The entrance test for Dragon City University's martial arts course usually did not forbid the onlookers from cheering, clapping, taking pictures, or even booing. They did not allow them to create all sorts of sound and visual disturbances.
After all, if they could not handle such a small disturbance, even if they ran to the monsters, they would just end up as fodder. It was better for them to get lost as soon as possible and not embarrass Dragon City University's martial arts course.
Speaking of which, most of the freshmen and their parents were professionals in the industry. They knew the rules. Even if they could not hold themselves back, they would stop at a certain point and shout once or twice. Very few of them would shout from the start to the end.
But today, the onlookers' exclamations, discussions, and heartfelt applause rang from the moment Bai Jiacao turned around on the forty-eighth step until she landed safely on the ground.
The forty-eighth step!
She spent a total of three minutes and fifty-seven seconds!
Regardless of whether it was her rank or her speed, she broke the freshman record set by Tyrant Wang Dao!
What was even more unfathomable was that after they asked around, very few people knew the background of the petite and adorable girl.
They only heard that she came from Construction High, but when they asked a few of the freshmen from Construction High, they did not know much about her.
This was because Bai Jiacao was not a third-year high school examinee.
She had skipped a grade and joined the national college examination as a second-year high school student, but she had managed to get seventh place in the city. It could be considered a miracle that had never happened since Dragon City transmigrated.
For a period of time, the girl who looked young but was incredibly strong became even more mysterious and unfathomable under the people's gazes.
But Bai Jiacao herself did not have the thought of creating a miracle.
Compared to the miracle her big brother created, she was nothing.
If she wanted to trample on her big brother, this was just the first step in her journey of ten thousand miles!
She returned the cauldron to its place and went to the invigilator to confirm her results and ranking. Then, she walked out as if nothing had happened.
"B-Student Bai, please wait a moment!"
Hao, the teenager who had just set the new record of the year — the forty-fifth step to Celestial Stairway — could no longer stand still. Under his classmates' encouragement, he took what he thought was the most elegant step he could take. He extended his hand and laughed heartily. "I'm Xie Tianhao from First High School. I just reached the forty-fifth step, and I thought that I had the victory in my grasp, but I still lost to you. Don't misunderstand, I accept my loss wholeheartedly. I just want to know whether I can …"
Before he could say, "Let's get to know each other," Bai Jiacao pursed her lips and put away the grimace she made for her parents and big brother. She said coldly, "No."
"Eh?"
Xie Tianhao and her classmates were stunned by her unapproachable attitude.
It couldn't be. She looked like an innocent and cute girl, and even … a little silly and easy to fool.
Why was there such a huge difference between his temperament and image when he spoke?
Bai Jiacao ignored them and took two more steps forward. She thought about it, then turned around and walked back to Xie Tianhao.
Xie Tianhao and his classmates stared at her.
"You were the one who said that you wanted to beat Meng Chao up, right?" Bai Jiacao narrowed her eyes and stared at him expressionlessly.
"Um … Yes … Is there a problem?" Xie Tianhao gulped. In the face of the girl's increasingly fierce aura, he suddenly felt a little guilty.
"You're bragging, aren't you?"
Bai Jiacao said. "In truth, in the depths of your heart, you don't think that you can win against Meng Chao, and you've never thought about it seriously. In fact, you don't even have the courage to challenge him. That's why you, you, you, and you talked about it so loudly in such a frivolous manner to show off your nonexistent courage."
"…"
Xie Tianhao and his classmates found themselves speechless, and their faces turned red.
"Forget about how Meng Chao made Agricultural University's martial arts course rise to power in just a few short years and turned from being the perennial runner-up to being able to stand on equal footing with Dragon City University's martial arts course. Among the top ten in the national college examination this year, three chose Dragon City University's martial arts course, and the other three chose Agricultural University's martial arts course.
"Forget about how Meng Chao risked his life and achieved great feats. The number of monsters he killed is more than what you boastful people see in your dreams.
"Forget about how his fighting strength on paper has long since reached Heaven Realm, and all of you have just awakened to supernatural abilities. At most, you're at Earth Realm One or Two stars.
"Aside from Senior Wang Dao, even if all of you were together, what right do you have to use such a frivolous tone to say that you can beat Meng Chao, the Ultimate Style, and Agricultural University's martial arts course so badly?"
Xie Tianhao and his classmates looked at each other at a loss. They wanted to retort loudly, but they did not know what to say. Their faces burned with pain, as if Bai Jiacao's words were leather whips that had been dipped in chili water, and they were whipping them so hard that they rolled on the floor.
"Meng Chao, the Ultimate Style, and Agricultural University's martial arts course are our competitors, but respecting our opponents means that we're respecting ourselves. If our opponents are really as weak as you say, then what are we, who have been unable to control them over the past few years?"
Bai Jiacao snorted coldly and said, "I want to defeat Meng Chao, just like all of you, but the first step to defeating him is to face his strength head on. Meng Chao is a terrifying existence who is as terrifying as the Ultimate Demon King. Even I have to work really hard before I can even see his back, much less step on him … defeat him.
"So, if you're just saying it to satisfy your cravings, then go somewhere else. Don't pollute my ears.
"If you're like me and sincerely want to defeat and surpass Meng Chao, and you're willing to work hard for it, then cut the crap and seize every second you have. Start training in university!"
Xie Tianhao and his classmates were all dumbfounded by his words.
What she said was very impassioned, and the theory behind it was correct.
But even though she looked like a pretty, soft, and adorable girl, her presence was as strong as the legendary Queen Bee, Lu Siya, and people could not help but want to obey her commands.
This feeling was too strange!
"Our Xiaocao has grown up."
When Meng Chao saw this from the distance, he took off his cap and scratched his head. He said to Meng Yishan and Bai Suxin, "Dad, Mom, you can be at ease now, right?"
…
"My record has been broken?"
Right when Wang Dao returned to Dragon City University, he heard the news.
He had taken an armored airship from the depths of Monster Mountain Range to rush back to Dragon City. He was prepared to use his status as the leader to hold a lecture for the martial arts course freshmen and answer their questions.
He had not wiped off the monster blood and acid on his armor, and there were two wounds that had just formed scabs on his face. His hair was tied up by the monster blood, and he looked like a saber that had killed thousands of monsters and was surrounded by countless ferocious souls. He was indescribably sharp and fierce.
Wang Dao did not care about his own record.
After all, it was just a game for freshmen.
After a few years of training, he could now carry a huge cauldron that weighed one ton and walk up Stairway to Heaven as if he was flying.
But when he heard that the person who broke the record was a sophomore who skipped a year to take the national college examination, he became interested.
High school was the critical period for growth and development. The difference of one year meant that the difference in fighting strength would be like heaven and earth.
She had trained for one year less than the students in the third year of high school, but she managed to get the seventh place in the city. She even broke his own record for freshmen. Her family name was Bai, and she was not part of the nine great cultivation families. Who was she? It was worth getting to know her.
However, when Wang Dao and a few of the upperclassmen arrived at Stairway to Heaven, they found that not only had Bai Jiacao left a long time ago, most of the freshmen and their parents had also disappeared. There were only a few people left, and they were still thinking about the shocking scene just now.
It was only then that Wang Dao learned that after Bai Jiacao broke the record, she did not stop to enjoy the glory. She did not celebrate with her family and classmates either.
She did not waste even a second. Without stopping, she went to the cultivation center of Dragon City University's martial arts course to continue training.
Moreover, she didn't know what heroic words she had said, but it had moved many students like her who had just completed the "Stairway to Heaven". Everyone took advantage of the time before the tutor arrived to race against time to cultivate.
"Interesting. Come, let's go to the cultivation center to take a look."
As Wang Dao spoke, he was about to leave.
Suddenly, he shuddered, as if someone had cast a petrification spell on him. He stared at the ground not far away with a dumbfounded expression.
"This is …"
Wang Dao narrowed his eyes. Disbelief appeared on his face, which was covered in smoke and monster blood.
He walked over and gently rubbed the ground where Meng Chao had just stood.
With a few subtle "kacha kacha" sounds, the seemingly hard ground actually collapsed, shattered, and turned into fine powder.
Wang Dao dug out the powder and blew it away. Two footprints that were around thirty centimeters deep appeared on the ground!
"How could this be?"
Those who had the right to stand beside Wang Dao were naturally the best among the upperclassmen of Dragon City University's martial arts course.
But when they saw the two footprints, they were shocked.
The stone used to lay down the open-air training area was known as Star Flower Stones. It got its name because of the radial patterns on the surface of the stone.
Even though it was not as high-end as the Black Stars used by Battle God Palace, it was a combination of strength and gentleness. It could absorb a cultivator's impact to the greatest extent, and even if someone used a hammer to smash it, it would not shatter easily.
To welcome the arrival of the new semester, the entire field had just been repaired and modified. All the Star Flower Stones were laid down a few days ago, so where did the two footprints surrounded by thick spirit energy come from?
No, it was not just two footprints.
With the footprints as the center, the Star Flower Stones within a diameter of one meter sank slightly to form an absolutely accurate circle.
It was as if an invisible warhammer with a diameter of one meter had pressed down by 0.5 millimeters.
"It's an elite."
Wang Dao stood behind the footprints and closed his eyes to imagine it. When he opened them again, his pupils had already shrunk to the limit. "Based on the speed at which the spirit energy dissipated, an elite stood here half an hour to an hour ago, and for some unknown reason, he suddenly pushed his spirit flames to the max and stomped on the ground to release an unparalleled force. That's why he created these two footprints and a faint depression that has a diameter of one meter.
"But he doesn't seem to have done it on purpose. He was anxious and lost control of his strength, which is why his spirit flames are a little scattered. The bottom of the footprints is full of holes, and it's as if there were hundreds of steel needles poking it."
Wang Dao knelt down on one knee and searched carefully.
"How could this be?"
The upperclassmen were all shocked. "Just now, there were a lot of students and parents watching the Stairway to Heaven. This place was bustling with activity, and everyone was jostling against each other. Who could create two deep footprints by stomping on the ground and releasing an unparalleled force without being discovered?
"We've asked the people who have been here all this while. Aside from Bai Jiacao breaking the record, there's nothing unusual about the people watching!"
"That's why I said he's an expert. He can actually control his strength to such an exquisite degree. He can silently burst out a force that is enough to penetrate the armor of a tank, but no one can see the slightest movement. If such a force exertion technique is used for stealth, assassination, or sneak attack, it's really too terrifying!"
Wang Dao continued searching. He twirled the stone powder at his fingertips, and his expression changed again. "Wait, this elite seems to be injured."
"What?"
The upper grade students found it increasingly hard to believe. "An injured expert was still able to erupt with such a powerful force and silently blast two holes in the Starflower Stone?"
"You should say it the other way around."
Wang Dao flicked away the stone powder at his fingertips and said seriously, "This elite's control over his body has already reached the peak of perfection. If he wasn't heavily injured and impatient, he wouldn't have lost control of his vitality magnetic field, which is why such a terrifying force would leak out from his feet.
"But at the moment his power leaked out, he noticed that something was off and immediately restrained himself. Aside from the two footprints, he didn't leave anything behind.
"I really don't know who this elite is and what could make him lose his composure on the spot and become so impatient!"
"Quite a number of freshmen joined the Stairway to Heaven test today. Many of their parents are veteran elites in Dragon City, and some of them are even at the peak of Heaven Realm."
One of the upperclassmen thought about it and said, "Perhaps it's a person at the peak of Heaven Realm who saw his child in danger on the Stairway to Heaven, and he panicked because of his concern."
"Makes sense. If he's not at the peak of Heaven Realm, it'll be very difficult for him to release such terrifying and precise power even when he's injured."
Wang Dao cast a deep glance at the two footprints again. He straightened his back and sighed. "Ever since I lost to Meng Chao in the interuniversity tournament, I've been thinking about it. I know that there's always someone better than you, and I've been training madly over the past few years. Now, I've finally caught up to Meng Chao.
"But Meng Chao isn't my limit.
"Dragon City is big, and there are plenty of powerful fighters. The Other World is even bigger, and there might be hundreds of times more powerful fighters.
"My target shouldn't be Meng Chao, but a powerful fighter who could leave behind these footprints despite being heavily injured. He should also be an existence even more terrifying than an Apocalyptic Beast in the boundless Other World.
"Come, let's go to the cultivation center!"
Wang Dao puffed out his chest and strode forward.
"Are we going to see Bai Jiacao?" the upperclassmen asked.
"No."
Wang Dao shook his head and smiled. "We're going to train."
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