Chapter 121: The Challenge Begins
“Greetings to the Headmaster! Greetings to the Elders! Greetings to the Deputy Headmaster!” The collective voices of the disciples boomed across the plaza, shaking the dust from the surrounding pavilions.
Sun Yi dismissed the archaic formalities with a decisive, authoritative wave. “Efficiency is key,” he declared, his voice cutting through the plaza with corporate detachment. “You all know why you’ve been summoned. We’re skipping the tutorial and getting straight to the stress test. All Foundation Establishment early-stage disciples, step forward.”
The plaza stirred. The targeted disciples stepped out from the ranks one by one, congregating in the center of the arena.
Sun Yi ran a quick headcount. Over 400 targets. A solid sample size for his data collection.
“Good. Zhang Yuan, you’re up. Run the first diagnostic,” Sun Yi ordered.
“As you command, Headmaster!”
Zhang Yuan leaped into the center of the plaza. Instantly, countless gazes locked onto him. Whispers rippled through the crowd as the Sect members recognized the infamous disciple.
Despite being under the microscope of the entire Sect, Zhang Yuan showed no anxiety. An intense, visceral fighting spirit erupted from his core, radiating outward.
Sun Yi amplified his voice, addressing the entire server. “The rules of this patch are simple. Zhang Yuan and the other 4 beta testers will randomly select opponents from the early-stage Foundation Establishment pool. Defeat Zhang Yuan, and you are immediately rewarded with 10,000 Points.”
The plaza erupted into a tide-like clamor.
“10,000 Points?!” “Heavens above, the Headmaster’s benevolence knows no bounds!” “That bounty could purchase an entire treasury of pills!” “A Qi Refining Junior Brother challenging Foundation Establishment? And 10,000 Points on the line? It’s practically free resources!” “Ah! Curses! Why did I have to break through to the mid-stage so quickly?”
Sun Yi listened to the roar of greed, his lips curling into a cold smile. Did they really think the system would hand out free loot? Fools. Every point of combat data generated here would help him optimize the Five Elements Art, breaking the bottlenecks of this simulated prison they called a world.
“Execute,” Sun Yi commanded.
“Yes, Headmaster.”
Zhang Yuan surveyed the greedy Foundation Establishment cultivators, who were now inching forward, desperate to be picked.
“This Senior Brother, please grace me with your instruction,” Zhang Yuan called out, pointing to a cultivator standing nearby.
The selected cultivator beamed, stepping forward as if he had just been handed a divine treasure from the Heavens themselves. His peers glared at him with undisguised envy.
The cultivator walked to a position 50 meters away and cupped his hands. “I am Wu Wenbing. Junior Brother, please go easy on me.”
“I am Zhang Yuan. Senior Brother, please.”
The challenge began. Zhang Yuan exploded forward. His Qi surged as he channeled his Sword Art. A Grade 2, Rank 5 flying sword shot from his body, morphing into a roaring golden dragon of pure sword-light.
Lethal Sword Qi flooded the arena. Wu Wenbing’s smug expression vanished, replaced by stark terror. He frantically channeled his defensive arts. A heavy hammer Spirit Weapon shot from his pouch, transforming into a streak of light to intercept the golden dragon.
Boom!
The distance between them was short; the impact was immediate and brutal. Shockwaves rippled across the stone tiles. The hammer was blown backward, its spiritual light flickering out like a dying candle.
Zhang Yuan’s golden dragon dimmed, but its momentum was unbroken. In the blink of an eye, the beast loomed over Wu Wenbing’s head, radiating a crushing, lethal pressure.
Panicking, Wu Wenbing channeled True Qi into a glowing turtle-shell shield above him.
The golden dragon slammed into the shell.
Boom!
The shield groaned under the brute force, sinking heavily. Wu Wenbing’s face drained of color as the sheer kinetic force ruptured his insides. He coughed up a mouthful of blood.
Zhang Yuan’s eyes glinted with predatory light. “Shatter!” he roared.
True Qi from his Gold Gate flooded the blade. The golden dragon swelled, its brilliance blinding the onlookers as its damage output skyrocketed.
The turtle-shell shield pulverized under the strain. Shards of spiritual light rained down as Wu Wenbing was launched backward by a massive force, landing heavily on the ground. He spat out another mouthful of blood.
Before the dust could settle, the golden flying sword hovered inches above Wu Wenbing’s forehead. The lethal Sword Qi locked onto his vitals, but the blade held its strike.
Wu Wenbing stared at the glowing edge, smiling bitterly. “I concede.”
“Thank you for the guidance, Senior Brother Wu,” Zhang Yuan replied, retracting the sword with a fluid motion.
Floating above, Sun Yi nodded. Resource expenditure: High. Return on investment: Exceptional. Unlocking the 5 gates had turned Zhang Yuan’s hardware into a weapon of mass destruction.
The entire exchange had taken only a few breaths of time. The peanut gallery was stunned into absolute silence.
“This… what just happened?” “Am I seeing things? An early-stage Foundation Establishment Senior Brother was instantly crushed by a Qi Refining Grand Perfection Junior Brother!” “It wasn’t a fluke. That Sword Art… the raw destructive power was on par with the Foundation Establishment stage!” “Heavens, this Zhang Yuan is a monster!”
The remaining Foundation Establishment challengers gulped, their greed evaporating. The 10,000 Points suddenly looked like a death trap.
“Test successful. Next target,” Sun Yi ordered, his voice echoing coldly.
Zhang Yuan’s gaze swept the crowd before locking onto a young cultivator. “This Senior Brother, please.”
The young man inhaled sharply. He stepped into the ring, his expression solemn. He looked at Zhang Yuan, a flicker of envy in his eyes. “Fellow Daoist… did you cultivate the same Five Elements Art as the Headmaster?”
Zhang Yuan smiled. “Indeed. The Headmaster bestowed this Five Elements Art upon us.”
The young cultivator straightened his spine, his aura sharpening. “I am Wang Han. High Grade Water Spirit Root. Early-stage Foundation Establishment. Please advise.”
“Please.”
Zhang Yuan dashed forward. Wang Han’s hands blurred through a series of complex seals. True Qi erupted, forming a tidal wave that condensed into an azure water dragon.
Seeing the incoming attack, Zhang Yuan shifted his internal routing. He activated his Water Gate. A blue flying sword materialized, devouring his Water Qi until it transformed into an identical azure dragon.
The two leviathans collided in the dead center of the arena. A thunderous roar shook the plaza as high-pressure water blasted in every direction. Both flying swords were knocked back by the concussive force.
Zhang Yuan didn’t miss a beat. He exploded into motion, catching his ricocheting blade. The sword reverted to its base form as Zhang Yuan blurred, his speed breaking the sound barrier.
“Wind Thunder Step!” Wang Han’s eyes widened in sheer disbelief. He instantly recognized the Sect’s ultimate movement technique.
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