Chapter 341: Carnival
Translator: Oneshotwonder Editor: Hitesh_
The six students who made the cut were Wang Tong, Hu Yangxuan, Kyaero, Sayni, Sunfang, and Jiang Xiuzhe. Three among the six were first-year students, and the other three were in their fourth year. Although no one seemed to have high hopes for the students’ performance at Yalen expect for that of Wang Tong and Hu Yangxuan, it was already a victory for Ayrlarng, since this was the first time in decades that any student from Ayrlarng had ever passed the Shangjin district’s qualification match.
This year’s competition was incredibly intense due to the participation of many graduates who had not been drafted into the army.
This tournament was an excellent opportunity to promote themselves for those who were working at private firms, to impress potential employers to land them the next employment contract.
The city of Cypress, the city where Yalen was located, had become a carnival ground. Wang Tong had thought that he would arrive earlier than others, but he already saw throngs of teenagers in different school uniforms hanging about in the streets.
Wearing the school uniforms not only made it easier to identify friends from foes, but it also gave the students a sense of honor and belonging. Wang Tong sensed that every contestant was enthusiastic about the coming fight.
In addition to the academy students, Wang Tong had also seen many students from private schools. Founders of these private schools were of the same age as Wang Ben’s father, General Hu Ben, and their power was also at par with each other. Not all of the powerful fighters were found in the military, due to its bureaucracy, which would hinder their personal and financial growth. Also, the military was already filled to the brim with talents from prestigious families, making it impossible for a talented person with an ordinary background to stand out among his peers.
General Hu Ben had been a rare exception, as he had worked his way up from the very bottom. However, not everyone could be as lucky as him.
To the citizen of Cypress, team Capth was their nemesis, since Yalen and Capth were the only two S-Class Academy on Earth, and the competition was fierce. This year, both schools’ performance had been steady so far. There were one hundred and twenty students from Capth, and one hundred and ten from Yalen that had made into the planet-wide qualification. Students from the S-Class academies made up the bulk of the contestants, and didn’t leave much room for the others.
The A-class academies each had no more than forty successful candidates. In total there were over five thousand contestants that had arrived at Cypress. However, only less than ten would remain in the end.
The feud between Capth and Yalen was entrenched in the students’ minds. Yalen’s students had even hosted a celebration party when they had heard the news of Capth’s defeat by the Ayrlarng-Bernabeu alliance.
However, it was this very feud between the two schools that had kept them competitive.
Every student had to be ID’ed before they entered the Yalen campus. The ID process was quick and easy, and Yalen had set up a dozen identification booths at the two squares near its campus.
When Wang Tong arrived at the town square, it was already packed with students. The team from Ayrlarng was only a drop in the ocean of contestants. Wang Tong marveled at the popularity of METAL combat compared to Fleet battle.
“Look! They are from the Capth!”
“Wow! that’s a lot of people!”
“No kidding! I see Li Ruoer, Wang Ben, and…Cisco? Balls, they had even sent in their fourth-year student. That’s cheating!”
In most competitions, Capth never dispatched their fourth-year students. However, the challenge of this year tournament had made them break the rule.
The tournament happened only once every four years, and it represented the pinnacle of strength and skills. Therefore, no school would pass up the opportunity to showcase their power.
The crowd opened up to make way for Team Capth. Leading the team was Li Ruoer, the first Enchantress to partake in the tournament.
Although no one knew exactly how powerful Li Ruoer was, since her tactics were one of the five major tactics, people were convinced that she was worth the role of the team captain. Strapped to the back of the enchantress was the legendary sword “Rosy.”
To the left of Li Ruoer stood Wang Ben. Wang Ben’s power had increased a great deal, and he had passed his qualification matches with ease. His growth had surprised everyone at Capth. In a year, he had already defeated the fourth year student, Cisco.
Anyone who had fought with Wang Ben felt a sense of helplessness under his merciless attacks.
To the right of Li Ruoer stood a young man who was about a few inches taller than the enchantress. There was a badge with four lines on his school uniform; his name was Turbolix, the number one of fourth-year students at Capth. He was about to graduate and join the military.
Turbolix also came from a prestigious family, as he was the heir of the “Wind Cloud Kick” technique. It was one of the top ten techniques on Earth.
The three students that formed the front line of the team were all teenagers that were destined to rise to fame, and had more or less convinced the world that they were worthy of their roles.
The three’s ambition was as great as their power. Unlike the older generations of their families, they were not content to be just an heir of famous tactics. They wanted to be involved in the politics using their family background as a stepping stone.
All the other students looked at the team from Capth with envy as the latter paraded across the town square. The emblem of Capth, a three-headed sphinx, seemed scintillating under the bright sunlight.
Li Ruoer was the first to finish the identification process. She typed in her student number, placed her palm on the scanning station, and then looked into the pupil imitating device.
Right after Li Ruoer had finished her process, a swell of clamor rose from the students at the town square. Another group had just arrived; their emblem on the uniform was a fire-breathing dragon, and they were the home team.
Students from Yalen should have already finished the identification process. Therefore, it was not difficult to interpret their appearance as a taunt.
The dragons and the sphinxes finally met and formed two lines that were three meters apart. They stood face to face, chest puffing up as if they were measuring each other.
“Balls! Are we just going to stand here and watch this?” Hu Yangxuan shook his head. He could have been one of the Capth’s students. However, he had eventually chosen Ayrlarng, a decision he had never regretted.
“It’s not the number that matters. Look there!” Zhou Sisi announced.
Hu Yangxuan then saw four boys in plain robes saunter towards the booth. Their hair were pulled back and tied up into a bun —an archaic hairstyle that one could see on TV. Hu Yangxuan recognized them immediately; they were from the Templar’s court.
The one carrying the blade was Zhang Buyu, the shortest was Yao Bai, the most handsome looking one was Ye Kai, and the most muscular one was Wu Gang.
Legend had it that the Templar’s court was the birthplace of all tactics. No one had ever seen an inner court disciple; their prestige and secrecy had immediately piqued everyone’s interest.
