Translator: Nyoi-Bo Studio Editor: Nyoi-Bo Studio
“As you can see, the teams from different base cities are entering the arena. The first in line is Huawu High School. As they won the championship last year, three teams from the base city of Didu participated this year, and Didu is the only base city with three teams.
“At the forefront now is Huawu High School, last year’s champion!”
Along with the impassioned voice of the host, ear-piercing screams and shouts of excitement rose in the stadium.
“Zhu Tianle, I want to give you a monkey!”
“Zhu Tianle, you’re the best!!”
At the edges of the arena, the crowd screamed and cheered madly.
Gao Peng, who was still in the passageway, folded his hands in front of his chest and said calmly, “See? This is the treatment that the best get.”
The five kids who were standing behind him looked out from the narrow passageway. The team was walking in, their golden uniforms dazzling under the sun.
“Only the strongest deserve cheers and screams.” Gao Peng pointed towards the team. “If you win the championship this year, your next class of juniors will be treated like this next year, too.”
The five kids were out of breath, eager to try. They wished that they could rush out now and defeat the Huawu High School team to prove their abilities. Ever since their familiars had advanced to the Lord tier, save for Cao Huan, the other four had grown a little arrogant.
“Principal, I heard that Zhu Tianle is Chen Zhantang’s cousin and is known as the ‘double king’ by his fans. He’s only a Lord-tier monster trainer, so how dare he call himself a king? He’s such a jerk!” Wei Gongfan snorted.
“Wei Gongfan, don’t be so rude.” Wang Jiujiu frowned.
Wei Gongfan rolled his eyes. I’m not afraid of anything, aside from the principal.
“A true man should be like that, sooner or later…” Mo Yingming muttered to himself.
“Stop talking about being a true man. You guys are just a bunch of immature kids. Just become the champions and go back to prepare for your monthly test!” Gao Peng struck them with his merciless words.
The kids’ burning enthusiasm was instantly extinguished, as if with cold water. We still have a monthly test…
“Look, Principal, since we’re here to bring glory for the school and are striving for honor, can’t we be excluded from the test?” Wei Gongfan asked carefully. His results in all subjects other than familiars were very poor. Hence, monthly tests were like a nightmare to him. Every time his results were released, he would be scolded by his mother.
Gao Peng looked at Wei Gongfan with an expression that said, ‘Are you kidding me?’
Wei Gongfan ducked, embarrassed.
Another team that wasn’t far from them couldn’t help but burst into laughter after listening to their conversation. On the left, a girl with a black ponytail withdrew her gaze while trying not to laugh. Her shoulders trembled slightly.
“What are you laughing at?” Jia Zhengjing asked her unhappily.
Wei Gongfan poked Jia Zhengjing’s waist and whispered in his ear, “Come on, she’s a girl. Why quarrel with her?”
“So what?! She’s laughing at us!” Jia Zhengjing was unconvinced.
Wei Gongfan was dumbfounded.
The girl with the ponytail was pretty. Several boys on her team had been watching her from the side. They seemed to be her admirers or something of the like. Her admirers couldn’t bear Jia Zhengjing’s words and stood up. “You guys only got eighth place last year. Don’t be so arrogant.”
“An eighth-place finisher wants to challenge the first-place finisher. Where did you get your confidence from?”
Wei Gongfan, who was persuading Jia Zhengjing, was triggered immediately. “Do you think you’re that great with seventh place? Last year, if it hadn’t been for Senior Li Junzong’s familiar getting mauled by that guy, you wouldn’t have even won seventh place.”
The two sides were at odds for a moment. Gao Peng watched the scene in silence without stopping or encouraging them. To him, it was just a funny fight between a bunch of kids. Once, I was like them too…
As they became noisier, crews started to approach them. Gao Peng coughed. “Enough. Prepare yourselves to enter the arena.”
Gao Peng’s voice cut through the noise of the people who were arguing. His voice wasn’t loud but clear enough for everyone to get the message.
With inexplicable trembles, these little boys and girls shut their mouths. The crew that was approaching stopped after seeing that they had settled down.
Half a minute later, the team that quarreled with them left the passageway and entered the arena. Before leaving, some of the boys turned around to provoke Wei Gongfan and the team silently.
“Enough. When did I teach you to compete using your tongues? It’ll be worth more than ten thousand words to beat them in the arena,” Gao Peng said calmly.
It was their turn to walk into the arena. There were almost no cheers on both sides of the arena, and only sparse applause was heard. After all, the entrance order was based on the ranking of the previous year, from first to eighth place. The audience’s throats had gone hoarse after shouting for so long.
Gao Peng noticed that someone was watching him. He turned his head to see a man in his thirties in a blue suit staring at him from the team in the front. He had rough but simple facial features. A person wouldn’t remember his face after a single glance. Only those dead fish-like eyes of his were memorable.
He reminded Gao Peng of Fatty Big Sea, but not really. Fatty Big Sea was far cuter than him.
The draw came next. The rules of the Huaxia High School Championship were simple but crude; the teams competed one-on-one based on their draw to determine their opponents. Winners would enter the next round, and losers would be eliminated. The eliminated group would compete among themselves in another venue to determine their ranking. Therefore, only two groups would be competing in Mo Du Stadium—the uncontested and the winning teams.
The pairings would be all randomized so, in theory, the champion from the previous year could be facing the runner-up in the first round.
Many teams were praying silently not to face strong teams. In many of their eyes, Tiange Academy was also a strong team.
Digits flashed on the screen above their heads and stopped. 37-1.
Gasps were heard around all the teams.
Many people were relieved. Although they knew that they would face Huawu High School sooner or later if they kept winning, they hoped for a better ranking by facing them at a later time.
At the same time, they mourned in silence for the team that was 37th place last year, for as the saying went, ‘to let others die was better than to let themselves die.’
According to rumors, three Lord-tier familiars from Huawu High School would be competing this year. This led to a result that many despaired.
Three Lord-tier familiars! Were they even high school students? Even adults that had entered society for a long time wouldn’t have this strength. They were already advanced monster trainers by reaching the Lord tier!
Many small base cities had only one or two Lord-tier monster trainers at most.
The drawing continued quickly, and finally, Gao Peng saw Tiange Academy’s number on the screen. 8 -7.
The audience gasped. This was the only time two single-digit teams had been chosen so far.
“Heh.” Jia Zhengjing couldn’t help but snort while raising his eyebrows. “What kind of fate is this?”
Both Mo Yingming and Wei Gongfan smiled.
