New Recruit Competition.
The Arena Stage for the competition had been set up at the Training Ground on the east side of Base Camp.
It was a simple wooden platform surrounded by a circle of ropes. You couldn't get any simpler than that.
But there was no shortage of spectators.
All the old soldiers, officers, and logistics staff in Base Camp who could make it had come.
The Beast Tide had just ended, and everyone was ready for a little entertainment.
A row of VIP seats had also been set up beneath the Arena Stage.
Three representatives from the Provincial Martial Arts Association had come. Dressed in matching dark blue uniforms, they sat in the middle.
Several major Lineages had sent representatives too. They sat here and there, whispering to one another from time to time.
Lin Feng sat in the Referee Stand, leaning his chair back, bored out of his mind.
Zhang Qian sat beside him with a list in his hand, muttering under his breath.
"This year's New Recruit Competition has sixty-four competitors and uses a single-elimination format. The highest level is Martial Artist Rank 3, and the lowest is Martial Disciple Rank 7."
"Mm."
"The champion's prize is a D-Rank weapon, a fifty-thousand-yuan cash prize, and the right to choose their deployment area first."
"Mm."
"Could you at least look at the list?"
"Not interested."
Lin Feng yawned.
He'd done the math last night.
The New Recruit Competition would take all day. If he spent the day judging, that meant wasting a whole day of monster hunting.
How many Martial Path Points could he earn in a day?
At least ten thousand.
Ten thousand Martial Path Points would be enough to raise his rank by several levels.
And now he was sitting here watching a bunch of Martial Disciples and low-ranked Martial Artists beat each other up.
A loss.
A huge loss.
The matches had already begun.
In the first match, two new recruits at Martial Disciple Rank 8 traded blows. One slashed, the other punched back. It took five minutes before one of them won.
The old soldiers watching munched on sunflower seeds and enjoyed the show, occasionally shouting a few words.
"Put your back into it! Cut him!"
"You call that a fight? My grandma fights better than that!"
Lin Feng leaned against his chair, his eyelids drooping with sleepiness.
The matches came one after another, and the longer he watched, the duller they got.
By the afternoon, most of the sixty-four competitors had been eliminated. Eight remained.
Things got a little more interesting then.
One of the eight was Zhao Tianci, a Martial Artist Rank 3. Clearly from a prestigious family, his swordsmanship was exquisite, and he'd won three matches in a row without a scratch.
Another was Liu Meng, a Martial Artist Rank 2, but built like an ox. His fighting style was simple and brutal, and each punch took someone down.
The other six were at about the same level, ranging from Martial Artist Rank 1 to Rank 2.
Zhang Qian leaned closer. "Sergeant Major Lin, Zhao Tianci was recommended by the Provincial Martial Arts Association. They say he's a direct descendant of the Zhao Family and has quite a talent."
"Mm."
"Could you say more than one word?"
"Sleepy."
Zhang Qian: "..."
The quarterfinals began.
Zhao Tianci faced Liu Meng in the semifinals. After three minutes, Zhao Tianci slashed through Liu Meng's defense and won.
Quick and clean. He really did have some skill.
The other semifinal ended too. A Martial Artist Rank 2 named Chen Fei won.
The final.
Zhao Tianci against Chen Fei.
Before the match had even started, the Martial Arts Association representatives in the VIP Stand had already risen to applaud.
"Tianci really is the most outstanding new recruit of this generation."
"Martial Artist Rank 3, and his swordsmanship has already begun to take shape. Given time, he'll have a boundless future."
On the Arena Stage, Zhao Tianci stood with his sword in hand, looking calm and composed.
He glanced at Lin Feng in the Referee Stand and frowned slightly.
The referee had been dozing off from start to finish. Wasn't that a little disrespectful?
"Referee, we can begin now." Zhao Tianci cupped his hands toward Lin Feng.
Lin Feng raised his eyelids and looked at the stage.
Then he did something no one had expected.
He stood up.
He picked up Mountain Splitter and leaped onto the Arena Stage.
The entire crowd froze.
Zhang Qian nearly fell out of his chair. "Sergeant Major Lin? What are you doing?"
Lin Feng ignored him, walked to the center of the stage, and looked from Zhao Tianci to Chen Fei.
"Which one of you is stronger?"
Zhao Tianci and Chen Fei exchanged glances.
"I'll ask again." Lin Feng lifted Mountain Splitter off his shoulder and rested its tip on the ground.
"Whoever thinks he's the strongest in this year's New Recruit Competition, step forward."
The entire crowd fell silent.
Zhao Tianci frowned and took a step forward. "I'm the strongest new recruit this year. Is there a problem?"
"No problem."
Lin Feng raised Mountain Splitter.
"Catch this."
Before Zhao Tianci could react, a flash of blade light was already in front of him.
Fast.
So fast that Zhao Tianci didn't even have time to raise his sword.
Clang!
The back of Mountain Splitter struck the blade of Zhao Tianci's sword.
The sword flew from his hand and lodged in a wooden post at the edge of the Arena Stage, vibrating with a metallic hum.
The impact sent Zhao Tianci stumbling back five steps. His tiger's mouth split open, blood streaming down his hand.
One move.
Lin Feng lowered his weapon and rested its tip on the ground again.
"Anyone else think he's the strongest?"
The entire Training Ground was silent enough to hear a pin drop.
Chen Fei immediately retreated three steps and raised both hands over his head. "I concede."
The Martial Arts Association representatives in the VIP Stand turned livid.
Zhao Tianci clutched his bleeding hand and glared at Lin Feng through gritted teeth. "You're the referee! How can a referee take part?"
Lin Feng tilted his head.
"I've been watching you guys fight all day. You were just too slow, so I helped speed things up."
He turned to face the crowd.
"I've decided the champion of this year's New Recruit Competition."
He pointed at himself.
"Me."
The crowd erupted.
"The referee's stealing the championship? Is that even allowed?"
"That's a fifty-thousand-yuan prize and a D-Rank weapon!"
"Is this guy out of his mind?"
A middle-aged Martial Arts Association representative on the VIP Stand sprang to his feet.
"Absurd! This is absolutely absurd! The New Recruit Competition is an official military event. You're a referee, and you've gone onto the stage to interfere with the match. I'll file a complaint!"
Li Zhenguo had appeared behind the VIP Stand at some point.
He crossed his arms and watched Lin Feng on the stage, the corners of his mouth lifting.
"A complaint? Who are you filing it with?"
"With Commander Li! Your man is making a mockery of the competition. Are you going to do anything about it?"
Li Zhenguo nodded.
"I'll handle it."
He turned toward the stage.
"Lin Feng!"
"Here."
"Do you want the D-Rank weapon that goes to the champion?"
Lin Feng thought about it. "Sure. I'll sell it later and turn it into cash."
Li Zhenguo laughed heartily. "All right. Give it to him."
The Martial Arts Association representatives were so angry their faces turned green.
"Li Zhenguo! You—"
"Me?" Li Zhenguo stopped smiling and swept his one eye over them.
"This kid is a new recruit too. He was just promoted to Sergeant Major a few days ago. Three days back, he held the front line against the Beast Tide by himself and killed three C-Rank Exotic Beasts. Could all the new recruits from your Martial Arts Association take even one of his strikes if you tied them together?"
The entire crowd fell silent for three seconds.
Then, from the old soldiers' section, someone shouted.
"Sergeant Major Lin is awesome!"
"Awesome!!!"
Hundreds of old soldiers echoed him in unison, their roar nearly lifting the Arena Stage off the ground.
Zhao Tianci stood on the stage, clutching his bleeding hand. His expression was tangled with a complicated feeling he couldn't quite put into words.
Martial Artist Rank 3.
The Martial Artist Rank 3 he'd always been so proud of.
Against Lin Feng, he hadn't even lasted one round.
"What rank are you, exactly?" he asked without thinking.
Lin Feng jumped off the stage without looking back.
"Martial Master."
The two words drifted back to him.
Zhao Tianci's hand fell to his side.
Before you continue