11: Chapter 11 Combat Test

Early the next morning, sunlight spilled through the gaps in the dormitory curtains, cutting golden patches of light onto the floor.

Su Bai opened his eyes; the first thing he did wasn't getting up to wash, but closing his eyes and sinking his consciousness into the Underworld.

Grayish-white Yin Qi surged like a sea.

The Ghost Bride floated above the Yaksha Wasteland, playing a seemingly bizarre game with Sadako.

She chased Sadako, who kept teleporting to different locations; the two seemed to be playing some underworld version of hide-and-seek.

The Slit-Mouthed Woman still stood silently near the world core, holding her scissors like an eternal statue.

One hundred and eighty-eight Underworld Soldiers stood in neat ranks, motionless.

Everything was normal.

Su Bai withdrew his consciousness, opened his eyes, rolled out of bed, and pushed the door open to leave.

The campus was quiet in the morning, with only a few early birds chirping in the plane trees. Su Bai walked along the tree-lined path toward the cafeteria; he encountered a few other early-rising students along the way, and their gazes toward him were somewhat subtle.

After all, the aftershocks of yesterday's S-rank evaluation hadn't passed yet.

“Su Bai?”

A slightly surprised voice came from behind him.

Su Bai looked back and saw a girl in the same school uniform jogging to catch up.

She wore a high ponytail, had delicate features, and a heroic air between her brows; the student ID on her uniform chest read: Senior Class 8, Lin Qingxue.

Second place in yesterday's evaluation, Elf World, A+ rank.

“You're up this early too?” Lin Qingxue stopped beside him, panting slightly, her gaze filled with curiosity. “Didn't sleep well last night?”

“I slept very well,” Su Bai said flatly, continuing forward.

Lin Qingxue followed, walking side-by-side with him. “That Ghost Bride of yours, is she really a three-star hero?”

Su Bai glanced at her. “Didn't you see everything during the evaluation?”

“I saw it, but it still feels unbelievable.” Lin Qingxue shook her head. “I spent a full 100 faith points, plus the 50 points from the Awakening Day reward, just to create a one-star hero. You directly created a three-star one with 100 points. Is that even logical?”

“It's not logical,” Su Bai said expressionlessly. “But I created her.”

Lin Qingxue choked for a moment, then couldn't help but laugh. “You really are... not humble at all.”

Su Bai didn't respond.

After walking in silence for a while, Lin Qingxue spoke again. “Have you heard? The school is holding a combat test this morning.”

Su Bai's footsteps paused slightly. “Combat test?”

“Yeah, it's held every year on the day after Awakening Day.” Lin Qingxue's tone became serious. “All Awakened must participate, fighting one-on-one using their respective world units. This relates to the practical combat score for the Creator subject in the college entrance exam, and also to the resource allocation for the next three months.”

Su Bai's brows furrowed slightly.

“What are the rules?” he asked.

“Everyone can only bring their own world units into the combat arena. Both sides' units fight on the stage; you can command them and adjust tactics until one side admits defeat or their units are completely wiped out,” Lin Qingxue explained. “The judges score based on multiple dimensions like combat performance, tactical application, and unit coordination, and finally rank everyone.”

Su Bai nodded and continued walking.

Lin Qingxue followed for a couple of steps and suddenly lowered her voice. “Su Bai, I'm warning you, a lot of people are watching you in this combat test.”

“Watching me?”

“You're the only S-rank, and you got it with a trash-tier world.” Lin Qingxue's expression turned solemn. “Do you know what that means? It means everyone thinks you're an anomaly. Some want to prove you were just lucky, some want to use you as a stepping stone to rise up, and some just can't stand a trash-tier world riding over their heads.”

Su Bai stopped and turned to look at her.

The morning light fell on his young face; there were no ripples in those eyes, which were as calm as a pool of stagnant water.

“And?”

Lin Qingxue was choked by his calmness and paused before saying, “So you'd better be mentally prepared; you might be targeted in the first round.”

Su Bai looked away and continued walking.

“Thanks for the warning.”

His voice was as flat as if he were saying the weather was nice today.

Lin Qingxue looked at his back, her lips moving as if to say something, but she ultimately just shook her head and quickly followed.

...

8:00 AM, the school gymnasium.

More than three thousand students packed the stands, the air buzzing with voices. The center of the gymnasium had been transformed into a massive combat arena, with a giant holographic projection screen floating above it, displaying real-time details of both combatants.

Around the arena, nine judges were already seated.

The Old Principal sat in the very center, still in that same faded white Zhongshan suit, holding a thermos and squinting at the students in the stands.

“Students, quiet!”

The hosting teacher stood in the center of the arena, his voice spreading throughout the gymnasium via a loudspeaker.

“Today is the second day after Awakening Day. As per tradition, we are holding the combat test. The rules are simple: one-on-one battles using your world units until one side concedes or is wiped out. The judges will score based on performance and determine the final rankings.”

He paused, his voice rising a few notches. “This year's rewards are even more generous than in previous years! The top ten will receive varying amounts of faith crystals, and the first-place winner will additionally receive an activation token for the national prodigy list!”

Boom!!

The stands erupted.

“The national prodigy list?! Isn't there only one slot for the entire city?!”

“Holy crap, the school is being this generous this year?”

“That's the national prodigy list! Once activated, you can see the rankings and data of all the prodigies in the country, and even participate in official national competitions. The rewards are terrifyingly rich!”

Su Bai sat in a corner of the stands; when he heard the words “national prodigy list,” his eyelashes flickered slightly.

Every prodigy on that list was a potential target.

If he could devour their worlds, it would be a hundred times better than devouring those dying ownerless worlds.

Su Bai lowered his eyelashes, hiding the sharp glint that flashed in his eyes.

“Quiet!” The hosting teacher pressed his hands down, and the clamor in the stands gradually subsided. “We will now begin the draw! The match list is generated randomly. Students, please watch the big screen!”

On the holographic screen, more than three thousand names began to scroll rapidly.

Three seconds later, the list froze.

Exclamations and discussions rose from the stands one after another.

Su Bai looked up at the screen.

[Match 1: Su Bai (Senior Class 8) VS Zhao Gang (Senior Class 3)]

“Su Bai? The S-rank from yesterday?”

“Zhao Gang? Holy crap, Class 3's Zhao Gang? His Orc world was also evaluated as A-rank yesterday! He uses a troop-surging style, with over a hundred Orc Warriors!”

“Now this will be a good show. A trash-tier world with an S-rank evaluation versus an A-rank Orc world. I want to see just how powerful that Ghost Bride really is.”

The surrounding discussions surged like a tide. Su Bai's expression remained unchanged as he stood up and walked down the steps toward the arena.