Preliminary Selection Champions (Two Chapters in One)

A wave of scorching heat rolled over from that direction. The lava pool's temperature was clearly nothing like before, the sulfur in the air was thick enough to choke them, and the ground beneath their feet began to grow hot.

Ye Zhiqiu turned to look. Deep in the valley, the lava pool was churning, its surface nearly a meter higher than before. Bubbles constantly rose through the dark red lava, and large numbers of Earthfire Lizards were crawling out along the shore.

Just then, the enormous bodies of the two Earthfire Red Dragons began to fade. Their dark red scales peeled away one by one, shattering into luminous dust that drifted upward. Within seconds, their massive bodies had become translucent.

A red portal appeared out of thin air before the three of them. Dark red light glowed along its frame, while everything inside was too hazy to make out.

Nothing emerged from the portal. Instead, a large hand formed from light reached out and beckoned to the three of them.

Behind them, the lava pool suddenly began to churn violently. Great sheets of lava surged toward the shore several times faster than before, and the rolling heat blew the hair above their foreheads backward.

Seeing this, Ye Zhiqiu hesitated no longer. He grabbed Dong Qianqiu's wrist with one hand and patted Lan Mengqin's shoulder with the other.

"Let's go."

The three of them charged into the portal together.

The ground vanished beneath their feet. The weightlessness lasted about two seconds before their feet landed on solid ground.

The scenery before them changed abruptly.

They were still in a valley, but it was completely different from the barren, scorched valley they had left.

Everything here was lush and green. Vegetation grew everywhere, and overlapping crowns of tall trees concealed most of the sky.

The air carried the scent of plants and soil, crisp and damp—a stark contrast to the sulfur stench from before.

Just then, footsteps sounded from deep in the woods.

Ye Zhiqiu glanced in that direction without becoming tense. He could sense that the approaching presence was not dangerous.

A slender figure stepped out from the shadows of the trees, smiling. It was Xu Musheng.

"You did very well and achieved quite impressive results." She stopped about five paces before them, her gaze passing over their faces in turn before settling on Ye Zhiqiu. A hint of appraisal entered her smile.

"You were transported here because there's something I need to tell you."

She paused, then continued, "Would you like to skip the Preliminary Selection and receive guaranteed admission to the Second Round? The Second Round takes place directly at the academy on the Home Planet."

"However, if you do, you won't receive any Lucky Wheel you might earn in the Preliminary Selection Examination. The Lucky Wheel from this attempt won't be affected, though."

Hearing this, the three exchanged glances and nodded.

Ye Zhiqiu said, "That works for us. Thank you, Senior."

At the word "Senior," Xu Musheng froze slightly, then smiled.

"Then good luck to all three of you, juniors."

She stepped back, her figure began to blur, and an instant later, she vanished into the lush woods.

The three stood there for a while before Ye Zhiqiu said, "Let's go. Time to head out."

Light flashed, and the woods and sky before them dissolved into a pure white void.

The Simulation Pod's metal mask slowly rose, and transparent gel slid down its walls.

Ye Zhiqiu stepped out of the Simulation Pod and stretched his neck.

The two neighboring Simulation Pods opened at the same time, and Dong Qianqiu and Lan Mengqin climbed out one after the other.

Before the three could speak, they realized the training room was packed with people.

All twenty-seven students of Class One were there, not a single one missing. They had all been waiting outside, and as the three emerged from their Simulation Pods, every gaze swung toward them.

Ye Wenduo stood at the front, with several instructors and the Vice Dean beside him.

They, too, breathed sighs of relief at seeing the three emerge, their faces full of anticipation. After all, this was the last team to come out.

"They're out! They're out!"

"Ye Zhiqiu and the others are out!"

"How was it? What happened in there?"

"Thank you, Zhiqiu."

A crowd of students gathered around, bombarding them with questions.

Ye Wenduo stepped forward and motioned for silence, then looked at Ye Zhiqiu. "What exactly happened? Two Earthfire Red Dragons appeared at once?"

Ye Zhiqiu nodded and briefly recounted what had happened.

The Earthfire Red Dragons had crossed the ridge, and the Preliminary Selection had entered its second phase. The dragons prioritized attacking humans, and all the remaining teams were eliminated until only the three of them remained. Both dragons bore down on them at once, so they split up to handle them. He killed one, while Dong Qianqiu and Lan Mengqin held the other back, and he finished it off afterward.

The instructors exchanged glances, unable to hide their surprise.

Two ten-thousand-year Earthfire Red Dragons had been defeated by three students—three intermediate division students.

Ye Wenduo glanced at Ye Zhiqiu, his expression barely changing. This boy had shocked him far too many times already.

Beside him, the Vice Dean stroked his beard. "All right. Don't spread word of this for now. Wait until the results are announced."

"Understood."

Then Ye Zhiqiu added, "There's something else. Senior Xu said we could skip the Preliminary Selection and receive guaranteed admission to the Second Round."

The training room fell silent for an instant, then erupted even more loudly than before.

"Skip the Preliminary Selection?"

"Guaranteed admission straight to the Second Round?"

"So they don't need to wait for the Preliminary Selection rankings?"

"My heavens, is this what absolute strength looks like..."

The instructors were stunned as well, but once they understood, excitement spread across their faces.

Guaranteed admission to the Second Round meant the Preliminary Selection system had explicitly acknowledged the trio's strength. They did not even need rankings to prove themselves.

That meant their academy had three guaranteed candidates heading to Douluo Planet!

But it also meant their academy's students would lose the trio's support in the next examination, making it considerably harder.

The other students wore complicated expressions. They were envious, certainly, but no one thought it unreasonable.

He was a monster who had slain two Earthfire Red Dragons himself, and his teammates were two fierce talents who had held the other dragon back for so long. Not granting them guaranteed admission would have been the real problem.

Besides, many of their classmates owed Ye Zhiqiu their thanks.

Afterward, the training room gradually emptied.

Ye Zhiqiu and the two girls returned to their respective dormitories to wash up and rest.

The following afternoon, Ye Zhiqiu, Dong Qianqiu, and Lan Mengqin were summoned to Ye Wenduo's office.

The office was not large: a desk, a few chairs, and a Soul Guidance Display mounted on the wall.

The screen showed a blank results page, with a heading across the top.

"Douluo Federation Shrek Academy Preliminary Selection Examination · Heaven Dou Star Region · Results Announcement."

The screen was on, but the data had not appeared yet.

All of Class One's instructors were there, along with the Vice Dean. They sat scattered around the office, and the atmosphere was much quieter than during their usual lessons.

Ye Wenduo tapped his fingers lightly against the desk twice, then said, "The Preliminary Selection results for all of Heaven Dou Star will be announced shortly."

"As in previous years, the Preliminary Selection is the fiercest round, eliminating the most candidates. Your results here are crucial to whether you advance."

He paused, then continued, "This is a truly comprehensive examination. Among the tens of thousands of candidates on Heaven Dou Star, only the top one hundred teams can advance to the next round. Three people per team, making three hundred in total."

Ye Zhiqiu sat relaxed in a chair beside him.

Dong Qianqiu and Lan Mengqin sat next to him, hands resting on their knees, their expressions calm.

In fact, all three were quite relaxed. Their admission to the Second Round was already guaranteed, after all. Still, they wanted to see the rankings and find out how far their points could take them.

The other instructors in the office, however, were nowhere near as composed.

About ten minutes passed.

"They're out!"

An instructor's eager cry made everyone in the office straighten up at once, their eyes turning in unison toward the illuminated Soul Guidance Display.

Ye Wenduo also leaned forward slightly, pressing his fingers against the desk.

The rankings from ninety-first to one hundredth appeared first.

Three lines of names appeared, followed by their academies and scores.

Ye Wenduo scanned them swiftly. Heaven Dou Academy's name was absent, and he tapped the desk lightly.

The instructors beside him grew tense as well. A middle-aged female instructor wearing glasses could not help murmuring, "None of ours are ranked ninety-first or below?"

"Don't worry. It's only just started," another instructor replied, though there was clear uncertainty in the tone.

The screen changed, revealing the rankings from eighty-first to ninetieth.

Ye Wenduo's gaze swept down a line, then stopped.

"Eighty-third... Zhou Ze's team, Heaven Dou Academy, seventy-nine points."

The atmosphere in the office noticeably eased.

"Zhou Ze's team made it!" An instructor slapped the desk and laughed with relief.

Zhou Ze was Ye Zhiqiu's roommate, the quiet boy who rarely stood out. His Martial Soul was a Short Staff, practical but unremarkable. Placing eighty-third had already exceeded expectations.

"Seventy-nine points. That's not low," the Vice Dean said.

"The key is that they were our first team eliminated. Zhou Ze and the others were probably knocked out shortly after the second phase began. Ranking eighty-third despite that means they performed well in the first phase," Ye Wenduo analyzed.

The instructors nodded in agreement.

Then someone suddenly realized something.

"Wait. Zhou Ze's team was the first from our class to be eliminated?"

"Yes. They were caught in the Fire Meteor barrage just a few minutes into the second phase."

"If even they ranked eighty-third..."

The instructor stopped there, and everyone's gaze turned back to the screen. Relief on their faces gave way to faint anticipation.

If the first team eliminated could rank eighty-third, Heaven Dou Academy's name would only appear more often higher up the rankings.

Sure enough, two more teams from Heaven Dou Academy appeared among the rankings from seventy-first to eightieth.

"Seventy-sixth, Li Wei's team, ninety-one points."

"Seventy-second, Zhao Tianlei's team, one hundred and seventeen points."

Quiet discussions began in the office, and several instructors looked much more relaxed.

The Vice Dean set down his teacup. "That's three teams. We haven't seen the other six yet. Let's hope their names appear higher up."

The rankings on the screen continued upward.

There were no teams from Heaven Dou Academy among sixty-first through seventieth.

The office quieted somewhat, but no one spoke. Everyone knew the main event still lay ahead.

The later their names appeared now, the better their results!

Every instructor prayed their names would not appear too soon!

Fifty-first through sixtieth still had none.

The screen refreshed to show forty-first through fiftieth, and Heaven Dou Academy's name appeared.

"Forty-seventh, Ren Xiaoyuan, ... team, Heaven Dou Academy, four hundred and sixty-three points."

Class monitor Ren Xiaoyuan.

A chorus of soft gasps rose in the office.

Ren Xiaoyuan's strength ranked among the top five in their class, so his team making the top fifty was not particularly surprising.

"Four hundred and sixty-three? And that's only forty-seventh," an instructor said involuntarily.

"Zhou Ze's team ranked eighty-third with seventy-nine points, while Chen Yilei's team ranked forty-seventh with four hundred and sixty-three. That's quite a gap in scores," Ye Wenduo said.

Two Heaven Dou Academy teams appeared among thirty-first through fortieth.

"Thirty-eighth, Lin Xiao's team, five hundred and eighty-two points."

"Thirty-fourth, Zhou Yutong's team, six hundred and fourteen points."

"Five teams now," the Vice Dean counted.

No one in the office remained seated. The instructors had all stood up and gathered closer to the screen.

Another appeared among twenty-first through thirtieth.

"Twenty-sixth, Sun Hao's team, eight hundred and seventy-one points."

"Seven teams."

"Three more teams higher up."

The tension mounted. Some began pacing back and forth, while others kept tapping their fingers against the desk.

Eleventh through twentieth.

"Nineteenth, Wang Xue's team, one thousand two hundred and three points."

"Two teams left."

From tenth through second, names appeared on the screen line by line.

"Sixth, Li Meng's team, Heaven Dou Academy, two thousand one hundred and fifty-two points."

The office fell silent for an instant.

Then several instructors drew sharp breaths at once.

"Sixth!"

"Heaven Dou Academy has a team in sixth place?!"

"Li Meng's team made sixth?!"

Over two thousand points, ranking sixth among tens of thousands of candidates—in previous years, such a result would already have represented Heaven Dou Academy's peak.

"Wait," Ye Wenduo suddenly said, his voice quiet but heavy.

While everyone else was still focused on that line of names, his gaze had already moved to the top of the screen.

The first-place entry.

A golden crown icon appeared before the names. It was small, but it stood out sharply amid the screenful of white lettering.

Ye Wenduo stared at that line for three full seconds.

Then he slowly read it aloud.

"First place, Ye Zhiqiu, Dong Qianqiu, Lan Mengqin, Heaven Dou Academy, points..."

"Twenty-five thousand three hundred and forty-one!"

This time, the entire office fell silent.

Twenty-five thousand three hundred and forty-one.

Li Meng's team ranked sixth, with 2,152 points.

Zhou Ze's team ranked eighty-third, with 79 points.

Everyone rapidly compared all the numbers in their heads.

Over twenty-five thousand points—fifteen thousand more than second place. The second-place team had just over four thousand points. In other words, the score of Ye Zhiqiu's three-person team equaled the combined total of the ninety-nine teams behind them.

They were first place in every sense of the word!