Chapter 299: League Team Composition
“The [Cup] revealing itself at this time has likely already made plenty of preparations in secret. Even after entering the Lost Lands, you must not let your guard down.”
After that, the instructor began explaining various precautions.
Xu Zhi, however, was thinking to herself—the Cup has already made full preparations?
Not necessarily.
It was more likely that not only were the preparations incomplete, but they might even be cursing whoever leaked the information ahead of time.
On the podium, the instructor spoke at length, roughly giving these seven “future pillars of the Light Institute” an overview of the current political landscape—what role the institute played within it (at least the parts that could be disclosed), whom they needed to pay attention to during the league, whom to be wary of, and which matches they absolutely must not lose.
After all, the league would be broadcast live throughout. Almost everyone who could watch it would do so, and many powerful consortiums and influential figures from various cities would also be paying close attention. Losing matches they shouldn’t lose could directly affect future investments and partnerships with the Light Institute’s Liancheng branch.
After covering basic political knowledge, the training on the Lost Lands finally began.
Slots for the Lost Lands did not appear every year. So even though most of the seven were upperclassmen, not all of them had actually been there before. Among those present, only the student council president, Chu Xiaoyue, had experienced it once.
“Our institute still has other slots, but most teachers who enter the Lost Lands have their own tasks. Communication is impossible inside, though certain extraordinary items can still be used. You will each be issued a wooden token constructed with a special circuit. If you become separated from the main group and encounter life-threatening danger, crush the token—whichever teacher is closest will come immediately.”
“The outer regions of the Lost Lands are dangerous, but as long as you don’t wander off or act alone, it won’t be fatal. Take note—only two teachers will accompany you, and unless it is a critical situation, they will not intervene or assist you.”
After all, they were not being sent there for a trip.
In the following days, Xu Zhi trained together with her teammates. Her combat experience was already quite sufficient, but what she lacked was knowledge of real-world extraordinary users and abilities. These days of training filled in many gaps.
Most importantly, to encourage strong performance in the league, once it began, every victory would reward each team member with 500 academic credits.
That was just for winning. Additional large rewards would be granted based on final rankings.
After seeing the reward system, even Xu Zhi found her meals tasting better.
It was also worth mentioning that although her body no longer required ordinary food, the meals in Building A were special. As the instructor put it: “These are extremely expensive extraordinary ingredients. If not for the league, the school wouldn’t let you eat this for free.”
With all the benefits granted to official league participants, in just about a week, Xu Zhi’s largely neglected [Moth] advanced to Level 5 Mastery. As for [Lamp], the energy required for advancement was currently too great—it only made some progress on the bar without fully advancing. However, her physical condition improved again, and her mental strength seemed to have increased slightly as well.
Over the past few days, Xu Zhi successfully blended into the team with her gentle and seemingly honest [Lamp]-type junior persona. Among the seven, only Ji Muge—a fourth-year substitute who had fought her before (the [Heart]-type senior Xu Zhi had nearly beaten into PTSD)—knew what she was really like. The others had only heard rumors of her brutality, but had never witnessed it.
Combined with her recent behavior, which had been fairly mild—not exactly obedient, but certainly not problematic—the others developed a mistaken impression: although she fought fiercely, her personality wasn’t bad.
Only Ji Muge felt she had seen Xu Zhi’s true nature. But every time she saw that gentle smile, her scalp tingled, and she didn’t dare say much.
She had already figured out her teammates:
First, Xu Zhi—the “substitute” who was actually a hidden trump card. An untouchable demon pretending to be harmless. Everything about her calm demeanor was deception. Pure ambush material.
Threat level: T0.
Next, the captain, Chu Xiaoyue—the team’s main carry. Quiet and reserved, yet capable of handling everything perfectly. Usually cold, but when necessary, she could deliver flawless social responses and impeccable smiles. Compared to Xu Zhi’s somewhat careless disguise, if Chu Xiaoyue chose to act, she would be far more perfect.
In terms of personal strength—currently judged as the strongest in the team. Completely unreadable.
Threat level: also T0.
Fifth-year Su Ran, [Heart] type, support role. If Xu Zhi’s “Heart” represented frenzy and slaughter, then Su Ran’s was rhythm and dance—a pure support. Before Xu Zhi, she was the best support. Even now, there were moments when her abilities were irreplaceable. But overall, in versatility and combat application, she was overshadowed by the junior.
Sixth-year Shu Yushan, [Blade] type, secondary carry. Most Blade types were battle maniacs, but he was one of the rare few who were both rational and scheming. Most of the time, he assisted the captain with finishing blows—but that didn’t mean he was weak. On the contrary, his sense of timing was excellent, always delivering the perfect strike at the right moment.
A [Blade] with both strength and brains—highly reliable.
Sixth-year Qiu Hou, [Initiate] type, support. The academy had intended to cultivate him as a commander, but unfortunately, while strong, he couldn’t command Chu Xiaoyue.
His personality? Like a fox spirit. Sharp-minded, always scheming, eyes constantly flickering with new ideas. Extremely flexible, always providing the most appropriate support.
Among a group of prodigies, even with high emotional intelligence, complete harmony was impossible. Qiu Hou was the one who could smooth things over and keep everyone aligned. So “fox spirit” was not an insult.
Sixth-year Tong Zhou, [Forge] type—a warrior capable of both offense and defense. Large in build, immense strength, and a body refined to its current limits. His personality was like a forge’s fire—fierce, blazing, and carrying the pride of a genius.
And herself?
The weakest in the team. The only true substitute. The only one truly here just to gain experience.
Even so, Ji Muge knew that earning a substitute position as a fourth-year meant she had both ability and potential. Her [Heart] was special—the academy valued her, which was why she was given this opportunity.
The “perfect” captain Chu Xiaoyue, the seemingly gentle but possibly insane junior Xu Zhi, the passionate and prideful powerhouse Tong Zhou, the fox-like Qiu Hou, the gentleman battle maniac Shu Yushan, the genuinely kind senior Su Ran, and herself—once mentally unstable, now stabilized after being beaten by the junior—
This was the Lian City Light Institute’s lineup for the league.
The future looked bright indeed.
