Chapter 68
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Chapter 68: Grouping
For this Martial Arts Competition, each school could send a maximum of ten participants.
When Zhang Yu arrived at the venue, he found that there were only about forty contestants in total, with thirty of them belonging to the top three famous Schools.
The remaining dozen or so participants came from other ordinary and Key High Schools.
They might have been unfamiliar with the Martial Arts Competition, lacked information channels, or simply hoped to gain experience or get lucky.
But as the strongest students from the Three Schools took turns demonstrating their skills, the other high school students gradually lost their resolve and began withdrawing from the competition one by one.
Zhang Yu and Bai Zhenzhen, of course, did not back down.
Zhang Yu recalled the rules. He knew contestants would be ranked into different tiers based on their scores.
Then, contestants from the same tier would be randomly drawn and distributed among the eight different groups for a group-based elimination tournament.
This was to ensure that each group contained a mix of students from all tiers, preventing multiple top-tier students from being eliminated early.
Zhang Yu thought to himself, To avoid being grouped with the strongest students, I need to score as high as possible. Only then can I avoid facing formidable opponents in the group stage and secure a spot in the top eight.
Watching the Yellow Turban Warrior on stage, Zhang Yu began formulating his battle plan.
Moments later, it was finally his turn to compete.
***
In the audience seats, Zhao Tianxing, Qian Shen, and He Dayou sat together.
Except for He Dayou, who wore a look of utter disdain, Qian Shen was intently focused on the Arena.
Zhao Tianxing kept feeling the students from the Three Schools nearby were watching him. He felt awkward, being a Songyang student watching the same match as them.
He also felt his Songyang High School uniform seemed rare and out of place in the grand hall of Bailong High School. He imagined it was attracting strange glances from everyone around him.
Of course, Zhao Tianxing was overthinking it. For most high school students from the top three famous schools, their thoughts were simple.
Songyang High School? Do those students even understand Cultivation? What is there to see? We are here for the competition.
But just then, a student in a Bailong High School uniform approached. Looking at He Dayou, he said, “Dayou, you actually came to watch my match?”
He Dayou glanced at the student, thinking why his sunglasses and mask were completely useless.
“Yeah,” He Dayou nodded, “I came to see how the overall level of this year’s Three famous Schools compares.”
Chu Qiuhe from Bailong High School chuckled. “I saw Songyang High School is even competing this year. What were you thinking? Aren’t they afraid of going bankrupt?”
He Dayou knew there was indeed a gap between Songyang High School and the top three schools, but as the school board director’s son, he still felt an instinctive discomfort at Chu Qiuhe’s words.
Damn it. To insult Songyang in front of the school board director’s son, you’ve practically signed your own death warrant.
Yet he also understood that Songyang and Bailong High School did have a slight gap between them.
And even though he and Chu Qiuhe had been middle school classmates, their friendship had gradually soured after He Dayou entered Songyang and Chu Qiuhe enrolled at Bailong High School.
In Chu Qiuhe’s presence, He Dayou always felt inferior.
Even now, Chu Qiuhe only acknowledged his middle school classmate, completely ignoring Qian Shen and Zhao Tianxing standing beside He Dayou.
After all, Songyang High School… heh.
He Dayou replied calmly, “Who knows? Anyway, that guy finished fourth in the last Magic Power Competition, so maybe he is just trying his luck again this time.”
Hearing the title “fourth place in the Magic Power Competition,” Chu Qiuhe choked on his words and forced a sheepish smile. “Martial Arts Combat is different from the Magic Power Competition. Martial Arts Combat is about overall strength, and the gap between Bailong, Purple Cloud, Red Pagoda, and other high schools will be much wider.”
As he spoke, he glanced at the Arena and said, “Perfect timing, your school’s contestant is up. I’ll be the judge of his skill for you…”
At the same moment, many spectators watching the Songyang High School student step onto the Arena also anticipated a tough battle.
But then they saw Zhang Yu and the Yellow Turban Warrior collide. With a loud thump, the Yellow Turban Warrior was unexpectedly thrown out of bounds.
Zhang Yu – 300 points.
The entire venue erupted in an uproar. No one had expected a student from Songyang High School to achieve such a feat.
Chu Qiuhe also froze for a moment. He was stunned to see the Yellow Turban Warrior thrown out by Zhang Yu before he could even finish his sentence. “300 points? Songyang can produce a talent like this?” he exclaimed in disbelief.
His tone was like someone who had just seen a beautiful flower blooming from a pile of manure.
Although he loathed Zhang Yu, He Dayou had to admit that seeing Chu Qiuhe’s astonished expression brought him a moment of satisfaction. He gave a reserved nod and said, “This year’s batch is quite impressive.”
Qian Shen, who was standing to the side, also chimed in, “Zhang Yu scored 653 points, after all. He’s incredibly strong.”
Watching the crowd’s stunned reaction, Zhao Tianxing unconsciously puffed out his chest, feeling that the Songyang school uniform he wore no longer seemed so humble.
When Chu Qiuhe returned to Song Hailong’s side, he saw the Competition Coach analyzing a slow-motion replay with several other students.
“Zhang Yu positioned himself at the edge of the arena from the very beginning,” the Coach explained. “His goal was to lure the Yellow Turban Warrior into attacking first, drawing him to the arena’s edge.”
“Then he threw a simple straight punch, and that is where it got interesting…”
In the replay, Zhang Yu seemed to have anticipated the Yellow Turban Warrior’s move, intercepting his attack before it could fully launch.
“In that split second,” the Coach continued, “he correctly judged the Yellow Turban Warrior’s strike and preemptively disrupted it. Then, using the Limitless Cloud Hands, he redirected the warrior’s own force to send him tumbling several steps away.”
“And because of his positioning, those few steps happened to land him just outside the arena boundary.”
“Every single move, from start to finish, was calculated to perfection.”
After hearing this analysis, Song Hailong’s initially enthusiastic gaze dimmed instantly. He turned away with a bored expression and muttered, “I thought this kid might be a dark horse like he was in the Magic Power Competition, that he might actually have some skill.”
“It turns out he just relies on cheap tricks. How boring.”
The Competition Coach did not refute Song Hailong’s words. Song Hailong was the reigning top student of his grade and also immensely wealthy, so he could say whatever he pleased as long as he did not insult the Teacher.
Moreover, the Coach knew that this ace heir truly did not need to concern himself with a competitor of Zhang Yu’s level.
Still, the Competition Coach turned to the other students and warned them, “Do not underestimate him. While there was an element of trickery involved, being able to make that judgment in a split second suggests he has either exceptional reflexes and concentration or a deep understanding of the Martial Dao.”
“Alternatively, he might have observed the Yellow Turban Warrior for a long time beforehand and thoroughly grasped some of its attack patterns.”
“Although his stats are likely not as high as yours, an opponent like this is very capable of defeating someone stronger. If you face him, you absolutely cannot afford to let your guard down.”
“Anyone who loses to an opponent from outside the top three famous schools today will be fined 10,000 yuan and will have to attend class on their knees for the rest of the month.”
The students immediately responded with a resounding “Yes!”
Listening to the Competition Coach’s analysis, Chu Qiuhe thought to himself that it all made sense now.
Initially, seeing Zhang Yu instantly defeat the Yellow Turban Warrior, he had assumed Zhang Yu was a powerhouse on the same level as Song Hailong.
But after hearing the explanation, he felt that with some preparation, he could likely achieve the same feat himself.
***
Meanwhile, in Purple Cloud High School’s preparation area.
Lian Tianji laughed heartily. “Zhang Yu is truly formidable!”
Le Mulan, who was beside him, glanced over and said indifferently, “They can’t even afford to rent the most basic Combat Spirit Root. The poor are truly pathetic.”
“And yet, despite being so impoverished, they still risk bankruptcy to compete… I simply do not understand it.”
Le Mulan turned to Lian Tianji and asked with a curious sort of bewilderment, “You’re much poorer than I am. Can you understand their mindset?”
Lian Tianji gave an awkward smile, unsure of what to say. He could only console himself by thinking, The Sacred First Place is just being blunt, not deliberately looking down on me. I shouldn’t take it to heart.
***
Shortly after Zhang Yu left the arena, it was finally Bai Zhenzhen’s turn to compete.
In the audience, Qian Shen and Zhao Tianxing had been eagerly anticipating Bai Zhenzhen’s performance.
However, after just a moment, they saw that she was struggling in the arena. She was desperately dodging the Yellow Turban Warrior’s attacks and could only touch the sensor on its body by barely finding small openings.
“Is Bai Zhenzhen struggling this much?”
He Dayou watched Bai Zhenzhen, who had been so imperious when she had beaten him, now barely holding under the Yellow Turban Warrior’s onslaught. He suddenly found no satisfaction in her predicament, only a pang of bitterness.
This bitterness was not so much about Bai Zhenzhen as it was about himself, for having been beaten by her.
Beside them, Qian Shen frowned. “Bai Zhenzhen’s fighting style doesn’t seem well-suited for dealing with the Yellow Turban Warrior.”
Zhao Tianxing added worriedly, “If this keeps up, won’t she be assigned to a group with high-scoring contestants? She could very well be eliminated in the group stage.”
***
As Bai Zhenzhen’s difficult battle in the arena dragged on, the audience and other contestants quickly lost interest.
Song Hailong had long since closed his eyes in boredom, as if even a single glance at such a fight was a waste of time.
Meanwhile, Lian Tianji was secretly surprised. That girl who came with Zhang Yu… it seems she also accompanied him to the last Magic Power Competition.
Why would someone so weak insist on competing alongside Zhang Yu? Could she be Zhang Yu’s slave from Songyang High School? Has Songyang started playing that game too?
Lei Jun, watching the scene, mused aloud, “It seems Bai Zhenzhen realized her fighting style isn’t suited for the Yellow Turban Warrior, so she’s deliberately concealing her true strength.”
Having tutored Bai Zhenzhen for the past two weeks, Lei Jun knew her abilities far exceeded what she was currently displaying in the arena.
Zhang Yu crossed his arms, watching the figure on the stage, and gradually understood her plan.
Although the Yellow Turban Warrior was only exerting 1.98 units of Physical Strength, its material composition was unchanged and was still too sturdy for any of the students to damage.
Bai Zhenzhen’s fighting style had always focused on exploiting an opponent’s weaknesses. Against a foe like the Yellow Turban Warrior, who was impervious to blades and spears and required a head-on clash of brute force, she was clearly at a disadvantage.
Zhang Yu thought to himself, My goal is to avoid strong opponents in the group stage and secure a spot in the top eight at a minimum.
It seems A-Zhen knows she can’t get a high score, so is she deliberately hiding her strength to catch a strong opponent by surprise in the group stage?
In the end, Bai Zhenzhen scored 89.
