Chapter 480
480 Finale (1)
In the blink of an eye, 100 years had passed.
The old blue planet looked like a civilization in decline.
Most of the industrial areas had been abandoned. The farmland was filled with weeds, and many cities were decorated with patches of green by vines.
More mutant beasts appeared in the wilderness again. They appeared in groups in cities that were like wastelands. The roars of huge beasts shook the world, and ferocious birds tore through the sky.
Other than the Daxia Kingdom, the entire blue planet had become uninhabited. Most of it could even be described as a no man’s land.
According to the statistics, the population had decreased from a few billion to less than 100 million people.
There were many reasons, but the main reason was that the humans from the blue planet had established themselves on the new planet, the abandoned world, and established a space teleportation formation to connect to the blue planet.
Now, other than a few people, most of the humans on the blue planet chose to go to the new planet after becoming warriors.
The new planet was equivalent to a holy land for cultivation with a limitless future. The blue planet was like a remote village that was behind the times, no one would choose to stay except for those who were extremely attached to the countryside.
It could be said that the old planet had already been abandoned, leaving behind only its status as the ancestral land of the humans.
The people who were still there were those with the worst cultivation talent. They could only place their hopes on the next generation to reach the minimum requirement for going to the abandoned world, which was the warrior realm.
Only by possessing supernatural power could one adapt to the environment of the new planet.
At the same time, this was a compromise made by those on the new planet. They were unwilling to completely give up on the ancestral land.
In reality, 100 years later, the new planet had more than one or two secret realms. Even ordinary people who could not cultivate could still survive on the new planet.
…
Jiangnan province, Suhang City.
West Lake District High School.
Winter had passed. At this moment, it was the season when spring was starting and flowers were beginning to bloom. The first trace of warmth from early spring spread through the ground, and the aura of life was everywhere.
Four red and white buildings were located in the school grounds. Each building had a total of seven floors, and the martial arts classes were divided into the beginner, intermediate, and advanced classes.
In one of the classrooms, a martial arts theory class was underway.
“Knock! Knock! Knock!”
A middle-aged man in loose training robes with slightly white hair at his temples who was about 50 years old knocked on the blackboard with one hand.
On the blackboard was a hand-drawn diagram illustrating the path of transmission of human muscle power. Beside it were many annotations.
“All students, take note. These are the key points that need to be memorized word by word. A journey of 1,000 kilometers begins with a single step. If you want to master supernatural power, you have to master your bodies perfectly first.”
The middle-aged man reminded them repeatedly. In reality, he had emphasized this countless times since the class started.
However, this group of students were all bad at cultivation. 100 years ago, they would not have been able to obtain any cultivation resources at all, and would only be able to do some manual labor.
“Dong!”
The middle-aged man patted the blackboard again and said, “I can also understand the mental fatigue of you students. Martial arts cultivation has never been an easy thing to do.”
“There are still 100 days before the college entrance examination. After 100 days, the exam will decide your fate from now on. Will you have a chance to go to the new planet where endless possibilities await, or will you stay on this old planet and wait for death?”
The college entrance examination was the largest assessment on the blue planet. It was fair and just, and gave all 18-year-old students a chance to change their fate.
The rules were the same as the old rules from more than 100 years ago, and new martial arts assessments were added.
Mathematics, physics, chemistry, biology, languages, geography, politics, and history were the eight compulsory subjects. In addition, there were the martial arts theory assessment and the martial arts practical assessment.
In the martial arts world, whether one had mastered the internal force was the most important aspect of all the assessments. It determined whether one was qualified to go to the new planet.
The other items were all additional items. After deciding to go to the new planet alone, they would have a chance to go to the martial arts academy at the new planet.
All the assessments were ordinary, but for students who had mastered supernatural power at the same time, it was equivalent to obtaining a ticket to a ship. After getting to the new planet, they had to think of ways to make a living.
There were a total of nine rows of chairs in the spacious classroom below the podium, and there were a total of 81 students.
Faced with the middle-aged man’s advice, most people were numb to it. The first time was the most effective, the second time was half as effective, and the third time…
Once the number of repetitions reached a certain level, it would not be very useful. After that, it would purely depend on the students themselves. Those who had a chance would grit their teeth and persevere, while those who did not have much hope would choose to lie flat.
Many of the older generation regretted not boarding the spaceship when they were young. No one expected that there would not be many casualties on the way to the new planet and that they could settle down there easily.
However, it was too late now. Those who had yet to master supernatural power were not allowed to go to the new planet, and it was even more impossible for them to force their way to the space-travel portal.
…
In the capital, the 71st martial arts competition on the blue planet was being held.
The martial arts competition was a great opportunity for all martial arts disciples to interact and exchange their knowledge. There were no age restrictions, and they could all sign up for it.
The only restriction was that warriors who had mastered supernatural power were not allowed to participate.
Therefore, with the intense battle and the attention from the global live broadcast, it was already a huge event second only to the college entrance examination.
At this moment, in a circular venue that covered a few square kilometers, there were hundreds of thousands of seats, and all the tickets had been sold out in a few minutes. The seats were almost full, and countless people were cheering loudly. This martial arts competition would last for an entire month.
The competition format was divided into the qualifying rounds, the preliminary rounds, the semi-finals, and the finals. After many rounds of competitions, the final winner would be decided.
Those who reached the semi-finals would receive a prize, and the final winner would receive a large prize. The overall prize was determined by the amount from the contract with the live broadcasting company and the profit from the tickets.
Backstage, there were many small rooms.
Every small room was filled with either participating students from a certain class or students led by the heads of small martial arts school. They had all registered individually as participants.
In addition, those who registered independently were gathered in large rooms. They did not know each other due to the random assignment.
“Don’t be too nervous. The strength of the opponents in the qualifiers is not uniform. The opponents you encounter are usually limited in their strength even if they are strong. It’s a competition to see who can have a stronger mentality.”
A martial arts school head patiently comforted the surrounding trainees.
The participants were mainly students from various schools and trainees who had joined the martial arts schools after class. Most of them were youths.
This way, under the gazes of hundreds of thousands of people, it was already not bad for them to be able to perform normally. Therefore, there were countless examples of the weak defeating the strong.
It was not that the strong side had been careless and underestimated their enemy, but when they thought about how they were being watched by many people online and offline, it was not something that they could really not care about just because they told themselves not to.
Outside the venue where the martial arts competition was being held,
the streets, shops, and other venues were filled with onlookers. Large screens were hung in all directions, broadcasting the live situation.
“The Spear Demon has already been runner-up for two consecutive years. He will definitely reach the top this time.”
In a restaurant, a man who specialized in fighting with spears cheered for his idol. In private, he had even placed a huge bet on his idol.
“How is that possible? This is the era of the Sword God. I bet a million yuan on him winning three consecutive championships. What Spear Demon? He might be unlucky and encounter the Sword God in the semi-finals and be eliminated then,”
another man at the same table retorted casually.
In the past two years, the finals had been battles between the Sword God and the Spear Demon. Both of them had reached the pinnacle among those below the warrior realm.
There were rumors on the Internet that it was not that the two of them could not break through to the warrior realm, but that they wanted to immerse themselves and fully tap into their body’s potential, striving to reach the limit of every step on the path of cultivation. They did not want to immediately become mediocre after breaking through to the warrior realm.
It had to be known that the humans on the blue planet were not completely unaware of the situation on the new planet. In the new planet, there was not much difference between a martial master and a warrior. They were both at the bottom of the food chain.
One could imagine the status of a warrior who had exhausted his potential. Those who had some ambition would not be satisfied with just this. They had to give it their all and fight for a future.
…
On the east coast of the Daxia Kingdom, a martial master stationed every 100 kilometers. A martial master led three veteran warriors at each station to chase away the ferocious sea creatures from the sea.
It was not that the humans on the blue planet could not clean up the areas other than the Daxia Kingdom, but that no one was willing to go there even if they did.
The population of less than 100 million people could comfortably live in the Daxia Kingdom, where the space-travel portal was located. Therefore, it gave many mutant beasts a chance to increase their numbers.
In one of the stations, a martial master and three veteran warriors directly set up a barbecue on the beach. The ingredients were large lobsters from the deep sea.
The large lobsters were each more than a meter long, and were spread on the grill. There was a large hole in each of their backs and some marinade was stuffed into them. The fragrance spread out.
The four of them chatted about the time when they would return to the new planet as they roasted the meat.
“Boss, it seems like you can return to the new planet in half a year. Can you apply to take us with you?” a young man asked.
“Why are you suddenly thinking this way? Do the two of you want to return early too?” the martial master said as he looked at his other two subordinates.
“I was quite satisfied when I first arrived. There’s no pressure from competition on the old planet, and my life is not in any danger. However, after staying here for more than a year, I feel like I’m going to rot,” one of them said with a bitter smile.
The life at the defense stations along the coastline was similar from day to day. Because they could not leave the defense station freely, they spent most of their time fishing every day.
They had been fishing every day of every month. After such a long time, their speed of thinking had slowed down. They even felt that their skills had deteriorated.
“Martial masters are stationed here for three years, and warriors for six years. It’s only been a little over a year. I’ve never heard of anyone returning to the new planet so many years in advance.”
The martial master spread out his hands, indicating that he was helpless in this matter.
He was indeed helpless. The mission where they were assigned to the old planet was decided by the higher-ups of the new planet. It was not something that a mere martial master could change.
“Boss, what do you think about the two of us applying to join the expedition in outer space?” the first man asked again.
When the martial master heard this, he immediately understood what his three subordinates really wanted to ask.
Without a doubt, the humans from the blue planet on the new planet were gradually no longer satisfied with the abandoned world.
Therefore, although their average cultivation level had not truly reached the level of an overlord faction in the galaxy, they were still actively expanding their territory outside the Hidden Dragon Galaxy.
A large number of people needed to be stationed wherever the army went. Under such circumstances, if they were really willing, the priority of expanding their territory was indeed higher, and they could return to the new planet in advance.
“Generally, those who are willing to return to the old planet to protect it are relatively timid and afraid of death. You guys…”
Halfway through his sentence, the martial master seemed to remember that he was the same and felt a little embarrassed.
“Isn’t it because we didn’t think it through before? I originally thought that I could cultivate diligently here for a few years and try to go back to participate in the academy’s assessment. Who knew that the cultivation environment would be so much worse than I imagined?” one of his subordinates explained.
He was used to the cultivation environment on the new planet. He felt uncomfortable all over when he returned to the blue planet, and there was no progress in his cultivation.
To put it bluntly, he had overestimated his ability. The difference between the old planet and the new planet was much greater than he had imagined. If he continued to stay on the old planet, it would severely delay his cultivation.
…
In an internet café in Jiang City, the computers from a hundred years ago had been completely replaced by holograph helmets.
The use of holograph helmets and multi-purpose game pods depended on one’s preferences. Usually, the internet cafés were equipped with holograph helmets, but in one’s home, both were usually available.
“Metaverse – Bug Disaster, let’s go.”
A group of young people entered the internet café.
These people were all members of the Wolf Warriors’ guild, and were not gamers who stayed at home to game alone. They could rely on the income from gaming to support themselves.
“Boss, we need 30 devices.”
One of the people in charge of paying the fees took out a wad of bills and slapped it on the table. Some people were still used to paper money.
“Hurry up, hurry up. Our house will be destroyed soon.”
Soon, as this group of people cursed, they each put on their holograph helmets and entered the metaverse.
After the situation on the new planet had completely stabilized, the humans from the blue planet had restarted the metaverse and popularized its use. Later, it could even be used on the old blue planet.
This was especially true for those who had no hope of breaking through to the warrior realm. They were loyal fans of the metaverse. Many people gave up completely on cultivation and spent nearly 20 hours a day online. Entering the metaverse was their true life.
In addition, the metaverse’s Bug Disaster was a game that was based on an incident that the humans from the blue planet had encountered while fighting in outer space.
In the game, the players controlled machines and battleships to fight in outer space and destroy the insects.
Among them, if one displayed their talent in terms of operations or strategy, it was said that they would be specially recruited into the military and indirectly obtain the right to leave their hometown and go to the new planet.
Of course, the probability of this was too low. Cultivation involved all-round improvement, especially in terms of reaction speed. Ordinary people could not make up for the difference in their innate abilities.
However, this did not stop the players from joining the game even though they were unable to personally go to the battlefield. At the very least, they could fight to their heart’s content in the game, making up for their lack of cultivation talent.