Chapter 49: Midway Through the Tournament—Deployment of the Support Pods

No. 2 High Ground of Canglong Mountain lay just beyond the territory frequented by level 5 and level 6 exotic beasts. There were only two ways to reach it quickly.

First: to cut straight through the forbidden zone dominated by high-level beasts, saving a hundred and twenty kilometers.

Second: to take a detour, which required passing the edge of the area where level 4 beasts roamed.

Most contestants were martial artists below level 3.

In just one day, the number of contestants dropped from 1,362 to 718—nearly half had withdrawn from the competition.

Some were sent back by the teleportation array of the Dual Force Warriors.

Zhang Xueying led the rescue team and returned several hundred more.

Outside Canglong Mountain, in the command vehicle—

Fan Tianlei woke from a nap to see the refreshed leaderboard. “Is this Su Mingyue the same person who sent the Martial Arts Research Institute trending online?”

“Director Fan, it should be her,” his assistant replied.

Fan Tianlei quickly accessed Su Mingyue’s profile:

Name: Su Mingyue

Status: Former student at Bin University

Age: 20

Vitality: 8,700/10,000

Martial Artist Level: 3

After reading her information, Fan Tianlei’s eyes sparkled, and he swiftly contacted Fan Chengcheng through the internal network. “You brat, look at your points—you're embarrassing me. Now, I’m assigning you a new task: find Su Mingyue according to the location I sent you and help her win the championship.”

Director Chen of the Martial Control Bureau had called three or four times, insisting that Zhang Chu must not take first place—even second would do.

Otherwise, the talent would be snatched by the Martial Arts Research Institute!

Fan Chengcheng, sleeping in the safehouse of the level 2 area, was startled awake by the buzz of his wristband.

He activated the wristband’s holographic projection and saw a location and a message from Fan Tianlei. Scratching his head, he muttered, “Has the old man lost his mind? Interfering with the fairness of the competition!”

After today, Fan Chengcheng no longer boasted.

In the face of absolute strength, all his gear was nothing.

He had only 98 points.

Winning was out of the question.

He glanced at the martial artists sharing the room, then quietly slipped out and dashed toward the designated location.

He’d heard Su Mingyue was the goddess of Bin University.

Fan Chengcheng had a weakness for girls with good figures—perfect for cuddling while sleeping...

Meanwhile—

Near the level 4 beast zone.

Su Mingyue found a spot beyond the reach of the “Martial God No. 1” drone camera, took a black pill from her pocket, and swallowed it.

Instantly, her spirit soared, and she moved with agile steps.

She gripped her longsword,

Once more, she followed the micro drone into the densely-populated level 3 beast zone.

She only needed to hold out until noon.

The committee would announce a new phase then, allowing her to enter the level 4 area.

...

Approaching noon—

In the level 4 area, two figures pressed onward beneath the blazing sun.

Before a stone wall,

Two giant earth pythons burst from the ground, jaws wide, trying to swallow Zhang Chu.

Hu Sanyi, hiding not far away, wiped cold sweat from his brow. “Looks like Brother Zhang Chu’s really been provoked—he actually dared to challenge the giant pythons!”

Earth Pythons, level 4 beasts.

Their hides were incredibly tough, and they could burrow underground, making them troublesome among level 4 beasts.

Seeing the refreshed leaderboard in the morning, Zhang Chu seemed to snap.

He targeted only level 4 beasts.

That morning alone, forty-five level 4 beasts fell by his hand, leaving one alive each time to boost his score by thirty.

But provoking two giant earth pythons at once—this was madness.

Yet Zhang Chu remained unruffled.

A level 5 martial artist—dealing with level 4 beasts was child’s play.

If not for the beasts blocking the way, he’d already be in the level 5 area.

Zhang Chu leapt high, wielding his Xuangang Greatsword, spinning elegantly in midair.

He slashed down; thirteen sword shadows burst forth.

"Blazing Fire Thirteen Swords," a grade-one mid-tier sword technique, highly proficient.

The pythons went berserk.

Having survived hundreds of years here, when did their eyes ever fail them?

A sweep of sword light, and everything went black for the pythons.

Two massive heads rolled to the ground.

Eight-meter-long bodies crashed down, shaking the earth, the stench of blood mingling with dust, making Hu Sanyi retch.

Zhang Chu landed steadily.

With practiced ease, he sliced open the pythons’ viscera, extracted two fist-sized beast cores, and tossed one to Hu Sanyi. “Old Hu, everyone gets a share.”

“This...isn’t really appropriate!” Hu Sanyi protested, but slipped the core into his storage ring.

He had little hope of winning.

But this trip would fetch at least seven or eight million.

Zhang Chu glanced at his holographic projection—the leaderboard had updated again.

“First place, Zhang Chu, 492 points.”

“Second place, Su Mingyue, 456 points.”

“Third place, Hu Sanyi, 308 points.”

Zhang Chu relied on raw strength.

Su Mingyue relied on external aids.

Hu Sanyi was winning by simply tagging along.

Behind Hu Sanyi were several level 3 martial artists.

Staring at the leaderboard, the level 3 martial artists gritted their teeth, wishing they could knock Hu Sanyi out of third place.

“Old Hu, let’s rest and eat!”

Seeing his secure lead, Zhang Chu finally decided to take a break.

Being champion wasn’t important.

But he couldn’t let Su Mingyue surpass him.

A man must always be on top!

After a day and a half of running and depleted vitality, Zhang Chu felt faint, in urgent need of protein.

He still had some barbecue spices left from the mercenary mission at Dangdang Mountain.

The earth python’s belly meat was tender.

The two sat before the stone wall, vigilant, eating meat and sipping cola.

Ding ding!

Just then, their wristbands chimed, and the holographic projection automatically activated, revealing Zhang Xueying’s image. “Congratulations, contestants, on reaching the mid-phase of the tournament. A new rule will be launched: in three minutes, support pods will be deployed!”

Support pods!

This tournament would see sixty-six support pods deployed for martial artists to replenish their energy.

“This is practically tailor-made for me!” Zhang Chu nearly laughed aloud after reading the support pod rules.

Support pods were exchange bases.

Contestants could trade beast cores for supplies—including various medicines.

Having just slain two giant level 4 pythons, Zhang Chu felt his grade-one mid-tier “Blazing Fire Thirteen Swords” was becoming strenuous.

If he encountered level 5 beasts, both “Blazing Fire Thirteen Swords” and “Skyrocket” would lose effectiveness.

But now, with support pods incoming,

He could trade beast cores for pills to upgrade his martial arts.

After Zhang Xueying finished explaining the rules, the holographic projection showed the support pod drop zones.

Zhang Chu glanced at the nearest drop—it was close by.

“Attention, contestants, Support Pod No. 56 is being deployed. Please keep clear!”

Just then, Martial God No. 1 drone appeared overhead.

A giant container was released, descending by parachute and landing securely fifty meters away.