Taiwan (2-in-1)

The Twin Stars of Taiwan University are Jing Chengwen and Zhao Zhilin.

When Bai Xiaowen saw the name Zhao Zhilin, he immediately thought of Zhao Zhixiong. He glanced at Zhao Zhilin's information and confirmed that he was indeed a member of the Zhao Family on Taiwan and Zhao Zhixiong's half-brother.

"Could it be a story of the older brother avenging his younger brother?" Bai Xiaowen shook his head. That was impossible. After suffering a heavy blow last time, the Zhao Family of Taiwan had become extremely wary and dared not have any further plans to target Bai Xiaowen. Besides, it was virtually impossible for an Awakened to truly die in the battle. The Near-Death Protection Rule of the Psionic Training Ground had a priority of 10 points, which even Lord Tier powerhouse's ultimate move could not surpass.

Here's some additional information about skill star ratings. Generally speaking, Leader Tier creatures (Spirit Realm beings or mutated beasts) usually have three-star skills, while Lord Tier creatures usually have four-star skills. A very small number of Rare Boss will possess four-star skills.

As for Rare Lord? Information is extremely scarce, and there are practically no awakened beings who dare to challenge Rare Lord. However, based on this pattern, Rare Lord might possess five-star skills, which would give them a total priority of 10 points, exactly matching the priority of the Near-Death Protection Rule in the Psionic Training Ground, making it impossible to break the rule.

(There was a slight error in the priority of the Doom Bracelet, which has been corrected in the previous text. Old Ya will explain in detail in the author's comments. Please forgive me.)

Therefore, even if Zhao Zhilin has the desire for revenge, he can probably only vent his anger by defeating Bai Xiaowen on the field.

Another awakened individual, Jing Chengwen, is a member of the Jing Family family, another family on Taiwan.

"All the materials I've collected are here, including videos of Taiwan University's previous two rounds of matches. Take a look..." Yan Xiaoxin distributed the materials while inserting a storage disk and starting to play the videos.

In the video, Zhao Zhilin and Jing Chengwen's fight was indeed very well-coordinated, no less so than Bai Xiaowen and Li Shuyi's.

Bai Xiaowen was distracted as she looked through the two people's information and found it quite interesting.

[If these two were separated, they would be equivalent to two normal Elite Awakened. But when they fight side by side, it's a completely different story; they can unleash a synergistic effect in combat. The title of "Twin Stars" is truly well-deserved...]

A gasp rang out in the lounge. It was the Taiwan University Team breaking through Qi Ruifeng's Deceitful Veil. The Twin Stars attacked Qi Ruifeng from both sides, and bursts of black and white light erupted from Qi Ruifeng's body.

Despite activating his Body of Ascetic Cultivation technique, which provided powerful damage reduction, Qi Ruifeng couldn't hold on for long and collapsed, losing the match.

"Alright, that's all for the competition video. Does anyone have anything to say?" Yan Xiaoxin naturally wanted to gather ideas for the meeting, so she started with Han Xu was the first in the front row.

"They're very capable; we need to separate them," Han Xu said after a moment's thought.

"That's right. One of them is a melee fighter and the other is a ranged fighter. It's easy to separate them. Old Bai can solve the problem with one airdrop," Xiang Hui said.

"It can't be that easy... They know their weaknesses, how could they not be on guard against this? I think they probably also have a similar Tether skill as the captain..." Feng Zi'ang thought more carefully.

"Stay calm and you'll win; Lao Bai is invincible!" Chen Guowei boasted irresponsibly.

After the other members of the University Team had shared their opinions, Yan Xiaoxin finally looked at Bai Xiaowen and asked, "Captain, let's summarize. What are our chances of winning against Taiwan University?"

Bai Xiaowen hesitated for a moment. "If I say one hundred percent, wouldn't that make everyone too proud?"

"..." Yan Xiaoxin was speechless for a moment. "Just tell the truth, no joking around..."

"I'm not kidding... it's 100%," Bai Xiaowen smiled. "These two combined are said to surpass even Hero Class, but in my opinion, they're completely countered by me... The trouble these two can cause me is far less than that of Bao Yiming, a human bomb tank."

Bai Xiaowen stretched, "Based on their characteristics, the individual King of the Hill Mode will inevitably be disabled, while we'll disable the Conquest Mode. Both matches will then be team matches, and our usual training focuses on team battles... Normal training is fine tomorrow; there's no need to change the training plan..."

Bai Xiaowen looked at Yan Xiaoxin and said, "Actually, I'm more interested in who the next opponent will be... I think Teacher Yan should start looking into their information first."

Yan Xiaoxin said helplessly, "You're really confident... Well, that's a good thing, I guess. As for our next opponent, I don't know either. We'll have to draw lots again after the semifinals, which will take an extra week. After playing against Taiwan University, everyone can take a break..."

"A redraw?" Bai Xiaowen, unfamiliar with the competition format, repeated the question.

"Yes, because we need to determine the champion, runner-up, and third-place winners. The Spirit Realm Rules will reward the top three teams. If the two strongest teams meet in the semifinals, one of them, which could have competed for runner-up, will only be able to compete for third place, which is definitely unfair. Therefore, the four teams that enter the semifinals will be drawn according to their records in the four rounds of elimination matches to ensure that the two relatively strong teams do not meet in advance, saving the most exciting battle for the finals."

"Drawing lots based on knockout stage results? What does that mean?" someone asked.

"It's based on the net wins of the previous three rounds," Yan Xiaoxin explained. "For example, right now, we've gone through two rounds of elimination, both with a 2-0 victory, so our net wins are 4. In the next round, the quarterfinals, we'll face Taiwan University. If we're truly stronger than them, we should aim for a clean sweep. A net win of 6 should guarantee us first place, and then we can face the team with the fourth-best net wins..."

"The team with the best net wins plays the fourth-best, and the second-best plays the third-best... It seems fair. But why do we need to redraw the lots?" Bai Xiaowen asked.

"Because there are often ties in net wins. For example, Yanda University is currently undefeated, just like us. After another round, they might have six wins, and we'll be tied for first place. When the draw is re-drawn, net wins can ensure that we won't clash with Yanda University in the semifinals, but who we'll play against the remaining two teams depends on the draw..." Yan Xiaoxin said.

Chen Guowei curled his lip and said, "This little thing is such a hassle, taking up an extra week..."

"For the competition results to be recognized by the Spirit Realm Rules, the process cannot be taken lightly." Bai Xiaowen nodded in understanding.

"Actually, it doesn't really take up a whole week. Even if there's no tie in net wins and no draw is needed, we still have to wait an extra week," Yan Xiaoxin said. "The CUAA National Championship will be broadcast live on Central Television starting from the semifinals. This week is mainly for coordination between the organizers and the TV station."

"Live nationwide?" The University Team members present were all a little excited.

"The top-ranked University Team in the CUAA National Championship do gain a lot of attention. Take Ouyang Heng from Yanda University for example, he was generally B-Tier in terms of World Fame during the National Championship, and only gradually dropped to C-Tier after the competition ended," Yan Xiaoxin said.

"There will definitely be a lot of media chasing after me at the National Championship. It's a pity I can't go..." Chen Guowei said carelessly, resting his chin on his hands.

"... You should still train hard..." Everyone couldn't bear to discourage Chen Guowei. Generally speaking, it's difficult for Standard Class to make it into the main roster if they don't have any special characteristics.

According to Bai Xiaowen's decision, training will proceed as scheduled on Saturday.

On Sunday, Bai Xiaowen and his group arrived at the Taiwan Base City via a teleportation array.

Taiwan is surrounded by the sea on all four sides.

The oceans of the Psychic Energy Era are far more mysterious and dangerous than those of the Common Era. Countless powerful mutated sea beasts lurk within them. Among the dangerous mutated sea beasts discovered so far are highly venomous jellyfish, facehuggers, and Island-Eater Orca. Moreover, some creatures from the Spirit Realm, such as Merfolk Clan, Deep-Sea Snakefolk, and Sea Giants, have descended upon Earth's oceans through Spatial Rift, making the situation in the oceans even more complex.

Fortunately, most of the dangerous creatures mentioned above reside in the deep ocean, and attacks on islands are relatively rare. With technological reconnaissance capabilities and coastal outposts for surveillance, the people of the Taiwan Base City can Peaceful Prosperity.

After arriving in Taiwan, Bai Xiaowen and his group were most struck by the abundance of seafood. Ironclad Crab, giant lobsters, Silver-Skinned Porpoise, and other delicacies had all been incorporated into Taiwan chefs' Enhancement Recipe. After a meal, the seafood of the Psychic Energy Era conquered everyone's palates.

"No wonder the people unanimously demanded the return of Taiwan back then. From the perspective of our great foodie empire, we really can't give up an inch of land. Who knows what delicious things will grow there..." Bai Xiaowen wiped the oil from the corner of his mouth and said with lingering relish.

China is known as a food-loving empire, with its psionic cuisine industry dominating the world. Unfortunately, tourism is difficult to develop in this era; otherwise, the psionic cuisine industry alone, with its annual influx of tourists—or rather, foreign foodies—would bring immeasurable GDP to China.

This kind of eating habit is bad for ordinary people, but awakened individuals don't care.

"Seafood for breakfast..." Yan Xiaoxin sighed, "There's only one hour left until the competition. Are you done eating? If you are, let's go."

Everyone wiped their mouths and stood up. The place they had chosen was not far from Taiwan University, and they still had plenty of time.

At Taiwan University, the "Zhongzheng Auditorium" on the first floor of the "Zhongshan Building" was already packed with people.

On the north side of the stage, a group of hot, daringly dressed Taiwanese women were dancing hand in hand. Their movements were graceful, and especially the glimpse of white under their Miniskirt during their high kicks was quite alluring...

Their slogans were also quite uniform:

"Go, go, Taiwan University! Victory is certain, Taiwan University!"

"This is such a perk..." Feng Zi'ang said, covering his nose. "Why didn't we get this kind of perk in the previous rounds..."

"Perhaps it's because of different customs, Taiwanese girls are more open?" Xiang Hui said somewhat uncertainly.

"I remember Taiwanese girls being quite conservative..." Bai Xiaowen recalled the Common Era, before Taiwan...

"Alright, a bunch of cheerleaders and you're all lost in your own world? Cheer up and come up on stage with me!" Yan Xiaoxin. Looking at the group of glamorous young girls on stage, she felt like she'd been ambushed...

Finally, the Taiwan University cheerleading team left the stage amidst applause and whistles, and the two teams ascended the podium from both sides.

"Dear students and reporters, hello everyone... I am your host, Chen Baola. It's an honor to host this round of the competition... Now, I'd like to introduce the teachers leading the two teams, as well as the ten team members..."

What Yan Xiaoxin found deeply resentful was that the girl from Taiwan University who was in charge of hosting the event was also a stunningly beautiful woman with a voluptuous figure... Several of the Blood Qi team members couldn't help but dart their eyes down to the area just below the woman's neck.

The only thing that comforted Yan Xiaoxin was that Bai Xiaowen's gaze was relatively upright.

"Keep them in check, don't let them look around... it's embarrassing." Yan Xiaoxin, who was sitting next to Bai Xiaowen, said in a low voice. After speaking, she shook hands with the teacher in charge of the other team and walked down from the stage together.

Bai Xiaowen coughed and lowered his voice. "Did you all hear that? Don't be so lewd, watch the game in a civilized manner, understand?"

Yes, yes.

"That's right."

After agreeing, Feng Zi'ang suddenly realized something and whispered, "Do you think Taiwan University did this on purpose, sending a few beautiful women to wear down our morale?"

"..."

The beautiful host, Chen Baola, first introduced the visiting team members, namely the Jinghai University team.

"... Let's once again welcome the Jinghai University Team with warm applause..."

The noise in the Zhongzheng Auditorium was quite loud, but there was almost no applause; instead, there were bursts of boos and random whistles.

Chen Baola seemed used to it, and said with a smile:

"Next, let me introduce the main players of our Taiwan University. First up is our support player, Zeng Hong..."

The applause was deafening; it must be said that the audience at Taiwan University switched from boos to applause incredibly quickly.

"Ke Xin..."

"The spellcaster, Pang Lihua..."

At this point, Chen Baola raised her voice. "And our Twin Stars, the two aces from Taiwan University..."

"Shooter Zhao Zhilin and Captain Jing Chengwen! Let's give them a round of applause!"

Cheers and applause came in waves, almost lifting the roof off.

Bai Xiaowen glanced at the Twin Stars, Zhao Zhilin and Zhao Zhixiong. They did look somewhat alike, though Zhao Zhixiong was taller. Moreover, their professional roles were exactly the same—both were archers...

As for Jing Chengwen, he was slender with well-proportioned muscles. Beneath his seemingly frail body lay a formidable explosive power.

While Bai Xiaowen was sizing up the two of them, he was also being watched by his opponent.

It was obvious that all five members of the Taiwan University University's main team showed considerable hostility towards Bai Xiaowen... The reason is simple, so I won't go into details.

The hostility between Jing and Zhao, the two members of the Twin Stars, was particularly strong. Zhao Zhilin noticed Bai Xiaowen's gaze and returned it with a glare that was as if he had seen his father's killer, and he was extremely angry.

Just then, Chen Baola asked, "... Before this tense competition begins, I'd like to ask both captains what their thoughts are on this competition..."