Chapter 337: The Competition Begins (3k)
The next day, a deafening roar echoed through the European-style city. The entire city seemed to awaken, bursting with astonishing vitality. Su Jiu and the others, dressed in their school uniforms, joined the crowd heading towards the largest martial arts arena in the city center – Hess Square.
The hotel wasn’t far from the city center, and they soon arrived at the outskirts. The massive building at the culmination of the crowd finally came into view.
Hess Square, much like its name suggested, incorporated subtle elements of the Greek “dusk.” The yellowish city walls, stretching to the end, exuded a sense of solemnity. The setting sun cast a faint glow upon the semi-oval plaza.
“As expected of a dueling ground named Dusk.”
Su Jiu, marveling at the grandeur of the venue, brushed past other students. She glanced at Vivian, who was uncharacteristically not engrossed in her phone, and with a smile, asked in a low voice, “Why aren’t you playing games today? Are you nervous?”
“Guess why I’m not playing?”
Vivian looked at her as if she were an idiot, creating momentary awkwardness. However, Vivian didn’t dwell on it, abruptly changing the subject and pointedly asking, “It seems you’ve added quite a few ‘sisters’ to your phone? What, you even added Bai Zhi as a ‘special contact’?”
“Haha, there are more and more people. Let’s go grab our seats. Captain, you need to hurry too.”
The other three sensed a thick atmosphere of conflict. Li Yi feigned ignorance, laughing heartily before turning and quickening their pace towards the competition plaza without looking back.
“This…”
Upon being asked about Bai Zhi, Su Jiu’s body stiffened slightly. She subtly glanced at Vivian, saw her staring directly at her, and then awkwardly chuckled, rubbing her nose. She explained, “Her… it was an accident. My relationship with her is purely platonic, and definitely not what you’re thinking.”
“What I’m thinking? You’re eating snacks behind my back and didn’t tell me.”
Hearing Su Jiu’s explanation, Vivian raised an eyebrow. She gently pinched Su Jiu’s slightly pointed Blood Clan ears and rolled her eyes. “I was just saying. You really have a little story, don’t you? Tell me your story. Confess and be forgiven, resist and perish…”
“Wait… I don’t think I set a special contact!”
Vivian’s words made Su Jiu suddenly remember something important. She picked up her phone and opened her QQ account, only to find that she hadn’t set Bai Zhi as a special contact. However, there was a red notification marked with a ‘1’.
When would this Bai Zhi send something? Of all times, she chose to send something unknown. Wasn’t she just asking for trouble?
She swallowed, but dared not open it. Looking up again, she met those rose-colored eyes. There was a strange smile in them, and the owner’s voice, though gentle, made Su Jiu’s hair stand on end:
“Why don’t you open it and see?”
“Alright then, actually, our relationship is very innocent…”
After a brief silence, Su Jiu sighed and opened the message on her phone. She felt an innate fear when Vivian questioned her, perhaps stemming from affection, fearing that the other person would no longer talk to her.
Upon seeing the message, Su Jiu’s relieved heart leaped back into anxiety. She had expected the gluttonous Bai Zhi to ask for instant noodles or something similar. Instead, it seemed she was truly in trouble. It wasn’t just one sentence, but three:
The first sentence seemed to be a reply, but Su Jiu hadn’t sent any messages –
“Me? I’ve been doing well lately. I found a Dragon Hunter job and I’m your colleague now.”
The second sentence was similar –
“Resources? I’m not short of them. You sent me quite a lot.”
The third sentence was the one she had thought about for a long time, and it was quite thought-provoking –
“Are there any places in Lindong Province where I can get fire-attribute Magic Crystals? I need some.”
After a moment of contemplation, Su Jiu forwarded Youyou’s contact information and sent a message –
“Just say Su Jiu asked you to find her. You can ask her if you don’t understand anything.”
“If you really can’t find any, just let me know. It shouldn’t be difficult for me to get some for you.”
Seeing no reply from the other side, Su Jiu put away her phone. She didn’t have any fire-attribute Magic Crystals with her, nor did she understand why Bai Zhi, a Plant Demon, would need such crystals. She could only give Bai Zhi Youyou’s account.
She then let out a sigh of relief. Fortunately, silly Bai Zhi hadn’t acted crazy and said anything else, or she would have been in trouble.
She guessed that Vivian had previously used her identity to ask something like, “How have you been lately?” Su Jiu wasn’t particularly angry about it, as she and Bai Zhi had a connection first, and the other person hadn’t asked any private questions.
“Forget it, I can’t be bothered to ask you… We’re almost there. Let’s go inside first. I remember the team captains are responsible for the draw.”
Glancing at Su Jiu, Vivian said softly, then grabbed Su Jiu’s hand, changing the subject with a smile.
She had already obtained the QQ account of the girl named Bai Zhi and would ask about the situation with a secondary account later. If the girl was truly in trouble, she wouldn’t mind helping her. Although they weren’t very wealthy, sending some basic fire-attribute Magic Crystals wouldn’t be a problem.
“So many people…”
As the two approached the plaza, the high platform was already packed. Looking down, Su Jiu marveled at the seating area below, which was completely full. The dense crowd of people was somewhat dizzying.
“The 2024 World Competition is about to begin. Please, the referees and judges representing the Five Permanent Council members and permanent nations, take your positions!”
Amidst the chaotic venue, a broadcast voice suddenly echoed, playing in five common languages in rotation, lingering in the plaza. Under the broadcast, the noisy voices gradually subsided until they disappeared completely.
“Whoosh—”
As the broadcast faded, the sound of rushing wind erupted from the plaza. Everyone looked up, catching only fleeting glimpses of blurred figures.
Su Jiu narrowed her eyes and saw more than a dozen figures who had somehow appeared on the special high-tiered seats in the plaza.
She could clearly see that these judges were from all over the world, with different skin tones, and wore national emblems on their chests, emphasizing fairness. The judge from Dragon Country was an old man in a black robe, with white hair and a youthful face. Snow seemed to rest on his brows, and he exuded an indescribable aura that felt familiar to Su Jiu.
“He… might be a Night Watcher.”
Their eyes met abruptly. As if noticing the school uniform on Su Jiu, the old man’s eyes curved into a smile. Su Jiu blinked, realizing where that familiar feeling came from…
The host was a middle-aged Caucasian man with a strange sense of pressure about him. He slowly walked forward, raising his hands gently, and the entire plaza fell silent. He scanned the crowd with his gaze, and his melodious English resonated in everyone’s ears.
“Captains of the student teams from all countries are invited to enter and draw their opponents.”
As the middle-aged man’s voice faded, figures flickered on the platform. Streaks of external qi of different colors were drawn by individuals in mid-air. Their auras were incredibly powerful, with the lowest being at the High-Rank Battle General level.
“I’m going to draw. I hope I get a good opponent.”
Su Jiu exchanged a glance with Vivian and smiled faintly. Then, she lightly tapped her toes and landed on the platform. Without revealing any of her aura, she simply used her momentum to ascend, taking the last position in the line.
Listening to the thunderous cheers, Su Jiu couldn’t help but turn back to look. She saw dense crowds of students from various countries cheering for their own nations, and a strange sense of passion surged within her.
The World Competition. She had to admit, she was a little excited.
…
Lindong Province, Donghuan City.
“This blockhead…”
In a clean office within the grand government building, a young girl, dressed in a loose white dress, pouted as she looked at the message on her phone, a faint smile on her face.
She then lowered her head, touched her slightly rounded abdomen, and muttered, “It’s really different from human time. It’s about six months at most, or half a year at quickest. I need to replenish fire elements quickly, I can’t let her bloodline assimilate and turn into a demon like me…”
“Xiaobai! In a few months, a big shot from our unit is coming here. I heard he’s handsome. Will you show off at the welcome reception?”
A female voice, with a friendly tone, asked loudly. It belonged to a woman wearing a silver dragon head badge, a curious smile on her face.
Xiaobai, looking up slightly with her eyes sparkling, glanced at her. Bai Zhi’s gentle expression turned a bit cold. She said lightly, “I’m not interested. Let’s focus on work first.”
After being rejected by Bai Zhi, the friendly female Dragon Hunter didn’t seem disheartened. She just chuckled, “You don’t understand. That big shot’s family has someone at the Battle King level. If you marry into a wealthy family, you might have thousands upon thousands of money to spend.”
“I don’t lack that small change, and I have a boyfriend.”
Bai Zhi said faintly, without looking up. A Battle King level? In another moment, she would easily reach that level. Her gaze fell on the QQ number sent by Su Jiu.
“A special government account? Is this also her friend?”
She was slightly surprised by the display of a unique government account identifier. Then, she lightly clicked to add her as a friend.
“You always say you have a boyfriend, but you’ve been working overtime until midnight these past few days, and he hasn’t come to pick you up… Sigh, you don’t know the value of a wealthy family when you’re young. You’re too young.”
The friendly female Dragon Hunter, rejected again, was starting to lose face. She mumbled a few words before pushing open the sliding door and leaving.
