Chapter 87: The Brilliance of the World

Due to issues with the regional alliance of city provinces, differing opinions among representatives often led to conflicts, resulting in cities having peculiar names. The reason why Gu You's hometown was also called Tianhai City was simply for a good omen—hoping that this city could remain as prosperous as its namesake…

Overall, though, it was rather annoying. After all, when someone mentioned a city's name, they had to clarify which one they meant. Was it really the one they were thinking of?

"I got it." Gu You nodded while sitting on the sofa. "Help me sign up for the Tianhai Grand Tournament's forging competition."

"Understood."

With a click!, the door shut. Gu You calmed himself down, entering a state of deep thought. This time, his participation in the Tianhai Grand Tournament would likely attract a lot of attention. Given the precedent set by the 'Three Good Youth' incident, the buzz would be significant. But that was precisely what he wanted—the greater the hype, the easier his future plans would become…

The night passed without incident.

The next morning, Wu Zhangkong led Class Zero out of the academy, heading straight for the central Donghai Plaza in Donghai City.

Everyone was dressed in the uniform of Donghai Academy. This time, not only Wu Zhangkong but also the teaching director, Long Hengxu, was leading the team.

Their group was not the only one representing the academy—there were also participants from the senior division.

"if they bully you, just tell me." Xu Xiaoyu stood beside his sister, Xu Xiaoyan, speaking with a hint of intimidation.

Xu Xiaoyan rolled her eyes and glanced at Gu You. "Take care of yourself first. Don't tell me you won't even make it past the preliminary rounds again."

Xu Xiaoyu's expression stiffened. When he saw Gu You, his legs trembled involuntarily. "Impossible! This time, our participants are all at least at the three-ring level. We'll definitely achieve good results."

From the conversation between the siblings, Gu You could already tell that Donghai Academy hadn't performed well in past tournaments. In fact, it seemed their performance had been unfortunate.

As the second-largest city on the eastern coast, Donghai City's poor results naturally drew criticism.

Gu You's assumption was entirely correct. Donghai Academy, as the city's only intermediate soul master academy, had students of generally low quality. You could hear curses and exclamations like "Holy sh*t!" every day on campus. If you somehow never heard one, well… you might as well buy a lottery ticket.

The Tianhai Grand Tournament was hosted by five first-tier cities on the eastern coast, with participation from various second- and third-tier cities. As one of the major cities, Donghai City's disappointing performance in past tournaments had been a source of embarrassment—not only for the academy but also for the city's officials.

If this continued, Donghai City's reputation would suffer. Economically, Donghai was developing rapidly, but the academy hoped that through this tournament, these young competitors could showcase the city's potential to the high-ranking officials of the Tianhai Alliance. They also aimed to secure more support from the Sun-Moon Federation government.

At Central Donghai Plaza, a large crowd had already gathered. Luxury soul buses lined up in neat rows, ready for a unified departure.

The scene was bustling with participants from various associations and academies, making it a rather chaotic sight.

The Tianhai Grand Tournament was comprehensive, featuring competitions for mechas, even dedicated battle armor events. However, those weren't something Gu You could participate in just yet.

Just as Donghai Academy had an awkward standing within the Tianhai Alliance, the Tianhai Alliance itself had a rather awkward status within the Federation. Economically, it was undoubtedly among the top, but in other aspects—battle armor masters, mecha pilots, mecha technology, soul master numbers, and soul master quality—it consistently ranked near the bottom.

The true advantages in these fields lay in Sun-Moon City (Mingdu) and Tiandou City.

As for Shrek City, it wasn't even considered part of the Federation's rankings. In a sense, Shrek City held a supreme status—practically an independent entity. Even its tax revenues weren't managed by the Federation, which was an incredibly terrifying reality...

"Donghai Academy students, board the bus."

Donghai Academy was assigned to Bus No. 6.

Gu You found a seat and sat down.

Just as he settled in, a figure unexpectedly took the seat beside him.

Curious, he turned his head to see who it was.

To his surprise, it was Gu Yue.

What a twist of fate.

Gu You chuckled self-deprecatingly. Even with his knowledge of the plot, he wasn't entirely sure how to proceed anymore—too much had already changed.

"Didn't you dislike me? Why are you willing to sit next to me now?" he asked.

"You're different from them. That's all." Gu Yue replied coolly.

"Oh? A little attitude, huh?" Gu You smirked but didn't continue the conversation.

The atmosphere in the bus was a little tense. Conversations were sparse, and even those who spoke kept their voices low.

Under this somewhat somber mood, the soul bus slowly drove out of the plaza.

With its direction set, the vehicle gradually accelerated, carrying them out of Donghai City.

Even under less-than-ideal circumstances, the Donghai City delegation was now speeding along the soul-guided highway, heading toward their destination.

The soul highway utilized magnetic levitation and soul technology, significantly boosting the speed of soul buses. Their maximum speed could reach half that of a soul train. For shorter distances, the buses were actually more convenient than trains.

By now, Gu You had opened his eyes, gazing out at the stunning scenery flashing past the window. His eyes reflected a brilliance that flickered with contemplation.

Beside him, Gu Yue sat quietly with her eyes closed, exuding an aura of calmness.

To the east, the vast ocean stretched endlessly.

This high-speed highway was built along the coastline, offering a breathtaking view of the deep blue sea that was both boundless and serene.

"The world is boundlessly brilliant… When will I reach my destination?"

Gu You rested his hand on the bus window, the reflection of the ocean visible in the glass beneath his fingers.

A surge of ambition surged within him.

Someday… he would stand at the pinnacle, surveying the world from above.

This universe would come to know his name.

After about four hours, they finally arrived at the real Tianhai City.

Like Donghai City, Tianhai City was situated by the sea—but its location was even more strategic. It boasted the largest port and harbor on the entire continent, with the Federation's Navy stationed just outside the city.

In the distance, massive warships could be seen anchored in the ocean, a silent testament to the city's formidable military presence.

It was this powerful military strength that had allowed Tianhai City to become the number one city on the eastern coast.

It held immense influence across the continent—on par with the greatest inland cities.

For ordinary citizens, turning eighteen meant mandatory military service.

In the Tianhai Alliance, those selected for service prioritized the Navy—stationed right here in Tianhai City.

However, Gu You still had a long way to go before eighteen.

Besides, as a soul master, he had the right to choose his own path.

Not to mention…

He was already a fifth-rank forger—a status that granted him considerable social standing.

(End of Chapter)