High Martial Arts: Enlightenment after Practices-Chapter 161: Inter-department Competition

Xu Wuyi gently stroked the cold body of the spear, feeling the increasingly pure and powerful Qi and Blood within him. His Life Energy Level had quietly risen to 20.9.

His strength had improved again, but Xu Wuyi felt no sense of complacency. 𝕗𝐫𝚎𝗲𝘄𝐞𝕓𝐧𝕠𝘃𝕖𝐥.𝐜𝚘𝚖

He knew that with the inter-courtyard competition approaching, rivals like Qin Rui and Li Hao, who possessed top-tier resources and talent, would not be progressing slowly.

Especially Li Hao. After receiving the full backing of the Qin Family, his improvement over the past month was likely astonishing.

"Resources... they really do shorten the time it takes to build a foundation," Xu Wuyi muttered to himself, his gaze sweeping over the Earth Fire Marrow Lamp, which was steadily emitting a radiant energy.

It was thanks to this core resource, obtained for 800 points, that he could maintain such an efficient cultivation pace even in the early stages of a Martial Artist.

Otherwise, relying on diligent training alone, it would have taken him at least another one or two months to reach Minor Achievement in the Eight-direction Soul Suppressing Spear.

Looking ahead, the pressure to earn more points was still very real.

The Earth Fire Marrow was effective, but one portion only lasted for a year. Moreover, the further he progressed in his cultivation, the grade and quantity of resources needed would increase exponentially.

He had to keep earning points.

Thanks to his strength, which surpassed others of the same level, Xu Wuyi’s pace of earning points wasn’t slow. He always chose tasks that weren’t time-consuming, ensuring they didn’t interfere with his training.

"Anna," Xu Wuyi called out to his smart assistant.

"At your command, Student Xu Wuyi."

"Filter for recent tasks with high point rewards and relatively short completion times. The difficulty... can be relaxed to anything below high-level Martial Artist, Level 25, but the intel must be clear and the risks manageable."

"Command received. Searching... Three tasks matching your criteria have been found and sent to your terminal."

...

「Early January.」

Star Martial University’s inter-courtyard competition was the first large-scale, school-wide official tournament for first-year students after their enrollment, and it had always garnered significant attention.

It not only concerned the honor of each courtyard but was also directly tied to the resource allocation for all new students for the next six months.

Huge holographic banners hung over the main thoroughfares and at the entrances to the Battle Network, announcing the official start of the inter-courtyard competition.

This year’s competition followed the traditional format, divided into two parts: the Team Points Tournament and the Elite Battle Tournament.

The statistical period for the Team Points Tournament ended on December thirty-first of the previous year.

It used the "average Rank Points per person" of all new students from each courtyard in the Star Martial Battle Network’s ranking system as the basis for the rankings.

The difference in Rank Points was generally not large. Even the current strongest batch of students could only pull the average up by about 30%.

A Fourth Rank Martial Artist Level student could, at most, average out a bottom-tier student around Level 15 to a mediocre standard.

Therefore, this part of the score was more reflective of the overall strength of each courtyard’s new students, and the influence of top-tier combatants was not significant.

The results of the Team Points Tournament had already been calculated by the system and publicly announced as early as New Year’s Day.

The results were both expected by many and contained a few surprises.

The West Courtyard, with its superior overall student quality, took the top spot with a commanding lead, their average points far exceeding the other three courtyards.

The East Courtyard and North Courtyard, however, were locked in a fierce struggle. Their average points were neck and neck, and in the end, the East Courtyard narrowly secured second place by a slim margin, with the North Courtyard taking third.

In last place was the South Courtyard. They had relatively fewer top new students, and their overall strength was weaker, causing their point total to lag behind by a noticeable gap.

This result brought both a sigh of relief and a sense of pressure to everyone in the East Courtyard.

"We managed to hold our ground in the team tournament; we didn’t fall behind," Shen Wei said, looking at the announcement screen, to Xu Wuyi, Yu Peiling, and the others beside him. "Next up is the Elite Battle Tournament!"

The Elite Battle Tournament was the true main event of the inter-courtyard competition, and the ultimate stage for demonstrating individual strength.

The rules were simple: each of the four courtyards would send three student representatives to form a team.

Then, the four teams would engage in a round-robin format, with each team facing off against the other three in a full team battle.

In each match, the winner remains on the stage while the loser steps down, replaced by the next member of their team, until all three members of one side are defeated.

However, the winner cannot recover their condition. The consumption of stamina and Spirit, and even any injuries sustained, would carry over to the next fight, continuing until they are defeated.

Therefore, a single powerful student couldn’t guarantee victory; the overall strength of all three members was what truly mattered.

In the end, the teams would be ranked based on the total number of individual wins their courtyard’s team achieved across all matches.

The rewards for this ranking and the ranking from the Team Points Tournament would be calculated separately and then awarded to the courtyards together.

At the same time, the student representatives participating in the Elite Battle Tournament would also receive generous individual point rewards based on their personal wins, performance, and other factors.

Therefore, every spot on the team was crucial.

...

「East Courtyard, Battle Network Teaching Building, in a spacious conference room.」

Vice Dean Shi Jing sat at the head of the table, while below him stood five Martial Artist students, including Xu Wuyi and Shen Wei.

Besides the two of them, the other three were also students who had successively broken through to the Martial Artist realm between late December and early January. Their Life Energy Levels were all between 20.1 and 20.3.

For the first-year competition, selecting representatives was relatively simple: they just had to be chosen from the Martial Artists.

Students who had not yet advanced to the Martial Artist rank could certainly not be chosen as representatives; even if selected, they would only be able to serve as a cheerleading squad.

Shi Jing’s gaze swept calmly over the five students. Without any unnecessary pleasantries, he got straight to the point. "For the Elite Battle Tournament, our courtyard needs to send three representatives."

"After discussion in the courtyard’s administrative meeting and a comprehensive review of everyone’s performance since enrollment, I am now designating the following three individuals to represent the East Courtyard in battle."

His voice was steady and powerful, echoing in the conference room.

"Xu Wuyi, Shen Wei, and Zhou Mingxuan."

Xu Wuyi, whose name was called, remained impassive, while Shen Wei’s face showed a trace of suppressed excitement.

The young man named Zhou Mingxuan was the third new student from the East Courtyard, after Xu Wuyi and Shen Wei, to break through to the Martial Artist rank. He was usually low-key, and upon hearing his name, he simply gave a calm nod.

The other two Martial Artist students who were not chosen inevitably showed a flicker of disappointment on their faces, but they raised no objections.

Shi Jing’s designation was clearly made with absolute authority.

"According to the rules, those not selected have one chance to issue a challenge." Shi Jing looked at the two students. "You may challenge any of the three designated representatives. The winner will take their spot."

As his voice fell, all eyes in the conference room focused on the two unselected students.

The gazes of the two swept back and forth across Xu Wuyi, Shen Wei, and Zhou Mingxuan.

Xu Wuyi stood calmly, his aura restrained. But after reaching Minor Achievement in the Eight-direction Soul Suppressing Spear yesterday, the profound sense of his Spiritual Will and Qi and Blood having merged into a cohesive whole created an invisible pressure that the two students instinctively felt.

As if by unspoken agreement, they both avoided Xu Wuyi.

One of them turned their gaze to Shen Wei, while the other locked onto the seemingly more mild-mannered Zhou Mingxuan.