Chapter 378: This Is Sophomore Year?

Chapter 378: Is this a sophomore?

Within the Spirit Realm network, the faculty of the Civil Engineering Department were watching the matches in unison.

The ten bouts of this elimination round were unfolding simultaneously, appearing as ten distinct windows floating before their eyes.

With a mere shift of their intent, they could tap into the live cameras to observe the battlefield from every conceivable angle.

As the fighting commenced, the most anticipated figures were, naturally, the two heirs to the Mountain-Moving Divine Power of Heavenly Kunlun.

However, this round had not pitted Mo Shangjin of the eighth-year class against Xuan Liangtian of the tenth-year class.

Consequently, both had dismantled their opponents with effortless, crushing force, offering little in the way of spectacle.

Instead, it was the clashes between the War Faction and the Peace Faction that proved far more intense and attention-grabbing.

One could see Su Yanyang darting across the battlefield at high speed, his surging power detonating wildly, tearing his opponent’s fortifications to shreds.

"Su Yanyang has mastered the seven absolute arts of Civil Engineering with such finesse and profound skill; it seems he is destined for the top seven this time."

"Once he fully masters the seven arts, he should be eligible for his military certification, shouldn't he? Our department will have produced yet another student capable of military-grade force."

Meanwhile, in another feed, a young girl had transformed into a ten-meter-tall giant, rampaging through the field with three heads and six arms as if walking through an empty land.

Each of her six hands clutched a different magical artifact, and every time she deployed one, a string of advertising slogans manifested in the air.

"Is that metamorphic dharma-skeleton of Xiao Yunji’s the latest model? Maintaining a human form for daily cultivation and shifting into combat mode only when necessary."

"She’s secured six endorsements in a single competition; her future is boundless."

"Xiao Yunji might even earn her military certification sooner than Su Yanyang."

Just as the teachers were chattering about the students' performances, one suddenly remarked, "Wait? This student knows the Nine Heavens Cloud Sky Force?"

The comment immediately drew the attention of many, who turned to the match in question, witnessing Zhang Yu unleash the technique—ten strikes in an instant—to send Cong Na flying.

Lang Yougong’s eyes flickered with subtle surprise: "This kid, Zhang Yu, actually knows the Nine Heavens Cloud Sky Force? Ten strikes in an instant—that’s already Level 20, isn't it?"

Though the Nine Heavens Cloud Sky Force was technically a legacy military-grade technique, its performance clearly far exceeded... almost all expert-level arts.

Had they seen this years ago, the faculty would likely have moved to apprehend Zhang Yu for practicing military-grade techniques without a license.

But the next moment, as Zhang Yu unleashed another ten-strike burst, a teacher gasped: "He has cultivated the Nine Heavens Cloud Sky Force to Level 20?"

"He’s only a sophomore, isn't he? And he’s already at Level 20?"

"And this is while he has also cultivated the War Demon Life-Sinking Art to Level 20..."

More teachers turned their focus to the match between Zhang Yu and Ma Xuan.

When they saw Zhang Yu charge into the enemy ranks, single-handedly disrupting their lines, and using the momentum-borrowing mechanics of his technique to stand his ground against multiple fourth, fifth, and sixth-year students, the teachers grew even more astonished.

Lang Yougong sighed: "What exquisite martial talent. He isn't just simply borrowing force; he is using his aura to mimic his opponents' movements, fully unleashing the potency of their own power against them."

He marveled: "This is truly returning the favor in kind, yet it avoids any infringement on technique copyrights. Truly ingenious."

Tu Lishan chimed in with praise: "It is not just martial talent, for he is fighting many against one."

"Being able to accurately mimic the moves of others in the heat of battle is rare enough."

"To mimic multiple people simultaneously is harder still."

"And to control the rhythm while coordinating these moves with his own power to counter different opponents requires immense mental capacity and lightning-fast cognitive speed."

Several teachers nodded, checking Zhang Yu’s file, only to find he had indeed attained the Realm of Spirit-Flesh Unity and had purchased a mental cultivation method to enhance cognitive speed.

This method was, of course, Zhang Yu’s cover for his Boundless Inner Dharma Body, and it served its purpose perfectly at this moment.

Listening to the analysis of Lang Yougong and Tu Lishan, and considering that Zhang Yu was merely a sophomore, the group felt they were witnessing the rise of another Civil Engineering prodigy.

Jiao Lei Zhenren thought to himself: "In another five or six years, he might be another Mo Shangjin."

"It is a pity... that he belongs to the War Faction."

As Zhang Yu’s homeroom teacher, Jiao Lei felt conflicted about his student's success.

Good grades were a testament to his own teaching, yet as a member of the Peace Faction, he did not want Zhang Yu to become too powerful, let alone surpass Ji Yuanxu.

Just then, Wei Huai, another Peace Faction teacher, spoke coldly: "The talent is there, but charging into enemy lines like that is too reckless and impulsive."

"Civil Engineering competitions aren't played like this."

"This style doesn't suit our department; he might as well transfer to the Security Department."

"Just watch, Ma Xuan is about to finish him off."

...

Ma Xuan truly did not wish to endure the chaos before him any longer.

He knew he could not let Zhang Yu continue to stir up trouble.

"Cong Na, Ji Yuanxu, I am withdrawing the Small Triad; I’m dealing with Zhang Yu first."

"Fall back, both of you, and don't get tangled up with Shi Huaiyu and the others."

With that, Ma Xuan withdrew his mana, and the towering walls of mud and sand in the distance collapsed.

As his power receded, the Small Triad technique activated by Shi Huaiyu surged in potency, whipping up a massive wave of debris that rushed toward Ma Xuan’s construction site.

But Ma Xuan ignored it; he intended to eliminate the nuisance of Zhang Yu before Shi Huaiyu’s offensive arrived. "Zhang Yu, I admit I was wrong; I underestimated you."

"I shouldn't have tried to suppress Shi Huaiyu while dealing with you on the side."

"If I had abandoned the suppression of Shi Huaiyu the moment you arrived to crush you directly... none of this would have happened."

As he spoke, Ma Xuan activated the Small Triad again, slamming his foot into the ground, causing the earth to tremble violently.

"Zhang Yu, did you think I hadn't considered a way to deal with you?"

He tore his hands apart, and the earth before him seemed to be ripped asunder by invisible hands, revealing a deep chasm.

In an instant, everyone fighting above plummeted downward.

But layers of mud and sand quickly formed platforms beneath the feet of Bu Ziran and the others, helping them leap out of the pit.

Zhang Yu struck out with his palms, sending blasts of aura toward the rock wall, hoping to use the force to climb out... but a massive shadow loomed over him.

A giant hand composed of mud and sand descended like Mount Tai, slamming down upon him with crushing force.

Under the weight of such raw power, Zhang Yu groaned as he was hammered into the depths.

Ma Xuan clapped his hands together, and the chasm was instantly filled, the earth returning to its original state, but Zhang Yu had vanished.

Deep underground, Zhang Yu felt the tiny cavity he occupied and narrowed his eyes: "You think you can keep me buried here?"

Having used his full strength to temporarily suppress Zhang Yu, Ma Xuan turned his attention back to commanding the battle.

Seeing the tsunami of mud and sand controlled by Shi Huaiyu closing in, Ma Xuan struck out, sending a massive wave of his own to meet it.

But the next moment, Che Yufei and Shi Yunxiang lunged from the left and right, their aura surging like a giant hammer and drill, piercing through the wall of mud.

Ma Xuan thought to himself: "Is it because the distance is too short, and I lacked the momentum?"

"Hmph, Zhang Yu’s stalling gave them the chance to close the distance."

At this precise moment, Cong Na and Yang Yan surged forward to intercept Che Yufei and Shi Yunxiang.

With a jarring collision, Che Yufei and Shi Yunxiang winced in pain, muttering, "Their Dharma frames are iron-hard; the repair costs after this fight will be astronomical."

Just then, Tian Yang unleashed his Gale Dust-Cloud Palm.

He mused to himself, "This technique, inspired by construction site dust pollution and particulate control, is perfectly suited for the current environment."

Under the cover of his assault, the group surged forward once more.

But in the next heartbeat, a flash of lightning erupted from behind them.

A sphere of thunderous, fiery energy, like a cannonball, streaked from hundreds of meters away, hurtling directly toward Che Yufei.

It was Ji Yuanshu who had struck.

Surrounded by swirling gales, he maneuvered at supersonic speeds behind Shi Huaiyu’s party.

His Dharma frame’s arms had unfurled external meridians, which, once linked, transformed his limbs into a railgun capable of heating his aura and accelerating it with electromagnetic force, creating blasts with a range exceeding five hundred meters.

Under his relentless barrage, spheres of thunder-fire rained down upon Shi Huaiyu and the others.

Especially under the lock of the Sixth-Generation Soul-Chasing Eye, the moment a target was exposed, Ji Yuanshu’s cannon would fire, leaving no opportunity for escape.

Linked with Ma Xuan, targets were constantly marked and projected onto Ji Yuanshu’s ocular display.

Often, just as a blast of thunder-fire was unleashed, Ma Xuan would shift the shifting sands to expose a hidden target, making Ji Yuanshu’s strikes impossibly unpredictable.

With a thunderous roar, another blast of thunder-fire was shattered by Xiao Qingxuan’s dragon-shaped aura.

Shi Huaiyu’s expression darkened as he glared at the distant Ji Yuanshu.

With Ji Yuanshu circling behind them, firing from every conceivable angle, they were perpetually caught in a pincer.

If they attempted to eliminate him, he would manipulate the winds, retreating and maneuvering at triple the speed of sound.

Throughout this, Ji Yuanshu continued to rain fire upon the battlefield.

Combined with Ma Xuan’s "Small Trinity" crowd control, Shi Huaiyu and his team were being bled dry of time.

"More irritating than a swarm of flies."

Shi Huaiyu had not expected that while they sent Zhang Yu to harass the enemy, they would be equally disgusted by Ji Yuanshu.

Watching this, Ma Xuan thought to himself, "At the same level of cultivation, raw power and combat efficacy are not equivalent."

"Especially as the environment and battlefield conditions shift, the one who decides the outcome is not necessarily the strongest individual present."

"Ji Yuanshu’s optimized long-range assault mode will secure my victory in this battle."

"Keep firing, Ji Yuanshu; I shall ensure your destructive potential is unleashed to its fullest."

Seeing Shi Huaiyu activate his "Small Trinity" to lunge at Ji Yuanshu, Ma Xuan immediately coordinated with his teammates to strike at Che Yufei and the others.

As Shi Huaiyu committed his "Small Trinity" to hold the front line, Ji Yuanshu resumed his long-range bombardment.

Ma Xuan smiled inwardly: "Whichever path you choose, it will only expose your fatal flaws."

Just then, Ma Xuan’s brow furrowed slightly.

He felt the earth beneath his feet begin to tremble violently.