Translator: CinderTL
October 30th.
In the Virtual Independent Cosmos, within a Cosmic Arena.
Clang! Clang! Clang!
Jiang Ye, wielding the Black Dragon Spear, clashed fiercely with his opponent.
Thunderous roars echoed incessantly.
Each strike of his flawlessly executed spearmanship techniques, like a relentless storm, poured down upon his opponent.
Boom!
Boom!
Across from Jiang Ye, a burly young man proved equally formidable.
Wielding a long staff, he engaged Jiang Ye in a brutal exchange.
His jet-black hair stood on end, radiating untamed arrogance, while his Martial Dao Aura surged like a tempestuous sea, violent and overwhelming.
Judging by his qi prowess, he was clearly a First Breakthrough Peak expert!
"Kill!"
"Kill! Kill!"
Jiang Ye completely dominated the battle. Each strike carried the weight of Mount Tai, crushing his opponent with overwhelming pressure.
Forcing the burly, black-haired youth to retreat relentlessly.
With each thrust, the force behind Jiang Ye's spear grew exponentially.
In mere seconds, Jiang Ye unleashed dozens of strikes, his momentum building to a fever pitch.
"Ultimate move," Jiang Ye roared, his spear transforming into a Black Dragon. With a deafening buzz, it pierced forward, its piercing wail echoing like a dragon's roar.
A dazzling halo materialized, tearing through the darkness like the dawn breaking.
It was the ultimate move of the Great Sun Spear Technique's second form—Proud Sun Soars Across the Sky!
The halo, resembling a blazing sun, erupted forth the instant Jiang Ye unleashed his ultimate move.
It crashed down upon the burly youth with thunderous force.
Boom!
The Proud Sun tore through the youth's defenses like a meteor strike, hurtling downward with unstoppable momentum.
Whoosh! Like a colossal ship plunging into the sea, the impact unleashed a tsunami of energy.
A terrifying shockwave swept outward.
Thud! A figure, like a kite with its string cut, was sent flying backward.
He crashed heavily beyond the edge of the arena.
"As expected of a genius from Penglai University. Truly formidable."
"I'll remember you," the burly youth growled, his eyes burning with battle lust as he lay sprawled on the ground. "We'll fight again someday!"
"Alright," Jiang Ye replied with a faint smile.
The black-haired youth cast one last deep look at Jiang Ye before his form slowly dissipated.
Penglai University's Jiang Ye has claimed victory!
Tier: 0 (99/100)
Matches: 799
Win Rate: 56%
"799 matches... finally made it to the Promotion Match," Jiang Ye exhaled.
For the past three months, he had dedicated two hours daily to climbing the Cosmic Rank.
Now, he had accumulated 799 matches.
The reason for such a high number of matches was due to the peculiar matchmaking system.
Whenever he achieved a winning streak, he would be matched against opponents one tier higher, leading to a series of defeats.
This cycle repeated endlessly.
As a result, Jiang Ye had only just reached the Promotion Match threshold.
Fortunately, Jiang Ye wasn't solely focused on climbing the ranks; his primary goal was to hone his combat skills.
"My current strength..." Jiang Ye glanced at his status panel.
Cultivation Techniques
Star Martial Advancement Method: Major Success (98%)
Nine Luminaries Star-Treading: Small Success (1%)
Great Sun Spear Technique: Small Success (10%)
After three months of cultivation, Jiang Ye's progress had been nothing short of meteoric.
Not only had his Advancement Method reached Perfection, but his Nine Luminaries Star-Treading Cosmic Secret Art had also broken through to Small Success!
Even more remarkably, his Great Sun Spear Technique, a High-Grade Profound Rank art technique, had soared from Uninitiated to Small Success in the same period. He could now unleash its second ultimate move—Proud Sun Soars Across the Sky!
"Proud Sun Soars Across the Sky," Jiang Ye murmured, recalling the recent battle. "It's truly powerful!"
In that battle, he had crushed his opponent using this newly mastered ultimate move.
"That guy was just a student from Extreme Sea University," Jiang Ye thought. "He's nowhere near Shen Changxi's level. Still, he was at least at the First Breakthrough Peak."
Now, Jiang Ye felt confident and ready to face the geniuses of Penglai University on equal footing.
"Promotion Match," Jiang Ye murmured, glancing at his battle record panel. After a moment's hesitation, he decided against continuing his challenge.
Based on the matchmaking system's usual patterns, this Promotion Match would undoubtedly be incredibly difficult, possibly even pitting him against students from the Top Ten Elite Schools.
His chances of winning were slim—perhaps only one in ten.
Jiang Ye exited the Virtual Cosmos and returned to the main villa, preparing for his daily cultivation routine.
Buzz!
His phone vibrated softly.
"A school notification?" Jiang Ye activated the holographic projection.
Dear Student Jiang Ye, the Freshman Competition will officially commence on October 31st. You have already registered to participate.
Freshman Competition Rules and Details:
The Freshman Competition will be held in a virtual Independent Cosmos. The preliminary round will feature five hundred arenas, from which the top 500 competitors will advance. The second round will have two hundred and fifty arenas, narrowing the field to the top 250. This pattern will continue until the top 10 and ultimately the champion are determined.
"Five hundred arenas for the preliminary round?" Jiang Ye marveled. "The school really doesn't waste any time."
"Indeed," he thought to himself. "For students at Penglai University, every minute of cultivation time is precious."
Unlike some competitions that drag on for days, this Freshman Competition would be remarkably efficient.
With over a thousand freshmen participating, the top 500 could be determined in just a few minutes.
The entire competition, from the top 500 to the top 10 and the final champion, might conclude in less than an hour.
"Rewards for the Freshman Competition," Jiang Ye continued browsing the competition rules.
The rewards for this Freshman Competition are as follows:
Top 100: 1,000 merit points each
Top 50: 10,000 merit points each
Top 10: 100,000 merit points each and qualification for the Twenty-Five School Genius Cup
Final Champion: 1,000,000 merit points
"Hiss!"
Jiang Ye couldn't help but gasp.
The disparity between the rewards for the Top 100 and the Final Champion was staggering.
The 1,000 merit points for the Top 100 were practically consolation prizes.
But the Champion? 1,000,000 merit points—equivalent to 10,000,000 federal currency!
"Currently," Jiang Ye calculated, "my Martial Dao Dietary Supplements alone cost me 700,000 to 800,000 federal currency per month. Add in the medication, and my monthly expenses easily exceed 1,000,000."
In just three months, he had advanced from mid-First Breakthrough to First Breakthrough Peak.
How had he progressed so rapidly?
Beyond sheer effort, the key was investing heavily in resources.
Martial Dao Dietary Supplements solidified his foundation, while medication accelerated his progress.
It was the combination of these two factors that allowed Jiang Ye to cultivate at his current speed.
"Hmm."
"And then there's the Primordial-Tier Cosmic Cleansing twice a month, at five hundred thousand yuan per session." Jiang Ye was secretly shocked. "That's over two million yuan right there."
As a Third-Tier Reserve Star Practitioner, he was entitled to one free Primordial-Tier Cosmic Cleansing session per year.
But that was it.
For the rest, he'd have to pay out of pocket.
"Once I break through to the second breakthrough, the spending will only intensify."
"By then, low-grade profound martial ginseng and Martial Spirit Mushrooms won't cut it anymore." Jiang Ye continued to ponder. "I'll need mid-grade or high-grade profound ones for a stronger effect."
With that thought, he opened the school's exchange page.
Low-Grade Profound Martial Ginseng: 5,000 merit points/100g
Mid-Grade Profound Martial Ginseng: 20,000 merit points/100g
High-Grade Profound Martial Ginseng: 50,000 merit points/100g
Mid-Grade Profound Martial Ginseng cost four times as much as the low-grade variety!
Zhao Qingli's expenses were likely similar.
"After the second breakthrough, I'll probably need over five million yuan per month," Jiang Ye mused.
This realization only reinforced the importance of the Freshman Competition to him.
"I have to win the championship!"
"One hundred thousand merit points." Jiang Ye's eyes burned with determination.
If wealthy students like Shen Changxi and Liu Wanxiao tried to snatch those 100,000 merit points from a poor kid like him, they'd better not expect any mercy!
(End of the Chapter)
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