The Main Event
On the battlefield.
Seeing that everyone had finally come to their senses, Chen Fan smiled gently and clapped his hands to attract everyone's attention.
"Dear Senior Fellow Apprentice and sisters, Tuo Bashan and the others have given us the stage; we can't possibly waste their kindness."
He cleverly defined his act of clearing the field as not letting down his friends' expectations, instantly dispelling the sense of awe and alienation that his teammates felt due to the vast difference in their abilities.
"Let's go, let's make this victory spectacular!"
"Yes, Junior Fellow Apprentice Chen Fan!"
Inspired by Chen Fan's words, the blank stares and disorientation in the eyes of the twenty-odd Star River disciples instantly transformed into soaring fighting spirit and fervor. They roared in unison, their voices echoing across the surrounding area, as if they were about to face not an unknown competition, but a pilgrimage destined for victory!
However, what happened next once again exceeded everyone's expectations.
The clearing process has begun.
But Chen Fan never made another move.
He strolled leisurely in the very center of the group, his eyes slightly closed, as if taking a short rest.
However, an invisible, vast, Star Sea- like Divine Sense had already completely enveloped the entire Shattered Ancient Battlefield.
He became the radar and master of this battlefield.
"To the left front, 800 meters away, lurking beneath the swamp are three Sixth Grade Early Stage Ironclad Crocodiles, worth 60 points. The Senior Fellow Apprentice in charge of defense, attack and kill them in one strike. Don't delay."
"To your right rear, 1200 meters away, a century-old Fire Ganoderma grows in a crevice in the rocks, worth 80 points. Be careful, there's a swarm of highly venomous Poison Scorpions nearby. Send your senior sister, who cultivates fire-based techniques, to deal with it; your flames are perfect for suppressing them."
A series of precise instructions were clearly uttered from Chen Fan's mouth.
Under this Commander's arrangement, the Star River Martial Academy's team transformed into a highly efficient harvesting machine.
They perfectly avoided all the dangerous and pointless places and battles, like a sharp scalpel, precisely cutting into every hidden scoring point on the battlefield.
The entire process was incredibly smooth and fast.
To the tens of thousands of students watching from the sidelines, the Star River Martial Academy team didn't seem to be fighting in a perilous Ancient Battlefield at all. Instead, they seemed to be calmly harvesting the fruits of their own garden, following a pre-marked map.
Time flew by in this strange yet efficient sweep.
Finally.
"When!!"
A melodious and ancient bell tolled, resounding throughout the heavens and earth.
The match is over.
Just before the bell rang, everyone in the Floating Martial Arena stared intently at the huge Light Screen.
Under the deathly silence of the entire arena, the score bar representing Star River Martial Academy suddenly jumped upwards for the final moment.
Ultimately, it settled steadily on a single number.
A number that has never appeared before in the history of the Freshmen Competition at the four universities, and that no one has ever dared to imagine.
Theoretically, the highest value.
Full marks!
"Buzz!"
A flash of white light, and all twenty-three members of the Star River Martial Academy were teleported back to the center of the Floating Martial Arena.
The moment they landed, the twenty-two team members didn't look at their mentors in the distance, nor did they heed the deafening silence around them.
They immediately and spontaneously formed a perfect circle around Chen Fan, with him at the absolute center.
Twenty-two pairs of eyes, filled with fervor, reverence, and absolute trust, were focused on the slender child figure in the center.
It was as if they weren't protecting a fellow Junior Fellow Apprentice.
They are protecting their gods and their faith.
The entire hall remained completely silent.
Whether it was the ordinary students in the stands or the Chief Instructor on the high platform, everyone's eyes were focused on the figure that looked like an eight-year-old child.
That look in his eyes was incredibly complex.
There was shock, awe, helplessness, and bewilderment... In the end, it all turned into a kind of dazed feeling of witnessing history firsthand.
For a long time.
On the high platform, the Chief Instructor of the Heavenly Sword Martial Academy, who always had an air of otherworldly elegance, let out a long sigh, as if he had exhausted all his strength.
He murmured to himself, his voice not loud, but because of the extreme silence, it carried clearly throughout the entire platform.
"Us..."
"Was it truly witnessing the rise of a Prodigies?"
"Still..."
"The beginning of a myth?"
On the high platform, the hot-tempered instructor of the Nine Provinces Martial Academy took a deep breath and forcibly suppressed the turbulent emotions surging in his chest.
His booming voice, like a boulder crashing into a calm lake, resounded throughout the entire venue.
"The Freshmen Competition is over!"
"The victor is Star River Martial Academy!"
The words had barely left his mouth.
The anticipated devastating earthquake did not materialize.
The entire Floating Martial Arena remained shrouded in an almost frozen, deathly silence. Ten Thousand Dao gazes, without exception, were all focused on the slender child figure in the center of the arena.
The Nine Provinces mentor's gaze also fell on Chen Fan, and a rare, complex expression of approval appeared on his usually arrogant face.
"He acted with benevolence and swiftness, protecting the Dao Heart of all the children and never humiliating a single one."
He glanced at the seats at the Star River Martial Academy, his voice lowering slightly.
"Star River Martial Academy has produced a fine disciple."
Upon hearing this statement...
Beside them, the mentors of Heavenly Sword and Canghai nodded in deep agreement. Their gazes toward Old Freak Wang and Lin Xuanqing were no longer filled with any competitive intent, but only with the purest envy and a desire that was almost a plea.
A monster capable of dominating an entire era, yet harboring reverence and tenderness within...
Who wouldn't want that?
The brief awards ceremony ended quickly.
The Nine Provinces mentor suppressed all his emotions, his expression suddenly turned solemn, and his voice resounded in all directions.
"Warm-up complete!"
"Next, the ranking of our four Human Race academies will be determined..."
"Academy Grand Competition, Main Event!"
The last two words seem to possess some kind of magic.
The eerie silence of the training ground was instantly shattered, replaced by a chilling atmosphere that enveloped the entire area.
"Buzz!!"
In the center of the arena, four even more magnificent light gates rose from the ground.
The strongest forces from the four universities are beginning to assemble!
At the head of the Nine Provinces Martial Academy was a burly man nearly three meters tall, with muscles bulging like cast iron. Just by standing there, an intensely pure fighting spirit soared into the sky, causing ripples to spread through the space.
At the Heavenly Sword Martial Academy, a young man dressed in pristine white robes, carrying an ancient sword, gracefully emerged. Even before he moved, the sounds of countless swords echoed in everyone's hearts, as if he were the embodiment of the Way of the Sword.
At the Canghai Martial Academy, a woman stood ethereal, her eyes seemingly containing a Star Sea. Her invisible Mental Power distorted the light around her, making it impossible for anyone to look directly at her.
Behind them, each member of the team was a legendary figure who had cultivated in their respective fields for decades or even nearly a century, surrounded by the terrifying Dao Rhythm of the Seventh Grade Immortal Realm.