Star Martial Era: From Mortal to Emperor

After the duel, Li Changfeng, president of the city's martial arts association, personally stepped onto the stage, handed the championship trophy and medal to Lin Chen, and excitedly exclaimed, "Good lad! Breaking through your cultivation realm in battle—I've never seen anything like it in my sixty years of life!" He paused, then looked at Su Qingyue beside Lin Chen and said, "After joint discussion between our Qingyang City Martial Arts Association and the admissions office of the First Martial Arts Middle School in the provincial capital of Tianlan Province, it has been decided that runner-up Su Qingyue will also receive a guaranteed admission to the core class of the First Martial Arts Middle School in the provincial capital."

Upon hearing this, the entire audience erupted in enthusiastic applause once again. Li Changfeng loudly announced the final competition rankings and rewards, starting with the prizes for the top four winners:

-Champion Lin Chen (Qingyang No. 3 Middle School, Regular High School): Guaranteed admission to the core class of the First Martial Arts Middle School in Tianlan Province, awarded 20 high-grade Qi and Blood Pills, 200 mid-grade Spirit Crystals, and Level 1 training qualification from the Qingyang City Martial Arts Association.

- Runner-up Su Qingyue (Qingyang No. 2 Middle School, a municipal key school): Guaranteed admission to the core class of Tianlan Provincial Capital First Martial Arts Middle School, awarded 10 high-grade Qi and Blood Pills and 100 mid-grade Spirit Crystals.

- Zhang Hu (Fierce Tiger Martial Arts School) and Zhao Xuan (Qingyang Experimental High School, a municipal key high school): Guaranteed admission to the regular class of Tianlan Provincial Capital First Martial Arts Middle School, each awarded 5 high-grade Qi and Blood Pills.

Finally, the rankings and prizes for the top 32 finishers will be announced.

-All 32 finalists have been granted exceptional admission to Qingyang No.1 Martial Arts High School.

At this moment, a middle-aged man in a white suit, with a refined demeanor, appeared at the awards ceremony. He strode quickly onto the platform. The man was Jiang Chen, the director of the admissions office of Tianlan Province's No. 1 Martial Arts Middle School, and also an observer for the Provincial Martial Arts Army.

After Jiang Chen stepped onto the stage, his gaze swept across the entire audience. His expression was unusually grave, and he said in a deep voice, "First of all, congratulations to the two champions and runners-up. I will be waiting for you in Tianlan City, the provincial capital, one month from now. Also, on behalf of the Provincial Martial Arts Army, I am issuing an urgent notice:"

Qingyang City, formerly the capital of Tianlan Province, was the site where, a thousand years ago, the first Martial Emperor used his own Star Martial Core as the array's core, integrating the city's underground veins to set up a powerful array to seal the main lair of the extraterrestrial evil race. The array's energy weakens every 300 years, and it has now reached the critical point of its third 300-year cycle. Recent unusual activity from ferocious beasts in the northwestern forest outside the city is a harbinger of the seal weakening.

The official decision is that six months from now, the Provincial Martial Arts Association will organize a joint expedition from key high schools across the province to the northwestern forest area of ​​Qingyang City to assist the military in reinforcing the seal. This is not only a practical training exercise, but also a mission for every martial artist to protect humanity.

The entire arena fell silent instantly. Everyone knew what the loosening of the seal meant. Once the evil race's lair was breached, the entire Qingyang City would be transformed into a living hell.

No one could have imagined that this seemingly ordinary high school martial arts tournament would uncover such a shocking secret concerning the survival of the race.

After the awards ceremony, Lin Chen refused all interviews and celebrations, and went straight home with the trophy. His parents were moved to tears when they saw him. They knew that their son's fate had changed from this moment on, and he had completely said goodbye to his past destiny.

After a short month's rest, Lin Chen, carrying a simple bag, boarded the high-speed train to Tianlan City, the provincial capital, alone. Little did he know that awaiting him at the provincial key high school in Tianlan City was not only a vast world of martial arts, but also a scheme orchestrated by Chen Feng over thirty years, and a destiny buried beneath his hometown, the old provincial capital Qingyang City, a destiny he needed to fulfill for a thousand years.