Chapter 355: Finals—Doubles Mode (Third update, for Shangguan)

The next morning, Yecheng National Arena!

As always, the arena was packed with people; one could not find a single empty seat, as everyone cheered for their favorite Academy and students. Many spectators even remained outside the arena, refusing to leave, preparing to wait for the final match results.

Whoosh, whoosh~

At this moment, the first match had already begun, and the scene was filled with the frenzied cheers and boos of the spectators.

The two sides in this match were Tiandu Academy and Huating Academy; they were competing for third place, which could only be considered a warm-up relative to the next match.

The next match, naturally, was between Royal Academy and Yuanling Academy. Even though everyone present knew that Yuanling Academy could not possibly be a match for Royal Academy, they were still full of interest in the Finals.

In the first match, looking purely at the lineup, Tiandu Academy was stronger than Huating Academy, though only marginally so. Moreover, they had lost an important battle yesterday, so their morale was inevitably a bit low, especially since Huating Academy had still held back some strength in their match against Royal Academy yesterday.

Because of this, the two sides could be said to be locked in a stalemate, and it was only when they fought down to the last person that a winner was decided.

Tiandu Academy had the last laugh; Shen Haofei persisted to the end, defeating three Huating Academy students in a row, including a head-on defeat of He Changpu, who was sixth on the Top 100 Ranking, which could be considered vindication for himself.

However, the more powerful Shen Haofei appeared, the more it highlighted Li Zhangsheng's strength. Li Zhangsheng wished for Shen Haofei to be even more capable; the greater Shen Haofei's influence, the more Li Zhangsheng would benefit in turn.

After this match ended, the participating members of Huating Academy returned to their rest area with their heads hanging low. They had regressed this year, ending up at the bottom of the final four.

As the victors, the members of Tiandu Academy were not in a good mood either, because their ranking had also slipped.

Dong, dong, dong~

Before the second match began, a soul-shaking, Vigorous bell chime rang out, and the previously noisy arena suddenly fell silent.

This was the second time such a bell had rung; the first time was at the opening ceremony.

At this time, the Emperor of Langya Kingdom, Dou Changsheng, wearing a five-clawed golden dragon yellow robe, arrived at the viewing platform. He would also preside over the closing ceremony and the award ceremony in a while. Besides using it to show his presence, he could also use this to buy people's hearts and consolidate the rule of their Dou family.

"For this year's Finals, I have decided to modify the challenge mode. Each grade from both sides will send two people to challenge each other in a two-on-two format. Each person will have a quota of two Demon Pets, and each person can only bring out one Demon Pet at a time!"

Dou Changsheng did not ask for anyone else's opinion at all. He was already tired of the one-on-one mode, and doubles was undoubtedly more intense while also relying more on team coordination.

After Dou Changsheng's announcement, the members of Royal Academy shrugged indifferently. Their lineup was set; whether it was singles or doubles, they had an absolute advantage.

As for the members of Yuanling Academy, they also had no reason to object. With fewer people on the field, even if they ultimately lost the match, they could at least save some face.

Yuanling Academy rest area!

"I won't say any more superfluous words. I have no delusions about this match, nor do I care about the victory of this match. What I care about is all of you. When you go up there in a moment, everyone must be careful and prioritize preserving your effective strength, especially Li Zhangsheng and Miao Yinfeng. Do you all understand?"

Since he knew that victory was impossible, Vice Principal Xu naturally would not hope for it. The effective strength he spoke of referred to the Demon Pets. He would rather speak plainly than have the students fight to the death in this hopeless match and suffer some unnecessary losses.

Most importantly, they had already exceeded their goals. It would be a great pity if they suffered major losses in the final match.

"Understood!" The starting members replied one after another in listless voices.

Li Zhangsheng shrugged indifferently. Although he had fought through Tiandu Academy, Royal Academy and Tiandu Academy were not on the same level at all. They possessed a full one Fifth-Rank student and four Fourth-Rank students; how could they fight this?

"Mm, the tenet of this match is friendship first, competition second!" Vice Principal Xu set the tone and waved his hand, signaling for the members to take the field.

Since there were only two spots for each grade, the first grade was naturally represented by Li Zhangsheng and Zhao Shuyi as a pair.

Before the match began, both sides lined up in two rows, and Vice Principal Xu shook hands with the Vice Principal of Royal Academy.

The Vice Principal of Royal Academy was also a Pseudo-King, and his ranking was even higher than Vice Principal Xu's.

While the two were conversing, Li Zhangsheng looked at the members of Royal Academy opposite them.

The participating members of Royal Academy still had an arrogant appearance. They were high and mighty and almost did not put Yuanling Academy in their eyes—well, except for the first grade.

The reason the first grade was an exception was that they did not dare to underestimate the combination of Li Zhangsheng and Zhao Shuyi at all. In the previous match, Li Zhangsheng had single-handedly fought through all four grades of Tiandu Academy, including two Fourth-Rankers!

Although Zhao Shuyi was quite a bit behind, her battle record could also be called brilliant, but the limelight was completely suppressed by Li Zhangsheng.

This time, Royal Academy sent out all their main forces, including one Fifth-Ranker and four Fourth-Rankers. Even the remaining three Third-Rank students were not comparable to ordinary Third-Rankers.

Looking at Royal Academy's luxurious lineup, it would be a lie to say Li Zhangsheng felt no pressure. Just the Fifth-Rank Dou Changsheng alone was someone he was completely no match for; the gap in cultivation realm was too great.

The first-grade participants from Royal Academy were Dou Miwan and Zhao Wencan. Both were Third-Rank students, and Dou Miwan was also the Eleventh Princess of the Imperial Family; her strength seemed to be a bit stronger than Zhao Wencan's.

In this year's Academy Exchange Tournament, there were only five Third-Rank students in the first grade in total, and Royal Academy and Yuanling Academy accounted for four of them. This duel between them almost determined the future trend of the two Academies.

Because it was a doubles battle mode, the random arena segment was canceled, and both sides used a standard arena with a water pool.

This time, Li Zhangsheng and Zhao Shuyi stood together, and opposite them were Dou Miwan and Zhao Wencan.

Since doubles relied more on team coordination, they had one minute of discussion time.

"It's decided then!" Li Zhangsheng and Zhao Shuyi discussed it secretly and quickly decided on a strategic policy with Li Zhangsheng as the main and Zhao Shuyi as the support, as well as the Demon Pets to be sent out.

As for Royal Academy's Dou Miwan and Zhao Wencan, it was naturally Dou Miwan who was the main one; even if Zhao Wencan was unwilling, he could only settle for being second.

"Li Zhangsheng, this time I must teach you a good lesson! And that bastard born of the lowly maid Zhao Shuyi, this is a desecration of our noble Zhao bloodline!" Looking at Li Zhangsheng and Zhao Shuyi opposite him, Zhao Wencan was filled with resentment.

Are there any kind readers who can add this to their reading list!

Today's goal: Three, pigs, proof! Five thousand steps!

(End of chapter)