they last met, and Bai Yushuang was still as beautiful as ever. Her bright, sunlit complexion matched the combat uniform especially well.

Yet why were her eyes so bright? There seemed to be a keen, sharp edge to them, and the aura around her was restrained and profound. Something was off... something was very off...

Gao Wu’s spiritual power was now formidable, and when he activated his yin spirit to observe Bai Yushuang, he immediately noticed the problem.

“This is source power. Damn it, that little vixen has advanced to warrior rank!”