157: Chapter 157 Battle against Fengdeng No.1 High School

Soon, all the matches concluded.

The top five teams were all decided.

Qingcheng City First High School, Luocheng No. 1 High School, Nanlin City First High School, Dongyun City First High School, and Fengdeng City No. 1 High School.

The Chief Referee stepped onto the main stage, announced the top five list, and then added,

"Tomorrow morning at nine o'clock, the second round of drawing will take place. Five into three, one team will receive a bye, and the other four will face off in pairs. Please ensure all teams are prepared."

Lin Fan and the others returned to the hotel. After the principal gave a few brief instructions, he let Lin Fan take the lead, bringing the five of them together in his and Ye Wushuang's room to properly review today's matches.

Liu Qing leaned against the window, her wounds having already been properly treated.

Lin Fan pulled up a chair and sat in the middle, his usual playfulness fading from his expression.

"Alright, let's review the matches."

He first looked at Liu Qing, his tone sincere.

"Liu Qing, your performance today was impeccable. Your Control-type playstyle maximized our advantage, first wearing down Su Zhong and then using the invisible threads to trap Wang Hao. The tactical execution was perfect."

"In the future, pay more attention to the distribution and endurance of your spiritual power. After all, in team matches, your control is our key."

Liu Qing nodded slightly, taking his words to heart: "I understand. I'll control the rhythm of my spiritual power output from now on."

Immediately after, Lin Fan turned to Ye Wushuang, raised an eyebrow, and smiled.

"As for you, there's not much to say. Keep up the good work."

Ye Wushuang leaned against the headboard, resting with his eyes closed. Hearing this, he gave a faint response.

"Mm."

"And then there's our overall issue."

Lin Fan's smile faded as he said seriously,

"Next, we might face team matches, but I feel that team matches will actually allow us to better showcase our strength."

Compared to individual matches, Lin Fan was actually more confident in team matches.

"Underestimating the enemy is a major taboo."

The principal stood at the door at some point. After listening to their conversation, he spoke in a deep voice.

"Which school that can enter the top five is easy to deal with? Keep the problems exposed today in mind. In tomorrow's match, no matter who the opponent is, give it your all."

Everyone responded in unison and continued to reflect on the details of the individual matches one by one until midnight, when they each returned to their rooms to rest and recharge for the next day's competition.

After a night of rest, the next morning, everyone finished breakfast and arrived at the Qinglan City Gymnasium on time.

All five top teams were present. The audience in the stands was even larger than yesterday, and media cameras were pointed at the players' seats. The atmosphere grew increasingly tense.

At nine o'clock sharp, the Chief Referee stepped onto the main stage again, and the entire venue instantly fell silent.

His gaze swept over the five teams below, and he announced loudly,

"The 10th East District Ten-School League, five-into-three elimination round, second draw, officially begins! This round will be a team match. One team will receive a bye and advance directly to the top three, while the remaining four teams will face off in pairs. The winners advance, and the losers are eliminated!"

As his voice fell, the large screen behind him lit up again. The names of Qingcheng City First High School, Luocheng No. 1 High School, Nanlin City First High School, Dongyun City First High School, and Fengdeng City No. 1 High School appeared in sequence, and the cursor began to scroll rapidly.

Everyone's eyes were fixed intently on the screen.

On Dongyun City First High School's side, Qian Duoduo held his breath, whispering under his breath: "Fengdeng, Fengdeng..."

Lin Fan's expression was calm, but his eyes were also staring fixedly at the large screen.

He knew in his heart that given yesterday's grudge, even if they weren't drawn together this time, they would inevitably clash later. Meeting them earlier would actually allow for an earlier resolution.

A few seconds later, the cursor on the screen slowly stopped, and the match results were clearly displayed before everyone's eyes.

Team with a Bye: Luocheng No. 1 High School

Group 1: Qingcheng City First High School vs. Nanlin City First High School

Group 2: Dongyun City First High School vs. Fengdeng City No. 1 High School

Format: All are team matches.

As soon as the draw results came out, at the Fengdeng City No. 1 High School players' seats, Principal Zhang's cane struck the ground hard, his face turning ashen.

He stared at the large screen, then turned to look at Dongyun City First High School's side with a sinister gaze.

That day in the hotel lobby, he had been publicly rebuked by Lin Fan and couldn't save face. Now that they were drawn together again, he wished he could have his team members crush Lin Fan on the spot to settle the score.

He lowered his voice and said a few words to the five students beside him. Those students nodded one after another, their eyes filled with a ruthless intensity.

Qian Duoduo also saw the reaction from Fengdeng City No. 1 High School and shrunk his neck.

"Lin Fan, you scolded their principal like that that day. Today, they're definitely going to try and beat you to death."

Lin Fan shrugged. "If they want to hit me, they have to get past Ye Wushuang first."

Ye Wushuang remained expressionless and didn't respond.

The principal walked over, looking at the five of them.

"Fengdeng City No. 1 High School. Their individual strength isn't particularly outstanding, but their team coordination is very seamless. Their tactical core is Captain Sun Kai, a speed-attack type who excels at ambushes and finishing. The other four each have their roles, and the overall team leans toward offense. Hold your ground and don't let them disrupt your rhythm."

Lin Fan nodded. "Understood."

Both matches proceeded simultaneously.

Lin Fan and the other four stepped onto the western arena, and the five from Fengdeng City No. 1 High School also took their positions opposite them.

Captain Sun Kai stood at the very front. He had a buzz cut, a square jaw, and a fierce gaze, staring at Lin Fan as if he wanted to eat him alive.

Behind him stood two men and two women, wearing deep red team uniforms, each with a somber expression.

Sun Kai took a step forward and raised his right hand, pointing at Lin Fan.

"So you're that foul-mouthed kid? You had a great time insulting our principal in the hotel lobby yesterday, didn't you? Now that you're on the arena, I want to see if you can still act tough."

Lin Fan put his hands in his pockets, tilted his head, and looked at him with a smile.

"Tough or not, why don't you have a taste?"

Sun Kai's face turned beet red, and his right fist clenched until it cracked.

"You're looking for death!"

Qian Duoduo snorted from the side. "Stop talking so much damn nonsense. Let's see what you've got on the battlefield."

He took a step forward, and the light on his body suddenly flared up.

A pair of entirely golden arm guards covered his entire right arm.

The surface of the arm guards no longer had copper coin patterns, but instead featured lifelike golden toad reliefs.

A fist-sized golden toad head sculpture protruded from his forearm, its mouth open and holding a glittering gold coin.

Next, a layer of pale gold downy armor spread from the edges of his eye sockets, covering the left half of his face, and his left pupil turned into a pale gold vertical slit.

Then his left arm lit up, and an arm guard composed of fine rock scales covered it.

His torso finally lit up as a dark red light spread from his chest, and a heavy dark red breastplate covered his trunk.

The surface of the breastplate was covered with dense spikes, each one gleaming with a metallic luster, like a curled-up porcupine.

[Name]: Qian Duoduo

[Rank]: Rank 44 Armor King

[Armor Spirit]:

1. Tongbao Golden Toad, Rank 44 Mid-tier Heaven Spirit.

Armorized Part: Right Arm.

Armor Skills: Golden Toad Spitting Treasure, Attracting Wealth and Treasures, Golden Toad Body Protection, Copper Wall and Iron Bastion, Golden Toad Damage Reflection.

2. Lucky Spiritual Cat, Rank 42 Mid-tier Heaven Spirit.

Armorized Part: Left Eye.

Armor Skills: Fortune Perception, Spiritual Cat's Eye, Good Luck Blessing, Misfortune Transfer, Cat's Nine Lives.

3. Rock-Splitting Raccoon, Rank 39 Mid-tier Earth Spirit.

Armorized Part: Left Arm.

Armor Skills: Rock Armor, Rock Spike Assault, Earth-Shattering Fist, Rock Hardening.

4. Explosive-Veined Porcupine, Rank 39 High-tier Earth Spirit.

Armorized Part: Torso.

Armor Skills: Spike Defense, Explosive Vein Activation, Spiked Armor Hardening, Explosive Strike.

Qian Duoduo flexed his right arm, and the eyes of the golden toad relief flickered.