Chapter 42 : Chapter 42
Chapter 42
Once two people who were equally adept at both long-range and close-range combat began to fight, the battle was extremely fierce.
Ji Qing leaned back in his chair, thoughtfully watching the live feed displayed on his terminal. I really regret not going to the venue, Ji Qing thought with a hint of disappointment.
The opponents the two had faced before were not strong enough to make them reveal their full strength.
The same was true for Feng Youyou's battle against Ling You’er.
At that time, out of courtesy, Feng Youyou chose not to use her ability to clash head-on. Because Ling You’er's ability was a support type, using an attack type against a support type was already an unfair victory.
And Zhou Que…
On one hand, he had never shown courtesy. On the other hand, there were no strong contestants in his bracket division. Ji Qing later checked Zhou Que's bracket and found that it was indeed a walk in the park.
"Close combat… perhaps I should put that on my agenda too," Ji Qing said softly.
Before the individual competition, Ji Qing could live a leisurely life. After the individual competition, he began to think about how to reasonably maintain the prestige of being the top student. Ji Qing felt guilty about this: Why does everyone know close combat?
All he knew were the fighting techniques taught by the martial arts teacher at the Children's Palace.
On the stage, the two were still at a stalemate.
As the environment of the ring was ignited by Zhou Que, beads of sweat appeared on Feng Youyou's forehead. One end of her long spear was scorched to a charcoal color, and even her glasses began to condense with water droplets.
The sound of the wind was deafening.
Feng Youyou was having some trouble controlling the direction of the wind on the stage; the heat flow was hindering her perception of it. If this situation continued for a long time, the result would be her defeat.
She had to make a decision quickly.
Feng Youyou brandished her spear, took a final deep breath, and charged at her opponent. The spear carried the flow of wind and a blast of high heat as it attacked Zhou Que.
And so, the battle intensified further.
Zhou Que paused at this, then quickly ignited the wind flow. The flames burned rapidly, eventually engulfing both of them in a boiling crimson inferno.
What followed was Feng Youyou's swift retreat.
She quickly stepped back a few paces and checked the burn marks on her arm with a grim expression. Her face was now covered in sweat, and the frames of her glasses had been slightly warped by the high temperature.
Zhou Que, however, seemed extremely at ease.
He tried to spin the long spear he had snatched from Feng Youyou's hands and revealed a smile that said victory was in his grasp.
And that was indeed the case, Ji Qing thought.
Although Zhou Que often said things that were both amusing and exasperating in their daily interactions, it was undeniable that he was exceptionally talented in combat.
In the martial path, Zhou Que was destined to go further than the others in Class S.
As Ji Qing pondered, a flicker of struggle crossed Feng Youyou’s face. She had obviously also thought of the outcome of the match but was still struggling with whether to continue fighting…
The burn on the back of her hand sent waves of stinging pain.
Knowing the situation was unfavorable, Feng Youyou could only raise her hands in surrender. There was no need for her to continue fighting Zhou Que. She had already demonstrated her strength in the individual competition, and most importantly—
Zhou Que was really strong.
"The winner is Zhou Que!"
The referee immediately announced the result, and the medical team rushed up. Zhou Que looked at the scene before him and pouted with some boredom.
He mumbled, "I haven't had my fill of fighting yet."
Zhou Que seems stronger than he was at the beginning of the school year… Ji Qing thought belatedly. It was probably because Zhou Que used to be able to defeat his opponents with close combat and didn't study long-range combat much, which had made him exceptionally strong now.
If that was the case…
Xie Chang’an’s desperate struggle in the previous battle was indeed justified. Ji Qing's fingertips tapped lightly on the desk as he thought, After all, the next two opponents are really too difficult to deal with.
Ji Qing closed the remote live broadcast and returned to the school competition announcement.
The final match would begin in two days in the morning, followed by the third-place match in the afternoon. Considering that only two rounds had passed, Ji Qing decided to wait until the individual competition was completely over before reading the manga.
For now, he should book a training room.
"Sigh…" Ji Qing's expression instantly became listless. "They're really pushing me to my limits."
He hadn't felt there was a problem before, but now he saw problems everywhere. Song Xiaoran could frankly admit that he was not good at close combat, but Ji Qing couldn't.
The reason was—
His second-in-command was Shao Huayu.
Shao Huayu definitely had access to the same family resources as Zhou Que. Ji Qing couldn't imagine Shao Huayu's reaction if he knew he wasn't good at close combat. Just thinking about it made Ji Qing feel that his future was bleak.
"No, I can't think about it anymore," Ji Qing quickly interrupted his own thoughts.
He decided to book the training room every day from now on. The school's training rooms also provided virtual AI guidance, which could help him understand his weaknesses.
If he continued to train like this, by the time the team competition started, he would at least have some basics down.
But he definitely had to watch the final match.
Two days later, Ji Qing, fresh out of the shower, sat down at his dorm desk while drying his hair with a towel. This time, he still couldn't go to the venue to watch.
Ji Qing flexed his sore finger joints with a helpless expression.
Compared to being scorched by the sun at the venue, it was better to be a law-abiding remote observer. The past two days of training had taught Ji Qing that close combat was not as difficult as he had imagined.
Strictly speaking, the difficult part was how to combine it with his ability.
Ji Qing stared blankly at his palm, where a few pieces of paper were floating. Perhaps I can draw inspiration from the manga I've read before, Ji Qing thought.
However, the wasteland world emphasized the effective use of abilities and mental power. He certainly couldn't learn those manga moves that wasted too much mental power.
Ji Qing’s attention returned to the match screen.
Both contestants for the final had already entered: Zhou Que's expression wasn't as excited as when he had mentioned Xie Chang’an earlier, but rather a bit absent-minded; Xie Chang’an's expression was even heavier.
Ji Qing noticed that Xie Chang’an had temporarily found another Tang Saber as a replacement. The Tang Saber he held in his hand was not entirely silver-white like his previous one.
The original Tang Saber was likely not repaired.
Alright… Ji Qing thought with regret.
After all, not everyone could have a system. It seemed this favor of repairing the saber would inevitably fall to Li Yuan. It really made their already complicated relationship even more complicated.
The referee soon announced the start of the match.
Ji Qing quietly watched the final match, his brows gradually furrowing.
To be honest, it wasn't as exciting as their life-and-death struggle at the beginning of the school year.
At that time, Xie Chang’an had to win. Now, Xie Chang’an had already overcome the biggest hurdle.
Zhou Que had learned a lot from his defeat at the beginning of the school year, but Xie Chang’an's fighting style hadn't changed much. A person strong in close combat didn't have much room to maneuver when suppressed by an ability from a long distance.
Ji Qing watched with some distraction.
In the end, the victory of this final match tilted toward Zhou Que without any suspense.
"The winner is Zhou Que!"
The moment the victory was decided, the referee shouted the result of the match. Xie Chang’an collapsed to the ground and let out a long sigh of relief. This battle had been even more difficult than he had imagined.
"You're much weaker than before."
His opponent's nonchalant comment suddenly reached his ears.
Xie Chang’an looked up and saw Zhou Que looking at him with disappointment. Xie Chang’an couldn't help but retort, "You've gotten stronger."
Zhou Que said casually, "Really? I don't feel it."
He took off his fire-resistant gloves and casually stuffed them into his pants pocket. Zhou Que turned to leave, but before he left, his footsteps suddenly paused.
Zhou Que muttered, "I regret praising you."
Perhaps, just as Brother Huayu had said, he shouldn't have thought so highly of an F-rank ability user. Simple martial arts just can't compare to abilities, Zhou Que thought as he walked.
Zhou Que’s pace quickened until he disappeared from the competition grounds.
Xie Chang’an watched all this with a complex expression. From Zhou Que’s words, he could hear Zhou Que's anticipation for this battle, but in reality—
The current development was the normal one.
Xie Chang’an did not have an outstanding ability like Zhou Que, nor did he have an excellent background like Zhou Que. With his close combat sealed, the only ending left for him was defeat.
Thinking of this, a touch of melancholy colored Xie Chang’an’s face.
Could he really enter Class S? Was Class S really suitable for him?
After his match with Lu Qingyin, Xie Chang’an had been thinking about this question. Lu Qingyin’s strength had made him fully realize his own insignificance.
There was a thick "wall" between him and those ability users.
Swordsmanship, spearmanship, and other martial arts could be trained by anyone, but only abilities were innate. How could he possibly compare to those geniuses who trained both their bodies and their abilities?
"Chang’an, what's wrong?"
A worried female voice came from behind him.
Xie Chang’an turned his head to see Gu Lingxue squatting there worriedly. He immediately concealed the sorrow between his brows and forced a calm smile. "I'm fine, Lingxue."
Lingxue was upset about the individual competition for a long time. I shouldn't make her more upset, Xie Chang’an thought to himself.
So Xie Chang’an quickly got up and scratched his head with a feigned simple-minded look. "But I can't watch the third-place match with you this afternoon. I want to rest well."
"I'm sorry, Lingxue."
"Why are you saying sorry?" Gu Lingxue hurriedly waved her hands. "Of course, you need to rest well! It was me who made an excessive request before. I'm really sorry!"
Xie Chang’an let out a bitter smile upon hearing this.
He hadn't thought so much when he agreed at the time. This match with Zhou Que had really laid bare many truths that he was unwilling to think about.
Xie Chang’an: "Then I'll head back first."
Gu Lingxue: "Oh, okay… Please rest well."
And so, Xie Chang’an got up and left.
His back looked particularly lonely under the scorching sun. Gu Lingxue stood on the stage, watching Xie Chang’an's receding figure with a pained expression.
She sensed that something had changed, but she couldn't say what it was.
On the other side, Ji Qing received a communication from Xie Chang’an late the next night. Ji Qing hadn't watched the third-place match because the victory had undoubtedly gone to Feng Youyou.
The attack of sound waves would cause changes in the wind flow, and wind flow was the manifestation of Feng Youyou’s ability. After witnessing their fighting styles, the outcome of this battle was already determined in Ji Qing's mind.
What's more, Feng Youyou’s strength was formidable in its own right.
Ji Qing then entered the hidden communication software and browsed the message Xie Chang’an had sent:
Xie Chang’an: 【It's done. I'll give it to you on Sunday.】
Raven: 【Are you in a bad mood?】
Xie Chang’an: 【...How did you know I was in a bad mood?】
Raven: 【You didn't send any emojis.】
After Ji Qing sent this reply, Xie Chang’an didn't respond for a long time. Just as Ji Qing thought he didn't want to talk, Xie Chang’an sent a string of ellipses.
Xie Chang’an: 【...】
Raven: 【Tsk, fine. We'll talk on Sunday. I'll send you the location before Sunday.】
Xie Chang’an: 【Okay.】
But just as Ji Qing thought the conversation was about to end, Xie Chang’an asked again: 【Also… Li Yuan, do you know about the emblems of other organizations in the wasteland?】
Ji Qing's fingertips suddenly paused.
He instantly realized that Xie Chang’an had unlocked a new plotline. Xie Chang’an’s current bad mood was not only from the blow of the individual competition but also from what he had seen when choosing his ability item.
So Ji Qing thought it over and said cautiously: 【Darling, your question puts me in a difficult position.】
Xie Chang’an: 【So you don't know?】
Raven: 【See if you can show me the emblem.】
Xie Chang’an: 【Okay, we'll talk on Sunday.】
After this sentence, their communication ended.
Ji Qing put down his terminal and cursed inwardly, "Damn."
The main plot of the manga had advanced without his knowledge, and it had advanced by a large step. If Ji Qing hadn't reacted quickly enough, Li Yuan’s persona would have been ruined.
This manga had to be finished today, even if it meant pulling an all-nighter.
After that, he would ask the system about the organization represented by the emblem. Li Yuan’s persona must absolutely not collapse, Ji Qing thought, gritting his teeth as he planned his next steps.
He had to protect his popularity value.