With four hundred rooms at the top of the pagoda, that meant that two hundred participants would be directly knocked out in this first elimination round, which was equivalent to the number of people from twenty schools. This didn’t mean that schools would be completely wiped out in the first round for sure, but what was certain was that some schools would lose some of their participants.
And with smaller teams, these schools would find it very hard to pass the second round.
It went without saying that a united front was very important.
But after the doors of the pagoda opened in all directions, these future flowers of the cultivation world, who were from all over the nation, clearly didn’t think too much; most of them chose to charge forward and fight! In that moment, people surged forward and used all sorts of techniques to rush toward the main doors at the bottom from all directions.
“What are you waiting for? We don’t have time!” Seeing Wang Ling and the rest still rooted to the spot, the students from No. 59 High and Imperial High hurriedly prompted them, but the scene was truly too chaotic. Even if No. 59 High and No. 60 High were currently in an alliance, they currently weren’t in a position to consider too much.
Even for Foundation Establishment students, climbing 700,000 steps would shave off half their lives… This sort of strenuous test was like fat college student shut-ins, who never exercised, suddenly being told that they had to run 1000 meters for a physical exam; just hearing it was stressful enough, and frightened everyone.
But no one wanted to be eliminated in the first round. After understanding how the elimination worked, most people decided to seize the upper hand. Since the Nine Dragon Pagoda had spiral staircases, only those who were the very first to charge forward could grab hold of the initial momentum.
At that very moment, the bottom of the pagoda was packed with people.
At the same time, however, Wang Ling also noticed that some high schools were similarly also observing the situation for the time being, and didn’t move.
No. 1 Devil-Subduing High School, Balance Flame Middle School, South Sea Sky High School and Titan High School – these schools, which Headmaster Chen believed would be formidable opponents, were also observing the situation.
Naturally, striking first to gain the upper hand was a basic battle strategy, but this was a national competition. Participating in a competition like this often meant breaking out of your old way of thinking and starting from scratch again.
No. 60 High choosing to bide their time at this moment was actually in line with the strategic thinking that Headmaster Chen had emphasized at the very start: to observe more, think more, and act cautiously, rather than be like those students who charged out at the very front without thinking.
Using normal means to climb 700,00 steps would definitely be very draining. Furthermore, this was an ongoing activity – after today’s elimination round, the real competition would start tomorrow. Thus, everyone wouldn’t have much time to recover their strength.
So after Grenade-Throwing Senior Immortal made the announcement, No. 60 High had already concluded that there definitely had to be a quicker way to climb to the pagoda; it was possible that there was a barrier at the bottom of the pagoda which led to the top.
“So, how are we going to go up?” asked Hero Guo.
“I think we shouldn’t rush, and should observe for a while longer.” To everyone’s surprise, Super Chen, who was known for being hot-blooded, was instead able to keep a cool head in this critical moment.
It was one of the important reasons why Headmaster Chen had chosen Super Chen.
Super Chen had entered No. 60 High on the strength of his sports talent. He had participated in many competitions, large and small. since young, and thus had encountered plenty of situations. He had also participated in national competitions before, and a national-level contestant like this was exactly what the team needed — he could step forward in a crucial moment to analyze the situation based on his previous competition experience.
While No. 60 High was discussing the matter, some students from Titan High School had already made their move.
Climbing staircases would actually be quite painful for them, because they were too heavy. If there was a mishap while they were climbing the stairs and they tumbled down, the people behind them would also be done for.
Clearly, the students from Titan High School had also considered this, and out of the goodness of their hearts, hadn’t joined the battle from the very beginning.
Titan High School’s uniform was very idiosyncratic: It was made completely out of fur, and the shoulders were studded with the teeth of spirit beasts. The uniform also had a thick fur collar, just like the mink fur coats of the people in the north.
“Let’s get started.” At that moment, a young man with a lollipop in his mouth walked to the front; this was the captain of Titan High School’s team, Zhu Hanyun. Although he looked like he had a normal physique, he was in fact very heavy. Using his King’s Eye, Wang Ling estimated that the other party already weighed five thousand jin.
To be able to reach five thousand jin in Senior Grade One was proof that he had already cultivated the Titan Art to the fourth level at the very least; he was indeed a one-in-a-million talent.
Despite his massive weight, the ground didn’t tremble at all as he walked; it was amazing how he could pass for a regular person.
Walking to the very front, he casually stretched out his arms and called out lightly.
Everyone saw his arms actually start to contract like a spring. He then looked at the cute girl behind him and smiled. “Junior sister, you come up first.”
It was obvious that this wasn’t the first time the Titan High students were doing this. The little junior sister caught his meaning, and she walked to the front. However, her gait was far from as steady as Zhu Hanyun’s, and the ground shook violently as she walked.
“Senior brother, is this really ok?” Some of the other Titan High School students came over to help the little junior sister up so that she was finally perched on his contracting arms.
“No problem, junior sister. I’m going to fire!” When Zhu Hanyun called out, two more students came forward and arranged themselves behind him as they bent forward and braced against his back.
Zhu Hanyun then started counting down from three.
Three…
Two…
One!
Bang!
Zhu Hanyun’s arms erupted with the deafening sound of a missile blast, and everyone around him staggered at the fierce shock wave. The little junior sister who had been standing on Zhu Hanyun’s arms was sent flying like a cannonball.
In everyone’s eyes, this little junior sister looked a lot like a meteor shooting upward in broad daylight, and they were dumbstruck.
A few minutes later, a deafening blast could be heard from the top of Nine Dragon Pagoda, which was followed by quite a number of broken tiles falling from the air and smashing on the ground below.
It was obvious that this little junior sister had already reached the top of Nine Dragon Pagoda.
With one cannon blast, Zhu Hanyun had sent his little junior sister to the finish line!
But it wasn’t over yet; Zhu Hanyun smiled at the other junior brothers and sisters behind him. “Quick! Next!”
Zhu Hanyun excitedly got ready for the second shot.
On the other hand, the heads of the teachers who were invigilating were already drenched in sweat.
They had no doubt at all now that the students from Titan High School could reach the top.
But the problem was that if this bunch climbed the pagoda this way…
Nine Dragon Pagoda might be reduced to a sieve…
