Read advance chapters for both of my work, exclusively on Patreon at - www.patreon.com/Sniperwoof
-----------------
5:30 PM.
Once everyone had gathered at the designated location and provided him with sketches of the uncharted areas on the map, Li Xiang finally pieced together the complete layout of the exam site.
If there was another Tri-Camp Exam in the future—and if the location remained unchanged—this map would prove incredibly useful.
Resting until the end, he watched as the sun dipped below the horizon, its blazing light slowly fading away.
Amid the deafening chime of the dismissal bell, the group left the exam grounds. As usual, they headed to the Pokémon Center first, then gathered for dinner at the cafeteria.
To express his gratitude, Li Xiang didn't hesitate to treat everyone using his merit points.
After the meal, they all returned to their respective dorms.
By the end of the second day, the Tri-Camp Exam was practically over.
Those destined for elimination had been eliminated. Those marked for special training had already emerged.
And as for the people Li Xiang had wanted to battle? He'd fought them all.
In the end, the only ones who truly stood out were the Lü sisters and Gong Xu.
The rest? Not even close.
According to intel, Yang Tianwang and his group were supposed to be on par with them, but after facing them, Li Xiang felt they didn't measure up at all.
Then again, after repeatedly clashing with a cheater like him, Yang Tianwang and the others had improved at an astonishing rate, now reaching Luo Dayou's level—at least, that's how it felt to Li Xiang.
But if anyone had progressed the fastest, it was undoubtedly himself.
Since joining the training camp, the number of candies he'd obtained had skyrocketed, with substantial gains almost every day.
Add to that the invaluable experience Incineroar and the others gained from battling strong opponents, plus the solid foundation of care and maintenance they received, and it was no surprise that Li Xiang had left his peers in the dust so quickly.
Back when he first entered the camp, Fang Xin and Luo Dayou had been threats worth watching.
Now? They were nothing more than measuring sticks.
Even someone like Gong Xu, who stood at the pinnacle among their peers, had become insignificant in comparison.
Growing this much in just half a year was something ordinary people could scarcely imagine.
...
That night, as usual, Li Xiang lurked in the WeChat Group, scrolling through past messages.
Sure enough, fewer than twenty people had been eliminated that day.
At this stage, those still in the exam were the ones with real skill.
After losing three times, anyone who sensed a losing streak would prioritize self-preservation, retreating outside the exam grounds to cut their losses.
Losing 100 points was still better than losing 150.
With that in mind, the final day began.
Li Xiang stuck to his strategy: harvesting tokens in high-traffic zones and ambushing people near rest stations.
Having done this multiple times, he'd grown efficient—so much so that he walked away with 40 tokens, the highest haul in the entire exam.
But with so many people playing it safe on the last day, even he couldn't hit his personal goal.
Combined with his gains from the previous two days, Li Xiang had collected 128 tokens in total during the Tri-Camp Exam.
Converted into merit points, that was enough for another shiny Metang.
In other words, he alone had eliminated nearly 43 people.
Of course, among the remaining 200+ participants, many still held onto one or two tokens. They'd taken losses but hadn't been wiped out completely.
These players made up the majority of the survivors.
Final Exam Results:
Total Eliminations: 113
Qingcheng Camp Eliminations: 39
25 students were expelled after their merit points hit zero or went negative.
By the semester's end, Qingcheng's roster had shrunk from 119 to 94.
The Tri-Camp Exam had officially concluded.
For some, it was a time of sorrow and regret. For others, joy and relief.
Undoubtedly, Li Xiang's performance had brought immense pride to Xiang Yangwei. In fact, the camp leader could hardly believe that a single student could dominate to this extent.
To Li Xiang, his peers were like wheat—cut down, only to grow back and be harvested again.
"Old Xiang, your camp really produced a monster this time!"
Lao Wang's voice was full of admiration—and a hint of envy.
Liu Ying, standing nearby, felt the same.
Barring any accidents, someone like Li Xiang was destined to leave a lasting mark on history. And as the one who discovered him, Xiang Yangwei would naturally earn a footnote—or even a short anecdote—in the annals of his career.
For men like them, past their prime and feeling the weight of age, such a legacy was irresistible. That was why they'd given up comfortable retirements to oversee training camps in the first place.
And now, the opportunity had appeared—only to land in someone else's lap.
How could they not be jealous?
Xiang Yangwei humbly brushed off their praise, but the smile never left his face.
Students like Li Xiang—polite, trouble-free, self-disciplined, and mentally resilient—were rare.
Take Lao Wang's top student, Gong Xu. The kid was strong, sure, but he was also a walking disaster.
His mouth had earned him countless enemies, to the point where even expelled students were plotting to jump him outside the camp.
The seeds of a mass brawl had already been sown.
Over at Lao Liu's camp, the top spots were held by two girls who struggled to command respect from the boys.
With their inconsistent performance, morale wasn't great. Heavy-handed discipline was the only thing keeping things under control.
Trainers lived rough lives, and teenage tempers didn't help. Minor conflicts often escalated into full-blown fights.
But in Xiang Yangwei's camp?
Thanks to the looming presence of Li Xiang the 'Final Boss'—and his tight-knit group—the entire camp was kept in check.
They dominated merit point competitions. They led massive groups during nightly runs, showcasing terrifying unity.
Their sheer physical prowess during training inspired others to focus on real improvement instead of petty squabbles.
Because Li Xiang was so far ahead, so untouchably strong, that no one even thought of dragging him down.
Instead, they chased after him, desperate to close the gap.
He was like the North Star in the night sky—a fixed point that made all the "insects" stop fighting amongst themselves and scramble toward him instead.
Even the rival who'd once clashed with Lin Feng had given up, focusing entirely on climbing the ranks to C, B, or even A-class.
Such was the power of a proper role model.
Of course, conflicts still happened. At this age, with hormones running wild, clashes were inevitable.
But whenever tensions flared, Li Xiang would swoop in and shut it down.
At the time, constantly scheming for more merit points, he'd figured that breaking up fights might earn him some. So he became the Peacemaker, the Mediator, the guy who took the fight out of everyone.
His martial arts training had taught him exactly where to hit for maximum pain without lasting damage.
And when it came to restraining hotheads, joint locks worked wonders—one pull, and they'd beg for mercy. Two pulls, and they'd howl. Three pulls, and they'd never start trouble again.
Anyone who still wanted to fight after that was rare—and if they did, another round usually did the trick.
Consider it acupuncture for the soul.
(After all, even professional massages could be excruciating.)
Once word spread that Li Xiang could fight and had zero tolerance for nonsense, most troublemakers vanished overnight.
All of this had been quietly observed by Xiang Yangwei.
"No comparison, no harm."
Every time he thought about it, he felt even more justified in securing Li Xiang's spot—and squeezing extra benefits out of the tenth man.
....
Next morning, 6 AM.
All students packed their belongings and returned to their respective camps.
For many, those three days had felt like three years.
The moment they pushed open their dorm doors, they were overwhelmed with nostalgia for their beds and facilities.
Li Xiang felt it too. After six months, this place had become home.
The experience had been that good.
Sitting at his desk, he pulled up his merit point balance on the computer.
7,560 points.
He steepled his fingers, resting them against his nose in deep thought.
A single Tri-Camp Exam had netted him 6,400 points.
Though the battles had been "grueling," the payoff was beyond his wildest expectations.
He wouldn't be exchanging for more shiny Pokémon.
With a full team of six, he had no plans to expand further unless absolutely necessary.
Now, it was time to aim for the next stage.
Over the next six months, he would push Incineroar and the others to new heights, forging them into an unstoppable force.
All so that when he entered higher education, he could secure a starting position immediately.
Benchwarmer? Backup? Reserve?
Not for him.
He wanted to explode onto the scene, capturing the attention of the academy's upper echelons.
The dimmest fireflies shone brightest when they flared.
Talent couldn't stay hidden forever—better to reveal it early. Though if there was a chance to profit quietly, he'd still take it.
As for whether his rise would make him a target…
Zhu Xia was a land envied by many.
Though far from a utopia, its people strove tirelessly toward that ideal, making it better with each passing day.
If someone of Li Xiang's caliber could be suppressed or sabotaged, then the current Champion—Xia Chunyu, a man of humble origins—would never have reached the throne.
"Greatness rises from obscurity."
While most elite trainers came from privileged backgrounds, Pokémon were creatures that defied logic for the sake of bonds.