Chapter 36 : Chapter 36
Chapter 36
Ji Qing received a message from You Xingluo the following afternoon:
You Xingluo: “All done~”
You Xingluo: “Next, we just wait for Huayu to notice, and then we can start worrying about who the third person should be~”
Ji Qing suddenly smiled when he saw the messages. He felt that You Xingluo seemed unexpectedly childish when it came to this matter. When people were doing something mischievous, they truly did not feel hardship or fatigue.
Still, to be cautious, Ji Qing felt it was necessary to ask:
Ji Qing: “Are you really sure there will be no problems?”
It was as if You Xingluo had been waiting by the terminal the whole time; his reply came instantly:
You Xingluo: “Of course. Liu Mu’s Ability is not easy to display in individual matches. If he wants to join Class S smoothly, the best bet is team compatibility.”
A question mark slowly formed in Ji Qing’s mind: ?
His brows immediately furrowed.
Now he was the one who did not understand what the other party was talking about. Ji Qing closed his eyes and leaned back against the school bench, as if giving up. There were no classes this afternoon; he had originally planned to stroll around before watching the match between Lu Qingyin and Lan Nianxuan.
Lu Qingyin’s Ability was displayed with remarkable elegance.
Ever since Ji Qing had seen the turmoil of Class A in the manga, he had wanted to watch the match. The winner would happen to be Xie Chang’an’s next opponent, and moreover…
A meaningful smile curled at Ji Qing’s lips. He had a feeling the two of them would create extraordinary sparks.
The warm sunlight shimmered across the rippling lake.
Several white geese were playing in the water, their splashes wetting the reeds along the shore. A few figures flickered into view on the opposite side of the lake.
Ji Qing once again sat on the same bench as before.
He quite liked this spot; the scenery lifted his mood. With a calm expression, Ji Qing opened his terminal again. This time, he chose to check the school’s official website for the class promotion rules.
According to the written regulations, performance in the Ability test, individual matches, and team matches would all be included in the evaluation for promotion. However, aside from personal capability, the school also placed importance on how well a student fit within their class as a whole.
If a student got along well with their classmates and demonstrated good teamwork, there was actually no need to deliberately move up to a higher class.
Exploring the Danger Zone and most professional work required cooperation among multiple people. The school’s goal was to provide students with well-rounded training during their time as students.
Ji Qing’s fingers suddenly paused.
He found the idea of “Xie Chang’an being promoted to Class S” unreasonable.
If he had not intervened, how would Xie Chang’an in the original manga storyline have been promoted to Class S under the premise that he had already fallen out with two Class S students?
Ji Qing’s thoughts raced. In an instant, an unbelievable conclusion surfaced in his mind: unless, before the school announced promotions, Shao Huayu and the others had already withdrawn.
In other words, within half a year of the original storyline, the following had occurred in succession: Ji Qing’s withdrawal, You Xingluo’s death, and the withdrawals of Shao Huayu and Zhou Que…
“What exactly happened…” Ji Qing could not help but frown.
It suddenly made perfect sense why Ability Hunter Academy had such a disastrous ending. The worldbuilding had been excellent, yet it had ultimately failed due to cliché plot arrangements and abrupt character exits.
“What do you mean, ‘what happened’?” A shadow suddenly fell over Ji Qing.
Ji Qing turned around and found that it was You Xingluo, whom he had just been chatting with. You Xingluo asked curiously, “Are you troubled by something as well?”
“If you do not mind, you can tell me,” he said with a smile, raising his hand in suggestion. “I just finished counseling someone—almost talked him into shutting down on the spot.”
…What kind of counseling was that? Ji Qing raised an eyebrow.
Ji Qing asked, “What did you say to Liu Mu?”
“Nothing much, just something about Xie Chang’an,” You Xingluo replied bluntly. He rolled his eyes slightly and muttered with a hint of hesitation, “It seems like both of you are quite concerned about him.”
“Hm?” Ji Qing was inwardly surprised.
He paid attention to Xie Chang’an because of the system’s requirements—but why would Liu Mu?
Ji Qing speculated that it must be because of the match where Xie Chang’an defeated Zhou Que.
Liu Mu had likely noticed Xie Chang’an at that point. Because of his close relationship with Shao Huayu, he understood that Xie Chang’an’s victory was no coincidence.
You Xingluo sat down calmly on the other end of the bench.
“Liu Mu is worried that Xie Chang’an might be expelled,” You Xingluo explained. “Because the purpose of the individual matches is actually to let students exchange Ability techniques, but Xie Chang’an’s Ability… well, it is what it is.”
“He thinks Xie Chang’an will be expelled. But due to his position, it would not be appropriate for him to warn him.”
Ji Qing immediately turned to look at You Xingluo, who seemed to have anticipated this and met his gaze with a smiling expression.
“Have you ever thought about this?” You Xingluo asked.
“No,” Ji Qing answered honestly.
The rules of the school competition had been clearly laid out from the very beginning, which caused Ji Qing to overlook their underlying logic. He thought it might also be because he had never been exposed to Ability competitions before…
“Yes, that is indeed the case,” You Xingluo continued. “But this only holds true under one condition: this is the First Ability Academy, not the Third Ability Academy.”
“Since the school administration has already held meetings specifically to discuss Xie Chang’an’s situation, they must also be aware that this could happen.”
You Xingluo paused, then added with a smile, “I have read Xie Chang’an’s meeting records. Excellent physical condition and strong infection resistance. Even without the support of an Ability, he could still become an outstanding wasteland hunter.”
Ji Qing’s pupils were constricted.
…Damn, so that was the logic.
The founding philosophy of the Third Ability Academy was to cultivate wasteland hunters. That priority undoubtedly surpassed the purpose of holding Ability competitions.
Xie Chang’an would not be expelled—on the contrary, the school expected him to perform even better.
However…
Ji Qing could not help but frown. “Is the situation in Central City really that bad?”
Since Liu Mu could worry about such a thing, it was likely because he had either experienced or heard of similar incidents before. As for Ji Qing, he had overlooked this due to the advanced “spoilers” from the manga.
He could not rely too much on those spoilers, Ji Qing silently warned himself.
If something similar happened again, he might not even know how he died.
“That is exactly why Huayu’s sister wants him to leave Central City,” You Xingluo sighed softly. “She is a good sister, but it is difficult for her alone to change the current situation.”
“….” Ji Qing frowned instinctively.
That statement made it sound as though Shao Huayu and his sister were not on the same side. Wait… Ji Qing recalled Shao Huayu’s recent actions:
They might indeed not be on the same side.
At the end of his words, You Xingluo gazed at the tranquil lake and said softly, “In this world, the more clear-headed a person is, the more painful their life becomes.”
“And you?”
You Xingluo immediately turned to look at Ji Qing, whose green eyes reflected his figure. Ji Qing repeated, “Which kind of person are you?”
“A prophet never takes sides,” You Xingluo shook his head solemnly. “However… that is indeed a good question. I have been wanting to ask you the same thing.”
“I will not answer,” Ji Qing refused immediately.
“Ugh—” You Xingluo instantly showed a look of disdain. He complained unhappily, “I just said so much, and you have nothing to say in response? You cold-hearted man!”
“No,” Ji Qing replied, unmoved.
He checked the time; the match between Lu Qingyin and Lan Nianxuan was about to begin.
Ji Qing stood up calmly and turned to ask You Xingluo, “I am about to go watch the match between Lu Qingyin and Lan Nianxuan. Do you want to come?”
“Hm?” You Xingluo blinked.
He did not know about this beforehand, but if one were to examine the reasons, there were countless reasons why Ji Qing would want to watch. You Xingluo thought there was no need to ask further.
“Sure,” You Xingluo replied with a smile. “But make sure to sit far away.”
He paused, then complained weakly, “If those two start fighting, they will definitely throw their Abilities at each other without holding back. It will be terrible if we get caught in it.”
Ji Qing laughed. “That is exactly what I want to see.”
The match between Lu Qingyin and Lan Nianxuan could practically be considered a Class A group event. Ji Qing could tell that the two had long-standing grievances, and that their respective factions each occupied half of Class A.
Due to their identities, Ji Qing and You Xingluo ultimately chose to watch from afar.
“This might as well be watched on the terminal,” You Xingluo complained, arms crossed, as he sat in the monitoring room with only the two of them. “At least we would not have to sneak in.”
“The main issue is… I did not expect there to be so many people,” Ji Qing said, covering his face.
He sat down swiftly in a chair in the monitoring room, quietly watching the two figures on the screen, as if anticipating the upcoming match.
Well… this was certainly a novel experience… Seeing this, You Xingluo stopped talking.
On the screen, Lu Qingyin and Lan Nianxuan stood on opposite sides of the arena:
Lu Qingyin held her violin with a cold expression, poised and ready. All it would take was the referee’s signal, and she would immediately unleash sound waves at her opponent’s face.
Lan Nianxuan, meanwhile, loosened his joints while sizing up his opponent provocatively.
From the corner of the screen, Ji Qing noticed Xie Chang’an, who looked solemn, as well as Gu Lingxue, who was quietly cheering for Lu Qingyin. The two were not sitting together.
It must be because of Lu Qingyin, Ji Qing thought.
Just as Ji Qing was observing, the referee blew the whistle. “Both contestants are in position! The match is about to begin!”
“Ready—start!”
As the words fell, ice spikes spread toward the violinist like wildly growing vines. In an instant, the sound waves shattered them layer by layer like a world-destroying storm.
For a moment, the arena was filled with swirling ice crystals.
With a turn of Lu Qingyin’s bow, the sound waves shifted from defense to offense, surging forward like waves crashing against the shore. Lan Nianxuan immediately raised a thick wall of ice.
Sound waves and the ice wall pressed against each other in the center of the arena, locked in a stalemate.
The violin’s tone shifted again. Piercing high notes and penetrating low tones intertwined, sweeping toward the other side of the arena. This time, they would pierce through everything.
“They are fighting this fiercely?” Ji Qing was stunned.
There was no trace of friendship in their battle—only pure animosity.
However, Ji Qing also saw traces of Gu Lingxue in Lu Qingyin’s fighting style. He thought that Lu Qingyin had probably taught Gu Lingxue how to handle individual matches.
Their responses were strikingly similar, with one key difference: Gu Lingxue’s reaction speed was not as fast as Lu Qingyin’s.
However… a hint of curiosity flashed in Ji Qing’s eyes.
Lan Nianxuan was also an ice-type user.
Gu Lingxue had come specifically to watch, likely intending to learn from his fighting style. But this was difficult, because Lu Qingyin despised Lan Nianxuan.
Gu Lingxue’s situation was suffocating.
Ji Qing suddenly said, “Mr. Prophet, who do you think will win this match?”
“Hm? Why are you suddenly calling me a prophet?” You Xingluo was puzzled, but quickly changed his tone and muttered softly, “But the result is quite obvious.”
“It will be Lu Qingyin’s victory.”
Ji Qing looked at the increasingly intense battle on the arena, then turned in confusion. “How can you tell?”
From his perspective, he could not see any sign of weakness from either side. It felt like the match would drag on for a long time. The difference between ice and sound waves was not that great, and their combat styles were somewhat similar.
You Xingluo tilted his head. “I cannot really explain it. I can only attribute it to intuition.”
“Oh,” Ji Qing replied with a smile.
As he continued watching the match, he could not help but curl his lips slightly. “Then after the match ends, try to summarize it.”
You Xingluo immediately looked helpless. “You really know how to make things difficult for me.”
Ji Qing shrugged indifferently.
He rested his hand on the armrest, watching the battle in a relaxed posture.
On the arena, the clash remained fierce and relentless, while the monitoring room was unusually quiet. Ji Qing lowered his gaze and thought with a sense of release:
Perhaps it was time for him to truly face this world.
After all, the manga only told the tip of the iceberg.