Captain's Gauntlet Match

The following morning.

As usual, Luo Yan woke up at seven o'clock.

After washing up, changing clothes, and taking his weapons, he went to the hotel restaurant for a meal.

This hotel is specifically for students, but students from the three prestigious schools of Tiannan, Yujing, and Yingtian do not stay here together due to their large student populations.

Upon entering the restaurant, Luo Yan saw many familiar faces.

"Hey, you surnamed Luo, the best student in the first year of Yujing High School is surnamed Fu, named Fu Yan."

"He didn't participate in the match yesterday, probably to conserve his strength. You'd better be careful when facing him today, and don't get caught out."

As soon as I entered, I bumped into Yang Kui from the Yishui Academy, who was carrying a plate piled high with food.

After speaking those two sentences to Luo Yan in a serious tone, he took his things, found an empty table, and began to wolf down his food.

Luo Yan walked to the other side of their Hundred Battles Academy, put down the Longxiang, and went to get his breakfast.

Breakfast was a buffet with a wide variety of dishes, ranging from common breakfast items like millet porridge, fried dough Baozi, and steamed buns to gourmet meals like baked lobster with cheese, steamed hairy crabs, and roasted lamb chops.

The larger meals that followed were not something you could easily get your hands on, so the dining areas for those dishes were almost always packed with students.

Luo Yan didn't join the crowd. He made himself a bowl of millet porridge, grabbed a few Baozi and two fried dough sticks, and headed back.

"Classmate Luo, is this all you ate for breakfast?"

Lei Ming, the fat man who was munching on a carrot, glanced at Luo Yan and then asked, "Are you nervous about facing Yu Jing today?"

Luo Yan shook his head. He had even fought against the Overlord Giant Beast, and more than once.

Why would I get nervous just because I'm facing students from prestigious universities?

At that moment, a cold voice said from the side, "You'd better be nervous. Fu Yan, that first-year student at Yujing High School, is no pushover."

It was Zhang Tianyi from the Lingchuan Academy. He carried Luo Yan on his back, left after saying those words.

"Yes, Classmate Luo."

"Fu Yan of the Yujing Academy, Han Bai of the Yingtian Academy, and Qin Feng of the Tiannan Academy are all prominent figures in their respective first-year classes."

Be careful if you bump into something today.

After saying that, Lei Ming walked away, still chewing on his carrot.

Fu Yan...

Luo Yan certainly knew him; as a top student in Yujing, his intelligence had long been leaked.

Now that three people have warned him to be careful of Fu Yan, and even Zhang Tianyi has said so, Luo Yan has become more cautious.

After breakfast, we set off for the venue.

Upon entering the lounge, the students were all quiet today, but it was clear that everyone was nervous.

This is perfectly normal.

After all, they were facing Yujing Academy, apart from students like Luo Yan and Bai? who had been on the Battlefield.

Most students haven't experienced much hardship, so it's natural for them to be nervous when facing students from prestigious universities.

Zhao Ping came out to encourage everyone.

"I know we're facing Yujing today, and everyone's very nervous."

"To be honest, I was very nervous too."

"However, think about it, the fact that we're actually competing on the same stage as a prestigious school like Yujing is something I doubt many of you imagined before we set off."

"So today, everyone should approach this competition with an attitude of enjoyment."

"We don't need to feel too much pressure. It's already great that we made it into the top three. Even if we lost today, I don't think there's anything shameful about it."

"So everyone relax, just do your best!"

Just then, a staff member knocked on the door and announced, "Hundred Battles Academy, get ready to go!"

Zhao Ping exhaled, picked up his weapon, and shouted, "Let's go, let's go!"

As they entered the venue, cheers erupted. The audience did not look down on the Hundred Battles Academy because it was not a prestigious school; on the contrary, they gave them great encouragement.

Amid cheers, Luo Yan and his group arrived near the arena, only to see another team emerge from the opposite side.

Today, the number of students from the Yujing Academy who participated was only half of what it was yesterday.

Recalling the fierce match yesterday afternoon, Luo Yan thought that most of the opposing team's players were probably receiving treatment and unable to play.

At this point, the referee invited both team captains to come up to the stage.

Six team captains from each of the two Academy came to the stage.

From Yujing's side, a student dressed in a black training uniform, with long black hair flowing down his back, exuded a sharp aura.

"I am Li Jun, a second-year student. Hello, classmates from Baizhan."

"I have a suggestion; please consider it."

"As you can see, we only have half the usual number of participants today."

"So, I think we shouldn't waste our time."

"We'll send three students from each of our first and second year classes to form a team for a 'relay race'. What do you think?" "Of course, if you don't want that, just suggest whatever format you'd like, and Yujing will be happy to oblige."

Immediately, Luo Yan and the others exchanged glances.

Finally, several people looked at Li Bohang, wanting to hear his opinion.

Li Bohang smiled and said, "Senior Li Jun, can we discuss this?"

Li Jun, arms crossed, smiled and nodded, saying with impeccable manners, "Please go ahead."

So Luo Yan and the other six team leaders gathered together.

Li Bohang glanced towards Yujing and said, "Although they have fewer people today, we may not necessarily gain the upper hand."

"To be honest, our combat strength is still somewhat lacking compared to the Academy like Yishui and Lingchuan, let alone prestigious schools like Yujing."

"Therefore, unless it's a ' Captain's Match,' Yujing doesn't have any obvious disadvantages."

"Even if we play the ' Captain's Match,' we're not guaranteed to win."

Luo Yan wholeheartedly agreed; if it were a life-or-death struggle, he didn't think he would lose.

However, the competition had too many restrictions. Just the fact that he couldn't use his most powerful "Ultimate Skill" already put Luo Yan at a significant disadvantage.

Furthermore, trump cards like the Primordial Spirit Projection and sword shadow cannot be used.

Facing Fu Yan of Yujing, Luo Yan really didn't dare to say he was guaranteed to win.

Liu Ruohan decisively said, "Then let's listen to them and use a 'relay race' strategy."

"Firstly, to show respect."

"Secondly, having our six strongest members in the battle reduces many variables."

The decision was passed quickly.

Returning to the field, Zhao Ping stepped forward on behalf of the Hundred Battles Academy and said, "Yesterday, everyone from the Yujing Academy showed us the prestige of a renowned institution."

"We have the utmost respect for you all, so, well, we agree with your school's suggestion."

"Our team will field six captains, and we'll decide the winner through a 'gauntlet' battle!"

The decision was quickly announced on the big screen.

The participating teams from both universities were also announced at the same time.

For Yujing, the players are: Li Jun, Zhang Xiaowan, Wei Feng, Fu Yan, Su Dingbei, and Yang Ziqi.

On the Hundred Battles Academy's side, it was Zhao Ping, Bai?, Liu Ruohan, Luo Yan, Lin Wei, and Li Bohang.

Next, the referee announced loudly, "Please come to the stage as the first player from each team."

Inside the Hundred Battles Academy, Luo Yan, carrying the Longxiang, said in a deep voice, "I'll lead the charge."