Chapter 167 – TV broadcast!

“What a shame, Du Yu didn’t make it on his way to the assembly point,” Jiang Hao said, his expression darkening.

Upon hearing this, the smile vanished from Han Liang’s face. He sighed but said nothing.

Many of their classmates had participated in the Federation Grand Examination, and quite a few were likely eliminated in the first round. Du Yu was just one of them.

Seeing the somber atmosphere, Jiang Hao tried to lighten the mood with a smile. “Forget it, let’s not talk about this anymore. Now that we’ve reached the assembly point, we’re much safer. With the protection of Ghost Mountain City’s Experts, things will be much easier from here.”

“Yeah!” Han Liang chuckled, visibly relaxing.

“Have you seen Shangguan Ying?” Jiang Hao asked, scanning their surroundings as he spoke. The famous School Belle naturally drew attention.

Han Liang shook his head. “No! But she must be here. With her Combat Power, there’s no way she was eliminated in the first round.”

“Good point! We’re actually worrying about her,” Jiang Hao laughed. Among their classmates, Shangguan Ying had the highest cultivation level and was the most likely to be admitted to a Federation university.

“Let’s wait. Ghost Mountain City’s High-Tier Super-Limit cultivators should be arriving soon.”

Han Liang looked up toward the distant sky, his expression turning serious. “The question is, which 4th Revolution Giant Tier Expert from Ghost Mountain City is overseeing things this time?”

“Not sure!” Jiang Hao shook his head. This time, Ghost Mountain City hadn’t announced it publicly.

But he wasn’t worried. In previous years, Ghost Mountain City had mostly been overseen by a 4th Revolution Giant Tier Expert.

The number of High-Tier Super-Limit cultivators was also considerable. If it was possible in the past, there likely wouldn’t be any surprises this time either.

Besides, this wasn’t something they could control.

…

As time passed, more and more people gathered at Ghost Mountain City’s assembly point, with the number gradually soaring to over fifty thousand.

For a while, the ruins became extremely lively, bustling with people everywhere.

Moreover, since everyone was from Ghost Mountain City, many naturally knew each other. Meeting in such an environment, they had endless things to talk about.

Amid the commotion, a figure appeared in the distant sky, swaying unsteadily as it flew closer.

The figure wore a mage’s robe, stained all over with blood, and bore significant injuries. Clearly, they had encountered numerous battles on their way to the assembly point.

A moment later, Lu Ming stumbled to the ground. After landing, he gasped for breath violently, his face frighteningly pale.

On his way to Ghost Mountain City’s assembly point, he had been ambushed several times. All ten or so people traveling with him had been eliminated.

Only he had struggled to make it here.

Lu Ming looked at the Ghost Mountain City assembly point, now crowded with over fifty thousand people, his eyes blazing with excitement.

“Hahaha! I finally made it!”

Lu Ming laughed, tears of joy streaming from the corners of his eyes. He had ultimately survived the first round.

“No one can stop me. I will definitely get into Fengdu University and bring glory to the Lu family!” Lu Ming exclaimed excitedly, looking up at the starry sky.

The Federation Grand Examination was broadcast live from start to finish. He knew his father and Mother Lu were surely watching his performance.

“Having survived this first round, the second round will be much easier with Ghost Mountain City’s Experts overseeing it!” Lu Ming forced himself to stand, staggering toward the Ghost Mountain City assembly point.

…

As the second round began, bars and teahouses across Ghost Mountain City were packed with people.

In one teahouse, the noise was deafening as servers weaved through the crowded tables.

On the television screens, scenes from the Federation Grand Examination were being broadcast.

Many people were munching on melon seeds while watching the screen, offering comments and critiques.

They discussed interesting anecdotes they had seen during the first round of the exam.

Some stood on tables, loudly sharing their clumsy opinions. Yet, there were those who listened intently, treating their words as gospel.

A middle-aged man took a sip of tea and said to those at his table, “The first round is over, but the second round is where the real excitement begins.

Tens of thousands of participants from various cities will face off, with even Giant Level figures overseeing it! The intensity is far beyond what we saw in the first round!”

“Exactly!” another person nodded. “The first round felt somewhat stifling, with everyone hiding away and few real battles. But the second round is where the blood boils—a clash of tens of thousands, something you’d only see on a real battlefield.”

“This is going to be worth watching! I’ve decided to stay up for the next few days and not miss a single highlight,” someone said excitedly, having prepared two whole cases of Black Bull energy drinks, as if pumped full of adrenaline.

“I just wonder if we’ll get to see footage of the Ghost Mountain City examinees? The random broadcasts make it hard to catch what we really want to see…”

Someone shook their head, feeling slightly disappointed. What they cared about most was the situation of the Ghost Mountain City examinees.

Especially after entering the second round, when all Ghost Mountain City examinees would gather—if no one was eliminated, over ninety thousand of them would converge to face off against other cities!

They were eager to know the outcome.

If only the footage could stay focused on the Ghost Mountain City examinees.

The middle-aged man spat out a melon seed shell and said, “That depends on whether the City Lord’s mansion is willing to spend the money.”

“You mean the broadcasting rights?”

“Right. If the Upper Echelons are willing to purchase the broadcasting rights and open a dedicated channel, we’ll be able to see footage of the Ghost Mountain City examinees.”

“However, that’ll cost a fortune! The City Lord’s mansion and the Upper Echelons probably aren’t too keen on it.”

“I heard they did it last time! I wonder if they’ll do it again this year?”

As everyone discussed, the teahouse grew increasingly noisy with the second round about to begin.

“Great news! The City Lord’s mansion has purchased the broadcasting rights and will open a dedicated channel. We’re about to see footage of the Ghost Mountain City examinees!”

At that moment, the teahouse owner rushed in excitedly, stood on a high platform, and waved his hands enthusiastically as he announced the news.

“Really?!”

Everyone in the teahouse was overjoyed.

“Of course it’s true!” The teahouse owner beamed, pointing at the TV screen. “Just wait, the broadcast will start soon.”

Sure enough, before long, the randomly playing footage on the TV switched to show two hosts.

One male, one female.

Everyone in the teahouse recognized them—they were famous hosts from Ghost Mountain City TV, usually seen on the news broadcast. No one expected them to appear now.

On the TV, the female host, poised and dignified, announced that the City Lord’s mansion had purchased the broadcasting rights and would now livestream footage of the Ghost Mountain City examinees in its entirety.

The two hosts would provide commentary throughout.

As soon as the news was announced, the teahouse erupted in excitement.

Compared to watching other Prodigies, they much preferred seeing the performance of examinees from their own hometown.

“The City Lord’s mansion is really splurging this time!”

“Excellent!”

“Those broadcasting rights must have cost a pretty penny!”

Amid the clamor, the TV screen switched again, showing a city in ruins.

Within the ruins, nearly seventy thousand figures had gathered.

Upon closer inspection, it could be seen that these figures were all examinees from Ghost Mountain City.

Some parents spotted their own children among them and excitedly stood up, pointing at the television screen and shouting, “That’s my Xiaoyuan! My Xiaoyuan passed the first round!”

“My daughter passed too! She’s over there!”

Many other parents grew anxious. With so many people in the shot, it was difficult for them to spot their children right away. One by one, they leaned closer to the television screen, searching carefully.