Chapter 319: “I Don’t Know”
[Are we overthinking this? What if “little sister” is really just a kind blessing?]
[You believe that?]
[I don’t.]
[Me neither.]
When Xu Zhi said that line, her indifferent expression and light tone made it clear—she wasn’t taking this “fellow first-year” seriously at all. She couldn’t even be bothered to pretend.
[Such an arrogant first-year! I love this type. Please let Xu Zhi speak more!]
[That perfunctory smile! That cold gaze! That careless tone! Ahhh, family, I’m losing it.]
[Checked the profile—confirmed female viewer having a meltdown.]
[Female? Then that makes it even—]
[No meltdowns allowed!]
[If we can’t freak out over players, what’s the point of danmu at all?!]
“Ahem.” Xiaoxiao glanced at the scrolling comments and quickly changed the subject. “Both sides are making their final preparations. They’re about to enter the arena.”
“Liuping City has sent out five sixth-year main players. Even against a team that came through preliminaries, they’re choosing to go all out.”
“On Dingchan’s side, the first-year Qiu Jing will still be playing. Looks like the audience won’t be disappointed.”
Soon, preparation time ended, and the 1v1 arena matches began.
“Liuping is sending out a [Forge]-attribute player first, while Dingchan has chosen their only [Heart]-attribute player?”
“We know Dingchan never puts their hopes on 1v1s. Their strategy seems to be securing a relatively easy point in 1v1 and then placing all their bets on team battles.”
“Looks like that’s their plan again.”
“I wonder what our two players from Lian City think of this lineup?”
The topic was tossed back over.
Shu Yushan spoke gently, his expression serious. “A Heart versus Forge matchup is interesting—provided the strength gap isn’t too large.”
“After all, while supernatural combat involves attribute counters, those counters can be compensated for with ability differences. We’ll have to see how the two perform once the fight starts.”
His answer was smooth and diplomatic.
Then Xiaoxiao looked at Xu Zhi.
Xu Zhi spread her hands and smiled innocently. “I don’t know.”
“Ahem. Well, since this is Xu Zhi’s first time participating in the league, it’s understandable if she’s not sure.”
Xiaoxiao felt like a drop of rain had landed on her forehead. She reached up—only to realize it wasn’t rain.
It was the sweat brought on by Xu Zhi’s answer.
You could’ve at least said, “I agree,” right?!
She sneaked a glance at the comments.
Sure enough, the screen was flooded with:
[???]
[I don’t know.]
[What are you asking? I don’t know~]
[Does she really not know or is she pretending?]
[I don’t know.]
[She can’t have made it to the league without being able to analyze this, right?]
[I don’t know.]
Even Shu Yushan’s usually refined expression stiffened for a split second.
He was used to being Chu Xiaoyue’s supporting presence. In situations like this, Chu Xiaoyue would always deliver a perfect answer, and he only needed to echo her. He had assumed that now he was simply taking Chu Xiaoyue’s place. No matter how awkward their junior was, at least she could nod and say “mm-hmm,” right?
Apparently not.
She truly never followed the script.
He could already imagine Director Xi’s expression watching the livestream.
Please don’t take it out on me. I tried!
The phrase “I don’t know” shot up the trending charts almost instantly.
Those who clicked into it saw headlines like:
“First-year substitute from Lian City’s Light Academy bluntly says ‘I don’t know’ when asked for analysis during commentary. Has Light Academy failed to properly train her?”
What a massive hat to pin on Light Academy.
Just short of outright accusing them of nepotism and letting an untrained player embarrass herself publicly.
Others might not know what to think, but Xu Zhi’s teammates and analysts immediately understood—she wasn’t clueless.
She just didn’t feel like talking.
“Maybe that’s fine,” Xi Min said with a dark expression. “Let others think Xu Zhi is a useless vase if they want.”
The remaining students nodded, though inwardly they thought:
You don’t look like you think this is fine at all.
Back in the studio, Xiaoxiao quickly adjusted. She’d encountered eccentric guests before. Xu Zhi wasn’t even the worst.
“The players have entered the arena! The first 1v1 match is about to begin!”
“The countdown ends! As expected, Liuping City’s [Forge] player moves first! His weapon is a heavy hammer—a common choice for Forge-type superhumans.”
“Dingchan’s [Heart] player shows impressive agility, dodging consecutive hammer strikes. But her counterattacks look somewhat light… If this continues, it might not be good?”
Xiaoxiao’s tone rose at the end, clearly leaving space for the guests.
Shu Yushan nodded. “Although the situation appears stalemated, the Heart player clearly lacks sufficient offensive power. The damage she’s dealing would take time to incapacitate the Forge player. Before that happens, she may collapse first.”
Inside the arena, the Heart player desperately dodged and countered. Her weapon was a short sword, which naturally felt underpowered against a heavy hammer. A single solid hit would cause serious injury.
Her left arm was already bent unnaturally—struck earlier.
“As Shu Yushan said, Dingchan’s Heart player is gradually showing signs of decline. But based on Dingchan’s usual strategy, she’s just here to consume stamina. She’ll likely surrender when she can’t continue.”
Dingchan had never performed well in 1v1s. Their roster simply lacked a player capable of absolute dominance in single combat. Their strength had always been their precise team coordination.
Sure enough, after draining some stamina and ability energy from the Forge player, the Heart player surrendered.
Dingchan’s second entrant was a [Blade]-attribute player—the team’s secondary carry. After the earlier exhaustion, he successfully defeated the Forge opponent.
Then Dingchan completely abandoned the remaining 1v1 matches. Each player stepped up briefly, exchanged a few blows, and surrendered—preserving their condition for the upcoming team battle.
“Another tactical choice,” Xiaoxiao commented.
Shu Yushan nodded. “In the finals, some teams will also adopt this strategy when facing opponents with overwhelming 1v1 advantages.”
Xu Zhi sat to the side, smiling pleasantly as she added her evaluation:
“They’re very self-aware.”
The comments exploded again.
