A sharp, piercing friction sound filled the venue. Zhang Yu held his palm high, and above it, a flying sword spun rapidly like a helicopter’s propeller. He declared his technique: the “Spiral Shuriken!”

The next moment, with a surge of his magic power, the spinning flying sword soared like a giant disc, sweeping from low to high across the signal flags suspended in mid-air.

When Han Xingye focused on the “Expand details” option above Zhang Yu’s head, he saw a long string of text appear: Ascetic, Sports Specialist, Songyang City Extremely Impoverished Population, Debt Slave, Card Slave???. Upon seeing this string of evaluations above Zhang Yu’s head via his Sky-Eye Talisman, Han Xingye was shocked for the second time that day. He wondered, “Is it Songyang High School again? Where did they recruit such talent this year?”

The first two labels, “Ascetic” and “Sports Specialist,” were easy to understand, simply indicating someone who trained hard and was disciplined, as well as being good at sports. The next three evaluations were also straightforward, summarizing to just two words: “poor person.” However, it was the final three question marks that truly astonished Han Xingye. “Question marks?” Han Xingye questioned. He wondered if they were Concealment or Disguise Talismans. If the Sky-Eye Talisman could reveal information, then naturally there were counter-measures like Concealment Talismans and Disguise Talismans.

But first, how could such a poor person afford talismans? Second, Han Xingye had never seen anyone use Concealment or Disguise Talismans and then intentionally display “???” effects. Wasn’t that essentially revealing that something was hidden? “These three question marks are so arrogant,” he thought. Arrogance and poverty – two words that shouldn’t typically be associated – were what Han Xingye perceived above Zhang Yu’s head at that moment. This made him curious about Zhang Yu’s performance. Then he saw the flying sword begin to spin, rising like a disc into the sky.

Han Xingye’s gaze sharpened. Watching the rapidly spinning flying sword create vortices of air as it swept through the signal flags in mid-air like a full moon, a hint of surprise appeared on his face. Then he chuckled, “Haha, it’s certainly easier to hit the signal flags this way. Sweeping with a disc-like shape can clear all the flags with just a few passes, compensating for a lack of experience in controlling a flying sword.”

80 points.

Han Xingye was nodding slightly at the score when he noticed many students complaining, accusing Zhang Yu of cheating and violating rules. Han Xingye glanced over them: Insignificant, Rare, Insignificant, Insignificant; Insignificant, Insignificant, Insignificant, Rare; Insignificant, Insignificant, Rare, Insignificant. Watching the discontented students, Han Xingye curled his lips, thinking to himself, “A bunch of fools.”

“To make a flying sword spin like that while maintaining control, preventing it from flying out of control and crashing, requires incredibly precise control over one’s magic power. This particular magic-powered flying sword is designed for straightforward trajectories. To make it spin like this, one must constantly change the rhythm of magic input every single moment. This guy is compensating for his lack of flying sword operational experience with powerful control over his magic power. 80 points is not high; in fact, it’s too low. The judges probably took the sponsors’ interests into account and aren’t encouraging this method.”

Han Xingye glanced at Ziyun High School and Hongta High School. As expected, none of the students from the three top schools objected, clearly understanding the difficulty involved. In the subsequent matches, some competitors attempted Zhang Yu’s method, but all failed, sending their flying swords wildly astray. Fortunately, referees were constantly on standby, preventing any casualties. At this point, the many students who had initially protested gradually realized that Zhang Yu’s spinning flying sword maneuver was far from simple.

On his way back, Zhang Yu inwardly lamented, “This flying sword doesn’t really support this kind of operation. My magic power could speed up the rhythm even more, but the sword sheath’s command reception frequency has reached its limit. Otherwise, my score could have been higher.” Clearly, such high-speed spinning had not pushed Zhang Yu’s magic control to the limits achieved through his Level 10 Universal Qi Gathering Method, but it had reached the design limits of the flying sword itself, which was not originally intended for this use.

As soon as Zhang Yu returned to Songyang High School’s resting area, he immediately received praise from Teacher Yan. “Zhang Yu, you did very well. You used your magic control to compensate for your lack of flying sword experience. 80 points is too low. As for the complaints from those underachievers at the ordinary high schools, just ignore them. Don’t take it to heart.” Teacher Yan, considering Zhang Yu’s score, secretly rejoiced, “If he encounters events more suited to his strengths in the next two rounds, could he possibly sneak into the top ten?” Only the top ten in the magic competition’s overall score received prize money, a true ranking, and a significant advantage in university interviews. High schools also placed much greater importance on these rankings. The thought of Zhang Yu possibly breaking into the top ten, which would surely boost her year-end bonus, made Teacher Yan’s spirits soar.

She casually pointed to the student with the lowest score in that round and said, “Bai Zhenzhen, go get Zhang Yu a bottle of water. Zhang Yu, don’t be nervous for the next two rounds, just perform at your usual level…” Bai Zhenzhen’s eyes widened. She shot a glance at the snickering Zhang Yu beside her, then reluctantly stood up and went to the organizers to get water. Zhang Yu called out, “Wait, A-Zhen, let me take a picture.” Bai Zhenzhen retorted, “Are you trying to kill me, Zhang Yu?” Bai Zhenzhen angrily threw the water bottle at Zhang Yu’s head, then plumped down, fuming, and thought to herself, “Damn it, I should’ve left before the competition started. What a ridiculous magic competition, it’s all a rich person’s game. Yu Zi, you’d better make it into the top ten, or else…”

Not far away, He Dayou looked at Zhang Yu’s score, a flicker of surprise in his eyes. He thought, “His magic control is that powerful? Good… good thing he’s a pauper.”

Soon after, the first round concluded, and the host reappeared, cheerfully announcing, “For excellent elixirs, choose Ziyun! Ziyun Pharmaceuticals, dedicated to all ages, cures all ailments with a single dose! We thank Ziyun Company for their co-sponsorship of this magic competition. All emergency medicines for the upcoming second round are sponsored by Ziyun Company…” As he spoke, the host began to announce the rules for the second round. This round tested the ability to neutralize special magic power.

The process involved judges injecting a special magic power into the contestants, who would have detection patches affixed to their bodies. The goal was to see how quickly contestants could neutralize it; naturally, the shorter the time, the higher the score. If it took longer than ten minutes, or if a contestant felt they couldn’t endure it, they could immediately take the magic-neutralizing medicine sponsored by Ziyun Company to dispel the special magic power in their bodies. Additionally, Ziyun Company had set up temporary medicine stalls all around the venue, selling various drugs that contestants might need. The reason Ziyun Company sold medicines here was due to another rule in this second round: This round allowed the use of medicine.

Zhang Yu was astonished. He exclaimed in disbelief, wondering if they were even human for encouraging drug use in a competition, seemingly for Ziyun Company’s sponsorship fees. At the same time, Zhang Yu saw his classmates from Songyang High School begin to pull out items. Painkillers, tranquilizers, focus agents… Seeing them pull out this “triplet,” Zhang Yu suddenly realized these guys were also well-prepared.

Teacher Yan, standing nearby, asked with concern, “Zhang Yu, did you bring any medicine? Remember to take them before the round starts.” Taking medicine in a competition… to Teacher Yan, this was perfectly normal. Afraid of pain or discomfort? Chew a painkiller. Willpower wavering? Drink a tranquilizer. Worried about distraction while cultivating? Have a focus agent… In short, to be energetic and formidable on the field, one must not stop taking medicine off the field. This was competition. Competition meant taking medicine!

The magic power competition had always been one of the pharmaceutical companies’ favorite events to sponsor, so there was usually at least one round that allowed contestants to take medicine, as long as the drugs were within the range listed by the organizers. This was also what the referees and soul cultivator student assistants would monitor and check. So, taking medicine was part of the competition, and it even demonstrated a high school’s resources. Seeing Zhang Yu’s bewildered expression, Teacher Yan helplessly opened her bag. “Look at you, participating in a competition without even preparing medicine? Good thing I brought a spare set.” As she spoke, Teacher Yan pulled out various bottles and jars from her bag, pouring out several doses and handing them to Zhang Yu. Seeing Teacher Yan’s kind and concerned gaze, Zhang Yu reluctantly accepted all the medicines.

He cursed inwardly, “Damn it! My body can’t handle medicine, can it?” The original Zhang Yu had damaged his body by taking too much medicine, and this memory terrified the current Zhang Yu, making him hesitant to take any drugs indiscriminately. At most, he would take some nerve fillers to reduce his need for sleep. Furthermore, with his astonishing talent and massive debt, he had even less intention of taking drugs carelessly. Although he didn’t know if his current body would have issues with random drug intake, he certainly wasn’t going to risk it. “Taking all these medicines for a competition… I’m afraid the lifespan I gain from cultivation won’t even cover the cost of these drugs.” But feeling Teacher Yan’s watchful gaze, he could only give an awkward smile and nod, thinking to himself, “I’ll just pretend to take them in the bathroom later.” Meanwhile, the entire venue had transformed into a pharmaceutical exhibition.

In the Ziyun High School resting area, Lian Tianji suddenly swallowed a large handful of pills, then took a big gulp of water to wash them all down. The competition coach beside him watched his face slowly turn red and purple, then nodded and said, “Excellent, you’ve entered competition mode.” After speaking, he took a wooden box from his bag. As the box opened, ten syringes emitting a faint purple glow appeared before everyone. The competition coach announced, “These are Meridian Expansion Injections from the Ziyun Laboratory. They can temporarily widen your meridians through blood circulation, increasing the efficiency of your magic cultivation later. One injection per person, no pushing.” After watching the students inject themselves one by one, he encouraged them, “Everyone must persevere to the end! Our total score isn’t far behind Bailong High School; we must catch up in this round!” The students, having just taken their medicine and received their injections, felt an boundless surge of fighting spirit and let out a deafening roar.

In the Hongta High School resting area, the competition coach was holding a student with the appearance of a small panda, a demon-kin, and pulled out several handfuls from a nearby container of animal medicine. “Xiong Bufan, have another handful. We’re currently at the bottom among the three top schools. If the second round goes like this too, my bonus for the year will be gone.” The small panda, Xiong Bufan, extended a paw and gave him the middle finger. “Enough! Stop feeding me!” He cried out, muffled, “You… stop feeding me!”

On the other side, in the Bailong High School resting area, Song Hailong grabbed a large handful of pills and swallowed them, then looked towards the Ziyang High School resting area in the distance. Hearing the wild roars from Ziyun High School, he snorted coldly, “In a while, I’ll be the one to crush all your fighting spirit.”

Meanwhile, competition coach Han Xingye approached, carrying an insulated box. He said to the group, “These are the Health Spirit Needles specially prepared by the school for you. Inject them into your Dantian soon. Come and get them quickly.” As the insulated box opened, a rush of cold air emerged, revealing two rows of glowing injections. Song Hailong grinned, and he, wearing uniform number 1, was the first to pick up an injection. The other students around them, following the numerical order on their chests, took out the injections from the insulated box and then injected themselves in their Dantian area.

Students from other schools watching this scene felt incredibly envious. “Are those Health Spirit Needles? They contain concentrated spiritual essence and can rapidly restore magic power. Are they planning to neutralize magic while also replenishing it during the upcoming competition?” Some students were visibly jealous, saying, “A single Health Spirit Needle into the Dantian, my fate is in my own hands, not heaven’s. Sigh… I wonder if I’ll ever be able to afford a Health Spirit Needle in my life.”

Just then, a commotion arose from a corner of the venue. A student, foaming at the mouth and convulsing, was carried out, sparking a flurry of discussion. A student lamented, “An overdose?” A teacher scoffed, “There’s no such thing as an overdose, only insufficient drug resistance! They still need to train more!” A teacher clapped their hands, urging, “Stop gossiping, focus on the competition!” As everyone’s preparations gradually concluded, the second round of the competition officially began.