Chapter 374: Seven Absolute Changes, Intense Competition

Chapter 374: The Seven Wonders Shift, A Fierce Competition

Zhang Yu followed Shi Huaiyu and her companions into the arena, where a vast plaza unfurled before his eyes.

The competition was divided into Architecture and Civil Engineering, held in separate venues; naturally, Zhang Yu had arrived at the Civil Engineering site.

Civil Engineering students from every grade gathered here, standing in small clusters, waiting for the contest to officially commence.

Few who entered this arena were poor; they were almost exclusively the top scholars and elites of their respective years.

Rankings—top 50, top 30, and top 10 of the entire department—flickered in the air above them.

Dharma-remains, adorned in colorful insignias, shimmered under the lights.

Had the dense layers of Foundation Establishment auras not been filtered out, they would have surely flooded the entire field of vision.

There were projections from the Spirit Realm as well: some calling teams to assemble, others advertising, some just idling, and others displaying elaborate special effects—the sheer spectacle left Zhang Yu feeling dizzy.

It was Zhang Yu's first time seeing so many Civil Engineering elites in one place.

He couldn't help but remark, "There are truly so many people participating."

"Of course," Shi Huaiyu replied. "It boosts your comprehensive score, after all."

"The higher your rank in the competition, the more points you earn, which has a massive impact on your overall standing."

"Ordinary students might ignore this, but the top scholars of every grade are bound to participate."

At this, Shi Huaiyu sighed. "The top students and elites from the eighth, ninth, and tenth grades alone can form six or seven teams, practically monopolizing the top spots."

Zhang Yu nodded slightly; not every senior student possessed overwhelming strength—after all, even Che Yufei was a seventh-year.

Shi Huaiyu continued, "The top students from the fourth, fifth, sixth, and seventh years take the lead, scouting talent to organize another five or six teams to vie for the top ten."

"We cannot defeat the senior teams."

"Our opponents are those middle-grade teams; we must snatch a top-ten spot right out of their mouths."

As she spoke, Shi Huaiyu’s tone grew solemn. "And I fear this year's competition will be even more intense."

The others nodded. As Civil Engineering students, they had felt the growing polarization over the past few months, as the conflict between the War Faction and the Peace Faction gradually moved into the open.

This competition had clearly become the most suitable arena for the two factions to clash.

Shi Huaiyu noticed staff members beginning to broadcast the event around the arena. She thought to herself, "I’m afraid the performance in this year’s Civil Engineering competition will directly influence the momentum of both factions, affect the stock prices of the companies behind them, and even sway the future choices of the neutral students."

"After all... if we in the War Faction can secure more top-three and top-ten spots, we will inevitably exert greater influence, thereby gaining the support of more neutral students in the department and gaining the upper hand."

"For the Peace Faction, the logic is the same."

Looking at the elite students in the plaza, seeing the department rankings hovering above their heads—whether it was Che Yufei, Shi Yunxiang, Tian Yang, or Xiao Qingxuan—they all felt a heavy, crushing pressure.

Just then, Shi Huaiyu stopped in her tracks, looking at a figure before her. "Su Yanyang..."

The young man addressed as Su Yanyang smiled faintly. His pupils seemed to burn with a constant flame, and a cluster of light-fire pulsed in his chest, beating rhythmically like a heart.

Su Yanyang looked at Shi Huaiyu and said, "I didn't expect you to continue competing, Huaiyu."

"But following such a group of the weak, the young, and the poor..."

Su Yanyang’s gaze swept over Che Yufei, Shi Yunxiang, and Zhang Yu, lingering briefly on Xiao Qingxuan before he stepped back a few paces, unperturbed. "Your chances of placing are not high."

"If you lose these comprehensive points, will you really be fine if you fail to take first place in your class?"

"For the sake of old times, I can give you one more chance: pay the spirit coins to return to the team as a substitute, scrape together some points, and perhaps you'll still have a shot at the class title."

Shi Huaiyu curled her lip, replying coldly, "Don't you worry about me. You’d better worry about yourself—don't forget to pay up when you lose that lawsuit."

Su Yanyang shook his head, sighing. "On the path of cultivation, acting on impulse is the greatest taboo. That is why you failed at stock trading back then."

"And now, you're just as irrational with your team selection."

"I foresee you going bankrupt again..."

Watching Su Yanyang’s retreating back, Che Yufei asked curiously, "Was he on your last competition team?"

Shi Huaiyu said bitterly, "That’s the guy who crushed my kidney and refused to pay for the damages."

"However..." Shi Huaiyu exhaled, "It’s best not to run into him before the top ten; his strength is truly formidable."

Zhang Yu’s gaze swept over Su Yanyang’s head, where a rank of 29th in the department floated—clearly far more impressive than Shi Huaiyu’s 38th.

As all the contestants arrived, the Civil Engineering competition officially began.

A handsome, youthful-looking man stood on the stage, looking down at the multitude of students. "Another year, another Civil Engineering competition..."

Zhang Yu stared at the title floating above the youth’s head, thinking to himself, "The Dean of the Civil Engineering Department... True Monarch Lingyue?"

Zhang Yu had heard Tu Lishan speak of this old dean, knowing he was the true head of the department. But Tu Lishan had also said the man was nearing the end of his lifespan, on the verge of dying of old age.

Yet, the True Monarch Lingyue on stage appeared entirely vibrant and youthful—where was the sign of impending death?

At the same time, True Monarch Lingyue announced, "To adapt to the changes of the new era, the school has decided to raise the stakes of this competition and increase the prizes."

"The teams that place in the top seven will each receive two slots, with each slot granting a cultivation method from the Seven Wonders of Civil Engineering. The internal distribution of these slots will be decided by the teams themselves."

The students below were stunned for a moment before erupting into a buzz of discussion.

Zhang Yu was surprised. "The Seven Wonders of Civil Engineering? Seven teams, two people each—that’s fourteen people being granted the Seven Wonders?"

He thought to himself, "Compared to the old rule where only the class leader could be granted one, this is a massive opening of the gates."

Soon, Zhang Yu found himself thinking the same as many others present.

"If they do this every year, won't a great many people master the Seven Wonders, or even the Lesser Tri-Unity?"

"Perhaps even more people will master the Heaven Kunlun Mountain-Moving Power."

Fu Ji remarked, "From tightening the techniques to suddenly opening them up—could this be in preparation for a potential university war? Heh, this is the opportunity the era has bestowed upon you; it will be much easier for you to master the Seven Wonders than it was for previous students."

"War is truly the ladder of progress. Before the fighting has even begun, you’ve already been given more opportunities."

Zhang Yu asked, "Does this mean the War Faction has gained the upper hand in the department?"

Fu Ji replied, "Not necessarily. The Peace Faction just doesn't want the Ten Greats to go to war; that doesn't mean they don't want to master greater power."

"Actually, if we look at the department’s own desires, I suspect both the pro-war and pro-peace factions want to open the Seven Wonders to more students. Only then can they earn more."

"Every department in the university is like this; they inherently want to expand, to control more resources, more students, and more powerhouses."

"Therefore, the past tightening and current loosening of the Seven Wonders must stem from the will of the higher-ups, rather than being decided by the Civil Engineering Department alone."

"Perhaps the College of Architecture and Civil Engineering above them? Or the leadership of Wanfa University? Or even the influence of the Wanfa Sect?"

"In any case, the reason for this sudden shift... we are standing too low to have the channels for such information, so there is no need to dwell on it."

"But the result will inevitably be a much fiercer competition. I see quite a few people already looking to take out loans to express-ship magical treasures and Dharma-remains."

Zhang Yu understood. Whether pro-war or pro-peace, both sides would surely want their subordinates to master the Seven Wonders and the Heaven Kunlun Mountain-Moving Power.

A moment later, the first round of the elimination tournament began.

The plaza before them shifted, and various distorted, fluctuating gravity fields manifested before the crowd.

Gravity fields of varying directions and magnitudes formed layers of obstacles.

The content of the elimination round was simple: all students were to cross the one-thousand-meter-wide complex gravity field, with their times recorded.

The times of each team member would be added together to determine the total time for each team.

Based on the cumulative times of each squad, the top twenty teams will advance to the next round of ten, while all others face immediate elimination.

True Monarch Lingyue remarked with icy indifference, "In Finance, the more wealth one accumulates, the swifter the cultivation; in Civil Engineering, however... the sturdier the flesh, the greater the progress."

"This opening round of elimination is designed to purge those whose physical vessels fall short."

As the trial commenced, a tide of students surged into the gravity field, sprinting toward the finish line a thousand meters away.

Yet, those who had moments before moved with the speed of thunder and wind found their momentum shattered the instant they crossed the threshold, their bodies staggering under the sudden, crushing weight.

As the throng of students struggled through the field, Zhang Yu sensed a subtle, rhythmic shift in the gravitational pressure around him.

In the next heartbeat, several figures streaked past like bolts of black lightning, traversing the entire field in a mere flicker of time.

Zhang Yu’s eyes narrowed: "It is Mo Shangjin."

He held a vivid memory of this senior, a master of the Heaven-Kunlun Mountain-Shifting Divine Power.

With a surge of that very power, Mo Shangjin propelled himself and his five teammates across the thousand-meter span in an instant.

"Formidable."

Even as Zhang Yu marveled, the sensation of shifting gravity returned, and another group of figures tore through the air with sonic booms, clearing the field in a flash.

"Is that another senior student who has mastered the Heaven-Kunlun Mountain-Shifting Divine Power?"

Zhang Yu was taken aback: "So he and Mo Shangjin are not on the same team?"

Fuji chuckled, "Likely one belongs to the War Faction and the other to the Peace Faction; it is nothing but petty infighting. They would rather weaken their own ranks than join forces with their rivals."

Zhang Yu shook his head; the teams of Mo Shangjin and the other senior were far beyond his reach, and his immediate concern remained finding a way to navigate the gravity field with haste.

Seeking monthly votes

(End of chapter)