Chapter 47: Reappearing Means Becoming Number One

With a badge from the Kewell Research Institute, Zhang Chu quickly met with Jin Yongsheng. The two had crossed paths once before. Jin Yongsheng had almost lost his position as the head of the Exotic Beast Forest. After Zhang Chu explained his intention to borrow a route, Jin Yongsheng didn’t even bother to feign difficulty; he directly assigned two four-star guards familiar with the forest’s security channels to escort them.

The Exotic Beast Forest spanned a hundred kilometers, with an aerial walkway running through it. This was typically used by staff to repair the high-energy electric grid and monitor beast activity. A cable car, equipped with a high-energy defense system, swiftly departed from the forest’s perimeter. The high-energy electromagnetic channel had nearly zero friction, allowing speed to reach its peak—320 kilometers per hour. In less than half an hour, Zhang Chu and Hu Sanyi had crossed the forest and exited through the back gate.

"Brother Zhang Chu, I never thought you’d be so familiar with Director Jin of the Exotic Beast Forest. We’re nearly a hundred kilometers ahead of everyone else!"

Between the Exotic Beast Forest and Canglong Mountain lay a massive range. The two pressed forward at speed. Hu Sanyi tapped open the holographic projection on his smart wristband, pulling up basic data charts. An hour into the start of the competition, no one had yet entered the Canglong Mountain competition zone. The closest few light points were moving quickly, but still lagging eighty kilometers behind. For martial artists above level two, a minimum walking speed was eighty kilometers per hour. In other words, Zhang Chu and Hu Sanyi were a full hour ahead.

"We’re banking on getting there first," Zhang Chu remarked.

He wasn’t just here to win the competition, but also to hunt exotic beasts. Under the jurisdiction of the Martial Arts Authority, this competition was likely the only opportunity to openly hunt beasts and take their corpses away. His current vitality score was 60,223, still needing 40,000 more to break through to level six. He couldn’t afford to miss a mature level-five beast core.

Along the way, they met few worthy beasts—at least as far as Zhang Chu was concerned. A few level-two beasts blocked their path, but Hu Sanyi dispatched them in moments. There weren’t many level-three beasts; they met four, which Zhang Chu slapped dead with ease, harvesting their cores and not bothering with the pelts or bones. Hu Sanyi felt it was wasteful, all that money left behind, but the prospect of an easy victory made him trust Zhang Chu’s judgment completely. Handing over the captaincy of the Gale Squad to Zhang Chu was, after all, what everyone expected.

Crossing the hills, they finally saw the endless expanse of Canglong Mountain. The lush entrance featured a massive boundary stone carved with a dragon, majestic and imposing. The moment they stepped into the Canglong Mountain zone, their wristbands vibrated.

A holographic projection appeared before them: "Congratulations, Zhang Chu (Hu Sanyi), contestants have entered the Canglong Mountain competition area. Please proceed quickly to Highland No. 2 as shown on the map. If you encounter life-threatening danger, you may abandon the competition by pressing the call button. All competition data will be updated in real time!"

The next moment, Zhang Chu waved his hand in the air. The holographic projection revealed the data chart:

"Total number of contestants: 1,326."
"Number entering restricted area: 2."
"Number withdrawn: 0."

Zhang Chu waved again, and the personal information panel appeared:

Name: Zhang Chu
Beasts slain: 0
Points: 0

Aside from the prohibition against mutual killing among contestants, all other rules were unrestricted. The competition had revised its regulations, setting two first-place prizes: one for the first to reach Highland No. 2 on Canglong Mountain, and another for the highest points. Points were awarded according to beast level, with the smart wristband scanning and tallying kills: level-one beast equals one point, level-two equals two, and so forth.

Zhang Chu glanced at the projected mini-map. There were still 240 kilometers to Highland No. 2, but the path led through forests teeming with exotic beasts and barren wastelands—not an easy journey.

"Brother Zhang Chu, armored wolves on the plain!" Hu Sanyi exclaimed, looking up to see several armored wolves closing in menacingly.

Without hesitation, Zhang Chu moved. Against level-two beasts, he didn’t even bother using his Blacksteel Greatsword. One slap per beast, like cracking watermelons. His wristband vibrated incessantly, nearly overheating, as it detected the tally of beasts falling to Zhang Chu’s hands.

"Slain one level-one beast, points +1!"
"Slain three level-one beasts, points +3!"
"Slain two level-two beasts, points +4!"
...

Hu Sanyi didn’t even have a chance to act, trailing behind to harvest beast cores. The two advanced rapidly, pushing through the wasteland, unstoppable. Any beast bold enough to meet Zhang Chu’s gaze met its end, eyes wide in death.

Hu Sanyi wielded his dagger with practiced ease: stab, slice, scoop, store—his four-step core extraction method honed to perfection.

After advancing twenty kilometers, more martial artists finally began entering the restricted area of Canglong Mountain. The wristband’s holographic projection automatically displayed real-time progress. When everyone saw the points leaderboard refreshed—with Zhang Chu in first place at fifty-two points and Hu Sanyi second at thirty-four—they erupted.

"Ah! Zhang Chu is shameless!"
"Kill!"

Over a thousand people, eyes red with envy, surged into the restricted area, scattering in a frenzy of action. Amid the chaos, Su Mingyue appeared, clad in a black leather coat and mask, a black sword strapped to her back, entering the Canglong Mountain zone. Watching the projected battle stats update, her eyes grew cold as Zhang Chu took the lead with sixty-three points. "Zhang Chu, you owe me this. I must take first place!"

She glanced around, seeing no one nearby, and quietly opened the ring on her hand. A miniature reconnaissance drone flew into the air. Su Mingyue donned her prepared glasses, linking to the drone’s internal network, and her vision filled with light points. The drone soared toward the heart of Canglong Mountain. Avoiding the crowds, she chose a secluded, difficult route, heading straight for the level-three beast gathering grounds. Killing a single level-three beast would earn three points. Of the competitors, fewer than two hundred were level three or above. With the alliance’s drone scouting ahead, she could reach the beasts first and boost her ranking. To avoid arousing the committee’s suspicion, she also slew a few level-one and level-two beasts along the way as cover.

Just as Su Mingyue left, two "Martial God One" drones appeared over Canglong Mountain, forming a network. Zhang Xueying and her escort team parachuted in from a designated location, covering as much ground as possible.

"Director Fan, we found Zhang Chu and Hu Sanyi!"

With drone network coverage established, the command vehicle fifteen kilometers from Canglong Mountain received the signal. The display quickly showed an aerial view of the mountain. The satellite map operator rushed over. Fan Tianlei, just roused from sleep, sprang to his feet and strode to the giant electronic screen. "Pull up all this kid’s personal information!"

Screens flickered. A dynamic route appeared before Fan Tianlei, alongside a points leaderboard.

Name: Zhang Chu
Beasts slain: 113
Points: 312
Rank: 1

Fan Tianlei glanced at it and nearly choked. Gone for an hour, and now he’s already first in points!