190: Chapter 190 Another newcomer has advanced?

Early the next morning.

Sunlight pierced through the clouds, spilling once again onto the campus of Magic City Martial Arts University.

The atmosphere today was even more solemn, yet also more frantic, than yesterday.

The spectator area of the Central Virtual Combat Center was packed early on with students who had no classes, and there were even quite a few media reporters from outside the school who had caught wind of the event.

As the bell chimed at eight o'clock, the massive display lit up once again.

Seed Pool No. 1, lounge.

The large doors slowly opened.

After a night of rest, those experts who had been lethargic yesterday had mostly recovered by now.

Xie Fuyao was still dressed in his moon-white Tang suit, sitting by the window with a calm expression, as if yesterday's loss of composure had never happened, though his fingers, which were plucking the zither, were pressing down a bit harder than usual.

Lu Xingye had changed into a clean black trench coat and was sitting in the corner clutching his blade, eyes closed to rest, though he would occasionally steal a glance toward Qiu Yunan, seemingly brewing up some new chuunibyou lines.

As for Jiang You, who was at the center of the storm, for once, he wasn't late; he could even be said to be in high spirits.

Although there was still a bit of sleep in the corners of his eyes, his deep blue eyes were burning with intense fighting spirit.

That was the fire of life burning to avoid writing reports and to defend his right to be lazy!

"Morning, everyone."

Jiang You strode into the lounge and waved at the group, his gaze like that of someone looking at a bunch of scapegoats he was about to send off to write reports and move equipment.

However, no one paid him any mind.

The atmosphere now was no longer in the "testing each other" phase like yesterday.

Today was the final day!

It was the critical moment to decide who would represent the school to enjoy flowers and applause, and who would have to sadly retreat to the backstage to haul mineral water and write battle reports!

Especially for those ranked lower, like... Cong Nanshan.

This former third-year chief was currently staring fixedly at the rankings on the big screen with dark circles under his eyes.

Two wins, two losses. It was precarious!

If he lost just one more match, he would really be dropped from Pool 1!

By the time he fought his way back from Pool 2, there might not be enough time left.

"Hoo..." Cong Nanshan took a deep breath and turned to look at Jiang You, his eyes complex.

There was both resentment and a trace of deep wariness.

He knew his goal today wasn't to seek revenge on Jiang You, but to survive!

As long as he avoided Jiang You, avoided Xie Fuyao, and avoided those two women from Class F, he could hold onto his points!

Just then, the lounge broadcast suddenly rang out, and a cold electronic voice pulled back the curtain on the final battle:

[All contestants, please pay attention!] [The final ranking battle begins now!]

"Click!" As the broadcast finished, almost at the same time, dozens of combat pod doors opened in unison.

This time, no one hesitated, and no one watched from the sidelines. Everyone, including Jiang You, dived into their pods immediately.

"I don't want to write analysis reports..." Jiang You lay on the chair, watching the pod door slowly close, clasping his hands together and muttering to himself as if performing some sacred prayer:

"I also don't want to carry blades for Old Lu..." "I just want to go back to my single room to sleep after the match."

His finger hovered over the red button, a flash of blue light in his eyes, carrying a ferocity that erupted from his desire to "not work":

"To those blocking my way, I'm sorry." "For the sake of my leisurely life!"

"Snap!" Matching started!

Almost the next second. "Ding!"

[Match successful!] [Red Side: Class F, Jiang You (1 Win 0 Losses)] VS [Blue Side: Class A, Zhao Tiezhu (1 Win 2 Losses)]

"Zhao Tiezhu?" Jiang You looked at the name, scratched his head, and a trace of confusion appeared on his face:

"Don't know him. The name sounds pretty tough. I hope he's a bit weaker than that Cong Nanshan guy, and doesn't hold me up from qualifying."

Meanwhile, in a combat pod on the other side, a fourth-year senior who had just been praying "Please don't let me run into Jiang You" looked at that nightmarish name on the screen and let out a shrill wail:

"No!!!" "Why is it me!!!" "I don't want to be that unlucky sap!!!"

...Time flew by, and in the blink of an eye, it was afternoon.

Inside the Virtual Combat Center, the adrenaline-fueled shouts and cries of battle that had originally filled the air gradually died down, replaced by a heavier, more oppressive sound of gasping.

After an entire morning of high-intensity fighting, everyone had reached their breaking point, both in terms of mental energy and physical stamina. The battle situation was also gradually becoming clear.

On the big screen, the leading group on the leaderboard had already pulled ahead.

First Tier: Class A, Xie Fuyao (5 Wins 0 Losses).

This Class A chief remained as steady as Mount Tai, his white clothes not even gathering much dust.

He was like a precision combat machine; no matter who the opponent was, they couldn't last more than three minutes under his hand.

With just two matches left, Xie Fuyao would be able to lock in his qualification spot early with an undefeated record, becoming the undisputed number one of this batch.

Second Tier: Class B, Cong Nanshan (5 Wins 2 Losses).

If Xie Fuyao relied on sheer strength to crush his opponents, then Cong Nanshan was relying on the "turtle" tactic to defy fate.

Ever since his psychological defenses were shattered by a single poke from Jiang You, this third-year chief had completely gone dark.

He was like a vulture staring at the big screen, keeping his eyes glued to the status bars of powerful enemies like Jiang You, Xie Fuyao, and Senior Ji Youyou.

Only when their names turned into the red [In Combat] did he dare to sneakily hit the match button at lightning speed.

Relying on this cowardly "staggered scheduling" tactic, he successfully avoided all the hard hitters, and by picking on a few fresh newbies and seniors in poor condition, he managed to grind out a three-game winning streak!

Although his record looked good, he knew in his heart that he was walking a tightrope.

5 Wins 2 Losses meant he had already lost twice, once to Xie Fuyao and once to Jiang You.

According to the rules, losing three matches in Pool 1 meant facing the outcome of being demoted.

Although he was confident he could fight his way back up from Pool 2, it would be too late by then; perhaps the top 20 would have already successfully qualified.

In other words, every match from here on out was a life-or-death game for him!

Third Tier: The Class F "All Villains" Group.

Jiang You (4 Wins 0 Losses), Lu Xingye (4 Wins 1 Loss), and Senior Ji Youyou, Qiu Yunan, Bai Zimo, and others were all 4 Wins 0 Losses.

Except for Xiang Batian, who lost a match because he had a hot head and went head-to-head with Xie Fuyao, and Ye Li, who unfortunately encountered a fire-type mage that countered her plants and lost a match, the main force of Class F was like a swarm of locusts passing through, sweeping through Pool 1.

Especially Jiang You.

To avoid writing reports and to avoid hauling bricks, this guy was absolutely bloodthirsty.

Once he entered the pod, he basically resolved the battle within a minute, came out for a drink of water, and then queued up again; his efficiency was hair-raising.

As time passed, the air in Seed Pool No. 1 became increasingly scorched.

This place was no longer the elegant "elite club" it had been at the beginning.

The cruel "three-loss elimination system" was like a ruthless sieve, sifting out those who were slightly less capable, or those unlucky enough to run into super-strong opponents, batch by batch.

On the big screen, the red [Eliminated] text flashed frequently.

Many third-year and fourth-year seniors who had been in high spirits yesterday could only leave sadly today, hugging their equipment with their heads hung low.

"It's too tragic... That Elemental Mage from Class A was also kicked out."

"Yeah, I heard that in his last match he ran into Lu Xingye, got chased and slashed for a full ten minutes, had a mental breakdown, and just surrendered directly."

Just at this moment of transition between new and old, with hearts full of anxiety, "Zzz—," that golden door symbolizing glory slowly slid open once again.