People are in high martial arts, the system lives in fantasy

Following the staff's signal, Zhao Yingcai from Biying University took a deep breath and slowly walked up to the center of the questioning platform.

The moment his feet stepped onto those ancient Dao patterns, the entire platform suddenly rippled with a deep blue light, as if it contained some kind of magical power.

"Begin." Mr. Bailu, sitting on the judges' panel, gently tapped the copper bell.

call……

Zhao Yingcai closed his eyes and concentrated, and a light green vortex gradually appeared around his body.

A low gasp immediately rose from the stands—the ability to manifest energy at the very beginning showed that this person had a considerable grasp of the artistic conception.

At this moment, the pale green cyclone, accompanied by the flow of energy, presents a spiral trajectory of vines winding around it. Within the cyclone, a translucent green vine can be seen, with the veins of the leaves clearly visible as if carved from jade, and fluorescent buds growing at the ends of the vines.

After being materialized on the Asking Platform, even if it did not reach the level of intent, it could still unleash energy that was no weaker than that of the intent level, and even amplify the will within it.

At this moment, on the viewing platform, many ordinary people who only had a rudimentary understanding of martial arts were also able to feel the power at the realm of intent.

As the green vines soared into the sky, they contained a vigorous and upward-striving life force, as if they wanted to reach the clouds—this will was no less than anyone else's.

"A wood-type variant, the essence of green vines," Cheng Shanhe whispered in Su Bei's ear. "Last year, Bi Ying's trump card; her strength was no weaker than any of the main players from the top ten universities."

Su Bei nodded slightly; this person was also among the information Yuan Suan had given him.

Young people are full of youthful vigor, and for whatever reason, there are many geniuses who would rather be the head of a chicken than the tail of a phoenix. Zhao Yingcai is undoubtedly a prominent figure in his school.

Before he finished speaking, something strange happened.

The Dao patterns around the Dao Platform suddenly flickered violently, and the blue light beneath Zhao Yingcai's feet abruptly transformed into a pitch-black vortex. The seven judges simultaneously sat up straight, and even Bai Yutang's sword sheath hummed.

“The reflection of inner demons,” Zhou Buyi said in a deep voice.

Countless vine-like shadows emerged from the pitch-black vortex, their surfaces covered with barbed energy crystals, intertwining with Zhao Yingcai's Green Vine Artifact.

Grayish-green rotten patches formed where the shadowy vines intertwined with the green vines. The eroded emerald green vines stiffened and petrified, crumbling into black powder that drifted away.

The boy's face turned deathly pale instantly, and cold sweat beaded on his forehead. The shadowy vines were visibly eroding his green vortex!

"Should we intervene?" The staff member looked nervously at the judges' panel.

This situation has occurred frequently in previous years. The artistic conception can be said to be the materialization of a martial artist's will. The stronger the will, the more obsessions it has. On the platform of inquiry, not only the martial will is magnified, but those obsessions are also magnified infinitely.

Every year, there are geniuses whose Dao hearts are damaged because of this, but without destruction there can be no construction, so it's hard to say whether it's a good thing or a bad thing.

Mr. White Deer shook his head: "Wait a little longer."

Just as the green cyclone was about to be completely swallowed up, Zhao Yingcai suddenly roared, slammed his hands into the ground, and a surge of extremely green life energy burst forth from his body!

The previously polluted atmosphere suddenly burst forth with vibrant life, and the shadowy vines contracted as if struck by lightning.

"Break it for me!"

With that shout, the dark vortex shattered and transformed back into azure light.

Zhao Yingcai knelt on one knee, panting heavily. His breathing was much weaker, but his face showed a hint of joy.

At this moment, the green vine aura surrounding him had transformed into a light green color, and its size was much smaller than before, but its temperament was purer, as if it had undergone the tempering process of forming a sword.

From Su Bei's perspective, after this experience, Zhao Yingcai has already completed most of the path to enlightenment!

"I wonder what kind of approach this Asking Platform is taking now."

Applause erupted from the judges' panel.

“The green vine transforms into thunder, breaking down and then rebuilding.” Mr. Bailu wrote the numbers on the rating board: “Depth 3.3 points, Breadth 3.8 points, Control 4 points.”

This opening puts immense pressure on the subsequent contestants.

Don't be fooled by the fact that each item has a maximum score of ten; this score is still far from passing. But you have to know who's sitting on the stage.

Judging by their standards, a score of 3 would have placed them in the top ten in previous years. "Next..."

Zhao Yingcai got off to a good start, but the performances of the subsequent contestants were rather lackluster. Two of the three contestants in a row were unable to withstand the influence of their inner demons, and their mental state collapsed on the spot. They had to be helped off the stage by medical staff.

The rating was a merciless zero.

There's not much to say about the rest; the highest scorer only achieved a total of 4.2 points.

Su Bei watched as the old man's face became detached from his thoughts, as if he had drifted off somewhere.

The discussion in the audience gradually grew noisy.

"Next up, Chen Beidou from Tian Shu University."

The scene suddenly fell silent.

The young man who emerged from the east passage was slender, yet possessed a calm and imposing presence like a mountain.

As he passed by Su Bei, their eyes briefly met, and Chen Beidou nodded slightly, greeting Cheng Shanhe beside him in the same way.

Chen Beidou slowly stepped onto the Dao Inquiry Platform, his black training clothes fluttering in the energy field without wind. The moment he stood still, the entire platform suddenly trembled violently, and the Dao patterns lit up with a rare dark gold color.

"Tian Shu University has produced an interesting little fellow this year." Bai Yutang finally pulled his wandering thoughts back and tapped his finger lightly on the scabbard.

A dark golden light surged across the platform like a tide. Chen Beidou spread his arms, and behind him appeared an energy projection of the Big Dipper. The seven stars moved in mysterious trajectories, each trailing a long tail of light, drawing complex star trail patterns in the air.

“Astrological imagery…” Cheng Shanhe gripped the tablet tightly, a conflicted and envious look on his face: “His strength has improved again compared to last year.”

Astrological imagery is inherently powerful, and these celestial phenomena often possess unique abilities, making them extremely difficult to defend against.

Su Bei noticed that the star trails were not fixed—the Tian Shu star remained in the center, while the other six stars constantly changed positions, vaguely forming a battle formation. This dynamic balance was unprecedented among the previous contestants.

Suddenly, the Inquiry Platform erupted with blinding light. What emerged from the dark vortex wasn't vines, but seven blurry figures, each occupying a star's position. Chen Beidou groaned, blood trickling from the corner of his mouth, but the orbital speed of the stars actually increased.

The most astonishing thing is that the silhouette of the figure in the Tian Shu star position is eight or nine parts similar to Chen Beidou.

"Seven Stars Reflect Fate." A look of appreciation appeared in Mr. White Deer's eyes: "It's already quite close to the true essence."

The battle between the star trails and the shadowy figures lasted a full three minutes. When Chen Beidou finally incorporated all seven figures into the star trail system, a waterfall of starlight suddenly descended over the entire Asking Platform.

A chorus of gasps erupted from the audience—the light waterfalls, upon touching the ground, transformed into rolling, solid-like stardust, inexplicably dazzling.

All seven judges simultaneously displayed their scores.

"Depth 6.5, Breadth 7.1, Control 6.8!" The staff member's voice trembled. "Currently ranked first!"

This score caused a huge uproar.

In previous competitions, a score of 6 was enough to win the championship, let alone a score of 7 in a single event.

The drones broadcasting the live stream immediately pointed their cameras at the Tian Shu University seats, trying to capture the coach's delighted expression—but they didn't.

The coach was expressionless, and his face even conveyed a sense of wanting to finish the game quickly and avoid further losses.

Others don't know the situation.

How could they not understand?
Looking at the quiet, smiling young man on the Zhenwu University players' bench, he felt quite helpless.

Do you guys know there are cheat codes here?!

Zhenwu University didn't even send their coach... Although the top ten universities didn't communicate privately, they all tacitly agreed to give up the Art of Contemplation competition.

He just wants more geniuses to emerge as soon as possible, to create more momentum, and preferably to overshadow his own captain. Otherwise, the more he boasts now, the harder he will fall when Su Bei takes the stage.

As a result, the major universities barely released any promotional materials for the artistic conception competition. (End of Chapter)