Ch. 33
Chapter 33
The individual competition began in full swing.
As the semester reached its midpoint, many required courses came to an end. Ji Qing consequently participated in several midterm exams. He silently felt fortunate—having a single dorm room in Class S was truly convenient.
It made his exam preparation seem natural.
After all, Ji Qing was not confident about “passing smoothly.” The noble families in Class S had years of academic training behind them. Although he was nominally a commoner, he could not afford to perform poorly.
After all, the title of top student rested on his shoulders.
He was bound to attract more attention than others—but the results were acceptable. Ji Qing checked his grades on the school network; all his scores were above 85.
Not outstanding, but decent enough, he thought.
As for Shao Huayu, he had achieved full marks in every subject, and even You Xingluo consistently scored above 90. Ji Qing ended up sitting at the same level as Zhou Que and Ling You’er.
“So this is the pressure of noble families…” Ji Qing pressed his forehead, smiling wryly.
The rigid class structure of the wasteland world was becoming increasingly evident. Yet no matter how solid one’s theoretical knowledge was, the most important factor remained talent. Talent alone was the true measure of everything.
The list of selectable Ability items had been released the day after the schedule announcement.
Ji Qing had browsed through it at the time and found it exactly as Li Xuehua had described—barely useful. For example, a hair accessory that brought slight good luck, or a mirror that allowed one to see scenery within five meters…
They were practically useless. Ji Qing thought idly.
With required courses ending one after another, students had far more free time during the day. Most Ability battles were scheduled during these periods, and attendance was not mandatory.
However, there was still a risk that match times would clash with classes.
After half a semester, the teaching format shifted from “joint instruction” to “class-based instruction.” Because of this, Ji Qing could meet his Class S classmates three times a week.
Class-priority lessons were not easy to skip.
Life at the Third Ability Academy was quite leisurely. Occasionally, students could even leave campus to explore Yancheng. During this time, Ji Qing had visited nearly every interesting place in the city.
By the time he came back to his senses, Zhou Que had already won three rounds with ease.
“So boring.” In the classroom, Zhou Que returned to his initial expression of annoyance from the beginning of the semester. “I was hoping to meet someone interesting like Xie Chang’an, but they are all too weak…”
“It makes me feel embarrassed about how I insulted him before.”
“It is good that you have come to that realization.” Sitting nearby, Shao Huayu spoke coolly. “Now you understand more deeply the consequences of speaking recklessly, right?”
“All you ever do is cause me trouble.”
“Brother Huayu—” Zhou Que looked at him pitifully. He had already stumbled against Xie Chang’an before, and later had been reprimanded during the Ability test. Now his past mistakes were being brought up again.
Zhou Que felt as though his heart was about to shatter.
But after shattering, he pieced it back together. Pouting unhappily, he muttered, “I know… I will be more careful in the future…”
“Mm.” Shao Huayu responded indifferently.
He sat by the window, a book resting on his knees as he quietly read. He did not spare Zhou Que a single glance, clearly not believing his promise.
Yet even if he did not believe him, he would still step in to help Zhou Que next time.
What a peculiar bond of blood, Ji Qing thought.
As they spoke, the rest of Class S gradually arrived. The moment You Xingluo saw Ji Qing, he smiled and waved at him.
You Xingluo had not participated in the individual competition, yet there was a trace of fatigue on his face.
After sitting beside him, Ji Qing asked, puzzled, “What happened to you?”
Nothing much had happened recently.
“I had an argument with my family,” You Xingluo said weakly, slumping onto the desk. “Sometimes I really wish they would respect me a little.”
I see. Ji Qing immediately understood.
He looked at You Xingluo with sympathy. Some problems could be helped—but this one, he could do nothing about.
“Good afternoon.”
Song Xiaoran arrived shortly after and greeted them with a smile.
Compared to the beginning of the semester, his expressions were noticeably more lively, and he spoke more as well. Ji Qing knew this was not just because of the symbiotic Aberrant, but also a sign that Song Xiaoran was beginning to trust those around him.
That was something worth being pleased about.
“It seems Ling You’er is still missing.” Zhou Que suddenly leaned out the window, scanning the corridor. “What is going on? There is only one minute left before she is late.”
Ji Qing paused.
He rarely paid attention to Ling You’er. Her timid personality made it easy for her to feel uncomfortable if approached casually.
Besides, there were few common topics between boys and girls, so Ji Qing had never spoken with her.
However… Ji Qing lowered his head thoughtfully.
He realized he had never asked why they all seemed to know each other. The three from Central City were one thing—but even Ling You’er, who came from Huai City, was familiar with them. That was strange.
Curious, Ji Qing voiced the question.
You Xingluo blinked mysteriously. “Ah, that… the reason is actually quite simple.”
He clearly intended to make Ji Qing ask further, but Zhou Que had already blurted it out carelessly: “We all participated in the Youth Ability Competition. That is where I got to know everyone.”
“….” You Xingluo fell silent.
He cast Zhou Que a faintly resentful glance, clearly dissatisfied that the answer had been revealed so quickly. Shao Huayu smiled and added, “The competition was held in Central City. The rewards were quite generous.”
“You could also consider it the debut stage of our generation,” Shao Huayu said with a helpless shake of his head. “The elders always like to publicly compare the younger generation.”
“Wow,” Song Xiaoran said in surprise.
He had never been exposed to such things before, nor even known they existed. After all, few commoners would travel all the way to Central City and stay for an extended period just for a competition.
“That sounds quite interesting,” Ji Qing said with a light smile.
“And by the way, Brother Huayu took first place in the individual competition, and our team won first place in the team competition,” Zhou Que added proudly, rubbing his nose.
Just as he was about to continue, the class bell rang.
“Ring—”
Accompanied by the sharp sound, Li Xuehua stepped in on her heels, smiling brightly. “Students, how has your week been?”
However, as soon as she entered, she saw the group gathered together—and Zhou Que’s face dropping instantly.
“I hope I did not interrupt anything important?” she asked uncertainly.
“No~” Ji Qing lazily raised his hand.
He was actually quite relieved by her arrival. Otherwise, Zhou Que would probably have continued talking at length.
“Ling You’er has not arrived, teacher,” Song Xiaoran raised his hand.
His relationship with Ling You’er was limited to simple acknowledgments, but compared to Ji Qing—who got along well with the three from Central City—Song Xiaoran, who was also somewhat isolated, felt a natural affinity toward her.
“I was just about to mention that.” Li Xuehua straightened slightly. “Ling You’er’s match schedule conflicts with this class.”
“So this period will be self-study. We will make up this lesson next time.”
“So it really can conflict,” Zhou Que muttered in surprise.
“Teacher, was her match not supposed to be the day after tomorrow?” Shao Huayu asked, frowning.
Li Xuehua explained, “Both her previous opponent and her current opponent forfeited, so her match has been rescheduled to today.”
“Why are so many people forfeiting against her?” Zhou Que exclaimed in disbelief. “I have to fight through each round, but everyone on her side just forfeits? How is her luck so good?”
The Class S students all gave Zhou Que a knowing look.
Zhou Que: “…”
His mind raced. Since Ling You’er’s opponents were forfeiting, it could not be due to the ban list. The only explanation was…
His loss to Xie Chang’an.
Zhou Que was instantly stunned. “No way? I only lost once!”
Flames of determination seemed to ignite behind him. His future opponents would likely suffer even more. Ji Qing sincerely felt sympathy for them.
“Who is Ling You’er’s opponent this round?” Shao Huayu asked.
“Is it finally someone from Class A?” You Xingluo added.
Li Xuehua replied, “Gu Lingxue from Class A. Her Ability is Ice.”
Ji Qing paused slightly.
So it has already reached the round of sixteen? No… perhaps it was because of all the forfeits…
The prestige of Class S was quite effective.
Still… a trace of confusion flickered in Ji Qing’s eyes. He did not know Ling You’er’s combat style, and her Ability was more support-oriented. Why would her opponents forfeit outright?
If it were him, he would at least want to see what a Class S student was capable of.
“Then perfect—” You Xingluo suddenly drawled, raising his hand with a smile. “Teacher, would you mind projecting her match for us to watch remotely?”
“Wow, great idea!” Zhou Que exclaimed.
“I am curious about her Ability too,” Song Xiaoran added.
“It is indeed a good opportunity. I would also like to see how much she has improved over the years,” Shao Huayu said approvingly.
Hearing this, Li Xuehua blinked.
As she operated the projector, she said with a playful tone, “You students are really making things difficult for me. When Ling You’er returns, do not scare her.”
“Of course!”
“Sure thing!”
Scattered responses filled the classroom. Even Ji Qing joined in.
The projector soon activated.
A bright white light cast onto the screen, and Ling You’er’s figure appeared. She still wore her loose school uniform, standing timidly at one end.
Gu Lingxue stood at the opposite side of the arena.
The two competitors faced each other, both visibly tense.
The match had not yet begun.
There were only a few spectators scattered across the stands. Ji Qing spotted Xie Chang’an among them—he had likely come out of concern for Gu Lingxue.
Meanwhile, the Class S students showed no worry at all.
Zhou Que said excitedly, “I heard her opponent uses offensive ice control. This is definitely going to produce an amazing highlight moment!”
He had clearly forgotten the earlier incident at the beginning of the semester—even Gu Lingxue’s appearance slipped his mind.
Shao Huayu chuckled. “That may not necessarily be the case.”
After all, true dark horses were rare. Ji Qing observed the arena carefully, his thoughts casual—until his expression suddenly changed.
His brows furrowed.
Ji Qing noticed that behind Ling You’er, she was hiding a dagger.
Just like Xie Chang’an, she could fight with cold weapons.