Chapter 38: Undefeated Advancement! The Elimination Rounds Are About to Begin
The entire process takes no more than five seconds.
The three opponents had already broken up their formation. The agility attacker was half-crouched on the ground rubbing his back, while the support attacker was hiding behind the captain with a pale face.
"Hua Bin." Zhu Lu returned to his side, her voice very soft.
"Um?"
"They are so weak."
These words were clearly heard by the three people on the other side.
The squad leader's face flushed red, but he didn't act impulsively.
He stared at the badge on Dai Huabin's chest, then looked at Dai Huabin's striking long golden hair, and a name suddenly flashed through his mind.
"You are... Dai Huabin from Class 9?"
Dai Huabin nodded.
The squad leader took a deep breath and turned to check on his two teammates. The agility-based attacker hadn't even stood up yet, and the support attacker's hands were trembling.
He gritted his teeth and raised his right hand: "We concede."
When the referee announced the results of the competition, students from several other examination rooms looked over in this direction.
Less than thirty seconds.
The first round of the exam in the seventeenth exam room has come to an end.
According to the Academy's rules for the freshman assessment, the first day's competition was mainly to familiarize everyone with the venue and rules, so only one round of matches was arranged.
Dai Huabin led Zhu Lu to the rest area on the sidelines and sat her down.
Zhu Lu took out a piece of dry food from her pocket and took a couple of bites. Her expression was as calm as if she had just finished a set of warm-up exercises, without even panting.
The judges in the next exam room couldn't help but peek over several times, their faces full of sympathy.
The only ones who feel sorry for them are the other teams in the seventeenth examination hall who will have to face these two monsters next.
"Let's go, we're done today." Dai Huabin stood up and dusted off his clothes.
Zhu Lu swallowed the rest of her dry rations and obediently followed in his footsteps.
The two had barely walked out of the assessment area when they ran into Wang Dong'er's trio, who had also finished their competition early.
Wang Dong'er exuded a sense of lingering frustration, hands on her hips, her face clearly saying "Not enough to fight."
"You're out so quickly?" Dai Huabin greeted him.
"Don't even mention it! There's not a single one who can fight!"
Wang Dong'er started shouting, her light blue hair swaying with her movements.
"As soon as I, the Goddess of Light Butterfly, spread my wings, the three people opposite me were so frightened that they surrendered!"
"I didn't even have a chance to use my second Soul skill before the referee announced the end. What's even more infuriating is that there was only one match today!"
Cui Yajie added from the side:
"The opposing captain is a level 20 offensive character. He was immediately knocked away by Xiao Xiao's Cauldron Shock as soon as he charged in. Then I used Charm on them, and they couldn't stay in their positions."
Xiao Xiao raised her hand, a slightly embarrassed smile on her face:
"I didn't even get to use the Three-in-One Combination technique today. But it's good that I only played one match on the first day, so I can go back and rest earlier."
Dai Huabin nodded; this result was entirely within expectations.
The strength of these teams was a clear advantage in the early rounds.
"The first day is just a warm-up, don't get cocky." Dai Huabin glanced at them.
"The real focus should be on the next two days. The remaining nine rounds of matches will all be played in those two days, and we will inevitably encounter the teams that Teacher Mujin mentioned sooner or later."
Wang Dong'er snorted: "I'm not afraid if we run into each other. I just hope the other side can take a beating."
"Tell me what you've ever been afraid of," Cui Yajie suddenly retorted.
"What am I afraid of..."
Wang Dong'er stopped mid-sentence, thought for a moment, and reluctantly admitted...
"However, we seem to have a bit of a hard time fighting against the class monitor and Zhu Lu's Spirit Fusion Skill, 'Netherworld White Tiger'."
Xiao Xiao muttered to herself, "It's okay, the class monitor will definitely let you off the hook."
"Hmph! Who wants him to release it!" Wang Dong'er stomped her feet angrily.
Dai Huabin ignored their bickering.
He glanced around at the lines of people emerging one after another, and just then he saw Ning Tian and her two companions walking out from another exit.
Ning Tian walked steadily, with Wu Feng on her left and Nanmen Yun'er on her right.
There were no signs of a fight on the three of them, and their school uniforms didn't even have many extra wrinkles.
"How is the situation?" Dai Huabin asked.
Ning Tian smiled:
"Easy win. Wu Feng's Dragon Fire is too effective against low-level Soul Masters. It was over in one move. But today is just one match, not even a warm-up."
Wu Feng flicked her wrist, her face showing her usual disdain: "They're all a bunch of weaklings, a waste of time."
Nanmen Yun'er nodded silently in agreement.
"What about Huang Chutian and Xie Huanyue's team? Any news?" Dai Huabin pressed.
Ning Tian thought for a moment:
"I heard that Huang Chutian's side also achieved an instant kill. The Lan family twins didn't even use their Spirit fusion skill; they won simply by overwhelming Huang Chutian with his power."
"As for Xie Huanyue, my exam room was next to his, and I could hear the fighting over there even through the wall."
"The defensive power of the Pipi Elephant Spirit is truly astonishing. The three opponents attacked at full power for half a minute, but he didn't even move an inch, finally sending them all out of the arena with a single punch."
Cui Yajie frowned slightly.
As the captain of the trio, she was already planning how to fight Xie Huanyue if they encountered her in the elimination rounds.
The defensive Soul Master's Soul Power was six levels higher than hers; a head-on confrontation would definitely result in her suffering a great loss.
"Don't overthink it." Dai Huabin saw through her thoughts. "Let's get through the round of 16 with a perfect record first."
Cui Yajie responded and stopped worrying about it.
After chatting for a while, everyone dispersed and returned to their dormitories.
Over the next two days, the pace of the lap race suddenly accelerated.
The second day featured four matches, and the third day was even more intense with five matches back-to-back.
However, the tight schedule did not pose any obstacle for Dai Huabin and Zhu Lu.
The duo continued their dominant performance from the first day.
Against most teams, Zhu Lu only needs to use Nether Thrust to weave through the enemy formation once to directly break down their formation.
If the defense is a little tough, Dai Huabin will unleash a White Tiger Light Wave, sending the player and shield crashing out of the arena.
After ten rounds of competition, Dai Huabin and Zhu Lu unsurprisingly won all ten matches, securing their place in the top 64 elimination rounds with an impressive record of first place in the 17th examination room group and a high overall score.
Cui Yajie's record is equally impressive, with ten wins out of ten.
Ning Tian's trio lived up to expectations, winning all ten rounds and advancing smoothly.
At this point, all three of Class 9's aces had advanced to the second stage.
On the evening of the third day, the knockout stage matchups were officially posted on the Shrek Square bulletin board.
Dai Huabin stood in front of the bulletin board, his finger tracing down the tree diagram of the matchups.
The knockout stage uses a single-elimination format, meaning that each match determines the winner, and the loser is eliminated.
The opponents in the first round were nothing to worry about; he and Zhu Lu were drawn into an ordinary trio from Class 5.
Cui Yajie's team also encountered an ordinary team without any special markings.
But Dai Huabin's finger eventually stopped at a certain intersection in the lower half of the draw.
Huang Chutian's team and Cui Yajie's team were assigned to the same quarter section.
If both teams win their first two rounds, they will face off in the quarterfinals.
Lan Susu and Lan Luoluo's Spirit Fusion Skill - Heavenly Net - was used against the trio of Wang Dong'er, Cui Yajie, and Xiao Xiao.
Dai Huabin looked at the battle route twice, and the corners of his mouth turned up slightly.
He turned around, and Zhu Lu was standing quietly half a step behind him.
"What did you see?" Zhu Lu asked softly.
"The game is getting interesting."
Dai Huabin pointed out the layout of the lottery tickets to her, placing his finger on the intersection.
"Dong'er and the others might run into the Lan family twins earlier than expected."
Zhu Lu glanced in the direction he was pointing and asked, "Should we remind them or help them plan their tactics?"
Dai Huabin thought for two seconds and then decisively shook his head.
"No need. True strong teams are made through hard work, not by being protected."
As the team leader, Cui Yajie must learn to handle unexpected situations like Spirit fusion techniques on her own. This is an essential step in the formation of their team.
Dai Huabin paused, then shifted his gaze back to the upper half of the draw.
There, he and Xie Huanyue from Class Two were assigned to the same side.
Pipi Elephant, a level 31 defensive Soul Master. He's the only other three-ring Soul Master among this year's freshmen.
If neither of them suffers an upset, they will meet in the semifinals.
Zhu Lu also noticed the name. She didn't say anything, but quietly took half a step closer and reached out to hold Dai Huabin's hand.
The temperature transmitted through her fingertips was steady, without the slightest hint of fear.
Dai Huabin grabbed her hand tightly and strode towards the dormitory.
"Let's go, get a good night's sleep. Tomorrow, the real knockout stage begins."
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