Since this was the Preliminary Round, the schedule was fairly packed; it was impossible to finish everything in one day. Jiang Weiwei caught up with the principals from the other schools for a while, then had the other teachers accompany them to arrange lodging for the students and faculty from the various Wu Universities.
Just then, a military jeep pulled up at the school entrance. The doors opened, and two middle-aged men in military uniforms got out. They were the judges for this competition, both wearing the insignia of a colonel.
One of them was Li Guolong. He stood tall and straight, nearly two meters in height, and had Gold Mid-Stage strength. Even from a distance, he gave off an oppressive air. The other was Sun Yuan, with a resolute expression and muscles that looked ready to burst out of his uniform. He had Gold Initial Stage strength. The Military had sent two Gold-rank warriors to judge a mere Preliminary Round, showing just how seriously it took the competition.
By ten in the morning, the competing students and faculty from all sixteen Wu Universities, along with the judges, had arrived. The competition was being held at the school's martial arts arena, a field about the size of a soccer pitch. The entire arena was made of diamond, with spectator stands on all four sides.
Quite a few spectators had come as well. Most were locals from Mountain City, along with members of prominent lineages like the Wang Family, Li Family, and Zhao Family. Everyone was discussing the Hundred Schools League. The Military judges were seated in the judges' section, accompanied by several leaders from Shancheng Martial University, who were responsible for explaining the competition to them.
Around the arena below were rest and preparation areas for the competing students and faculty from each Wu University. Jiang Weiwei, Lin Hao, and the other competitors from their school were all seated in their area, waiting for the drawing ceremony.
Just then, a young woman in a military uniform stepped out onto the floor. Lin Hao took a closer look and was stunned. Wasn't that Beauty Su? Wasn't she a student? He glanced silently at Jiang Weiwei. Noticing Lin Hao's awkwardness, Jiang Weiwei smiled behind her hand. "Ruirui is a teacher at Shancheng Martial University, not a student. And she's with the Military, too. She's in charge of the draw and hosting the Preliminary Round."
Lin Hao smacked his lips. "I really couldn't tell. Beauty Su looks pretty serious in a military uniform." Jiang Weiwei was speechless.
"Judges and faculty and students from the competing schools, first of all, welcome..." Su Xiaorui had already begun her opening remarks onstage. Meanwhile, the competing students from Shancheng Martial University, seated in the preparation area, were already volunteering to fight.
"Principal Jiang, I request to be the first to compete! I can take on all five of them by myself." Mo Zixuan volunteered eagerly.
"Lin Hao, as team captain, has full responsibility for deciding the order of our competitors. I won't interfere," Jiang Weiwei said. Lin Hao ignored Mo Zixuan, who was standing there dumbfounded, and asked Jiang Weiwei, "Principal Jiang, are there any extra benefits for the competitors who take the stage?"
"According to the competition rules, competitors who take the stage receive 80% of the prize money, while those who don't compete receive 20%." Jiang Weiwei gave Lin Hao a strange look. Seeing his eyes light up, Jiang Weiwei's heart gave a little jump. Don't tell me this guy's going to fight his way through the entire competition by himself.
Sure enough, Lin Hao declared solemnly, "As team captain, I have to lead by example and set a good one for my teammates." Then he turned to the rest of the team. "I'll be the first to compete in every match over the next few days. You can figure out the rest of the order yourselves." Jiang Weiwei pressed a hand to her forehead. If Lin Hao took the field, his teammates might not get a chance to compete even if they made it all the way to the finals.
Mo Zixuan stood there, dumbstruck. "What the hell... Lin Hao, just you wait." After cursing Lin Hao a hundred and eighty times in his heart, Mo Zixuan returned to his seat. "I want to see what you can do. When you can't handle it, you'll still have to rely on us seniors."
The draw had begun. A large lottery drum stood in front of Su Xiaorui, with sixteen small balls inside. Each Wu University would draw a number to determine its opponent. The two Military judges from earlier stood beside Su Xiaorui, responsible for overseeing the fairness of the draw.
Jiang Weiwei gave Lin Hao a look. "Lin Hao, go draw."
Lin Hao got up at an unhurried pace. As he drew, he even made a face at Su Xiaorui. He drew number six. "Mm, number six is great. Six-six means everything goes smoothly." Lin Hao nodded with satisfaction, then handed the numbered ball to the judges. Once they had recorded it, Lin Hao returned to his seat.
"I drew number six, so we're in the third match." Lin Hao reported back to Jiang Weiwei after returning to his seat. Jiang Weiwei nodded. "For the match in a moment, everyone will follow Lin Hao's instructions." She emphasized it once more.
Wang Meng, Lei Yunfan, and the other first-year students in the preparation area all wore long faces. With Great God Lin competing, what chance did they have of getting onstage? Mo Zixuan, Xiaoxiao, and the other senior students, on the other hand, weren't concerned. They were waiting for Lin Hao to embarrass himself so they could go onstage and save the match.
The first match had begun: Jiangchuan Martial University versus Fuzhou Martial University. The fight onstage was fiercely contested, and even the spectators were shouting in unison. Lin Hao was nearly falling asleep watching from below. "Sigh, there are five matches today. The sooner we finish, the sooner we can call it a day." Lin Hao yawned. Seeing him nearly asleep, Jiang Weiwei could only sigh helplessly.
"Third match: Shancheng Martial University versus Jiangzhou Martial University. Competitors, please enter the arena promptly."
Su Xiaorui announced it from the stage. Lin Hao yawned again. "I'll go first. The rest of you can figure it out yourselves." With that, he sprang onto the martial arts arena.
A short, chubby boy was standing on the arena. He was Jiangzhou Martial University's competitor, a Bronze Initial Stage Psionic. The chubby boy cupped his fists toward Lin Hao. "My name is Hao Shuai, a Bronze Initial Stage Psionic. Please go easy on me." Hearing Hao Shuai introduce himself, Lin Hao remarked, "Your parents sure knew how to pick a name." Then he returned the salute. "Shancheng Martial University, Lin Hao. Please go easy on me."
Su Xiaorui could only sigh at Lin Hao's casual air. Then she called, "Begin!" The moment her voice fell, Lin Hao vanished from where he stood. In the blink of an eye, he appeared behind Hao Shuai and struck the back of his neck with a karate chop. Hao Shuai hadn't even figured out what was happening when his eyes went dark and he passed out.
The entire arena fell silent; you could hear a pin drop. The spectators still hadn't figured out what had happened, but the chubby boy onstage was already sprawled on the ground, unable to get up. The two judges were even more astonished. "That kid's incredibly strong. Even I couldn't see how he got behind that chubby boy," Li Guolong exclaimed.
The competing students in the preparation area were stunned, too. None of them seemed able to keep up with Lin Hao's speed just now. The teachers from the various Wu Universities could only sigh. At last, a genius had come out of Shancheng. It looked like they had no chance in this competition; they could forget about first place and try for second instead.
Wang Meng, Xia Qiuling, and the other first-year competitors in the preparation area were the first to speak up. "That's our Great God Lin! He really is our idol." Mo Zixuan and the other senior students, meanwhile, broke out in a cold sweat. They hadn't seen how Lin Hao had attacked at all. When they searched their own hearts, they knew they didn't have what it took.
Jiang Weiwei had already expected this to happen. She only smiled slightly without saying anything.
Lin Hao yawned. "Next."
He didn't want to waste time on these little kids. Su Xiaorui froze for a moment, then hurriedly called for the school doctor to examine Hao Shuai. Seeing that he had only passed out, she quietly breathed a sigh of relief. After that, Lin Hao basically finished off every competitor who took the stage with a single move.
The spectators were numb by now. In less than five minutes, all five competitors had gone down one after another. The worst off was the teacher from Jiangzhou Martial University, who looked utterly devastated as he stared at his five starters lying flat on the ground. They probably wouldn't make the top sixteen this year.
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