About ten minutes later, a knock sounded at the door, and then, four students—two males and two females—walked into the office.
Seeing these people, Song Dongming showed no surprise, instead smiling and waving at them.
Upon seeing this, Wang Zhan curiously asked, "Dongming, do you know them?"
"Hmm, they’re all third-year seniors, ranked in the top ten in the third-year ranking competition," Song Dongming responded with a smile and a nod.
As a rule, fourth-year students did not participate in college competitions, so each Academy would find its best third-year students to compete.
As for the team of Wang Zhan and the other two, they were clearly an exception.
Meanwhile, the four newcomers began to introduce themselves. ᴜᴘᴅᴀᴛᴇ ꜰʀᴏᴍ novel⚑fire.net
"Zhou Weiya, a level 7 Martial Artist, breaking the limit by 10%." He was a tall and sturdy man, standing at 1.9 meters.
Next to him was a somewhat frail man.
"Zhou Weiqing, a level 7 Martial Artist, just like Weiya, breaking the limit by about 10%."
"Are you two brothers?" Wang Zhan looked at them for a while but couldn’t see any resemblance.
"Yes, fraternal twins," Zhou Weiya nodded.
Wang Zhan then turned to look at the two girls standing nearby.
"Sun Kelan, a level 8 Martial Artist. My actual combat ability is average, though; I specialize in exploration and first aid."
Sun Kelan was a very striking girl with short hair just past her chin and a healthy, wheat-colored complexion, giving her a vibrant look.
The other girl standing next to her appeared quite shy. Wang Zhan met her gaze for less than a second before she bashfully averted her eyes.
"Chen Mengshu, a level 8 Martial Artist, breaking the limit... around 15%."
"Huh?" Wang Zhan was clearly surprised.
Reaching 15% in extreme attributes already qualified her as a genius. Moreover, being a level 8 Martial Artist in her third year meant she could be considered among the top students, even at the four major Martial Arts Academies.
Logically speaking, Chen Mengshu should have been a prominent figure at Chu State Military Academy. Yet, Wang Zhan had never heard her name before today.
"Wang Zhan, what’s with that look?" Huang Pufeng, noticing Wang Zhan’s skepticism, immediately retorted, "Senior Mengshu is just low-key and doesn’t like to show off. She’s been ranked first in her year for two whole years!"
Wang Zhan was taken aback, instinctively shifting his gaze to Chen Mengshu.
As a result, seemingly uncomfortable under Wang Zhan’s scrutiny, Chen Mengshu actually took half a step back, hiding behind Sun Kelan.
This situation made Wang Zhan even more confused.
But since Huang Pufeng had said it, and Chen Mengshu had also been selected for the college competition, Wang Zhan deduced it must be true.
In the end, Wang Zhan could only attribute Chen Mengshu’s peculiar behavior to her personality.
After the four newcomers introduced themselves, Song Dongming volunteered, "Song Dongming, level 7 Martial Artist, breaking the limit by about 20%."
"Huang Pufeng, level 7 Martial Artist, same as Dongming, breaking the limit by around 20%."
"Wait, you’re both level 7 now?" Wang Zhan was astonished. Weren’t they level 6 just yesterday?
Huang Pufeng shot Wang Zhan a disdainful look.
"So, you’re allowed to break through, but we’re not?"
"That’s not what I meant; I was just surprised," Wang Zhan quickly waved his hands.
Song Dongming explained, "Remember how Huang Pufeng and I endured the effects of Mixed Essence Pills? It turned out to be a blessing in disguise. Our bodies weren’t harmed; instead, we were pushed to the limit of level 6, so we naturally broke through last night."
Hearing this, Wang Zhan finally understood.
Back then in Flame Valley, to recover their stamina, they both took Mixed Essence Pills but didn’t refine them at all.
Now, by a strange twist of fate, they had actually benefited.
Wang Zhan looked at the four newcomers and said, "Wang Zhan, level 9 Martial Artist, breaking the limit by over 40%."
As he spoke, Wang Zhan intently observed the newcomers’ reactions but found their expressions didn’t change at all.
"Let me get this straight, none of you are surprised?" Wang Zhan asked, puzzled. "What if I said I actually broke the limit by 50%?"
The four newcomers remained unfazed.
Lv Zhenglong, who was at the side, couldn’t stand it anymore and sneered, "They already know about you three, so why would hearing it again surprise them? If you want to show off, go find someone from another Martial Arts Academy. What’s the point of trying to feel superior among your own people?"
"I didn’t..." Wang Zhan began to argue, but seeing Lv Zhenglong’s murderous glare, he quickly backed down.
After everyone had introduced themselves, Liu Zhenfeng finally spoke, "Regarding this Federal Martial Arts Tournament, it’s a new format. Neither Old Lu nor I know the specifics, and this is probably true for other Martial Arts Academies as well. All we know is that the tournament will be held in Oceania."
Lv Zhenglong added, "Oceania is the frontier of humanity’s war against the beasts. To be more specific, on the battlefield, soldier-level beasts, General-level beasts, and human Martial Masters and Martial Generals are very common!"
"Furthermore, in intensely contested areas, battles at the Grandmaster level and above occur frequently! Even Old Liu and I might not be able to guarantee our complete safety on the Oceania Battlefield."
Upon hearing these words, the expressions of Wang Zhan and the other six grew serious.
Although everyone suspected the two vice presidents were largely exaggerating, the severity of their words made it clear that the danger in Oceania was likely far beyond their imagination.
"I have compiled all the publicly available information regarding Oceania and sent it to your personal terminals. Be sure to read it when you get back! Moreover, the Federation’s high-level officials have made it clear that no Academy teachers are allowed to accompany you on this trip. So, you’ll be entirely on your own throughout the tournament."
As Liu Zhenfeng finished speaking, he turned to Wang Zhan. "Wang Zhan will lead the team this time, and everyone must obey his commands. Someone will come to take you to Oceania in three days. Use this time to get familiar with each other! The competition was suddenly moved up, so we’ve lost a whole month of team cohesion practice. You need to make every second count."
Lv Zhenglong stood up and walked over to Wang Zhan and the others.
He was about to speak but then seemed to recall something and fell silent for a moment.
After a full ten seconds, he finally sighed and said, "Wang Zhan, you’ve said before that you would lead the Martial Arts Academy to first place, and Old Liu and I believe you have the ability. But... your safety must always come first!"
Wang Zhan was slightly taken aback. He hadn’t expected Lv Zhenglong to say something like that.
"Vice President Lu, isn’t the tournament important?"
"But there are no teachers with you this time, and no one knows what kind of safety nets the Federation will provide! For students like you, a place like Oceania is no different from a den of dragons and tigers! Actually, Old Liu and I have a simple stance: compete if you can, but if it means risking your lives, it’s not worth it."
"Indeed. It’s not a one-shot deal. If not this year, there’s always next year. By then, you’ll at least be a Warrior." Liu Zhenfeng’s face finally broke into a slight smile.
"Alright, that’s about everything. Spend the next three days getting to know each other. Be on time at the training field on the morning three days from now."
Wang Zhan and the others soon left the office. Although the two deans had been all bark and no bite, and the anticipated harsh reprimand hadn’t occurred, Wang Zhan still couldn’t relax.
A battlefield... I’ve heard about it so many times, and it seems I’ll finally step onto one. Wang Zhan felt a mix of excitement and apprehension.
After leaving the office building, the seven of them exchanged contact information and agreed to start joint practice the next day before dispersing.
Wang Zhan went to the Academic Credits Exchange Office to exchange some Mixed Essence Pills, then returned to his dormitory to cultivate.
He first opened his attribute panel.
This trip to Flame Valley not only maxed out my level 9 basic attribute points, but my extreme attributes also increased quite a bit. Not bad at all, Wang Zhan contemplated.
At this point, he wasn’t far from the Level 9 Martial Artist’s limit of 1,600 points in all attributes.
If he had enough time for dedicated cultivation, he could reach the peak of the Martial Artist Stage in about a month and attempt to break through to Warrior.
Unfortunately, I planned to break through to Warrior before the tournament started, but it got moved up, Wang Zhan thought, a little disappointed.
After all, the four major Martial Arts Academies were full of hidden talents; no one knew how strong the opponents would be.
And the gap between a Warrior and a Martial Artist was as wide as a chasm.
If there are opponents who have broken through to Warrior... No, there will definitely be monsters in the four major Martial Arts Academies who have reached the Warrior level.
Actually, Wang Zhan wasn’t fully confident he could take the crown. This was especially true since the first event of the tournament was a team event, and the Chu State Military Martial Arts Academy’s team’s average strength was definitely below that of the four major Martial Arts Academies.
With this in mind, Wang Zhan silently shook his head. He could only take things one step at a time.
Soon, Wang Zhan consumed the Mixed Essence Pills and entered a state of cultivation.
Over the next two days, Wang Zhan and the other six trained together during the day. It was less about formal practice and more about familiarizing themselves with each other’s techniques to improve future cooperation.
Although two days was a short time, the seven of them weren’t fools. They managed to achieve a decent level of coordination and finally began to look like a team.
However, Wang Zhan discovered that Chen Mengshu, whom he had initially found strange, was actually a Martial Artist who excelled in direct, powerful assaults.
Even though she appeared shy and timid, when she actually fought, even in sparring, she displayed a reckless ferocity.
Appearances can be deceiving, Wang Zhan had to marvel.
「Finally, two days passed.」
On the morning of the third day, the group of seven arrived early at the training field to wait.
Not long after, the two deans appeared with a man in a Federation uniform.
"Is everyone here? Let’s set off."