91: Chapter 91 Quarterly Grand Competition

"Zhang Wen, have you heard? Next month is the Quarterly Competition at Qinglan University!" On the other end of the line, Ding Siyi's voice carried a distinct excitement, her tone rising slightly at the end.

Zhang Wen had just finished a session of Cultivate in a Secret Realm and was sitting on the stone steps, wiping away the lingering Tribulation Thunder patterns on his fingertips. Hearing this, he paused in surprise.

"Quarterly Competition? What is that?" He hadn't been enrolled for long, and most of his focus had been on elemental Fusion, so he paid little attention to school activities.

Just as Ding Siyi on the other end was about to speak, the smart bracelet on Zhang Wen's wrist suddenly lit up with a pale blue Shimmer, and a steady electronic voice cut in.

It was the artificial intelligence "mysterious view": "Keyword 'Quarterly Competition' detected. Analyzing for you."

"The Quarterly Competition is a signature event of Qinglan University, held every quarter to enhance students' practical combat abilities. The process is divided into two stages."

"The first stage is an intra-grade round-robin challenge, where the top ten of each grade are determined by points; the second stage is the cross-grade challenge."

"Cross-grade challenge?" Zhang Wen's fingertips paused, the Shimmer of the Tribulation Thunder dancing gently in his palm. "How does that work, exactly?"

"It means freshmen can challenge sophomores, and sophomores can challenge juniors!"

Ding Siyi spoke up before mysterious view could, her tone full of excitement.

"However, the seniors in their fourth year are nearing graduation and are busy preparing for various internships, so they won't be participating in this competition."

The electronic voice of mysterious view immediately added, with data-driven precision.

"Supplementary note: The reward mechanism for cross-grade challenges is 1.5 times that of standard rewards, including credits, Cultivate resources, and access to rare Secret Realm. According to historical data, the average spiritual power progression speed of successful challengers increases by 37.2% compared to their peers."

Zhang Wen rubbed the edge of his bracelet, thinking about his current strength; indeed, there was no one in the entire freshman year who could put enough pressure on him.

"Challenging the sophomores is a good idea. It's the perfect way to test my current strength."

"Alright, alright, I'm hanging up now. I still need to work hard to Cultivate and strive to surpass you." Ding Siyi hung up the phone after saying this.

Before Zhang Wen could react, the line had already gone dead.

"I need to take advantage of these last few days to Cultivate." Zhang Wen took a deep breath.

Over the next few days, Zhang Wen immersed himself in his Cultivate, spending his days and nights at the training hall.

In the blink of an eye, the day of the Quarterly Competition arrived.

As soon as Zhang Wen and his group stepped into the arena, the atmosphere was as hot as molten lava.

Cheers and shouts rose and fell, crashing against their eardrums like a surging tide.

The spectator stands around the arena were packed tightly with students, waving flags and cheering for the contestants they supported.

On the arena floor, the contestants were eager for action, their eyes filled with a fierce fighting spirit.

Some were warming up their muscles, while others were closing their eyes to focus and adjust their state.

The air was thick with tension and excitement, as if it had been set ablaze.

The large screen scrolled through the information and past records of the contestants, drawing gasps of amazement from the audience.

Zhang Wen took a deep breath, feeling the fervent atmosphere, and a surge of inexplicable passion welled up in his heart. He knew that an intense battle was about to begin.

Vice Principal Zhou Wentao stood on the high platform in the center of the arena, his voice echoing throughout the venue, instantly suppressing the noisy cheers.

He was dressed in a cyan-grey Zhongshan suit, with the Qinglan University emblem—a green bamboo holding a spirit pearl—embroidered on his cuffs. His gaze was gentle but carried an unquestionable authority.

"The Quarterly Competition is a tradition of Azure Mist, and even more so, a touchstone for you to test your Cultivate."

He raised his hand, and the light screens on both sides of the arena suddenly lit up, displaying the match brackets for each grade. "Remember, stopping at the point of contact is the bottom line, but breaking through your limits is the goal. Now, I announce—"

Before he could finish his sentence, deafening cheers erupted from the audience.

Zhou Wentao waved his hand with a smile and continued, "The first stage, the intra-grade round-robin, begins now! Will all freshman contestants please gather at Arena No. 1 on the east side."

Zhang Wen followed the crowd toward Arena No. 1. Just as he stood still, he heard a familiar voice behind him: "Zhang Wen! Over here!"

Ding Siyi was wearing a bright yellow training suit, standing on her tiptoes and waving at him, her cheeks flushed with excitement.

"I just checked the match brackets; we won't meet in the first round, but we'll definitely have to fight at the end!"

She shook her wrist. "I haven't been lazy these past few days; my proficiency with the Crimson Pearl Immortal Fire has increased by 30%!"

The screens around the arena suddenly lit up, and the scrolling contestant information froze into ten gilded characters, representing the top ten arena champions of the previous competition and their talents:

- 1st Arena, Zhang Wen, SSS-rank Nine Heavens Tribulation Thunder;

- 2nd Arena, Zhao Ya, SS-rank Crimson Flame Dancer;

- 3rd Arena, Ji Changkong, SS-rank Son of the Harsh Winter;

- 4th Arena, Qin Huang, S-rank Thousand Jin Stalwart Body;

- 5th Arena, Ding Siyi, S-rank Crimson Pearl Immortal Fire;

- 6th Arena, Solitary Blade, S-rank Blood-Drinking Bone Blade;

- 7th Arena, Wu Xuan, A-rank Profound Iron Bones;

- 8th Arena, Li Menger, S-rank Soul Dream Whisper;

- 9th Arena, Wan Hao, A-rank Wood Leaf Pupil;

- 10th Arena, Han Hao, S-rank Sword Heart Clarity.

Because Feng Yingcai was expelled, Wan Hao from the original 10th Arena took his place, and the 10th Arena was taken by the next person, Han Hao.

As soon as the words fell, the referee in the center of the arena shouted loudly: "First match, Zhao Ya versus Su Xue!"

Two figures leaped onto the stage simultaneously. Zhao Ya wore a red dress, and crimson flames rose around her, circling her limbs like a nimble dancer, each movement of her hand trailing sparks;

Su Xue was dressed in a moon-white training suit, her skirt tracing a clear, cold arc as she leaped, her waist-length silver hair shimmering with the luster of cold jade under the arena lights.

The moment she landed, she tapped her slender fingertips against the ground, and ice shards spread out from her toes.

The cold air caused the silver tassels hanging from her hair to tremble slightly, and a layer of fine frost seemed to coat her eyelashes, yet her eyes were startlingly bright, like a frozen lake carved out of a land of extreme cold.

A murmur of discussion suddenly arose from the audience: "Who is this? I haven't seen her on the list of top ten arena champions..."

Ding Siyi leaned close to Zhang Wen and whispered, "She is Su Xue. I heard she was delayed by urgent matters in her Family and couldn't make it before the New Student competition deadline, so she didn't participate in the selection for arena champions.

I didn't expect her to join the challenge match right after enrolling, and she picked Zhao Ya from the 2nd Arena right away..."

"A Crimson Flame Dancer against this ice-ability user—this is going to be a tough fight!" Ding Siyi said, her eyes wide.

As the referee gave the command, Zhao Ya took the initiative. As she formed hand seals, three clusters of flames suddenly transformed into fire snakes, hissing as they lunged toward Su Xue.

Su Xue did not move, merely lifting her hand slightly, and a half-person-high ice wall rose behind her. When the fire snakes collided with the ice wall, sending a cloud of white mist everywhere, a lock of her silver hair at her temple was still swaying gently with her breath.

Just when everyone thought the fire had been blocked, a fireball suddenly exploded within the white mist—Zhao Ya had used the smoke as cover to condense the flames into a short blade, striking straight at Su Xue's face!

"What a fast change of tactics!" Exclamations erupted from the audience.

Zhang Wen, however, frowned slightly; he noticed that Su Xue's spiritual power fluctuations behind the ice wall had not weakened.

Sure enough, the moment the fireball was about to hit, Su Xue spun sideways to dodge. As she spun, her moon-white skirt fluttered like a butterfly, and ice flowers suddenly bloomed along the path traced by her fingertips. The cold air surged back like a tide, instantly freezing the fireball into ice crystals.

When she landed, her toes lightly tapped the ice surface, and the fine ice shards kicked up landed on her long, slender eyelashes, adding a touch of sharp beauty.

"With this kind of strength... no wonder she dared to challenge an arena champion directly." The Tribulation Thunder patterns on Zhang Wen's fingertips danced gently; he could feel a trace of extreme cold fluctuation hidden within Su Xue's ice-element spiritual power.

It was a power sufficient to freeze the flow of spiritual power, yet when she controlled it, she always did so with an effortless elegance, as if she were not in a battle, but dancing on ice.

Ding Siyi watched from the side, gesturing excitedly: "Zhao Ya's flame temperature is so high, it can actually melt the ice shards!"

"But Su Xue's freezing speed is even faster. Look at the way she turned just now; even though it was so fast, she was still so beautiful... Hey, who do you think will win?"