Chapter 32 : Chapter 32
Chapter 32
The draw for the individual competition had officially concluded.
The freshman classroom remained filled with discussions about the upcoming matches. Compared to the distant and almost unattainable rewards, the mere opportunity to gauge the strength of those around them was enough to excite many students.
“Is it going to last from now until the end of the semester?”
“Hey, do not forget about the team competition.”
“Huh—the team competition only lasts four or five days. The individual competition runs much longer.”
“That is true.”
…
Ji Qing held a book in his hands, sitting quietly by the window in the back row.
Once the theoretical lessons had progressed beyond the halfway point, he had returned to the classroom. As the coursework became more difficult, studying alone in the library had grown increasingly exhausting. It was better to follow along with the teacher.
Besides, he did not have anything urgent to deal with lately… Ji Qing let out a lazy yawn. He had no intention of spending all day in the Botanical Garden like Song Xiaoran, nor did he have You Xingluo’s burden of handling Federation affairs.
All Ji Qing could do was simply enjoy his high school life.
Outside the window, sparrows chirped brightly.
Clouds drifted leisurely across the blue sky, and a gentle breeze carried the fragrance of grass.
Ji Qing closed his eyes in contentment.
Since the Ability test ended, he had noticed that he seemed to have been isolated. To put it simply, before this, he could still hear students occasionally questioning the top student—but now, there was none of that.
It was probably Feng Youyou’s doing.
The third time Ji Qing passed by the school bulletin board, he saw a solo highlight of his Ability test displayed prominently. With a camera in hand, Feng Youyou had roamed the campus and unknowingly obtained new material.
《Shocking! The Ability Test of Class S Students! The Ultimate Showdown Between the Top Student and the Runner-Up! Just How Big Is the Gap Between Us and Class S?》
Ji Qing: “…Tsk.”
It was the same kind of title that offended no one, the same kind of objective presentation of facts. Even if Ji Qing wanted to cause trouble for the News Club, he could not really do so.
After all, the Ability test was not confidential.
Sometimes, Ji Qing felt quite fortunate to be bound to the manga forum.
The perspective from the manga allowed him to understand what was happening in other classes, the system-provided intelligence was extremely useful, and the items in the Popularity Value Shop were even more so.
Still, he occasionally wondered what his situation would have been in the original storyline of the manga.
It would probably have been more oppressive than now.
At least now, even though he still had no real friends, he had Xie Chang’an. Ji Qing casually opened the hidden messaging app on his terminal and quickly saw Xie Chang’an’s message from yesterday:
Xie Chang’an: 【Seriously, what do you need the Ability item for? (probing.jpg)】
Raven: 【Impressive, you even know how to use stickers now (thumbs up.jpg)】
Raven: 【Get it first, then we will talk.】
Raven: 【My dear, if you keep asking, I might not be able to resist sealing you inside a stone wall. My mutations have been getting worse lately. My mental state fluctuates—I might really end up killing someone.】
Xie Chang’an: 【…Alright.】
Xie Chang’an: 【Take care and get some rest (pat.jpg).】
Looking at the last message Xie Chang’an sent, Ji Qing suddenly smiled. With interest, he thought: Xie Chang’an was actually quite amusing.
Not long ago, Ji Qing had complained that he was inhumane—yet now he had tricked him so thoroughly.
Ji Qing’s fondness for Xie Chang’an instantly soared.
It seemed that people never grew tired of doing bad things.
Ji Qing suddenly put down his terminal and looked out the window again. It was a ten-minute break, and soon the teacher for 《Illustrated Guide to Common Aberrants》 would arrive.
The classroom they were in was large.
No one was seated near Ji Qing.
However, students from Class S would occasionally sit beside him, or he would sit near others. For example, during the Wasteland Plant Appreciation class, Song Xiaoran was always the first to arrive.
At times like that, Ji Qing would choose to sleep in.
After all, with Song Xiaoran saving him a seat, he had nothing to worry about. After attending several days of classes, Ji Qing realized that the other students in Class S were just like him—they chose which classes they preferred to attend.
After all, just as Li Xuehua had earnestly advised: “What you learn yourself is different from what a teacher imparts. Do not fully trust what is written in textbooks—the content in books is ultimately static.”
Ji Qing found this quite reasonable.
Because before the Ability test, he had not known that Ability classifications were tied to the testing system. Books in the wasteland would not openly explain why the classification system had not been reformed.
Shao Huayu naturally nodded in agreement. Since the homeroom teacher had said so, he would attend classes—and he would also bring Zhou Que along.
After all, they could not completely disregard Li Xuehua’s authority. They still had more than two years ahead together. As for how many classes they actually attended, that was up to them.
Thus—
What should have been mandatory courses were treated as electives by the students of Class S.
“It seems to be out!” A sudden exclamation drew everyone’s attention. Without thinking, everyone realized it was the schedule for the individual competition.
“What? It is out already?”
“Ahhh, I am so nervous!!!”
“It has not refreshed on my side yet!” This came from a student already refreshing the school website.
“Same here!”
“Damn, my page is frozen!” This came from someone who had managed to access it.
For a moment, the classroom became as noisy as a bustling marketplace. Students without terminals gathered around those who had them, while those with terminals frantically refreshed the page.
Their hands were busy, and their mouths were no less active.
“Please let me get a decent opponent!”
“Please do not eliminate me in the first round—that would be too embarrassing!”
“Please do not match me with a classmate!”
Amid the chaos, the class bell rang. The male teacher for the next lesson walked in, bewildered by the students’ wails.
“What is going on?” he asked.
“Teacher, give us a moment! It is about to load!”
“Let us start class later!”
The teacher was confused for a moment before finally understanding.
“The individual competition schedule has been released?” he asked.
“Yes, yes!” the students replied eagerly.
The teacher sighed helplessly. “Alright, I will give you ten minutes to check your brackets.”
“Yay!” the students cheered immediately.
Watching the lively scene, Ji Qing smiled faintly.
This atmosphere really reminded him of his own high school days. He had originally thought an Ability high school would feel more oppressive—perhaps it was because he had skipped too many classes before.
Amid the noise, Ji Qing also opened his terminal.
Although he would not be participating, he was genuinely curious about how the individual competition would unfold. This would be the main focus of Volume 3 in the manga.
He opened the school website and found the latest competition announcement.
Perhaps because his terminal had been modified, he accessed the schedule smoothly. His fingers paused, and his brows suddenly furrowed.
On the bracket, each student’s name was prefixed by their class.
Xie Chang’an’s early rounds were all against students from Class F to Class D, while another bracket was packed with students from Class S and Class A—clearly a far more intense division.
Ji Qing thought: the school probably wanted everyone to gain something.
So it was not purely random.
If the matches followed this arrangement… Ji Qing hesitated as he searched for familiar names.
Ling You’er and Gu Lingxue would likely meet in the round of sixteen. The winner would face Feng Youyou in the quarterfinals, and that winner would then face Zhou Que in the semifinals.
It was practically a death bracket. Ji Qing could not help but inhale sharply.
In contrast, Xie Chang’an’s bracket was much easier. Before reaching the top 32, his opponents were mostly from Class F to Class B. After that, only students from Class A and Class S would remain.
After all, the manga’s protagonist was an exception.
Ji Qing did not expect anyone below Class A—other than Xie Chang’an—to make it far. But Liu Mu, Lu Qingyin, and Lan Nianxuan all seemed to be in Xie Chang’an’s half…
How would their matches play out? Ji Qing pondered.
After carefully checking, he realized that Lu Qingyin and Lan Nianxuan would definitely face each other before encountering Xie Chang’an—which meant Xie Chang’an would fight the winner between them.
So that was it… Ji Qing thought with a strange expression.
No wonder the author had specifically introduced those two from Class A earlier. They were destined to become the protagonist’s opponents in the individual competition—it would not do without prior characterization.
As for Liu Mu’s strength, it remained unclear.
However, if Liu Mu made it into the top 16, he would certainly face Xie Chang’an. Then, in the quarterfinals, Xie Chang’an would meet either Lu Qingyin or Lan Nianxuan.
“…Well, all I can say is good luck.” Ji Qing sighed softly.
Every opponent Xie Chang’an faced after the top 32 would be formidable—each requiring significant effort to defeat. Ji Qing felt both sympathy and excitement.
This was an Ability battle, after all.
He was truly curious to see what kind of techniques they would display. He also planned to watch the matches of the three future Class S students—this would undoubtedly be beneficial for future field practice.
“Knock, knock—” The sound of the blackboard being tapped rang out.
The teacher smiled. “Ten minutes are up. Let us begin class. Please put away your terminals—do not let me catch you using them.”
“Give us a little more time, teacher QAQ!”
“Yeah, please!”
“It still has not been loaded yet…”
The teacher remained firm. “No. Otherwise, we will not finish the lesson. You can check after class.”
As the teacher decisively refused, the classroom erupted into wails once more.
Ji Qing smiled helplessly.
He picked up the textbook for the lesson and turned to the correct page. But when he caught sight of Xie Chang’an among the crowd, he could not resist sending a message:
Raven: 【Good luck. I am rooting for you!】
Xie Chang’an froze slightly when he saw it.
He tried to reply, but as he stared at the chat box, his fingers hovered in midair for a long time. With a heavy heart, he thought: Sigh… forget it. I will say it another time…
In the end, he simply replied:
【Mm. I will do my best.】