Chapter 326: Heaven Is So Unfair

Chapter 326: Chapter 326: Heaven Is So Unfair

"Contestants and audience members, don’t blink."

Vice-Principal Xu Wenji’s aura shifted slightly. With a grand wave of his hand, the projected screen vanished, and a huge, crimson ball of light materialized in his palm as a special effect.

BOOM!!

With a tremendous bang, the crimson light-ball exploded, transforming into countless fiery red meteors that converged once more to form a brand-new tournament bracket.

BUZZ!!

The 250 pairings on the bracket appeared clearly before everyone’s eyes. The text was still black and white, but a red flame symbol had appeared over some of the contestants’ names.

Most people paid it no mind, instead simultaneously scanning for the next-round opponent of the person they were following.

After that, they would briefly check the opponents of the other contestants.

Lin Qi did the same. His gaze was like lightning; the moment he saw the bracket, he memorized all 250 pairings and began searching for his own opponent.

[Match 3: Lin Qi (Xia Country) VS Shen Zhenzhen (Xia Country)]

...

When Lin Qi saw his opponent was Shen Zhenzhen, the corners of his mouth lifted into a smile.

"Brother Qi, your opponent is Shen Zhenzhen!"

"I actually had a pretty good impression of Shen Zhenzhen. It’s a shame she got matched with you, Brother Qi," Jiangtao lamented from the side.

Lin Qi shook his head. "Don’t be fooled by her appearance!"

He then briefly explained Shen Zhenzhen’s past behavior.

After hearing the story, Jiangtao was instantly shocked and furious. "What the hell? That Shen Zhenzhen is a real piece of work."

"She deserves getting matched with you, Brother Qi. You should give her a harsh lesson."

"That’s right!" the others chimed in, filled with righteous indignation.

"Shen Zhenzhen has a flame symbol, and so do the other geniuses from the Tenth Institute. This means all the marked ones are Awakened geniuses, exactly 230 of them," Guo Heng added.

At the same time, many in the audience had also noticed this.

"So many Awakened geniuses, 230 of them. They’re basically guaranteed a spot in the fourth round."

Someone exclaimed, and the people around them nodded in agreement.

But some held a different opinion.

In the section for the Azure Sky Tenth Institute, the pretty-featured Shen Zhenzhen’s face fell the moment she saw her next opponent was Lin Qi.

’How is this possible?’

Her expression immediately darkened. She knew she was no match for Lin Qi.

’I might be the only Awakened genius to be eliminated in the third round.’

"Haha, you deserve it, Shen Zhenzhen! Serves you right for always looking down on Lin Qi."

"And now look. You’re matched directly against him. Let’s see you settle things for real in the arena!"

Xia Lian, dressed in green beside her, laughed boisterously at Shen Zhenzhen without a hint of politeness.

The others, having seen the bracket, couldn’t help but laugh as well after hearing Xia Lian’s words.

The air was filled with cheer.

...

"Contestants, audience, the third-round bracket has been decided!"

"I now declare the third round of the main tournament officially open!!"

Xu Wenji announced loudly with a smile after looking over the bracket.

As soon as his voice fell, the vast arena began to shrink, accompanied by a deafening roar.

The arena transformed into a ruined cityscape, complete with shattered buildings, cracked concrete roads, scrapped tanks, dilapidated cars, and armored vehicles...

Starting from the third round, the matches would be one-on-one duels.

Millions of pairs of eyes were now focused on a single battle at a time.

BOOM!!

Simultaneously, two crimson pillars of light descended slowly onto the ruined arena.

Two figures emerged from them, and the air crackled with tension.

[The match has officially begun!!]

The intelligent voice announced.

...

「Three minutes later.」

PFFT—

The slender Pei Jiu, clad in a silver Combat Suit, moved with agile grace. Wielding his sharp Longsword, he released a burst of Power that cut through the air and effortlessly pierced his opponent’s neck.

[Match 2: Pei Jiu (Xia Country) wins!]

As the intelligent voice made the announcement, he was teleported back to the stands, his expression serene.

He shook his head. ’Not all Awakened geniuses can maintain their astounding combat strength after their Special Abilities are restricted.’

’The ones most affected are us Spiritual Mind Masters.’

Spiritual Mind Masters mobilize Spiritual Telekinesis, which allows their Spiritual Power to leave their bodies, acting like an intangible organ.

They can manipulate sharp Flying Knives to launch ranged attacks.

In a real-world fight, the combat power of a Spiritual Mind Master is terrifying; they are true assassins.

But with that ability restricted, they are unlike other Martial Artists who possess a special kind of Power.

The only advantage they retain is their superior Spiritual Power, which allows them to easily perceive the trajectory of an opponent’s weapon and more readily find their weaknesses.

He then glanced over at Shen Zhenzhen. ’Although she has Awakened as a Spiritual Mind Master, her Combat Talent doesn’t seem to be very high.’

As for this match against Lin Qi, he shook his head, not optimistic about Shen Zhenzhen’s chances at all.

’Even I’m not confident I could beat Lin Qi, let alone Shen Zhenzhen.’

[Match 3: Lin Qi (Xia Country) VS Shen Zhenzhen (Xia Country)]

Seeing the information displayed in the arena, many people’s eyes lit up.

"The Xia Country People’s civil war!"

"A match between the strongest, Lin Qi, and an Awakened genius. I’m excited to see who will win in the end!"

BOOM!!

On the ruined arena floor, two crimson pillars of light descended.

The pillars of light dissipated, and two figures stepped onto the concrete pavement.

Lin Qi, dressed all in black and wielding his Black Great Spear, slowly walked forward on the concrete.

He looked at Shen Zhenzhen opposite him and asked in a cold voice:

"I don’t believe we have any grudge between us, yet you’ve said quite a few bad things about me."

Shen Zhenzhen, wearing a white Combat Suit, had nothing to lose and retorted defiantly:

"So what if I spoke ill of you?"

"No matter how much of a genius you are, you’re still not Awakened!"

"These rules are completely unfair! Why should my Special Ability be restricted?"

"If I could use my Spiritual Telekinesis, I could kill you in a single move!"

As she said this, Shen Zhenzhen seemed to regain her confidence.

Lin Qi shook his head. "Heaven is indeed unfair, to have let someone like you Awaken."

[Countdown: 3, 2, 1...]

[The match has officially begun!]

The intelligent voice’s announcement echoed from above the arena instantly.

SWOOSH—

In that same instant, Shen Zhenzhen tapped her foot to the ground. Her figure became as light as a wisp of flowing light, her Longsword tracing afterimages in the air.

The Flow of her Power made it seem as if countless sword phantoms had appeared, making it impossible to tell which were real.

She was a Fourth Realm Martial Artist with superior physical conditioning; speed was her advantage.

To the audience, she instantly became an illusion, with only faint afterimages visible.

She was, after all, an Awakened genius. Her Martial Arts skills far surpassed those of an ordinary genius.

WHOOSH!!

Power flowed to the tip of her sword, which whistled as it cut through the air, carried by a fierce gust of wind.

At the same time, Shen Zhenzhen also unleashed her formidable Spiritual Power.

Spiritual Mind Masters possess Spiritual Power far exceeding their Qi and Blood Value. She, for example, had a Spiritual Power of over 400.

She could clearly sense the surrounding air currents, temperature, and the flow of Power.

In her previous fights, she had relied on her incredible speed and powerful Spiritual Power to find her opponent’s flaws and kill them in a single move!

And it was the same now. In her Perception, the Lin Qi before her was riddled with openings from head to toe.

No matter which direction he attacked from, she was confident she could dodge it and swiftly counterattack.

WHOOSH—

At that exact moment, Lin Qi’s figure blurred into motion. He stomped on the concrete pavement, leaving deep footprints as he shot forward like an arrow.

...