Inside the training building of Qingshan First High School.
A middle-aged man with a balding haircut looked at the solemn-faced crowd in the room and said with a smile:
"Information about our opponents in this Exchange Competition has already been sent to you.
"They'll arrive at our school tomorrow morning. Consider this a pre-battle meeting. If you have any thoughts, speak up now."
His gaze finally settled on the figure across the long table, and he smiled gently.
"Tang Yao, why don't you go first?"
Across the long table.
The girl called Tang Yao wore a black-and-white sword uniform. A straight horizontal sword lay flat on the table before her, and her entire presence was incomparably sharp.
She merely sat there quietly, yet everything around her seemed to fade into dullness, losing its former edge and brilliance.
This was the bearing one could possess only after entering the inner halls of the Sword Dao.
The girl's identity was all but obvious.
She was precisely the Sword Dao prodigy Qingshan First High School took such pride in—
And also the Young Pavilion Master of Sword Pavilion, Tang Yao.
"I have no opinion."
Tang Yao raised her bright eyes. A smile devoid of the slightest warmth appeared on her delicate face as she said, "Other than Jiang Qingzhu, they're nothing more than a rabble."
There was an extreme confidence in her tone that made people instinctively believe her.
Upon hearing this, the middle-aged teacher actually nodded in considerable satisfaction.
After all these years, she was still the most promising genius he had ever seen.
Her future achievements would likely not fall below those of the Sword Pavilion Master...
The middle-aged teacher then turned to the others and deliberately smiled. "What about you? Speak up. Don't tell me you all think our opponents are rabble, just like your captain does?"
"Of course not."
At that, a boy with an effeminate disposition rose to his feet. Picking up the documents on the table, he said in a low voice:
"We've already studied most of Linhai First High School's members.
"But on this official roster, there's one person we don't know much about yet."
"To be safe, I'll briefly tell everyone what we know about him.
"Other than Vice Captain Liu Yangde, he's the other First-Tier Peak martial artist on Linhai First High School's school team. His name is Ye Li.
"He was suddenly added to the team last week. I asked several friends who attend Linhai First High School, and they all said they hadn't even heard of him over the past three years."
The middle-aged teacher looked over in surprise. "So he'd been lying low for the past three years, accumulating strength before making his move?"
The effeminate boy nodded. "That's what I think."
Afterward, he set down the documents in his hand and looked at everyone.
"Compared with the others, this Ye Li seems to have appeared out of thin air. We don't know his fighting style, nor do we know whether he has any Martial Arts Talent.
"Therefore, I think we should take him seriously."
"Brother Chen, you're also at First-Tier Peak. Are you not confident you can handle him?" one team member asked.
"That's hard to say." The effeminate boy named Chen Deng glanced at the team member and said in a deep voice:
"Mainly because the stories about Ye Li at Linhai First High School are rather wild."
"Wild?"
"Mm. Supposedly, he defeated Vice Captain Liu Yangde and two official school team members all by himself."
As soon as Chen Deng finished speaking, not only did the middle-aged teacher frown, but the other team members also revealed grave expressions.
Linhai First High School's school team had no one below First-Tier Level Seven. Taking on three alone... other than Tang Yao, no Martial Science Student at Qingshan First High School could do such a thing!
Chen Deng said with a gloomy gaze, "Although those rumors must be exaggerated, and Ye Li himself surely didn't win easily, he... might be able to threaten the captain. We can't afford not to be on guard."
"Heh..."
Hearing that, Tang Yao, who had been resting with her eyes closed, gave a soft laugh. A mocking curve lifted at the corner of her lips.
Clearly, she did not agree with Chen Deng's words.
Tang Yao believed that if a First-Tier Peak martial artist could withstand even one strike from her, it would already count as her showing mercy.
Among Linhai First High School's camp, only that eldest daughter of the Jiang Family, whose Martial Arts Level was not far from hers, could barely be considered an opponent in her eyes.
Tang Yao raised her incomparably sharp eyes and said flatly:
"If you want to be on guard, then be on guard. Don't count me in."
"..."
Not only was Chen Deng not the least bit dissatisfied upon hearing this, a trace of fervor even surged into his eyes. He said with an awkward smile:
"Of course I know that, with the captain's strength, defeating him would be no problem. I was merely mentioning it in passing."
The other members nodded one after another as well, casting the same admiring looks toward the proud girl resting with her eyes closed.
The middle-aged man knew how much everyone admired Tang Yao, but he also knew that the girl disliked such gazes.
To avoid making Tang Yao unhappy, he immediately said with a smile:
"That's all for today's meeting. Go back and rest. Prepare for tomorrow afternoon's match."
"Yes!"
After Tang Yao and the middle-aged teacher left the meeting room.
The remaining people all turned their gazes toward Chen Deng.
One of them spoke first. "Brother Chen, we've prepared everything you mentioned, and everyone has been gathered."
"That's right. As soon as Linhai First High School's group lands tomorrow, we'll immediately find an excuse to invite them to spar!"
"With over a hundred First-Tier martial artists taking turns, we can definitely drain all their stamina!"
Listening to everyone's words.
Chen Deng nodded slightly. Looking at the closed doors in the distance, he smiled with a hint of self-mockery.
"If Captain Tang finds out we intend to win this way, do you think she'll be very angry?"
Everyone knew he was worried about being exposed. At once, someone stood up and said anxiously:
"Brother Chen, people from Sword Pavilion and Fengyun University will both come watch the competition tomorrow afternoon. For the sake of our futures, we have to take a gamble!"
"Our overall strength falls behind theirs. Even with Captain Tang holding the line, we might still be outdone by them!"
"Yeah! Without this million Hanxia Coin and the Qi and Blood Pills, how are we supposed to contend with those exotic beasts in the Martial Exam?"
"Brother Chen, everyone knows how you feel about Captain Tang. If you want to keep pace with her, earning the favor of Sword Pavilion or Fengyun University is essential!"
As they spoke, everyone stared at Chen Deng with burning eyes, their excited voices filling the meeting room.
They all wanted to win this Exchange Competition, claim the generous rewards, and improve their own strength.
Perhaps even earn the favor of Sword Pavilion and Fengyun University.
Sword Pavilion was Qingshan City's undisputed leading martial sect, with an excellent reputation throughout Ying Province.
Fengyun University, meanwhile, was the Martial Arts University universally acknowledged by martial artists within Ying Province to possess the best resources, deepest foundations, and greatest strength.
If they performed outstandingly in the Exchange Competition, they would most likely earn their favor and obtain admission qualifications in advance.
The road ahead in life would surely be broad and open!
With such lavish rewards laid before them, it was no wonder they were willing to risk being banned from competition to do this.
And after hearing everyone's words.
The self-mocking smile on Chen Deng's face slowly faded.
It was replaced by a somewhat cold expression.
With the Martial Exam approaching, he had already accepted the fact that his strength was lacking.
First-Tier Peak strength counted as excellent among Martial Science Students at Martial Arts High Schools.
But compared to those geniuses who had entered the Second-Tier, it was simply not worth mentioning.
If he wanted to keep up with that incomparably dazzling figure, he had to stop at nothing!
"Clear out space in the Training Ground beforehand. Keep the disturbance down. We absolutely cannot let the school notice. Make sure to drain more than half their stamina."
"Understood."
"Also." Chen Deng's eyes flickered as his thoughts raced. "Once they enter the Training Ground, it won't matter even if the act is a little clumsy.
"The first group to make a move will be ordinary Martial Science Students. Even if the matter is exposed afterward, it won't affect our futures."
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