Zhang Yu followed Shi Huaiyu and the others into the competition arena, where a massive plaza lood into view.
The competition was divided into two parts—Architecture and Civil Engineering—held in separate arenas. Naturally, Zhang Yu had arrived at the Civil Engineering venue.
Students from all grades within the Civil Engineering Departnt had gathered here, standing in clusters as they waited for the competition to begin.
Almost no poor students made it to this arena; it was packed with top students and elites from every year.
Floating in the air were rankings like "Top 50 overall," "Top 30 overall," and even "Top 10 overall."
All kinds of brightly colored Law Husks glead under the lights.
The densely packed Foundation Establishnt Fields would have overwheld the visual feed of anyone’s EyeNet interface if not automatically filtered.
Then there were all sorts of projections from the Spiritual Realm: so were summoning team mbers, others advertising, a few just ssing around, and several layering visual effects on themselves… It was enough to make Zhang Yu’s head spin.
This was also Zhang Yu’s first ti seeing so many Civil Engineering elites gathered in one place.
He couldn't help but mutter, “There are so many people in this competition.”
Shi Huaiyu replied, “Of course. It raises your comprehensive score.”
“The higher your ranking in the competition, the more comprehensive points you earn. That has a huge impact on your overall placent.”
“Ordinary students might not care, but every top student from every grade has to compete.”
She sighed. “Just the elite students from grades 8, 9, and 10 can form six or seven teams—and they pretty much sweep the top spots every year.”
Zhang Yu nodded slightly. Even high-grade students didn’t all have overwhelming strength—Che Yufei was from grade 7 too, after all.
Shi Huaiyu continued, “The elite students from grades 4 through 7 also form their own teams. After handpicking teammates from their grades, they can form another five or six squads to contend for the top ten.”
“We can't beat the higher-grade teams.”
“Our real competition is the mid-grade squads. We have to pry a top-ten spot out of their hands.”
Her tone grew more serious. “And this year’s competition is bound to be more intense.”
The others nodded slightly. As Civil Engineering students, they had started to feel the growing tension over the past few months. The ideological clash between the War Faction and the Peace Faction was steadily becoming public.
And this competition was clearly the perfect stage for those two factions to battle it out.
Shi Huaiyu noticed the livestream equipnt being set up around the arena and thought to herself, “The performance of the Civil Engineering teams this year might directly influence each faction’s montum, affect their corporate backers’ stock prices… and even sway the Neutral Faction’s future alignnt.”
“After all… if our War Faction can secure more top-three and top-ten spots, we’ll naturally gain more influence. That, in turn, could win over more Neutral supporters and give us the upper hand.”
“The Peace Faction sees it the sa way.”
As she looked out over the elite students crowding the plaza, each with a glowing “overall ranking” above their heads—Che Yufei, Shi Yunxiang, Tian Yang, Xiao Qingxuan—she felt a growing weight settle over them all.
Just then, Shi Huaiyu ca to a stop and gazed at a figure ahead. “Su Yanyang…”
The young man she addressed as Su Yanyang smiled faintly. Flas seed to flicker in his eyes, and a glowing orb of fire pulsed at his chest like a second heart.
“I didn’t think you’d still be competing, Huaiyu,” he said. “But tagging along with a bunch of frail, broke underdogs like these…”
His eyes flicked over Che Yufei, Shi Yunxiang, Zhang Yu, and lingered montarily on Xiao Qingxuan. Then, subtly, he took two steps back before continuing, “You’re not likely to place high.”
“Without the comprehensive points from this round, are you sure you can still clinch the class top spot?”
“I’ll give you one last chance, for old ti’s sake. I’ll even pay you in spirit coins. Co back to the team as a reserve—you might at least snag so bonus points.”
Shi Huaiyu sneered. “Mind your own business. Just make sure you’ve got cash on hand when you lose that lawsuit.”
Su Yanyang shook his head and sighed. “The Immortal Path punishes hot-headedness. That’s why you tanked your investnts before.”
“Still acting irrational, even when forming a team…”
“At this rate, you’re headed for bankruptcy.”
As Su Yanyang walked away, Che Yufei asked curiously, “Was he on your team last ti?”
Shi Huaiyu growled, “That jerk wrecked my kidney and wouldn’t pay up.”
“But…” She exhaled slowly. “Let’s hope we don’t run into him until the top ten. He’s strong.”
Zhang Yu glanced up at Su Yanyang’s overhead rank: 29th overall. Clearly better than Shi Huaiyu’s 38th.
Once all the participants had arrived, the Civil Engineering competition officially began.
A handso, youthful-looking man stood atop the stage and addressed the crowd: “It’s that ti of year again—the Civil Engineering Competition…”
Zhang Yu stared at the na hovering above the speaker’s head and muttered internally, “So he’s the departnt head… True Lord Lingyue?”
Tu Lishan had ntioned this elderly head of the departnt before—how he was the true director of the Civil Engineering Departnt.
But he’d also said the man was nearing the end of his lifespan, practically on death’s door.
And yet the man on stage looked absolutely vigorous, practically glowing with youth. What happened to ‘dying of old age’?
anwhile, True Lord Lingyue was saying, “To adapt to changing tis, the school has decided to raise the stakes of this year’s competition by upgrading the rewards.”
“The top seven teams this year will each receive two slots—each slot grants access to one Civil Engineering Seven Absolutes Technique. Teams may allocate the slots as they see fit.”
At that, the crowd fell silent for a second—then burst into chatter.
Zhang Yu was stunned. “The Civil Engineering Seven Absolutes? Two per top-seven team… that’s fourteen students getting access?”
He thought to himself, “Usually only the top student in each class gets one. This is a huge expansion.”
Many others in the crowd had the sa realization.
“If they keep this up every year, won’t a ton of people master the Seven Absolutes? Even the Small Threefold Harmony?”
“Maybe even the Heavenly Kunlun Mountain-Moving Might—there could be more cultivators with it.”
Fu Ji remarked, “From restricting access to suddenly opening it up… looks like they’re preparing for a possible university war. Heh. That’s what it ans to be born in interesting tis. You kids are getting chances your seniors never had.”
“War really is the ladder of progress. It hasn’t even started yet, and already you’ve got better odds of mastering the Seven Absolutes.”
Zhang Yu asked, “So does that an the War Faction has gained the upper hand in the departnt?”
Fu Ji replied, “Not necessarily. The Peace Faction doesn’t want the top ten sects to go to war—but that doesn’t an they don’t want power.”
“If it were up to the Civil Engineering Departnt alone, I think both factions would agree on opening up the Seven Absolutes. More students mastering them ans more revenue.”
“Every departnt wants the sa thing—growth. More resources, more students, more elite cultivators.”
“So if the Seven Absolutes were previously restricted and now they’re being opened up, I’d say the change ca from higher up. Maybe from the School of Architecture and Civil Engineering? Or Wanfa University’s leadership? Maybe even the Wanfa Sect?”
“In any case, the reasons don’t matter. We’re too low on the ladder to see the whole picture.”
“What does matter is the outco—competition will be fiercer than ever. I see a bunch of students already taking out loans and ordering express deliveries of artifacts and Law Husks.”
Zhang Yu nodded in understanding. Whether War or Peace, both factions clearly wanted more students to master the Seven Absolutes—or even the Heavenly Kunlun Mountain-Moving Might.
Monts later, the first elimination round began.
The plaza transford before their eyes, warped and twisted gravitational fields blooming across the terrain.
These fields varied in direction and intensity, forming layer after layer of obstacles.
The rules were simple: students had to cross a thousand-ter-wide stretch of chaotic gravity, and their tis would be recorded.
Each team would have its mbers’ tis added up. The top 20 teams by total ti would advance to the next round, where 20 would be cut to 10. The rest would be eliminated.
True Lord Lingyue said calmly, “In the Finance Departnt, more money makes for better cultivation. But in our Civil Engineering Departnt… the stronger your body, the better your path.”
“This first round is designed to weed out anyone physically weak.”
At his signal, students charged into the gravity field toward the finish line a kiloter away.
Many who’d been dashing at incredible speeds suddenly slowed to a crawl the mont they entered the gravity zone, their bodies swaying under the shifting forces.
As the others struggled through the field, Zhang Yu felt a subtle shift in the gravitational flow around him.
Suddenly, several figures shot through like black lightning, tearing across the field in a blink.
Zhang Yu’s eyes narrowed. “It’s Mo Shangjin.”
He rembered the senior who had mastered the Heavenly Kunlun Mountain-Moving Might vividly.
With that Technique, Mo Shangjin led his team of five across the entire kiloter-long field almost instantly.
“So strong.”
Just as Zhang Yu was thinking this, the gravitational pressure shifted again—and more figures blasted across the field in a burst of sonic booms.
“Another student with the Mountain-Moving Might from grade 10?”
Zhang Yu blinked. “Wait, he’s not on the sa team as Mo Shangjin?”
Fu Ji chuckled. “Bet one’s War Faction, the other’s Peace. Internal strife. They’d rather weaken their own squads than join forces.”
Zhang Yu shook his head. Mo Shangjin and the other grade-10 student felt worlds away.
Right now, what mattered was finding a way to cross the gravity field—fast.
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