Chapter 169: Showing Off in Public, Ranked Sixth (I)

Chapter 169: Showing Off in Public, Ranked Sixth (I)

Endless gray mist spread out to both sides behind Chen Chu, forming walls of mist towering thousands of meters high. Ahead lay a sheer cliff that plummeted a kilometer deep; the inspiration for Tianqian Station’s name, the “Heavenly Abyss.”

As Chen Chu and his group of freshmen stood at the edge of the cliff, gazing absentmindedly at the vast and turbulent primeval forest in the distance, a man's voice echoed from the station's loudspeaker.

"Students over there, stop staring and come over for registration."

Chen Chu and the others immediately turned to see a guardhouse building a dozen meters away.

Ahem!

Chen Chu cleared his throat. "Let's go over there first; we still need to get to the Jiuhuan Mountains where our base is located."

Hong Tianyi, dressed in white, nodded. "Indeed, this is just the entrance to the mutated beast battlefield. It's still a long way from where the base is."

Li Chen exclaimed excitedly, "Let's go, guys."

As the group hastened towards the guardhouse, Chen Chu took the initiative to help Luo Fei carry a suitcase, and the girl smiled as she carried the other one behind him.

"Facial recognition passed, fingerprint passed. First-year student of Nantian Martial Arts High School, Hong Tianyi."

"Facial recognition passed, fingerprint passed. First-year student of Nantian Martial Arts High School, Li Chen..."

Under the facial recognition system, the electronic voice announced each person's identity accurately as they walked past the guardhouse entrance, demonstrating the tight security measures in place.

After passing the identity verification, the fifteen individuals proceeded towards the enormous lifting platform behind the guardhouse, labeled according to their destination. Though referred to as a lifting platform, it was essentially a series of large elevators installed on the cliff face specifically for transporting people and goods.

Inside the guardhouse, a soldier in military attire exclaimed, "This batch is from Nantian again."

Another nodded in agreement. "Yeah, the freshmen at Nantian this year are quite formidable. So many of them have already broken through to the Third Heavenly Realm in just one semester."

"Each generation surpasses the last."

While the two conversed, Chen Chu and his companions had already arrived at the platform and stood in position. Seeing this, a soldier shouted, "Students, please stand by. I wish you a prosperous martial journey."

With the soldier's blessing, the enormous platform suddenly descended at an astonishing speed.

As the group approached the aircraft, the captain tapped a device on his left arm, causing the rear of the aircraft to slowly lower and reveal a boarding door.

Noticing the astonishment in Chen Chu and the others' eyes, the captain couldn't help but explain. "This is the new generation of anti-gravity energy fighter jets, codenamed Bluebird. The main material is a blend of mutated beast bone and alloy, with durability several times stronger than aerospace alloys, yet lighter in weight for the same volume.

"Most importantly, this type of aircraft has strong energy adaptability, capable of activating energy shields when combating mutated avian creatures. The energy to start the engine is provided by high-purity Energy Crystals, while the inscriptions engraved on the surface can absorb surrounding transcendent energy to keep that engine going.

"This aircraft surpasses previous models in performance, speed, agility, and weapon carrying capacity by several times. However, it can’t be used if the concentration of transcendent energy is insufficient, which is why you won't see it in operation outside."

As the captain gave his briefing, the group boarded the aircraft, placing their weapons and luggage in the designated compartments on either side, and then settled into the seats along the sides as instructed. By the time everyone fastened their seat belts, the captain had already taken his position at the pilot's seat, where another pilot was waiting for him.

Hum!

Accompanied by a vibrating hum, the futuristic-styled aircraft slowly glided out of the hangar. With a powerful burst of magnetic energy from below, it suddenly surged upward with tremendous thrust.

Boom!

The aircraft ascended diagonally into the sky, reaching supersonic speed in just a few breaths and piercing through the clouds with a deafening roar.

Under the intense sensation of weightlessness, even Chen Chu couldn't help but gaze in astonishment as the white clouds outside rapidly receded.

Once the aircraft stabilized into smooth flight at twice the speed of sound, Chen Chu finally exhaled and turned to Luo Fei beside him, shaking his head. "It feels like there's been a huge change in style since we entered here."

Luo Fei whispered, "It's normal. Most of the countries have been focused on military research in recent years.

"Whether it's true martial arts cultivation or military weapons and equipment, almost all of it is constantly being explored and researched, so there’s a significant gap compared to civilian technology."

Luo Fei's words didn't reassure Chen Chu; instead, they left him with a sense of unease.

In theory, in an era with such advanced martial skills and mutated beasts, technological advancement of all kinds should be rapid. After all, many technological breakthroughs had been made in the post-Transcendence Era due to new, previously inaccessible materials. Yet in this situation, countries had devoted decades of resources and efforts to only military research.

It almost felt desperate, as if they had insufficient firepower.

What could possibly cause such a feeling of crisis for a world like this, where weapon technology already surpasses the nuclear level and individual cultivators have strength that rivals the old myths?

In Chen Chu's mind, the words “frontline battlefield” subconsciously surfaced.