Chapter 38: 'You're Unlucky'
When Lin Xuan and his two teammates arrived at the Assessment Area, the scene before them was completely different from what they had expected.
Although the total number of students had decreased sharply, the place was far from quiet; instead, it seemed increasingly crowded and noisy.
The perimeter of the Assessment Area was packed with senior students who had come to watch, almost blocking every entrance.
The sounds of discussion, laughter, and even the shouts of people taking bets intertwined, making it as lively as a marketplace.
"It seems the academy's curriculum is still too light."
Lin Xuan, who had struggled to squeeze a path through the crowd, couldn't help but shake his head inwardly.
"It should be just like in my pre-previous life with militarized management; that would give them all an 'unforgettable' youth."
...On the north side of the Assessment Area, a metal observation platform over twenty meters high had quietly been erected.
The platform was wide and offered an excellent view, enough to overlook all sixteen newly divided large combat zones below.
At this moment, atop the high platform, dean of students Du Weiren was holding a register, preparing to host the draw.
He habitually looked around, his gaze sweeping over the swarming heads below, but he shuddered when he caught sight of two figures standing quietly behind the observation platform.
He quickly set aside his casual posture, stepped forward, and bowed respectfully.
"Dean Yan, Elder Xuan, what brings the two of you here?"
The two were indeed the Dean of the Martial Soul Department, Yan Shaozhe, and Xuan Zi, who still looked sloppy and was holding his wine gourd.
Yan Shaozhe wore a white robe with gold trim, looking elegant and gentle.
He smiled slightly and waved his hand.
"No need for formalities. Elder Xuan and I were just passing by and wanted to see the vitality of this batch of freshmen. Go about your business and proceed according to the schedule."
Xuan Zi continued to stuff wine and meat into his mouth, giving a vague "mmh," though his gaze seemed to drift toward a certain direction below.
Du Weiren understood and didn't dare ask more, returning to the front of the platform.
He cleared his throat, and his thick Soul Power carried his voice clearly throughout the Assessment Area.
"Quiet!"
The clamor gradually subsided as all eyes focused on the high platform.
"After the three-day round-robin matches, the sixty-four advancing teams have been determined. From today, knockout matches will be held until the top three are decided, lasting a total of three days."
Du Weiren said, "The Assessment Area has been re-divided into sixteen zones. Each zone is several times larger than before to ensure everyone can fully demonstrate their strength."
"The rules for the knockout matches are simple: the winner advances to prepare for the next round, and the loser leaves the Assessment Area immediately to return to their class for regular lessons. There are no second chances."
"Now, we will begin the first round of the draw and announce the matchups!"
The draw began, and the two teams for each Assessment Area were announced one by one.
Every team name read out tugged at the heartstrings of countless people below; some clenched their fists in tension, some prayed silently, and others began sizing up potential opponents.
"Area One: Freshman Class Five, Xu Xiu's team, against Freshman Class Nine, Zhou Si's team!"
"Area Two..."
The announcements proceeded in an orderly fashion.
Lin Xuan and his team stood quietly in the crowd. Wu Feng stood with her arms crossed, looking impatient; Dugu Qing looked around curiously, while Lin Xuan looked somewhat bored.
After a while, Du Weiren's voice rang out again.
"Area Nine—"
"Freshman Class Nine, Lin Xuan's team," Du Weiren seemed to glance in Lin Xuan's direction, "against Freshman Class Ten, Zhou Sichen, Long Xiangyue, and Cao Jinxuan's team!"
As the words fell, a low clamor and discussion immediately broke out in the nearby crowd.
"It's Zhou Sichen and the others!"
"Those three guys from Class Ten are not to be trifled with..."
"This is going to be interesting, a clash between the strong!"
"Lin Xuan and his team have finally met a tough nut to crack!"
Dugu Qing and Wu Feng were stunned for a moment, visible confusion appearing on their faces.
Since their matches over the first three days either ended in quick victories or their opponents surrendered immediately, and with Lin Xuan there to anchor them, they hadn't bothered to watch matches in other Assessment Areas, leaving them almost entirely ignorant of the other advancing teams.
At this moment, they could only barely judge from the mixed expressions of surprise, excitement, and even sympathy from the surrounding students that the three people from 'Freshman Class Ten' were likely quite powerful, certainly not comparable to those teams that had given up easily.
Wu Feng frowned and snorted coldly, "I don't care who they are, we'll just fight."
Dugu Qing looked at Lin Xuan somewhat uneasily, "Lin Xuan, have you heard of them?"
Lin Xuan's expression was somewhat subtle at this moment.
Of course he knew.
Zhou Sichen, Long Xiangyue, Cao Jinxuan... in the original work, this trio were strong contenders for the freshman assessment championship, and their strength was definitely in the top-tier echelon among the freshmen.
Especially that Cao Jinxuan, who possessed an extremely rare and unpredictable time attribute Martial Soul.
"I've heard a bit about them." Lin Xuan withdrew his thoughts and said to Dugu Qing and Wu Feng in a flat tone, "Their strength should be decent. Just as well, it's about time I stretched my legs."
While overwhelming victories were easy, occasionally encountering an opponent who could spark a bit of interest didn't seem bad either.
Meanwhile, on the other side.
"Man, what kind of crappy luck is this? Out of sixty-four teams, we drew the strongest one in the first round?" Zhou Sichen couldn't help but complain.
"I'm out of ideas, anyway; I can only rely on your performance, Jinxuan." Long Xiangyue patted Cao Jinxuan on the shoulder and raised an eyebrow with a 'I'm counting on you' look.
Cao Jinxuan rolled his eyes and took the lead toward Area Nine.
"We'll take it one step at a time. My Martial Soul is unique, but its effect is greatly diminished against an opponent whose Soul Power level is overwhelming. Now I can only hope they don't understand my ability and give me a critical opening; otherwise, the three of us should prepare for a severe beating."
"Wait! You've got a point, you've really got a point!"
Zhou Sichen's eyes lit up, and he quickly caught up, lowering his voice with some excitement.
"I made a special effort to ask around about Lin Xuan's team yesterday, and guess what?"
"Spit it out," Long Xiangyue urged.
"They leave the Assessment Area immediately after every match and have never stayed to observe other teams' matches!"
Zhou Sichen spoke faster, "In other words, there's a high probability they don't know us at all, especially what your Martial Soul is and what its effects are, Jinxuan!"
Cao Jinxuan paused, a sharp light suddenly igniting in his eyes.
"If that's true... then we might actually have a fighting chance!"
...Area Nine, Soul Dueling Platform.
The newly divided field was over fifty meters long on each side, surrounded by a simple soul tool protective barrier, enough to withstand energy impacts at the Spirit Ancestor level.
Lin Xuan, Dugu Qing, and Wu Feng slowly stepped onto the stage from one side.
Opposite them, Zhou Sichen, Long Xiangyue, and Cao Jinxuan also stepped up from the other side at the same time.
The six people stood ten meters apart in the center of the field, and according to custom, they needed to exchange names and Martial Souls before the battle.
"Freshman Class Ten, Zhou Sichen, attack system Battle Spirit Grandmaster."
"Freshman Class Ten, Long Xiangyue, agility-attack system Battle Spirit Grandmaster."
"Freshman Class Ten, Cao Jinxuan, control system Battle Spirit Grandmaster."
It was Lin Xuan's team's turn.
"Freshman Class Nine, Dugu Qing, control system Battle Spirit Grandmaster."
"Freshman Class Nine, Wu Feng, attack system Battle Spirit Grandmaster."
Finally, everyone's gaze fell upon the youth in white.
Lin Xuan took half a step forward, his calm gaze sweeping over the three opponents, and then said in a clear and indifferent voice,
"Freshman Class Nine, Lin Xuan, attack system Battle Spirit Elder."
The words 'Soul Elder' still carried a heavy weight, causing the hearts of Zhou Sichen and the other two to tighten slightly.
However, Lin Xuan's words didn't end there.
He paused and continued,
"Before coming here, we heard many students discussing that your team is very strong and a powerful contender for the championship."
His tone was flat, with no hint of praise or criticism, but it caused Zhou Sichen and the others to subconsciously straighten their backs, and the flame of hope ignited by the information gap seemed to burn a bit brighter.
"But," Lin Xuan's tone shifted, "I only want to say one thing—"
"You're unlucky."
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