Chapter 350: Lian City Academy
[They actually… let Lian City Academy win?]
[What a massive turnaround!]
[Damn it, I bet on Lingzhou to take the championship!!]
[I’m so mad—I just threw a casual thousand on Lian City because I liked their captain. If I’d known, I’d have bet more!]
[All those news articles hyping up cheaters as dark horses—looking at this result, the real dark horse is clearly this Lian City freshman.]
[Honestly, Lian City Academy has always been a strong team, but this freshman really came out of nowhere. She definitely counts as a dark horse.]
[Lingzhou losing… it’s obvious they lacked information on Xu Zhi. They never expected her strength to be this terrifying.]
[Can we confirm that Xu Zhi is the youngest player in league history to display this level of strength?]
[In other words, she might actually be the most talented one.]
[…Isn’t that a bit exaggerated? The league has produced plenty of prodigies.]
[But has anyone, as a freshman—or even in second or third year—ever achieved what she just did?]
[I think the answer is no.]
[Then the conclusion is obvious. She might really be the most talented so far.]
[…If that’s true, then from now on she’ll never lack resources or attention.]
[And at the same time, that makes her very dangerous.]
[Where did Lian City even find this monster? Once she grows up, their city ranking is going to shoot up again! Anyone know how much it costs to immigrate to Lian City?]
[Immigrate to Lian City? Unless you’ve got serious money or connections to secure a decent identity, I wouldn’t recommend it.]
The discussion in the barrage drifted off-topic for a moment, but headlines and trending topics all focused squarely on Xu Zhi.
Clearly, this player—who had already drawn attention before—had now swept the entire league’s spotlight in a completely different way.
Less than half an hour after the match ended, almost everyone already knew the name “Xu Zhi.”
At this moment, her reputation had reached its peak in this world—
Even though she was still just a student.
As she and her teammates stepped off the stage, the girl noticed the gazes from members of the other eight teams. Those looks carried all kinds of emotions—wariness, caution—but no longer the simple curiosity from before.
“Looks like your life’s about to change completely from here on out, junior.”
Back in the preparation room, her injuries had already fully healed thanks to the restorative array, though her extraordinary energy and mental strength still needed time to recover.
Hearing Tongzhou’s words, Xu Zhi just smiled lightly. “Maybe.”
“Aren’t you excited at all?”
Tongzhou couldn’t understand.
To shine on the league stage—especially in the finals—was practically a leap in social standing. From now on, Xu Zhi wouldn’t just be a student. Countless resources would come knocking. If she wanted, she could nod once and become part of the nobility.
But she didn’t seem to care at all.
There shouldn’t be any extraordinary being who could perform like that in the league and remain so calm afterward.
Even Chu Xiaoyue, who always appeared composed, seemed noticeably happier than usual.
Only Xu Zhi—the center of it all—remained the calmest.
There was no trace of the madness she had shown on stage.
“Maybe I just look calm.”
She didn’t bother explaining, brushing it off casually.
Victory meant resources, and qualification slots for the Lost Lands. Her plans were progressing smoothly—so yes, she was pleased.
But—
“A life-changing moment?”
What did that even mean?
Xu Zhi didn’t join her teammates’ celebration. With her glasses broken, unless she activated the [Eye of Secret], her vision was like someone with four-hundred-degree myopia—not blind, but far from clear.
Her unfocused, misty eyes gave her an almost dazed, innocent look—nothing like the reckless little madwoman she had been on stage.
“Want me to get you a new pair of glasses right away?” Xi Min asked.
Xu Zhi shook her head. “No need. My eyes are almost fully recovered anyway.”
As long as she raised the level of [Moth] after the match, her vision would return.
The preparation area was rich in extraordinary energy, designed to help contestants recover. And since they wouldn’t be challenged in the next round, there was more than enough time to replenish their strength.
Lingzhou had fallen to sixth place. They still had two challenge attempts left. As long as another team defeated Lian City, they could attempt to challenge for first again.
If no one succeeded, then second place would become their target.
Which meant—
Everyone knew that first and second place were both hot potatoes.
The next match saw White Bird City Academy attempt to climb again—but they failed.
After that match, both Lian City and Lingzhou were released from restrictions. Lingzhou, as expected, did not issue a challenge. Meanwhile, Tu City Academy, sitting firmly at tenth place, stayed put and made no moves.
This was, without a doubt, the correct strategy.
As long as they didn’t initiate a challenge, no one could target them. They could simply wait until the others finished and then strike.
Of course, that was the ideal scenario.
Some academies, feeling uneasy, would inevitably hold onto their final challenge chance—and that also meant that when the host asked whether anyone would continue, the most restless team would step forward.
And tenth place—
Was the most restless position of all.
But none of this had anything to do with Lian City Academy.
They were in first place. All they needed to do was wait.
Several more challenges played out among the lower-ranked teams, but no one stepped forward to challenge Lian City.
They were all watching.
After all, Lian City had just defeated Lingzhou head-on. No one was foolish enough to think they were weak.
But then—
To everyone’s surprise, the first team to step up and challenge them was…
“Lian City Academy!”
The host exclaimed in shock.
“Also from Lian City, the ninth-ranked Lian City Academy has issued a challenge to Lian City Academy!”
“This is a rare case of an intra-city match in the finals!”
And he was right.
Such internal matchups were uncommon in the finals. Teams from the same city usually sparred extensively beforehand and understood each other’s strengths. At this stage, no one would waste a challenge opportunity on a match with a predictable outcome—
Unless they were confident they could win.
