Chapter 151 – Spectacular Live Broadcast! Streets Empty as Everyone Watches!

At the same time, as the Federation Grand Examination in Nanming Province began, the live broadcast also started simultaneously.

On this day, every city across Nanming Province witnessed scenes of deserted streets!

Even those with jobs had specifically taken the day off to watch this grand spectacle that occurs only once every three years.

Those who insisted on working were absent-minded even after arriving at their companies, their gazes drifting, lost in thought. Seeing this, some company bosses generously waved their hands and gave everyone the day off, eliciting cheers from the distracted employees.

Many enthusiastic female colleagues even rushed forward to plant kisses on their bosses, expressing their excitement.

After everyone left, the company boss chuckled and hurried home, eagerly sitting on the sofa to turn on the TV and watch the event.

In contrast to the deserted streets,

bars and teahouses of all sizes were bustling!

Young people preferred bars, gathering in groups of friends.

Inside the dimly lit bars, rows of TVs, temporarily installed by the owners, hung from the ceiling.

Every table was piled high with beer as they prepared to revel and witness the rise of some Monstrous Talents in the Federation Grand Examination!

Perhaps in a few years, the Monstrous Talents they were watching today would soar to become powerful figures of immense influence!

Especially the Prodigy from Ghost Mountain City deserved extra attention.

A Second Generation, with arms around two companions, laughed heartily as he boasted to the group surrounding him, “Just watch! My big brother will dominate the Federation Grand Examination this time! Unstoppable! Haha!”

“Absolutely!”

“Brother Kun is incredibly strong! No one is his match!”

“Brother Kun always looks out for us.”

The group immediately chimed in with flattery.

The Brother Kun they spoke of was the offspring of a high-ranking Upper Echelon figure in Ghost Mountain City. Even the Second Generation usually followed his lead, as their statuses were on different levels.

The bar was noisy, filled with all kinds of people.

The underground black market was also busy, setting up various betting pools.

They offered a wide range of odds for the Grand Examination, attracting large numbers of participants.

…

In the teahouses, the scene was entirely different.

Elderly and middle-aged people preferred the tranquility here, sipping tea while watching the rare live broadcast of the event.

However, with so many people, noise was inevitable. Unless one paid for a private room, but seats were in high demand these days, and prices were exorbitantly high.

The booming business had the teahouse owners grinning from ear to ear. They truly wished the Federation Grand Examination were held every year instead of once every three years, which limited their opportunities to make a fortune.

Inside the teahouses, people sat and chatted among themselves.

Others continued to stream in.

“Old Li, over here! Been waiting for you!”

An Elder, munching on sunflower seeds, called out to an acquaintance, waving, “Come sit here, quick! I saved a spot for you. If you’re late, it’ll be gone!”

“I wonder who will take the title of Provincial Top Scholar in this Federation Grand Examination?” someone remarked.

“Hard to say!”

“The competition for Provincial Top Scholar is always fierce! It’s a great honor! I heard there are rewards at the end too!”

“Really? What rewards?”

Someone laughed heartily, “Don’t even think about it. It definitely won’t be someone from our Ghost Mountain City! Haha!”

His words immediately drew laughter from a group of people in the teahouse.

“Indeed, in any case, the Provincial Top Scholar won’t be from our Ghost Mountain City. It’s more likely to appear in those densely populated cities,” someone remarked, taking a sip of tea.

“Exactly!” Many nodded in agreement.

Within the Federation, the disparity in city sizes was immense.

Ghost Mountain City was merely a small city with a population of several million, while cities with populations in the ten-million tier were not uncommon in the Federation. There were even some mega-cities with populations exceeding a hundred million!

From a probability standpoint, the larger the population, the greater the chance of producing an Aberration!

Someone chuckled, “Everyone, the Provincial Top Scholar is far too difficult. Since its founding, Ghost Mountain City has never produced one!”

Ghost Mountain City had been established for a thousand years—a considerable length of time—yet it had never seen the emergence of a Provincial Top Scholar. The odds were simply too slim!

“Forget about the Provincial Top Scholar. Let’s think about something more realistic. How many candidates from our Ghost Mountain City do you think will be admitted to Fengdu University this time?”

“That’s hard to say!”

“The true geniuses and Monstrous Talents are all hidden away by the upper echelons and the powerful. We don’t even know how many 4th Revolution Super-Limit Tier individuals there are. We know far too little!”

Someone explained, “Hiding these geniuses and Monstrous Talents is for their safety. The upper echelons have their reasons!”

Another person waved a hand dismissively, “I wonder if our Ghost Mountain City has any 4th Revolution Giant Tier individuals this year?”

“There should be, right? Every year has them. At its peak, there were even two Giant Tier individuals!”

“Giant Tier is crucial. Only with a 4th Revolution Giant Tier can one safely pass the second round. That’s the only way to increase the admission rate!”

If you can’t even make it past the second round, the chance of being admitted is almost nonexistent!

“Whether there are any 4th Revolution Giant Tier individuals is unclear. The City Lord’s residence hasn’t announced anything publicly this time.”

“We’ll just have to wait and see! Once the second round’s chaotic battle begins, we’ll naturally find out.”

The teahouse buzzed with lively discussion.

The teahouse owner watched the scene with a cheerful smile, instructing the attendants to serve tea and water to the guests, careful not to neglect anyone.

“Look! It’s starting!”

At that moment, an exclamation rang out in the teahouse.

Everyone was startled and turned to look at the rows of televisions.

Sure enough, the television screen shifted, displaying scenes from the Federation Grand Examination.

They happened to witness tens of millions of candidates soaring into the air, flying toward the distant Blood Fiend City, which was enveloped in a dense crimson glow.

The teahouse instantly fell silent. No one spoke anymore; each person’s breathing grew rapid, but their eyes burned with increasing intensity.

They knew that the grand spectacle, which occurred only once every three years, had now begun.

It wasn’t just the teahouse that fell silent. Bars large and small, underground black markets… and living rooms where people chose to watch from home also grew quiet.

Everyone held their breath, their eyes fixed intently on the television screens.

…

In the Lu family villa, the living room was packed with people.

Many of Lu Shushan’s relatives had come today—aunts, uncles, and cousins all gathered in one hall, chattering away about everyday matters.

They had come to the Lu family today for one reason: to watch their eldest nephew, Lu Ming, perform in the Federation Grand Examination.

It had taken several generations for the Lu family to produce such a prodigy, someone capable of participating in the Federation Grand Examination.

Everyone was waiting for Lu Ming to bring honor to the family in this Federation Grand Examination!

“Shushan, you’ve truly raised your son well!”

“Yes indeed, raising a fine son like Lu Ming truly brings honor to our Lu family!”

The relatives vied with each other in their flattery, each striving to outdo the others in their efforts! Everyone feared their own sycophancy might be surpassed by someone else’s.