165: Chapter 165 Tactics: Delay
"Li Ming, on the left!"
Lin Mobai shouted.
The lightning on Li Ming's arms condensed into a power grid, which he cast toward Liu Zhen.
Liu Zhen was blinded by the Extreme Phantom Light and threw a punch in panic. The power grid entangled him, and as the lightning exploded, Liu Zhen's body convulsed, and he fell to one knee.
"Zhou Yu, on the right!" Lin Mobai shouted.
Zhou Yu glided out silently from the shadows.
Activating Shadow Step, he turned into a faint black line and appeared behind Wang Lei.
The Poison Blade Mantis's fatal blow struck out, three blades slashing across Wang Lei's legs and left arm respectively. As the toxin was injected, Wang Lei's body stiffened and he fell from mid-air, crashing onto the arena stage.
"Two left," Zhou Yu whispered, retreating back into the shadows.
Lin Mobai raised his left hand, spreading his five fingers.
On the scales of the Green Wind Scale Lynx on his left arm, every single scale stood upright, their edges glowing with a cyan-gold sharpness.
The power of the Wind Spirits condensed around him into a visible cyan tornado, with lightning faintly flickering within it.
He didn't charge up his power, but simply clenched his hand lightly.
"Hurricane Tornado."
The cyan tornado suddenly expanded, growing from a diameter of one meter to ten, then twenty, transforming into a massive hurricane thirty meters in diameter in the blink of an eye.
The hurricane rotated with a deafening roar, sweeping up the gravel on the stage along with all five members of Luocheng No. 1 High School.
The five people spun, collided, and tumbled within the hurricane, their screams swallowed by the wind.
Only the constant sound of Armorization shattering could be heard.
Then, the hurricane abruptly dissipated.
The five people fell from mid-air and crashed onto the stage, motionless, all having fainted.
The referee jogged over and knelt to check their statuses one by one—weak pulses, irregular breathing, and their Armorization spiritual energy had completely dissipated.
But fortunately, there was no danger to their lives.
He stood up, took a deep breath, and raised his hand.
"First match, Qingcheng City First High School wins, earning three points. Luocheng No. 1 High School earns zero points."
A mountain-shaking, ocean-tsunami-like cheer erupted from the stands.
But as the five members of Luocheng No. 1 High School were carried off the field, the cheers in the stands gradually turned into whispers.
The principal of Luocheng No. 1 High School had a grim expression, following behind the stretchers without saying a word.
The referee stood in the center of the stage, and after the stretchers had all left, he picked up the microphone.
"The five members of Luocheng No. 1 High School are seriously injured and cannot continue in the subsequent matches. Upon application by Luocheng No. 1 High School and approval by the referee panel, Luocheng No. 1 High School withdraws from this Top Three Round-Robin Tournament."
He paused, "The originally scheduled second match between Dongyun City First High School and Luocheng No. 1 High School is canceled. The third match will be Dongyun City First High School against Qingcheng City First High School."
Another commotion broke out in the stands.
"Straight to the finals?"
"Can Dongyun beat Qingcheng? Did you see Lin Mobai's ultimate move just now? He took out all five of them instantly."
"Dongyun isn't weak either; they were very fierce when they fought Fengdeng."
"Either way, it's going to be a good show."
Lin Fan sat in the contestant area, his brow slightly furrowed.
According to the original round-robin point system, if Qingcheng won the next match, they would get six points and directly take the championship.
If they lost, Dongyun would get three points.
If it was a draw, according to the rules, there would be an additional tie-breaker match.
That would mean playing an extra game.
Lin Fan was just about to suggest to Li Fuze that they decide the winner in the very next match.
Then he saw Lin Mobai walk up to the principal of Qingcheng City First High School and whisper a few words.
The principal frowned at first, then nodded and walked toward the Dongyun City First High School contestant area.
Li Fuze stood up to meet him.
The two talked in low voices for a while. Li Fuze's expression changed from confusion to contemplation, and then from contemplation to understanding.
Li Fuze walked back to the contestant area, and Lin Fan went to meet him. "Principal, what did they say?"
Li Fuze glanced at him. "The other side proposed to decide the winner directly in the next match—one match to determine the champion."
He paused, "Under the original system, if they lose the next match, their points will be tied with ours, and we'd have to play a tie-breaker. Playing three matches in a row would be too much for them. Instead of that, it's better to settle it in one match. Both sides only play one match; it's fair and just."
Lin Fan nodded.
"I was just about to say the same thing. One match for the championship—winner takes the title, loser takes runner-up. It's clean and efficient."
Li Fuze smiled. "Alright, then it's settled. I'll go communicate with their principal and report it to the referee panel."
Li Fuze turned and walked toward the principal of Qingcheng City First High School.
The two exchanged a few more words, nodded simultaneously, and then walked toward the referee stand together.
Li Fuze briefly explained the situation. The head referee frowned and called the other referees over to deliberate.
A few minutes later, the head referee nodded and picked up the microphone.
"Spectators, after consultation between Dongyun City First High School and Qingcheng City First High School, and with the approval of the referee panel, the remaining matches of the originally scheduled Top Three Round-Robin are canceled. Dongyun City First High School and Qingcheng City First High School will proceed directly to a final match to determine the champion. The match format will be decided by drawing lots."
Enthusiastic cheers and applause erupted from the stands. This decision was beyond everyone's expectations, but no one opposed it.
Determining the champion in one match was much more straightforward than any point system or tie-breaker.
The audience wanted exactly this kind of winner-takes-all excitement.
Immediately, the large screen began scrolling again to draw the match format.
Before long, the screen froze.
Individual Match.
Lin Fan and Ye Wushuang looked at each other.
"Individual match. This isn't exactly good news for us," Lin Fan said in a low voice.
Ye Wushuang nodded.
"The other side just finished a match, and Lin Mobai's Hurricane Tornado consumed a lot of energy; it's impossible for his spiritual energy to fully recover in a short time. But in an individual match, they can completely stall for time in the first two rounds."
Lin Fan nodded in agreement.
"In the first two rounds, they are very likely to send out Zhao Yan and Zhou Yu. One follows a defensive path, and the other is an assassin type."
Zhao Yan and Zhou Yu were not weak. One was incredibly tanky, and the other was skilled in stealth and speed, making it easier to drag out the battle.
Lin Fan looked up at the sky.
The setting sun had already sunk behind the glass curtain wall at the top of the stadium, dyeing the white arena stage a pale gold.
He glanced at the time; it was now 4:12 PM.
In less than an hour, it would be completely dark.
He turned to look at Ye Wushuang. "You'll be the vanguard."
Ye Wushuang raised an eyebrow. "What's your plan?"
Lin Fan lowered his voice.
"You fight the first two matches against Zhao Yan and Sun Yi. Don't go for a quick victory; stall with them. The longer you stall, the better."
Qian Duoduo was stunned.
"Stall? Aren't we supposed to finish it quickly? If we stall, won't Lin Mobai's spiritual energy recover even faster?"
Lin Fan ignored him and continued.
"Stall as you must, but make sure to win the first two matches. Leave Lin Mobai to me."
Ye Wushuang nodded thoughtfully.
"Alright, I will take the victories in the first two matches."
Although he didn't know exactly what Lin Fan's plan was, based on his understanding of him over these past days...
Lin Fan wouldn't do anything he wasn't sure of.