Jun Jiuxiao's face was stark white, but he ultimately overcame his fear and chose the path of the strong.
"I, I shall do the same!" Hearing that he was willing to take on the trial, Ye Xianchen, beside him, volunteered as well.
"Very well, but you'll both have to choose an appropriate framework first." Zhang Lie glanced thoughtfully at the two children's faces. No one else volunteered for the trial; for most of the disciples, just entering the Zenith Dojo was more than enough for them.
Zhang Lie advised them in choosing their own frameworks, then handed off the disciples to Sun Mengmeng. He personally brought Jun Jiuxiao and Ye Xianchen to the dojo's teleportation array to the dimensional world.
"Are you both certain that you want to participate in this trial?" Zhang Lie asked again, noticing their unease.
"Yes, Dojo Leader, we're certain!" Their fear was tempered by their resolve.
"In that case, I hope for your success." Zhang Lie handed each of them a small microchip, clapped their shoulders, and had them walk through the teleportation array.
In two flashes of light, Jun Jiuxiao and Ye Xianchen entered the dimensional world for the first time. Whether they would survive their trial would depend entirely on them. All Zhang Lie did was to hand them a guide explaining the key differences between the real and dimensional world, as well as pitfalls they would have to be careful not to fall into.
With the disciples' affairs settled, Zhang Lie and the others of Team Zenith once again piled into their training chambers.
In the capital, after the conclusion of the citywide stage, a cheerful, festive atmosphere once again descended on the crowds. After the citywide stage would be the nationwide stage, and China's competition would be one of the highlights of the entire Void Cup.
However, this iteration of the Void Cup seemed rather unusual, so much so that even Yan Long, the Chinese representative from the world federation responsible for the nationwide stage, was shocked beyond belief upon reviewing the information from the citywide stages.
"Is this information reliable?" He turned to Luo Lie, a member of the capital's military, who was by his side.
"Yan Long, how long has it been since you became the overseer of the Void Cup? Has the data you received ever been wrong?" Luo Lie shook his head, and Yan Long turned back to the data in disbelief. The Wang clan and Heaven's Flame Dojo had both been defeated by a dark horse, the Zenith Dojo.
The members of Team Zenith hadn't lost except when they faced each other in the finals, and, even more shockingly, their team captain Zhang Lie had won the entire tournament without fighting even once. Just what sort of hunter could command such fear and strength?
If reports of such success were solely isolated to Ning, he might have suspected some trickery at play, but even in Sacred Fire on Mars, the top competitor was once again a hunter from Team Zenith.
Yang Yao, long groomed as the successor to the Yang clan, had been defeated in a single blow. Yan Long knew the Yang clan quite well, and he even knew of the enmity between Yang Yao and Yang Ze. The two of them were essentially bitter enemies; would either of them throw the match for the other?
And yet Yan Long still found it difficult to accept such overwhelming strength. "Luo Lie, if this is how strong the hunters of Team Zenith are, just how frightening is Zhang Lie himself?"
"I met the lad during the Kez invasion at the capital, and he risked his life to kill a three-star black-tipped scarab! Then, during his dojo's opening ceremony, no less than Su Feng saw him defeat a third-realm hunter in a single blow. He was the one who discovered the existence of limit fragments, so he might have even more secrets and tricks up his sleeve—I doubt anyone from the younger generation will be able to best him."
Luo Lie had an extremely vivid impression of Zhang Lie owing to his military background. Zhang Lie's participation against the Kez invasion and Su Feng's recognition and fondness for him made Luo Lie think quite highly of him as well.
Yan Long began roaring in laughter. "A dark horse indeed, but it seems like he's one to look out for, eh? I'm expecting a good showing for him on the worldwide stage, then!"
To the two officials, these were nothing more than idle remarks made in jest, but some others couldn't bear to hear their words any longer.
"Oh? The tournament hasn't yet been held, and the results aren't yet out. Who's to say who will win the nationwide stage?" A cold voice interrupted their conversation, causing Yan Long and Luo Lie to pause as they glanced at the abrupt interlocutor, the head of the Long clan, Long Xiao.
The nationwide stage was organized by the Chinese military, but some of the larger clans in the nation were also given the right to sit in the VIP stands. Naturally, the Long clan from Lingnan was among them.
"You're here early, Clan Head Long! The tournament only starts tomorrow." Yan Long greeted him as he securely stowed the data in his hands.
"It only makes sense to arrive early to such an important event," Long Xiao replied, initiating a further discussion on the tournament to begin tomorrow.
.
Clans from all around the country steadily arrived at the capital in such large numbers that even the capital's streets gradually became crowded. The central region close to the arena was especially bad, flooded as it was with a throng of people.
Even the rich and famous had no choice but to mill around the region like the regular citizens who lived there. The hotels in and even all around the capital were all fully booked, and the hunters who found themselves unable to find a room had to camp outside the city or in the parks within.
"Ah, there are so many hunters even in the suburbs?" contemporary romance
"Well, there's nothing we can do—the nationwide tournament for the Void Cup starts tomorrow."
"I might have participated during another iteration, but not this year for sure—imagine trying to face down the Dragonwolf Zhang Lie!"
The next morning, a commotion could be heard from the north of the capital. A large, black mass was flying toward the capital from a distance, much like an enlarged albatross. As it entered the capital's airspace, the onlookers realized that it was a giant airborne fort.
"It's the military's airborne fort, here to oversee the tournament!"
"But they haven't done anything like this in past years, have they? It must mean that the Chinese military's placing particular emphasis on this year's Void Cup!"
The hunters who saw the fort were eagerly discussing the reasons behind its appearance.
As it hovered in midair, a huge whirring noise came from the center of the capital, and the hunters felt the ground beneath them quake.
A silver hemisphere began to form over the air, its base a circular perimeter that encapsulated the tournament grounds within it. The military's airborne fort hovered where the cap of the hemisphere would be, as though it were the keystone that held the barrier in place. The fort slowly began to revolve as ion cannons appeared protruding outward, securing the airspace from outside interference.
After the barrier had been constructed, a fleet of hovercars arrived from the distance, stopping right outside the barrier. A number of figures walked out, chief among them the Chinese government's liaison to the world federation, Yan Long, and the Chinese military commander Luo Lie. They would be joint hosts for the nationwide stage of the Void Cup. Behind them were the clan heads of the five major clans of the capital, along with its most famous dojo leaders.
Their arrival prompted the hunters gathered nearby to begin flocking toward the barrier.
Four figures blended in with the crowd.
"The tournament's right about to begin. The teleportation array at the center of the capital has been disabled, so that fellow will have to come through one of the arrays in the suburbs. We need only wait," one of the hunters began.
"But what about the military's airborne fort?" Another hunter looked hesitantly through his binoculars.
"Don't worry. Our target's just one person, so there won't be a huge commotion. Is everyone ready? Pay attention to each of the nearby teleportation arrays!"
The four figures spread out as they darted toward each of four different arrays situated around the capital.
Back in Ning, Zhang Lie had made preparations bright and early in the morning, as had the rest of Team Zenith. After instructing Xu Xiu and Ding Qiang about handling the dojo's affairs in his absence, Zhang Lie and the rest of Team Zenith walked toward the teleportation array.
"Right, Yang Ze's also preparing for the finals on Mars, isn't he?" Sun Mengmeng suddenly asked.
"Yes, Sacred Fire isn't too far away from the Martian capital. Given his temperament, I bet he's already waiting at the capital by now," Li Feng replied, smiling.
None of them seemed at all anxious about the tournament to come.
"You guys better not get too relaxed," Zhang Lie warned. "Once again, we're striving for all of us to make it through the nationwide tournament and onto the worldwide stage!"
"Yes, Captain!" everyone shouted. The six of them stepped into the teleportation array together.
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