As spiritual energy revived, I, having acquired certain attributes, gradually ascended to immortalit

Chapter 120 The Competition Begins

It wasn't that Xie Chong and the others didn't believe in Shen Qing's abilities.

If it were a competition previously limited to newcomers, even if there were a genuine seventh-rank player, they believed Shen Qing could easily win first place.

But that's not the problem.

Two years have passed since the official confirmation of the spiritual energy revival and the establishment of the Bureau of Extraterrestrial Affairs, but even before that, there had already been some signs of spiritual energy activity.

Most of the supernatural beings who have broken through to the seventh rank now are people from that era, and they have been exposed to spiritual energy for more than just two years.

They are all truly top-tier experts in the Xia Kingdom, ranking in the top ten.

The time allotted for cultivation is right here.

To put it bluntly, this is blatant bullying of the weak, although this is not the case, as it involves the government's grand plan to maintain order in the future.

However, the gap in strength is an objective fact.

In particular, they all knew to some extent that a significant portion of Shen Qing's combat power seemed to originate from the stone armor provided by Xie Chong.

The selection rules do not restrict the use of bound personal magic weapons, but it is forbidden to use other people's talismans or magic weapons. They can only draw and forge them themselves.

After all, that thing is a consumable; you can't use it yourself, and once it's used up, it's gone, so it's not considered a stable fighting force.

The selection process aims for stable and powerful combat capabilities, not a deal where someone throws in a bunch of high-level talismans or magic items to create a devastating attack.

Although Shen Qing had already learned a bit from Xie Chong.

However, the highest-level purple talisman is not easy to draw, and the time is short. If Shen Qing had not mastered [Clay Formation], he would not even have been able to draw a blue talisman now.

After all, he didn't possess the ability to turn fossils into soldiers, so he could only try to understand it by studying the talismans himself.

Faced with everyone's comforting words, Shen Qing did not refute them.

After all, Xie Chong and the others didn't know their own true strength. According to the information, several deputy directors were indeed not to be underestimated.

Words are inadequate; only strength can prove everything.

The car started, and outside the window, the view of tall buildings was gradually replaced by trees. Soon we arrived at our destination.

The abandoned industrial area is vast, with an open space in the middle that has been cleared in advance, making it perfect as a competition venue.

There were no dangerous objects around, so they could use their abilities freely.

"Old Xu!"

As soon as the bus arrived at the competition venue, Shen Qing and his group got off the bus, and several deputy directors from other branches came up to greet them, looking around.

"Where are Yuan Min and the others?"

The speaker was Wang Beishan, the deputy director of the Yanzhao branch who came to provide support last time. He had thick eyebrows and big eyes, and contrary to his name, he was not very burly; he could only be described as strong and muscular.

However, due to his location surrounding the capital, he was one of the most formidable individuals present.

"yes."

The people around were curious. They knew that Deputy Director Zhang had been seriously injured in the demon incident, but the other two seventh-rank officials had not appeared either.

A deputy director couldn't help but ask, puzzled, "Is Binhai planning to give up on this competition because of the serious losses they suffered?"

Indeed, looking around, although the Binhai branch had the most people, including referees and members maintaining order, the strongest among them was only at the eighth rank.

Everyone knew that the Binhai branch had suffered a heavy blow because of the demon incident, so they wouldn't say anything.

It's rather pathetic that not even a single seventh-rank official appeared.

"This is our jurisdiction, how could we possibly give it up?"

The bureau chief chuckled, stepped aside, revealing Shen Qing behind him. "Let me introduce you, this is Shen Qing."

Upon hearing this, Wang Beishan's gaze fell on Shen Qing, and after looking her up and down, he raised an eyebrow and nodded.

"This young man is Shen Qing, the one who turned the tide. He truly is a hero among the young."

"I heard that after only a short period of cultivation, he was able to kill a seventh-rank demon, a true pillar of the future."

"Yes, the younger generation surpasses the older generation, and we will be able to smoothly hand over the reins in the future."

Everyone around praised them, their words full of goodwill, but there was one thing in particular: their tone and expressions were encouragement from elders to younger people.

In their view, Shen Qing was indeed a genius, but that was a matter for the future.

Now, in terms of age, cultivation time, and strength, they are far behind them, and they do not regard Shen Qing as an opponent at all.

After offering a few words of praise with a smile, a deputy director changed the subject, "But Lao Xu, what about the candidates for your branch office?"

"Shen Qing is it."

Xu Weimin spoke calmly, as if he were talking about something perfectly normal.

The scene fell silent for a moment.

"Old Xu, you're not joking, are you?" The deputy director's eyes widened.

Even though they had heard some of Shen Qing's achievements, such as slaying a seventh-rank demon, rumors are just rumors and should be taken with a grain of salt.

No one knows the specifics of the situation, whether someone else was holding them back, or whether the demon was already injured.

Even if they had seen it with their own eyes, aside from being surprised that this was a genius, they wouldn't have any other emotions.

After all, among the thirty-three seventh-rank cultivators present, more than one had consecutively killed two demons of the same rank.

Deputy Director Zhang, a supernatural being with physical defensive abilities, could suppress two or three demons of the same level even when he was fighting desperately, let alone supernatural beings skilled in killing techniques.

"Keep it up, little guy!"

Wang Beishan was the first to react. He patted Shen Qing on the shoulder and said, "Since this is a selection process, let's see who's the best."

The others also came to their senses and offered a few words of encouragement.

"Yes, it's a good thing that young people have drive. Keep it up."

"We all believe in you; you're sure to get a good ranking."

As fellow members of the Bureau of Foreign Affairs and leaders, they naturally wouldn't harbor any feelings of looking down on or mocking each other.

In their eyes, Shen Qing was the future pillar of the nation. Even if he was not as strong as them now, he would surpass them in the future and take over their responsibilities.

But that's for the future; for now, this stage still belongs to them.

Shen Qing saw everyone's reactions, simply nodded and thanked them, without offering any rebuttal.

As the saying goes, words are pale; a thousand beautiful words are not as effective as demonstrating it in actual combat.

All contestants' information has already been registered, and the selection can begin at any time once everyone arrives.

To ensure fairness, the top five will be selected, and the competition will adopt a Swiss-system format, which will require approximately six rounds of competition.

The two referees from headquarters and Binhai branch were already in place, and the players for the first game of the first round were quickly selected based on computer calculations.

Because contests between supernatural beings often end in just a few minutes, multiple matches are not held simultaneously in a single round.

This is also to make it easier for others to watch the game and gain experience.

In the first match, both sides were at the early stage of the seventh rank.

Normally, there's not much to see, since the two are theoretically among the weakest of the thirty-four contestants.

However, Wang Beishan, a powerful figure in the mid-stage of the seventh rank who had a record of slaying multiple demons of the same rank, adopted a serious and attentive attitude.

"Was he the top performer in the internal competition for new recruits in the first half of the year?"

He looked at the young supernatural being in the center of the arena, who was just as young as Shen Qing, and his tone carried a hint of importance.

"Young man, you'd better be careful if you go up against him."

Compared to Shen Qing, this was, after all, a genuine seventh-grade supernatural power user, and his abilities should not be underestimated.