As time went on, the students who had made it into the top sixteen became wildly popular online.
Huge numbers of people discussed them almost every day.
And at this stage, aside from Yu Sheng, the remaining students were actually very close in strength.
Every one of them had a chance of reaching the quarterfinals.
Even Yuan Qingshan could no longer conveniently rig things. After all, he could previously call it selecting the strong, but doing it now... would truly be malicious manipulation.
Of course, there still had to be a few little maneuvers.
As far as possible, students from the same academy were kept from facing each other in the round of sixteen.
The academies were paired against one another.
Yu Sheng was the first to appear.
He silently stepped onto the arena and waited for his opponent.
Surely no one would forfeit in a match for a quarterfinal spot.
Yet, just as before, a girl from Spirit Mind Academy stood outside the arena, her face full of resentment. For an instant, she even felt the urge to step into the arena, but ultimately, she lowered her head. "I... forfeit."
She turned and left, looking somewhat dejected.
Without fighting, he entered the quarterfinals.
Perhaps one day in the future, when all these people had grown up and looked back on their youth, they would remember the terror of being dominated by Yu Sheng.
Just like that fellow named Xu Wenxuan in the same Freshman Competition three years ago.
And Bai Haitang last year.
It was as though...
There would always be someone from Ink Academy stepping forward to tell them what... a gap in ability truly meant.
At the judges' table.
Yuan Qingshan watched this expressionlessly. "Using tactics for the championship is understandable."
"But a true prodigy has an