The next day.
Jing Shaoyu and Tang Wulin left together, as both needed to participate in the auxiliary profession competition, and couldn't afford to stay in bed like the others.
After a simple breakfast, he set off directly for the third venue of the Tianhai Alliance competition, which was specifically equipped for the mecha designer competition, with facilities fully dedicated to mecha design.
The venue was already bustling with competitors, including many young faces. Notably, Jing Shaoyu observed a few who looked to be about eleven or twelve, drawing some attention. However, due to his height, he seemed closer to fourteen or fifteen than his actual age of ten.
About half an hour later, the first round of the designer competition for the youth group officially began.
Jing Shaoyu noted that there were about a hundred contestants, with sixty-four slots available for the next round, meaning the competition wasn't overly fierce.
He began reviewing the competition requirements without changing his calm expression.
The task was straightforward, divided into two parts. The first part was a theoretical multiple-choice section, and the second was a practical task: completing an unfinished Level 3 design. The requirements specified that the selected spirit array and materials could not exceed the overall blueprint value. Success was defined as achieving a marketable design.
The time limit was one hour.
Taking his seat, Jing Shaoyu scanned the questions. After a minute, he started writing, and within five minutes, he moved on to the practical section.
Completing a Level 3 design was simple for him now, requiring no real mental effort—just a glance would reveal the optimal solution. As such, fifteen minutes into the competition, he finished, raised his hand, and indicated that he was done.
The examiner, somewhat surprised, collected his papers and motioned that he could leave, advising him to return for the results and list of qualifiers in the evening.
Without lingering at the venue, Jing Shaoyu left to head to his individual spirit competition. Wu Zhangkong had told him the draw results the previous night: he was scheduled for the second group, match eleven.
When he arrived at the Tianhai Grand Stadium, the first group match was nearing its end.
He found a seat to wait for his turn in the second group.
Fifteen minutes later, the stadium announcement came: "Single combat competitors in Group Two, please proceed to the competition area."
Jing Shaoyu stood up and made his way to arena eleven.
The grand stadium could accommodate fifty individual matches simultaneously, with fifty small arenas for the purpose. Arena eleven was positioned in the second row, first column.
Upon reaching his arena, he found his opponent already present—a girl, likely around fourteen or fifteen, who was staring at him with a dazed expression.
"Hello," Jing Shaoyu greeted with a polite smile.
"H-Hello," the girl stammered, her eyes twinkling as she introduced herself, "I'm Wei Yimin from Lingyang City."
The referee, a middle-aged man in his fifties, looked slightly exasperated but retained his professionalism as he laid out the rules: "The rules are simple: contestants can use any means of attack without holding back. I will intervene to ensure your safety. A contestant loses by forfeiting or being rendered unable to fight.
"You have thirty seconds to prepare. I will count down five seconds before the match begins."
The referee then stepped back to the edge of the arena.
Still smiling, Jing Shaoyu looked at Wei Yimin, not making any visible preparations to fight. Wei Yimin, despite being dazzled by his looks, hadn't forgotten the match and promptly released her martial spirit.
Two yellow spirit rings appeared, marking her level as a Grand Spirit Master. Her feline ears and tail hinted at her spirit—Wind Lynx.
"Five! Four! Three! Two! One! Begin!" the referee called, and Wei Yimin sprang into action, her two spirit rings glowing. She enveloped herself in green light, her hands growing sharp claws as she charged.
Jing Shaoyu, still calm, conjured his Star Staff, though without revealing any spirit rings. This misled the referee and Wei Yimin into thinking it was his spirit.
As Wei Yimin advanced, he lifted his staff, summoning a rotating, transparent blue-green tornado in the center of the arena—a pure elemental creation.
Wind Binding.
Cautiously, Wei Yimin attempted to maneuver around it, but the vortex's pull kept tugging at her, forcing her clothes and hair toward it. Struggling against the pull was exhausting her spirit energy and stamina, leaving her frustrated and unable to control her body.
Meanwhile, Jing Shaoyu's Star Staff glowed red, conjuring fiery orbs above him. A second later, a rain of crimson fireballs—a fiery meteor shower—rained down, targeting Wei Yimin.
Flowing Fire Rain, an enhanced Fire Burst.
With his Spirit Elder breakthrough, his Fire Burst had evolved from a single projectile to a full-fledged area attack, vastly amplifying its power.
Faced with the overwhelming fireballs, Wei Yimin froze, realizing she had no way to avoid them. She abandoned her struggle against the vortex, allowing the referee to declare her loss and save her from further danger.
Thus, Jing Shaoyu earned his spot in the second round.
The match ended sooner than expected, giving him ample time before the afternoon's team competition. He decided to return to the hotel.
In the hotel, he found Xu Xiaoyan, Gu Yue, and Xie Xie all waiting in the lounge. Upon his arrival, Xie Xie immediately asked, "Captain, how'd it go?"
Jing Shaoyu smiled, "It was simple, really. Victory is ours. How about you guys?"
Xie Xie grinned. "Piece of cake for me!"
Gu Yue silently held up her second-round token.
"So that just leaves Wulin," Xu Xiaoyan commented lazily from the sofa.
"With his strength, he should have no problem getting through the first round," Jing Shaoyu said, patting Xu Xiaoyan's back as she reluctantly sat up straight.
"Do we want to discuss team strategy for the afternoon? Or wait for Wulin?" Xie Xie asked.
Jing Shaoyu chuckled. "In my opinion, we can handle the first round with brute force. The first opponents are likely varied in skill, so it's best not to overthink it. When the match starts, I'll give you and Wulin a boost; you can power through the opposition together."
"So bold, Captain?" Xie Xie's eyes sparkled. "But I like it!"
"Alright, then. Xie Xie, be sure to tell Wulin about the plan when he gets back," Jing Shaoyu said.
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