Chapter 176

When Li Luo's team reached 2,800 points, the sun dipped westward, and the scorching light softened.

Yet this gentle twilight filled every remaining student with mounting pressure... for it signaled the nearing end of the ranking battle, and the final clash was about to begin.

The teams still standing in the arena had all endured multiple battles; their strength and experience were not to be underestimated.

Hum!

At that moment, five violet pillars of light erupted skyward across the vast land, drawing every gaze.

These five violet pillars marked the positions of the five Violet Radiance teams.

Their revelation aimed to accelerate the ranking battle and to create opportunities for these Violet Radiance teams to collide.

After all, until now, the five Violet Radiance teams had all silently been farming points from Gold and Silver Radiance teams; now that the match neared its end, shouldn't they deliver at least one thrilling confrontation?

Moreover, each of these five pillars differed: the violet column thick with emerald light was surely Bai Bai Doudou's "Wind Rider Team"; the one tending toward green was Wang Wang Hejiu's "Golden Gate Team"; the yellowish one belonged to Yi Yi Lisha's "One Leaf Autumn Team"; the deep crimson one was unquestionably Qin Qin Zhulu's "Pure Moon Team"; the final one tinged blue was Li Luo's "Justice Team."

This precise marking also guided some Gold Radiance teams: if any Gold Radiance team had the courage, they could challenge a Violet Radiance team—if they won, the points would be a massive windfall.

Of course, few Gold Radiance teams would make such a choice; sometimes, courage alone merely turns you into a point-delivery child.

With the appearance of these five violet pillars, the arena's atmosphere began to shift.

"The good show is finally beginning."

On the high stands outside the arena, five Violet Radiance mentors watched the field; their previously idle gazes finally converged on the five pillars.

"Hmm, these two Violet Radiance teams are awfully close," Mentor Mi Er suddenly chuckled.

Mentor Xi Chan glanced over and said, "Qin Qin Zhulu's team and Yi Yi Lisha's team... it seems inevitable they'll face off."

Though Yi Yi Lisha likely wouldn't welcome a clash with Qin Qin Zhulu, given Qin Qin Zhulu's nature, if any Violet Radiance team appeared near him at this hour, he'd charge regardless of who it was.

"Looks like Yi Yi Lisha's team is in trouble," Mentor Chu Zi chuckled.

Mentor Cao Sheng shook his head. "You're being too modest. Qin Qin Zhulu's trio relies mostly on him alone—Lv Qing'er and Yin Yin Yue can only support. Yi Yi Lisha's trio is balanced; in direct conflict, they might not lose."

While these two mentors exchanged modesties, other mentors studied the five pillars' positions. Aside from the extremely close "Pure Moon Team" and "One Leaf Autumn Team," the other three Violet Radiance teams remained separated. Yet given the feud between "Justice Team" and "Golden Gate Team," even mountains and oceans couldn't prevent their collision—they'd inevitably clash.

That left the "Wind Rider Team" out of the equation.

No one knew how they'd choose...

Shen Shen Jinxiao's expression remained calm as he said to Mentor Cao Sheng, "Might I borrow your wine?"

Mentor Cao Sheng smiled and pushed his wine flask toward him.

Shen Shen Jinxiao filled his cup to the brim, smiling: "Good show deserves fine wine—it complements perfectly."

Mentor Xi Chan shot him a glance, knowing his intent instantly, and sneered: "You're putting on such a show now—what if you can't finish it?"

Shen Shen Jinxiao narrowed his eyes, about to speak, when his expression suddenly shifted. He, along with the other Violet Radiance mentors, turned toward the distant sky, where a thunderous roar erupted and brilliant xiangli surged upward, forming fireworks-like characters in the heavens.

Closer inspection revealed a team name.

Black Swan Team.

Seeing this, Mentor Cao Sheng couldn't help but exclaim: "It seems the ranking battle at Three-Star Academy has concluded—the top spot is again Black Swan Team."

"After all, Jiang Jiang Qinge is in that team. Even with many talented students at Three-Star Academy, none can challenge Jiang Jiang Qinge," Mentor Mi Er chuckled.

"A ninth-rank Light Xiang—truly legendary. Rumor has it Jiang Jiang Qinge will challenge the Seven Pillars this year... if she succeeds, she'll break the Saint Zhu Xuan Star Academy's record as the earliest student to earn the Seven Pillars title," Mentor Chu Zi sighed.

The other Violet Radiance mentors could only sigh in awe—ninth-rank Xiang was truly astonishing.

Shen Shen Jinxiao remained silent, not even glancing at the fireworks. He looked at his cup, now full of wine, and suddenly felt half the fragrance had vanished.

Huh.

He exhaled inwardly, turning his gaze toward the One-Star Academy arena.

Let this side preserve the remaining fragrance of his wine.

"We have two choices: either seek out the nearby 'One Leaf Autumn Team,' or raid other Gold Radiance teams—right now, Gold Radiance teams are gradually gathering."

On a high ridge, Lv Qing'er's gaze shifted to Yin Yin Yue, then with some resignation, glanced at Qin Qin Zhulu sitting ten meters away.

Yin Yin Yue, gentle by nature, softly asked, "What do you think, Qing'er?"

"If we play it safe for the sake of points, now is a good time to harvest the gathering Gold Radiance teams."

Lv Qing'er considered, then said, "The 'One Leaf Autumn Team' is strong and balanced. If we fight them, our chances of victory are uncertain."

Yin Yin Yue nodded. "Qing'er is right."

Yet both women turned to Qin Qin Zhulu—he was still their captain.

Qin Qin Zhulu, feeling uneasy under their stares, moved his lips and muttered, "Fighting Gold Radiance teams is pointless."

"We want points. Whether it's fun or not doesn't matter as long as we get enough," Yin Yin Yue said. She disliked fighting, especially against overly powerful opponents.

Normally, Qin Qin Zhulu wouldn't argue with two female classmates, but now, with a rare chance to clash against a Violet Radiance team, how could he let it slip? After careful thought, he growled, "No. I won't let them get away. They're provoking me."

Lv Qing'er frowned. "Where are they provoking us?"

Qin Qin Zhulu said, "They're this close to me—what else could they be doing?"

Lv Qing'er and Yin Yin Yue stared at him, speechless.

You're making up charges out of thin air.

Still, the two women nodded in agreement—after all, he was their captain and main fighter; they had to respect his opinion.

As Qin Qin Zhulu's team finally settled on their target, everyone saw two other violet pillars begin moving swiftly toward each other.

As expected, they were Li Luo's team and Wang Wang Hejiu's team.

"Looks like no one dares trouble our 'Wind Rider Team,'" said Yu Lang in a forest clearing, arms crossed, watching the other four violet pillars with a look of loneliness.

"Captain, I suggest we team up with Li Luo's team and take out that little poison bird," he turned to Bai Bai Doudou.

Bai Bai Doudou toyed with her long spear, coolly saying, "Two against one? What's the fun in that?"

Yu Lang replied, "I'm worried Bai Mengmeng might get hurt by Wang Wang Hejiu's team."

Bai Bai Doudou glanced at him. "In battle, a little injury is normal."

She paused, then added, "Besides, if they do hurt Bai Mengmeng, I'll deal with them later. Interfering now in a battle these two Violet Radiance teams have prepared for so long—I doubt even Li Luo would appreciate it."

Seeing Yu Lang faltered. He actually wanted to say that, based on his understanding of Li Luo, if they were really going to go after Wang Wang Hejiu, Li Luo would probably hang up a banner to welcome the idea.

But Bai Bai Doudou clearly wasn't interested in that right now, so he could only give up.

"Then what do we do? Just wait here like this?" Seeing Yu Lang said helplessly.

"We can only go find a Radiance Squad to grind points."

Bai Bai Doudou thought for a moment and said, "Actually, this pillar of light above our heads still has a bit of a provocation effect. As long as you channel your phase force into it, you can form some simple text that manifests in the sky."

She looked at Seeing Yu Lang and said, "How about you try doing something, see if you can attract a few Radiance Squads over, then rob them while you're at it."

Seeing Yu Lang was stunned for a moment and said, "Do you really need me to do it?"

Bai Bai Doudou said irritably, "Neither Qiu Luo nor I am any good at this sort of thing."

Seeing Yu Lang saw this, nodded, and said, "Then I can only show you my unique skill."

He stepped forward, a stream of phase force surging from his fingertip, finally drilling into the purple pillar of light above their heads.

After a few breaths, the sky above this purple pillar of light saw phase-force radiance erupt, finally forming several characters that shone for a hundred li.

Bai Bai Doudou stared at the text in the sky, swallowed a mouthful of saliva, and suddenly felt a bit of regret.

Because up in the sky, a line of large characters floated arrogantly.

"I am Seeing Yu Lang. Radiance is trash. Come fight me!"