Chapter 171: Freaks Everywhere, Suppressing the World (I)

That evening, after dinner, everyone sat at the edge of the square.

Watching the base gradually come alive with activity, Li Meng couldn't help but sigh. "Damn, I didn't realize until I came here that the Third Heavenly Realm is nothing like what I imagined. If only I’d followed Chen Chu’s lead and come here a bit later."

Liu Feng nodded in agreement, a sense of disillusionment clouding his expression. "Yeah, back in school, we were considered geniuses for breaking through to the Third Heavenly Realm in our first year. But here, it seems like everyone's already surpassed that level.

"Coming here all excited just to find out that, not only are we not standing out, but we're also trailing behind everyone else. The only consolation is the contribution points we can earn."

Chen Chu crossed his arms, leaning against the railing with a puzzled expression. "Why do I feel like you two are bragging about how easy it is to earn contribution points here?"

"Hehe! It's not bad, not bad at all." Bai Mu chuckled along with the others, their laughter tinged with a hint of slyness.

Li Meng's eyes lit up as he continued. "There are so many mutated beasts here. It's been less than a month, and on average, we've each earned over a hundred contribution points.

"But it's quite exhausting. We're out early and back late, running hundreds of kilometers every day. Sometimes, we even have to spend two or three days outside. And when we're carrying mutated beast carcasses back through the mountains, it's easy to be attacked by other mutated creatures. It's a constant hassle."

As soon as they finished speaking, Chen Chu exclaimed in surprise, "You've been here for so long, and yet each of you has only earned a little over a hundred contribution points on average?"

In Chen Chu's mind, with mutated beasts roaming everywhere, simply killing a few level 3 beasts would earn them hundreds of points in no time. With a bit more effort, contribution points should be pouring in.

He himself had earned over 400 points in just half a month outside. Of course, these guys couldn't compare to him, but even so, their harvest was much less than he had anticipated.

"Not bad at all, Chen Chu." Liu Feng nodded in satisfaction. "I've earned 120 points in just over half a month, equivalent to what I earned during my trial in Kyrola, including what I gained in Kyria."

Yuan Chenghuang also nodded approvingly. "Yeah, it’s pretty good. It's a pity we haven't broken through to the Fourth Heavenly Realm yet. Otherwise, we could venture deeper into the Yunwu Mountains to search for resource points.

“Compared to hunting mutated creatures and hauling their carcasses back, finding a resource point would yield at least five hundred contribution points, and if we can set up everything needed to harvest from it and protect it from mutated beasts, we get more."

"Don't worry, we'll get there," Bai Mu said confidently. "With the speed we're earning contribution points now, getting resources and honing our skills, we'll soon break through to the Fourth Heavenly Realm."

"Right, let's push through and break into the Fourth Heavenly Realm sooner. We can't let Chen Chu boast for too long."

"

Ahem!

I'm not boasting!" Chen Chu defended himself.

Liu Feng snorted. "Not boasting? You couldn't even wait for your brothers when you were showing off."

“Yeah!" Yuan Chenghuang chimed in. "Xia Youhui said he had something urgent, snuck back alone, and got the four of us to lug that level 4 carcass around by ourselves."

Facing their accusations, Xia Youhui just smirked proudly.

Meanwhile, Luo Fei glanced at the undulating mountains in the distance, listening to her classmates' bragging and banter with a smile playing on her lips.

After some idle chatter, Chen Chu looked toward the large screen standing on the side of the square, where the Genius List and Achievement List were updated every ten minutes. Among them, the Genius List only included the top hundred for all years, but currently there were just over twenty students from their year.

Chen Chu suddenly asked, "Speaking of which, how much do you guys know about those geniuses listed up there?"

He was somewhat interested in these geniuses who could make it into the top hundred, but the rankings only displayed names without specifying their schools or exact cultivation levels. It seemed the details only showed up in that bold red text when there was a change in the rankings.

However, faced with Chen Chu's inquiry, Liu Feng, Bai Mu, and the others looked somewhat embarrassed.

Li Meng cleared his throat. "Well, we actually don't know much about them either."

Liu Feng scratched his head. "We're just in the middle stage of the Third Heavenly Realm. We're still a bit far from breaking through to the late stage, so we haven't paid much attention to this Genius List."

"...Alright." Chen Chu shook his head in slight exasperation.

Xia Youhui grinned. "Asking them is pointless. Ever since we got here, all they think about day and night is killing mutated beasts and fighting."

"Xia Youhui, it's not like you haven’t been with us," Liu Feng retorted.

Xia Youhui shrugged. "Yeah, I usually go with you guys to kill mutated beasts, but every time we come back, I wander around the senior dormitories at night. I actually know a few seniors from the third year. Or, well, they know my brother, which is basically the same as knowing me, hehe

.

"But back when my brother graduated, those seniors were just freshmen, so I'd say our relationship is okay."

This guy was naturally skilled in socializing and gossip. Chen Chu asked, "So, did you find out anything?"

Xia Youhui shook his head. "They don't actually know much, either, just that Nantian’s got five geniuses listed. There are two in the second year, namely Ji Changkong and Bai Yuanfu.

"Ji Changkong holds the top spot in the second-year Genius List. I’ve heard that he’s already broken through to the middle stage of the Fifth Realm, which makes him the most outstanding talent in the second year.

"Bai Yuanfu’s ranked twenty-sixth, and he’s in the beginning stage of the Fifth Realm. These guys are really powerful, and are constantly going deep into the Yanwu Mountains to hone their skills and willpower.

"There’s also three students from the third year of Nantian on the list. They’re Zhang Tianlong at fifth place, Li Yuan at nineteenth, and Lin Mei at thirty-fifth.

"Among them, Zhang Tianlong’s at the peak of the Fifth Realm, while the other two are in the late stage. All the students listed from the third year are at least in the middle stage of the Fifth.

"But the Genius List for the second year is slightly weaker. There are only about fifty students who have reached the beginning stage of the Fifth Realm, while the rest are at the peak of the Fourth."

Chen Chu pondered.

Have all of the third-year students broken through to the Fifth Heavenly Realm?