Zhong Shenxiu pondered for a moment, deciding that participating in this competition was meaningless, as the contestants were far too weak. Resolving things in just a couple of moves was tedious.
With that thought, he refrained from signing up and instead headed straight to the library with Robin.
When Zhong Shenxiu and Robin returned to the small courtyard, Lisi was practicing with fierce intensity. It was clear that this "School Power Ranking Tournament" had stimulated him greatly!
"Hey kid, did you sign up?" Zhong Shenxiu inquired.
Lisi nodded, then stated, "It officially starts in two days, and there will be..."
Before he could finish, Zhong Shenxiu had already walked away, causing Lisi's rising enthusiasm to deflate into silence!
Two days passed quickly.
During these two days, Angelina and Xia Luo, taking on their responsibilities as older sisters, took turns mentoring Lisi after hearing he was entering the competition, even working overtime to rush his progress!
As the old saying goes: Sharpening the spear just before battle ensures it’s not dull! Lisi’s confidence grew stronger and stronger!
Today, the "Dublai Magic and Martial Arts Academy" was exceptionally lively. The campus was teeming with people, and various discussions mixed into a single clamor.
During the competition period, the school granted students leave, allowing them to go watch and cheer!
In the plaza, after a speech by the school leadership, the contestants proceeded to draw lots for their brackets. This procedure was quite similar to the "Academy Ranking Tournament."
Contestants drawing different brackets would compete in different zones, while the final eight would gather in the plaza for the concluding matches!
To skip the pleasantries, let’s focus on Lisi, who today fought through the competition like a dark horse, effortlessly securing his ticket to the finals.
This result shocked everyone, second only to his teachers and classmates—and then there was Jellatin!
Jellatin, after being knocked unconscious by Robin that day, could now walk after treatment, but he was unable to participate in this competition because his injuries had not fully healed. In truth, even if he had participated, he would have been eliminated quickly!
What he never expected was that Lisi, the perennial bottom-dweller, would become so formidable in just a few days; it was as if he were a completely different person—it was utterly unbelievable!
As for Lisi himself, he was riding high, especially when recalling the amazed looks directed his way; he felt a profound sense of satisfaction. I, Lisi, am finally no longer looked down upon by others!
To be honest, Lisi felt nothing but adoration and gratitude towards Zhong Shenxiu. If it weren't for him, he would still be living that life of being scorned!
Of course, he was also very thankful to Angelina and Xia Luo. Without their patient guidance, he wouldn't have achieved so much!
Compared to his excitement, Zhong Shenxiu remained much more placid. He had spent these days entirely in the library. Thankfully, the library hadn't closed due to the tournament. He hadn't even bothered to watch the matches!
In his view, they were merely games for children to play, utterly uninteresting! In reality, given Zhong Shenxiu's current standing, even if a group of Sword Gods were competing, they would appear no different to his eyes!
The next day, Lisi performed well again and was fortunate enough not to encounter any overly strong opponents, smoothly advancing into the final eight playoffs!
At this point, he was nearly becoming famous. Many classmates began to see him as an idol, and quite a few started chasing him down to ask for the secret to "rapidly improving strength." Even the school leaders had sought him out for a conversation!
Lisi felt incredibly elated; he hadn't realized how wonderful it felt to be valued!
Returning to the small courtyard, Lisi shared his results with Angelina and the others.
"Lisi, keep going! If you can bring back the championship, we will all be proud!" Xia Luo couldn't help but encourage him. Truly worthy of being the mercenary group leader—she excelled at stirring up morale!
Lisi blushed slightly from the praise and quickly promised he would do his best!
Angelina said nothing, but through her actions, she communicated to Lisi: You need to become stronger, or in the end, you'll still be thrashed by me!
Zhong Shenxiu's reaction was more reserved. He simply told Lisi, "Kid, you still have a long way to go!" before walking away.
The following day, Zhong Shenxiu and Robin, for a rare occasion, went to watch Lisi’s final eight match. However, perhaps because of this, Lisi was very unlucky today; the opponent he drew was Sheryl, who had won first place previously!
There was still some time before the match officially began, but the area beneath the stage was already packed.
Zhong Shenxiu and Robin did not push forward. Thanks to their vision, they could still see every detail on the stage, even standing at the very back!
Gazing at the square competition platform, Zhong Shenxiu inexplicably smiled!
He finally understood why the finalists were all Swordsmen and no Mages—the reason lay in this arena. The stage was simply too small; a Mage would likely be charged down by a Swordsman before they could chant two sentences of a spell.
Everyone knew this common sense: in close combat, a Mage encountering a Swordsman becomes as fragile as an infant—excluding freaks like Zhong Shenxiu—with not even a sliver of room to resist!
Even Mages capable of instant spell casting could only manage a small, non-continuous burst of magic, utterly incapable of continuous output!
It could be said that the design of this stage predetermined that Mages would only serve as window dressing.
Perhaps people wonder why the stage wasn't built larger, why it was so unfair to Mages?
To explain this, one must delve into the culture and customs of the Winter Moon Empire.
The Winter Moon Empire is an empire that values Swordsmen and disdains Mages. This phenomenon stems from the fact that the founding of the empire was entirely credited to Swordsmen; the first emperor carved out the nation through the might of the sword.
Moreover, the current Winter Moon Empire possesses the most "Sword Gods" among the four great empires—a total of five—while the other three empires have a maximum of three, with the rest having two. Correspondingly, the Winter Moon Empire has the fewest "Divine Arcane Masters," boasting only one!
Speaking of which, let’s list the four great empires: the Spring Dew Empire, the Summer Star Empire, the Autumn Cloud Empire, and the Winter Moon Empire! Besides these four, there are other smaller nations that need not be detailed here!
The policy of the Summer Star Empire is the exact opposite of the Winter Moon Empire’s; it values Mages and looks down upon Swordsmen!
A nation's policy dictates the will of the regions beneath it, and this is most evident in smaller locales. Thus, in "Gulu City," Swordsmen are also valued over Mages. Note this well: the disdain for Mages is relative to Swordsmen; it doesn't mean Mages are unimportant!
In truth, the ranking matches between established large cities and academies never use individual duels. Instead, they limit the maximum number of participants from an academy but do not restrict whether they are Swordsmen or Mages, requiring them to compete as a team. The academy's ranking is determined by the team’s overall score.
This is much more scientific; at least this way, Mages are not merely decorative. They can support their teammates from the rear, which is much closer to actual combat reality!
Back to the story: after about fifteen minutes, the relevant personnel finally took the stage. First, the relevant leaders and sponsors were introduced, followed by the competition rules and criteria for judging victory and defeat. Finally, the official matches began!
Lisi's match was the second event, but Zhong Shenxiu and Robin left before he even fought. The reason was simple: the disparity in strength between the two dueling parties was too great; watching such a match was torture for the eyes and the soul!
In reality, Zhong Shenxiu didn't care who won or lost. What truly occupied his attention was finding someone with a barely adequate level of strength!
But such people were incredibly hard to find, and they would become even harder to find in the future, as Zhong Shenxiu's own power would only continue to soar!
When Lisi returned today, his expression had completely changed; he looked like a defeated rooster—listless and dispirited!
There was no need to ask; he had lost today!
Sheryl's strength was too much for Lisi, whose power had only been increasing for a few days. After all, Sheryl was an "old guard" of the "Dublai Magic and Martial Arts Academy." Lisi’s defeat at his hands was understandable!
Yet, Lisi was deeply unwilling to accept it. He had made it to the final eight; why couldn't he go further?
Angelina and Xia Luo seemed to grasp the result from Lisi’s demeanor—women are indeed perceptive. So, neither of them said anything.
Though they remained silent, Zhong Shenxiu was annoyed by Lisi's crestfallen look and immediately uttered a phrase that made Lisi's soul tremble:
"Robin, go and spar with this kid. Don't hold back; just make sure he draws breath!"
Receiving such a provocation, Lisi, for the first time, acted like a deserter, making up an excuse and fleeing!
A day passed in silence. The next morning, Zhong Shenxiu and Robin headed to the library as usual.
However, unexpectedly, they were stopped by someone. This person was none other than Sheryl, who had defeated Lisi yesterday and won the championship!
Zhong Shenxiu watched Sheryl with genuine interest. He hadn't expected someone to dare intercept him in the broad daylight! Truly inviting trouble!
Meanwhile, Lisi stared intently at Robin, radiating fighting spirit from head to toe!
The ironic part was that Robin quietly watched Zhong Shenxiu, seemingly waiting for a command before turning the man before him into a shooting star!
The three gazes formed a triangle!
"I heard you are very strong?" Sheryl suddenly spoke, his eyes still fixed on Robin.
Robin ignored him, but Zhong Shenxiu spoke up, asking, "Kid, state your purpose!"
Only then did Sheryl glance sideways at Zhong Shenxiu before saying, "But I don't believe it. I want a match!"
It seemed he was overly excited from yesterday's competition and needed to vent some stimulation. But wasn't this far too risky?!
"On what grounds?"
"On the strength of this sword!"
Zhong Shenxiu looked at the sword in his hand and suddenly wore a wicked smile. For some unknown reason, he actually agreed to Sheryl's demand!
So, what fate awaited Sheryl?
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