Effortlessly Piercing Through Five

Because it was a qualifier, the schedule was still packed—there was no way to finish it all in one day. Jiang Weiwei chatted with the other school principals for a while, then had other teachers accompany her to first arrange accommodations for the staff and students of the various martial universities.

Just then, a military jeep pulled up at the school gate. The door opened, and two middle-aged men in military uniforms stepped out. They were the judges for this competition, both bearing the rank of colonel.

One of them was Li Guolong, tall and straight, nearly two meters in height, with Gold Intermediate Stage strength. Just looking at him from a distance gave off a sense of pressure. The other was Sun Yuan, his expression firm, his muscles nearly bursting through his military uniform, with Gold Initial Stage strength. For just a qualifier, the military had dispatched two Gold rank martial artists—clearly showing how seriously they took the competition.

At ten in the morning, all sixteen martial universities' participating staff, students, and judges had arrived. The competition venue was the school's martial stage, the entire area about the size of a soccer field. The stage itself was built entirely from Diamond, with spectator stands on all four sides.

Quite a few spectators had also gathered in the stands. Most were ordinary citizens of Shancheng, along with members of major families like the Wang Family, Li Family, and Zhao Family. Everyone was discussing the Hundred Schools League. The military judges were seated at the judges' table, accompanied by several school leaders from Shancheng Martial University, who were responsible for explaining the competition to the judges.

Around the competition stage below were the rest and preparation zones for each participating martial university's staff and students. At that moment, Jiang Weiwei, Lin Hao, and the other contestants were all sitting in the preparation zone, waiting for the draw ceremony.

At that moment, a young woman in military uniform walked out onto the stage. Lin Hao stared and was instantly stunned—wasn't that Beauty Su? Wasn't she a student? He quietly glanced at Jiang Weiwei. Sensing Lin Hao's awkwardness, Jiang Weiwei smiled faintly. "Ruirui is a teacher at Shancheng Martial University, not a student. And she's with the military. She's in charge of hosting the draw ceremony and the competition process for this qualifier."

Lin Hao clicked his tongue. "I really didn't see that coming. Beauty Su looks pretty proper in a military uniform." Jiang Weiwei was speechless at that.

"Dear judges, and all the staff and students of the participating schools, first of all, welcome..." Su Xiaorui had already started her opening remarks on stage. Meanwhile, the Shancheng Martial University contestants sitting in the preparation zone had already begun eagerly volunteering.

"Principal Jiang, I request to go first! Against this bunch, I can take all five by myself," Mo Zixuan volunteered.

"The order of appearance will be entirely decided by the team captain, Lin Hao. I won't interfere," Jiang Weiwei said at that moment. Lin Hao ignored Mo Zixuan, who was standing there dumbfounded, and instead asked Jiang Weiwei, "Principal Jiang, is there a bigger share of the rewards for the contestants who actually compete?"

"According to the competition rules, competing contestants get 80% of the tournament rewards, while those who don't compete get 20%." Jiang Weiwei gave Lin Hao a strange look. Seeing his eyes light up, her heart skipped a beat. This guy wasn't planning to solo the entire competition, was he?

Sure enough, Lin Hao then said with righteous conviction, "As the captain, I must lead by example and set a good example for my teammates." Then he turned to his teammates and said, "I'll be the first to go in these few days' matches. The rest of the order, you guys figure it out yourselves." Jiang Weiwei pressed a hand to her forehead. If Lin Hao really did go up, even if they made it to the finals, his teammates probably wouldn't get a chance to compete.

Mo Zixuan stood there dumbfounded. "Holy sh*t@#￥%...&... Lin Hao, just you wait." After cursing Lin Hao a hundred and eighty times in his head, Mo Zixuan sat back down in the preparation zone. "I'll just see what you're really made of. When you can't win on your own, you'll still have to rely on us seniors."

At that moment, the draw ceremony had already begun. In front of Su Xiaorui was a large draw bucket containing sixteen small balls. Each martial university would determine their opponent based on the number they drew. Standing beside Su Xiaorui were the two military judges, who were overseeing the fairness of the draw.

Jiang Weiwei gave Lin Hao a look. "Lin Hao, go draw."

Lin Hao slowly got up and made a funny face at Su Xiaorui as he drew. He pulled number six. "Hmm, number six is good—six-six great fortune." Lin Hao nodded in satisfaction, then handed the ball to the judge. After the judge recorded it, Lin Hao returned to the preparation zone.

"I drew number six, so we're in the third match." Back in his seat, Lin Hao reported to Jiang Weiwei. Jiang Weiwei nodded. "Everyone listen to Lin Hao's arrangements during the matches," she emphasized again.

The first-year students in the preparation zone, Wang Meng, Lei Yunfan, and the others, all wore grim expressions. With Great God Lin going out, there was no chance for them to play. But Mo Zixuan, Xiaoxiao, and the other upperclassmen weren't convinced—they were waiting for Lin Hao to embarrass himself before stepping in to save the match.

The first match had already started, between Jiangchuan Martial University and Fuzhou Martial University. The fight on stage was intense, with even the spectators shouting in unison. Lin Hao, however, was almost falling asleep watching from below. "Sigh, there are five matches today. The sooner we finish, the sooner we're done." Lin Hao yawned. Jiang Weiwei felt helpless seeing him about to doze off.

"Third match: Shancheng Martial University versus Jiangzhou Martial University. Contestants, please enter the stage as soon as possible."

Su Xiaorui announced from the stage. Lin Hao yawned again and said, "I'll go first. You guys handle the rest however you want." With that, he leaped onto the martial stage.

On the stage stood a short, chubby guy—the contestant from Jiangzhou Martial University, with Bronze Initial Stage strength. The chubby guy clasped his fists toward Lin Hao. "My name is Hao Shuai, Bronze Initial Stage Psionic. Please advise." Hearing Hao Shuai's self-introduction, Lin Hao remarked, "Your parents really knew how to name you." Then he returned the gesture. "Shancheng Martial University, Lin Hao. Please advise."

Su Xiaorui looked at Lin Hao's casual attitude and felt helpless, then called out, "Begin the match." The moment her words fell, Lin Hao had already vanished from his spot. In the blink of an eye, he appeared behind Hao Shuai and delivered a chop to the back of his neck. Before Hao Shuai even knew what was happening, his vision went dark and he collapsed.

The entire venue fell silent—so quiet you could hear a pin drop. The spectators had no idea what had just happened; the chubby guy was already down. Even the two judges were stunned. "That kid's got incredible strength. Even I didn't see how he got behind that little fatty," Li Guolong remarked.

The contestants in the preparation zone were also dumbfounded. None of them seemed able to match Lin Hao's speed just now. The teachers from the various martial universities felt helpless too—it looked like Shancheng had finally produced a genius. This competition probably wasn't theirs to win anymore. Forget first place; they'd have to fight for second.

In the preparation zone, Wang Meng, Xia Qiuling, and the other first-year contestants were the first to speak up. "Way to go, Great God Lin! You're our idol!" Meanwhile, Mo Zixuan and the other upperclassmen were breaking out in cold sweat. They hadn't even seen how Lin Hao had struck—and honestly, they knew they didn't have that kind of strength.

Jiang Weiwei, however, had already expected this scene. She just smiled faintly and said nothing.

Lin Hao yawned. "Next."

He didn't want to waste time on these kids. Su Xiaorui was stunned for a moment, then quickly called for the school doctor to check on Hao Shuai. Seeing that he was just unconscious, she quietly breathed a sigh of relief. The next contestants who stepped up were all taken down by Lin Hao in a single move.

By now, the audience was numb. In less than five minutes, five contestants had fallen one after another. The worst off was the Jiangzhou Martial University teacher, staring at the five flat-out team members with a look of utter despair. They probably wouldn't be making it into the top sixteen this year.