Chapter 247: Is There Really a God?

Of course, this is just something to daydream about; Ma Long is actually just complaining out of habit, but he still has to sign it.

Zhou Naiyi and Wuzang had already signed it immediately. Wuzang was likely thinking that dying in battle is the highest glory for a Warrior; of course, a normal person's brain cannot accept this kind of thinking.

"Principal, we will definitely complete the mission and break into the S Tournament!"

Zhou Naiyi appeared much calmer. Having overcome her fear of the Giant Insects, Zhou Naiyi had already passed her own psychological hurdle; she was truly no longer afraid of things like death.

Everyone signed one by one, and Long Danni put away the letters of commitment. "I tried every way to inquire about the content of this Mid-Season Tournament," she glanced at Li Hao, "I don't know if Li Hao had foresight or just stumbled upon it, but Giant Insects will definitely be used this time. Although the military didn't say so, a portion of the Giant Insects has been transported away."

"Haha, that's a good thing; we've already taken a step ahead," Huo Ying laughed, his mouth splitting wide to reveal pearly white teeth that contrasted with his skin.

"Huo Ying, don't be happy too early. As far as I know, top teams have already started on this aspect long ago. I don't know the specific progress, but Li Hao, you were once a member of the Tianqi Youth Class. I heard a rumor that it had already started back in your time?"

Everyone suddenly looked at Li Hao and nodded, feeling a bit confused—how old were they back then?

"The Golden Zone might have appeared a long time ago, but it was only because of the method of use that the gap never widened. But this year is different; all Mecha weapons will be replaced with new types of weapons fused with K23. You should prepare yourselves mentally," Long Danni said. "You all go back first, Li Hao stay."

After the others left, the principal's office fell into a silence. Long Danni looked at Li Hao, her eyes clearly revealing a distinct kind of pressure and doubt.

Li Hao felt inexplicably guilty. Could it be that the team expenses were too high recently? Should he act cowardly first?

"Li Hao."

"Yes, Principal!" Li Hao was a bit panicked; usually, when big shots start like this, it means they have discovered his problems.

"Do you have any grudge against Chao Qinglong?" Long Danni asked suddenly.

Li Hao was stunned, not understanding why.

"The news I received is that the North Caro team, led by Chao Qinglong, has united with Ockman, Qiongdong, Extreme Shadow, Sea Shark, and Kaierfu—six of the Ten Greats—to form the North Caro Alliance, intending to dominate the Mid-Season Tournament." Long Danni was very repulsed by this kind of thing; it was typical of being an expert at internal strife.

Li Hao let out a huge sigh of relief. He was scared to death, thinking something major had happened.

"What are your thoughts?"

"Report, I have no thoughts," Li Hao said truthfully.

"Then why is one of the North Caro Alliance's missions to eliminate Tianjing!" Long Danni said in a deep voice. This was the root cause of her immense pressure. With Tianjing's current strength and training status, although they couldn't enter the top ten, they could definitely compete for the remaining six spots. If they were treated as a thorn in the side by a behemoth like the North Caro Alliance and tripped up during the assessment, who could they reason with?

Seeing Long Danni's unpleasant expression, Li Hao was a bit confused, "Is there some kind of misunderstanding?"

"I don't care what misunderstanding you have between you, this time Tianjing Martial Arts must enter the S Tournament. I won't hide it from you: once eliminated, you will get a new principal, and at the same time, the team will be disbanded and labeled as failures. That will absolutely not be an honor for you and your teammates," Long Danni spoke frankly to Li Hao. "Li Hao, you have strength and wisdom, but don't be dazed all day long. Pull yourself together and learn to fight back!"

"Don't underestimate the enemy!" Long Danni added.

"Yes, Principal, I understand. I will definitely go all out, be serious and even more serious." Li Hao tried hard to open his eyes wide; Ma Laoshi said this would make him look more sincere.

Long Danni looked at Li Hao's attempt to make her believe him and didn't know what to say. Was what she said not serious enough?

Since it had come to this, Long Danni couldn't continue saying anything else. Originally, she was full of confidence for this expedition, but the information her teacher personally sent her was like a blow to the head. This kind of offensive and defensive alliance for the Mid-Season Tournament was definitely not a joke. A behemoth like the North Caro team could crush Tianjing, and this even included five of the Ten Greats. Moreover, the teacher clearly stated that the other side was determined to eliminate Tianjing; this was definitely a deep-seated hatred. In the entire Tianjing Team, the only one who could have had contact with Chao Qinglong was Li Hao; they were both members of the Tianqi Youth Class.

But why? Li Hao seemed to have some unspeakable secret. Could it be related to the accident back then?

Li Hao left the principal's office and finally let out a sigh of relief. Damn it, he was scared to death. He actually found Principal Long's habit of scaring him at every turn quite a headache. He thought he had been discovered. In order to save money, he had skirted the rules and claimed his own daily meal expenses. Thank goodness, thank goodness.

Jeris was going back to the Academy of Sciences. The Mid-Season Tournament was not open to the public, but he would definitely go to cheer for the S Tournament. Before leaving, although Li Hao hadn't had time to treat Jeris to a meal due to various things, he still had to see him off.

"Second Brother," the others had already boarded the vehicle, and Jeris pondered for a while before asking, "A question has troubled me for a long time: can humans really come into contact with high dimensions? If they can, what will we face in the first step, or rather, what is our greatest obstacle?"

Seeing Li Hao not speaking, Jeris smiled and couldn't help scratching his head, "Haha, it's me overthinking. I always feel that if such a person really appears, it must be you, Second Brother. But wouldn't such a person be like a god?"

"Alright, you brat, overthinking all day long, and you're a representative of the Academy of Sciences. What nonsense are you talking about? Enjoy life more, hurry up and get on the car, everyone is waiting for you. That, the meal I owe you, next time."

Jeris got on the car under the driver's urging. Before leaving, he waved at Li Hao, and Li Hao smiled and whispered three words.

Jeris, who had boarded the car, was distraught and didn't hear the sounds around him at all, as if he were possessed. Although Li Hao's voice was very soft, he still heard it. Just as he had always guessed, that tyrannical, peerless power or energy that shackled humanity was—Dark Matter.

The world seemed to have nothing to do with him. Dark Matter... Dark Matter, which accounts for nearly 96% of the universe, was actually the first step for humans to set foot in high dimensions.

After the ecstasy came boundless despair. Even if he knew this step, what was the use?

Jeris was like a child who had found the key to a treasure. After the crazy joy of facing infinite treasure, he discovered it was a moon in the well. It was a kind of huge emptiness and longing... For a long time, Jeris's heart pounded.

Second Brother... could it be?

If he took this step, how did fragile humans survive when facing the destructive Dark Matter?

Could it be that there really is a god in this world?

Days passed one by one. Upon learning of the cruelty of this Mid-Season Tournament, Tianjing Martial Arts also entered full combat readiness. For everyone in Tianjing, the result this time was the difference between heaven and hell, especially for those freshmen who had originally entered as first-rate, but might become second-rate after the Mid-Season Tournament. Ma Long and the others all felt this.

As the Mid-Season Tournament approached, various news flew around the Four Great Federations. Of course, this stage was the essence process within each federation. Every year that a three-peat was about to happen was a big year, which also meant the most powerful defending champion and the opponents who were rebounding from the bottom and going all out.

On the USE side, the military provided the New Five Tigers in comparison to the previous Six Dragons, with the Five Tigers compared to the old Dragons.

Curtis of the Dome Royal Military Academy, Cang Gongtian of the Extreme Shadow Way Military Academy, Luo Dongsheng of the Sea Shark Military Academy, Kiran Rao of the Indira Military Academy, and Wuxiya of the Samode Military Academy.

The New Five Tigers were from the Supernova generation. In the last two years, their internal test comprehensive records were excellent, and their EMP scores also occupied the top ten. This was also aimed at the Six Dragons, whose fame was greater than their strength. For example, Luo Bi among the Six Dragons had strength, but it wasn't necessarily that amazing; he was just very fierce, dared to fight, and was good at talking. In a generally sluggish situation, he instead gave people a refreshing attitude, which was why he was highly praised. In fact, his results were just so-so, and his EMP score seemed to have only reached 3000 points.

Curtis of Qiongdong was the most popular recently. Currently in the USE, he was second only to the head of the Six Dragons, Chao Qinglong. To Curtis, everyone except Chao Qinglong was trash. At the same time, Curtis was also the leader of the Supernova cluster, with an EMP score of 3600, currently NO. 1 in the Earth War Zone.

Cang Gongtian of Extreme Shadow, a member of the USE Heavenly Dao Project, a second-year student, had a forbearing and low-key personality. He was the best of the Supernovas in his first year. This year, Extreme Shadow supplemented its strength and was also one of the teams most favored by the military, with an EMP score of 3520, NO. 2 in the Earth War Zone.

Luo Dongsheng of Sea Shark, a member of the USE Heavenly Dao Project, a third-year student, had mastered the Golden Zone, with an EMP score of 3500, NO. 3 in the Earth War Zone.

The Indira Military Academy where Kiran Rao was located was ranked 11th this year. He was a member of the USE Heavenly Dao Project, had broken through physical limits, with an EMP score of 3480, NO. 4.

Wuxiya of Samode, the only girl among the New Five Tigers. This year, Samode Academy was ranked 15th, but this 15th place was pulled up by Wuxiya herself, with an EMP score of 2320, NO. 6.

Of course, there were famous experts who didn't care much about the EMP score method, but everyone had to admit that this score was earned through real effort; without strength, it was absolutely impossible. As for fame, wasn't the competition coming?

The outside world was hyping up the era replacement between the old Dragons and the new Tigers, and also hoped that the new powerhouses of the USE would have the spirit of a fierce tiger, with the fierce tiger descending the mountain and being invincible.

This Mid-Season Tournament was also an opportunity for the New Five Tigers to replace them. The era must always move forward, with a new generation replacing the old.

Contrary to the clamor of public opinion, Curtis, the head of the New Five Tigers, had no intention of challenging Chao Qinglong. This time, the North Caro Alliance also included Qiongdong. His goal was to be second to none. Chao Qinglong had already reached a level that human power could not match, but the other old Dragons could indeed be replaced. As for Tianjing Martial Arts, he didn't know why someone would be stupid enough to offend Chao Qinglong; it was extremely stupid, and solving it along the way would be enough. This was also the internal consensus of the North Caro Alliance. This S Tournament would be the year Chao Qinglong reached the top. The outside world only knew that Chao Qinglong lost to the Heavenly King Maxis last year, but they didn't know that Chao Qinglong fought with injuries, and Chao Qinglong had never explained it. This year, Chao Qinglong had already reached Great Perfection, and the Mid-Season Tournament was nothing more than a small trial.