CSMCDB - Chapter 79

Chapter 79

Back at the academy, it was time to prepare for the Youth Tournament. During this period, Wen Yuncheng was still spending all her time in the Dueling Arena. If she earned a bit more experience now, she might be able to hit level 40 right after the tournament. Every ten levels brought a huge boost to Wen Yuncheng's strength, and this time would be no exception. She was incredibly excited to see what skills and blueprints she would unlock.

As for Number One, Wen Yuncheng had recently figured out another use for it—helping with assembly. However, Number One's hands weren't very dexterous. Learning ability was one thing, but manual skill was another. Although Number One could complete the assembly of an Enemy-Annihilator, its efficiency wasn't even a tenth of Wen Yuncheng's... That said, having Number One assemble parts all night while Wen Yuncheng slept still resulted in decent progress.

Especially when she watched it carefully pick up a component much smaller than its own fingers and meticulously fit it onto other parts, Wen Yuncheng was inexplicably reminded of the phrase, "In me, the tiger sniffs the rose"... though she felt it wasn't a very strong connection.

Host: Wen Yuncheng

Race: Human

Age: 17

Class: Mechanical Master

Level: 37

Experience: 17955/23000

Points: 2017

The Youth Tournament began.

The Youth Tournament was held at the Imperial Capital's Royal Combat Stadium, a battle arena built by the Imperial family at great expense, with top-of-the-line facilities, including the rings and spectator stands. The first round of matches was held simultaneously across twenty rings. Losers would enter an elimination round, from which only the top ten could advance to the second stage. Then, those who lost in the second stage would gather again for another elimination round.

As before, the Youth Tournament prohibited reliance on overly powerful external items—such as forbidden art scrolls, burst-enhancing drugs, Wen Yuncheng's mechanical army, or Spirit Treasures of Profound-rank and above.

That's right, this competition also stipulated that Spirit Treasures of Profound-rank and above were not allowed, which was meant to maintain a certain degree of fairness to the greatest extent possible.

[Mission Activated: Youth Tournament (I)]

[Mission Requirement: Enter the Youth Tournament finals.]

[Mission Reward: 5000 EXP, 100 Points]

A series mission? And the first one is to reach the finals... Wen Yuncheng let out a low laugh. It seemed 1947 had a lot of confidence in her.

The first round, naturally, was decided by drawing lots. The Empire had estimated the approximate number of participants and tentatively set the duration of the first round to two months, which, of course, included the elimination rounds. With twenty rings operating simultaneously, each match was estimated to last between thirty minutes and an hour. The matches began at eight in the morning and ended at ten at night.

Wen Yuncheng drew a number and was shocked to see it was 3578! She checked the schedule and found that her match likely wouldn't be until the ninth day. Of course, the Empire updated the match numbers daily, so as long as one paid attention, they wouldn't miss their turn.

...This Youth Tournament really has a lot of participants.

Aimed at the youth, the first round would eliminate half of the contestants. After all, many young people only participated to broaden their horizons. Many first-year students from Star Academy had even signed up. Since they only had to fight one match in the first round, they could just ask for leave if it conflicted with their classes.

Wen Yuncheng sighed. According to this schedule, she would have plenty of time to spend in the Dueling Arena. So much for preparing for the tournament. She hadn't expected so many people to participate; her turn wouldn't come until the second week.

[Don't worry, no one pays attention to the first round. Even the major powers within the Empire are most focused on the finals.] 1947 had anticipated this; otherwise, it wouldn't have issued a mission for Wen Yuncheng to reach the finals. [You can use this time to grind for experience in the Dueling Arena and cultivate a winner's heart. Who knows, you might even hit level 40 by the time you reach the finals, right?]

Wen Yuncheng scratched her head. 1947 had a good point... She had known the tournament would be long, just not this long. She had thought it would be like the Academy Exchange Tournament, with intense battles right from the start. After understanding the situation, Wen Yuncheng also realized why Lin Jinyu was still focused on consolidating her cultivation. The Little Ice Mountain wasn't concerned with the first round at all. In her eyes, the first round was just part of her preparation period.

The match schedule was slightly off. Wen Yuncheng spent seven days in the Dueling Arena, and only on the eighth day did she receive a message that her number was coming up, prompting her to hurry to the Combat Stadium. After presenting her number tag and proof of identity (the Star Academy emblem), Wen Yuncheng was quickly allowed through and entered the Combat Stadium's preparation room.

The Combat Stadium was heavily guarded, with patrolling soldiers and sentries visible everywhere at the entrance to the preparation room and in the corridors. This made Wen Yuncheng feel a rare sense of nervousness. However... when she got on the stage, she discovered her opponent was only a first-layer Star Warrior? Fortunately, this person wasn't from Star Academy, so Wen Yuncheng felt no psychological pressure about crushing a newbie and easily passed the first round.

As the first round of the tournament was nearing its end, Wen Yuncheng's birthday arrived once again. Looking back, Wen Yuncheng still felt a sense of daze, as if she had just left Holy Star City one second, only to find herself enrolled at Star Academy for three years the next.

Three years.

She and Lin Jinyu had known each other for three years now.

A simple meal, a gathering. Wen Yuncheng realized she hadn't been in contact with Zhou Xuan and the others for a long time. Perhaps it was because she had improved too quickly, and a gap had formed between her and them. Even sparring with her was no longer meaningful for them. She was busy fighting in the Dueling Arena, and they were also training hard. Everyone was busy.

During the meal, Zhou Xuan drank his wine, patted Wen Yuncheng on the shoulder, and without saying anything else, gave her a thumbs-up. "Good luck in the Youth Tournament."

They said it with a smile.

Wen Yuncheng smiled and returned the toast. She couldn't drink much, so she only took a small sip. After the meal, they returned to the academy, each going their own way to pursue their own goals.

Wen Yuncheng, feeling a bit dizzy, received the Star Stones Yan Ling gave her. She was told they also included a small token from Cheng Jiangliu, Zhao Qiuyu, and Yao Mu. They didn't have time to come, so they had asked Yan Ling to pass it on. Yao Mu was also in seclusion; he had drawn an early number, and after his first-round battle, he had gone back to cultivating.

Slightly tipsy, Wen Yuncheng lay on her dorm bed. She couldn't help but wonder, It's a good thing Lin Jinyu works hard enough, otherwise... would a gap have opened up between us, too? Her template was simply too overpowered for this continent. Bottlenecks didn't exist for her; as long as there was no level cap, she had no limits.

Thinking of Lin Jinyu, Wen Yuncheng realized she hadn't seen her all day. She rolled over, a little dejected. Could the Little Ice Mountain have forgotten? ...She knew Lin Jinyu was very busy and had heard she'd returned to the Flowing Cloud Sect after her first-round match, but, but... she still wanted to see her.

Even without a gift, just seeing Lin Jinyu would be enough. Wen Yuncheng dazedly rolled over again, lying on her back. She casually released Number One and placed the parts for an Enemy-Annihilator on the floor beside her bed. Number One quietly began its slow assembly work.

Her share of the profits from the mechanical armguards was dwindling. But after the windfall from the Xuanhuang Tomb, Wen Yuncheng no longer had to worry about Star Stones. As for the Star Stones from Yan Ling and the seniors on her birthday, Wen Yuncheng would make a note of it and return the favor on their birthdays. Of course, there was also the portion from Zhou Xuan and the others...

When she woke up, it was already night. Wen Yuncheng scratched her head, casually bought a steamed bun from the system store to eat, and then climbed out of bed. It's... past nine already? I haven't seen Lin Jinyu all day... Wen Yuncheng's mood sank a little.

[Maybe she's trying to break through?]

"I know..." Of course she knew how hard Lin Jinyu worked, and that she probably really couldn't get away, but knowing was one thing, and feeling disappointed was another...

Knock.

A knock on the door?!

Wen Yuncheng's eyes lit up, and she nearly choked on her steamed bun. She patted her chest to swallow the food in her mouth, then hurried to the door—it was Lin Jinyu!

"I thought you weren't coming..."

"Sorry, I was held up by something..."

The two spoke at almost the exact same time. The scene was a little comical. Wen Yuncheng took a step back and smiled, and the corners of Lin Jinyu's lips turned up, seemingly in a good mood.

Wen Yuncheng looked at Lin Jinyu intently. The Little Ice Mountain seemed a bit haggard; she probably hadn't rested in a long time. She couldn't help but frown, about to say something, but Lin Jinyu spoke first, asking her something else:

"I prepared a gift for you."

"A gift? You're—" Wen Yuncheng had wanted to say, You're the best gift, but she swallowed the words just as they reached her lips and changed course. "—too kind. It's fine even without a gift."

Lin Jinyu clearly didn't notice Wen Yuncheng's awkwardness from nearly biting her tongue. She glanced at the time, knowing the day was almost over, and asked Wen Yuncheng to go downstairs with her.

Downstairs from the dormitory, a large Gugu Bird was quietly curled up in a ball. Wen Yuncheng was startled when she saw it. "C-Can it come into the academy?"

"No," Lin Jinyu replied. The Gugu Bird noticed her and came trotting over, which was a rather comical sight. Lin Jinyu pulled Wen Yuncheng onto the Gugu Bird's back, and without any command, the bird flapped its wings and quickly flew away from the academy.

—Tao Jingyun withdrew her perception. Kids these days, sigh.

The Gugu Bird flew for an unknown amount of time; Wen Yuncheng didn't bother to keep track. Her entire focus was on the hand she held in Lin Jinyu's. She sat behind Lin Jinyu, her right hand holding Lin Jinyu's right hand. They were close together, and from a distance, it looked as if she were holding Lin Jinyu in her arms—of course, Wen Yuncheng wanted to, but she didn't dare.

"Are you excited?" Lin Jinyu could hear Wen Yuncheng's heartbeat. After she asked, it seemed to beat even faster. Her gifts the past two years had been simple, just medicinal pills. But now, Lin Jinyu felt that Wen Yuncheng didn't really need pills anymore, so she wanted to give her something else—a beautiful memory, for example.

Lin Jinyu could never forget how moved she was when Wen Yuncheng celebrated her birthday, and this year, she wanted to give Wen Yuncheng that same feeling.

Wen Yuncheng didn't dare to speak, afraid her voice would tremble if she opened her mouth. Of course she was excited, but more than that, she was already thrilled and content enough as it was.

She closed her eyes and took a few deep breaths, finally managing to calm her emotions. Only then did she speak. "I'm very happy."

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