Translator: CinderTL
Feng Qi had initially dismissed Qin Shikong's divination as a mere joke.
Throughout his life, he had never heard of divination truly being able to predict a person's future trajectory or destiny.
But when Qin Shikong claimed he would die young, Feng Qi suddenly felt that the old Daoist might actually possess such abilities.
At that moment, Qin Shikong raised his Eight Trigrams Plate, tilted his head back to gaze at the starry sky, and began a second divination.
During the process, he occasionally glanced at Feng Qi.
After a series of incomprehensible manipulations, Qin Shikong's expression grew increasingly solemn.
As soon as Qin Shikong stopped moving, Feng Qi immediately asked:
"What does this divination reveal?"
"The hexagram has changed. I... it's best not to speak of it," Qin Shikong suddenly shook his head.
[This old Daoist is just messing with us! Beat him up!] the Narrator raged.
Feng Qi was equally perplexed. From Qin Shikong's expression, it was clear he had seen something significant.
Thinking this, he looked at Qin Shikong again and said:
"No matter what the hexagram shows, tell me. I can handle it."
Hearing this, Qin Shikong suddenly grinned widely and burst into laughter.
"Kid, I was just pulling your leg! You actually thought I could divine the future? What era do you live in? Still believing in this nonsense?"
Feng Qi: ...
At that moment, he truly felt the urge to strike Qin Shikong.
Yet, for some reason, he couldn't shake the feeling that Qin Shikong's words held a hidden meaning.
But since Qin Shikong refused to elaborate, he didn't press further.
"Do you believe in fate?" Qin Shikong suddenly asked, gazing at him intently.
"No!" Feng Qi replied without hesitation.
"Why not?"
"The path lies beneath my feet. How I walk it depends on my own choices. If the path I choose defies Heaven's Will, then I'll defy Heaven's Will itself."
"Hahaha! Well said! Don't let a difficult divination deter you. You're an interesting one, kid," Qin Shikong roared with laughter.
As he spoke, he pulled a gourd-shaped wine flask from his waist, uncorked it, and took a long swig.
"You're an interesting one, kid. Come, share a few sips with me."
With that, he tossed the flask to Feng Qi.
Feng Qi caught the flask and was about to take a drink when the Narrator's voice echoed in his mind:
[This flask probably has the old Taoist's spit on it. One sip and you'll get pregnant, right?]
Hearing the Narrator's words, Feng Qi immediately lost his appetite. With a hint of disgust, he tossed the flask back.
"I don't drink."
"This isn't ordinary wine. It's spirit medicine wine I carry with me—I only take a sip when I'm injured."
"I appreciate the offer, but I don't drink."
[Tsk, tsk. Just a few days ago, someone ordered a batch of ingredients to brew Clear Heart Wine, and now he's shamelessly claiming he doesn't drink? That's as fake as a scumbag telling a girl he's never been in love before. Heh, tui!]
Ignoring the Narrator's snarky commentary, he turned to Qin Shikong and asked, "May I ask your name?"
"Qin Shikong, of the Heaven-Pillar Domain Combat Team."
"It's an honor to meet you," Feng Qi replied with a polite smile.
"You probably haven't even heard of me. Spare me the formalities. You city folk always beat around the bush—it's really annoying," Qin Shikong said, waving his hand dismissively.
At this time, Qin Shikong's Heaven-Pillar Domain Combat Team had yet to break into the top hundred domain combat teams. He mistakenly assumed Feng Qi's words were mere flattery.
"Then, what brings you to Victory Academy?"
"To scout for promising recruits, of course. Our team suffered heavy losses at the Wind Ridge Domain Arena recently, so we need to replenish our ranks."
Qin Shikong answered candidly, revealing his purpose without hesitation.
He grinned at Feng Qi and asked, "Interested in joining the Heavenly Pillar Battle Group?"
"Nah, if I agreed, my principal would probably fly here overnight and drag me back kicking and screaming."
"True. You're a research talent. Joining the Heaven-Pillar Domain Combat Team would be a waste of your skills."
Hearing this, Feng Qi rolled his eyes before curiously asking, "Since you can tell fortunes, have you ever tried to predict your own future?"
Qin Shikong paused, then smiled and shook his head. "I've wanted to, but I've never actually done it."
"Why not? Is it like in novels, where fortune-tellers who reveal heavenly secrets or predict their own futures suffer a shortened lifespan?"
"Walking forward without knowing the future is what makes life full of surprises... Besides, fortune-telling is just a hobby of mine. It's never been accurate anyway."
Hearing this, Feng Qi immediately thought of his experiences in the Future Lines. The feeling of seeing the future's outcome at a glance was truly despairing.
Through their casual conversation, the two had grown closer.
After a while, Feng Qi said goodbye to Qin Shikong and returned to his room, closing the balcony door behind him.
Qin Shikong, left alone, continued gazing up at the starry sky, as if trying to discern patterns within the complex celestial map.
A moment later, he glanced at the spot where Feng Qi had been standing, a hint of puzzlement crossing his face.
Back in his room, Feng Qi opened his suitcase and took out his pajamas.
After showering, brushing his teeth, and changing into his pajamas, he lay down on the bed and quickly drifted off to sleep.
The next morning, he woke up early.
He then called each of his students to make sure they didn't oversleep and forget about the competition.
After washing up, he went to the dormitory entrance to wait.
Soon, Lin Ran and the others began to arrive one by one.
Everyone seemed to have slept well the previous night, except for the monk, who looked bleary-eyed and exhausted.
Next, he took the students to breakfast.
After breakfast, they began exploring the scenic Victory Academy.
Although Victory Academy's total area wasn't as large as Star City Academy's, its design was remarkably refined, divided into two distinct zones.
The area centered around the library resembled pre-cataclysm garden architecture, complete with mountains, water features, pavilions, and towers. The pond in front of the library even housed numerous goldfish, and Feng Qi saw students feeding them as they passed by.
The other zone was the teaching area.
Here, the architectural style was noticeably more utilitarian and rough.
Everywhere they looked were sandpits for combat training and various outdoor exercise equipment.
In front of the teaching building, a simulated battlefield sand table was set up for war strategy exercises.
After two hours of leisurely wandering, they had only explored a portion of Victory Academy's grounds.
With the Rookie Tournament approaching, they immediately headed toward Victory Academy's combat arena.
Moments later, Feng Qi led the group to a square arena roughly the size of a soccer field.
The spectator stands on both sides of the arena were already packed with Victory Academy students and domain combat team warriors from other academies.
On the arena floor, the two Group A teams were fully prepared, listening intently as the referee explained the competition rules.
These rules were in place primarily for the safety of the participating students.
This has always been a challenge in competitive combat.
Even before the Cataclysm, martial arts tournaments required restrictions on techniques and protective measures for competitors.
Despite these precautions, injuries and permanent disabilities still occurred.
In the post-Cataclysm era, the situation has become even more critical.
Although the participating students lacked extensive practical combat experience, they were all cultivators, capable of unleashing devastatingly lethal attacks.
A single misstep could prove fatal to their opponent.
Every match carried a high risk of serious injury or death.
Body cultivation practitioners fared better, their physical resilience allowing them to withstand greater damage.
However, pure spirit cultivators risked losing half their life force from a single well-aimed offensive art magic, with severe cases leading to immediate death.
While casualties were inevitable in competitive matches, every effort had to be made to minimize them.
This was the primary reason Feng Qi had been so determined to create Dawn.
After the referee finished explaining the rules, he retreated from the arena.
The two teams also withdrew to opposite sides of the arena.
As the starting gun fired, both teams sprang into action.
The team on the left side of the arena was Winterfrost Academy's Combat Class Three. Though not Winterfrost Academy's top-ranked class, their strength was undeniable, earning them high praise from external observers.
Their opponents were Old Day City Academy's Combat Class Three.
The front-line warriors of both teams immediately clashed, while their main forces retreated to the rear, forming battle formations.
Led by Winterfrost Academy, twenty-three students launched the first attack against the opposing formation.
Winterfrost Academy's combat style had always been notoriously aggressive.
Their academy's creed was survival of the fittest, encouraging students to compete fiercely.
Their warriors, risking being struck by art magic, smashed through Old Day City Academy's Combat Class Three's battle formation upon contact. The flanking students immediately surged into the disrupted formation, scattering their opponents.
For a moment, Old Day City Academy's combat class panicked.
They quickly regrouped and attempted a counterattack, but it was already too late to turn the tide.
The battle had become a one-sided rout from the very first clash.
Seeing this, the spectators already knew the outcome of the match.
As expected, Winterfrost Academy's ferocious tactics secured a swift victory.
This was the reality of combat between cultivators.
Reality wasn't turn-based, with each side taking turns in drawn-out exchanges.
Nor was it like the flashy but protracted duels between experts in novels.
During the battle, there was even a moment where you grew stronger, suppressing me, only for me to grow stronger again and suppress you in turn. Then, the protagonist would have a sudden awakening of rage and reverse the situation once more.
We clashed for several chapters, locked in a prolonged struggle before the fight finally ended.
In battles between cultivators, true parity is rare; most conflicts are resolved swiftly.
Even when parity exists, it usually occurs only in battles focused on body cultivation.
In pure offensive spirit cultivation battles, victory or defeat is often decided in an instant.
This excludes defensive and support-oriented art magic.
Their battles resembled gun duels between Western cowboys: both sides hurled lethal art magic at each other, and whoever struck first claimed victory.
Alternatively, both spells might hit simultaneously, resulting in mutual injury or death.
This is why battle group composition is so crucial.
Teams need tank-type members to absorb damage and protect the backline damage dealers.
As the first round of matches concluded, medical personnel rushed onto the arena with stretchers, ready to assess the injured and carry away the severely wounded for emergency treatment.
Half an hour later, an announcement blared over the loudspeaker:
"Star City Academy Combat Class Three students, prepare to enter the arena."
"Future Academy Combat Class One students, prepare to enter the arena."
Hearing the announcement, Feng Qi turned to face Liu Yue and the others behind him, smiling. "Show them what you've got! Don't embarrass Star City Academy out there!"
"Go get 'em!" Mu Qing cheered, pumping her fist.
"If you win, I'll treat you all to a feast back at Star City Academy," Lin Ran grinned. "Time to show off!"
Liu Yue and the others nodded immediately, then took a short detour to climb the steps onto the arena.
As they took their positions in the center of the arena, the Future Academy Combat Class One students also entered.
The Future Academy students were stunned to see only ten members of Star City Academy Combat Class Three.
They had noticed the discrepancy in the competition roster earlier. While other classes had full rosters of sixty students, this class had only ten participants.
At the time, many assumed it was a data entry error.
But now, seeing it with their own eyes, they realized that Star City Academy Combat Class Three truly had only ten students competing.
While finding it hard to believe, their expressions were somewhat speechless.
They clearly saw Combat Class Three as a team here to "deliver warmth," or, to put it bluntly, to throw the match.
At that moment, the referee stepped forward, positioned himself between the two teams, and began reiterating the rules.
Ten minutes later, the referee stepped off the arena.
The two teams retreated to opposite sides of the arena.
The signal gun fired.
Liu Yue confidently strode forward, while Xia Long and Xia Hu launched their attack from the left flank, and Xia Bao and Yan Yue advanced from the right.
The Future Academy Combat Class One students were stunned to see their ten opponents taking the initiative.
Suddenly, white sword energy coalesced around Liu Yue.
Sharp, shimmering blades flashed in the air as a tempest of sword energy surged forward, sweeping across the arena.
The Future Academy Combat Class One students felt a stinging pain the moment the gale touched their skin, as if invisible blades were slicing across their flesh.
Some of the weaker students even began to bleed.
Liu Yue had already exerted immense pressure on his opponents before even launching a formal attack.
"Don't underestimate them! Form a defensive formation!"
Upon hearing the captain's command, the support mages of Future Academy Combat Class One immediately began casting art magic. A shimmering, flowing protective layer gradually enveloped them, shielding them from the encroaching sword energy.
At that moment, attacks surged in from both flanks.
On the left, Xia Long and Xia Hu, and on the right, Xia Bao and Yan Yue, crashed into the enemy ranks, engaging the front-line warriors in brutal hand-to-hand combat.
The clash of fists against flesh erupted.
Yet the pressure was immense, each warrior facing over a dozen opponents simultaneously.
Fortunately, Cai Guo proved invaluable, continuously tracing spell trajectories to heal their wounds and replenish their stamina.
Then Liu Yue stepped forward again.
Instantly, sword marks appeared on the arena floor, forged from special spirit minerals.
With each step, countless razor-sharp swords seemed to materialize around him.
As he swept his hand forward, an invisible wave of sword energy surged outward.
The sword energy effortlessly pierced through the Future Academy students' protective layers, leaving bloody streaks across their bodies.
"Give up," Liu Yue declared. "Even if you all attack me at once, you're no match. If I truly unleashed my power, none of you would survive."
Hearing these words, the Future Academy Combat Class One students' faces paled with terror.
They realized Liu Yue wasn't bluffing.
He genuinely possessed such overwhelming power.
Beneath the arena,
Watching Liu Yue, who stood indifferently with Jianlan slung across his back, Lin Ran couldn't help but cover his face.
"Brother Qi, that kid Liu Yue is showing off again."
"Let him show off. He's representing Star City Academy. Every display of his strength brings glory to our academy," Feng Qi grinned.
Lin Ran paused, then burst into laughter.
On the arena, Liu Yue's mere presence had already intimidated the Future Academy Combat Class One students, making them hesitant to act.
Liu Yue spoke again:
"Concede. Continuing this fight is pointless."
"We won't!" the team captain retorted stubbornly.
Instantly, razor-sharp sword energy erupted, piercing their skin by an inch, causing blood to gush forth.
"They concede!" the teacher supervising from the sidelines immediately shouted.
Hearing this, Liu Yue waved his hand, dispersing the sword energy.
"Future Academy Combat Class One concedes. The match is over," the referee announced.
The crowd erupted into a frenzy at the announcement.
Feng Qi gave Liu Yue a thumbs-up as the latter turned to look at him.
Seeing this, a rare smile flickered across Liu Yue's face.
[As expected of Burial Item No. 1. Not only is he ridiculously strong, but he's also a damn showoff. Should we bring him along to join the Dawn Army in the next timeline?]
"We can consider it. Let's discuss it back at Star City."
(End of the Chapter)
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