Chapter 104: Bustling with Voices

Wang Hai sighed and immediately headed towards the disinfection channel, his gaze drawn to the Bailong people in the other channel.

As the rest of the group passed through the disinfection channel, their eyes couldn't help but survey the Bailong people as well.

The appearance of this group was simply too striking.

Zhang Yu thought to himself, "Yu Xinghan hasn't changed much since I last saw him during the commercial shoot."

"But Song Hailong, who's following him, has changed a lot..."

Besides the '1' on his chest and back having turned into a '2', Song Hailong's skin now looked rough, as if ground by rock. His limbs were also significantly thicker than before; his forearms alone were as thick as Zhang Yu's waist. He gave the impression of having transformed into a humanoid elephant.

However, Song Hailong's changes were still relatively minor; at least he still looked human.

Looking past Song Hailong, the further back in the line, the less human the Bailong people appeared, increasingly resembling demonic beasts.

Zhang Yu recalled the information Zhang Pianpian had given him.

"Bailong High School's body-refining techniques have indeed made a breakthrough. It's no longer as simple as just implanting partial elephant muscle tissue, like with Song Hailong before."

"They can now transform students' muscles and tendons into demon-mimicking muscle tissue, forcing them to break through their physical bottlenecks and achieve explosive growth in physical strength."

"The wealthier the student, the more demon-mimicking muscle tissue is modified in their body, making them look less human."

"However, this demon-mimicking muscle tissue is inherently malleable. If students can fully control its power, they can gradually retract the demonic beast features and become more human-like."

Zhang Yu stared at Yu Xinghan, who was walking at the very front, momentarily unsure if this Golden Core disciple had undergone the demon-mimicking muscle tissue modification surgery.

After exiting the disinfection channel, the people from Songyang High School discovered a rhinoceros wearing a Bailong High School uniform waiting for them.

It was indeed a rhinoceros: from its rough, grayish-black hide to the horn-like growth on its forehead, its small eyes, elongated face, and stout limbs—it gave the impression of a humanoid rhinoceros.

This rhinoceros waved at Zhang Yu and greeted him, "Zhang Yu, long time no see."

"Oh, you don't recognize me now, do you?"

The rhinoceros smiled slightly and said, "I'm Chu Qiuhe, the Bailong High School student you defeated in the last martial arts competition."

Hearing the rhinoceros speak, everyone present showed a look of surprise. Chu Qiuhe's current humanoid rhinoceros appearance was simply too different from before, as if he had been reborn.

Chu Qiuhe had come to meet the Songyang people because, after seeing the Songyang High School team, he wanted to confirm something.

He wanted to confirm whether Zhang Yu, the champion of the first-year martial arts competition, would be participating on behalf of Songyang High School this time.

Chu Qiuhe knew he wasn't the only one curious about this; many students who had lost in the previous martial arts competition were eagerly anticipating avenging themselves in this sports competition.

Seeing Zhang Yu indeed present in the Songyang High School delegation, Chu Qiuhe couldn't help but feel a hint of anticipation.

Chu Qiuhe looked at Zhang Yu and smiled slightly, "Your participation in this sports competition is something many people have been looking forward to..."

Just then, a loud bang erupted from the Bailong contingent ahead.

Song Hailong had fiercely jabbed an elbow towards Yu Xinghan's temple. With a sound like artillery fire, Yu Xinghan's head twisted slightly by about 4 or 5 degrees under the impact, then stopped.

Then, with a sudden shake of his head, Yu Xinghan surprisingly flung Song Hailong, who was tall and nearly two to three times his size, flying away.

With a thud, Song Hailong, who had spun in mid-air, landed steadily on the ground, looking at Yu Xinghan with reluctance.

Yu Xinghan, however, calmly commented, "No good, Xiao Song. That strike had too much killing intent. It completely lacked the stealth of a surprise attack. You still need to practice."

The Bailong people seemed unfazed by this, continuing to follow Yu Xinghan forward.

Meanwhile, the people from Songyang High School were surprised to witness this internal conflict among the Bailong.

He Dayou was startled, "The second-ranked student actually dared to attack the first-ranked student? Have Bailong's school rules changed?"

Chu Qiuhe chuckled casually from the side, explaining, "It's been like this ever since Yu Xinghan became the top-ranked student."

Bai Zhenzhen frowned, "Is Song Hailong so petty? Does he attack anyone who surpasses him?"

Chu Qiuhe clarified, "Of course, Brother Hailong isn't that petty. Yu Xinghan demanded it of him, instructing Song Hailong to launch five full-force sneak attacks on him within 24 hours every day, saying it was a method for training."

Chu Qiuhe remarked with some emotion, "As a demand from the top-ranked student, Brother Hailong had no choice but to accept."

"Since then, all he sees and thinks about is Yu Xinghan; there's no one else."

"I suspect he's constantly thinking of ways to defeat Yu Xinghan, and he's almost driven to madness."

Shaking his head with a sigh, Chu Qiuhe patted Zhang Yu's shoulder and said meaningfully, "Then I'll see you on the field. I'm looking forward to our match."

Watching the departing backs of the Bailong people, seeing their increasingly non-human appearances, Zhang Yu suddenly felt a surge of emotion.

"Previously, Hongta High School trained demonic beasts to become human in pursuit of results. Now, Bailong High School, in pursuit of greater strength, is training humans to become demonic beasts."

Guided by a reception teacher, the group walked among the pavilions and corridors of Ziyun High School and soon arrived at a massive indoor stadium.

The reception teacher introduced, "This is Ziyun High School's largest stadium. It's usually only used for major competitions and whole-school events."

Before even entering, everyone could already hear a tremendous hubbub.

Upon entering, the first sensation was a brightness like midday.

Unlike the midnight environment outside, the stadium's ceiling seemed to be covered with countless small suns, illuminating the entire indoor arena as if it were broad daylight.

Next, everyone noticed the immense size of the indoor stadium and the sheer number of people.

Unlike the danger of the martial arts competition, this sports competition didn't carry the risk of bankruptcy if one lost. As a result, almost all key high schools and ordinary high schools capable of participating had come.

Within the vast arena, students and coaches bustled about everywhere. Some were warming up with medicine, some were trading drugs, and some were being insulted by the three major high schools. A vibrant picture of high school youth in Kunxu unfolded before them.

Besides the athletes, Zhang Yu and his companions also saw peripheral staff and countless spectators in the stands.

He Dayou asked in confusion, "So many people filming videos."

The reception teacher beside them said, "They are all professional audience members invited by the sponsors of this competition: media reporters, online influencers, and many company personnel."

Zhang Yu looked up and indeed saw many people in suits, looking grim-faced. Their "corporate stench" wafted from a distance, clearly indicating they were company employees who regularly worked overtime.

Zhang Yu then looked towards the spectator stands. Ziyun High School's largest indoor stadium, with tens of thousands of seats, was now completely packed.

Besides students from the three major high schools, Zhang Yu also saw many figures wrapped from head to toe, resembling mummified rice dumplings.

Just then, a hearty laugh rang out.

"You've finally arrived."

"Those are student spectators from other ordinary high schools. To prevent them from dirtying the venue, everyone was given a clean suit upon entry to avoid too much contact with us from Ziyun High School."

The person who arrived was none other than Ziyun High School's Lian Tianji. He nodded to the reception teacher beside him and naturally took over the task of receiving the Songyang High School athletes.

Facing this significant patron of his clothes, Zhang Yu chuckled and stepped behind Bai Zhenzhen, warmly greeting him, "Brother Lian, how do you have time to greet us?"

Lian Tianji replied, "I know where Songyang High School's rest area is. I'll take you there."

On the way to the rest area, Zhang Yu saw all sorts of advertisements everywhere—on the ground, walls, and billboards. He also saw numerous online influencers, big and small, filming the venue and interviewing students and corporate personnel.

They truly were big and small influencers, with the large ones over four meters tall and the small ones under two meters. Their follower counts were generally positively correlated with their physical size.

And corporate personnel in suits walked around, constantly filming and recording things.

Feeling the bustling atmosphere of the entire stadium, Zhang Yu once again understood what Zhang Pianpian had said.

Zhang Yu murmured to himself, "This sports competition is indeed an extension of the corporate battlefield, a battleground for them to promote new technologies."

Along the way, Zhang Yu also saw many students, whose bodies were entirely purple and who wore Ziyun High School uniforms, bowing to Lian Tianji. They only resumed their activities after Lian Tianji was out of sight.

Zhang Yu's mind once again recalled the information provided by Zhang Pianpian.

"Ziyun High School's technological breakthrough focuses on enhancing cultivators' metabolic capacity and drug resistance. They can take drugs more than ten times stronger than before, treating even prohibited substances as regular medication."

"However, due to the side effects of Ziyun drugs, the more intensely they use medication, the more purple drug residue remains on their skin. Essentially, the wealthier they are and the more drugs they take, the more purple their entire body becomes."

"But going a step further, for those who can rapidly refine the medicinal power, the epidermal drug residue will be completely broken down, leaving only a purple mark on their forehead. At this stage, the more medicinal power they refine, the more complex the pattern on their forehead becomes, eventually forming the pattern of a purple eye."

Zhang Yu and Bai Zhenzhen occasionally glanced at Lian Tianji, noticing a thumb-sized purple circular mark on his forehead.

"Here we are."

Lian Tianji smiled slightly and pointed ahead, "This is Songyang High School's rest area."

Zhang Yu and the others looked up and saw that the area enclosed by partitions was not only fully equipped with sofas, power outlets, drinking water, and energy drinks, but also had fruits and snacks. This once again highlighted the immense investment in this sports competition, as even mere Songyang High School participants received such lavish hospitality.