43: Chapter 43 The Grand Competition Begins, the Arena is Cleared

"Elder Yang! Are there any promising young talents you've set your sights on this year?"

Principal Lin He's voice was incredibly sultry, yet it didn't seem artificial.

Yang Wendao smiled without saying a word, looking at Su Mu standing at the edge of the playground, his smile growing even more delighted.

The surrounding professors and teachers watched Yang Wendao's familiar smile, complaining inwardly.

This was because the last time Yang Wendao had shown this smile was when he took Mu Feng as his disciple.

All the professors and teachers present were qualified to take disciples, but when it came to who recruited the best, it had to be Yang Wendao.

He had taken nine disciples in total, each one better than the last; they were all dragons and phoenixes among men.

Looking at Yang Wendao's smug expression, they all thought to themselves:

'It looks like that old man Yang has found another good seedling!'

Principal Lin He followed Yang Wendao's gaze, but there were ultimately too many people on the playground; a single glance only revealed a vast crowd of students.

However, Principal Lin He had no intention of competing with Yang Wendao for a disciple. She possessed a Wood Ability, while Yang Wendao possessed the Lightning Ability.

Anyone Yang Wendao took an interest in was bound to be a Lightning user.

Soon, the host finished announcing the rules for the Freshman Competition.

"The school has released the roster for the first 24 matches. Students, please check your assignments."

The rosters for the first stage—the ten-person elimination matches—were released only ten minutes before the start to prevent students from forming alliances beforehand.

A single round of the ten-person match generally ended in about ten minutes, though with arena cleanup and other logistics...

Each round would likely take half an hour. With over 1,900 students, it would take nine rounds, or four and a half hours.

Su Mu browsed the roster for the first round of ten-person matches; his name wasn't there.

However, there was a familiar name: Luo Zhenyue.

The Little Monk was at Arena 7.

Su Mu scanned the area. The formations on the arenas were mostly nine people besieging one, or eight people besieging two.

It was the same for Luo Zhenyue; nine people were surrounding him.

About ten minutes later, combat had concluded in over a dozen of the 24 arenas, all of which featured nine-on-one scenarios.

This naturally included Luo Zhenyue's arena. Su Mu had primarily been observing the Little Monk's stage.

He had to admit that Luo Zhenyue's Arhat Fist was indeed very strong. Back during the Ability College Entrance Examination, Su Mu had used his Lightning Ability to end their fight quickly to save time.

Su Mu asked himself if he could win if it were purely a matter of close-quarters combat.

He could!!!

But it would take significantly more time.

Su Mu looked back at the unfinished arenas; they were all stages where several people were engaged in a chaotic melee.

While most arenas were many-on-one, there were still a few where all ten people were fighting a free-for-all.

After frowning in thought for a moment, Su Mu realized the logic.

This first stage was like the first step of a Wild West gold rush.

The waves wash away the sand, leaving behind the large gold nuggets while rinsing away the silt.

However, this method of panning for gold would inevitably lose some of the finer gold dust.

Just as in the arenas, in a many-on-one situation, one would absolutely be eliminated without genuine, solid skill.

Yet Su Mu felt this format was appropriate; it could filter out students who thought they were capable but were actually just for show.

After all, the second stage's gauntlet matches would take far too long. If everyone went up to fight, it probably wouldn't finish in a single day.

But after the ten-person matches, the advancing students were split into two types:

One type advanced by winning against many, while the other was the 'fisherman' who profited from the chaos of a melee.

The difference in strength was self-evident.

Since the students knew how they had advanced, they wouldn't make fools of themselves during the gauntlet matches if they didn't belong there.

So, although nearly two hundred students would advance to the second stage, in reality, fewer than a hundred would actually step up to challenge others.

If they truly screened out the top 200 of the grade to participate in the second stage, it would be an endless, grueling battle.

Su Mu looked up again at the teachers and professors on the rostrum.

The two vice principals seated in the center looked calm, and even the professors near the middle only watched with casual indifference.

Surprisingly, however, the teachers seated slightly to the sides were watching very intently.

"How strange. Why are the teachers watching these fights so seriously?"

During Su Mu's brainstorming, three more batches of students had already cycled through the arenas.

Now, the roster for the fourth round had been released.

Su Mu pulled out his phone to check the list.

Arena 1: Su Mu, ...

That saves trouble! Su Mu walked directly toward Arena 1.

Seeing Su Mu start to move, Yang Wendao's eyes brightened slightly, and he leaned forward a bit.

Principal Lin He caught Yang Wendao's subtle movement and said, "Elder Yang! Is the seedling you've been watching going up?"

Yang Wendao didn't hide it; after all, Su Mu would certainly be noticed as soon as he made a move.

"Yes! Arena 1!"

Hearing Yang Wendao speak, the group of professors all looked toward Arena 1.

At this moment, Su Mu stood in a corner of the arena, his long spear upright at his side, his spine incredibly straight as the occasional breeze ruffled his hair.

"Elder Yang, is that student standing right in the center the promising talent you've set your sights on?"

A professor sitting two seats to Yang Wendao's right asked.

At that moment, in the center of Arena 1, a long-haired male student stood with a blade in hand, his posture suggesting he intended to take on all nine opponents alone.

"Professor Cheng Kang! That person is clearly a blade user. Why would the Spear Saint recruit him?"

The person replying to Professor Cheng Kang was the one sitting immediately to Yang Wendao's right.

"Professor Lu Ming, that's not necessarily true. I recall that Elder Yang has taken disciples who didn't use spears before."

This wasn't wrong; among Yang Wendao's disciples, there was indeed one who didn't use a spear when they first started, though they later followed Yang Wendao to learn Spear Technique.

"Alright, no more guessing. The match is about to begin. We'll see soon enough."

Principal Lin He mediated.

A very strange positioning formed on Arena 1.

Su Mu leaned against the side of the arena alone, looking like a spectator, while the blade-wielding student in the center faced the other eight people by himself.

Once they were in the arena, the fight broke out quickly.

The nine people fought fiercely, but it was clear the blade-wielding boy was lacking in stamina.

Before long, he was defeated under the combined assault of the eight others.

The professors on the viewing platform began to discuss again.

"This kid is indeed alright, but compared to the other top students, he's lacking more than just a little!"

Professor Lu Ming, who had been talking earlier, frowned.

"He is indeed a bit lacking."

"Elder Yang, which one exactly is the good seedling you've set your sights on?"

Before Yang Wendao could speak, another change occurred on the arena.

Su Mu stood alone in the center of the arena, his long spear resting on his shoulder.

There were no other students left standing in the arena; they were all lying on the ground.

"Hmm! The force was just right. Knocked out without damaging the brain."

"Holy crap! What's the situation? In the time it took me to say a sentence, how was Arena 1 cleared?"

The professor who had been talking just now asked a question that struck at the soul.

At this, Yang Wendao gave a lopsided grin.