At another VIP section,
Mayor Qu watched the Liang City squad of three suddenly enlarged on the broadcast screen. He was slightly surprised: "I didn't expect this Liang City squad to be so reckless. Of all places to go, they had to choose that blank area on the map?"
"That's a medium-sized wolf den!" he added, pausing briefly before continuing, "Principal Zhou, what are the chances that the three of them will make it through?"
Principal Charles Zhou sipped his tea and shook his head. "Less than ten percent."
"Only ten percent?" Mayor Qu's mouth opened slightly in astonishment. He hadn't expected such a low probability.
"When we planned this competition, we considered everything—the number of Vexfang Wolf, the placement of their dens, their life strength, and so on."
"This includes why we didn't mark anything on the map. Every detail was carefully calculated." Zhou's expression suddenly became serious. "You and I both know that the entire High Martial Civilization ecosystem looks prosperous and flourishing, but what about outside the circle?"
"The land outside is in ruins. How many of these students have ever seen it?"
"This Badge Contest isn't just the inaugural one; we deliberately set it inside a Spirit Realm to let these flowers experience real hardship."
"We've calculated that even a Tier 1 Mastery Martial Skill can only defend itself against a medium wolf den."
"And according to the rules, the first round requires all teammates to survive to pass." Zhou paused, narrowing his eyes at the trio about to face a fight-to-the-death scenario. The implication was clear: unless the Liang City squad's skills were all Tier 1 Mastery, they wouldn't make it.
Mayor Qu pondered for a moment, then asked, "But these wolf dens could be avoided, right? They wouldn't move unless the squad went there."
Charles Zhou smiled faintly. "Theoretically, yes. But practically, it's impossible to avoid."
"These wolf dens aren't marked. When using the wristband navigation, if you don't manually adjust your route, it defaults to the nearest path."
"Many real badges are placed just behind seemingly safe wolf dens."
"If these students follow navigation blindly without thinking, they will inevitably pass through a wolf den."
"The den is symbolic—it represents the extremely powerful Other Races. You have to be alert and avoid them."
"I once said, 'All badge placements are safe.' I wonder if anyone noticed the subtlety in that statement."
"Connecting all routes between badges and taking the longer path is the only way to be truly safe."
Zhou sipped his tea again. "But encountering a Vexfang Wolf doesn't mean elimination."
"The number and strength of Vexfang Wolves vary. Sometimes you might meet just a few, or even only one."
"The Liang City squad was simply unlucky to encounter a medium den—twenty of them!"
"This is our carefully designed segment, meant to give students a first glimpse of life outside the ecosystem."
"Every second and every step outside the circle must be carefully considered."
"I see. Limitless Martial Hall really put thought into this," Mayor Qu nodded thoughtfully. As mayor of Harbor City, a central city, he had more knowledge than other mayors and understood the current state of High Martial Civilization.
But compared to the man before him, he was far behind. Zhou, on the surface, was merely Principal of Harbor City No. 1 High School. In reality, he was the Tri-Star Steward of Limitless Martial Hall. The principal title was insignificant—Limitless Martial Hall was the front line against the Other Races. Nobody knew the Other Races better than they did.
Mayor Qu then smiled. "I wonder if Kathy Zhou will pass smoothly this time."
Zhou chuckled. "You just wanted to ask about your own son!"
"Don't worry. With Kathy Zhou from Harbor City and your son Adrian Quinton, even if they encounter a large wolf den, nothing can stop them!"
Spirit Realm Tier 1 – Forest of Direwolves
Ethan Chen struck first, fully unleashing his Tier 1 Mastery Martial Skill at 98% proficiency, enhanced with a Level 9 Spiritual Power Attachment. His combat power rivaled 99% proficiency.
He dashed forward like a wild stallion, executing Flowing Light Sword Technique, Second Form: Thunderous Drums, instantly taking down a Vexfang Wolf.
This move immediately drew the attention of the remaining nineteen Vexfang Wolves.
They glanced at each other. Thirteen wolves charged at Ethan, while the remaining six split into two groups, targeting Moret and Liu Bo.
Ethan felt slightly relieved. As long as the wolves didn't enter a berserk state, his two companions could hold out.
Although Moret and Liu Bo were both Tier 1 Advanced, their skills hadn't reached 80%. Even a 1% difference in proficiency, such as 89% vs. 90%, made a noticeable difference.
Ethan's 98% proficiency, combined with the Level 9 Spiritual Power Attachment, made him effectively equal to a Tier 1 99% Mastery.
Level 10 Spiritual Power could trigger a qualitative leap, but Level 9 still provided meaningful assistance. Liu Bo's Spirit Level was only 1, and Moret's Level 5 had minimal effect.
A Tier 1 Martial Skill's proficiency is divided as follows: Beginner (1–29%), Intermediate (30–59%), Advanced (60–89%), Mastery (90–99%), and Limit (100%).
The difference between Beginner and Intermediate is small, increasing gradually. The final 1% from Mastery to Limit is the largest gap—reaching Limit strengthens all four forms of the skill, essentially a qualitative change.
From Ryan Ling's explanations, Ethan knew that Tier 1 Limit Martial Skills were one of the prerequisites to become a Skyborne Martial Artist—just as one needed Life Strength at 9.9 level and Tier 1 Intermediate Martial Skill. Ethan didn't know the other two conditions yet; it was useless for him to know too much now anyway.
Ethan executed all four forms of Flowing Light Sword Technique again, eliminating two more Vexfang Wolves. Having killed countless of these creatures in Crystal Space, he knew their habits and attack patterns thoroughly, allowing him to anticipate their movements. Coupled with his 98% Mastery and Level 9 Spiritual Power, the fight looked effortless—like slicing through vegetables.
Audience Seats
"Impressive!"
"This Liang City squad actually has a Tier 1 Mastery Martial Skill!" The two commentators who had previously predicted the squad's early elimination were completely taken aback.
"No way! He actually used the fourth form of Flowing Light Sword Technique!"
"Wow, this swordsman from Liang City has the Chicken Aura like Musashi!"
"Chicken Aura" comes from a hundred-player survival game. It indicates a player with a high chance of surviving to the end. The system announces, "Winner winner, chicken dinner!" as a congratulatory message.
In the Hundred Cities Championship, any martial artist who reaches Tier 1 Mastery has a realistic shot at victory.
In other words… they've got Chicken Aura!