Chapter 45: The Competition Begins—Is This Kid Here to Make Trouble?

August 1st, the opening ceremony for the finals of the Non-Professional Martial Artists Tournament.

Early in the morning.

Zhang Chu packed his gear and left home.

The finals were to be held outside Binzhou City, and Zhang Chu didn’t drive. In preparation for the tournament, he had been training daily in the Martial Artists’ Center’s virtual hunting grounds, striving to integrate his skills into real combat scenarios as quickly as possible.

…

At this moment.

The city walls of Gongcheng Gate in Binzhou were crowded with people. All of them were officials and instructors from the Martial Arts Administration Bureau and the Martial Arts Research Institute.

On both sides at the base of the wall stood the city guards of Binzhou, fully armed, poised for action, and ready to provide rescue services throughout the event.

Fan Tianlei stood at the center of the wall, giving comprehensive instructions to his staff. As the deputy director of the Binzhou Martial Arts Administration Bureau, Fan Tianlei was in charge of the Martial Arts Research Institute. After the Institute was questioned by the Ten-Company Taskforce last time, Fan Tianlei had almost faced disciplinary action.

Now, with the tournament restarted, he took personal command as the chief director, overseeing the front lines himself.

To guarantee fairness and justice in the tournament, Fan Tianlei even invoked special privileges, deploying two of the Bureau’s latest “Martial God No. 1” large-scale drones.

The “Martial God No. 1” could provide high-energy network coverage for the entire tournament, broadcast every moment live, and ensure that the event was open and transparent. In addition, each drone carried two high-energy electromagnetic warheads, capable of providing emergency missile support to contestants in need.

“Xueying, I’m having you personally lead the security team this time so that the citizens and martial artists of Binzhou can see the Institute’s commitment to fairness and impartiality!” Fan Tianlei addressed Zhang Xueying, who stood by his side. “Your uncle is my sworn brother, but business is business—I can’t show too much favoritism.”

After arranging the assignments, Fan Tianlei looked at Zhang Xueying with a stern expression.

The Institute had been thrust into the public eye, and Zhang Xueying bore primary responsibility. Anyone else would have at least been suspended pending investigation. But Fan Tianlei and Zhang Xueying’s uncle were sworn brothers, so after some maneuvering, he gave Zhang Xueying a chance to redeem herself.

This tournament would take place in the wild beast forest of Canglong Mountain. In addition to the Bureau’s two drones, the Institute had formed a rescue team under Zhang Xueying’s direct command.

“Uncle Fan, my uncle already told me,” Zhang Xueying replied with a faint smile.

“You…” Fan Tianlei sighed helplessly. His eyes shifted to the contestants gathering below the city wall. “That young man is here. If he’s truly talented, he’ll have to earn everyone’s respect.”

Zhang Xueying glanced down. Indeed, Zhang Chu had arrived at the security checkpoint.

At the same time, a boy with a yellow headband made a showy exit from a luxury car worth millions. As soon as Fan Chengcheng got out, several staff members rushed to surround him, escorting him toward the checkpoint.

Zhang Xueying glanced at Fan Tianlei.

Fan Tianlei snorted. “Fan Chengcheng is my son, but he’s just another contestant this time. As long as he comes back in one piece, the rest is up to him!”

“Uncle Fan, I’ll go organize the team,” Zhang Xueying said, leaving the wall.

Fan Tianlei squinted down at Zhang Chu, muttering, “What special abilities does this kid have, that even old foxes like Huang Wenzhan and Qin Zaiye would step in with the investigation team for him?”

He reached out, and his assistant handed him a computer.

The computer was linked to the security checkpoint below. As contestants passed through the gate, their physical data was transmitted directly to the device.

But this computer had the highest level of clearance; Fan Tianlei could see not only the basic information but also each martial artist’s vital energy statistics.

A day earlier, the tournament committee had sent out participation instructions via text message. The event was expected to last three days. Today was the opening ceremony; contestants had to bring their badges to enter the security area and undergo screening.

The screening was simple.

First: contestants’ identities were verified via iris scan.

Second: high-energy microwave beams scanned for prohibited substances to ensure fairness.

“When will this end? At this rate, we won’t start until afternoon,” Zhang Chu thought, surveying the crowd. There were 1,632 contestants in the finals. Five security gates formed endless lines.

If the screening was successful, the gate’s light would turn green. If not, the light would flash red and sound an alarm.

Ding, ding, ding!

After fifteen minutes, the alarm on Gate 2 sounded. Two city guards promptly escorted a contestant carrying illegal substances away.

Then came the second, third… and eighteenth incident.

In less than half an hour, more than a hundred people were led away—mostly for carrying forbidden substances that could rapidly enhance their vital energy, and a few for attempted impersonation.

After this initial round, 20% were eliminated. Just over a thousand contestants remained.

“Zhang Chu, it really is you!” someone called from behind, startling him.

He turned around and was momentarily stunned. “Old Hu?”

Hu Sanyi stood there with a backpack, combat boots, and a grade-1, low-tier defensive suit of armor. Zhang Chu immediately realized he was also competing.

They chatted briefly, and Zhang Chu learned that “Hu Sanyi” was the name he used as a mercenary, just as Zhang Chu used “Big Zhang.” His real name was Hu Zhixing—a name Zhang Chu had seen on the list of finalists.

Originally, Hu Sanyi hadn’t had a chance to compete, but after the uproar surrounding Zhang Chu’s recruitment by the Martial Arts Academy, the Institute had increased the number of finalists and added new rewards to quell public outcry. Hu Sanyi, a level-2 martial artist, had tried his luck and passed the preliminary selection.

They were so absorbed in conversation that security had to remind them several times before they snapped back to attention.

Hu Sanyi went through the checkpoint first—the green light signaled his clearance.

Zhang Chu, carrying nothing, spread his arms as instructed, turned, lifted his feet, and prepared to leave.

Ding-dong!

At that moment, the checkpoint’s light flashed—orange beams blinking rapidly.

No one among the thousands present had ever seen this color before. Everyone turned to look.

In the back of the crowd, a woman in black leather, with hair spiked high and a sword slung over her back, was also drawn to the commotion. Su Mingyue turned to look at Gate 3, removed her mask, and when she saw Zhang Chu, her gaze turned icy.

Damn it!

Zhang Chu himself was bewildered, glancing awkwardly at the alarmed security personnel. “I swear, I’m not carrying any illegal substances!”

On the city wall, Fan Tianlei stared at the data flashing orange on his screen—his eyes widening in disbelief. “Vital energy: 60,224. Level 5 martial artist! Is this kid here to stir up trouble?”