The moment Lu Chenxing entered the stadium, several gazes turned his way, but then they quickly looked away, as if they had only instinctively looked up after seeing someone enter.
A cleaner glanced at Lu Chenxing, then lowered his head again, putting away the tools in his hand, seemingly unfazed.
Another usher came over to help, and the two exchanged a glance without speaking.
But the next moment, seeing Lu Chenxing being led by Bai Yuntian to the special guest seat on the rostrum, their eyes flickered involuntarily.
"Have a seat. You know everyone here, so I won't introduce them further," Bai Yuntian said with a smile, gesturing for Lu Chenxing to sit.
Among the special guests were Zhan Wushuang, Long Qifeng, and Dan Qiuchan, which surprised Lu Chenxing.
After all, it was just a college assessment competition for a first-class university, not a particularly important occasion, so these individuals really didn't need to be there.
And Mayor Dan of Baihua City, didn't she return after the military confirmed she could participate in the Little World's subjugation? Why was she back again?
Is the Mayor of Baihua City really that idle?
That's what Lu Chenxing thought, and that's what he asked, "Mayor Dan, why are you here too?"
"Hehe, Boss Lu, I'm here all for you! What, not welcome?" Dan Qiuchan said with a smile.
"For me?" Lu Chenxing was a bit confused by this. Hadn't the previous matter already been settled? Was there some change?
At this moment, Zhan Wushuang spoke up to explain, "You should have heard about the large-scale, unprovoked deaths of animals outside our city recently, right?"
"Yes, I've heard people mention it," Lu Chenxing nodded.
"After our investigation, these animals died from illness, and the virus they were infected with is precisely the same virus that previously spread in Loshen City and Baihua City!" Zhan Wushuang said with a serious expression.
"They are using rats as carriers to spread the virus in the forests outside the city. Although we don't know what they want to do, it's almost certain that they are targeting you."
At this moment, Long Qifeng stroked his beard and added, "There are several layers of hidden formations, almost all of them trap formations, on the chair you're sitting on right now. It's clearly the work of a Phantom Demon."
Upon hearing this, Lu Chenxing nearly jumped up. You knew there were trap formations and still let me sit?! What are you old farts thinking?!
But before he could jump up, Bai Yuntian pressed him down, shaking his head at him. "The traps have been contained, don't worry."
"Hahaha, you kid, since I could see it, how could I not take care of you?" Long Qifeng was amused by Lu Chenxing's reaction. "Actually, these few formations are very well hidden. A rough mental scan wouldn't detect them. If it weren't for the situation in the forest, I wouldn't have specifically investigated. Otherwise, you'd be in a lot of trouble!"
Lu Chenxing finally breathed a sigh of relief. "Next time, can you please finish what you're saying all at once? You'll scare people to death!"
Hearing this, Long Qifeng laughed again. It was clear that his mood had been good ever since his meritorious service was confirmed last time.
Seeing this, Zhan Wushuang said with a smile, "In short, it's because of these formations that we could confirm they were targeting you. Knowing what they want to do put our minds at ease. Not having Elder Long dismantle these formations was also to lure them out."
At this moment, Bai Yuntian asked Lu Chenxing, "You must remember to keep the amulet I gave you with you at all times, just in case."
Lu Chenxing nodded repeatedly. In fact, even if Bai Yuntian hadn't said anything, he wouldn't dare to take off the amulet. With so many people watching him now, if he took it off, he might get killed one day. Even for his own life, he would wear it properly!
"Alright, that's the gist of it. Let's not talk about this anymore. I see you're not far from late second-order. It seems you've been quite diligent in your cultivation recently!" Dan Qiuchan showed a brilliant smile, "You hurry up and advance to third-order, so I can go hack those two ugly monsters to death! Then you'll be safe!"
Really? Lu Chenxing remained skeptical of this statement. They just said these formations were set up by a Phantom Demon. I bet if these two die, the Phantom Demon will come for me!
Thinking of this, Lu Chenxing couldn't help but ask, "What exactly is this Phantom Demon?"
"A Phantom Demon, it's a seventh-order exotic beast with a trace of Mirage Dragon bloodline. Its illusions are superb, and it can also control people's minds through illusions, and this method of control is very difficult to detect," Bai Yuntian took over the conversation this time, clearly he was the one who understood the Phantom Demon the most.
"However, its Mirage Dragon bloodline is thin, and it usually operates across worlds, too far away, so it can't control too many people at once, nor can it control those with too high strength. The impact it causes is still acceptable."
Lu Chenxing nodded upon hearing this, suddenly feeling a sense of crisis. Being targeted by a seventh-order exotic beast that can manipulate minds, if he wasn't careful, something could very likely happen! So he was already starting to think about how to discover and break this method of control.
At the same time, in a certain coffee shop in Loshen City, a stylishly dressed woman's eyes flashed with a hint of fantastical color, and the conversation of Lu Chenxing and the others echoed in her mind.
But the content was far from their actual conversation.
"Boss Lu, you're not doing enough, you need to work harder. When you reach the third-order, we'll go hack those two ugly monsters to death!"
"That's right, Boss Lu, when our merits will be obtained depends on you! Hahahaha!"
"..."
As she listened, the woman's lips curled slightly, "Tch, boring, always fighting and killing."
She then took out her phone and sent a message: "They haven't found any abnormalities. Proceed according to the original plan."
Afterward, she locked her phone, stood up, and left the coffee shop.
...
After nearly an hour of queuing to enter, all the first-year, second-year, and some third-year students of Super Martial University had arrived at the stadium.
Another portion of third-year students and all fourth-year students had already reached fourth-order strength and had gone to the Zhu Tian Battlefield for training. This was a unified standard for all universities: students above fourth-order could not remain on campus.
Seeing that everyone had arrived, Bai Yuntian rose, transforming into a streak of sword light that flew into the sky, his voice resounding throughout the entire venue: "Greetings, students, I am Bai Yuntian."
The students below immediately cheered, as they rarely saw Bai Yuntian. The title of a seventh-order Sword Cultivator was enough to make the students below erupt with excitement!
"The annual college assessment competition is about to begin. The old rules still apply: first-year students enter the second-order secret realm, and second-year and third-year students enter the third-order secret realm. Points will be awarded based on the number and strength of the exotic beasts killed! The top scorer will receive generous rewards!" Bai Yuntian announced the competition rules in a clear voice.
After speaking, he suddenly changed the subject, "This year's competition also has some differences from last year, and that is, several special guests have been invited!"