Admitting Defeat Before the Fight?

"Hmm." Yu Xiaogang nodded. "During class today, I discovered that this student is somewhat special."

Tang San's gaze flickered. "Does Teacher also feel that he is special?"

Yu Xiaogang keenly caught the strangeness in Tang San's tone. "Why, do you have the same feeling?"

Tang San nodded and voiced the thoughts in his heart. "In class today, it seemed like everyone's attention was on Lin Yi."

He recalled the events of the day and said, "It wasn't just the students; even the teachers were the same."

Yu Xiaogang concurred, "Indeed. Usually, those teachers would never come to audit a class."

He paused, then added, "Teacher Li came by just a moment ago. His words were loaded, as if he were hinting at something."

"Hinting at what?" Tang San asked immediately.

"He didn't say it explicitly." Yu Xiaogang shook his head. "He only asked for my opinion on Lin Yi and said some things that were hard to understand."

He pondered for a moment before picking up the file again. "On the surface, Lin Yi's Martial Soul has nothing special about it. But I have never heard of this type of Martial Soul. It is highly likely a mutated Tool Martial Soul, and the direction of the mutation is not strong."

Tang San was puzzled. "Then why is he able to attract so much attention?"

"That is also what I want to know." Yu Xiaogang sighed. "Perhaps he has some background we are unaware of, or..."

He stopped, leaving the sentence unfinished.

Or what?

Or perhaps there was some secret about this child, and he and Tang San were the only ones in the entire academy who didn't know.

But this thought flashed through Yu Xiaogang's mind only to be quickly dismissed.

It was unlikely.

After all, if there really were some secret, why would he and Tang San be the only ones left in the dark?

Furthermore, given his years of experience and insight in the Spirit Master world, if there were truly a major secret, there would at least be some traces left behind.

Yet, as it stood, aside from everyone paying excessive attention to Lin Yi, his behavior showed no abnormalities.

"Teacher," Tang San suddenly asked, "will Lin Yi be participating in the year-end competition in two days?"

Yu Xiaogang glanced at the notebook Teacher Li had left behind. "According to tradition, all first-year students must participate. However, given his strength, it is highly probable he will be eliminated in the first round."

Tang San's eyes darkened. "I want to face him in the competition."

"Why?" Yu Xiaogang was somewhat surprised. "With your current strength, dealing with a Support-type Spirit Master should be without suspense."

Tang San said calmly, "I want to test his depth personally, and besides..."

He did not finish the second half of his sentence.

Besides, he wanted to know why this suddenly appearing Lin Yi was capable of attracting Xiao Wu's attention.

Yu Xiaogang looked at Tang San and suddenly understood something.

He asked, "San, has something happened between you and Xiao Wu?"

Tang San's body stiffened slightly. He remained silent for a few seconds before answering in a low voice, "Nothing, it's just that she has been somewhat distant from me lately."

"Is it because of Lin Yi?"

"I don't know." Tang San shook his head. "But ever since Lin Yi appeared, everything has changed."

Yu Xiaogang sighed, stood up, and walked to the window.

With his back to Tang San, he said, "San, as your teacher, I shouldn't interfere too much in your private affairs. But you must remember, the path of a Spirit Master is long and lonely; most of the time, we can only rely on ourselves."

Tang San nodded. "I understand, Teacher."

"As for Lin Yi..." Yu Xiaogang turned around, his gaze becoming sharp. "If he truly has some secret, then he will surely reveal a flaw during the year-end competition. When that time comes, we will naturally be able to see clearly."

A trace of determination flashed in Tang San's eyes. "I will force out his true strength during the competition."

Two days passed in the blink of an eye.

Notting Academy's annual year-end competition was held at the Martial Arts Arena in the center of the academy.

The Martial Arts Arena was the largest open space in the academy. Usually, students conducted physical training here, but today it had been temporarily converted into a competition ring.

The boundaries of the ring were marked with white lines, and the surrounding area was already crowded with students and teachers.

Students from the first to the sixth grade were all required to participate in the year-end competition, but the most anticipated event was the first-year freshman competition.

Because these children had only recently awakened their Martial Souls and the gap in their strength was not yet vast, the matches were often more suspenseful.

Of course, that was only the case in previous years.

This year, everyone's gaze was focused on one person: Lin Yi.

"Have you heard? That new work-study student, Lin Yi, seems to have some incredible strength."

"What strength? I heard he's just an ordinary Support-type?"

"What do you know? Yesterday I heard Wang Sheng say that Lin Yi's Martial Soul might not be simple..."

"Pfft, no matter what, he's still just a Support-type Spirit Master. He'll definitely be wiped out in the first round."

The students who had never interacted with Lin Yi or heard his inner voice whispered among themselves, their eyes scanning the crowd to find him.

At this moment, Lin Yi was standing at the very end of the first-year line, his mind frantically complaining.

[So many people watching, it's like a sports meet.]

[Even though this plot point wasn't in the original work, is the outcome really that hard to guess? It's either Tang San or Xiao Wu taking first place.]

[Whatever, I'm just here to go through the motions. I'll just forfeit in the first round to save time.]

Lin Yi made up his mind; he would concede as soon as he stepped onto the stage.

He had no desire to expose his strength in such a public setting, especially not in front of Tang San and Yu Xiaogang.

Keep a low profile, absolutely keep a low profile.

However, what he didn't know was that the moment his inner voice rang out, the person paired with him had already decided: there was no need for him to forfeit, as they would concede first.

The other students who heard this inner voice for the first time were slightly stunned, but they quickly understood what Wang Sheng had been talking about.

This new work-study student was indeed unique.

"Quiet!"

The teacher presiding over the competition stepped onto the arena. He was a middle-aged man in his forties named Teacher Zhang, whose martial soul was an Iron-Back Ape, known for its immense strength.

Teacher Zhang scanned the surroundings and announced in a booming voice, "The annual year-end competition begins now. We will start with the first-year freshman matches. The rules are simple: it is an arena-style format. Being knocked off the stage, failing to stand up after ten seconds on the ground, or voluntarily forfeiting results in a loss. Intentionally causing serious injury is prohibited; violators will be disqualified and face academy disciplinary action."

"Now, those whose names are called, come up to the stage!"

Teacher Zhang pulled out a list. "First match, Wang Sheng versus Li Qiang!"

The two work-study students stepped onto the arena, exchanged bows, and began their bout.

Wang Sheng's War Tiger martial soul was considered quite strong among the first years, while Li Qiang's Vine martial soul, though possessing decent control, lacked sufficient offensive power.

After a dozen exchanges, Wang Sheng seized an opportunity, forcing Li Qiang to the edge of the stage with a tiger claw strike before slamming his shoulder into him, knocking Li Qiang off the platform.

"Wang Sheng wins," Teacher Zhang announced.

A wave of cheers erupted from the crowd, with the work-study students being particularly excited.

Wang Sheng was considered a powerhouse among them, and his victory brought face to all the work-study students.

The subsequent matches held no suspense; the stronger students won easily, while the weaker ones were quickly eliminated.

Lin Yi watched from below, feeling drowsy.

[So boring, it's just a bunch of kids fighting.]

[If this were in the Tang Sect, it wouldn't even meet the standards for an outer disciple assessment.]

[But then again, I'm only six years old now, so I suppose I don't have the right to call others kids.]