On the Challenge Platform.
Su Ye and Liu Shanzhen had already exchanged forty or fifty moves.
The look on Liu Shanzhen's face had shifted from shock to panic, then to numbness.
Thud.
Liu Shanzhen took a heavy step back and found himself at the edge of the platform.
Su Ye smiled faintly.
"I appreciate the match."
Boom!
A punch sent Liu Shanzhen tumbling helplessly off the platform.
With a rueful smile, Liu Shanzhen cupped his fists toward Su Ye.
"I lost... Su Ye, your Basic Combat Technique really is strong. We'll fight again in the Elite Class."
Liu Shanzhen had no doubt Su Ye would make it into the Elite Class.
He had lost this time.
But next time, he would win.
With three victories secured, Su Ye had passed the first round of selection.
Round four.
Even when facing a long-legged beauty, Su Ye was gentlemanly enough to knock her off the platform with a single punch.
Round five.
Su Ye gave his opponent a strange look.
Of all people... he had run into Xia Zhiqiu.
Xia Zhiqiu looked miserable, though. A red lump swelled on his forehead, and his school uniform was crooked, as if...
"Ahem, Lao Xia, what happened to you?"
Xia Zhiqiu looked ready to cry.
"A'Su, I got bullied!"
"I ran into Meng Li in my very first match, and that guy hits way too hard! I was going to put up a fight, but... I took a punch straight to the head. I'm still dizzy."
Su Ye pressed a hand to his forehead.
Taking a punch with your head, Xia Zhiqiu? You really are a Ruthless Person.
Xia Zhiqiu went on lamenting his miserable experience.
"My head was still spinning when I ran into Mu Wanrou in the second match. She wasn't gentle at all—she knocked me right off the platform."
"A'Su, I've already lost twice. Looks like we'll be heading back to Class Seventeen together."
"The Elite Class is out of reach."
"Oh, right. How did you do, A'Su?"
Su Ye said, "Not bad. I won four matches."
Xia Zhiqiu was so envious he nearly cried.
"A'Su, you're way too lucky."
Four wins meant advancing to the next round.
His chances of advancing any further might be slim, but it was still impressive. He could go back and brag about it.
"Your luck isn't bad either."
Su Ye simply jumped off the platform.
For the sake of their friendship, he gave Xia Zhiqiu a point.
The first round of random matchups took the entire morning. Principal Zhang announced that everyone with at least three wins should eat lunch and return to the Gymnasium that afternoon.
At lunchtime, Xia Zhiqiu went out to look around and soon came back with news.
"A'Su, did you know? Only three people from our class made it into this afternoon's platform defense: Zhao Fei, me, and you."
"But Wen Ran, who's second in Martial Arts in our class, had terrible luck. She ran into the top students from Class Five, Class Seven, and Class Eight one after another. Three straight losses, and she was eliminated."
"As for Class Twenty-Three, Class Twenty-Six, Class Twenty-Nine, and Class Thirty, they were wiped out. Not one of them made it to the afternoon round."
Xia Zhiqiu shared everything he had learned with Su Ye.
"I heard only a little over 120 people made it into the afternoon's platform defense after the morning's random matches."
"A little over 120? Shouldn't there be 150?"
Su Ye was puzzled.
"Well, some matches ended in draws."
Xia Zhiqiu chuckled.
"Good thing you had my back, A'Su. I had no strength left by our last match. At best, I'd have managed a draw with you, and then I wouldn't have made it into the afternoon round."
"Still, in this state, it'll be hard for me to hold a platform this afternoon."
Xia Zhiqiu had thought getting into the Elite Class would be a breeze. Who knew... if A'Su hadn't gone easy on him, he'd have been eliminated in the first round.
The Gymnasium.
More than half the people were gone from the Gymnasium that afternoon, leaving it looking much emptier.
Fifty Challenge Platforms were spread across the Stadium.
At Principal Zhang's signal, quite a few people leaped straight onto the platforms.
Su Ye raised an eyebrow.
He had expected most people to wait and see. Instead, all fifty platforms were occupied in the blink of an eye.
But after a moment's thought, Su Ye understood.
Only a little over 120 people remained, competing for fifty platforms.
On the surface, that meant just two or three matches per platform.
But in reality...
The seventy-odd people still waiting would target the weakest-looking fighters among the fifty already on the platforms.
As for the strongest...
People like Meng Li, the top Martial Arts student in their year, and Mu Wanrou and Xiao Qiyue, who had awakened Supernatural Abilities, probably wouldn't be challenged at all.
In that case, it made sense to claim a platform immediately.
They might secure a place in the Elite Class without even having to fight.
"Damn, that was fast!"
Beside him, Xia Zhiqiu cried out in surprise.
"A'Su, let's head farther back and see if we can find an easy opening."
Plenty of others clearly had the same idea as Xia Zhiqiu.
The lower a platform's ranking, the more people waited to challenge it. Long lines had even formed in front of some platforms.
By contrast, hardly anyone wanted to challenge the higher-ranked platforms.
Meng Li had gone so far as to sit cross-legged in the center of his platform and begin cultivating.
Before long, Xia Zhiqiu picked a platform too.
Platform No. 42.
Its defender was a little strong.
But Xia Zhiqiu wanted to try.
Besides, the line here wasn't particularly long—only five or six people.
Xia Zhiqiu joined the back of the line.
"What about you, A'Su?"
"I..."
Su Ye was still hesitating.
Just then, a figure slowly approached from behind.
When Xia Zhiqiu saw who it was, his eyes widened.
"Liu Shanzhen?!"
"He didn't claim a platform straightaway? He's here to challenge someone instead?! My god, he's at the Eighth Level of Kaiyuan!"
"Don't come here, don't come here. Please don't come here!"
Xia Zhiqiu couldn't help praying under his breath.
But...
His worst fear came true.
Liu Shanzhen really was heading for this platform.
Just as Xia Zhiqiu was falling into despair and wondering whether to find another platform to challenge, Liu Shanzhen suddenly stopped.
His eyes fixed on Su Ye at the back of the line.
As if he'd seen a ghost, Liu Shanzhen spun around.
He ran off so fast he practically flew.
What the hell?!
The reason he hadn't dared claim a platform was that he hadn't seen Su Ye anywhere. He was worried Su Ye might choose a familiar opponent and come challenge him.
So he had deliberately avoided claiming a platform, hoping to stay clear of Su Ye.
But who would have thought...
Su Ye was here too.
Of course I'm running!
The people in line looked puzzled when they saw Liu Shanzhen flee.
They were curious, too.
It looked like... Liu Shanzhen had been scared off?
Who was strong enough to frighten Liu Shanzhen like that?
Was there some incredible expert here?!
Xia Zhiqiu scratched his head.
"A'Su, I have a wild theory."
"Go on."
"I think Liu Shanzhen looked at me right before he ran off."
Su Ye: ...
After a moment's silence, Su Ye nodded firmly.
"You're right, Lao Xia. Liu Shanzhen was scared off by you!"
Whoosh!
The people who had been standing in line around Xia Zhiqiu immediately scattered and went to queue at other platforms.
Nope. Not messing with him.
He's an expert who made even Liu Shanzhen flee at the sight of him!
Before you continue