"Hey? Don't get so close. What's the meaning of this?"
Hearing the voice by his ear, Xu Mo quite heartlessly took out his ruler and pressed it against the underside of Ye Yu's chin.
"Are you trying to take advantage of my lapse in attention to touch me and claim victory for your side?"
"It's not that simple. I can see right through your little schemes."
Ye Yu: ...
Her mouth twitched as she clenched her fists in anger. Mumbling something under her breath, she turned around and walked away.
No one cared about this little interlude. Meanwhile, the arena was almost ready.
In the center of the field, the original mats had been removed and replaced with brownish-gray, hardened stone slabs.
These specialized stone slabs could withstand the impact of a Rank 5 Scavenger without shattering; they were a classic testing facility of Qingping Academy.
The reporters, carrying their equipment, didn't give the arena much screen time. Their lenses were constantly aimed in one direction—at the two chairs placed side-by-side in the center of the stands.
Zheng Ziyun, the Principal of Yaoguang Academy, and Bai Feifei, the combat instructor of Qingping Academy.
One had graying hair and wore a deep gray robe; the other was young and dressed in ink-black clothes.
"This picture is interesting," one reporter whispered to a colleague.
"Look at Principal Zheng's face. It's so ashen it's almost turning black. I bet he never imagined in his life that he'd be sitting as an equal with a junior."
"No kidding. If that 'sparring performance' from earlier happens again, I'm afraid the old principal will have a stroke."
"Pah, keep it down! Do you want to lose your job?"
The colleague quickly shut up, but the camera didn't move an inch.
Zheng Ziyun sat next to Bai Feifei, hands on his knees, his face completely stiff.
He was behaving himself now, no longer intending to lecture anyone. He was much quieter than when he arrived. He didn't look at the person beside him or the arena; he just stared at the ground, his eyes filled with gloom.
Bai Feifei's body trembled slightly. The arrogance and dominance in her eyes faded, replaced by a clear light.
Xu Mo had returned control of the body to her.
"That old geezer should be behaving now. Damn, still trying to pull that 'Old-Timer' act in front of me?"
"I'm not in the mood to watch kids fight right now, so you can have your turn."
Sitting in the padded chair, she was speechless as she heard the voice in her mind.
She wasn't Xu Mo; she didn't have that carefree attitude of treating everyone like an NPC. Feeling the heavy, gloomy pressure coming from Zheng Ziyun beside her, she even felt a bit embarrassed.
Assistant Lin stepped onto the arena with a light gait.
She pushed up her glasses, her smile looking much more sincere than before—likely because she was genuinely in a good mood.
"Distinguished guests, friends from the media, and students. Thank you all for coming to Qingping Academy today to witness this exchange between the Elite Classes of our two academies."
A round of applause erupted from below.
"We uphold the principle of friendship first and mutual exchange. We hope that through this session, the younger generation of Scavengers can learn from each other and progress together..."
After finishing a string of formalities, she finally got to the point.
"The participants in this sparring session are Yaoguang Academy and Qingping Academy, two institutions with long histories."
"Each side will select their representatives. The matches will end at the first sign of contact. Before the Graduation Show, this is also an opportunity to..."
Before she could finish, Zheng Ziyun stood up.
He didn't look at the arena or Assistant Lin. He turned directly toward the Yaoguang Academy Elite Class.
A caring smile was squeezed onto his old face, but his eyes were full of ferocity.
"Students." His voice wasn't loud, but every word sounded like it was being ground out from between his teeth.
"Teacher Bai's performance just now wasn't official, but it was exciting enough."
"You all should have seen it clearly—how you are expected to take this seriously."
The reporters below looked at each other. This was far too blunt. The air was thick with the scent of gunpowder; this might actually spark a long-term feud between the two academies.
Zheng Ziyun continued, "This is just sparring, but you must treat it as a real battle."
"Do not forget the 'investment' and 'effort' the academy has put into you during this time!"
"Yes, sir!" the students of Yaoguang Academy roared in unison, their faces glowing with an unnatural red flush.
Beside him, Xu Mo's voice rang out in Bai Feifei's mind again:
"Oh, for crying out loud, this old bastard is starting again."
"You should say something too. You understand this concerns the very survival of Dawn City, right?"
The survival again...?
Bai Feifei was speechless, but she still took a deep breath. Dragging that long, black ruler, she looked toward the Qingping Academy Elite Class.
Ye Yu stood at the very front, staring at her with glowing eyes.
"Students, fight seriously in a moment."
It was extremely plain and simple, completely different from her usual way of speaking, making the students feel instantly uncomfortable.
Ye Yu paused for a moment, then couldn't help but laugh. "No way, Teacher Bai. That guy gave a whole mobilization speech, and you only say those few words?"
Bai Feifei looked at her and thought for a moment. She really didn't know how to imitate an Old-Timer, so she could only say tentatively:
"If you win... maybe training can be a bit easier in the future?"
As soon as she spoke, the eyes of everyone in the Elite Class changed.
Memories of being thrashed, crushed, and tortured into ghostly wails by the Gaze of the Ancient One under Bai Feifei's hand these past few days came rushing back all at once.
Ye Yu whipped off her jacket, turned to look at the students behind her, and roared at the top of her lungs:
"Did you hear that? Do you know what to do in a moment?"
The class was instantly ignited. Like Berserkers, the students roared in unison.
"We know! We know!"
"If we win, we won't get thrashed by the ruler anymore!"
Ye Yu nodded, a hint of a threat appearing in her eyes as she spoke:
"If anyone loses later..."
Everyone immediately roared:
"Only victory, no defeat!"
"Fight like your lives depend on it! Make sure they all leave the arena on stretchers!"
"Beat the crap out of them! And if it doesn't come out, it's only because they've already emptied themselves!"
"We have to slap the face of those who rely on seniority!"
"F*** them up!"
The shouting grew louder and louder. The group seemed to be venting, screaming at the top of their lungs, and the content of their shouts became increasingly outrageous.
Bai Feifei was stunned for a moment, looking at Ye Yu with some surprise. This girl actually had quite a bit of authority in the class.
Zheng Ziyun's face darkened. Why did it feel like even these students were daring to insult him subtly!
The people from Yaoguang Academy were dumbfounded. Normally, after being injected with potions, their emotional states would be quite intense, but now it felt like the opponent's emotional state was even more outrageous.
The media cameras also instantly shifted. No one was filming Yaoguang Academy anymore; they were all filming the Qingping Academy side.
As expected of Bai Feifei's students!
Soldiers led by a lunatic aren't exactly sane themselves!
Rate on N.U.
