Chapter 320: 18 SS-level Geniuses

Chapter 320: Chapter 320: 18 SS-level Geniuses

He wouldn’t be able to crush ordinary geniuses as easily as before.

Winning would now come down to their own true strength.

Teacher Wang pushed his glasses up and said,

"Next, I’ll be sending you all the files on the Awakened geniuses from other countries."

"But it’s not just the Awakened geniuses!"

"You might also be matched against SS-level geniuses in the main competition."

"SS-level geniuses..."

At the mention of this term, everyone’s spirits lifted. The 230 Awakened S-class geniuses were one thing, but the SS-level geniuses were the ones who would truly decide the championship’s fate. This was true for Lin Qi as well.

If he wanted to win the championship, he would have to defeat one SS-level genius after another.

Yu Zhuoran’s expression turned grim. The SS-level geniuses were all on the same level as him.

The atmosphere grew tense.

Teacher Wang switched the projection screen, which now displayed a series of individual portraits. A closer look showed there were sixteen of them.

Each profile clearly listed the person’s home country, name, Awakened Special Ability, the Evolution Technique they used, their Secret Manuals, and so on.

"Of the 230 Awakened geniuses, 212 are S-class and 18 are SS-level."

"Excluding our own Yu Zhuoran and Huo Wanyang from Azure Sky Martial Arts Academy, that leaves sixteen others."

"Of these sixteen, one is from Nether Sea Martial Academy and one is from Shanyu Martial Arts University."

Everyone had to admit that Xia Country’s strength was truly formidable; they had four SS-level geniuses alone.

And that didn’t even include Pei Jiu, who was on the verge of becoming an SS-level genius himself.

"The SS-level genius from Nether Sea Martial Academy is named Kong Ruoxuan. Her Awakened Special Ability is [Flowing Water], and her weapon of choice is a longsword..."

"The SS-level genius from Shanyu Martial Arts University is named Wang Mingxu. His Awakened Special Ability is Spiritual Mind Master, and his weapon of choice is a long spear..."

Lin Qi silently memorized their information.

"In addition, Tianzhu Country has two SS-level geniuses, and they are extremely powerful!"

"Tianzhu Country has a massive population, so it’s no surprise they produce a lot of geniuses," Wan Ming commented.

"I remember that before the Martial Arts Era, Tianzhu Country’s population was second only to our Xia Country, close to 1.4 billion."

"Although more than half the population died after the Calamity Beasts appeared, they’ve been procreating like crazy these past years."

"And by leveraging that massive population, they’ve managed to have a considerable number of S-class geniuses Awaken," Xia Lian added.

Everyone nodded. Tianzhu Country was the second strongest nation in the East, and its population was the largest besides Xia Country’s.

Awakening is purely a matter of luck. With a large enough population, you’re bound to have more Awakened geniuses.

Teacher Wang continued,

"The two geniuses are Savitri Mitra and Rajesh Kumar. One is a Brahmin Noble from Tianzhu Country, while the other was born among the Shudra poor and Awakened."

"Coincidentally, their Awakened Special Abilities are [Red Flame] and [Flowing Water], respectively."

"And they both use Battle Sabers as their weapon!"

Lin Qi felt they represented two extremes.

"Next is Japan’s Miyamoto Genichiro, hailed as the ’Little Sword Saint.’ His Awakened Special Ability is [Gale], and his weapon is a sword..."

Teacher Wang then briefly introduced a few SS-level geniuses from Western countries.

Lin Qi silently memorized their names.

The others were also silently committing the names to memory. Anyone who could become an SS-level genius had over a fifty percent chance of breaking through to the Ninth Realm and becoming a Ninth Realm Title Level Martial Artist in the future.

They were the one-in-a-million talents among new geniuses, the true favored children of heaven.

They were all destined to become the future Sea-Bridging Purple Gold Beams of their respective nations.

"Next, I’ll introduce the other two great powers on our Blue Star: the White Eagle Federation and Bear Country!"

This caught everyone’s attention.

Teacher Wang switched the projection to display new files.

"Before the Martial Arts Era, the White Eagle Federation, Bear Country, and our Xia Country were the three most powerful nations on Blue Star."

"After the dawn of the Martial Arts Era, a nation’s strength in Martial Arts became dependent on its population, military power, and technological advancement."

"To this day, our three nations remain the most powerful."

"And in recent Global Freshmen Competitions, the White Eagle Federation and Bear Country have both been strong contenders."

"In some years, they even took the championship."

"This year, they’re here to make a run for the championship too."

As Teacher Wang spoke, everyone’s eyes focused on the four portraits now on the screen.

"I’ve looked up the data. It seems the White Eagle Federation is our strongest competitor. Mao Bear’s best result was only runner-up," Wan Ming said.

"Bear Country is still not to be underestimated. They’re a roadblock; if you want to win the championship, you have to get past them," Xia Lian said.

Teacher Wang continued switching through the portraits and introducing them.

"They are all formidable opponents. You can’t let your guard down. Perhaps one of these years, they’ll be the ones to take the championship."

"First, let me introduce this one. His name is Victor Christopher. You can just call him Victor!"

"An SS-level genius from Bear Country. His Awakened Special Ability is [Heavy Earth]. His nickname is Giant Strength Axe, and his weapon is a War Axe..."

"Why am I introducing him separately? Because he has also mastered a Little Divine Power!"

Everyone’s heart skipped a beat at his words.

Even Yu Zhuoran frowned.

"Doesn’t that mean Yu Zhuoran’s advantage is gone?" Pei Jiu asked.

"There have been plenty of SS-level geniuses in past years who mastered a Little Divine Power. No, I should say that to win the championship, you have to be, at minimum, an SS-level genius who has mastered a Little Divine Power," Wan Ming said.

Teacher Wang pointed to another person and said,

"It’s not just Victor. There’s one more!"

"Havier Lake of the White Eagle Federation, nicknamed ’White Eagle Superman.’ His Awakened Special Ability is [Light Ray], and he uses a Great Sword..."

"Like Victor, he has also mastered a Little Divine Power and is also a strong contender for the championship!"

"Another one!"

"So that means there are three of them now? The championship will probably come down to those three!" Xiang Long exclaimed.

Everyone nodded in agreement.

Yu Zhuoran stared at their two portraits. He hadn’t bothered to look closely at the information on any of his other opponents.

Only SS-level geniuses were worthy of a second glance.

But these two were different. They were strong contenders for the championship.

And like him, they had both mastered a Little Divine Power.

In other words, if they were to face each other, they would all be on a level playing field. Victory would come down to pure Qi and Blood Value and Martial Arts.

He felt a wave of pressure at the thought.

Meanwhile, Lin Qi was also examining the information on the two SS-level geniuses.

’Yu Zhuoran, Victor, and Havier... those three are probably my strongest opponents.’

’If I want to win the championship, I’ll inevitably have to face them.’

’And the other fifteen SS-level geniuses can’t be underestimated, either.’

’Winning the championship in this Global Freshmen Competition is going to be far more difficult than the national one.’

An invisible pressure was closing in from all directions, but he felt his blood boil with excitement.

’Only by fighting against masters like these can I improve quickly.’

’I can’t even imagine how much stronger I’ll be after the Global Freshmen Competition is over!’

Not far away, Dean Liu was watching Lin Qi. He saw that his expression was calm, without the slightest change even after seeing the information about the SS-level geniuses.

He nodded to himself, a gratified smile spreading across his face.

...