Chapter 79: Breaking Through Five Barriers and Defeating Six Generals [Third Watch]

After defeating an opponent in a PK round, Zhang Chu did not let his guard down. This kind of knockout tournament required utmost caution; one wrong answer meant there was no second chance. Everyone was treated equally—one opportunity, used up and that was it!

As the top scorer in the college entrance exam, stepping onto the stage of "Ultimate Challenge" brought a certain psychological pressure. In the eyes of the vast television audience, there was an expectation: if you could answer correctly, it was only natural—after all, you were the number one, the champion. But if you failed to answer, it became unacceptable.

Every person on stage carried such thoughts and pressure; Zhou Biyiao was so ashamed she nearly burst into tears, feeling she had disgraced herself. Zhang Chu, standing in the middle, felt a bit awkward—he seemed to be mercilessly crushing delicate flowers.

But since it was a competition, victory and defeat had to be decided. Zhang Chu ignored the gazes from behind him, casting aside his faint sense of guilt.

I haven’t even used my full strength, and you’ve already fallen!

Without even needing the system, Zhang Chu had knocked out the top scorer. A strange sense of satisfaction washed over him; the twisted uncle within seemed to reach the peak of his life.

The next contestant was Zhao Tianshu, another science champion. The question that had just eliminated Zhou Biyiao was no obstacle for him. Defeating Zhao Tianshu would certainly not be easy.

Perhaps it was a trick by the production team—when arts and science students were paired earlier, the main questions focused on science. Now, with two science champions on stage, the questions suddenly shifted to history.

Zhang Chu had just answered which dynasty Qi Jiguang resisted the Japanese pirates in, and Zhao Tianshu was immediately faced with a question about the most prolific poet of the Southern Song Dynasty.

And this was only the beginning. Next, Zhang Chu was hit with a sports question!

"Which female tennis player won the 2008 French Open and reached world number one?"

Zhang Chu felt utterly helpless. He considered himself a sports enthusiast, usually watching basketball and football, occasionally following women’s volleyball, table tennis, and diving. He knew Federer, Djokovic, and Nadal, remembered a beauty named Sharapova, and the African-American sisters Venus and Serena dominating the courts.

But he had no idea who this particular player was!

Luckily, he was not fighting alone—the Savior System came into play. Incredibly intelligent, the system didn’t even require Zhang Chu to input the question; it could directly retrieve it from the surroundings.

"Anna Ivanovic!"

Just seconds before the deadline, Zhang Chu smoothly uttered the correct answer.

But Xu Tianshu was not so fortunate. When faced with the question, "Who was the top scorer in the 2014 UEFA Champions League?"—a question any sports fanatic could answer instantly—the academic star was completely stunned.

For Xu Tianshu, who had no interest in sports, it was like a bolt from the blue!

He hadn't fallen on knowledge from textbooks, but was stumped by a sports trivia question. The audience erupted with excitement. Perhaps their general knowledge couldn’t match these champions, but many male viewers regained their confidence at this moment!

In recent years, Ronaldo had dominated the Champions League scoring charts, and before that Messi had ruled for four consecutive years.

"They say education should be well-rounded, yet a simple question like this can stump a top scorer."

"Heh, I’m actually better than the champion!"

"Ronaldo—this is practically a freebie!"

"Zhang Chu is strong; he even knows those obscure, niche players."

"I’m starting to believe Zhang Chu can clear all the stages!"

"This kid is impressive—he’s a writer, a champion, loves sports, and even has a sense of humor."

Like mothers-in-law sizing up their sons-in-law, the audience grew increasingly fond of Zhang Chu. Handsome beyond compare, talented, witty, and already making money by writing books.

On stage, Zhang Chu’s momentum did not fade; riding this wave, he swept through the competition. Contestant number three lasted only five questions, number four didn’t fare much better, and number five was utterly miserable, failing the very first question!

Unconsciously, two hours had quickly passed, and Zhang Chu had already completed half his goal.

It seemed that passing five gates and defeating six generals was not just bravado, but a real possibility!

Now, Zhang Chu alone had outperformed all the other contestants. The production team focused their cameras on him, sensing he had the potential to become a legendary champion.

In truth, these soon-to-be college students, though knowledgeable, had obvious gaps in their learning. This was evident from previous episodes—it took real life experience to excel.

Wide-ranging interests, extensive experience, mastering knowledge from ancient to modern, local and foreign—one had to know everything from Shang Dynasty bronze ware to the capital of Uruguay, to Australia’s national flower. Everything needed to be understood.

Just reading all the necessary books would take ages; even famous singers and musical instruments required familiarity. The pressure of the college entrance exam left little time to read extracurricular books—it was a luxury!

...

"Everyone, please take a half-hour break. We’ll resume recording in thirty minutes. Audience members who need to use the restroom, please proceed in an orderly fashion!"

After such a long recording session, not only were the audience’s bladders tested, even the staff were exhausted.

Whether camera operators, sound technicians, lighting crew, or music managers, all needed to pause and rest.

Zhang Chu, like the host, was in a pitiful state, having stood on stage for two hours straight—his knees had gone stiff!

Backstage, Li Hao, the host, lay sprawled on a chair with no concern for his image. He turned to glance at the equally collapsed Zhang Chu and asked with curiosity, "Did you grow up eating books? How do you know everything?"

"No, no, actually these are fairly simple questions. I just happen to have a lot of free time and read a bit of everything. If they got more advanced, I probably wouldn’t be able to answer."

"Watching you young people, I suddenly realize I’m already old," Li Hao sighed gently. Nearly forty, makeup could not hide the aging of his features.

Instead of arguing like most would, Zhang Chu agreed, "They say the Yangtze's waves push the old ahead, only for them to be dashed on the sand. Brother Li Hao, you’ve washed away a crowd, but eventually another crowd will wash you away."

Li Hao covered his forehead—was this student lacking emotional intelligence or what? He really wanted to smack him!

Zhang Chu did not feel obliged to treat a famous host as someone exalted; he simply saw Li Hao as a peer, forgetting he himself was just a fresh-faced newcomer.

"By the way, Zhang Chu, do you have a Weibo account? Let’s follow each other," Li Hao suggested, thinking the kid would make it big if he wasn’t beaten down by others, and mutual following was a kind of invisible investment.

However, when he opened Zhang Chu’s Weibo page and prepared to click follow, he glanced at the latest post and couldn’t help but reconsider.

"Good morning, everyone. Did you have a good day? Is your dream a little farther away now?"

If someone saw this post first thing in the morning, no matter how good their mood, it would surely be ruined!