novelraw Chapter 110 : The All-Academy Source Martial Tournament Opens
Chapter 110 : The All-Academy Source Martial Tournament Opens
110: The All-Academy Source Martial Tournament Opens
In early March, the weather warmed and the flowers bloomed, a time for budding romance and restless hearts.
But for the students of Lingdu Source Martial Academy, it was a season of even more intense and arduous cultivation. This was true even for the girls who were often pursued and always dressed to impress.
Even if they had boyfriends, even if they were in love, their conversations could not stray from the world's changing state of affairs.
Most of the students at Lingdu Source Martial Academy had a premonition that they would eventually have to walk a path of life and death. The increasingly grim situation made them realize that trying to mix in the mundane world for a sense of security would probably not be a viable option for much longer.
In this spring, when first love stirred and all of creation revived, love was perhaps not just a pleasure, but a responsibility, one that could give them courage, a reason to protect, and the will to fight.
"Ha!"
On the field by the lake, the academy's students were lined up in formations, practicing their fist techniques. Every single one of them was meticulous, giving it their all. Everything that had happened during this winter break seemed to have matured many of them.
In the woods on the northern shore of the lake, Yuyin was sitting by the water's edge, absorbing a little Primordial Energy. Just then, the voices of a man and a woman came from the edge of the forest.
"Senior, here, a towel."
"Thanks..." the young man said as he wiped his sweat.
"Senior, have you heard? Something happened up north," the young woman said, a trace of worry in her voice.
"What happened?"
"I heard it from my uncle. He said that at the Two Realms Gate north of the Great River, a huge battle broke out last month. A lot of people died. It's not even completely over yet. Several nearby counties have already lost contact. My uncle said that several of his old comrades-in-arms are still unaccounted for. Most likely... they've already fallen."
Yuyin, who was cultivating in the woods, hadn't intended to eavesdrop on the couple's conversation, but now she couldn't help but listen carefully.
"Is that so... How tragic. But Lily, you don't need to worry. Things like this have happened before in our elders' generation, haven't they? In the end, weren't they all suppressed?"
"But I feel that this time is especially serious. Senior, do you really have to go to the Prison Abyss? Don't go. It's too dangerous there!"
"Lily, if no one goes, then who will guard those Two Realms Gates? Besides, I'm not a fool. I'll be going to the gate on our side, which is relatively safer. With my strength, even if I participate in the Source Martial Tournament, I won't get many credits. Why wait until my fourth year? They're short on people over there now, and the pay is good. When we graduate, aren't we still planning to buy a house in Lingdu?"
"Senior..."
The young man and woman, though still inexperienced in the ways of the world, revealed a maturity that belied their age, embracing one another.
"Lily, I've already submitted my application to the academy."
"Mmm, I know about that."
"No, that's not it. Our academy has a regulation. If someone doesn't make it back from over there, they can transfer their Academy Credits to another student. Lily, if... I mean, if by some chance I don't make it back, I've already applied to the academy to transfer my credits to you."
"...No, I don't want to hear this... You must come back. You will definitely come back! If the worst really happens, I'll go down there to find you!"
"No. If that day really comes, I'm not giving you these credits so you can avenge me. I hope you become a little stronger yourself, so that if the world changes, you'll have more power to protect yourself."
"Senior!"
At this point, the young man and woman fell into a passionate embrace and kiss...
Yuyin quietly left. Besides silently blessing them in her heart, there was nothing she could do.
"The situation north of the Great River is already that severe?" Yuyin had no family background, and the intelligence she could gather on her own was limited. She never imagined that such an important event would not be mentioned at all in the news.
The area north of the Great River, though one or two thousand kilometers away, was still the heartland of the Huaxia Nation.
"For now, I can only hope that the seniors of the Huaxia Nation can hold the line... and give me a little more time to prepare..." Yuyin said, her expression grave.
Although she was reincarnated into another world, the people here had the same yellow skin and dark eyes, the same culture. Apart from the threats from the Night Spirits and the Prison Abyss, it was almost the same world.
Whether it was Lingdu Source Martial Academy, or the big shots of Lingdu like Mr. Du and Zhang Henglong, they had all been genuinely good to her. These people were the backbone of Huaxia!
Teacher, Sister Dai, Yingluo, Hua Qianyuan… there was no need to even mention how good they had been to Yuyin.
Xia Youxue, though she didn't know where she was, had made as many preparations as possible for her when she had to leave in a crisis. Yuyin could feel the affection for her hidden between the lines.
For Yuyin to completely treat this as an alien world that had nothing to do with her was something she could not do!
"If I don't have enough strength, then just living well will be difficult enough. But if I, Xia Yuyin, have the ability, when the time comes for me to act, I will not hesitate!"
· · ─────── ·𖥸· ─────── · · · · ─────── ·𖥸· ─────── · ·
In mid-March, the All-Academy Source Martial Tournament opened.
This time, the tournament received unprecedented attention from students of all grades, all departments, and all outstanding Source Martial Practitioners.
First, the truly invincible genius was no longer participating. Several of the top third-year students all wanted to contend for this number one spot.
Secondly, for students who had some confidence in their strength, even if they couldn't make it into the top three, fighting for a good ranking, earning more Academy Credits, exchanging for secret manuals, buying equipment, and trading for pills to prepare themselves for the increasingly unstable situation was a worthy goal.
Although it was spring, there was a feeling that a harsh winter was approaching.
Beneath a kind of heavy, overcast sky, these young people erupted with an unprecedented drive to act.
A great many people participated in the Source Martial Tournament. In principle, all third-year students were eligible to sign up. In the end, nearly seventy percent of them did. The number of participants exceeded expectations, but the academy did not limit them, accepting all of them and arranging for them to compete for their own fates.
Yuyin and the other two first-year students, along with eight second-year students and several dozen third-year students, were assigned to the Southeast Martial Arts Dojo district, which was the same venue where Yuyin had competed before.
From this venue, two of the top-eight finalists for the All-Academy Grand Finals would be decided.
The rewards for the entire All-Academy Grand Finals were also announced.
For the preliminary rounds, each victory earned 30 Academy Credits, 10 more than last year. Considering the large increase in participants, the academy was digging deep into its reserves, offering up enormous resources to support this generation of students.
The rewards for the finals were:
First Place: 1500 Academy Credits
Second Place: 800 Academy Credits
Top Four: 500 Academy Credits
Top Eight: 300 Academy Credits
This was almost double last year's rewards!
One must understand, these Academy Credits could be exchanged for a massive amount of resources from the academy. Credits were just numbers, but the academy had to offer up a huge amount of its stores and wealth to exchange them for the students.
While Yuyin felt this massive increase in investment was a good thing, she also felt a sense of unease...
"Such a huge one-time investment, what about the future? Or is it... that there's no need to think too much about the future?" Today was the day of Yuyin's competition. She silently gazed at the somber, majestic martial arts dojo under the overcast sky and walked up the steps.