Gu Yue didn't show up for dinner that evening. She locked herself in her room, refusing to respond despite Jing Shaoyu's repeated calls. Perhaps, to her, the incident that afternoon felt like an interrogation from Jing Shaoyu—a question he posed to her but also one she had to confront within herself.
That night, Xu Xiaoyan stayed in Jing Shaoyu's room. Since the two now had a more effective way to cultivate together, they saw no reason to hide it.
The night passed peacefully.
On the fourth day of the Tianhai Alliance Competition, Jing Shaoyu finished his morning routine and gently told the still-lounging Xu Xiaoyan that he was off to the Third Hall to participate in the fourth round of the Mecha Designer Competition. This was the round that would determine the top eight contestants.
The rules for the fourth round remained the same as the third: contestants needed to correct errors on the designs within the allotted time. However, the complexity of the schematics had increased. In yesterday's round, 90 out of 100 drawings were Level 3 designs, with only ten Level 4 designs. Today, however, there were thirty Level 4 designs, raising the difficulty by thirty percent.
For the young contestants, this was undoubtedly a significant challenge. By Jing Shaoyu's estimate, if a competitor could correct about ten to fifteen Level 4 designs, they would have a ninety percent chance of advancing.
This wasn't a random guess; Jing Shaoyu had already finished the exam himself—seventy Level 3 designs and thirty Level 4 designs—all within just forty-five minutes. The advancement probability he mentioned was simply a calculation he'd made while working on the designs.
When he left the Third Hall, he strolled leisurely toward the Tianhai Grand Stadium. With the individual tournament now in its top thirty-two phase, the match format had changed. Unlike the early rounds with simultaneous battles across multiple platforms, this stage featured one match per time slot per age group, allowing spectators to focus on one match at a time.
When Jing Shaoyu arrived at the stadium, the seventh match in the youth division was underway on the left arena. His match was thirteenth in line, which meant he had some time to relax and enjoy the competition.
He found a spot where he could see all three arenas and settled in to watch. On the youth division platform, two soul masters around fourteen or fifteen were engaged in a fairly basic match with little strategy, so Jing Shaoyu's attention quickly shifted.
To the right, the main central arena hosted the adult division. There, two contestants in their late twenties—one a Soul Elder and the other a Soul King—were locked in battle. Though the result seemed predictable, the Soul Elder proved surprisingly tenacious, nimbly evading the Soul King's attacks.
The arena on the far right was for the youth division, where two soul masters around seventeen or eighteen, both Soul Elders, faced off. It was clear why Director Long Hengxu said this year's Tianhai Alliance Tournament boasted the strongest lineup in recent years. Even in the round of sixteen, the youth division was showcasing Soul Elder-level battles, suggesting an abundance of Soul Elders in this year's competition.
Jing Shaoyu's gaze lingered mostly on the adult division match, occasionally glancing at the youth division, while largely ignoring the youth division, casually noting the basics of each match.
But when the eleventh match of the youth division began, his attention sharpened.
The eleventh match: Gu Yue versus Xie Xie.
An internal Class Zero showdown. Among the three Class Zero members who made it to the top thirty-two, two had drawn each other.
Jing Shaoyu spotted Xu Xiaoyan and Tang Wulin in the competitors' area and made his way over. "Xiaoyan, Wulin," he called.
"Xiao Yu-ge!" Xu Xiaoyan beamed, running to him and grabbing his hand excitedly.
"Captain!" Tang Wulin greeted. "Is your match up soon, or are you already done?"
"Not yet—I'm thirteenth," Jing Shaoyu replied with a smile, his gaze drifting toward the arena. "I never expected a Class Zero match-up so soon. I figured we'd reach at least the quarterfinals before this happened."
"Right? At least I got eliminated early," Tang Wulin chuckled with relief. "If I'd faced you or Gu Yue, it would've been a disaster."
"Look at Xie Xie up there—he's suffering!" Xu Xiaoyan giggled, pointing at the stage.
As Xu Xiaoyan said, Xie Xie was in a tough spot. Although he was an agility-type soul master, he had no chance against Gu Yue's precise elemental control. Her attacks—fire, ice, wind, and earth—came in relentless succession, leaving him scrambling across the stage, trying desperately to get close to her.
Yet each time he came within five meters, Gu Yue would activate her spatial element and teleport to another corner of the stage, undoing all his efforts. Xie Xie, exhausted, mentally cursed the size of the arena.
"Do you think Gu Yue's in a bad mood today?" Tang Wulin wondered, rubbing the back of his head.
"Probably." Jing Shaoyu glanced away, giving a noncommittal answer.
Hearing Jing Shaoyu's response, Tang Wulin was certain of it. There was no "probably" about it; Gu Yue was definitely in a bad mood. With their gap in skill, she should have defeated Xie Xie in no time.
Seeing Xie Xie get spun around in circles, Tang Wulin mentally mourned his friend's fate. Poor Xie Xie. As a good friend, he'd make sure Jing Shaoyu paid for dinner tonight.
If Xie Xie knew Tang Wulin's "plan" to help him, he'd probably be touched—right before getting annoyed.
On the arena, Gu Yue maintained her expressionless look as she unleashed a barrage of elemental attacks, finally tiring of toying with him. She raised her hands, summoning an icy storm that swirled toward Xie Xie with deadly intent.
Rather than panic, Xie Xie actually looked relieved, as if he was finally being put out of his misery.
The judge, witnessing Xie Xie's reaction, sighed with regret. Such a talented kid—too bad there might be something wrong with his head.
The match concluded with Gu Yue's victory.
Xie Xie bolted from the stage, rushing over to the competitors' area to grab Jing Shaoyu and feign distress. "Captain, you've gotta help me get back at her!"
Jing Shaoyu forced a polite, if awkward, smile and said, "Alright, alright. I'll treat you to a big meal tonight."
"Promise! You said it, not me!" Xie Xie instantly regained his usual swagger, showing no signs of the suffering he'd endured. His quick shift was impressive.
"Hmph." Gu Yue had arrived, watching Xie Xie with a slight scowl.
Hearing her huff, Xie Xie instinctively released Jing Shaoyu, wisely stepping aside and saying, "Vice-captain, the floor is yours."
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