Chapter 270: Qualifying

In the office, Li Hao sat respectfully, his back straight as a board.

Lu Donglei and Sazerac looked at the completely unarrogant Li Hao before them, realizing that this year's S Tournament would depend on him and Chao Qinglong.

"Li Hao, what realm are you at now?" Lu Donglei asked straight to the point.

"Reporting, General, it is Flowing Heart Martial Arts," Li Hao said solemnly.

Lu Donglei nodded; it must be the limit of Flowing Heart Martial Arts. From their perspective, Li Hao was only a hair stronger than Chao Qinglong, and in the end, he had borrowed Chao Qinglong's power to defeat the opponent.

"Very good, Li Hao. Although you won this time, you must not be arrogant. Our opponents are very powerful. Regarding the subsequent training, you can offer suggestions at any time to perfect this Mid-Season Tournament as much as possible and improve everyone's strength," Sazerac said.

"Yes, General."

Sazerac nodded with satisfaction. In this regard, Li Hao was much more obedient than Chao Qinglong; Chao Qinglong was very arrogant even when meeting them.

Lu Donglei, however, was not as relieved as Sazerac. He could understand Chao Qinglong to some extent, but he had no idea what this young man from the sect was thinking. Sometimes, a gentle attitude was also a form of expression.

"Li Hao, what do you think of the previous training sessions?"

"General Lu, I think they are excellent. Everyone has put in the effort, and we will train well."

"Haha, you don't need to. These are a bit redundant for you, but if you are willing to be with everyone, we won't object," Lu Donglei laughed.

"Reporting, I am willing to be with everyone."

"Very good, if you have any requests, just say so." The more Sazerac looked at Li Hao, the more he liked him; it was a pity his daughter was already married.

"If possible, I would like to eat on time," Li Hao said. He did not like training on an empty stomach.

Sazerac and Lu Donglei looked at each other, "That is no problem."

Hunger training was part of previous Mid-Season Tournaments, but they did not intend to repeat it for this year's.

"For the subsequent training, if you find anything unsuitable, feel free to bring it up. I won't say much about the situation we are facing; individual power is limited after all, and we need comprehensive improvement," Lu Donglei said.

"Yes, Officer, I will do my best."

"Alright, return to your team." Sazerac nodded with satisfaction.

When Li Hao returned, the major teams had successively begun the same three training sessions. When it was truly their turn, it was not so easy; these three sessions were actually quite targeted.

Of course, this was still just the beginning of the Mid-Season Tournament, but this battle had completely changed the atmosphere. Although there were still small internal disagreements, this was normal; they were all the best of the younger generation, and it was perfectly normal to have a bit of a temper, not to mention that without that unyielding spirit, how could they surpass others?

As soon as Li Hao returned, he immediately attracted all eyes. The gazes everyone cast toward Li Hao were filled with curiosity, admiration, and awe...

Luo Bi had already rushed up and roared, "Salute!"

All the Hunter members of Tianqi stood at attention, fists placed over their chests.

A smile appeared on Li Hao's face, "Alright, Luo Bi, the Hunters have been dismissed. Go do your training."

"Second Brother, the brothers are all waiting for you. You have to lead us to slaughter the enemy, damn it. We were bullied miserably by the Moon these past two years. Have you heard? That bastard Xilian actually participated in the Mid-Season Tournament, playing the 'crossing the sea under camouflage' trick again. He definitely won't let it go this year," Luo Bi said. Omorfi, Lomachenko, Verne, and others were all looking at Li Hao.

If there were no Xilian, it would actually be fine, but with Xilian's return, if there were no Li Hao, then Earth would have no hope at all this year.

Li Hao was slightly stunned. He had thought Xilian had changed his way of life; now it seemed he had thought too much.

After a moment of silence, "I know."

"Who is Xilian? Is he very powerful?"

"I don't know, the name sounds familiar. But aren't the two strongest kings of the Moon Maxis and Fan Liweite? Below them is New Beidou. Could this person be a Supernova?"

"Is a Supernova worth making such a fuss about? It's probably related to Tianqi."

【Line 34 was merged into 33 in source, keeping structure】

"Shh... it seems he was also a big devil of Tianqi once. People like Maxis were all his underlings back then."

"Damn, are we even going to play this year? Why are so many monsters popping up?"

"What are you afraid of? We have Li Ge."

Li Hao's calmness still gave everyone great confidence. Back then, besides Li Hao, the person who left the biggest shadow on everyone was Xilian. Before life and death were decided at the very last moment, most people actually favored Xilian. Some even felt that the reason Li Hao was able to defeat Xilian was because Xilian had already fought Nangong Yuhang to a half-dead state; regardless, it had a certain impact.

Moreover, compared to the childishness and inexperience of others, Xilian at that time already held absolute resources and was planning strategies.

Under the instructor's reminder, the team restored order and continued the training tests. The strong have their own considerations; for most teams, the problem they faced was still entering the World Championship first. If they couldn't even get in, why consider so much?

Because they had just finished their match, the Tianjing Team only needed to observe and learn for now.

Li Hao returned to the team. Ma Long circled around Li Hao, his nose twitching.

"Ma Long, what are you doing? You're almost drooling. Anything is fine except borrowing money," Li Hao quickly waved his hands.

"Hao Ge, oh Hao Ge, we are brothers for life, yet you hid this from us. Touch your conscience, does it hurt?" Ma Long looked up at a 45-degree angle and let out a long sigh; the vibe was truly there.

Li Hao was bewildered. In just this short while, had something happened again? He looked innocently at Zhou Naiyi. Zhou Naiyi snorted and didn't want to pay attention to Li Hao; this person was the worst!

Thinking back over the past year, she had occasionally wanted to help him with tutoring and kept reminding him to work hard. Even Wuzang had asked her to take Li Hao for training. The more she thought about it, the angrier she got. She didn't know how this guy had been laughing at her behind her back. She gnashed her little teeth.

Li Hao felt a chill on his neck. "Class Monitor, haha, let's talk things out. No need to get physical. Why are you grinding your teeth? Don't worry, I mentioned it to them. Competition is competition, but we will definitely eat our fill."

"Hehe, Team Leader Li has such great influence that even the General has to listen to you. How would I dare to get physical with you?"

Li Hao was confused. Wuzang smiled slightly and shook his head, while Zuo Xiaotang held it in hard; the brothers wouldn't let him speak.

"Ahem, how is Huo Ying?" Li Hao quickly changed the subject.

"Someone just notified us. Old Huo is not in life-threatening danger, and his Golden Zone has stabilized, but his injuries are a bit severe. He won't be able to participate in the subsequent training for the Mid-Season Tournament," Ma Long said. "Old Huo is fierce. I'm convinced this time. Although it's a pity, given the current momentum of Tianjing Martial Arts, we are bound to enter the S Tournament. Huo Ying will have plenty of opportunities to show off later."

Li Hao nodded, "That's good. He can be considered to have gained a blessing in disguise; he broke through."

"Ahem, Hao Ge, that's a different matter. Don't try to gloss over it. Confess honestly, do you have another hidden identity!" Ma Long's teeth were almost showing from his grin.

"Damn, just say what you want to say. Be careful you don't chip your front teeth," Li Hao was completely lost.

"Li Hao, is your ID Puppet?" Although she felt it was nine-tenths certain, Zhou Naiyi still felt she had to ask in person.

Li Hao was stunned and nodded, "Yes."

It seemed a gust of wind blew by... that's it?

"So straightforward?" Ma Long was also stunned.

"That's the ID I use for practice. I remember you asked before, and I told you."

Ma Long directly hugged Li Hao's neck, "That was a joke! Who would believe that? How can you say such an explosive thing so casually? Never mind, you're a big star!" Li Hao was left crying and laughing, "What kind of nonsense is this? Don't take it too seriously; we should still focus on the S Tournament."

"Li Hao is right, I'll let you off the hook," Zhou Naiyi said. Looking at Li Hao's demeanor, he likely had other secret missions; his identity was not as simple as it appeared.

"I told you, Hao Ge is a low-key person and doesn't care about this," Wuzang nodded. Li Hao's style was the same as the Wu Family's house rules.

"Sigh, what can we even say, that

popularity, if only it were given to me..."

"Given to you how? Are you planning to retire? Ma Long, Huo Ying is injured, you have to shoulder the banner now. Work harder in the upcoming training. If we fail to qualify because of someone, what do you think the situation will be?" Zhou Naiyi poured a bucket of cold water to wake Ma Long up.

The Mid-Season Tournament had just begun and wasn't over yet. Li Hao was indeed the center of attention, but a team was still a team; scores were tallied collectively, and everyone was watching. If they just weren't good enough, the military wouldn't let Tianjing qualify. If Li Hao was indispensable, then the most likely scenario was that Li Hao would transfer schools.

Then Tianjing would truly be finished.

Ma Long clearly realized this problem too. "Hehe, that's impossible. This is the thickest thigh I've ever encountered in my life; no one can stop me."

The entire Mid-Season Tournament was divided into two parts: the first half focused on pilots, and the second half focused on Mecha. Clearly, the first half carried more weight. After the Mid-Season Tournament ended, there would still be half a year of preparation time before the S Tournament. The Mecha usage and combat maps for the S Tournament would only be announced closer to the date. This time, it was very different from previous years because the widespread use of K23 would necessitate major adjustments, so the Mid-Season Tournament focused more energy on the Golden Zone.

The subsequent training added a series of assessments like the Barefoot Volcanic Road and Huoxing Dongku special training. Student Ma Long perfectly hit rock bottom, rubbing frantically against the edge of elimination. Fortunately,

his Zone ability played a role in providing illumination in the dark Huoxing Dongku, which restored some of his health, and he finally managed to persist. Whether the two Major Generals turned a blind eye to this, no one knew; anyway, no one asked, and no one wanted to ask.

Chao Qinglong returned on the third day of the Mid-Season Tournament. Of course, even without him, the overall performance of North Caro remained firmly in first place. Ye Tong performed exceptionally hard throughout the Mid-Season Tournament; naturally, with two big brothers protecting her, nothing would go wrong. She just couldn't get past her own psychological barrier.

Li Hao and Chao Qinglong joined forces to set an example for the others, and with the competition, the overall progress of the USE was significant. Chao Qinglong maintained his domineering style, majestic and awe-inspiring, leading the overall rhythm. As for Li Hao... he was laughing and relaxed all day long, as if he were on vacation. But saying it was a vacation, he didn't seem to miss any training. Anyway, when there was training, he would get a perfect score; when there wasn't, he would enjoy himself, chatting with Ye Tong from time to time, or being pestered by his little fan girl Wuxiya asking this and that.

In Luo Bi's words, back in the day on the USE side, it was: Qinglong in favorable conditions, Nangong in adversity, and Li Hao in desperate situations.

Regarding this, student Ma Long kept trying to protest, because it made it seem like he was the one who was the most tired and struggling. The fair-skinned Ma Long was covered in scars, but he didn't leave the front line despite minor injuries. Whenever he wanted to give up, his kind teammates would describe the bright future to him: entering the World Championship, infinite glory, slaughtering in all directions, achieving fame and success, surrounded by beauties...

Ma Long's Small Universe kept erupting, lighting a fire under himself; he had to keep going.

Wuzang and Zhou Naiyi's performances were standard and steady. It wasn't that they weren't good, but everyone else was very fierce. Li Hao was Li Hao, and the other top ten teams really didn't have names that were just for show. Their performance in training was commendable.

Aofei's Round Table Knights also showed their true colors, firmly in second place, second only to North Caro. Clearly, when they sparred with Tianjing, they weren't just holding back; they had released an entire river.

If one said Ma Long was losing points, Wuzang and Zhou Naiyi were holding steady, and Li Hao was gaining points, one person was still not enough. The most surprising was Zuo Xiaotang. This little fatty still hadn't awakened the Golden Zone, but he was fierce as hell in training. Mental Interference and Mental Blast didn't work on him; he was in a special state of evasion. His marksmanship was accurate and ruthless—a typical case of someone fierce who didn't talk much, completely the opposite of his appearance.

In the individual shooting events, the little fatty consistently stayed in the top ten, and his final overall score was fifth. This included Chao Qinglong and Li Hao, so one could imagine how exaggerated that was.

Third place was the GRU Military Academy. The scores of GRU and Ockman were very close, but in the end, GRU shouted "Ura," the whole team erupted, and at the last moment, they overtook them by three points, taking third place and holding onto their position in the first tier.

The top three remained unchanged.

Fourth place was the Ockman Royal Military Academy, without any suspense. The scores of the top four teams pulled away from the other teams.

Cougar Team: Luo Bi himself displayed the terrifying combat power of the mature state of Burning Will, which was very fierce, but the level of the other team members lagged behind. They suffered a big loss when facing Ockman, but regardless, Luo Bi defended his dignity as one of the Six Dragons.

Sixth place was the Calf Special Military Academy led by Perkins. Perkins talked a lot of nonsense, and his mind always went astray, but his strength was real. Calf's overall combat style was sneaky and efficient, and their level was there. They took sixth place—truly a "sixth man."

Seventh was Yan Teng's Black Rock Military Academy. They were balanced overall, with a tough style, and the team atmosphere was quite good. Getting this result was within expectations. Yan Peng also took first place in Heavy Armor in the private fish-wrestling competition.

Ninth place was the Tianjing Martial Arts led by Li Hao....

Tenth place was the Sea Shark Military Academy led by Luo Dongsheng. The overall grid of Sea Shark was also very fierce. Unlike the depth of Extreme Shadow, Sea Shark was more extroverted and unrestrained, liking to self-hypnotize and charge fiercely. Looking at the carefree Luo Dongsheng, in the final ranking battle, a member's mistake led to a loss of points, regrettably placing them tenth, one point behind Tianjing Martial Arts.