Chapter 450 - 432: King of Mountains and Rivers

Chapter 450: Chapter 432: King of Mountains and Rivers

Jiangtao looked around and exclaimed,

"There are so many people!"

Wan Ming spoke up. "Of course. According to the data I found,"

"just from our Xia Country alone, there are 2.96 million participants in this Global Martial Arts Tournament—nearly three million geniuses."

"And only a very small fraction of them will be able to advance to the second round."

"That’s not even counting the twenty million geniuses from eighty countries across the globe!"

Everyone was shocked. They had thought the million-plus participants in the previous national freshman tournament were a lot, but they never imagined there would be even more now—a full twenty million people. It was simply too many!

If they all competed at once, it would be a meat grinder.

Lin Qi nodded as well. As he looked into the distance, the space around them warped, and countless different buildings and crowds appeared in his line of sight.

The White Eagle Federation’s Statue of Liberty, the Bear Country’s Kremlin Palace, Japan’s Mount Fuji, Germany’s Cologne Cathedral, Gaul’s Eiffel Tower...

Each structure displayed its respective country’s flag and housed countless contestants. Their auras were formidable; not a single one was weak.

It was as if they existed in different space-times, projected here like mirages.

The stronger the country, the larger its projected area. Weaker nations had only small zones with the fewest contestants.

The Global Martial Arts Tournament was also a demonstration of national power.

Time slowly passed. Before they knew it, it was 8:30.

Within the sight of all the Xia Country contestants, countless particles of red light began to coalesce.

"Esteemed contestants!"

A tall figure slowly materialized.

He was a middle-aged man dressed in a silver robe embroidered with a faint green pattern of mountains and rivers.

He was tall and powerfully built, with broad shoulders and a wide back. His muscles were sleek and defined, not bulky.

He exuded an aura as steady as a mountain. His features were resolute, and he possessed a natural air of authority that commanded respect without anger.

The faint wrinkles at the corners of his eyes added a touch of world-weariness and wisdom.

His hair was thick and black, with a hint of white at the temples, giving him a calm and reserved appearance.

His gaze was as deep as an abyss, seemingly capable of seeing through a person’s heart. No one could meet his eyes.

"It’s the King of Mountains and Rivers!"

Someone in the crowd cried out his title.

"I can’t believe a Ninth Realm Martial Artist, the King of Mountains and Rivers, is hosting this time."

"The Global Martial Arts Tournament is always hosted by a Ninth Realm Martial Artist."

"The King of Mountains and Rivers has hosted more times than anyone else," someone explained.

"I never thought I’d get to see the King of Mountains and Rivers up close. His story is so inspiring."

"They say that in the year 1999 of the Martial Arts Calendar, he was only twenty-five and had no foundation in Martial Arts whatsoever."

"But he had an extraordinary Talent. He officially began his Martial Arts training at twenty-five and picked it up incredibly fast."

"He grew by battling Calamity Beasts all the way, surviving countless life-and-death crises. He worked alongside Emperor Red and other Ninth Realm Martial Artists to perfect the Martial Arts Nine Realms."

"Even more impressively, at the age of fifty, he successfully broke through to become a Ninth Realm Martial Artist, earning the title King of Mountains and Rivers. He was the latest among them to achieve that realm."

"And he created his own *Mountain and River Spear Technique* based on the *Mountain Shaking Spear Technique*."

"He’s already seventy-four this year, but he’s only become more terrifying."

The crowd buzzed with discussion, and so did the contestants from other countries in their separate spaces.

"It’s the Xia Country’s King of Mountains and Rivers! His Spear Technique is grand and powerful. He’s my idol."

"I’m currently learning his *Mountain and River Spear Technique*. He’s incredible."

"The Xia Country truly deserves its reputation as the strongest nation, having the King of Mountains and Rivers host the Global Martial Arts Tournament."

They continued their discussions. None of their countries had many Ninth Realm Martial Artists.

The ones they did have were all guarding the major War Bases. Only the Xia Country, the strongest nation on Blue Star, possessed the most Ninth Realm Martial Artists.

They could afford to spare a Ninth Realm Martial Artist to host the competition.

Listening to the gasps of awe around him, Lin Qi’s expression grew focused. He watched the man; the *Mountain and River Spear Technique* he practiced was a simplified version of the King of Mountains and Rivers’ own Ultimate Skill.

That’s why he could sense the King’s magnificent spirit and fearless presence.

The King of Mountains and Rivers surveyed the entire crowd and began to speak slowly.

"Esteemed contestants, welcome to the Global Martial Arts Tournament!"

"I am the King of Mountains and Rivers, from the Xia Country!"

His voice boomed like a great bell, perfectly clear for everyone to hear.

The King of Mountains and Rivers, his aura immense, looked at the crowd and said,

"Contestants, the Global Martial Arts Tournament is the grandest Martial Arts event on all of Blue Star."

"Its purpose is to promote the advancement of Martial Arts and defend against the Calamity Beast invasion through the clashes of geniuses."

"Most of you have already experienced more than one Global Martial Arts Tournament."

"The principle of our tournament is fairness and justice."

"Today, our 35th Global Martial Arts Tournament will officially begin."

"Next up is the first round of the preliminaries!"

"This year’s tournament has a record-high number of participants, totaling 23.12 million contestants."

"In the first preliminary round, you will be divided into twenty groups."

"Each group will have over 200,000 contestants. You will be deployed onto a virtual battlefield to face an assault from Calamity Beasts."

"At the same time, you are also permitted to attack other contestants."

"The match will only end when the last 10,000 contestants remain. The survivors will advance to the second round."

"Additionally, every contestant who advances will receive a reward of over twenty million Xia Country Coins."

As soon as he said this, the crowd felt the sheer brutality of it. The first round would eliminate 99% of the participants.

Many people were just cannon fodder.

However, twenty million Xia Country Coins was still an enormous sum for most of the contestants.

This was especially true for contestants from smaller countries. The exchange rate for Xia Country Coins was high, meaning they could convert it into a fortune back home.

Their countries were not as powerful as the Xia Country, and the foundational cultivation facilities at their Martial Arts Universities were far inferior. They could only rely on their own arduous training.

If they could get their hands on twenty million Xia Country Coins, their future path in Martial Arts would become much smoother.

Therefore, all of them planned to do everything in their power to reach the second round.

The emotions of many spectators were also stirred up.

The King of Mountains and Rivers then announced,

"Next, the 200,000 contestants for the first group will be randomly selected. All contestants, please prepare yourselves."

After speaking, he waved his hand.

From his body, majestic mountains and surging, powerful rivers emerged, combining and solidifying before everyone’s eyes.

In an instant, the landscape of mountains and rivers transformed, as if evolving into a new world right before them.

A vast, blood-colored plain appeared out of thin air, its soil soaked with immense quantities of blood. In the distance, a series of Steel Bases were linked together to form a Great Wall.

"That’s the Steel Great Wall!!" someone couldn’t help but exclaim upon seeing it.

"It’s a simulation of the border of our Xia Country’s Otherworld Azure Sky Base—the most important defensive line against Calamity Beast invasions," someone explained.

While the crowd was exclaiming, in the zones of the various countries, contestants were engulfed one by one in pillars of crimson light and shot into the sky.

As Lin Qi was observing, he too was enveloped by a crimson pillar of light.

"Brother Qi is in the first match!" his companions exclaimed.

"Now we can see just how strong Brother Qi is," Guo Heng said slowly.

Everyone nodded. They watched as 200,000 pillars of light descended upon the plain outside the Steel Great Wall.

[Contestant Lin Qi, you have 30 seconds to choose your combat equipment.]

Inside the pillar of light, Lin Qi looked at the prompt on the panel and quickly selected a set of black combat gear.

Thirty seconds later, the pillar of light dissipated. Lin Qi emerged, wielding a sharp great spear covered in black patterns.

A line of text appeared above his head.

[Contestant: Lin Qi (Xia Country)]

On the chest of his combat suit, a clear red national flag was displayed.

He scanned his surroundings. He was on a desolate battlefield, surrounded by ruined walls and a large amount of military equipment.

Tanks, armored vehicles, artillery...

BOOM!!

He knew this place was a simulation of the Steel Great Wall at the border of the Azure Sky Base. Behind him stood a steel wall dozens of meters high.

Suddenly, the earth seemed to split apart as dust flew up, obscuring the sky.

At the far edge of his vision, a vast, dark shadow was rapidly approaching, like a series of moving mountains.

Below these "mountains," a Calamity Beast Tide, as dense as a swarm of ants, surged forward like a tsunami.

It was an endless tide of Calamity Beasts.

The ground trembled as the Calamity Beasts drew closer and closer.

Lin Qi’s gaze swept across the horde, and he recognized countless familiar Calamity Beasts:

Iron Spike Wild Boars, Unihorned Black Pigs, Gray Ridge Giant Wolves, Iron-Scaled Eagles, Blood-Scaled Iron Pigs, Bronze Bulls, Silver Giant Wolves, Steel Feathered Eagles...

Not only that, but there were also massive, mountain-sized beasts—Fifth and Sixth-Level Calamity Beasts.

ROAR! ROAR!

Split Claw Apes, Blood Fury Giant Wolves, and even Level 6 Calamity Beasts like the Iron-Backed War Bear and the Iron Armor Rhinoceros...

No High-Level Calamity Beasts had appeared, but their numbers were simply overwhelming.

[First Preliminary Match, officially beginning!]

The intelligent voice echoed in everyone’s ears.

The first preliminary match began without any further delay.

It wouldn’t end until only 10,000 people were left.

"KILL!!"

Near him, a large number of Martial Artists from various countries charged toward the Calamity Beasts.

They had nowhere to run and could only hope to survive the Calamity Beast Tide until the end.

SHINK! SHINK!

The hunt for Calamity Beasts hadn’t even begun, but the fighting had already started.

Someone swung a battle saber, slashing at a nearby contestant and slitting their throat.

"Idiot!"

"The rules clearly stated that attacking other contestants is not forbidden."

"Once we’ve killed enough people to get down to 10,000, this battle will naturally be over."

The speaker was tall and powerfully built, radiating a terrifying aura.

His aura was clearly at the level of the Fourth Realm, placing him in the upper echelon among the twenty million contestants.

Seeing this, the other contestants instantly understood and began attacking those around them.

CLANG! CLANG!!

Lin Qi felt the power surging endlessly within him. The Global Martial Arts Tournament had no restrictions. ’My current strength is my absolute peak.’

"Hmm?"

Suddenly, his Spirit Perception picked up a figure rapidly approaching him.

It was a contestant from Japan. He was lean and agile, moving like a gust of wind.

He radiated the powerful aura unique to a Fourth Realm Bone Cultivation Martial Artist.

"Xia Country person, die!"

...