Soon, Zhou Hong, Qiao Xiaoyu, and Qin Mengxue had dinner together in the cafeteria.
After finishing, the three of them headed to the Martial Cultivation Academy to attend the mobilization meeting that evening.
At this moment, outside the main entrance of the Martial Cultivation Academy, many luxury cars were parked, belonging to the relatives and families of the participants.
"Zhou Hong, Xiaoyu." Just then, Qiao Wanli, along with Qiao Yannian and Liu Liying, alighted from a car. Seeing Zhou Hong and Qiao Xiaoyu, they hurried over.
"Grandpa, Dad, Mom, why are you here so early?" Zhou Hong asked with a smile.
"It starts at eight o'clock sharp, and it's already seven. It's better to arrive early."
Zhou Hong nodded, preparing to enter the venue for the mobilization meeting.
"Mengxue." At this moment, the old master of the Qin family also arrived and called out to Qin Mengxue. Beside the old master of the Qin family were several men, who were none other than Qian Jie and Qian Jie's grandfather, Qian Feng.
"Qin Mengxue, come here. Your husband is here, why are you getting so close to other men?" At this, the old master of the Qin family pulled Qin Mengxue over and placed her beside Qian Jie.
Although Qin Mengxue was annoyed, she felt helpless.
"Humph! Zhou Hong." Qian Jie looked at Zhou Hong and let out a cold snort.
"What? Has your injury down there healed so quickly?" Seeing Qian Jie snort at him, Zhou Hong subtly threatened.
"You...!" Qian Jie looked at Zhou Hong, his eyes filled with rage.
"Qian Jie, behave yourself, do you hear me?" Zhou Hong glanced at Qin Mengxue and decided to help her. He threatened Qian Jie, telling him not to be too arrogant.
Qian Jie gritted his teeth and remained silent.
"Slap!" Zhou Hong delivered a resounding slap.
"I'm talking to you, did you hear me? Behave yourself from now on. Although Qin Mengxue is married to you, it doesn't mean anything. If you dare to bully her, believe it or not, I'll pull out your tubes too?" Seeing Qian Jie still gnashing his teeth at him, Zhou Hong slapped him again.
"Zhou Hong, don't push your luck too far. You're just a Martial Artist at the sixteenth stage, only slightly stronger than Qian Jie. Qin Mengxue is his wife now, what right do you have to tell him to behave? With me, the old master, here, I can make them consummate their marriage right here, what business is it of yours." At this moment, the old master of the Qin family roared at Zhou Hong. Many people at the entrance were alerted and looked over.
Zhou Hong had tolerated the old master of the Qin family for a long time.
"Slap!" No longer able to endure it, Zhou Hong retaliated with a slap, and the old master of the Qin family fell to the ground.
"Old Master Qin, I've tolerated you for a long time. Don't spout nonsense in front of me, or I won't let you off, from the elderly to the young." Zhou Hong threatened the old master of the Qin family.
At this moment, many family members who had come to attend the mobilization meeting looked at Zhou Hong and thought to themselves, "This Zhou Hong is too arrogant, even hitting an elder."
"Yeah, he thinks he's reached the heavens after defeating Qian Jie and becoming the fourth genius."
"Someone like that won't last long and will be eliminated sooner or later."
"Obviously, people like that don't even survive three episodes in a TV series."
The surrounding crowd whispered amongst themselves, thinking Zhou Hong couldn't hear them. In reality, Zhou Hong heard them clearly.
Zhou Hong couldn't be bothered with the onlookers.
Qian Jie, seeing Zhou Hong's arrogance, clenched his fists. If his grandfather, Qian Feng, hadn't held him back, he would have rushed forward to fight Zhou Hong, even if he couldn't win, he would have gone down with him.
Zhou Hong said no more. This was all he could do to help Qin Mengxue. He then immediately entered the venue with Qiao Xiaoyu.
"Zhou Hong, why did you get involved in other people's affairs? You've made so many people watch and ruined your image." Qiao Wanli said quickly after they entered the venue.
"Heh heh, Qin Mengxue and I are friends. I was just warning Qian Jie to help her suffer less."
Qiao Wanli was also helpless.
At this moment, outside the venue, a young man walked up to Qian Jie.
Seeing the young man, Qian Jie said excitedly, "Tan Chao, you're back!"
"Qian Jie, what happened to you? Who was that just now? Why didn't you resist when he hit you?" the young man named Tan Chao asked hurriedly.
This Tan Chao was none other than the second-ranked genius on the Martial Cultivation Academy's genius list, the strongest after the number one genius, Changsun Ruoyan. To be more precise, Tan Chao was the most talented person in the Martial Cultivation Academy because Changsun Ruoyan was not from here; she came from the capital.
Tan Chao and Qian Jie were previously known as the "Twin Geniuses" of the Martial Cultivation Academy. Qian Jie had always fawned over Tan Chao, so when Tan Chao saw Qian Jie being bullied, he hurried forward to inquire.
"Tan Chao, you've returned from your training expedition?" Qian Jie quickly looked up and asked with a smile.
"Yes, I've been out for a month. I didn't expect so much to have changed when I returned. Who was that just now? I've never seen him before."
"He's not from our Martial Cultivation Academy; he's from the Economics Department, a university student from the slums. I don't know what stroke of luck he had, but he has some strength. He's replaced me as the fourth genius, so he constantly bullies me!" Qian Jie gritted his teeth fiercely.
"This is outrageous, acting so smug. Don't worry, I'll avenge you." Tan Chao patted Qian Jie on the shoulder.
"Mm-hmm." Qian Jie nodded excitedly. Tan Chao's strength was naturally beyond his comparison. A month ago, before he went out for training, Tan Chao had already reached the eighteenth stage of a Martial Artist.
At this moment, the family members of other geniuses also recognized Tan Chao. They all looked at him with admiration. Although they were also family members attending the event, their children were nowhere near Tan Chao's level.
"By the way, Brother Chao, you've been out for a month on training, what have you gained?" Qian Jie asked with great curiosity.
"What do you think?" Tan Chao smiled mysteriously.
"I think your aura is much stronger than it was a month ago. I imagine you must have reached the nineteenth stage of a Martial Artist by now."
"Hahaha, you're underestimating me." Tan Chao burst into laughter.
"Brother Chao, you mean you've reached the twentieth stage of a Martial Artist?" Qian Jie was astonished and found it hard to believe.
"Qian Jie, I originally planned to announce this news during the mobilization meeting to shock everyone. But now, I'll let you in on it early. I've been out training for a month, experienced several life-and-death trials, and I've broken through several realms consecutively, reaching the twenty-first stage of a Martial Artist." Tan Chao said, a proud expression on his face, as if he were invincible. Although he was the second genius, in Tan Chao's heart, he was the number one genius. This was because Changsun Ruoyan had transferred from a university in the capital midway.
Even in the eyes of other students, Tan Chao was the true number one genius of Jinzhou University.
"Brother Chao, my admiration for you is like a mighty river, flowing ceaselessly...!" Qian Jie was so moved he almost knelt down.
"Enough, so many people are watching." Tan Chao smiled, feeling very pleased. He had come to attend the mobilization meeting today with the intention of making a stunning debut. Even the dean of the Martial Cultivation Academy didn't know Tan Chao had reached the twenty-first stage of a Martial Artist. If they knew, they would likely be utterly shocked.
At this moment, other geniuses ranked lower on the genius list also saw Tan Chao and came up to greet him. They all looked at him with admiration. However, Tan Chao did not reveal his current achievement of reaching the twenty-first stage of a Martial Artist to anyone else; only Qian Jie knew.
Of course, there were also family members of other geniuses who admired Tan Chao and kept coming up to take photos with him.
Soon, it was eight o'clock.
All those who were supposed to attend the mobilization meeting had almost all arrived.
Zhou Hong sat in his seat, feeling somewhat bored.
Just then, many people in the venue suddenly started cheering as a young man walked in from the entrance.
This young man was none other than Tan Chao. Although Tan Chao had arrived at the venue earlier, he hadn't entered until now, just before eight o'clock, when he walked in from outside.
As he entered the venue, many relatives of the geniuses present let out cheers. After all, they were family members of various geniuses, and they naturally knew of Tan Chao, ranked second. Seeing Tan Chao enter, the family members naturally cheered.
Zhou Hong also looked up.
"Who is it?" Zhou Hong asked, a look of confusion on his face.
Qiao Wanli looked at Tan Chao with reverence. He had always paid attention to the geniuses of the Martial Cultivation Academy. He never expected to have the opportunity to attend a mobilization meeting in the same venue as these geniuses today. "This is Tan Chao, the second-ranked genius of the Martial Cultivation Academy. I've known about him for a long time. Such a figure was once beyond my reach. To think that today, I can see him at such close proximity. Zhou Hong, it's all thanks to you," Qiao Wanli chuckled.
"Second genius?" Zhou Hong curled his lips. He had already spanked the number one genius, Changsun Ruoyan, several times. This second genius, heh.
"Yes, he is the strongest genius after Changsun Ruoyan. Strictly speaking, Tan Chao is the number one genius of Jinzhou University. Because Changsun Ruoyan transferred from a university in the capital a year ago, not everyone considers her the number one."
"Oh!" Zhou Hong replied with a lack of interest.
"This Tan Chao had already reached the eighteenth stage of a Martial Artist. I heard he has a master who took him out for training for a month. Now that he's back, his strength has likely increased." Qiao Wanli also seemed a bit expectant.
At this moment, the venue erupted in even louder cheers, as if a more important figure had arrived.
Indeed, as Zhou Hong looked towards the entrance, he saw a beautiful girl walking in. This girl had a hint of heroism in her eyebrows. If she were to don armor, she would look like a goddess.
This girl was none other than the number one genius, Changsun Ruoyan.
The relatives present were naturally no strangers to Changsun Ruoyan. She was Changsun Qinghe's sister and had transferred from a top Martial Cultivation Academy in the capital a year ago. Therefore, she naturally became the number one genius upon her arrival. The original Tan Chao became second.
Not only that, but Changsun Ruoyan was also peerlessly beautiful, her beauty comparable to her sister Changsun Qinghe. Because of this, Changsun Ruoyan was not only famous within Jinzhou University but also quite well-known throughout Jinzhou City. Seeing Changsun Ruoyan arrive, everyone cheered. Some men present, upon seeing Changsun Ruoyan up close, secretly swallowed.
Unfortunately, Changsun Ruoyan's expression was aloof, and she barely glanced at anyone. She directly took a seat in the front row of the venue. She wouldn't have attended such a mobilization meeting today, but since her sister would be giving a speech later, she had to attend to give her sister face.
At this moment, Tan Chao sat on the other side. He looked at Changsun Ruoyan's profile and secretly swallowed. However, Tan Chao was self-aware. He knew he was not worthy of this genius from the capital and could only fantasize about her while sleeping with a pillow.
Not long after, the dean of the Martial Cultivation Academy arrived.
The venue immediately erupted in warm applause.
"All geniuses and their families, please be quiet." The dean of the Martial Cultivation Academy shouted.
The venue immediately fell silent.
Meanwhile, on both sides of the venue, there were reporters holding cameras and media outlets broadcasting live with their phones.
Although the number of people attending the mobilization meeting in person was not very large, many people in thousands of households across Jinzhou City were watching through their phones and televisions.
Those who did not have the qualification to participate were incredibly envious of everyone sitting in the venue.
This was why Qian Jie, despite his injury not having healed, was made to attend by his family; it brought honor to the family.
"Now, the Martial Cultivation Competition Mobilization Meeting officially begins. Please allow me to introduce the geniuses participating in this Martial Cultivation Competition one by one."
"Clap clap clap!" Thunderous applause filled the venue. This segment was also the most exciting, where each genius gained prestige.
"Then, we will begin by introducing the number one ranked genius." Su Dan Novel Network
Having said that, the dean immediately began his introduction, and the cameras in the venue immediately followed his gaze to the corresponding geniuses.
"The genius ranked number one in this Martial Cultivation Competition is Changsun Ruoyan. I would also like to reveal to everyone that Changsun Ruoyan, as expected of a genius from the capital, has now reached the twenty-eighth stage of a Martial Artist."
"Wow!" Everyone in the venue exclaimed. Although they knew Changsun Ruoyan was strong and from the capital, they didn't know her current cultivation level. Hearing it revealed by the dean, everyone was shocked, including the countless citizens watching the live broadcast.