The competition venue for the racing project did not change. It was still the same one used for alchemy and weapon forging.
The track was oval like the commercial running tracks.
One lap was exactly one kilometer.
Due to the bends, one’s speed would more or less be affected. This would test the participants’ proficiency in Sword Kinesis Flight.
Pa!
A gunshot rang, and the race began.
“The race has begun. The students on track one and three are the fastest to react. The other students on the track are slightly slower.”
The commentator stared at the track, his tone impassioned. He craned his neck and clenched his fists, looking as if he was taking part in the race himself.
“There are still two hundred meters left. Track one and three are shoulder to shoulder. Let’s see who passes the line first!”
“Ah! What? The student on trace ten suddenly accelerated and overtook number one and three, becoming the first to cross the line.”
“Results… results 2.87 seconds, successfully advanced.”
“Number one and number three are in, and their results are 2.97 seconds. They have also advanced.”
“Other students, I’m sorry that you have failed to advance. I hope that you will continue to work hard next year.”
A kilometer was too short for an immortal cultivator. It was all within three seconds. With a good start, one had a good chance of advancing.
After all, those who could participate in the competition were all the elites of the various universities.
Perhaps they each had the ability to advance, but because they were too nervous during the competition, they did not perform as well and failed to advance. This was very normal.
After the first race ended, the next race immediately began.
It may seem that the event would take a long time as only 20 people could compete at one time, but that was not the case. It was actually very fast.
A one-kilometer race ended in three seconds.
Including the preparation and other time, it would take at most five minutes—with five minutes per race, the elimination rounds ended in about two days.
The elimination rounds of the alchemy event took several days.
The races were much faster.
Two days later, the elimination rounds of the Qi Refinement group ended.
Out of the five thousand people, only a thousand remained. The elimination rate was quite high.
The group rounds were even more intense because they had all advanced from the elimination rounds. Their capabilities and mentality were not bad.
However, the conditions for the group stages were very cruel. Only those who obtained first place in the group stages could advance.
According to the number of people who had advanced, there were a total of 48 groups, each with 20 people.
In other words, only 48 people would advance to the semifinals.
As a result, this was also a huge test for the participants’ minds.
The semifinals would determine the top 20 from the 48 participants.
Since one-kilometer races were very short, the group matches, semifinals, and finals would all finish in one day.
On this day, there were no empty seats in the audience. There was a sea of people, and there were also many people crowded in the sky.
The competition for the group rounds was very intense. Before each player set off, they kept reminding themselves not to be nervous and kept chanting meditation spells.
“First team, please get ready.”
Twenty participants stepped onto the runway.
At this moment, their steady heartbeats seemed to have gone out of control.
Dong dong dong!
They felt like their hearts were about to jump out of their throats.
The coaches were shouting non-stop when they realized that their participants’ expressions looked abnormal.
However, with the effect of the barrier, the people inside could not hear them no matter how hard they shouted.
Pa!
Soon, the first gunshot of the group match sounded.
“Someone has made a false start!” The head referee immediately suspended the match and punished the participant.
According to the rules of the competition, they would be disqualified immediately after a false start.
This time, two people had done that.
After all, everyone was quite nervous, and it was understandable.
After some time, the contestants flew back onto their swords and hovered above their respective racetracks.
Now that two people were punished, they no longer had the qualifications to compete. For these 18 people, they had less competition.
Even so, they were still extremely nervous.
Since some people had already gotten in trouble for the false starts, they were more conservative when they heard the gunshots the second time round. Their reactions were slower, and their overall results were not very good.
The first person to cross the line took 3.12 seconds.
This result was terrible.
If this were the elimination round, they would not even be able to qualify for the group rounds.
However, this was a group round. Whoever made it first would advance. It didn’t matter if their results were slow, as long as they crossed the line first.
False starts also occurred with the rest of the groups in the subsequent rounds.
Their results were not very good either.
This was how racing competitions were like. When their strengths were similar, the most important test was their mental strength.
In the end, their mental states were still not stable enough, and their cultivation was not at its best.
It was not their fault.
They had only cultivated for a short period of time, so it was normal for them to be nervous.
In this tense atmosphere, all 48 groups finished competing.
The 48 people who advanced only had half an hour to rest and prepare.
Once the time was up, the semifinals would begin immediately.
On the other side.
In the dark and boundless universe, a huge ship-shaped object was moving at high speed.
Upon closer inspection, it was indeed a huge ship.
On the deck of the ship, three black-robed old men were seated facing each other with their palms facing each other. A huge vortex of energy was revolving above their heads.
The cabin was brightly lit.
A voice came from a certain room.
“Elder, it’s impossible for us to find a planet suitable for cultivation in such a barren area.
“Not only is the spiritual energy here thin, but the nomological laws are also very weak. It’s useless even if we continue searching,” said a youth in purple.
Sitting across from him was an old man with a black beard. Beside them were some other men and women.
They were a mix of younger and older people.
The black-bearded elder’s face sank. After a moment of thought, he said, “Right now, the so-called orthodox of the immortal realm, on the claims of enforcing justice on behalf of the heavens, are eradicating us, the Corpse Refinement Faction.
“We have to hide to protect our lineage.
“Given the temperament of those orthodox people, they definitely would not visit these barren lands. ”
“If there’s a suitable planet, we can recuperate, build up energy and improve our capabilities.
“When we are strong enough, we can take revenge on those orthodox people.”
“The purple-clothed youth had no reason to refute the black-bearded elder’s words.
There was silence for a while.
It was the purple-clothed youth who spoke again. “Elder, what if there really isn’t a suitable planet here?”
The young man’s tone was gentle now and not as impulsive as before.
The black-bearded elder sighed and said, “If there isn’t, then we can only go to another barren area to take a look. There might be hope.”
The young man continued, “What if there really is one? Furthermore, there are already advanced lifeforms on the planet. What should we do then?”
“Kill them!” The black-bearded old man’s reply was extremely calm, and an indifferent killing intent surfaced in his narrow eyes, causing others to tremble with fear.
At this moment, there was a knock on the door.
“Elder, we have a situation!”
“Come in!” The black-bearded elder said.
A middle-aged man entered.
“Elder, we have discovered a planet with life.”
As soon as he finished speaking, everyone’s expressions changed entirely, and the air was silent.
There was a moment of silence.
The black-bearded elder said in a deep voice, “How long will it take for us to arrive?”
The middle-aged man replied, “If we go at full speed, it will take at most half a month.”
“Full speed, then?”
