Fifty arenas held simultaneous competitions, and the second round concluded within just one hour.
Under the watchful eyes of over 2,000 spectators, the large screen in the stadium refreshed, displaying only the names of the top 50 contestants high above.
Chen Chu glanced upward and saw his name ranked 49th, a faint smile gracing his face.
Additionally, he noticed the names of a few familiar faces. Lin Xue had successfully maintained her 10th position, Yi Rui was 29th, and Li Meng, whom he had defeated, was in 34th place.
However, Chen Chu was slightly surprised by the ranking of Lin Yu, the monitor's younger sister, who sat at 40th place. He suspected that she might be even stronger than Li Meng.
On the main stage, Lin Xiong announced, "The second round of the competition has concluded, and now comes the challenge phase. Those dissatisfied with their rankings have the opportunity to challenge for a spot in the top ten."
"Win, and you'll advance; lose, and your original ranking remains unchanged. Anyone ready to take on the challenge?"
"I want to challenge the 20th place."
"I'm challenging for the 10th place."
"I'd like to challenge the 15th..."
All these challengers were first-year freshmen, and as first-tier students, they weren't apprehensive about facing each other. Hence, many contestants from the lower ranks chose to challenge those ahead of them.
Even Liu Feng, who held the 50th place, decided to challenge Lin Yu, who was in 40th place.
In contrast, Chen Chu remained still, and no one dared to challenge An Lingqing, who held the first place.
The challenges concluded swiftly, with all the challengers for the top ten failing, but a few of those aiming for ranks between 11 and 20 succeeded.
"Now, I declare the end of the Freshman Ranking Competition," Lin Xiong announced from the main stage.
"All freshmen in the top 50 will receive an additional five contribution points each month throughout their school years, lasting until the second grade."
"In addition, every student will enjoy a 20% discount when redeeming on-campus resources."
As Lin Xiong finished speaking, a staff member approached him and conveyed something in hushed tones. Lin Xiong nodded in response and then announced, "I have some matters to discuss with the faculty. Let's disperse, and the contribution points will be credited to your student accounts tomorrow."
Following his announcement, the teachers hastily left the stage.
Chen Chu entered the auditorium with his knife, where Xia Youhui enthusiastically called out, "Ah Chu, you're amazing this time! You actually made it into the top fifty."
Chen Chu smiled and replied, "Isn't that a bit exaggerated? I'm only 49th."
Xia Youhui was speechless. "Ah Chu, you're great in every way, but your humility is unbearable. I really want to smack you."
Luo Fei, sitting next to him, couldn't help but laugh at Xia Youhui's comment.
Xia Youhui huffed, "It's just 49th place. If you don't want it, give it to me. I didn't even make it past the second round; I'm much unluckier than you."
Concubine Luo approached Chen Chu with a smile and said, "You know, Chen Chu, you could afford to be a little more arrogant now because being among the top 50 freshmen is quite impressive."
With nearly 2,000 students in their grade, over 700 or 800 had successfully established their foundations, along with over 100 "geniuses" who practiced advanced exercises. In this context, everyone who knew Chen Chu was surprised and astounded by his entry into the top 50, especially given his initially modest talent.
This was why Luo Fei suggested he could afford to be a bit more self-assured, because he had earned it.
Chen Chu smiled and agreed, "Alright, I'll be a little more arrogant, at least until everyone reaches the Second Heaven."
While chatting and joking, the three of them exited the gymnasium, blending into the flow of people.
Over 2,000 students streamed out of the stadium in a grand procession, dispersing into smaller groups afterward.
The competition had been intense and exciting for the participants, but for Nantian Gaowu Campus, with its vast size, not many people paid attention to it. Even the school leadership was absent, with only a few class teachers in attendance.
The senior students, for the most part, were not on campus, and only a handful of curious students came to watch those who were.
For them, the Yichongtian competition wasn't worth watching. They'd rather spend their time practicing.
...
It was only three o'clock in the afternoon, still quite early. While Xia Youhui and the others went to practice, Chen Chu followed Luo Fei to the thirty-third floor to read.
Browsing the bookshelves, Chen Chu selected a book about the anatomy of mutant beasts. On the other side, Concubine Luo was already seated by the window, holding a Taoist scripture.
Chen Chu sat down across from her and asked curiously, "Why do you always choose this spot?"
Luo Fei adjusted a strand of hair behind her ear, revealing her fair and lovely profile, and replied with a gentle smile, "Because of the wide view and the opportunity to bask in the afternoon sun."
"Don't you find it somewhat artistic to leisurely read a book in the afternoon sunlight?" She playfully winked at Chen Chu as she spoke.
Unexpectedly, Chen Chu paused, considering her reason, and then said, "You talk a lot, but you're right."
Both of them shared a light smile before returning their attention to their books, savoring this precious afternoon.
It's nearly impossible to discern that a fierce and thrilling battle had taken place here.
As Chen Chu continued to read, his focus was mostly on the hefty armored beast.
Today's fleeting scenery did little to distract him. He was well aware that his current advantage wouldn't endure for long.
If he wished to maintain the strength required to surpass or even compete with those 'geniuses' beyond the Second Heaven, his only hope lay in the evolution of his clone.
Beneath the turbulent river's surface, a ninety-centimeter-long heavy-armored beast prowled, scanning the murky waters for potential prey.
At that moment, a school of peculiarly-shaped fish glided above. These fish varied in size, with the largest reaching nearly one meter and the smallest measuring between thirty to forty centimeters.
However, the heavy-armored beast merely cast a brief glance at them before resuming its leisurely cruise along the riverbed.
After days of hunting for sustenance, Chen Chu had come to realize that these common fish offered only average nutrition, while the true gems were the mutated, larger fish.
Feasting on fish of the same size, the heavy-armored beast could acquire several times the high-calorie energy, significantly fueling the growth of the clone.
Suddenly, an explosion of water erupted ahead as an enormous, black figure shot through the school of fish at an astonishing speed, gulping down a one-meter-long fish with a single, gaping maw.
This was a mutant fish, more than three meters long, resembling a catfish with a wide mouth. Its body sported sleek black scales, its head consuming half of its body and spanning one meter in width.
Its mouth brimmed with sharp, numerous teeth, while four one-meter-long fish whiskers dangled. With a couple of leisurely sways, it devoured over a dozen cocked-mouthed fish, displaying its ferocity.
Boom!
In an instant, the riverbed's mud burst forth as the heavy-armored beast, previously moving at a sluggish pace, unleashed the power of its limbs. It churned up a cloud of silt, charging toward the mutated catfish.
Noticing the approaching threat, the colossal mutated catfish didn't retreat but lunged forward. Its massive mouth transformed into a dark abyss, emitting a formidable suction force.
Gollum! The mutated catfish swallowed the heavy-armored beast in a single gulp.
In comparison to the three-meter-long mutated catfish with its one-meter-wide head, the heavy-armored beast, measuring less than one meter, was a mere morsel, devoured effortlessly.
Suddenly, the mutated catfish thrashed wildly in the water, thick blood pouring from its gills.
From a hole in the mutated catfish's head, a black form emerged, its three pairs of feathered horns on both sides now adorned with bright red blood, creating a stark and ferocious contrast with the black armored beast.