31: Chapter 31 Group Stage Qualification

The match between Shen Ye and He Shuping was scheduled for the final round of the group stage.

It wasn't a finale deliberately arranged by the association; the schedule had simply progressed to this point—two undefeated competitors, and whoever won would take first place in the group.

On the day of the match, the stands of the No. 3 battle arena were packed.

The light gray uniforms of Nanjiang No. 7 High School occupied an entire section. Liu Yang sat in the front row, with Teacher Zheng and several subject teachers from Nanjiang No. 7 High School beside him.

Principal Zhou Wenyin did not come—she only appeared for the finals and critical matches.

The dark blue uniforms of City No. 1 High School gathered on the other side of the stands. Su Wanqing sat in a corner, holding a data pad in her hand.

The spiritual silk on the back of her hand had been removed, revealing a faint scar.

The Thorn Queen's injuries were recovering quickly under the nourishment of the refined-grade spiritual liquid stock, and preparations for its second evolution were underway.

The dark red uniforms of City No. 3 High School occupied the center of the stands. Zheng Chuan had his arms crossed over his chest, his lips devoid of any smile.

Fang Yan sat beside him, watching the battle arena in silence.

He Shuping was the only A-rank student from City No. 5 High School to register for the competition. The City No. 5 High School seating area wasn't large, but they were the loudest.

In the last row of the stands, four admissions officers in plain clothes sat side by side.

Shenyu University with the gold emblem, Cangqiong University with the silver-white emblem, Wanxiang University with the dark blue emblem, and Eternal University with the dark green emblem.

All four top universities were present.

When Shen Ye walked onto the battle arena from the prep area, his gaze swept over those four emblems.

Beneath the dark blue one, the admissions officer from Wanxiang University was writing something on a data pad.

He Shuping was already standing on the other side of the battle arena.

The uniform of City No. 5 High School was light cyan, which made his complexion look somewhat pale.

It wasn't nervousness; it was focus.

His hands hung naturally at his sides, his ten fingers slightly splayed, as if ready to catch something at any moment.

Shen Ye had watched the recordings of all his matches—He Shuping never made unnecessary movements before a fight; he didn't talk, didn't provoke, and didn't add extra drama for himself.

He simply stood there, waiting for the referee to raise their hand.

In this regard, Shen Ye respected him.

The referee raised their hand.

Both sides deployed their Kingdom Projection.

He Shuping's Thunder Ridge spread out on the other side of the battle arena.

It was a stretch of iron-gray, rugged mountain terrain, with the ridges covered in charred black marks from lightning strikes.

Clouds gathered above the mountain terrain—not dark clouds, but thunderclouds condensed from the Law of Lightning. Lightning flashed within the clouds, and each flash was accompanied by a low rumble of thunder.

Lightning Spirits descended from the thunderclouds—not one by one, but in swarms.

The cyan-white lightning condensed into humanoid forms, with no facial features, no fingers, only vague limb outlines and a blindingly bright core in the center of their chests.

There were many of them, arranged in a loose arc formation in front of He Shuping, with lightning jumping and conducting between them, forming a flowing electric net.

Shen Ye deployed his Land of Cultivation.

This time, he didn't just summon a few kin.

Three hundred kin walked out of his Kingdom Projection.

The Gold Spirit Root Sword Cultivator century troop.

Leading them was a middle-aged sword cultivator with a calm expression, at the peak of the late stage of Qi Refining, just a hair's breadth away from Foundation Establishment.

Behind him were ninety-nine Gold Spirit Root Sword Cultivators; the sound of their flying swords leaving their sheaths was perfectly synchronized.

The sword cultivator century troop formed a wedge formation in front of Shen Ye, their sword tips pointing diagonally at the ground.

The Water Spirit Root Mage century troop.

Leading them was the female cultivator Shen Ye had used in his first match.

Her hands were tucked into her sleeves, and the water mist around her was much denser than ten matches ago—Elder Quan had taught her a simplified version of the Spiral Water Curtain by the spiritual spring; it wasn't three spirals side-by-side, but a single spiral stacked upon itself.

It was less powerful than Elder Quan's complete version, but it had the advantage of fast deployment.

The mage century troop split to the flanks of the sword cultivator troop, with water mist flowing between them like a layer of moving gauze.

The Wood Spirit Root Array Master century troop.

It wasn't Mu Sheng, but the first batch of disciples Mu Sheng had personally taught.

There weren't many, exactly one hundred, and each person had vines wrapped around their arms, with a tiny white flower blooming at the tip of the vine—that was Mu Sheng's Life Law imprint.

The array master century troop didn't stand in the front row; instead, they dispersed to the edges of the entire battlefield, with one person standing every certain distance, vines extending from their arms and plunging into the crevices of the Law stone slabs.

Three hundred kin.

Three of the Five Elements: Metal, Water, and Wood.

The stands were silent for a moment.

This was the first time Shen Ye had summoned more than double-digit kin in the City-level Competition.

In the previous ten matches, he had only used two or three kin in each, rotating the Five Elements for precise counters.

Today, he had summoned three hundred.

The referee's hand fell.

"Begin."

He Shuping did not hesitate.

All the Lightning Spirits moved.

It wasn't a charge; it was a leap.

They didn't run on the ground; instead, they leaped from one to another, with lightning stretching into arcs between them. The entire swarm of Lightning Spirits was like a spread-out electric net, pressing in from the air and the ground simultaneously.

The speed was extremely fast—not the S-shaped trajectory of Zheng Chuan's Wind Elemental, but the instantaneous leaps of arc conduction.

From one spirit to another, the lightning only needed an extremely short amount of time.

Shen Ye didn't let the sword cultivator troop meet them head-on.

He let the Water Spirit Root Mages make the first move.

The century-strong mage troop formed hand seals simultaneously.

A hundred streams of water extended from their fingertips, not spreading toward the ground, but rising into the air.

The water streams wove together in the air into a water net, with very dense mesh, covering the entire sky above the battle arena.

The Lightning Spirits' arc leaps required air as a medium, and the water net's conductivity was far stronger than air.

The moment the spirits leaped into the water net, the arcs were diverted by the water streams, striking in all directions instead of concentrating at one point.

The kinetic energy of the leaps was dispersed, and the movement speed of the spirits within the water net plummeted.

He Shuping adapted immediately.

He had the Lightning Spirits abandon leaping and switch to a ground charge.

The spirits fell from the water net and began to dash along the ground the moment they landed.

The arcs no longer leaped between the spirits; instead, each spirit individually wrapped itself in lightning, gliding along the Law stone slabs like cyan-white meteors.

The speed was still extremely fast.

The Wood Spirit Root Array Masters made their move.

The hundred array masters simultaneously plunged their vines into the crevices of the Law stone slabs.

The vines grew wildly beneath the ground—not breaking upward through the stone slabs, but weaving into a massive containment array within the soil layer beneath the slabs.

There were five array eyes, arranged according to the Five Elements positions.

The array masters' arm vines connected to the five array eyes, and the tiny white flowers of the Life Law bloomed simultaneously at the array eyes.

The moment the containment array was activated, a layer of extremely faint green light rippled across the ground of the entire battle arena.

It wasn't an attack; it was a slowing effect.

The green light permeated to a height of several inches above the ground, and when the Lightning Spirits glided along the ground, the lightning made contact with the green light.

The Wood-type Life Law had no suppression effect on the Lightning Law, but the Life Law had a characteristic—absorbing kinetic energy.

It wasn't a hard block; it was like vines wrapping around a tree trunk, absorbing, dispersing, and neutralizing the kinetic energy bit by bit.

The speed of the Lightning Spirits showed a visible decrease for the first time.

They went from meteors to a rapid current, and from a rapid current to a stream.

The Gold Spirit Root Sword Cultivators made their move.

The wedge formation drove in from the front.

The leading sword cultivator's flying sword left its sheath, its tip tapping onto the core of the Lightning Spirit charging at the very front.

It wasn't a stab; it was a tap.

The moment the sword tip made contact with the core, Metal-type Sword Intent erupted from the point of contact, shattering the core with a crack.

The spirit's lightning leaked from the crack, and the cyan-white light gushed out like blood.

The sword cultivator didn't pursue, retracted their sword, turned sideways, let the spirit pass, and their flying sword stabbed toward the next one.

The ninety-nine sword cultivators behind advanced in turn, each sword strike precisely tapping onto the core, each strike leaving only one crack, and then immediately turning to the next target.

The Lightning Spirits that had their cores struck didn't immediately lose combat effectiveness.

They could still move and attack, but the cracks in their cores were constantly leaking lightning, and every time they released an arc attack, it accelerated the expansion of the cracks.

Several spirits attempted to besiege one sword cultivator simultaneously, with arcs striking from multiple directions.

The Water Spirit Root Mages' water net descended from the air—not to intercept the arcs, but to divert them.

The arcs struck into the water net and were dispersed and guided by the hundred streams of water; by the time they struck the sword cultivator, they were far too weak.

The sword cultivator's protective spiritual energy withstood the weakened arcs, and the flying swords continued to tap the cores.

He Shuping's expression changed.

He tried to have the Lightning Spirits retreat and regroup, but the Wood Spirit Root Array Masters' containment array had already spread from the ground into the air.

The vines broke through the soil from the crevices of the Law stone slabs—not to attack the spirits, but to weave into a net between the spirits.

The mesh was very sparse, not trapping the spirits' bodies, but only blocking their paths of movement.

When the spirits turned within the net, the lightning leaking from the core cracks would leave scorch marks on the vine net, but as soon as one layer of the vine net was burned away, the array masters immediately replaced it with another.

The tiny white flowers of the Life Law bloomed continuously on the vine net, and the kinetic energy absorption effect continued to stack.

The speed of the Lightning Spirits went from a stream to a quagmire.

The Gold Spirit Root Sword Cultivators' flying swords passed through the quagmire, one strike after another, tapping onto the same crack on each core.

The cracks expanded, expanded, and expanded again.

The core of the first Lightning Spirit shattered.

The cyan-white lightning exploded from the core, the spirit's form collapsed, and it dissipated into a wisp of blue smoke.

Then the second, the third, the tenth, the fiftieth.

He Shuping gritted his teeth and recalled all the remaining Lightning Spirits, concentrating them in the center of the battlefield.

The remaining spirits gathered into a huge ball of lightning, the light blindingly intense. They no longer dispersed to attack, but instead rolled toward Shen Ye's kin formation as a single entity.

The speed wasn't fast, but the electrical power was concentrated, and the water net's diversion effect was significantly weakened.

The vines of the Wood Spirit Root containment array carbonized instantly under the high temperature of the lightning ball; the array masters desperately urged new vines to grow, but the replenishment speed couldn't keep up with the carbonization speed.

Shen Ye watched that ball of lightning rolling toward them.

Then he had the sword cultivator troop change their formation.

The conical formation split down the middle, dividing into two streams, bypassing the lightning sphere on both sides.

It was not a retreat, but a flanking maneuver.

The two groups of Gold Spirit Root Sword Cultivators converged behind the lightning sphere, turned their tips, and pierced in from the rear.

The Water Spirit Root Mages' water net stopped intercepting the electric arcs and instead injected all one hundred streams of water directly into the lightning sphere.

The water was electrolyzed inside the lightning sphere; hydrogen and oxygen bubbles expanded amidst the electric light, forcing the lightning sphere's spherical structure to expand from within.

The Wood Spirit Root Array Masters stopped spawning vine nets and instead drove all their vines into the ground beneath the lightning sphere, their roots growing wildly to heave the Law Tablet and the soil upward.

The ground rose, shifting the lightning sphere's center of gravity and further deforming its spherical structure.

The Gold Spirit Root Sword Cultivators' flying swords pierced the deformed lightning sphere from behind; a hundred swords launched simultaneously, each striking a different elemental core.

The sound of shattering cores was as dense as rain hitting a window.

The lightning sphere collapsed from within, blue-white electric light exploding in all directions before dissipating.

He Shuping's Kingdom Projection shuddered violently and then shattered.

The referee raised a hand.

"The winner is Shen Ye."

It took longer than the match against Fang Yan, but the outcome was the same.

Three hundred dependents, three of the Five Elements: Metal-type for core-piercing, Water-type for diversion, and Wood-type for entrapment.

It was not individual combat, but perfect coordination.

The stands were quiet for a moment, then the light gray formation of Nanjiang No. 7 High School erupted in cheers.

Liu Yang stood on his chair waving his school uniform jacket, only to be yanked down by Teacher Zheng.

The City No. 5 High School seating area fell silent, but when He Shuping walked off the arena, the students from City No. 5 still applauded him—he had fought until the very last moment and never gave up.

Shen Ye recalled his dependents.

The three hundred dependents walked back into the Kingdom Projection one by one. The sound of the Gold Spirit Root Sword Cultivators' flying swords returning to their sheaths was perfectly synchronized, the Water Spirit Root Mages drew their water mist into their sleeves, and the Wood Spirit Root Array Masters withdrew their vines from the crevices of the Law Tablet, with white flowers blooming one last time at the tips of the vines.

They had practiced this combined formation in the Kingdom for countless days and nights, and today, they revealed it before everyone.

It was not the individual brilliance of Jin Lin, Mu Sheng, or Elder Quan, but three hundred people acting as one.

Shen Ye nodded at He Shuping and turned to walk off the arena.

In the last row of the stands, four admissions officers lowered their heads simultaneously to record on their respective data pads.

The admissions officer from Wanxiang University wrote: "Three hundred people in coordination, fusion of Metal, Water, and Wood elements; three-layered progression of entrapment, diversion, and precision strikes."

Tactical execution is extremely strong; the dependents' combined combat proficiency far exceeds their peers.

Recommend prioritizing for tracking.

The admissions officer from Eternal University wrote: "Zero combat losses among three hundred dependents; resource utilization efficiency is extremely high."

The entrapment formation for delay and the water diversion are both non-lethal crowd control methods, achieving maximum results with minimal consumption.

Highly compatible with Eternal University's logistics system.

The admissions officer from Shenyu University wrote only one line: "Qualified for the core tier."

The admissions officer from Cangqiong University wrote: "Excellent control of combat rhythm."

The three-layered progression tactic was executed without a single flaw; the dependents possess both individual combat power and combined proficiency.

Suitable for Cangqiong University's pioneer sequence.

After the four admissions officers finished writing, they looked up almost simultaneously and exchanged glances across a few seats.

No one spoke, but the records on their data pads had already determined that the name of this S-class Awakened named Shen Ye would appear on the priority observation lists of the four top universities.

When Shen Ye walked out of the arena, Su Wanqing came down from the stands and waited for him at the entrance of the contestant tunnel.

She handed over her data pad; the screen showed a newly compiled final standings table for Group 7.

Shen Ye had won all matches and advanced as the group winner.

Fang Yan only lost one match to Shen Ye and won all others, advancing as the group runner-up.

He Shuping lost to Shen Ye and Fang Yan, won all others, placed third, and missed the playoffs.

"It's a pity for He Shuping."

Su Wanqing said, "His strength is in the upper tier among A-class, and he would likely have advanced if he were placed in other groups."

Being placed in Group 7 and meeting you and Fang Yan—one countering speed, the other defense—he lost both tough battles.

Shen Ye looked at He Shuping's name on the standings table.

Wind Erosion Valley, a speed-type A-class, specializing in fast-attack suppression.

He crushed all B-class and C-class competitors in the group stage but lost to Shen Ye and Fang Yan.

It wasn't that he wasn't strong enough; it was just that Group 7 happened to have his two counters.

"His lightning spirits have a very steep combat power decay curve once the core cracks and leaks electricity."

Shen Ye said, "If he can solve the core defense issue, he might have had a chance in the playoffs."

Su Wanqing shook her head.

"It's too late."

Before the City-level Competition ends, he won't have time to complete the evolution of his lightning spirits.

Next year's college entrance exam is his true battlefield.

This year's City-level Competition, his journey ends here.

Shen Ye was silent for a moment.

He Shuping was a fresh Awakened just like him, and had been developing for over a year as well.

But the stage for the City-level Competition was only so big; three hundred people participated, and in the end, only twenty could stand on the stage of the playoffs.

For someone to advance, someone else must stop.

It wasn't that He Shuping didn't work hard; it was just that his efforts hadn't had time to pay off yet.

"Your last match in Group 5 is against an Ice-type A-class."

Shen Ye asked, "When?"

"Tomorrow."

Su Wanqing put away the data pad, "Thorn Queen won't make it in time for the second evolution."

I'll fight that match with my current configuration; I'll likely lose.

If I lose, I'll advance as group runner-up, and Thorn Queen should be ready by the first round of the playoffs.

Shen Ye nodded.

"For the playoff draw, the top thirty-two will be regrouped."

You and I might end up in the same group.

Su Wanqing smiled.

"If we are in the same group, I won't hold back."

"Neither will I."

Su Wanqing turned and walked away.

Her silhouette stretched long under the lights of the contestant tunnel, and the faint scar on the back of her hand was almost invisible in the light.

Shen Ye stood there, watching her silhouette disappear at the end of the tunnel.

In the Kingdom, the three hundred dependents had returned to their respective positions.

The Gold Spirit Root Sword Cultivators lined up in front of the sword stele, with Jin Lin standing at the head of the formation, reviewing the pros and cons of each sword strike one by one.

The Water Spirit Root Mages sat in a circle by the spiritual spring, and Elder Quan unfurled the Spiral Water Curtain, deconstructing and re-enacting every detail of the water diversion from the recent battle.

The Wood Spirit Root Array Masters were by the spiritual field, where Mu Sheng wove a miniature model of the entrapment formation used during the battle with vines. White flowers bloomed at the array eyes, and she pointed to every node on the model, telling her disciples what they did right and where they could do better.

They were reviewing the match.

Not for the battle already won, but for the next one.

Shen Ye walked out of the contestant tunnel.

Outside the gymnasium, sunlight poured down completely from between the clouds, and the puddles on the plaza had already dried.

The wall engraved with names shone with a grayish-white light under the sun.

The names of Fang Zhen, Gu Yan, and He Man were among the countless names, carved into the city's history along with all the Awakened who died on the frontier.

Shen Ye walked past the wall.

He did not stop.

His group stage matches were over.

Eleven matches, eleven wins, advanced as the group winner.

Fang Zhen, Gu Yan, and He Man—the three former S-class students of Nanjiang No. 7 High School—also had perfect records in the group stage back then.

But their subsequent paths: one died on the defensive line, one went missing in the gray zone, and one had their Kingdom shattered.

A perfect group stage record is just the starting point of the City-level Competition.

Shen Ye walked into the athlete village cafeteria.

Liu Yang had already saved a seat, with two set meals on the table.

He saw Shen Ye and waved from halfway across the cafeteria.

Shen Ye walked over, sat down, and picked up his chopsticks.

Liu Yang was excitedly analyzing the qualification situation for each group today—Group 1: Lu Chuan undefeated; Group 2: Gu Changming undefeated; Group 3: Zheng Chuan undefeated; Group 5: Su Wanqing likely group runner-up; Group 7: Shen Ye undefeated, Fang Yan runner-up.

Both of Nanjiang City's S-class students advanced as group winners, while A-class students Gu Changming, Zheng Chuan, and Fang Yan also advanced, and Su Wanqing would advance even if she lost tomorrow.

"Our No. 7 High School has two people in the playoffs this time!"

Liu Yang counted on his fingers, "You and me!"

Shen Ye's chopsticks paused.

"You advanced from Group 10?"

Liu Yang grinned.

He won the matches he was supposed to win in Group 10, lost to that A-class and two B-class competitors, and advanced as the group runner-up.

D-class Hill attribute, with the Toughness talent, he had fought his way into the playoffs on the stage of the City-level Competition.

"I told you, what if?"

Shen Ye looked at him.

When Liu Yang said "what if," there was no luck in his eyes, only desperation.

In Group 10, he fought every match to the full duration, fighting until his dependents' spiritual power was exhausted in every single one.

His Hill-attribute Stone Demons were slower than Wang Lei's Stone Forest Stone Demons, and their defense was even worse.

But he won.

Not by talent, but by grinding it out match after match.

"Keep winning in the playoffs."

Shen Ye said.

Liu Yang nodded vigorously.

Outside the window, the dome of the City Gymnasium lit up in the night, with grayish-white light bands flowing along the contours of the dome.

Tomorrow, Su Wanqing faces the Ice-type A-class.

The day after tomorrow is the playoff draw.

Shen Ye picked up a piece of meat and chewed slowly.

In the Kingdom, Jin Lin finished reviewing the pros and cons of each sword strike, and the Sword Cultivators reformed their lines, beginning a new round of combat response training.

Mu Sheng finished deconstructing every node of the entrapment formation, and the Array Masters drove their vines back into the soil of the spiritual field, practicing faster spawning speeds.

Elder Quan put away the Spiral Water Curtain, and the Mages sat around the spiritual spring, beginning to deduce more complex water diversion formations.

They were growing stronger, for the Provincial Tournament, for the National Competition, and for a more distant future.