157: Chapter 157 Hunting Points Tournament! I've Become the World Boss?

Longya Academy's exclusive rest area was located in the deepest part of the venue.

The heavy soundproof door closed.

The cursing, questioning, and the noise from the reporters outside were all shut out.

Over by the sofa, a chubby figure was squirming back and forth anxiously.

Zhang Wei, clutching a communication terminal tightly in his hand, swiped his thumb rapidly across the screen.

The fluorescent glow of the screen illuminated his pale, fat face, making the flesh on it quiver.

"Those low-lifes! Those bastards!"

His cursing echoed throughout the spacious lounge.

Frustrated, Zhang Wei slapped his thigh, his eyes bulging.

"Brother Qi, look at the narrative these people are pushing online! They're calling you a sore loser, a mad dog, saying you're just a grandstander!"

Ignoring the fat man's chatter, Lin Qi walked straight to the open space in the center of the room.

Crossing his legs, he sat directly on the cold alloy floor.

Closing his eyes, his breathing rhythm gradually slowed as he entered a state of Turtle Breath Respiration.

The battle just now hadn't been without its toll on him.

Nearly a third of the liquefied True Qi in his Dantian had been drained when he unleashed [Inch Power: Mountain Crushing and Earth Splitting].

Flowing back up through his Meridians, that massive surge of power had put immense pressure on his right arm bone, which had only just been tempered to the Silver Bone Realm.

If he hadn't absorbed those high-level monster essences to build a foundation, his right arm bone probably would have shattered before the move even landed.

He repeatedly replayed the moment his fist made contact with the ground in his mind.

How the force conducted and amplified within the alloy plates, creating shockwaves that destroyed internal organs and bones.

[Penetrating Force targets internal organs with low consumption, but it requires precise contact points against high-defense targets.]

[Mountain Crushing Force has a wide range and high destructive power, but the True Qi conversion rate still needs optimization, and the Meridian resilience in my right arm needs to be improved.]

[I must obtain more essence next to push the Bone Refining Realm to Perfection so I can withstand higher-intensity ancient martial arts explosive techniques.]

This kind of review was far more meaningful than listening to the nonsense from the outside world.

Only the power in one's fists was truly one's own.

"Brother Qi, are you even listening?!"

Seeing no reaction from Lin Qi, Zhang Wei jumped up from the sofa in frustration.

Running over to Lin Qi, he shoved the terminal screen in front of him.

"Not only is Tianji Pavilion refusing to pay, but they've also issued a second announcement saying they're going to unite with the major guilds to boycott you!"

"They've hired internet trolls to flood the screens, claiming you're a hacker who exploited a System loophole!"

"Now, even contestants who have nothing to do with this are posting condemnations, saying they're going to teach you a lesson!"

"Look at this one! Li Pojun from the Kyoto Li Family spoke up, saying he's going to crush your bones with one hand in the next round to show you what absolute power looks like!"

"And this one! Some assassin guild called the Shadow Blade Alliance says there's a bounty on your head—whoever gets it, keeps it!"

"We're public enemies now! The kind that gets rotten eggs thrown at them just for stepping outside!"

The fat man's voice had a distinct sob in it.

Without even lifting an eyelid, Lin Qi's voice was as plain as a glass of water.

"No matter how loud they shout, can they shout a layer off my Physical Body's Realm?"

"Huh? Well... no, they can't."

"Then can they shout away the money Tianji Pavilion owes me?"

"The... the money has already been frozen, Brother Qi! It's a 404!"

"Frozen doesn't mean gone."

Slowly exhaling a breath of turbid air, Lin Qi reopened his eyes.

"When the three days are up, if I don't have the money, I'll go tear down Tianji Pavilion's place. I'll kill anyone who gets in my way. It's that simple."

"But..."

"No buts. Go check the market prices for earthly demon yin fire and Dragon Blood Vine. Make a list, and as soon as the money arrives, buy everything. I need those items to break through to the Tendon Refining Realm."

Stunned by this unquestionable tone, Zhang Wei opened his mouth but could only sigh in frustration, sitting back down to continue scrolling through the screen.

About an hour passed.

The metal door of the lounge was pushed open heavily.

Instructor Su Qing, dressed in a black skin-tight combat suit, strode in.

Her face, usually cold and stern, now wore a rare expression of solemnity.

The form-fitting fabric perfectly outlined her tall and curvaceous figure, and her long, powerful legs moved with a swift and decisive Aura.

However, her pace now seemed very impatient, and even her breathing was slightly heavier than usual.

Holding a tactical tablet, she walked straight up to Lin Qi.

"Something happened."

Those three blunt words made Zhang Wei, who had just sat down, spring up again.

"Instructor Su, what now? Did Tianji Pavilion send assassins?"

Shaking her head, Instructor Su Qing placed the tablet on the table and swiped her fingers quickly across the screen.

A pale blue holographic projection unfolded in mid-air.

"The tournament organizing committee just released an emergency notice."

"Under the pretext of 'increasing the spectacle and suspense of the competition,' the rules for the second round have been completely overturned."

Hearing this, Lin Qi raised an eyebrow.

"The originally scheduled arena elimination matches have been canceled."

Pointing to a green map on the projection, Instructor Su Qing's voice was cold.

"In its place is a brand-new mode—the [Hunting Points Competition]."

"Hunting? Points?"

Leaning in, Zhang Wei stared at the map with wide eyes.

"What does that mean? No more arena matches?"

"Correct."

Instructor Su Qing nodded and continued explaining.

"All one hundred and twenty-eight contestants who advanced to the second round will be collectively deployed tomorrow morning into this vast battlefield called the 'Mist Forest'."

"The competition will last for three days."

"During these three days, you will engage in a survival battle within the forest."

"There are two ways to earn points. First, by killing various Ranks of magical beasts released into the forest."

"Common magical beasts are worth ten points, elite ones are one hundred, and Lord-class ones are one thousand."

"Second, by eliminating other contestants."

"By eliminating an opponent, you can directly plunder fifty percent of their points."

"Ultimately, only the top sixteen people on the leaderboard will advance to the next round."

Swallowing hard, Zhang Wei felt a chill run down his spine.

"Eliminating other contestants? Isn't this... isn't this just like raising Gu?"

"It's not over yet."

Instructor Su Qing tapped the projection, turning to the next page.

"The rules explicitly state that contestants are allowed to form teams freely, with no limit on the number of members."

"Furthermore, the officials encourage all forms of confrontation and plundering."

"As long as no lives are lost, or if the opponent proactively presses the forfeit button on their wristband, taking their points is permitted."

"In a mist-filled environment with such low visibility, who can guarantee no lives will be lost?"

His face becoming even paler than before, Zhang Wei keenly sensed the sinister intent behind this.

"This isn't a competition; this is clearly an opportunity for those big Family scions and guilds to group up and clear the field!"

"Someone with a background like Li Pojun will definitely bring a large group of lackeys in with him."

"Brother Qi is being targeted by the entire internet right now. If he goes in, he'll definitely be besieged!"

Ignoring the fat man's analysis, Lin Qi's gaze remained fixed on the bottom of the projection.

There was a line of small, bolded red text.

"Su Qing, read the red line at the bottom."

His tone was calm, yet it carried an undeniable air of command.

Sighing, Instructor Su Qing swiped to the bottom and enlarged the red text.

The piercing red light illuminated the faces of the three.

"[Special Wanted Target]."

Instructor Su Qing read it word for word.

"Contestant Lin Qi, due to exhibiting immense 'uncertainty' in the first round and suspected data anomalies, is now listed as the sole Special Wanted Target of this Hunting Points Competition."

"Any contestant or team that successfully defeats or eliminates Lin Qi in the Mist Forest..."

"...will not only receive all the points he carries but will also be awarded a massive bonus of 100,000 points."

"Note: 100,000 points is equivalent to the gain from killing one hundred Lord-class Magical Beasts."

After she finished reading, the entire lounge fell into a deathly silence.

Even the hum of the air circulation System sounded exceptionally grating.

One hundred thousand points!

What kind of concept was that?

According to the rules of previous years, the total points of the first-place contestant were only around fifty or sixty thousand.

This reward was enough to make any bottom-ranked, useless team soar to the top of the leaderboard and firmly secure a spot for the next round!

This was no longer just modifying the rules.

This was Tianji Pavilion and the tournament organizing committee joining forces to hang a server-wide wanted poster over Lin Qi's head!

It was blatantly telling everyone: go kill Lin Qi; kill him, and you can reach the heavens in a single step!

His legs giving way, Zhang Wei slid directly onto the floor.

His obese body slumped like a pile of mud.

"It's over..."

His lips trembling, he couldn't even make a sound.

"Those animals... they want Brother Qi's life!"

"One hundred and twenty-seven people, all of them top geniuses. If they team up for those 100,000 points..."

"Even if Brother Qi had three heads and six arms, he couldn't fight off over a hundred people!"

"Withdraw! Brother Qi, let's withdraw! Forget the money, your life is more important!"

Crawling to Lin Qi's feet, Zhang Wei clung to his thigh for dear life.

Tears and snot smeared all over Lin Qi's trouser leg.

"Even though my Huichun Hall has been mortgaged, my dad still has some secret savings. At worst, I'll steal them to pay back the loan sharks!"

"As long as we're alive, we can find ways to get essence and Materials later!"

Looking at the fat man on the ground, Instructor Su Qing remained silent.

She knew Zhang Wei was telling the truth.

No matter how strong a person was, in a harsh environment like the Mist Forest without supplies, facing a siege by over a hundred professionals armed to the teeth, there would only be one outcome: death.

Not to mention, Lin Qi didn't even have a System inventory; if he got injured, he couldn't even take medicine.

"Lin Qi, this is clearly Tianji Pavilion trying to force you to bow your head."

With her arms crossed over her chest, Instructor Su Qing's gaze was fixed on the youth before her.

"That 100,000-point bounty is the bait they've set."

"As long as you announce your withdrawal now and give up that bet money, they won't go for the kill on the field."

"As long as the green mountains remain, there will be no shortage of firewood. You're still young. With your martial arts talent, as long as you survive, you'll eventually be able to settle the score."

Lin Qi didn't answer her.

Lin Qi slowly stood up from the floor.

His bones emitted a series of crisp, popping sounds.

He cracked his neck, and far from showing any fear...

...a cold, sharp arc curved at the corner of his mouth instead.

It was the kind of bloodthirsty smile one only wore when seeing a field full of prey.

[Withdraw?]

[Treating me like a mob to farm points?]

[These data-playing trash have no idea what real hunting is.]

In his past life during the martial arts era, he had once been pursued by tens of thousands from both the righteous and demonic paths through the Hundred Thousand Great Mountains with only a single sword.

The final result was that those tens of thousands of people all became stepping stones for him to reach the peak of martial arts.

Now, it was just over a hundred flowers in a greenhouse.

It was perfect; he needed a large amount of actual combat to temper this body that had just finished bone refining.

He also needed blood to show Tianji Pavilion the price of reneging on a debt.

He walked to the tactical tablet.

Lin Qi looked down at the wanted poster.

Then, he turned his head and looked at Instructor Su Qing.

His eyes were so calm it was frightening.

"Su Qing."

"In the Mist Forest, killing... isn't against the rules, right?"