Chapter 493: Chapter 239: Steamrolling

Salma, the largest city on Lion’s Fang Star.

Spaceships arrived from every direction, docking one by one in a colossal shipyard beside the Sarma Interstellar Martial Arts Hall.

From the ships’ passenger cabins emerged groups of young students in the uniforms of their various schools. They glanced around at their surroundings, their eyes a mixture of nervousness and excitement.

Many residents of Salma had also stopped to watch, but their eyes held little emotion.

After all, this time of year always brought students from the major Martial Arts High Schools to the Sarma Interstellar Martial Arts Hall for the Martial Dao New Star Competition. As locals, they were long accustomed to the sight.

Li Chang’an disembarked from the spaceship with the others and entered the martial arts hall.

The Martial Dao New Star Competition was extremely popular on Lion’s Fang Star. Each year, top students from over twelve hundred Martial Arts High Schools participated, making for an event whose scale was perhaps second only to the Martial Dao College Entrance Exam.

In fact, in terms of public attention, it surpassed the Martial Dao College Entrance Exam.

After all, the Martial Dao College Entrance Exam was a non-performative test for all martial arts students. The participants’ skill levels varied wildly, from strong to weak, making it difficult to find any real highlights.

The Martial Dao New Star Competition, however, was different. Every student chosen to compete here was a champion from their respective martial arts school. Those who managed to distinguish themselves here were the absolute elite among the elite.

Furthermore, the Martial Dao New Star Competition wasn’t as solemn as the college entrance exam. Many students competed with a flair for performance and showmanship, making the fights a spectacular viewing experience.

All things considered, the Martial Dao New Star Competition actually commanded more attention than the college entrance exam. For die-hard Martial Dao fans who loved watching competitions, it was an annual event that simply could not be missed.

When they entered the competition grounds within the Sarma Interstellar Martial Arts Hall, tens of thousands of ticket-holding spectators had already gathered.

The moment the crowd of students entered the grounds, a roar went up as people shouted and screamed, making for an electric atmosphere.

Meanwhile, in a small section of spectator seats below, closest to the competition grounds, Li Furong, Li Yan, and Su Manyu stared at their surroundings with dreamlike expressions.

Even now, they still hadn’t fully processed the fact that their son and brother had actually secured a spot in the Martial Dao New Star Competition. They certainly never imagined they would have the chance to attend as a competitor’s family, watching from the very heart of the venue.

It felt as if they were in a dream.

Only with the roar of the surrounding crowd and the appearance of the uniformly clad students did the reality of the situation begin to sink in for the three of them.

Li Furong craned her neck, trying to spot her brother, Li Chang’an, in the crowd.

But with so many competitors down below, many of them wearing identical uniforms, it was impossible to find a familiar face in the vast sea of people.

So, after searching for what felt like an eternity, Li Furong pouted and muttered, "How are there so many people? My brother won’t get eliminated before we even get a chance to see him, will he!?"

Hearing this, Li Yan and Su Manyu, standing behind her, couldn’t help but shoot her a look. Inwardly, however, the very same worry began to surface.

After all, there were far too many contestants—nearly ten thousand of them. Although they were all touted as top students, ’How could there be so many truly top-tier fighters?’ Many of them were inevitably just here to fill the ranks. Only a tiny fraction would be able to defeat the others and truly step onto the main stage, under the watchful eyes of all.

And in their minds, Li Chang’an was clearly one of those students—just there to fill the ranks.

Li Chang’an had repeatedly assured them he wouldn’t be eliminated so easily, but preconceived notions aren’t so simple to change.

Just as they were anxiously scanning the crowd below for any sign of Li Chang’an, this year’s Martial Dao New Star Competition officially kicked off.

In the first round, students from all the schools had to draw lots. After their number was called, they would don protective gear and enter the arena to fight. Winners would advance to the next round; losers were eliminated and sent packing.

Li Chang’an was among the crowd drawing lots. After getting his number, he waited about ten minutes before a staff member led him to one of the fighting arenas.

Across from him, another student walked onto the stage. He was about the same height as Li Chang’an, but significantly more muscular.

With so many participants in the first round, only the matches featuring a few of the most popular contestants were livestreamed online or shown on the large electronic screens. Fights between run-of-the-mill prodigies like Li Chang’an received basically no attention.

Thus, without any unnecessary chatter, the fight began.

As Li Chang’an stepped onto the stage, the other student glanced at him. Seeing that he was even scrawnier than expected, the opponent couldn’t help but sneer. "Heh. To think I’d get to pick up some easy trash like this. Looks like my luck today is pretty damn good!"

The words had barely left his mouth, the smug smile still spreading across his face, when Li Chang’an blurred into motion, lunging toward him.

The student’s pupils contracted. Before he could even process what was happening, he saw that Li Chang’an’s palm was already at his chest.

The force of the palm strike wasn’t as great as he’d expected. A flicker of joy shot through him, and a vicious look crossed his face.

If you find any errors ( broken links, non-standard content, etc.. ), Please let us know < report chapter > so we can fix it as soon as possible.