49: Chapter 49 The Night Before the Championship

As the Black Silver Command Token was placed in his hand, the Freshman Ranking Board hovering above the Outer Ring refreshed once more.

This time, it displayed more than just the name of Lu Jin.

[Freshman League Real-time Ranking]

[1st: Meng Huichao, 143 pts]

[2nd: Ning Yanqiu, 139 pts]

[3rd: Wen Zhao, 137 pts]

[4th: Qiao Ye, 136 pts]

[5th: Lu Jin, 135 pts]

[6th: Huo Beichuan, 128 pts]

The ranking board stayed lit for only three breaths before hushed murmurs rippled through the crowd.

"The top five are only separated by eight points."

"It seems no one is out of the running yet."

"Only after the final two rounds tomorrow will the freshman champion truly be decided."

Ning Yanqiu shoved the command token into Lu Jin's arms, her words crisp and clear.

"Don't just fixate on your own match."

"The league has entered its final two rounds. Tomorrow during the day is the concluding round, and the evening is the championship battle. The top two fight for the title, and the top five are locked in for the main reserve spots on the academy team. You are currently fifth; you are only one point behind fourth and only four points away from second."

She raised a hand and tapped the lines at the very top of the light screen.

"You weren't the only one fighting this afternoon. Meng Huichao just suppressed the wind gun air cavalry line from the B-sequence, and Wen Zhao held her position. Huo Beichuan dropping down doesn't mean the others will just stand there waiting for you to catch up."

Lu Jin lowered his head and glanced at the ranking board.

"Is tonight's assembly for selecting the lineup for tomorrow's two rounds?"

"Half of it is," Ning Yanqiu replied, her tone steady. "The other half is that Instructor Gu wants to see if your city can coordinate with others."

She paused, her gaze sweeping over the newly compacted grey wall in the city center.

"After the individual matches we've fought so far, the academy has a pretty clear idea of who is strong and who is weak."

"What comes tomorrow won't just be about whether you can win on your own. The academy wants people who can lead a team."

Lu Jin understood.

Being individually strong and being able to lead a team are two different things.

Grey Pupil and Wu Fu had already propped up both ends of his Divine Realm for him.

Next, the academy wanted to see if he could integrate his own system into someone else's line without causing the entire team to collapse.

"What time does the joint training stage open?" he asked.

"In half an hour, at Stage Seven," Ning Yanqiu replied crisply. "Instructor Gu is supervising personally. The sparring team is the Second-Year Fourth Team, led by Captain Cao Li, an initial-stage Divinity User. The joint training stage will suppress their Divine Realm back to the late stage of an Apprentice God Realm Controller, but their troop control, battlefield rhythm, and experience as seniors will remain fully intact."

At these words, Shi Jiukui sucked in a breath of cold air.

"Divinity User?"

"Are you going there to coordinate, or to get slaughtered?"

Ning Yanqiu looked at him.

"Coordination at Zhuixing Academy always involves knives."

Lu Jin tucked the command token into his robes and turned to walk into the city.

Shi Jiukui, however, stepped up to follow him.

"Wait a second. The city just finished that match, and the gate and right wall are still damaged. Are you really going to take a half-crippled city to joint training?"

Duan Chenzhou also pushed the Dragging Snail forward two steps. His voice was still muffled, but it held more energy than usual.

"I can patch the right wall and the horizontal groove behind the gate first. The Dragging Snail's white paste can hold for one more round."

Zhong Xiaoqi hugged her beehive and stood to the other side.

"The Copper Needle Bees can patch it too. I'll have the swarm seal the cracks in the gate bone and the fine gaps along the groove."

Zhu Qinghe squatted beneath the wall and stroked the Mushroom Child that had just narrowly escaped death. When she looked up, her voice was soft, but her words were direct.

"I can also help you patch a layer of vision for the Outer Ring. If you're going to joint training tonight, Black Well can't collapse on its own first."

Lu Jin stopped in his tracks and looked back at them.

"This joint training doesn't count for Black Well points."

"You don't need to pour all your time into me."

Shi Jiukui laughed when he heard this, with no hint of polite reserve in his smile.

"You're saying this too late."

"We're helping you now, but of course, we're not doing it for free."

He raised his hand to pat the outer wall, then pointed to the few stabilized realm rooms that had lit up again above the well mouth.

"Look for yourself. Black Well Class can open an extra stabilized realm room now, and the priority time limit for the resource corridor is longer than before. The past few weekly rankings, supply line cuts, vehicle raids, city openings—which one of those wasn't something you dragged us through?"

Duan Chenzhou took over, his pace as slow as ever, but his words were grounded.

"You eat the meat, and we get to drink the soup. There's nothing wrong with admitting that."

"The load-bearing beams, vehicle grooves, workshop fires, and transport lines you snatched back—we've all used them. The fact that Black Well can stand a little taller now is all because you fought for it."

Zhong Xiaoqi curled her lip and hugged her beehive tighter.

"To put it more bluntly, if you really get into the main reserves of the academy team, Black Well's standing with the instructors will change. Those people in the A-sequence will have to think twice before they try to treat us like trash again."

Zhu Qinghe nodded gently.

"We're patching the city for you now, but we're also securing a future for Black Well."

After these words, Lu Jin didn't try to stop them again.

He didn't say thank you; he simply issued his orders one by one.

"Shi Jiukui, guard the Outer Ring. Don't let anyone get close."

"Duan Chenzhou, patch the right wall and the horizontal groove behind the gate first."

"Zhong Xiaoqi, have the swarm seal the fine gaps. Don't waste them on the outer shell."

"Zhu Qinghe, don't make the mushroom mist too thick. I need to be able to see the road outside the city."

The members of Black Well Class responded in unison and immediately dispersed.

They were willing to work with Lu Jin now, not because of some sudden surge of passion.

It was because, after these few matches, everyone had come to understand one thing.

As Lu Jin climbed higher, Black Well could rise with him.

If he were ever to be trampled back down, the momentum that Black Well had just built up would collapse with him.

That was the rule of Black Well.

No one did business at a loss.

But as long as the math worked out, even the unpopular paths could band together, grit their teeth, and charge forward as one.

Half an hour passed in a flash.

Joint Training Stage Seven was located in the middle ring of the main academy, surrounded by Black Silver viewing stands, with four sub-ranking light screens standing below. By the time Lu Jin and Ning Yanqiu arrived, the other three joint training stages were already in the middle of their matches.

On Stage One, Meng Huichao's group was locked in a struggle with the second team of senior sparring partners. He was running a wind gun air cavalry line; the speed was immense, and his aerial control was fierce. The sea of white spear shadows in the sky was so oppressive that the freshmen below didn't even dare to speak above a whisper.

Stage Four had just concluded a match, where a group of newcomers from the B-sequence had been dismantled by the seniors from the flank. The entire light screen was filled with overturned terrain and shattered wooden walls.

The entire middle ring was tense.

Everyone knew that tomorrow was the final two rounds.

These joint training sessions tonight weren't just about the training results; they were about determining who was worthy of entering the main reserves of the academy team and who would be left standing in the back, eating dust.

Ning Yanqiu led Lu Jin to the edge of Stage Seven.

Two people were already standing by the stage.

One was tall and burly, his shoulders as wide as a wall, with three Black-horned Shield Bears crouching behind him. The bears were covered in black fur, their shoulder bones protruding, and their forearms were encased in solid, thick shield armor—a build designed for the most direct, stable pushing route.

The other was a tall, thin girl with delicate fire patterns pressed into her cuffs. A cluster of small, fire-red bees hovered over her palm. Their bodies were slender and their stingers long, making them perfect for mid-to-long-range split-line suppression, though they also demanded the most resources and command rhythm.

Ning Yanqiu walked over and introduced them directly.

"Qiao Ye, ranking fourth, Black-horned Shield Bear route."

"Wen Zhao, ranking third, Flowing Fire Crossbow Bee route."

"You've all heard these names before, so I won't repeat them."

Qiao Ye glanced at Lu Jin first, then swept his gaze over the Black Silver Command Token Lu Jin had just tucked away at his wrist.

"I heard you just used a new city to knock Huo Beichuan down."

"I also watched that match."

"It's a good city, and your style is ruthless enough. But I have to be upfront: four people on stage is not the same as you guarding a city alone. Don't expect the three of us to revolve entirely around you."

He spoke bluntly, with no attempt to hide the edge in his words.

He was simply laying his concerns out on the table.

Wen Zhao chimed in even faster, her voice clear and her pronunciation crisp.

"I agree."

"I don't object to you being the fulcrum, but we need to agree on how to prioritize resources for the team. My Fire Bees need fire seeds and windows of opportunity to suppress points. Qiao Ye's Shield Bears need to hold the front line. Ning Yanqiu needs high-altitude vision. Once you open that city of yours, the gates, wells, nests, and Work Rats will all need supplies."

She looked at Lu Jin. Her tone wasn't aggressive, but her stance was firm.

"If everyone spends the opening just feeding your city, then this isn't a team—it's three people doing chores for you."

Before Lu Jin could speak, Ning Yanqiu cut in.

"Instructor Gu didn't put the four of us in a group just to listen to you fight over whose line takes priority."

"Your concerns are valid. But since we haven't started yet, it's better to clear the air now than to have chaos once we're on stage."

Qiao Ye lifted his chin and looked at Lu Jin.

"Then you tell us."

"Once this team is on stage, who makes the first call?"

Lu Jin didn't hesitate.

"For the first look, listen to Ning Yanqiu."

"She's in the air; she'll see who's pressing from where and who's flanking before we do."

"After the first round of exchanges, listen to me for resource allocation and covering positions."

Wen Zhao frowned.

"Why should we?"

Lu Jin looked at her and explained clearly.

"Because your Fire Bees, Qiao Ye's Shield Bears, and Ning Yanqiu's crow swarm can each hold their own in a fight. But once we group up, if we're off by even half a beat on who gets resources first, who covers, or whose line pulls back first, the entire team will collapse."

He raised his hand and traced three simple lines on the projection by the stage.

"Your systems are all front-line oriented."

"My city, wells, nests, and Work Rats are the back-field fulcrum. I'm calculating this not to make you yield to me, but to catch the momentum you generate. Otherwise, the moment the front line starts running smoothly, the rear will be empty."

Wen Zhao listened without immediately refuting him.

She just asked one more thing.

"And what if your judgment is wrong?"

Lu Jin replied calmly.

"Then we follow your line."

"But until I'm proven wrong, don't try to seize command while we're on stage."

Qiao Ye laughed at this.

"I can work with that."

"I hate people who say we'll work together before the match, only for us to end up with four different voices once the fighting starts."

Ning Yanqiu nodded.

"It's settled then."

"I'll call the first look from the air. Lu Jin takes the second step. Qiao Ye holds the center and presses the front; Wen Zhao presses the flanks and cuts through enemies."

"If things get chaotic, we'll adapt on the fly."

No sooner had she finished speaking than Instructor Gu walked onto the joint training stage from the other side.

He wasn't wearing his usual loose teaching robes today, but a more streamlined suit of Black Silver short armor. His cuffs were cinched tight—he clearly wasn't here just to stand around and watch.

He walked up to the four of them, swept his gaze over them, and began.

"I'll only say three things about today's joint training."

"First, your opponents are the Second-Year Fourth Team's sparring group. Their captain, Cao Li, is an initial-stage Divinity User. The joint training stage will suppress his Divine Realm, divine power, and troop strength back to the late stage of an Apprentice God Realm Controller, matching your level."

"But his instincts, his rhythm, and his knowledge of when to cover or when to break a line—those things won't be suppressed."

He raised a hand and swiped, and the light screen immediately displayed the opponent's configuration.

[Cao Li]

[Second-year]

[Current real level: Divinity User initial stage]

[Joint training suppression level: Apprentice God Realm Controller late stage]

[Route: Black-Armor Iron Ape / Locking Pile Tiger Machine / Blade Wing Plate Vulture / Fire Glaze Explosive Weasel]

Instructor Gu tapped his fingertip lightly against those lines.

"The Black-Armor Iron Ape will smash the front line, specifically targeting your most stable point."

He didn't even pause as he continued.

"The Locking Pile Tiger Machines are responsible for blocking positions and cutting off paths, the Blade Wing Plate Vultures will dominate the air, and the Fire Glaze Explosive Weasels will burrow into the back field to dismantle your fulcrums."

"Second, today isn't about whether you look good individually. I want to see if the four of you can lock into a single unit within thirty breaths."

"Third, losing this match won't deduct ranking points. But if you lose too badly, I'll use today's performance to decide the lineup for tomorrow's rounds."

Silence fell over the side of the stage the moment he finished.

Everyone understood what he meant.

Tonight's joint training was the hurdle standing at the gates of the academy team.

Instructor Gu looked at them, his tone neither rising nor falling.

"Get on stage."

The map for the Stage Seven joint training lit up quickly.

The map was called the Three-Fork Melting Platform.

It featured a half-collapsed casting platform in the center, a high bridge on the left, a slag ditch on the right, and a supply slot in each back field. The rules were simple: hold the main seal on the central platform, while managing the lines on both sides and minimizing battle damage.

It sounded simple.

But in practice, it was the most demanding on team coordination.

Because if even one of the four people was too slow, too fast, or made a mistake in covering, the entire map would instantly start leaking.

A flash of white light swept over them, and the four landed in the Three-Fork Melting Platform.

The moment they landed, the two Master Crows on Ning Yanqiu's shoulder flew out. Half of Wen Zhao's swarm of fire bees scattered as well, circling along the left bridge and the central platform. Qiao Ye's three Black-horned Shield Bears pushed to the very front, while Lu Jin projected only a partial Furnace Cave Fortress, releasing just one gate bone, one fire groove, and a short segment of the inner ring wall.

Wen Zhao frowned.

"You aren't deploying the whole city?"

"The map isn't big enough," Lu Jin replied without even turning his head. "If I deploy everything, I'll run out of materials halfway through."

Qiao Ye added.

"I'm taking the central platform. Don't get in my way."

That was where the problems began.

He was too steady, and too eager to secure the central platform first.

Wen Zhao was used to pressing the high ground of the left bridge first. Her swarm of fire bees had barely reached the edge of the bridge before they started searching for enemies on the opposite high ground.

Ning Yanqiu's Frost Crows rose even higher, locking their first gaze on the air.

By the time Lu Jin had set up half the gate bone and the fire groove, the three people in the front field were already moving on their own.

Instructor Gu stood by the high platform, watched for only a moment, and spoke calmly.

"A common freshman ailment."

"Everyone is strong individually, but the moment they get into a team, they're too eager to execute their own playstyle."

Cao Li didn't give them any time to coordinate.

The four lines on the opposite side pressed forward simultaneously.

The Black-armored Iron Ape traversed the Central Platform with heavy, long strides; every step it took sounded like a hammer striking the platform surface.

Above the Left Bridge, three Blade-winged Disk Vultures had already closed in, specifically tearing apart Ning Yanqiu's high-altitude vision.

From the slag trench on the right, two grey-black shadows flashed out; the Locking-pile Tiger Machines buried their wedge-nails one after another, clearly intending to pin Lu Jin's gate projection in the backfield.

The first round of collision came very quickly.

Qiao Ye's Shield Bear had just reached the edge of the Central Platform when the Black-armored Iron Ape's fist already came crashing down.

Bang!

A piece of the platform edge shattered on the spot.

Wen Zhao had intended to help him suppress them with a round of fire, but the Blade-winged Disk Vultures on the Left Bridge dove first, forcing him to divert his fire to defend.

Ning Yanqiu was also entangled by those three Disk Vultures; her mirror screen had barely spread halfway before a gap was torn open in the high-altitude area by the opposing side.

Lu Jin's backfield was hit even more directly.

Two Locking-pile Tiger Machines lunged out from the right trench, aiming their wedge-nails straight at his semi-projected gate bone.

The Fire-glaze Explosive Weasels followed behind, targeting the fire troughs and the base of the low walls—it was clear they were aiming to dismantle his support points.

Not even thirty breaths had passed, and their side was already starting to fall apart.

Qiao Ye was forced to retreat two steps on the Central Platform, his expression looking very grim.

"The Central Platform is too tough. Can someone reinforce my left shoulder? If we keep fighting like this, I'll have to pull back the first Shield Bear."

Wen Zhao, who was at the Left Bridge, replied while his Fire Bees fought the Disk Vultures.

"I can't pull out a full row of Fire Bees right now. If these three Disk Vultures on the Left Bridge aren't suppressed, Ning Yanqiu will lose all her vision."

Ning Yanqiu's voice also sank.

"The opposing side is forcing me to raise the mirror screen. Once the mirror screen is raised, your Central Platform and right trench will develop blind spots."

As soon as those few sentences were exchanged, Lu Jin knew that if things continued this way, disaster would strike immediately.

Cao Li and these senior students had no intention of talking about initiative or follow-up moves with them.

They simply came in to dismantle the rhythm right from the start.

Whoever started fighting their own separate battles, they would dismantle that person's line first.

"Stop scrambling, everyone, listen to me for a second."

Lu Jin's voice was not loud, but it immediately commanded attention from all three sides.

"Qiao Ye, stop trying to force your way through the front of the Central Platform. If you push two more steps, your left shoulder will be exposed, and the Iron Ape's second fist will smash right into your bear pack."

"Retreat half a grid in front of the gate bone first. I'll give you fire from behind the gate and low walls, so you can stabilize before pushing forward again."

Qiao Ye gritted his teeth, but still asked.

"If I retreat, what about the Central Platform seal?"

"Give up half a grid for now; it won't be lost."

Lu Jin replied quickly, "Cao Li is trying to pull you out of the front line right now, not occupy the seal immediately. What he wants is for us to fall into chaos."

His next sentence was directed straight at Wen Zhao.

"Stop chasing those three Disk Vultures on the Left Bridge."

"Split the Fire Bees into two columns: one to suppress the bridge entrance, and one to burn the wedge-nails in the right trench for me. As long as you keep the first row of Locking-pile Tiger Machines from driving their nails in securely, I can hold the backfield."

Wen Zhao was clearly not very willing.

"If I split my Fire Bees, the Left Bridge won't be suppressed."

"Suppression is useless."

Lu Jin's voice was even steadier, "What we lack right now isn't damage in the air, but the breath in the backfield. Once the backfield is cut off, even if Ning Yanqiu pins all the Disk Vultures down, we will still lose."

Ning Yanqiu spoke up first at this moment.

"Do as he says."

"I'll lower the mirror screen. I won't fight for the high position on the Left Bridge for now; I'll keep watch over the Central Platform and the right trench."

Once she finished speaking, Wen Zhao didn't argue further.

"Fine."

"I'll give you two rounds of fire."

Lu Jin finally looked at Ning Yanqiu.

"Lower the mirror screen to the first half of the Central Platform, don't cover the whole thing."

"I want both Qiao Ye and the opposing Iron Ape to be half-exposed. As long as he dares to push too deep, I'll cut off his feet from the right trench."

All three of them agreed.

With this agreement, the rhythm finally truly connected.

Ning Yanqiu moved first.

She stopped chasing the high altitude and abruptly pressed the mirror screen downward; cold, white, misty light spread directly onto the front edge of the Central Platform and the upper opening of the right trench.

In this way, the high position of the Left Bridge was yielded, but the Central Platform, right trench, and backfield were all within her field of vision.

Wen Zhao's swarm of Fire Bees also split into two.

One column guarded the bridge entrance, forcing the Disk Vultures not to dive too low.

The other column turned directly toward the right trench, their fire tails forming a chain, burning straight at the two rows of just-driven wedge-nails.

The gate bone and fire troughs in Lu Jin's backfield finally had their hands free.

"Qiao Ye, retreat half a grid."

"Don't feel ashamed. Stand within my line, and I'll let you push even deeper next time."

This time, Qiao Ye really listened.

The three Black-horned Shield Bears retreated half a grid in unison, landing just behind the semi-projected low wall in front of the gate bone.

The next instant, the fire trough behind Lu Jin's gate lit up, and the Nest-Paste Worker Rats rushed along the dark groove to the side and rear of the bear pack, pasting a layer of white paste over the edges of the shield armor that had been cracked by the Iron Ape.

Qiao Ye himself was stunned for a moment.

"It can be connected like this?"

"This is the backfield."

Lu Jin stared at the Central Platform, "Stand firm, and wait for my call."

Cao Li soon realized something was wrong.

Standing behind the opposite Central Platform, his voice was very deep.

"They've connected."

"Dismantle the gate bone in the right trench first; don't let Lu Jin fully establish his backfield."

Two Locking-pile Tiger Machines immediately moved forward to fill the position, and the Fire-glaze Explosive Weasels also burrowed under Lu Jin's gate bone together.

This was exactly what Lu Jin was waiting for.

"Wen Zhao, give me full power with the second column of fire in the right trench."

"Ning Yanqiu, angle the mirror light slightly toward the trench opening; I want them to step into thin air on their first step."

"Qiao Ye, push now."

Three orders fell almost simultaneously.

Wen Zhao's second column of Fire Bees pressed into the right trench in one breath, burning the already reddening wedge-nails until they trembled wildly.

Ning Yanqiu's mirror screen angled toward the trench opening, illuminating the already unstable slag skin of the right trench until it appeared pale and flimsy.

The two Locking-pile Tiger Machines had just lunged forward when their first steps simultaneously pierced through the thin shell.

Fire from the bottom of the trench instantly flared up.

They didn't fall down too far, but that half-step of disorder was enough for Lu Jin's backfield to come alive.

At the same time, Qiao Ye led the three Shield Bears to force their way back onto the Central Platform.

This time, he wasn't pushing alone.

Fire was being sent from behind the gate, Nest-Paste was repairing, and the low walls and gate bone provided him with a load-bearing position.

He was facing the Iron Ape in front, but had Lu Jin's entire line supporting him from behind; he and the bear pack instantly stabilized.

The Black-armored Iron Ape's first fist came down, but Qiao Ye didn't retreat.

When the second fist came, he counter-pushed, and the three Shield Bears forced the Iron Ape to slide back half a step.

Cao Li's eyes finally changed.

"Yield half a step on the Central Platform."

"Fire Weasels back to the left, Disk Vultures dive low, tear that mirror screen of Ning Yanqiu's open first!"

At this point, the senior students also began to get serious.

The previous tactic of dismantling the freshmen's rhythm was no longer enough.

They had to first dismantle the dual-core connection that Lu Jin and Ning Yanqiu had just established.

As soon as the three Blade-winged Disk Vultures dove, the air immediately became dangerous.

The Master Crow on Ning Yanqiu's shoulder darted out, colliding head-on with the opposing Disk Vultures.

The mirror screen was also torn at one corner, re-exposing the high position of the Left Bridge.

Just as Wen Zhao freed up his hands, the opposing Fire-glaze Explosive Weasel darted in from the side of the Central Platform, lunging straight for his Fire Bee swarm.

The situation tightened up again instantly.

Yet, at this moment, Lu Jin became even steadier.

"Stop guarding the training seal."

"Instructor Gu wants to see if we can form a single line. Now that the line is formed, stop just standing here and taking a beating."

Qiao Ye was the first to understand.

"You mean, counter-push?"

"Yes."

Lu Jin stared at the supply trough in the opposing backfield, "Qiao Ye, keep pressing the Central Platform, don't let the Iron Ape turn back. Ning Yanqiu, seal the Left Bridge for me, don't let the Disk Vultures land back in the high position. Wen Zhao, don't chase people with your Fire Bees; light up that supply trough in the opposing backfield."

This time, Wen Zhao didn't ask why.

He had already figured it out.

Lu Jin wasn't using his Fire Bees to light up his own city.

He was first wringing out the breathing point for the entire team, and then following that breath to bite at the opposing side's vital point.

"Fine."

"Give me the second fire trough behind the gate, and I'll burn through their entire backfield trough."

"Granted."

Lu Jin agreed immediately, "Once you burn it through, I'll replenish your bees."

Ning Yanqiu also lowered her voice.

"I'll seal the Left Bridge."

"Lu Jin, dismantle those two Locking-pile Tiger Machines in the right trench first. If they don't die, our counter-push line won't be stable."

This time, the four of them truly formed a line.

Qiao Ye guarded the center, pinning the Iron Ape tightly to the Central Platform.

Ning Yanqiu sealed the Left Bridge, forcing the Disk Vultures not to dare dive low.

Wen Zhao's Fire Bee swarm turned entirely to the backfield, burning along the senior students' supply trough.

Lu Jin pressed the entire gate bone, fire troughs, and low walls toward the right trench; the Ambush Rats and Tunneling Rats burrowed out along the dark grooves, first cutting down the Locking-pile, then dismantling the Fire Weasels.

The senior sparring team was forced to retreat for the first time.

Instructor Gu stood on the high platform, looking at the light screen of Platform Seven, and finally, a glimmer of genuine brightness appeared in his eyes.

The instructor beside him lowered his voice.

"That move they just made can no longer be considered ordinary training coordination."

Instructor Gu nodded.

"These four newcomers finally realize they are playing as a team, not fighting for a personal ranking."

Inside Platform Seven, the battle had completely opened up.

After Wen Zhao's swarm of Fire Bees pressed into the senior students' supply trough, the opposing backfield fell into chaos first.

Once that trough was cut, Cao Li's Black-armored Iron Ape and Locking-pile Tiger Machines could no longer seamlessly relay as they had before, and their rhythm slowed down by a notch on the spot.

Lu Jin seized this moment to push the semi-projected city gate forward by another half-step.

Qiao Ye was stunned.

"You pushed the gate to the edge of the Central Platform?"

"If a training match is fought like this, continuing to defend would be a loss."

Lu Jin's voice was very steady, "Haven't you always wanted to push them back from the front? I've brought the gate over; you go finish the push."

After hearing this, Qiao Ye laughed out loud.

"I love hearing that."

The three Shield Bears immediately pressed against the gate bone and pushed forward, slamming directly into the Black-armored Iron Ape.

The two sides collided head-on, making the edge of the Central Platform ring out, while Lu Jin's backfield fire troughs and Nest-Paste were still being sent to Qiao Ye.

Cao Li had originally wanted to stabilize for a round, but with the Left Bridge tightly sealed by Ning Yanqiu and the rear trough burned through by Wen Zhao, the entire line was actually being pushed back step by step by the four freshmen.

The final push was decided by Lu Jin.

"Don't pull back."

"We've fought this far today, so don't leave any face for the senior students."

"Qiao Ye, press the center; Ning Yanqiu, seal the air; Wen Zhao, burn the back; I'll cut in from the right trench. Let's pierce through their entire platform."

This was no longer an ordinary joint training.

The four of them were truly treating this sparring session on the platform as a rehearsal for tomorrow's championship battle.

Cao Li also understood.

His expression sank, and for the first time, he looked directly at Lu Jin.

"You kid, your heart is tougher than the training regulations."

Lu Jin replied to him amidst the firelight of the right trench.

"When the academy uses Divinity Users to suppress tiers for sparring, who would still treat it as child's play?"

After hearing this, Cao Li laughed instead.

"Well said."

"Then let's see if you can truly eat up my line."

But by the time he finished his sentence, it was already too late.

The two Locking-pile Tiger Machines in the right trench fell first.

One of the Disk Vultures on the Left Bridge was slapped down on the spot by Ning Yanqiu's Master Crow.

The Black-armored Iron Ape on the Central Platform was caught between Qiao Ye and Lu Jin's gate bone, unable to even retreat smoothly.

Wen Zhao's last column of Fire Bees dove directly into the supply seal in the senior students' backfield, and the entire seal's light dimmed with a boom.

The high-altitude adjudication white light lit up simultaneously.

[Platform Seven Joint Training]

[Freshman Reserve Group One: Victory]

[Evaluation: Battle line formed, possesses value for main reserve integration.]

The audience below was silent for a moment, then immediately erupted.

"They won?"

"Four freshmen pierced through a tier-suppressing senior team?"

"The previous three groups on Platform Seven didn't manage to fight like this, right?"

Qiao Ye stood at the edge of the Central Platform, panting heavily, looking at his three Shield Bears that hadn't been fully retracted yet, his face for the first time lacking that drive to try and carry his entire line alone from the start.

He turned his head to look at Lu Jin, speaking very honestly.

"I'm half convinced."

"It's not that I'm convinced you're a better fighter than me, but that I'm convinced you truly know when to push me forward and when to let me pull back."

Wen Zhao also walked over, the fire patterns on his cuffs not yet extinguished.

"I retract what I said earlier."

"Your city line isn't consuming our resources. It really can connect the rhythm of the entire team."

Ning Yanqiu stood to the side, the Frost Crow on her shoulder slowly landing back, her tone still as flat as before.

"You only just figured it out now; it's not fast, but it's not too late."

After she finished speaking, she turned her head to look at Lu Jin.

"When we actually fight the last two rounds tomorrow, we'll still follow the line we used tonight."

"Some places need to be changed, but the main framework cannot be broken."

Lu Jin nodded.

"Fine."

"You take the first look, I'll take the second step. Qiao Ye, press the center; Wen Zhao, burn the sides. If anyone tries to hog the entire rhythm alone again, I'll be the one to press them back first."

After hearing this, Qiao Ye laughed and cursed.

"This time, you can press."

On the high platform, Instructor Gu finally raised his hand.

The light screens across the entire Central Ring dimmed simultaneously, and three breaths later, they all lit up again.

On the black-silver screen in the very center, new announcements appeared line by line.

[Freshman League Final Match Day Announcement]

[Tomorrow Day Session: Closing Match]

[Tomorrow Night Session: Championship Battle]

[Championship Battle Rewards Announced]

[Reward 1: Priority Seat for Academy Team Main Reserve]

[Reward 2: Viewing Permission for Military Court Sealed Star Map]

[Reward 3: Divine Academy Core Resource Pack]

As soon as the last line lit up, the entire grandstand fell silent for a moment.

Immediately afterward, all voices exploded.

"Military Court Sealed Star Map?"

"They're bringing out something like this as a reward for the freshman championship?"

"Are Instructor Gu and the others really trying to screen for a new king?"

Lu Jin looked up at the light screen, his eyes sinking little by little.

Military Court Sealed Star Map.

This thing was no longer just an academy reward.

Behind it, it was very likely still connected to his father's old line.

The championship battle hadn't started yet.

But on this night, no one could sleep peacefully anymore.