Chapter 383 - The Selection Tournament
Hushed whispers broke out in the classroom and everyone's gazes shifted towards Tang Wulin and his companions. He was the class president, the representative of the entire first grade, yet the five rankers had joined hands to usurp him. To the Academy, this was a simple tournament. However, to Tang Wulin, the five rankers, and the rest of the first grade, the outcome of the selection tournament would determine the narrative of the class from then on.
Tang Wulin sat in the front, his face a mask of indifference. By his side, Gu Yue wore a similar expression. Neither seemed to care about the announcement at all.
Luo Guixing wore his standard polite smile. When he looked at Wu Siduo however, a silent conversation passed between them. Yang Nianxia lazed in his seat. Xu Yucheng looked gloomy like usual, as different from Luo Guixing as night and day. Zheng Yiran glared at Tang Wulin, her gaze like a predator about to devour him whole.
"Let's go," Shen Yi said.
"Everyone stand up!" Tang Wulin shouted. Regardless of how precarious his position was right now, he still did his duty as the class president.
The entire class of 103 students stood up and walked out in order. Everyone was bursting with excitement, eager to witness the battle between dragons and tigers. To most of the students, it didn't matter who won. The competition to choose the class president was different as it was possible to avoid confronting powerful foes. This tournament, on the other hand, would be a direct clash between giants. Whoever won would carry the banner of their class.
Ye Xinglan followed at the back of the line, her complexion abnormally pale. She even needed Xu Lizhi's assistance to walk steady. Yet, in comparison to her weak state, her eyes shone with excitement.
"Big Sis Xinglan, don't go. You should rest. I can go request a leave of absence for you." Xu Lizhi said softly.
Ye Xinglan instantly turned towards him with fire in her glare. "Fatty, don't make us lose face for the inner court!"
Xu Lizhi was stunned. Her words stabbed at him. All he could do was smile. "Okay then."
Shrek Academy had the most advanced sparring facilities. Students could use them by paying a fee. The main benefits of this arena were that it was isolated and prevented energy from running wild. A seven-ringed healing-type soul master was also always monitoring the facilities. The moment a participant suffered a grievous injury, staff members would extricate the person from the arena and treat their injuries. For some reason though, when the first grade class entered the facility, they only saw a single person.
A pure and elegant beauty stood on the stage, long evergreen hair flowing down her back. With a slender figure and bright complexion full of life, she seemed to be in her thirties.
Shen Yi and Wu Zhangkong quickly walked over the moment they saw her and bowed. "Your Highness."
"Please, no need to stand on etiquette." The woman smiled gently at them, filling the room with a comforting warmth.
Tang Wulin was surprised. He stood at the front of the line, so he had heard how his teachers addressed the woman.
Your Highness? Only Titled Douluos are referred to like that. This beautiful woman is a Titled Douluo? Tang Wulin was further shocked by the respect within Wu Zhangkong's normally icy eyes. That was all it took to convince Tang Wulin. This woman was a powerful Titled Douluo.
Just how many Titled Douluos does Shrek have…?
"Everyone, pay your respects to the esteemed Holy Spirit Douluo," Wu Zhangkong ordered.
"Greetings, Your Highness!" Tang Wulin stepped forward and bowed. The rest of his classmates bowed a second later.
The Holy Spirit Douluo? Wow! Her title is so cool!
The Holy Spirit Douluo looked kindly upon them. "You've come to the arena to compare notes, but you also need to display your strength and stimulate your potential. Alright, enough of that. I'll leave you all to your matches." She then floated up into the air, drifting towards a tall chair at the fringe of the arena.
Wu Zhangkong turned around to face the students, his face stern. "This selection tournament will be held in public, and will be judged fairly. There are seventeen teams, so matches will be decided through lots. One team will get a pass. It will be a knock out tournament. Whoever the victor is today will represent our class against the second grade in four days. The representatives for the four professions will be the members of the class council. Let us begin."
Tang Wulin went up and drew his lot. "The empty lot has been drawn by Tang Wulin's team." He stared at the stick blankly.
After getting off the stage, Tang Wulin sat down cross-legged, his expression wholly serene. His companions sat down beside him, all six of them meditating together.
Shrek Academy lived up to its reputation. Even the first round of battles was fierce, every participant fighting hard to shine the brightest.
The Holy Light Douluo acted as the tournament's referee today. She would make a move when a victor emerged, or someone was in dire straits. With a simple wave of her hand, light would descend on the arena and halt the match. What truly left everyone amazed was her healing ability. By the time the next match started, the participants of the previous match would be in perfect condition.
The eight matches of the first round took about an hour to finish. Luo Guixing's team breezed through their matchup as their opponent had immediately forfeited. Although they hadn't drawn the pass, the result was the same.
In the second drawing, Luo Guixing's team drew the empty lot. Everyone's face scrunched up in disbelief as they began to understand what was going on. Considering that Tang Wulin's team had drawn the empty lot first then Luo Guixing's team, the tournament was clearly rigged so the two teams would only face each other in the finals!
The tournament demanded teams of at least five, so Tang Wulin, Gu Yue, Xie Xie, Xu Xiaoyan, and Xu Lizhi stepped onto the stage. They had the first match of the second round. Their opponents was a team that had won the first round, though only barely. They understood how large the gap was between them and Tang Wulin's team.
Tang Wulin controlled the flow of battle and served as the vanguard, Xie Xie stood ready in the battlefield in wait of an opening, and Gu Yue provided ranged control. They achieved victory without much effort.
The second round finished twice as fast as the first. Nine teams trickled down to five, and the third round began.
"We surrender!"
"We're forfeiting!"
"Forfeit!"
Before any of the matches of the third round even began, the other three teams forfeited. It wasn't that they weren't confident, especially against Tang Wulin's team. However, they didn't wish to get in the way of the five rankers. They all understood that the rankers were unsatisfied with his leadership and targeting Tang Wulin. It was because of this that they thought it was better to step out of the way and let the final confrontation come quicker. Even if they managed to defeat Tang Wulin's team, the outcome wouldn't necessarily be good for them. Luo Guixing had already declared that they would crush Tang Wulin with their own hands.
The Holy Spirit Douluo looked at them in surprise, but when she saw the sparks flying between thw two remaining teams, she understood what happened.
"Okay. Since it's like this, we'll immediately begin the final match. Tang Wulin's team versus Luo Guixing's team," Wu Zhangkong announced.
Tang Wulin looked up and met Wu Zhangkong's gaze. In his teacher's eyes, he saw encouragement and a fire hidden behind his icy expression
Wu Zhangkong could also see the conviction in Tang Wulin's eyes.
The two teams of five ascended the stage and stood opposite of each other.
Tang Wulin stood in the very front of his team's formation and Yang Nianxia stood at the front of his. When Yang Nianxia met Tang Wulin's gaze, a chill ran down his spine.
The final match of the tournament was about to begin. Whoever won would represent their grade in the match against the second grade. They would win honor and glory, and bear the weight of being their class's champions.