188: The capital of Daxia!

At Star Academy, on the sports field.

Two solitary figures sat quietly on the seats of the sports field.

Both of them held beer cans.

At their feet, green cans were piled high.

A strong smell of alcohol permeated from their bodies.

One man was burly, but his face was flushed, and the scent of alcohol was strongest on him.

He leaned back in his seat, his gaze blankly fixed on the sky.

Beside him, a graceful figure in a tight-fitting outfit was also silently staring ahead, her eyes already bloodshot.

Suddenly, behind them, a young man in white slowly approached.

The white-clad youth looked at the two figures before him, his expression somewhat complex.

He slowly walked behind the two, but they seemed not to notice him.

“Give me a can!”

The white-clad youth suddenly spoke.

The burly man, who had been staring blankly at the sky, came back to his senses upon hearing this voice. After a quick glance at the white-clad youth, he silently handed him a beer can, then returned his gaze to the sky, remaining silent.

The woman in black beside him was like a puppet, without any emotional fluctuations, simply staring silently ahead.

The white-clad youth silently took a sip, then poured the beer from the can onto the ground.

“To them!”

The white-clad youth said softly.

Upon hearing these words, the burly man and the woman finally stirred.

They looked at the white-clad youth, and the burly man’s normally clear pupils were suddenly overwhelmed by a crimson hue.

“To… them!”

The burly man clenched the can, deforming it. He poured the alcohol from the can onto the ground, and the malty aroma of beer instantly spread.

After doing all this, the burly man buried his head again, and a nearly choked voice came from his mouth.

“Do you know… Li Ming died right beside me!”

“I saw his head crushed by an alien demon with my own eyes!”

“And I… could do nothing!”

“Even though I was already in the Golden Body Realm, yet… on that day, I could do absolutely nothing!!”

“I…”

The burly man lowered his head, clutching his hair with both hands, as if venting, pulling frantically.

He looked utterly deranged.

The woman in black beside him silently stared ahead, lost in thought.

The white-clad youth looked at the burly man before him and fell silent.

After a moment, he slowly spoke, his voice still a little hoarse.

“But… someone always has to sacrifice, don’t they?”

“The first time I went to Tianxing Great Wall, Captain Wang Yang took a fatal blow for me. He said I was hope, the hope to resist alien demons!”

“Later, at the Academy Gate, Wang Mu suddenly descended, and Senior Xu Changqing also stood in front of me. I could do nothing!”

“Senior Xu Changqing also said I was hope!”

“Later, at Shan Hai Great Wall, I met Old Wang. He had a daughter, but I watched him get killed by an alien demon. At that time, I was equally powerless.”

“But being powerless now doesn’t mean it will be the same in the future!”

“So, I understood a principle!”

The white-clad youth quietly recounted.

“As long as we are alive, we carry the hopes of those who have died! Just like when we first joined Star Academy, Elder Li took us to see the fallen seniors, teachers, and principals of Star Academy…”

“Elder Li said that they might not see the day of victory, but they would never see the day Great Xia is defeated!”

“So…”

“We haven’t lost yet, so why do we say we are powerless?”

The white-clad youth looked at the burly man and the woman in black, and slowly spoke.

“You should understand all of this.”

“It can’t be that I, as your junior, still need to comfort you now!”

The white-clad youth was none other than Lu Sheng.

As for the burly man and the woman in black, they were naturally Nightingale and Wang Long, the survivors of the Night Owl team.

A month ago, during the Tianxing crisis, the Night Owl team suffered eighty percent casualties. Now, only the two of them remain.

All other team members died in battle!

As a result… Wang Long and Nightingale had been in a daze for over a month.

Until Lu Sheng emerged from seclusion and found them.

Listening to Lu Sheng’s words, the two fell silent, but their frenzy was no longer as intense.

Lu Sheng took a deep look at the two, then turned and left the sports field.

What needed to be said had been said. Lu Sheng had experienced many such partings, just like what Lan Zhan had told him before, and what the Sage of Literature had said.

One couldn’t possibly remain immersed in the pain of separation forever.

Sometimes, one should carry their hopes and live on.

Only by living on could one do more!

Whether it was to kill alien demons or fulfill their wishes, they should live well… At the gate of Star Academy.

Long Tianxing and the other three had already packed their belongings and were waiting at the entrance.

Beside them, Teacher Lan also appeared, feeling the powerful cultivation fluctuations emanating from the four young ones. Teacher Lan’s face showed a proud expression.

The improvement of these young ones during this period was extremely terrifying.

Soon, Lu Sheng’s figure also appeared in their sight.

Looking at Lu Sheng, Teacher Lan’s eyebrows twitched slightly.

“This kid…”

Teacher Lan seemed to have noticed something, and a smile tugged at the corner of his mouth.

“Hurry up, it will take us some time to reach the Great Xia Imperial City!”

Teacher Lan said to Lu Sheng.

Lu Sheng also quickened his pace, walked out the gate, and joined them.

Seeing this, Teacher Lan didn’t waste words, directly beckoning, and soon a black car stopped at the gate of Star Academy.

On the car, the words “Star Academy” were engraved.

“Let’s go, depart!”

Teacher Lan waved his hand and directly led them into the car.

The car doors closed, and it slowly drove away from Star Academy.

At the Academy Gate, inside the guardhouse.

Old Wang watched the black vehicle slowly drive out of his sight, and a smile appeared on his aged face.

“After all, I’m old. This era still belongs to these young ones!”

Old Wang glanced at the page on the computer in the guardhouse, looking at the various posts, and smiled faintly.

“The glory of Star Academy… will never be cut off!”

A faint voice echoed within the guardhouse… Great Xia Imperial City!

Located at the very center of the Great Xia Territory!

The Great Xia Imperial City, for Great Xia, was an extremely special place.

The Great Xia Martial Alliance and the military headquarters were all established within the Great Xia Imperial City.

Here, many top Martial Artists of the entire Great Xia gathered, and it was also the commercial, educational, and military center of the entire Great Xia!

Even members of the Demonic Cult could roam freely within the Great Xia Territory, but they never dared to set foot within the Great Xia Imperial City.

This was because… there was once a top expert of the Demonic Cult who, relying on his invincible movement technique and unparalleled stealth methods, wanted to infiltrate the Great Xia Imperial City.

However, less than a minute after infiltrating the Great Xia Imperial City, top experts from within the Great Xia Imperial City made a strong move and killed him.

They even hung the corpse of that top Demonic Cult expert on the city wall of the Great Xia Imperial City, exposing it for ten days.

This deterred the entire Demonic Cult of Great Xia.

As a result, even now, no Demonic Cult expert dares to enter the Great Xia Imperial City.

Some even speculate that there are Ten Saints of Great Xia stationed in the Great Xia Imperial City, and perhaps even more than one!

Otherwise, Demonic Cult members would not dare to enter this Great Xia Imperial City.

As for whether it is true, that remains unknown.

After all, the identities of the Ten Saints of Great Xia are extremely secretive, and even their whereabouts are very difficult to track.

Among the current Ten Saints of Great Xia, apart from the Two Sages of Literature and Martial Arts who have revealed their identities and whereabouts, even though Kong Yunchang was previously exposed, no one knows where Kong Yunchang is now.

The deterrence remains!

At this moment, the Great Xia Imperial City was even more bustling with activity, and from time to time, vehicles bearing the insignia of different Martial Arts Academies could be seen slowly driving into the Great Xia Imperial City.

As a result, at the entrance of the Great Xia Imperial City, numerous highly sophisticated cameras were set up, aimed at the vehicles from the Martial Arts Academy entering the Great Xia Imperial City, providing live coverage.

Dozens of kilometers away from the Great Xia Imperial City, a black car sped through the wilderness, with the words "Star Academy" etched onto its body.

Inside the vehicle, there was ample space.

Lu Sheng and his four companions, along with Lan Zhan, were seated in the car.

"The Academy Tournament is divided into three rounds!"

Teacher Lan spoke to Lu Sheng and his four companions with a serious expression.

"The first round is an elimination round; only the top twenty Martial Arts Academies will be able to participate in the subsequent second round!"

"In previous years, the first round of competition was held in a Secret Realm. As for this year, if nothing unexpected happens, it will also be held there. There's not much to say about this first round of competition; everyone starts from the same point. Whichever Martial Arts Academy is the first to have all its members reach the finish line will be considered to have passed!"

"The top twenty teams will advance to the next round of competition!"

As they were about to arrive at the Great Xia Imperial City, Teacher Lan began to share some experiences and details about the Academy Tournament with the young ones in the car.

"Generally speaking, this first round of testing isn't a difficult matter. Although you are only freshmen, to be honest, you have already surpassed most seniors from other Martial Arts Academies. There are very few who can threaten you!"

As Teacher Lan spoke these words, his face was beaming with a smile.

As a teacher, he was naturally proud of such outstanding students.

Lu Sheng and his four companions smiled indifferently.

While in the car, Teacher Lan had already provided them with an intelligence map regarding the various Martial Arts Academies participating in this Academy Tournament.

There weren't many Prodigies who could reach the Body Storage Realm in their senior year.

In fact, most of them came from the Five Great Academies.

Beyond that, the number of Martial Arts Academies capable of nurturing Body Storage Realm Prodigies was few and far between. Lu Sheng quickly scanned it, and apart from the Five Great Academies, there were only two or three other Martial Arts Academies with Body Storage Realm Prodigies.

Moreover, this first round of competition was a team battle, so the advantage in cultivation wouldn't create too large a gap.

Therefore, Teacher Lan was not very worried about the first round of assessment.

With Lu Sheng and their current strength, passing the first round would be effortless.

"As for the second round... that will be more troublesome!"

Teacher Lan's voice slowly echoed in the car.

"Arena battles!"

"The Martial Arts Academies that enter the second round will be divided into five groups, with four teams in each group!"

"The four teams in each group will all compete against each other. The winning side will receive two points, a draw will result in one point, and a loss will not accumulate any points!"

"After four battles, the team with the highest points will advance to the third round of competition."

"In other words... to enter the third round of competition, this second round is crucial!"

Teacher Lan's expression was somewhat solemn.

"After all, the grouping for the second round is random. If you're unlucky, you might even find yourself in the same group as four top-tier Martial Arts Academies!"

"And if you fail to enter the third round, your ranking will naturally be lower!"

"At this point, it's basically a test of raw strength!"

Teacher Lan's words slowly resonated within the car.

Lu Sheng's eyebrows twitched slightly.

"Grouping, huh..."

He looked at Yu Qianqian and the others, only to find that their faces showed no solemnity; instead, their eyes sparkled with eagerness.

Seeing this, Lu Sheng couldn't help but smile.

These guys... they're quite excited!

"And after entering the third round, which is when the top team from each group advances, the Martial Arts Academies that reach this stage can basically be called the Five Great Academies!"

"However, for our Star Academy, there is one most unfavorable aspect!"

Teacher Lan's tone shifted slightly, and he said with some helplessness.

"Our Star Academy is, after all, independent of the Martial Alliance and military jurisdiction. Therefore, if our Star Academy enters the third round, then one of the Martial Arts Academies eliminated in the second round will advance to the third round after an additional competition!"

"In other words, if we enter the third round, including us, there will be six Martial Arts Academies entering the third round together!"

"It's somewhat unfair, but in the past, even with this unfair treatment, our Star Academy was still able to stand tall above the rest. No matter how many Martial Arts Academies joined, the first place position was always ours."

"After all, our Star Academy has enough confidence to overpower other Martial Arts Academies. It's just that this year's Academy Tournament... the timing is a bit unsuitable, and this rule is a bit unfair to you!"

Teacher Lan spoke with some helplessness.

After all, with an extra Martial Arts Academy in the third round, Lu Sheng and the others would have even less chance of achieving a good ranking and continuing the glory of the Star Academy!

Speaking of which, the Star Academy's independence from the Martial Alliance and military jurisdiction meant that its participation in past Academy Tournaments was inherently unfair to the other Martial Arts Academies, which led to this unwritten rule.

However, now that Lu Sheng and his companions were only freshmen participating in the Academy Tournament, maintaining this rule had, ironically, become a restriction on them.

But... listening to Teacher Lan's words, Lu Sheng and his four companions exchanged glances and then smiled faintly.

"Fairness and unfairness are both determined by one's own strength. Since we have the strength to enter the third round, why should we fear other Martial Arts Academies?"

"Teacher Lan, please rest assured. Since we are representing the Star Academy... the glory of the Star Academy will naturally not slip from our hands!"

Lu Sheng spoke with a smile, his voice calm, but imbued with an undeniable confidence.

Teacher Lan was stunned. He looked at Lu Sheng and his four companions, and seeing the confident expressions on their faces, he couldn't help but laugh.

"I'm old after all; I don't see these things as clearly as you young ones!"

"Since you are all so confident, I won't say anything more. This Academy Tournament..."

"Star Academy, victory is certain!"

Teacher Lan said in a low voice.

Lu Sheng and his four companions exchanged glances and smiled faintly.

"Victory is certain!"

The black car, carrying one elder and five youths, slowly drove towards the Great Xia Imperial City.

Soon, the majestic city could already be vaguely seen through the car window.

Although the Imperial City was located in the center of the Great Xia Territory, it was still surrounded by towering city walls, much like a frontline city.

It was, after all, a military center. On the city walls, numerous dark Qi and blood weapons were mounted, their muzzles gleaming with a chilling light.

Just a glance was enough to evoke a sense of dread.

At the city gate, dense crowds stood at the edges, and numerous cameras were aimed at the gate, filming the vehicles entering the Imperial City.

"This... is the Imperial City!"

Lu Sheng looked at the Great Xia Imperial City before him, at this majestic city, and his eyes couldn't help but show a hint of curiosity.

"It's alright. When the Imperial City was built, my great-grandfather donated hundreds of billions!"

Long Tianxing, beside him, yawned and waved his hand lazily.

Lu Sheng's mouth twitched slightly. Good heavens, was the Long family that impressive, that they could even donate to the construction of the Imperial City?

Hundreds of billions in one go??

This was the first time Lu Sheng had such a direct understanding of Long Tianxing's spending power.

Soon, the car arrived at the entrance of the Great Xia Imperial City.

However, when this vehicle, with the words "Star Academy" etched on it, entered the sight of the people around, they all froze at that moment.

The people from Star Academy had arrived?

Were they really going to participate in this Academy Tournament???