45: Chapter 45 Pre-match Rules

January 1st, New Year's Day.

In fact, there was no need to wait until morning; the atmosphere had been exceptionally lively since yesterday, and the entire city was brightly lit.

All night long, the clamor from bars and dance halls never ceased, and tourists and students from all over were having a wild time here.

It wasn't just because of the New Year; the competition the next morning, which would last for at least three or four days, added to the excitement.

Perhaps this event didn't rank high in terms of exposure across the entire Alliance, but for several major star systems, it was undoubtedly one of the hottest topics at the moment.

Because there were too many participants, the competition required contestants to enter the Virtual World network.

The audience sitting in the viewing stands watched the simulation equipment in the center of the arena, which could project the changes in the Virtual World's arena, making it look just like the real thing.

Each academy had a different exclusive arena, filled with numerous virtual network devices.

These devices were all provided by the Alliance, underwent strict inspection, and had personnel stationed indoors to guard them, preventing anyone from causing trouble during the chaos.

"Old Chen, I heard that the Light Opening Realm battlefield and the Divine Sea Realm battlefield will only merge on the second day. We'll see each other then," Qin Feng said with a smile.

"Can you take the top spot in the Light Opening Realm battlefield?" Chen Xing smiled, saying this deliberately.

"Guaranteed. At the very least, I'll make it into the top ten. Wait for my good news then!" Qin Feng patted his chest.

"Alright, see you then." Chen Xing nodded and watched him enter the competition room for Light Opening Realm students.

Turning around, he encountered Lin Qingyao, the strong-willed girl who was striving toward the goal of independence.

"Thank you for keeping him company during this time," Lin Qingyao smiled and nodded at him.

"If I had known, I would have sent him home back then, instead of letting you wait for two months for nothing," Chen Xing said with a smile.

Immediately afterward, he walked toward the exclusive competition room for the Divine Sea Realm.

On the way, he saw a burly young man in black. His appearance was resolute, his temperament outstanding, and just being near him gave off a scorching sensation.

This person was one of the two heroes of the Tianhe System, Li Baxian, who possessed an S-class Metal-type Ability.

Chen Xing shifted his gaze and discovered that there were even more people gathered on the other side; many were not in a hurry to enter the competition room, wanting only to catch a glimpse of her beauty.

Su He was a woman who appeared cold and aloof. Her indifferent expression almost overshadowed her stunning appearance, and within her obsidian-like eyes, a galaxy seemed to faintly linger, very dim.

"Hehe, last year, Sister Xing was only at the fifth level of the Divine Sea Realm, but this year she is already at the ninth level. She's sure to win this time!"

"That's right. I heard that Sister Xing could actually have made a Breakthrough already, but she deliberately held back her Realm because she wanted to win the championship again."

"Don't talk nonsense. Sister Xing wouldn't stoop to such things. I heard she is Cultivating her Concept, and she's still lacking a bit in terms of Realm."

"..."

The crowd on both sides of the path whispered; many were discussing her stunning beauty, but more were talking about her strength.

At first glance, those who didn't know might have thought some big celebrity had arrived on the scene.

"Sister Xing, are you ready to take the championship?" Li Baxian, wearing sunglasses, raised an eyebrow at her.

"There are five people on the opposing side this time, watch yourself," Su He glanced at him.

"Hey, don't we have three people too? What's there to be afraid of!" Li Baxian said with a laugh.

Upon hearing this, everyone nearby was dumbfounded.

The media reporters who were blocked at a distance recorded this down immediately.

One must know that, excluding Tianhe Academy, the other Four Great Academy Departments only had a total of five S-class Espers participating.

Based on their conversation, didn't that mean their goal from the beginning was to single-handedly take on the other three major academy departments, without considering any cooperation?

"Damn, as expected of Sister Xing, so domineering!" Many people gave a thumbs up.

"Hmph, better not lose, or you'll be slapping your own face."

"Hey, why are you running over here from the neighboring arena? Looking for a beating?"

"Get out, you lot from other academies!"

"..."

Chen Xing did not acknowledge them or strike up a conversation; he had already entered the competition room ahead of time and found his number.

Before entering the competition, he checked his optical computer one last time and discovered different messages from his two teachers.

The Minister of the Element Department left a message: "Although you are an S-class Esper, you have only been Cultivating for six months after all, and your combat experience is insufficient. You need to act within your limits. Remember, absolutely do not fight multiple people alone!"

Chen Xing replied: "Understood."

Ye Jianxing's message was very simple, consisting of only eight short characters: "Once you go in, hit anyone you see."

Chen Xing's lips curled upward: "Alright!"

Subsequently, he lay down in a silver-gray pod resembling an eggshell and put on a special helmet to connect to the Virtual World.

At the same time, contestants from various academies also entered their respective arenas and connected to the Virtual World.

"Verifying identity..."

"Verification successful, welcome, Chen Xing."

"Connected to the competition channel. The match is about to begin, please be prepared."

Chen Xing felt pitch black before his eyes, and only a mechanically synthesized voice echoed in his mind; it was the virtual network assistant.

During the time waiting for the match, the virtual assistant explained the rules of this competition to him.

"In this competition, the battlefields for the Divine Sea Realm and the Light Opening Realm will be separated on the first day and gradually merge on the second day, ensuring that every contestant can unleash their maximum strength."

"The Divine Sea Realm battlefield map selects five famous regions from the world, which have now been stitched together, divided into the East, South, West, North, and the Central Region."

"The competition uses a points system. Defeating one Light Opening Realm Ability User earns ten points, while one Divine Sea Realm Ability User earns fifty points."

"Note: If you defeat an S-class Esper, you can earn one thousand points."

Chen Xing nodded to himself. He hadn't expected the treatment for an S-class Esper to be so high; no wonder his teachers both said he would be besieged.

The virtual assistant emphasized: "Reminder: There will be some specific areas on the map containing powerful Yao Beasts. They are classified as [Challenge Beasts]; defeating them can earn a large amount of points."

"Likewise, in the Central Region, there is the Land of End. Depending on your performance in combat against the powerful individuals inside, you can earn a large amount of points."

As it spoke, a map appeared before Chen Xing's eyes, with a black icon marked at the very center.

As for the icons of other Challenge Beasts, they were all blood-red. The Light Opening Realm battlefield had lower-level purple ones, but he wouldn't encounter those.

After the competition ends, there will be two leaderboards: one for individuals and the second for academies.

The former looks at who has the highest score, while the latter tallies the total points of all students from the entire academy combined.

In other words, even if you are first in the individual competition, if your own teammates drag you down, the academy might not take first place on the academy leaderboard.

Although the competition system states that the top of both leaderboards are their respective champions and both will be given the rewards due to a champion.

However, after so many years of competition, most people certainly still think that taking first place on both the individual and academy leaderboards is the only true first place.

What's more, the competition location for the second year is actually chosen based on the academy leaderboard, so the two are even more inseparable.