In the blink of an eye, it was time for the tournament.
The atmosphere throughout Canglan seemed to come alive again, and many teams headed in with confident smiles.
The spectator stands were already packed with students. Many had begun discussing which teams were strong, and some had even started taking bets.
At a spot overlooking every battle area, Faluo and Yu Qingnian stood in formal attire, watching the steady stream of students still pouring in.
"Holy shit, why does your suit look completely different from mine?!" Faluo cried out. He tugged at his own suit, then looked at Yu Qingnian. Was he really not suited to wearing one?
Yu Qingnian smiled and looked down at his burgundy suit. Seemingly reminded of something, he said, "A suit only really feels ceremonial when you wear it at a time like this."
Sequence Masters usually wore casual clothes, but for a major event like this at the academy, it was better to dress formally.
Faluo glanced at the small watch on his wrist and asked with a puzzled look, "It's about time to start. Isn't Cang Lao coming?"
"Cang Lao seemed pretty happy today. Maybe he'll come," Yu Qingnian said, glancing at the crowd outside.
Elsewhere, Li Chen looked at the others, who had all arrived, and nodded.
Then they entered the Battle Institute arena.
They each wore a small earpiece, a communication device Meng Xi had custom-made.
This was a competition, after all. They couldn't afford to be careless.
Communication was the best way to break through a difficult situation.
The arena inside the Battle Institute was large. It had been converted from the battle grounds and divided into five separate sections.
That was because there were too many teams competing to have them fight one at a time.
"Hmm... the arenas are much smaller," Li Chen said, stroking his chin and narrowing his eyes.
The smaller arenas were good for the academy, since several matches could take place at once, but they made things difficult for the students. Less space meant much less room to maneuver.
Someone with an ability like Meng Xi's, for example, might have an opponent right in her face before she could even use it.
Su Zhe pointed at a long-haired, black-haired man in the distance, where quite a few people had begun to gather, and whispered, "Chen-ge, that guy seems to be Su Xian, the one ranked first!"
"I even looked him up when I got back. I had no idea until I checked, and what I found shocked me!"
Li Chen frowned, looking a little puzzled.
Luo Lin cut Su Zhe off. "Nobody knows exactly what Su Xian's ability is, but some people who challenged him said it seems to be a summoning-type ability."
"And his team seems to be made up of people ranked in the top twenty."
Su Zhe nodded vigorously. Luo Lin had already said everything he wanted to say, so that was all he could do.
"Top twenty? And a summoning type?" Li Chen gave him a brief, indifferent glance and thought no more of it.
He was only here to go through the motions. He had no intention of winning the championship or competing for a spot.
By now, almost every team had arrived, and all that remained was for the competition to begin. Their opponents had already been assigned according to the number they had drawn, so they only needed to take the stage and fight.
"Damn, this is fucking spectacular!" Su Zhe looked out at the battle grounds in some shock. The place that had once been empty was now a sea of people.
Even vendors had come in to sell sunflower seeds and drinks.
A very familiar voice came over the broadcast. It was Yu Qingnian.
[All teams, please proceed to the battle grounds at the Battle Institute and prepare to face your opponents.]
[The waiting area...]
Before long, the Canglan Tournament began.
There were only five arenas, and Li Chen and the others hadn't moved yet because it wasn't their turn to fight.
For the most part, ordinary teams were fighting. Some celebrated their victories, while others learned lessons from their defeats.
But the atmosphere in the Battle Institute didn't seem to have fully heated up yet. The ordinary students' fights were too simple: their abilities were nothing special, and they weren't particularly strong.
In the waiting area, many people paid little attention to the ordinary students' fights and discussed other things instead.
"Chen-ge, which team are we up against?" Su Zhe asked, a hint of anticipation in his eyes.
After all, it was his first time taking part in a fight on such a large scale. It was something he had never dared imagine before.
Li Chen glanced at his Student Badge. "Team 12."
"Number 12?" Su Zhe narrowed his eyes and looked at the floating match schedule overhead. The light for number 12 hadn't lit up yet, meaning the fight hadn't started.
The names of the competitors weren't displayed, either. Apparently, they wouldn't be known until the fighters took the stage.
Jianping, who was sitting beside them, spoke up. "Instructor Yu told us to go easy on them. Our opponents are a few students from Special Class 2."
His words left Su Zhe baffled. "Instructor Yu actually has time to message you right now?"
Jianping shook his head and pulled up yesterday's messages on his Student Badge.
[8:53 p.m.]
[Instructor Yu: Your team will be fighting Team 12 tomorrow. Go easy on them. That team was trained by Instructor Fa. Mainly, he and I have a little side bet.]
[Jianping: ...Okay. Can I have half?]
[Yu Qingnian: ...]
The exchange left the group bewildered.
"A side bet? What's that?" Meng Xi and Luo Lin, who had never encountered such things, were both puzzled, but Li Chen and the others understood.
After all, the boys had long since figured such things out.
Su Zhe coughed and took a deep breath. "It means money. Instructor Yu and Instructor Fa both put money on the two teams."
Meng Xi: "..."
So that was what it meant. She had even spent time thinking it over.
While they were chatting, several figures not far away also seemed to be discussing something.
The speaker was a blond man. He fiddled with the gold thumb ring in his hand as he rambled, "Xian-ge, it feels completely pointless to take part in this competition! We're guaranteed a spot in the team battles. Even if we don't compete, Canglan will hand us that spot sooner or later!"
Su Xian ignored him and looked toward the battle grounds instead. A trace of indifference flashed in his eyes, and the corners of his lips lifted slightly.
A few seconds later, he said, "A Jin, you should fix that bad habit of yours. You're always so full of yourself. Do you really think Canglan has declined?"
"You can't judge Canglan by appearances. Just from the team battles so far, I've already spotted five teams hiding their strength."
"Hiding their strength?" A Jin stopped fiddling with his ring and looked at the five arenas, puzzled.
But Su Xian didn't tell him. He told him to find them himself.
What was frightening wasn't hidden strength, but being defeated without ever noticing that someone had hidden their strength.