Qin Meng opened his eyes. The orange light flickered inside them and then turned back to normal. He stood up and stretched. It was the day of the competition. He needed the first position.
Last time he had expended all the credits that he acquired from the academy. He couldn't obtain better techniques without them. He tried to find some in the House Qin, but to no avail. There were only a few books, and they were about the basic knowledge of cultivation. It was as if someone had cleaned the library.
At the moment, he knew only a single battle technique and another movement technique. Fire Tiger Fist and Moonlight Rush. Both of them were low-rank human battle techniques. He needed to learn better skills, but without credits it was impossible. Therefore, he continued to practice the skills that he obtained and improved them. He had achieved an exceptionally high level of mastery in them.
Suddenly, Qin Meng received a knock at the door. He opened the door; a charming figure was standing behind it. "You are done?" asked the lady.
"Give me some time," said Qin Meng. "I need to take a bath."
"Alright," nodded Leng Yueyan. "I'm waiting in the hall."
Soon, he climbed down the stairs into the hall. Leng Yueyan was sitting on the sofa, taking small sips from the rim of the cup. The maid was standing behind her. Leng Yueyan looked at him and stood up. "Let's go."
——
The academy bustled with activity, and the people rushed towards the stadium where all the participants would gather.
Qin Meng also arrived together with Leng Yueyan.
"Boss!" Yan Yunjie shouted as he rushed towards Qin Meng with his two other companions.
Qin Meng nodded at them before turning his gaze towards the sky. It was the same gigantic ball again. Last time it had sent him and others into an illusion. He wondered what kind of challenge it would give them this time.
"That artifact was forged by the Principal," replied Leng Yueyan when she noticed his gaze. "It's the most powerful artifact in Yorel."
Qin Meng blinked in surprise. He turned towards the ball, this time his expression grave. It was the most powerful artifact in the kingdom. How unexpected.
"So what kind of test are we going to face this time?" asked Qin Meng.
"We still don't know," said Yan Yunjie. "I heard that the Vice Principal would announce it."
"Vice Principal Meng Xiurong?" said Qin Meng as a beautiful and mature lady flashed behind the corner of his head.
"Yes," nodded Yan Yunjie. His eyes glittered with adoration. Mouth almost drooling.
Qin Meng shook his head and turned towards Leng Yueyan. "Then I'll be going."
"Hmm," she nodded. "Be careful. Don't let your guard down."
Qin Meng eyed her briefly, then nodded. He knew she was worried about him. There were many people after him. He could feel the undercurrent. Though it also confused him. Why did they never try to assassinate him if they were as unhappy as Leng Yueyan told him? He could not figure it out.
He shook his head, trying to clear his mind from all the distractions. He looked around him and found the stadium was completely filled. Teachers. Students. Officials. Civilians. All kinds of people could be seen sitting there.
He turned towards his competitors. They were divided into three groups. At the front of each group was standing a person. Qin Meng recognised them. Yu Cheng, He Chen, and Tan Qi. All of them had over thirty people under their control. Qin Meng had only four, including himself.
No one said anything. He also remained silent. But he could feel resentment hidden in the group of He Chen. Qin Meng also found Li Hong, standing behind He Chen, with a swollen mouth and black eyes. His face was pale. Yan Yunjie and others did a great job of purifying him of his sins.
"Hello, students," rumbled a voice. Qin Meng hoisted his head and peered towards the gigantic artifact in the sky and found an illusory figure standing at the top of it. It was a woman, wearing blue. She had green hair and a charming face, enough to captivate a bedridden old geezer. Her red lips were the synonym of rose petals and her green eyes were the embodiment of nature.
"As you know," she continued with a mild smile, "today is the day that mentors will select some of you as their students. So use everything you have got—because if you lose today, you will lose a great opportunity."
She looked towards the hundred people and continued, "You must have already known that you aren't the only participants in the competition. There are other people who will compete against you. Each of the Great House of the Yorel has ten quotas. So they will send fifty people to compete you."
"Is that true?" asked Qin Meng to Yan Yunjie.
"You didn't know, boss?" Yan Yunjie raised an eyebrow.
"Cough," Qin Meng cleared his throat. "Of course, I know. I'm just checking if you know about it."
The trio rolled their eyes. Though none of them exposed him.
At this moment, fifty youngsters walked towards them. They were in five different groups. Every group wore a unique crest on their chests.
An individual was leading each group. The pressure coming from their bodies was no less than Qin Meng had felt from He Chen and the others. This competition was going to become very interesting.
"Alright," said Vice Principal Meng Xiurong. "You all will be sent into a space filled with monsters. You need to battle those creatures as well as your fellow competitors, and the top ten people will become students of Purple Sun Mentors."
She waved her hand and a bracelet appeared on everyone's wrist. Qin Meng and others examined it and found it flickering with light, but nothing more was visible. "You'll receive one point by defeating a low grade 1 monster, five points by a middle grade monster, ten points by a high grade monster, and so on. If you could kill a low grade 2 monster, you will receive five hundred points."
"You can also snatch fifty percent points from other competitors. Remember, in this competition, you can lose your life. So make every decision carefully."
And then a blinding light released from the artifact in the sky, and everyone vanished.