Gao Wu insists on cultivating immortality.

Chapter 96 The Dangerous Preliminary Round

Ankyeong North Station.

After getting off the high-speed train, Gao Wu became quite interested in the station.

Unlike standard modern station buildings, Anjing North Station's platform features an antique design with interlocking high beams and columns, and soaring eaves.

The top floor features a transparent dome designed to resemble glazed tiles, layer upon layer, where sunlight refracts into a beautiful display of seven colors.

The platform floor tiles are all made of imitation red bricks, and each tile has brick carving patterns.

The entire station cleverly blends modern and traditional architectural styles, possessing both the bright and simple aesthetics of modern architecture and the elegant and dignified beauty of traditional buildings.

Gao Wu had also read some introductions about Anjing online. They all said that Anjing was the center of Beizhou, luxurious and beautiful, with an extraordinary atmosphere.

This can be seen from just one train station.

Most of the other martial arts team members were also visiting Ankyo for the first time, and they were all amazed by the beautiful and elegant station.

Song Mingyue stood silently beside Gao Wu, her hands in the pockets of her black trench coat. She wore large sunglasses, and no one knew what she was looking at.

Yang Ru secretly glanced at Song Mingyue. She leaned close to Han Yang's ear as if to say something, but Han Yang shook his head to stop her.

Han Yang knew that Yang Ru would definitely not say anything nice, and that Gao Wu and Song Mingyue could easily hear them at this distance.

Song Mingyue's inclusion as an assistant to the martial arts team this time was clearly due to her being forced into the position by the leadership. However, she neither occupies a competition spot nor uses any resources from the martial arts team. At most, the school will cover her room, board, and travel expenses.

Everyone knows that Song Mingyue came with Gao Wu, so who would be so blind as to find fault with her?

Han Yang didn't want to offend Gao Wu, but he was even more afraid of Song Mingyue. For some reason, he always felt that Song Mingyue was more terrifying than Gao Wu.

Whether their intuition was right or wrong, they had no need to provoke this couple.

Gao Wu didn't notice Han Yang and Yang Ru's subtle movements. His mental strength had increased dramatically, and his senses had become extremely sharp, which actually caused some interference for him.

Human senses have evolved over millions of years to adapt to the modern world. However, these exceptionally acute senses are no longer suited to this new reality.

Most of the time, the various pieces of information that are keenly perceived will cause great interference to Gaowu.

For example, very subtle sounds, such as the wind outside the window, the sound of falling leaves, or the sound of insects crawling, are all part of nature, but he hears them very clearly, which causes disturbance.

Because the brain first needs to determine the source of the sound and then whether the sound is harmful, this greatly increases the workload on the brain.

Or if there are even a small scratch or lint on his clothes, he will feel very uncomfortable.

Therefore, Gao Wu specifically consulted Song Mingyue and learned some tips on how to restrain one's spiritual power.

The advantage is that you are no longer bothered by all kinds of useless and complicated information, but the disadvantage is that your perception of the outside world is reduced by several levels.

Seeing Song Mingyue's calm and composed demeanor, he casually asked, "You've been here before?"

"Ah."

Song Mingyue said, "Anjing North District is a new district, built less than 20 years ago. It is planned strictly according to the symmetrical layout of the central axis, and there are no buildings over 50 meters tall in the entire North District."

“All the buildings adopt a traditional antique style. The government offices, the governor’s office, and so on are all located in the North District, including Ankyo University. The property prices here are very high.”

Gao Wu clicked his tongue in admiration: "This is truly a big place, an eye-opener!"

Upon exiting the station, a pre-arranged medium-sized bus was waiting to pick them up. Team leader Yang Qiming and coach Song Yunhui led the group onto the bus.

As you exit the station, you'll see that the antique-style buildings on both sides of the street are not very tall, mostly with helmet-shaped or hipped roofs covered with glazed tiles, and the architectural style is dignified and beautiful.

Having grown accustomed to skyscrapers with glass curtain walls, seeing such a unified traditional architectural style is truly awe-inspiring.

The martial arts team members exclaimed in amazement and took out their phones to take pictures.

Seeing that many team members were very interested in Ankyung's architecture, Song Yunhui said, "The North District is the center of Ankyung, and it's very well planned. Right in front is the Longmen Bridge, which spans the widest part of the Baekryong River and is 7,000 meters long."

"Now that the ice and snow upstream are melting, and it's the rainy season these days, which is the spring flood season, the Bailong River is turbulent and muddy. Standing on the bridge, you can see the mighty river rolling like a dragon, with distant mountains stretching far and wide, and buildings lined up on both banks, creating a unique atmosphere."

"If you have nothing to do tomorrow, you are all welcome to come to the Longmen Bridge to enjoy the water, broaden your horizons, and open your minds..."

Song Yunhui then changed the subject: "Do you know why the North District is planned so well?"

Yang Ru asked cooperatively, "Why?"

"Because thirty years ago, a level seven alien beast rushed into this place, razed the northern district to the ground, and caused more than a million deaths and injuries."

"The Bailong River is entirely red both upstream and downstream... so the rebuilt northern district eliminated high-rise buildings, making the buildings more stable and effectively controlling population density..."

Song Yunhui's expression was very solemn as she recounted these events. Although she was only ten years old at the time, she had a very deep impression of them.

Thirty years have passed in the blink of an eye, and another generation has grown up.

Thirty years of peace have made people forget the painful lessons of the past and forget that the world is not safe.

Many members of the martial arts team were hearing about this for the first time and were shocked. They could hardly imagine how powerful a level seven beast could be, or how much destruction it could cause to a city.

However, they all understood how terrible a number a million casualties would be.

Everyone in the car fell silent.

Looking out the car window at the surging Yangtze River, Gao Wu imagined the tragic scene of blood staining the river decades ago, and his feelings were very complicated.

He has always felt that the world is very dangerous, but that a period of stable order will make people lose their vigilance.

Most people believe that danger is far away. Even if a strange beast were to invade the real world, only a few people would be unlucky.

It's not that most people lack wisdom; rather, it's that humans, driven by survival needs, cannot maintain a state of constant tension. Only through continuous self-adjustment can one find a comfort zone and adapt to a better world.

This story made Gao Wu even more convinced that he had chosen the right path.

Only by constantly becoming stronger, stronger still, and becoming the best in the world can you control your own destiny!
Song Yunhui took the opportunity to educate many students, and she was very satisfied with the results.

The bus traveled for more than half an hour before entering Kirin-en, the campus of Ankyo University.

Four buildings stand in pairs, forming a semi-enclosed area filled with evergreen spruce trees and various flowers and plants. A surrounding antique-style corridor branches off with cobblestone paths, exuding a rustic charm and tranquility.

In late April, a large number of roses bloomed, their red, yellow, and white colors vibrant and lively, adding a touch of vitality to the place.

Team leader Yang Qiming went to the reception desk to complete the formalities and led the martial arts team members into Building No. 1. They were divided into two people per room, separated by gender.

As for Song Mingyue, she was considered a staff member and was assigned a separate room.

Gao Wu and Han Yang were assigned to the same room, which was fortunately spacious and, more importantly, very clean. Gao Wu had no complaints about these aspects.

Han Yang was somewhat reluctant. He looked around the room and said, "It's too small. I'm not used to living with outsiders."

He said, "I'll go to the front desk and get another room, so I won't squeeze in with you."

"We can even book a room?" Gao Wu was a little surprised; wasn't this all arranged?

"Qilin Garden is a restaurant open to the public by Anjing University; you can stay there for a fee." Han Yang waved to Gao Wu, "I'm leaving now. Contact me via Feixin if you need anything."

Gao Wu didn't mind; he was more comfortable living alone.

At 6 p.m., Song Yunhui led a group of people to the cafeteria for dinner.

After dinner, Song Yunhui led everyone to a private tea room and gave a brief explanation of the specific schedule for the Qilin Cup.

The preliminary rounds of the Qilin Cup are adjusted every year, and she only found out the specifics when she got here.

"This year's preliminary round involves hunting exotic beasts in the White Netherworld, and the top sixteen teams in terms of points will advance to the semi-finals."

Song Yunhui's expression turned serious as she spoke: "After multiple explorations, the White Netherworld Secret Realm is mainly inhabited by exotic beasts such as snow wolves, polar bears, and iron-horned deer. Some of these adult beasts can condense source power and reach the first level."

"Pistols are allowed, but melee weapons are unrestricted. Each team has two days, and the final score is based on the number of kills..."

The many martial arts team members listened, and each of them looked serious.

Even if they had never entered a secret realm, they knew it was dangerous. Truly stable secret realms had no strange beasts.

If a strange beast enters the secret realm, it can easily attract even more powerful beasts. Any unexpected event could be extremely dangerous.

Song Yunhui said, "It's quite rare for the preliminary round to use a practical assessment method. The most important thing when entering the secret realm is to protect yourself, and the second most important thing is to hunt down the strange beasts."

"Be careful, fighting alien beasts is extremely dangerous. Even if the alien beasts haven't condensed their source energy, their powerful bodies are still terrifying..."

She values ​​the safety of her team members more than their performance; results are definitely secondary.

There is a big problem: these children have only ever fought in the arena since they were little, and they have no experience in hunting alien beasts.

The difference between beasts and humans is enormous. And this secret realm is no arena. She was truly afraid these children wouldn't know their own limitations; if any injuries or deaths occurred, how could she explain it to their parents, how could she explain it to the school?

These kids are at most eighteen, with bright futures ahead of them. There's no need for them to risk their lives for a single match. She needs to make these things clear.

Finally, Song Yunhui looked at Gao Wu and said, "Gao Wu, you're the team leader this time. Han Yang, Yang Ru, Song Minglin, and Yu Rulong, you all have to listen to Gao Wu."

"This is a matter of life and death; no unauthorized action is allowed. Your body cameras will record your words and actions, and everyone must be responsible for themselves and their teammates!"

Gao Wu nodded, and Han Yang and the others also solemnly agreed.

To be honest, all of them were a little apprehensive. They all came from well-off families and had never suffered hardship or encountered danger growing up.

When they participated in the Qilin Cup, they all thought it was just about fighting in the arena, but they didn't expect they would have to risk their lives in the virtual realm!
The other martial arts team members also looked nervous; most of them came just to watch the excitement and broaden their horizons.

Even without them going to the secret realm, they could feel that immense pressure.

Given the perilous nature of the preliminary rounds, Song Yunhui canceled her second day off. She rented a small conference room and spent the entire day explaining the secret realm and the strange beasts.

Gao Wu listened very attentively. He had been to the secret realm once to participate in the assessment, but he dared not say that he had experience.

Although the secret realm is quite well-developed, no one can guarantee that it will be foolproof.

If even a state capital like Anjing can have strange beasts breaking in, then the secret realm, an intermediate area connecting reality and another world, is even more likely to be invaded.

If something unexpected really happens, there's nowhere to cry.

At 5:00 a.m. on April 27, ten large buses carrying all the participants set off, and they arrived at the competition venue, Longzhaofeng, at 10:00 a.m.

As its name suggests, Dragon Claw Peak consists of five peaks clustered together, resembling a giant claw when viewed from the sky.

Standing at the foot of Dragon Claw Peak, which is five or six hundred meters high, one naturally cannot see any connection between the mountain and a dragon's claw.

Gao Wu only learned about the origin of Dragon Claw Peak from Song Mingyue.

The entrance to the virtual realm is located inside a huge cave below Dragon Claw Peak, guarded by a heavily armed brigade.

They had to go through many checkpoints to get in.

Gao Wu understood this perfectly; this place was too close to Anjing, so of course it needed to be heavily guarded.

Ninety teams, totaling 450 teenagers, gathered together, and everywhere you looked, there were spirited young men and women.

Being there, Gao Wu couldn't help but feel a surge of pride. This place was a gathering of the most outstanding eighteen-year-old martial artists in the Northern Continent, and even some warriors.

If he defeats these young men and women, he will be the King of the Youth of the Northern State! Thinking of this, Gao Wu couldn't help but feel a surge of pride.

But he soon sensed something was wrong; someone was watching him.

Following the gaze, one could see Bai Yushuang wearing camouflage combat gear.

Three months have passed, and Bai Yushuang is still as beautiful as ever. Her lovely, radiant complexion and combat uniform complement each other perfectly.

But why are Bai Yushuang's eyes so bright? They even have a sharp, piercing quality, and her aura is restrained and profound... No, no...

Gao Wu now possessed immense spiritual power. When he activated his Yin Spirit to observe Bai Yushuang, he immediately realized the problem: "This is source power! Holy crap, that little vixen has advanced to the Warrior level!"

(End of this chapter)