The preliminary round of the ranking match was in full swing. The freshmen were all pushing forward with everything they had, constantly issuing challenges.
Anyone who could get into South Glory University might or might not be smart, but their combat ability was definitely among the best of their age group. Wherever they came from, they had been outstanding talents that attracted attention.
Talented people all carried the mindset of refusing to lose and believing they were the one.
But when a group of talented people gathered together, ranks would inevitably be decided.
Some would become ordinary among geniuses, while others would become geniuses among geniuses.
And now, more than two thousand talented students, each carrying their own fighting spirit, refused to stand below anyone else.
Every one of them wanted to prove themselves in their very first combat skills class after entering the university.
Lines formed outside all of the more than one hundred combat arenas.
But from beginning to end, Qin Siyang and the others never appeared.
Only about ten minutes before the first preliminary round ended did the five of them gradually return to the combat building.
Fu Wanli was standing in the center of the hall. The moment he saw Qin Siyang and the others return, he immediately ran over happily.
"Big Brother Qin, Second Brother Hu, Third Brother Chu, Fourth Brother Gu, Fifth Brother Zhao, you're all back."
Fu Wanli's hair was soaked with sweat. His face was flushed. He looked like he had just finished an intense fight, but his small eyes were shining brightly and full of energy.
Qin Siyang nodded, "Hu Chan and I finished what we were doing and came back. We also took a shower. When we went out, we happened to run into those three, so we came here together."
"No wonder Brother Qin smells so fresh and refined..."
Hu Chan interrupted him.
"Fu Wanli, that's enough. Boss Qin may be unmatched in loyalty and strength, but you don't have to flatter him like this, right? Just tell us. What did you come looking for? Judging by your expression, you probably managed to show off successfully?"
"Hehe! Nothing gets past Second Brother Hu," Fu Wanli wiped the sweat from his forehead, "I didn't let down the expectations of my brothers. I successfully held onto first place in the preliminary round and proved the absolute strength of our [Phantom Assassins]!"
After Fu Wanli said this, Qin Siyang and the others exchanged glances.
'There really is someone who can push the common [Phantom Assassin] sequence to its limit?'
They had previously thought Fu Wanli's points might have been inflated.
But looking at it now, his strength really couldn't be underestimated.
Gu Yunpeng said, "You look exhausted. Holding onto that ranking must not have been easy."
"It wasn't! I'm exhausted! All those people kept coming after my position. I fought more than twenty matches in a row before I finally got a break."
"More than twenty?"
"Yeah! I kept using [Life or Death Edge]. Every time I used it, I'd be wiped out for a while afterward. Going back and forth like that nearly finished me off."
Qin Siyang paused, "Fu Wanli, you... only used [Life or Death Edge] and still kept first place?"
Fu Wanli grinned, "Well, not just that. I also used my second-tier god-hunting item."
The others swallowed and were even more surprised.
Everyone knew the skill [Life or Death Edge] of the [Phantom Assassin].
"[Life or Death Edge. Doubles the user's agility for five minutes, but after five minutes the user becomes weak all over and can barely move for half an hour.]"
Before stepping onto the Path of the Believer, the [Phantom Assassin] only had this one skill.
Each level-up strengthened it once.
But no matter how it changed, the skill still worked the same way: a burst of power followed by a period of weakness.
Which meant that Fu Wanli had reached first place in the preliminary round purely through combat skill.
A true strength-based fighter.
Qin Siyang and the others gained a little more respect for this boastful little Sixth Brother with the sneaky-looking face.
"Fu Wanli, that wasn't easy. You worked hard."
Hearing Qin Siyang's words, Fu Wanli became even more energized.
"Not hard at all! It's all for bringing glory to our [Phantom Assassins]!"
Suddenly, Fu Wanli frowned and changed the subject.
"Actually, today's fights weren't very enjoyable. Out of the twenty-something freshmen who challenged me, eighty percent claimed to be [Phantom Assassins]. But once they got on the arena, they all had strange summoning and ritual sequences. Other than me, there wasn't a single real [Phantom Assassin]."
"Those people who lied about their sequences caught me off guard at first, but I still defeated every one of them! Hmph! Every last one of them is shameless! Embarrassing! Clowns! Disgusting... Huh? Brothers, why do your expressions look a little strange?"
Qin Siyang scratched his nose, "Actually, there's no need to curse them that harshly."
"Big Brother Qin, I'm talking about those trash who lied about their sequences. It won't hurt the friendship between us brothers!"
"Uh... right... yes."
Qin Siyang lowered his head and scratched his scalp hard.
He couldn't even remember the last time he had felt this awkward.
Meanwhile, Chu Baxing and the others also pretended nothing was wrong, looking around and fidgeting.
"The preliminary round is over!"
Duan Zhongfang's announcement ended the preliminary round and rescued the group from their discomfort.
"Top five of the preliminary round: Fu Wanli, Sally Warren, Liu Changsheng, Alimon, and Kuai He. These five may challenge the students who are ranked in the top five of the freshman point standings. Next, I will announce the rules for the finals."
'Sally actually managed to keep her second-place position in the preliminary round?'
'She has some ability too.'
Qin Siyang glanced at Sally by accident and found her blue eyes fixed on him. He quickly looked away.
Duan Zhongfang continued, "Since the five of you have already competed against one another, your ranking order has been decided. You may not challenge anyone who defeated you."
"Fu Wanli defeated all four of the others, so he will challenge first. He will challenge Zhao Sifang, Gu Yunpeng, Chu Baxing, Hu Chan, and Qin Siyang in that order. Each time Fu Wanli successfully defeats someone, Sally and the other four may then challenge the person who lost to him."
Sally asked, "Then what if he loses to Zhao Sifang right away and doesn't succeed?"
"Then you also lose your chance to challenge. The top five of the ranking match will be the five people who hold the top five point rankings. They will then challenge one another internally to determine the final order."
"Any other questions?"
"Yes! This isn't fair to us!"
A freshman standing beside Sally stepped forward. He appeared to be one of the preliminary top five as well.
"Just because Fu Wanli can't beat them doesn't mean I can't! I demand the right to challenge Qin Siyang and the others! Why should we fight our way into the top five of the preliminary round and still possibly not even get a chance to challenge them?"
Duan Zhongfang replied calmly, "Because the five of them have higher point totals."
"But—"
Duan Zhongfang's tone turned firm.
"The combined points of the five of you from the preliminary top five are still lower than Zhao Sifang's, who ranks fifth. Never mind the other four."
"The fact that you're being given a chance to challenge them at all is already special treatment. Understand?"
After hearing that, the student clenched his teeth and remained silent.
"Want to talk about fairness?"
Duan Zhongfang's gaze sharpened.
"I hope you remember this clearly. People with higher point totals enjoy privileges. That is South Glory's fairness."
[🙇🏻 You Can Support the Story Through P@tr3on—AmbitiousTranslator. It also has 40+ Chapters of all the novels and fanfics. Thanks for reading~]