26: Chapter 26 Drawing Lots

After the opening ceremony ended, the three hundred Awakened did not disperse.

Association staff erected a massive light screen in the center of the City Gymnasium's battle zone; the results of the preliminary group draws were about to be announced.

It was not a live draw—the draw had already been completed by the Association's referee panel before the opening ceremony, with witnesses from all sides, and this was merely the public announcement.

Shen Ye stood in the Nanjiang No. 7 High School phalanx, watching the light screen light up.

Ten groups, thirty people per group.

A single round-robin tournament for the group stage; everyone had to play every match, and the top two with the most wins would advance to the semi-finals.

Out of three hundred people, only twenty would eventually be able to stand on the semi-final stage.

The elimination rate was over ninety percent.

The list on the light screen began to scroll starting from the first group.

The names in the first group jumped out one by one, and from time to time, cheers from students cheering for their own people rang out from the stands.

People from City No. 1 High School were concentrated in the first and fifth groups, people from City No. 2 High School were in the second and sixth groups, and people from City No. 3 High School were in the third and seventh groups.

The logic of the grouping was very clear—players from the same school were separated as much as possible to avoid internal attrition.

The list for the first group froze.

Lu Chuan's name was ranked first.

There were two A-rankers in the same group, and the rest were all B-rank and C-rank.

There was no S-rank.

In the stands, the City No. 1 High School phalanx let out a suppressed cheer—the top seed had been assigned to the easiest group; advancing as the group leader was practically a sure thing.

Lu Chuan stood at the very front of the City No. 1 High School queue, his hands in his pockets, his expression unchanging, as if the names on the light screen had nothing to do with him.

The second group, the third group.

When the list for the third group appeared, Shen Ye saw Zheng Chuan's name.

There was one A-ranker in the same group—a fire-type Awakened from City No. 2 High School, while the rest were all B-rank and C-rank.

Zheng Chuan was the only top-tier A-ranker in the third group, so there was little pressure for him to advance from the group.

In the City No. 3 High School phalanx, Zheng Chuan had his arms crossed over his chest, a faint smile on the corners of his lips.

His gaze passed over the crowd and paused for a moment on the area of the seventh group that had not yet lit up.

The fourth group, the fifth group.

The list for the fifth group froze, and Su Wanqing's name appeared in second place.

There was one A-ranker in the same group—an ice-type Awakened from City No. 4 High School.

Su Wanqing was an A-rank Spirit Plant Garden, a support-type Divine Kingdom; her frontal combat capability was not dominant among peers.

Against an ice-type, plant-type dependents would be countered.

But that ice-type A-ranker's ranking in City No. 4 High School wasn't top-tier either; as long as Su Wanqing defeated all other opponents, even if she lost to the ice-type, she could still advance as the group runner-up.

Shen Ye glanced toward the direction of City No. 1 High School.

Su Wanqing was looking down and recording something on her data pad, her expression calm, as if the grouping on the light screen had nothing to do with her.

The sixth group.

The seventh group.

Shen Ye's name jumped out first.

The list for the same group lit up in order: Fang Yan, City No. 3 High School, A-rank, Granite Fortress.

An A-ranker named He Shuping, City No. 5 High School, Divine Kingdom attribute Wind Erosion Valley.

The rest were all B-rank and C-rank.

There was no S-rank.

Shen Ye's gaze rested on Fang Yan's name.

City No. 3 High School, A-rank, Granite Fortress.

Zheng Chuan's uncle.

It was written in Su Wanqing's file—a purely defensive Divine Kingdom; the Rock Giant had extremely high defense, and its attack method was physical crushing.

Weakness: The internal structure is dense and lacks resilience; after water-type infiltration, freezing can cause the rock body to crack; wood-type root infiltration can disintegrate it from the inside.

The other A-ranker in the seventh group, He Shuping, Wind Erosion Valley, wind-type dependents, speed-type.

It belonged to the same wind-type as Zheng Chuan's Storm Canyon, but the grade was one tier lower.

Weakness: Wind Elemental defense is relatively low, and single-unit survival ability is poor after being controlled.

Two A-rankers, one defensive and one speed-based.

Fang Yan was a member of the Zheng family; it might not be a coincidence that he was assigned to the seventh group.

The Zheng family had connections in the Association's resource department; for something like a draw, they could not make huge changes, but they could "adjust" the group configuration within a reasonable range.

Assigning Fang Yan and Shen Ye to the same group, letting their own family member personally intercept the S-rank from Nanjiang No. 7 High School—this was the Zheng family's style.

Shen Ye felt neither anger nor worry.

Fang Yan's Granite Fortress was the type he feared the least.

Elder Quan's Spiral Water Curtain and Steam Explosion, Mu Sheng's Differentiation Vine Net and root infiltration were all specifically designed to counter high-defense units.

As for the other A-ranker, He Shuping, the speed-type dependents of Wind Erosion Valley, Qin Shu had fed him countless Void Race Wind Elemental mutants in the projection training.

He had even withstood a formation of five hundred Wind Elementals charging at the same time; He Shuping's dozens of Wind Elementals were not worth mentioning.

The eighth, ninth, and tenth groups.

The list on the light screen completely froze.

A buzzing discussion broke out in the gymnasium—some people were rejoicing that they had been assigned to a weak group, some were complaining that there were monsters in their group, and some had already started calculating how many matches they needed to win to advance.

Shen Ye went over the list for the seventh group in his mind.

Twenty-nine opponents, twenty-seven B-rank and C-rank, two A-rank.

He needed to win at least a certain number of matches to ensure he was in the top two of the group.

If he lost to Fang Yan or He Shuping, the pressure to advance would increase sharply.

The safest way was to win them all and advance as the group leader.

Don't give anyone a chance, don't give the Zheng family anything to say.

Liu Yang was assigned to the tenth group; there was one A-ranker and two B-rankers in the same group, and his hope of advancing was slim.

He finished looking at the list, was silent for a while, and then grinned: "It's fine."

"I came here to gain experience anyway."

"If I can win a few matches, that's great; if I lose, it's no loss."

Shen Ye patted him on the shoulder.

When leaving, Shen Ye ran into Fang Yan in the player tunnel.

The dark red school uniform of City No. 3 High School, a thick build, broad shoulders, a short and thick neck; standing there, he looked like a rock whose edges had been smoothed by flowing water.

His facial features were somewhat similar to Zheng Chuan's—the same brow bone, the same jawline.

But the look in his eyes was different.

Zheng Chuan's eyes were full of provocation and a desire for attention, while Fang Yan's eyes were calm.

The two passed each other in the tunnel.

Fang Yan didn't say anything, didn't make eye contact, just walked steadily, like a moving Granite Fortress.

Shen Ye didn't look back either.

Real opponents don't need to prove anything with words before the match.

Fang Yan's silence made him more vigilant than Zheng Chuan's provocations.

When walking out of the gymnasium, the rain had completely stopped.

Sunlight poured down completely through the gaps in the clouds, and the standing water in the square reflected light like broken gold.

Su Wanqing was standing next to the wall carved with names, holding a data pad, waiting for Shen Ye.

"You saw the list for the seventh group."

She handed over the data pad, "Fang Yan, He Shuping."

"The Zheng family putting Fang Yan in the seventh group is definitely to intercept you."

"He Shuping should be a normal assignment by the Association—the seventh group needed a speed-type A-ranker to balance the configuration, and He Shuping was the only A-ranker who signed up from City No. 5 High School, so it just happened to be his turn."

Shen Ye took the data pad.

On it was the opponent file updated by Su Wanqing—detailed data on Fang Yan's Rock Giant: approximately three hundred units, the ordinary Rock Giant is about two and a half meters tall, the core is located in the center of the chest, defense rating A, attack method is physical crushing and rock thorn assault.

One mutant type, height close to three meters, core position slightly to the left, defense rating A+, strength is several times that of an ordinary Rock Giant.

Combat style: steady advance, crushing opponents with absolute strength, almost never actively changing formation.

Weaknesses as mentioned above.

He Shuping's Wind Erosion Valley data: approximately three hundred Wind Elemental Warriors, speed rating A, attacks carry a tearing effect.

Combat style: fast attack suppression.

Weakness: Wind Elemental defense is relatively low, core is located in the chest, single-unit survival ability is poor after being controlled.

There are also links to several public combat recordings.

Shen Ye finished reading and returned the data pad to her.

"Enough."

"This person, Fang Yan."

Su Wanqing put away the data pad, "He's not the same as Zheng Chuan."

"Zheng Chuan likes to jump around, but Fang Yan never does."

"His internal ranking in City No. 3 High School has always been in the top tier, but he never accepts media interviews, and there is no activity on social media."

"His combat style is the same as his Divine Kingdom—steady, not flashy, no mistakes."

Shen Ye nodded.

A silent dog bites the hardest.

The kind like Zheng Chuan who keeps provocations on his lips is actually easier to deal with.

This kind of silent, mistake-free defensive type like Fang Yan is the real tough nut to crack.

"What about He Shuping?"

"An A-ranker from City No. 5 High School."

"Wind Erosion Valley, speed-type."

"His style is a bit like Zheng Chuan's, but the grade is one tier lower."

"The speed of his Wind Elemental Warriors is much slower than Zheng Chuan's, and the law infiltration of the tearing effect is also shallower."

"You already have a way to deal with Zheng Chuan's fast attacks; He Shuping shouldn't be a problem."

Su Wanqing tucked the data pad under her arm, "In the seventh group, you have a high probability of advancing as the group leader."

"Fang Yan is highly likely to be the group runner-up."

"He Shuping depends on his performance; his Wind Elementals are crushing against B-ranks and C-ranks, but when he encounters you and Fang Yan, one counters speed and the other counters defense—two tough battles."

Shen Ye arranged the match order of the seventh group in his mind.

Fang Yan was scheduled for the middle of the group stage, and He Shuping was scheduled for a later position.

Whether to fight Fang Yan first or He Shuping first depends on the Association's schedule.

Regardless of who he fights first, his goal is to win them all.

"What about you?"

He asked Su Wanqing.

"The fifth group, that ice-type A-ranker is my biggest opponent."

"Plant-types fear ice; my Thorn Queen will be countered."

"However, I only need to win the other matches; even if I lose to him, I can still advance as the group runner-up."

Su Wanqing's tone was very flat, as if she were talking about someone else's business, "The group runner-up is enough."

"I'll adjust my tactics after entering the semi-finals."

Shen Ye looked at her.

Su Wanqing was an A-rank Spirit Plant Garden, a support-type Divine Kingdom; her frontal combat capability was indeed not dominant among peers.

But she never complained about her Divine Kingdom's attributes; she just calmly calculated the probability of winning or losing each match, took all the ones she could win, acknowledged the gap for the ones she couldn't, and then went around them.

This ability was more precious than any combat talent.

"See you in the semi-finals."

He said.

Su Wanqing smiled.

"See you in the semi-finals."

Shen Ye turned around and walked along the edge of the square toward the player village.

The air after the rain had the smell of soil and grass.

In the distance, the dome of the City Gymnasium gleamed with a grayish-white light under the sun, and the wall carved with names at the base of the dome could only be seen as dense scratches from this angle; no single name could be clearly seen.

Fang Zhen.

Gu Yan.

He Man.

Three names, three endings.

At this moment, he stood at the starting point of the City-level Competition, with twenty-nine opponents in the same group in front of him, and the road that three former S-ranks hadn't finished behind him.

Fang Yan was He Man's "steadiness"—don't jump, don't make mistakes, use the most simple way to crush the opponent.

He Shuping was Fang Zhen's "speed"—the speed of Wind Elementals, fast attack suppression, don't give the opponent room to breathe.

And Lu Chuan was waiting for him in the finals.

Shen Ye walked into the gate of the player village.

In the Divine Kingdom, Jin Lin sheathed his sword.

Mu Sheng put away the Differentiation Vine Net.

Elder Quan clasped his hands together.

Chen and Ye opened their eyes at the same time on both sides of the Twilight Spirit Spring.

There was one night left until the first match of the group stage.

One night in the outside world, one year in the Divine Kingdom.

A year later, Fang Yan's Granite Fortress would know what it meant to be countered in front of Elder Quan's Spiral Water Curtain and Mu Sheng's penetrating roots.