When I woke up, I wanted to go home.

Four days later, Zhu Chongjiu and his entourage appeared at the city gate of Ruixue City, where they were pointed at and whispered about by the surrounding pedestrians!

Because apart from Zhu Chongjiu, Dean Wang, and that royal-level mage, the rest of the people were all ragged, disheveled, and covered in blood, with only clothes hanging on their bodies like strips of cloth.

Anyone who didn't know better would think they were refugees who had fled after a major war broke out somewhere!

Wu Xue, a low-level female mage in the group, muttered under her breath, "We've already used up all our spare clothes in the continuous battles. I suggested we resupply in Dixue City, but Dean Wang insisted on going to Ruixue City instead. Now look what's happened, we've lost face all the way to the capital." The girl shook her head, covered her face, and stomped her feet as she spoke.

The people around him also had expressions of agreement.

After hearing Wu Xue's whisper, Dean Wang said with a disdainful look, "What does it have to do with me if your clothes are torn? My clothes are brand new designer brands."

Knowing you're going to fight, you didn't even bring enough gear. Serves you right! Stop dawdling and get into the city!

The group followed Dean Wang to the city gate. Dean Wang then handed the academy token to the city guard, who allowed them to enter the city.

Zhu Chongjiu began observing the city from the city gate. As expected of the capital, the city gate was dozens of feet high, and the city wall was nearly a hundred feet high. He wondered how much manpower and resources it would take to build it.

Entering the city, it was even more bustling and lively. In Viter City, the tallest stone building I had ever seen was the City Lord's Mansion, but here, there were countless stone buildings as tall as the City Lord's Mansion. Not only were there stone buildings, but also the rarest wooden buildings were interspersed among the stones. I should have known that wood was very precious in the Ice and Snow Continent!

Moreover, from the city gate, one can see a giant stone building nearly a thousand meters high deep in the city.

Zhu Chongjiu, who came from Earth, was utterly shocked and speechless when he saw such a massive stone structure.

This was a hundred times more awe-inspiring than the pyramids. Although shocked, Zhu Chongjiu tried his best to control his expression so as not to appear ignorant of the world!

However, even with a seasoned and cunning old man like Dean Wang, he still noticed some signs and, without waiting for Zhu Chongjiu to ask, took the initiative to explain to Zhu Chongjiu: "That stone building deep inside is our royal palace. The royal palace is 997 meters high and took three years to build."

More than forty Emperor-level martial arts masters and magic masters were dispatched, because ordinary people simply could not complete a building like this.

As for the saying that it is 997 meters, it comes from a quote by King Witte: "Nothing in the world is perfect, so nine is the ultimate!"

Therefore, when later kings built their palaces, they deliberately left the top two meters unreserved: one meter for heaven and earth, and one meter for the people, symbolizing that heaven, earth, and the people would forever be above the palace!

Upon hearing this, Zhu Chongjiu remarked that most national leaders have good intentions and sound policies, but unfortunately, too many subordinates are driven by selfish motives and fail to follow orders.

Especially those remote areas where the mountains are high and the emperor is far away.

But how could the leaders not know this?

But that's human nature!

As long as people have desires, this kind of thing can never be eradicated!

As Zhu Chongjiu was expressing his feelings, Dean Wang mentioned the wooden building again. Although wood is precious, the cities south of Ruixue City on our Ice and Snow Continent are all warmer than the last.

Although it may not be a picturesque landscape, there are still some hardy trees.

Especially in Rainy Snow City and Water City.

Therefore, the key shops and properties owned by the wealthy and nobles still use buildings constructed of wood, which also demonstrates their economic strength!

As Dean Wang and his entourage walked and talked, the students and mentors also stopped by a clothing store to buy some spare clothes.

An hour and a half later, the group arrived in front of a huge stone building that was about 100 meters tall and had about 20 stories.

The plaque above the main gate of the stone building reads "Office of the Headquarters of the Dharma Academy".

Of course, after seeing the palace, Zhu Chongjiu was not too surprised by such a tall building!

As the group entered the main office building, they were greeted by a large hall of nearly 10,000 square meters.

Everyone gasped in astonishment, their mouths agape!

Only Zhu Chongjiu, Dean Wang, and that royal-level mage had natural expressions.

Because Zhu Chongjiu wanted to maintain his high-class image, he waited until Dean Wang and that King-level mage had visited the main hospital's office more than once!

Dean Wang led everyone through the bustling hall to a reception desk with a sign that read "Registration for the Divine Void Grand Competition".

Standing behind the reception desk was a staff member who was nearly two meters tall and had the appearance of an international supermodel.

Upon seeing the group approach, the staff member politely asked, "Excuse me, are you here to register for the Divine Void Grand Competition?"

Dean Wang stepped forward, took out the college token, and said, "Yes, could you please register us, miss?"

After hearing Dean Wang's answer, everyone behind him instantly got goosebumps!

Oh my! A thinning old man with a white beard is talking about "young lady" in such a sleazy way...!

After the staff completed the registration, they returned the token to Dean Wang and said, "Sir, your competition team has completed registration. Your team has been assigned to a room on the thirteenth floor. Here are your room keys."

After accepting the token and key, Dean Wang winked at the waitress, which gave everyone goosebumps again!

The group of twenty-seven people arrived at the thirteenth floor. Apart from Dean Wang, the Royal-level mage, and Zhu Chongjiu, who were in single rooms, the remaining twenty-four people were divided into eight triple rooms.

However, there were only two girls in the team.

So the two girls shared a triple room, and then the five king-level mentors, disregarding all ethics, demanded that each of them have their own room, leaving only two triple rooms!

The remaining seventeen trainees squeezed into their assigned rooms with long faces.

Taking advantage of the room's size, a bunch of things were lying on the floor and on the bed.

The intense and exciting life of more than 20 days left the trainees and instructors exhausted. After entering their rooms, they didn't even take off their clothes, let alone wash up, and they all fell into a deep sleep!

After entering the room, Zhu Chongjiu stood by the window looking out, ostensibly admiring the scenery of the capital, but in reality, he was missing his family back home!

Just as Zhu Chongjiu was lost in thought, a knock came at the door. Zhu Chongjiu looked out the window and said without turning his head, "Come in!"

Dean Wang peeked into the room, but didn't say much. He told Zhu Chongjiu, "I need to go to the palace to see the king."

After that, I called you Ninth Mentor in front of outsiders, and your name was Ninth Brother.

If anyone asks, I will say that you are a super genius of our academy, an Emperor-level powerhouse whom the academy has secretly cultivated for ten years with a huge amount of resources, just wanting to make a name for yourself.

If someone asks you a question that's beyond your understanding, you can remain silent. The persona I'm giving you is that of a taciturn, cold person who might not utter a single word in a year!

Zhu Chongjiu remained in the same posture, raised his hand, waved it, and said, "Alright, I understand. You can leave if there's nothing else!"

Dean Wang was stunned for a moment, muttered "Damn, so aloof!" and then turned and walked out of the room!

In the evening, everyone woke up.

Some were discussing the battles of the past few days, while others were discussing the upcoming competition. At this moment, Dean Wang sent a telepathic message to everyone, telling them to go to the cafeteria on the second floor for lunch!

As everyone descended the stairs and arrived at the cafeteria, they saw Dean Wang waiting there with a gloomy face.

Zhu Chongjiu thought to himself, "It's obvious that he suffered a lot of humiliation on this trip to the palace!"

After everyone had finished getting their meals, Dean Wang took out a pile of documents from his storage ring and threw them to everyone, saying, "These are the documents of your opponents. They contain the names and information of the participants from the remaining eleven colleges excluding us in the competition."

There are also competition rules. After dinner, everyone should choose their own level to take home and watch!

Seeing Dean Wang's expression, no one had the mind to eat slowly anymore. They wolfed down their food and went upstairs as quickly as possible, afraid that the dean's anger would fall on them!

Zhu Chongjiu ate the low-level monster meat on his plate, but after a couple of tasteless bites, he got up to go upstairs.

Upon seeing this, Dean Wang followed Zhu Chongjiu upstairs!

Zhu Chongjiu opened his door and stepped into the room, with Dean Wang following closely behind.

Zhu Chongjiu turned around and blocked Dean Wang's path, saying, "Old Wang, what are you doing?"

Dean Wang replied with a grin, "Ninth Brother, come inside and we can talk about something!"

Zhu Chongjiu took two steps back helplessly, turned around and went into the house, asking, "What is it?"

Before Zhu Chongjiu could even mention the profits, Principal Wang's mouth, which sounded like that of a complaining woman, started babbling on and on.

All the other academy deans are already at the Emperor level, and they all look down on him and speak ill of him. Even his family members are indifferent to him.

What's most infuriating is that when he went to Heping Trading Company to buy information, the price was 20% higher than the annual price, and then he asked why.

According to the new regulations this year, only Emperor-level customers can enjoy the affordable materials!

"My goodness, my dear mother!"

Zhu Chongjiu was getting impatient and said to Dean Wang, "Is there anything else? If not, I still need to look at the documents!"

The competition is in two days. If you still want me to be in the top two, please don't bother me, okay?

Dean Wang said nonchalantly, "If others don't believe me, why wouldn't I believe you?"

With you, Ninth Brother, you don't need to look at any information; everyone looks like a newbie in front of you.

The rules of the competition are simple: there are no team battles or revival matches; it's all one-on-one duels, with winners advancing to the next round and losers being eliminated.

The top three martial arts masters and magic masters at the beginner, intermediate, and advanced levels will be selected, while the top five martial arts masters and magic masters at the king level will be selected.

Royal-level mages, regardless of whether they are magic mages or martial mages, are among the top five.

The top two Emperor-level powerhouses are chosen; it's that simple.

This year, the number of magic and martial arts masters at the beginner, intermediate, advanced, king, and emperor levels is basically the same as in previous years.

However, there are significantly fewer Emperor-level experts compared to last year.

With a major battle imminent this year, the king has decreed that only one Emperor-level expert from each army is allowed to participate, and the same applies to the academy.

Only the major aristocratic families and powerful clans have no restrictions; there are currently fewer than sixty Emperor-level individuals, out of a total of around three thousand!

Two days later, at sunrise, the more than three thousand contestants, each led by their own leader, arrived at the huge square in front of the palace.

The square covers hundreds of thousands of square meters and is guarded by the Royal Guards.

The surrounding area was filled with all sorts of people, including ordinary citizens, merchants, and tycoons!

Zhu Chongjiu stood in the front row, gazing at the enormous palace before him, and was once again awestruck. Seeing it from afar and seeing it up close were two completely different concepts.

This king was named "Rahun," and he appeared to be around fifty years old.

Zhu Chongjiu observed that this king was a top-tier Emperor-level mage, but whether he was a martial mage or a magic mage was unknown!

Surrounded by a host of princes and ministers, King Raihun stood on a platform about 100 meters high in the palace, looking down below!

When the time came, a minister stepped forward from beside the king and said in a booming voice, "Today is the day of the annual Divine Void Grand Competition. I will read out the rules of the competition. Although almost everyone already knows the rules, we still need to go over them again with a rigorous attitude!"

The minister made a joke, which made the king and his ministers laugh. The people in charge of the competition below and the people watching from the outside also burst into laughter, which instantly eased the tense atmosphere.

After seeing that his work had produced good results, the minister then read out the rules of the competition.

Ten minutes later, after the competition rules were read out, the man continued, "Now that the rules are out, let's invite His Majesty the King to announce the rewards for this year's competition. Please give him a warm welcome."

After the minister finished speaking, he led the applause, and the ministers beside him and the people below also joined in. In an instant, the applause was thunderous!

The king took two steps forward, raised his hand and pressed down. After the applause stopped, the king said, "I won't waste any more words. Each winner of the competition will receive a weapon two major levels higher than themselves, a suit of armor two major levels higher than themselves, and a bottle of royal-grade healing pills."

Two hundred royal-level Earth Ape Inner Cores were distributed by the Emperor-level team leader!

Fifty catties each of blood and flesh from Emperor-level monsters will be distributed by the Emperor-level team leader!

Everyone will receive resources that allow them to level up!

These are just rewards before entering the Divine Void. After exiting the Divine Void, one can be granted a noble title and a marquisate. The specific rewards will be determined based on individual performance after exiting the Divine Void!

Alright, that's all for now. I hereby declare the competition open!

Amidst cheers and shouts from below, and with the king's announcement, this year's Divine Void Competition officially began!