Chapter 510: Gong Shenjun's Choice

As Gong Shenjun's figure transformed into light and soared into the sky, disappearing from the academy-level arena, a massive uproar broke out among the countless people within the Holy Grail space.

Gong Shenjun had actually chosen to retreat without a fight.

He crushed his spirit gourd, effectively eliminating himself.

With Gong Shenjun's elimination, the title of strongest in the Four-Star Academy level naturally fell to Lan Lan.

This result was somewhat unexpected to everyone.

Many felt a bit disappointed; after all, they had been counting on seeing a true clash of titans. Given that the strength of Gong Shenjun and Lan Lan was the absolute peak among all students, their duel would surely have been incredibly thrilling, far beyond anything the other three academies could offer.

Yet, to their surprise, after Lan Lan set up his decisive formation, Gong Shenjun chose to stop and not engage.

This outcome left the highly expectant crowd extremely disappointed.

And amidst the disappointment, there was naturally no shortage of mocking remarks.

"The strongest person in the Astral Sage College seems a bit cowardly."

"At this stage, even if a Marquis-level powerhouse were standing in front, one should at least give it a try. What kind of behavior is this, just giving up directly?"

"Disappointing."

"But it's also fine; with him giving up like this, the Astral Sage College won't have the chance to secure three Golden Divine Tree Badges in this academy-level round."

"......"

Similar voices echoed continuously within the Holy Grail space.

In front of the Astral Sage College tower, the atmosphere was also somewhat silent. Many wore unpleasant expressions, equally unable to understand why Gong Shenjun would retreat without a fight, as this clearly contradicted his usual image.

In such a situation, retreating without a fight would undoubtedly lead people from other academies to question the Astral Sage College.

After all, no matter what, Gong Shenjun was currently the strongest student of the Astral Sage College.

The face he represented was clearly more significant than the leaders of the other academy levels.

Li Luo's expression was also somewhat surprised, and he looked toward Vice Dean Suxin. However, the latter's face was quite calm, showing little anger; it seemed she was not too surprised by Gong Shenjun's choice this time.

But before Li Luo could think further, a stream of light shot out from the energy vortex before them, landing in front of the group and taking the form of Gong Shenjun.

Whenever Gong Shenjun appeared in the past, it would immediately draw cheers of admiration, but this time, the surrounding atmosphere was slightly silent.

Even those die-hard supporters of Gong Shenjun hesitated and remained silent.

As for this scene, Gong Shenjun's face remained neither happy nor sad. He simply looked at Vice Dean Suxin and said, "Vice Dean Suxin, I failed to win and have let everyone down."

To the side, Duze Honglian bit her silver teeth, unable to suppress her emotions as she asked, "Senior Gong Shenjun, why did you not fight Lan Lan? With your strength, even if the opponent set up that kind of formation, the final outcome should only be known after a fight, right?"

It was clear that Duze Honglian was a bit angry, because in her heart, she had always held some affection for Gong Shenjun; after all, whether in status, strength, or personality, he was the most dazzling one in the Astral Sage College.

And Duze Honglian had always regarded him as the most outstanding member of the opposite sex.

Perhaps it was precisely because she held such high expectations for Gong Shenjun that she felt extremely disappointed and unwilling to accept it when she saw him retreat without a fight against Lan Lan.

Gong Shenjun glanced at Duze Honglian but did not speak.

Instead, Vice Dean Suxin said indifferently, "Gong Shenjun, you must have your reasons for doing this; tell us."

Numerous gazes turned toward him.

Gong Shenjun smiled faintly and said, "Actually, there is nothing much to say. I simply had no confidence in taking on Lan Lan's 'Three Bows of the Bright King.' Moreover, if I failed to withstand it, I would be planted with the 'Shadow of the Bright King,' and my subsequent state would be greatly compromised. In such a situation, not only would I lose this academy-level match, but even the following mixed-level match would be affected."

"In my analysis, losing one Golden Divine Tree Badge for the Four-Star Academy is something I can accept, but if it affects the outcome of the mixed-level match... perhaps we would lose our only real chance for a comeback."

"Therefore, I chose to give up the risky gamble in the academy-level match."

"We can lose the academy-level match, but we cannot afford to lose the mixed-level match."

As his words fell, many students were slightly startled and began to ponder.

So, Gong Shenjun chose to retreat without a fight to preserve his strength and state, in order to go all out for the mixed-level match? Put that way, it was not without reason. After all, the mixed-level match involved a team from all three academies, and as the strongest student in the college, Gong Shenjun was inevitably the most important link.

If Gong Shenjun had really fought Lan Lan to the death here, it would be fine if he won, but if he lost, not only would a Golden Divine Tree Badge be lost, but more importantly, the aftereffects left by the Bright King Scripture would affect Gong Shenjun's subsequent state.

And Gong Shenjun's state would affect the outcome of the mixed-level match.

The mixed-level match concerned three Golden Divine Tree Badges; in a sense, the mixed-level match was what determined the champion of the Holy Grail War.

Therefore, Gong Shenjun's choice to avoid the sharp edge and retreat without a fight could, in a sense, be considered the most rational choice.

After all, as he said, he had no confidence in being able to withstand Lan Lan's Bright King Scripture right now.

The expressions of the many students present gradually softened.

At the same time, a die-hard supporter of Gong Shenjun couldn't help but say with emotion, "So, Senior, this was a choice you made for the overall situation of the college. Even though you knew that retreating without a fight would invite much criticism, you chose to bear it alone."

Hearing this, the other students looked at Gong Shenjun with eyes full of apology.

Duze Honglian hesitated for a moment and did not speak.

Gong Shenjun smiled and said, "It is a fact that I retreated without a fight. Truth be told, I did lack the courage to clash with him; otherwise, I really should have fought him here. However, I think there will still be an opportunity in the mixed-level match. By then, without these worries, I will test just how powerful his Bright King Scripture really is."

Vice Dean Suxin nodded slightly and said, "Your rationality is indeed for the sake of the big picture. However, you may not know that if you had gambled here and won against Lan Lan, we might have established a significant advantage."

Gong Shenjun was startled upon hearing this, and he quickly understood the significance. With a solemn expression, he asked, "We have already obtained two Golden Divine Tree Badges?"

"Junior Jiang winning here was expected... but there is another one..."

Vice Dean Suxin smiled and said, "It is Li Luo. He won the One-Star Academy match and obtained a Golden Divine Tree Badge."

Gong Shenjun cast a slightly astonished gaze toward Li Luo, who was standing to the side, and then revealed an admiring smile: "Junior Li Luo is truly impressive."

Li Luo shook his head modestly.

"In that case, I did indeed miss a good opportunity," Gong Shenjun said helplessly.

Vice Dean Suxin looked at him and said, "It is fine. Obtaining three Golden Divine Tree Badges in the academy-level matches would have been the perfect scenario, but even if you missed one here, it does not hinder our advantage. We still have a chance in the mixed-level match."

Li Luo did not speak. There was indeed still a chance in the mixed-level match, but... because of the mechanism where the winner of the mixed-level match could obtain three Golden Divine Tree Badges, it meant that, in fact, all the other academies still had a chance.

If one were to set aside the personal honor brought by the title of "strongest student," from the big picture, his and Jiang Qing'e's two Golden Divine Tree Badges actually didn't hold much significance.

Because if the mixed-level match were lost, their victory in the academy-level matches would become irrelevant.

At this moment, the previously silent atmosphere was completely broken, and smiles appeared on everyone's faces again, because they understood that Gong Shenjun's retreat was not out of cowardice, but to preserve the big picture for the upcoming mixed-level match, which clearly made them feel much better.

After all, no matter what, Gong Shenjun was the face of the Astral Sage College.

"Everyone, let's go into the tower to rest first. The first half of the Holy Grail War has come to an end. You may need to rest here for a few days and wait for the mechanism of the second, mixed-level match to be announced," Vice Dean Suxin said with a smile.

Hearing this, everyone cheered and then, dragging their exhausted bodies, poured into the tower.

Li Luo and Jiang Qing'e intentionally walked at the back.

"Gong Shenjun didn't tell the truth." Jiang Qing'e's red lips moved slightly, and her voice, wrapped in resonance power, entered Li Luo's ears.

Li Luo's eyes narrowed: "Why?"

Jiang Qing'e shook her head, her voice indifferent.

"Although there is no evidence, I feel... he didn't seem to want to win."