Chapter 7
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Chapter 7: Meeting You in the Finals
Mu Xiaofeng and Qin Baoyi left the first arena and hurried back to their dormitory. Mu Xiaofeng wanted to see Zhang Wenyu as soon as possible because he felt extremely guilty about the match.
When Mu Xiaofeng and Qin Baoyi opened the dormitory door, they saw Zhang Wenyu lying on the bed with four teachers around him, and Teacher Hui was still treating him.
Mu Xiaofeng approached Zhang Wenyu, bowed his head, and struggled to say, “I’m sorry, if it weren’t for my impulsiveness today, you wouldn’t have gotten hurt.”
Zhang Wenyu’s face was pale, indicating he hadn’t fully recovered from his injuries. He waved his hand and said, “It’s okay, as long as we won, it’s all good.”
Teacher Hui, on the other hand, wasn’t so pleased and scolded Mu Xiaofeng, “I warned you all at the beginning: your team has no defense and no recovery abilities, so you must be extremely careful. But what did you do? You recklessly charged at the enemy, not knowing how dangerous that was. Never mind if you fell into a trap—what if the enemy had attacked Qin Baoyi from behind? This was your first match; next time, you absolutely can’t be so careless.”
Mu Xiaofeng listened to Teacher Hui’s words and nodded seriously.
At this time, Teacher Xi Ying also came over to comfort them, “Don’t be disheartened. A victory is a victory overall, and you can perform even better next time. The upcoming opponents may be very strong, and although the teachers have investigated them, the school rules prohibit us from revealing any information to you. You must learn to fight as a team.”
Indeed, this wasn’t an individual’s battle; it was a team fight. Mu Xiaofeng realized that he needed to consider the team in everything he did, instead of fighting alone. This battle taught Mu Xiaofeng many lessons.
In the following days, Mu Xiaofeng, Zhang Wenyu, and Qin Baoyi successfully cooperated and supported each other, winning against their subsequent opponents.
Luckily, Mu Xiaofeng hadn’t yet encountered Qiao Zi, but he knew they would soon meet because Qiao Zi hadn’t been defeated either. After each victory, they would high-five and reaffirm their promise.
“Before we meet each other, we must strive to hold on,” Mu Xiaofeng silently repeated these words to himself, then defeated his opponent with a single sword strike.
“In the left playground, Class 5 versus Class 2, Class 5 wins. In the right playground, Class 12 versus Class 4, Class 12 wins. The finals will be held in two days at the first arena, with Class 5 facing Class 12,” the loud voice of Dean Kaga, the old man with a white beard, echoed through the air.
Mu Xiaofeng left the arena and saw Qiao Zi running toward him with a smile on her face. Qiao Zi was also excited, and she extended her hand as usual, saying, “See you in two days.” Mu Xiaofeng smiled slightly, high-fived her, and then they left together.
The next day, Qiao Zi got up early to train, when suddenly, Xi Mo appeared behind her with a mischievous grin.
Qiao Zi turned around, glanced at Xi Mo, and then showed a look of disgust. She asked, “Why did you suddenly come here? If you have time to wander around, you might as well spend it training.”
Xi Mo chuckled and slowly paced, saying as he walked, “You know tomorrow is the finals, right? You should know that if you win tomorrow, the school has a secret event—the champion of this year’s freshmen will have the chance to compete against the top students from last year’s fifth grade. So, I wanted to discuss some strategies with you.”
Qiao Zi looked at the arrogant Xi Mo in front of her and then sneered, “The great Xi Mo actually has something to discuss with others? Just say it quickly and don’t interrupt my training.”
Xi Mo showed a sinister smile, then leaned close to Qiao Zi and whispered, “My father told me! Their Zhang Wenyu is a dual-blade shadow warrior, Qin Baoyi is a fire element scholar, and your good friend Mu Xiaofeng is a heavy sword warrior.”
Upon hearing this, Qiao Zi’s face filled with anger, and she shouted at Xi Mo, “You’re cheating! You despicable guy! No one should know the opponent’s information in advance—it’s unfair! I’m going to tell Mu Xiaofeng.” With that, she left Xi Mo to find Mu Xiaofeng.
Of course, Qiao Zi couldn’t find Mu Xiaofeng because all her teachers were aware of Xi Mo’s trick. They couldn’t let Qiao Zi expose them.
They used the excuse of safety during the competition to prevent opposing teams from meeting privately, keeping Qiao Zi by the teachers’ side at all times. Qiao Zi was anxious and angry but had no choice but to wait for tomorrow.
The next day finally arrived, and it was time for Mu Xiaofeng and Qiao Zi to meet. The students from both classes gathered at the first arena.
Today, Mu Xiaofeng also saw another classmate of Qiao Zi, a tall guy who, like Xi Mo, was taller than most kids their age.
Mu Xiaofeng looked at Qiao Zi and noticed a hint of anxiety on her face, but they were too far apart, and he couldn’t figure out what she wanted to express.
“Please choose your equipment and then enter the arena,” Dean Kaga’s loud voice echoed again. The students from both classes took their positions on either side of the arena. Today was the day when Mu Xiaofeng would face his good friend Qiao Zi in battle, fulfilling their previous agreement to meet in the finals.
After preparing, Mu Xiaofeng, Zhang Wenyu, and Qin Baoyi quickly hid beneath the rocks on the battlefield, their prearranged hiding spot out of the enemy’s sight.
“Begin!” With Dean Kaga’s announcement, the crowd erupted in cheers. This was the finals, and almost everyone in the academy had come to watch, making it an exciting event.
Mu Xiaofeng first discussed the strategy with Qin Baoyi and Zhang Wenyu, “This match is different from the previous ones. There’s a guy named Xi Mo on the other side; he’s the grandson of the lord of Huguan City, which means his influence isn’t ordinary. If we can’t hold out for long, we won’t win, so we must aim for a decisive victory. The usual plan—Zhang Wenyu, you go scout the area first. If you encounter any enemies, return immediately. Qin Baoyi and I will advance slowly.”
Zhang Wenyu nodded and quickly left to scout the surroundings, while Mu Xiaofeng and Qin Baoyi cautiously moved forward.
On the other side, Qiao Zi kept complaining to Xi Mo because the match was obviously unfair to Mu Xiaofeng’s team.
Xi Mo, dressed in a black robe and holding a book, walked ahead of Qiao Zi, smiling and trying to appease her while the tall boy kept a vigilant watch on their surroundings.
The tall boy, wearing a purple robe and holding a book, scanned the area and then said impatiently to Qiao Zi, “Qiao Zi, stop nagging Xi Mo. He’s just trying to win the match. We’ve come a long way, so we need to stay quiet now.”
At this point, Zhang Wenyu had quietly approached the three of them from a distance. Zhang Wenyu carefully observed that both Xi Mo and the tall boy were dressed as scholars. Qiao Zi, in a white robe and holding a staff and medicine pouch, was undoubtedly a priest.
Having gathered this information, Zhang Wenyu quickly returned. He was much more cautious now, having learned from previous matches.
Soon, Mu Xiaofeng and Qin Baoyi saw Zhang Wenyu return. Qin Baoyi, concerned, approached and asked, “How did it go? Did you get hurt? Did you find any enemies?”
Zhang Wenyu nodded and then explained everything he had discovered in detail.
After hearing Zhang Wenyu’s report, Mu Xiaofeng became excited and shared his plan with Zhang Wenyu and Qin Baoyi, “The three of them are all vulnerable in close combat. Qin Baoyi, you will distract one of them while Zhang Wenyu and I quickly close in from behind to take them down. We need to finish this quickly. But be very careful—if we sense anything wrong, we’ll retreat immediately, and Baoyi, don’t forget to retreat as well.”
Zhang Wenyu and Qin Baoyi nodded in agreement. With the plan set, Zhang Wenyu led the way as they sped toward their encounter with Qiao Zi’s group. This encounter would be a different kind of ambush.
It wasn’t long before Mu Xiaofeng’s group reached the lakeside in the center of the battlefield, where they spotted Qiao Zi’s group. Qiao Zi’s group had also stopped by the lake.
From a distance, Mu Xiaofeng noticed that Qiao Zi seemed to be arguing with Xi Mo, so he decided to launch an attack while they were distracted.
Mu Xiaofeng instructed, “Qin Baoyi, you initiate the attack and draw their attention. Zhang Wenyu and I will follow up from behind. I’ll take care of Xi Mo, and Zhang Wenyu, you handle the tall guy.”
Clearly, Mu Xiaofeng’s feelings influenced his decision, as, in reality, Qiao Zi, their priest, should have been the primary target, not the two scholars.
Meanwhile, Qiao Zi continued to argue with Xi Mo, “Xi Mo, you’re too despicable! You knew they had a fire element scholar, so you came to the lakeside, right? If they don’t attack
and time runs out, you’ll rely on your grandfather’s influence to win, won’t you?”
Xi Mo slyly smiled, nodded, and said to Qiao Zi, “Ah, nothing escapes the sharp eyes of the beautiful Miss Qiao Zi. That’s exactly my plan, so what?”
Just as Qiao Zi and Xi Mo were arguing, Mu Xiaofeng and Zhang Wenyu had already positioned themselves behind their group, ready to strike. It seemed the battle was about to begin.
Mu Xiaofeng made a distant hand signal, and Qin Baoyi immediately unleashed a burst of energy, sending multiple fireballs towards Qiao Zi’s group like a fire net.
Caught off guard, Qiao Zi’s group was set ablaze, but fortunately, the nearby lake allowed them to jump in and extinguish the flames.
At that moment, Mu Xiaofeng and Zhang Wenyu charged forward, heading straight for Xi Mo and the tall boy. Qiao Zi, seeing them coming, shouted in alarm, while Xi Mo’s face revealed a sly smile.
