Meanwhile, in the Capital

Lan Xiang attended school, his head full of possible combinations he could put in the synthesizer.

Classes passed by like normal, with only the precal teacher giving Lan Xiang extra attention. His classmates had more or less accepted that he was better in that subject than any of them.

"He must've studied like his life depended on it."

"If that's the case, wouldn't he have no time to study for the other subjects?"

"Yeah, no matter how hard Trash Xiang studies on one subject, he can't make up for it in the others."

"He's still gonna get himself expelled."

Meanwhile, in the capital, Yanying City.

"And... start!"

Ning Luoxue's eyes turned ferocious, his pupils burning up in a blue flame. His fist approached his opponent faster than the latter had any reaction time for.

"Augh!"

Not even a second after the wretched shout, the body dropped unconscious as the man flew out of the stage, crashing down on the ground headfirst.

A few seconds of silence ensued.

"Eh? Uh... Ning Luoxue wins this round!" The announcer's voice was full of incredulity.

Pushing his hair upwards, Ning Luoxue licked his lips. The audience suddenly went in an uproar.

"That, that was crazy right there! One move? All it took was one move!" "Ning Luoxue is an unprecedented genius!" "He's so handsome too, aiyee!"

Ning Luoxue sneered. These simpletons get impressed with everything that I do.

Glancing at his opponent being placed on a stretcher, he grinned. Looks like this tournament will be easier than I thought.

In the waiting room, Lan Hailu grit her teeth. She watched Ning Luoxue's fight from the television, but she couldn't even see what move he used to make the opponent fly away like that.

"He's gonna be one of my enemies? Hai..." Lan Hailu was dispirited. "Well, I'm too young to be in this tournament anyways, I should be grateful I qualified in the first place."

The Annual Yanying City Tournament.

It was one of the biggest tournaments in the whole country. The audience was massive, the prizes were prestigious, everything was in a large scale.

Of course, the organizers wouldn't just let anyone in, otherwise some old monster from a century ago might take the prize every year.

To be qualified, one needed to still be completing their studies, at the very least high school. They also needed a recommendation from their academy, meaning that the student they recommend would represent the academy as a whole.

As such, many academies held mini-tournaments as well. It may seem rather repetitive, but they had yet to find out a more efficient way.

Lan Hailu hailed from one of the most prestigious academies in the country, the all-female Jade Academy.

By chance, perseverance, and sheer luck, she managed to grab onto the title of the Jade Academy tournament champion despite being someone 3 years too young to be a high schooler, not to mention a third year. After all, she skipped grades during her elementary and middle school days.

Her pride that built up as she beat all of her schoolmates came crashing down once she continued watching the subsequent fights after Ning Luoxue.

Xie Wan entered the stage with a nonchalant expression. Son of Xie Guo, an elder in the Xie family, one of the five major families in the country.

In front of him was someone with spiky hair held up by a bandana. He was jumping back and forth while in a stance.

Xie Wan shook his head.

"And, start!"

The bandana guy launched himself towards Xie Wan, his hand aiming to chop Xie Wan's neck.

"Ha-ya! Wata! Yayayayaya!"

Xie Wan continuously dodged the bandana guy's flurry of attacks, not breaking a single sweat. As the guy continued opening his mouth to say gibberish, Xie Wan took the opportunity to to flick a pill into his mouth.

"Aaaa...ahhh!"

The bandana guy started foaming in his mouth as he crashed down on the floor.

"Xie Wan wins this round!"

"W-what! In one move?!" "He used his special pills!" "They are the specialty of the Xie family after all."

Lan Hailu took note. She needed to be careful of the Xie family's pills.

Ye Lin entered the stage, grinning. Heir to the Ye family, perhaps the most mysterious out of the five major families.

His opponent was buck naked, except for a piece of cloth covering his privates.

"And, start!"

Ye Lin inhaled, then stretched out his hand. He snapped his fingers.

Thump.

On the other side of the stage, Ye Lin's opponent was already lying on the ground, steadily twitching.

"Ye Lin wins this round!"

"I didn't even see what he did!" "With a single snap!" "What kind of technique was that?"

Lan Hailu widened her eyes. She couldn't make sense of what just happened.

Feng Tianming entered the stage, his every step shaking the entire stadium. Heir to the Feng family, most famous for their figures being too buff.

"I, I can't bear to watch..." "Oh, oh no..."

In front of him was a robed girl, her long hair slipping out. She was half of Feng Tianming's height, and her face was smaller than his fist.

"...What kind of opponent is this?! Are you mocking me!" Feng Tianming was outraged. His peers had gotten decent-looking trash, while he had gotten small and frail looking trash?!

"And, start!"

"Wait a minute! Replace my opponent for me--"

Before he could finish speaking, he felt a terrifying amount of pain coming from his crotch.

With a giggle, the girl in front of him lifted her leg and stomped on his giant foot. Feng Tianming's entire foot burrowed into the stone floor of the ring, the sound of bones cracking echoing through the whole stadium.

The wind removed the girl's hood, and under it, there was a mask that revealed only her mouth. With a smile, she grabbed Feng Tianming's neck and grasped it, lifting his whole body up in the air and unearthing his foot. She threw the hulking Feng Tianming off the stage, bringing some debris with him.

"Zhang Xiaoqin wins this round!"

"That was brutal!" "This is why I can't watch, these bumpkins always underestimate Zhang Xiaoqin."

Zhang Xiaoqin. Heir to the Zhang family, most famous for their body augmentation techniques. One of the five major families.

Lan Hailu bit her lip. Xie Wan she could probably beat if she were to try hard enough, but Ye Lin and Zhang Xiaoqin? What a joke.

"Lan Hailu, you're up next."

Lan Hailu stood up, her feet jittery from nervousness. Although this was the first round and there was basically no chance to meet one of the monsters she had no confidence fighting against, what about the second? She didn't want to be eliminated on the second round, that would be too embarrassing.

Luckily, the tournament allowed for two losses. She had this first round in the bag. Even if she lost in both rounds after, at least she would have made it to the third round!

As she stepped onto the stage, she felt the overwhelming pressure of more than a million people watching weighing heavily on her shoulders. At least in Jade Academy, she only had an audience of her few hundred or so schoolmates and the school faculty.

On the other side of the stage, she saw a familiar face.

"Cousin Zhou? What is he doing here?"

Lan Zhou. Son of Lan Peng, vice-head of the Lan family.

She could clearly remember Lan Zhou lying helplessly in the hospital bed a few days ago, because even though he had an extreme incompatibility with cultivation, he still insisted on secretly practicing the techniques. In the end, his pathways burst, leaving Lan Zhou bleeding out through his pores.

"Oh, Little Hailu. I never thought I would see you here!" Lan Zhou flashed a confident grin.

Lan Hailu stayed silent. She didn't respond to his taunts; he'd be lying on the floor the next instant anyways.

"And, start!"