Chapter 91: Second-tier Student

Very quickly, ten minutes passed.

Because the number of freshmen initiating active challenges was too low, only twenty or thirty freshmen had been eliminated by this moment; at this speed, it was simply impossible to screen four hundred people in half an hour.

However, what was unexpected was that the victorious freshmen would automatically lock in their spots for the Battle Academy, and according to the rules, they became targets that could not be challenged; this was perhaps the so-called hidden reward.

At this moment, Vice Principal Xu frowned slightly and shouted in a clear voice: "It seems I have to put some pressure on you all. Very well, then I shall add a penalty: if four hundred people are not determined within the allotted time, you will all collectively lose 30 Academic Credits!"

Once these words were spoken, the sound was like a thunderclap, echoing all around and startling countless birds; they flapped their wings and, like birds startled by the mere twang of a bowstring, flew off toward the horizon in a panic.

All the freshmen were in an uproar!

Xu Wenhua's decision undoubtedly greatly intensified the competition among the freshmen; those who were originally still watching from the sidelines could no longer hold back and wanted to lock in their spots first.

Not far away, Xu Xiangzhi was the first to make a move. He was Xu Wenhua's eldest grandson, and naturally, he wanted to perform well in front of his grandfather. Thus, he did not challenge the weak, but instead chose an outstanding freshman protected by a Mid-Rank Beast.

Being challenged by name by Xu Xiangzhi, this outstanding freshman's face turned livid in an instant, but he was a genius after all, so he naturally had no intention of admitting defeat and gladly accepted the battle.

On the rostrum, seeing Xu Xiangzhi's actions, Xu Wenhua's mouth twitched. Not only did he not feel any gratification, but he actually had the urge to give Xu Xiangzhi a sound beating. As the Dean of the Battle Academy, he naturally hoped that the Battle Academy would be full of talent, taking in more outstanding freshmen to surpass the other academies.

Among the more than six hundred freshmen present who aspired to join the Battle Academy, only about a hundred had released Mid-Rank Beasts; they were undoubtedly the elite among the freshmen.

Xu Xiangzhi's approach was simply pushing the elite away, and it was very easy to offend people. After all, with the other party's strength, barring any accidents, they could almost certainly lock in a spot at the Battle Academy.

"Good, good, that's how it should be! It would be best if it were even more intense!" Unlike the Vice Principal, seeing Xu Xiangzhi's actions, the deans of the other two academies were overjoyed, wishing there were more blockheads like Xu Xiangzhi.

Like a row of dominoes, Xu Xiangzhi's move triggered a series of chain reactions. The outstanding freshmen who possessed Mid-Rank Beasts could be said to be in danger; they could no longer sit securely on the fishing platform, and for fear of being challenged by powerful freshmen, they had to take the initiative to attack.

Li Runfeng and Li Tianyu were also in this group. Their strength was inferior to Li Zhangsheng's, so to avoid accidents, they each chose an opponent who appeared weak.

Unlike them, Li Zhangsheng was still watching from the sidelines. He did not believe the remaining two Second-tier Students would be as reckless as Xu Xiangzhi, and taking a step back, he considered himself no worse than them and did not fear their challenges in the slightest.

"Brute!" Not far away, seeing Xu Xiangzhi's actions, Zhang Yi couldn't help but complain.

"This is also good; it just so happens we can eliminate dissidents and reduce the number of competitors. Zhang Yi, why don't we have a match?" While speaking, Zhao Shuyi looked up at Zhang Yi. Just as she said, if she defeated Zhang Yi, she could reduce one heavyweight competitor, and she would be able to get along more smoothly in the Battle Academy.

Zhao Shuyi's plain face was like porcelain, her features extremely exquisite, and her skin as smooth as satin, delicate enough to be broken by a blow. Her bright eyes swirled beneath long eyelashes, her moth-eyebrows were lightly brushed, and her demeanor revealed a hint of aloofness and arrogance.

Although her external conditions were excellent, this did not mean she had no flaws; her biggest flaw was her flat chest—it was practically an airport.

However, she was only 16 years old, and perhaps there was still room for growth in the future.

While Zhao Shuyi was speaking, the White Fox in her arms opened its eyes wide, revealing an anthropomorphic expression of eagerness.

It was unknown why, but being stared at by this seemingly harmless White Fox, Zhang Yi felt his scalp tingle.

He did not think this was an illusion; his sixth sense was naturally sharper than the average person's and could detect crises in advance, which also made him a bit more vigilant.

"Miss Zhao, let's not joke around! We are of the same rank after all; are you sure you can take me down?"

"How would you know if you don't try?"

Zhao Shuyi smiled sweetly and moved her lotus steps, walking toward Zhang Yi, seemingly having the intention to initiate a challenge.

Zhang Yi frowned slightly. To be honest, if not for that feeling of danger, he might have accepted Zhao Shuyi's challenge.

"Miss Zhao, I think we should forget it. When two strong people meet, one will surely be injured; there will be plenty of opportunities to decide the winner in the future!" To avoid Zhao Shuyi actually challenging him, Zhang Yi glanced around and wanted to challenge someone else.

At this time, the high platform was far more spacious than before; most of the outstanding freshmen had initiated challenges, causing the number of people on the platform to become sparse.

Among them was Li Zhangsheng.

Of these few people, only Li Zhangsheng had summoned a Mid-Rank Beast.

Almost subconsciously, Zhang Yi wanted to challenge Li Zhangsheng; being able to reduce one competitor was always a good thing.

But just as he approached, Zhang Yi suddenly stopped in his tracks, looking at Li Zhangsheng with a hesitant gaze.

There were four reasons:

One, when approaching Li Zhangsheng, Zhang Yi's sixth sense acted up again, sending him a feeling of danger.

Two, Li Zhangsheng did not dodge like an ordinary person, and even his expression did not change.

Three, he saw the contract brand of the Paradise Bird; it was a Temporary Contract! The Paradise Bird was already rare, and coupled with the strength of a Mid-Rank Beast, how could an ordinary Monster Tamer use it as a Temporary Spirit Pet? This indicated from the side that Li Zhangsheng definitely possessed better Demon Pets, and very likely more than one!

Four, last night, when Li Zhangsheng entered the Number One Courtyard, Zhang Yi happened to see his back and vaguely felt it was somewhat familiar, because he lived right next door to Li Zhangsheng—in the Number Three Courtyard!

The Number One Courtyard was located in the center of the earthen slope; to its left was the Number Two Courtyard, and to its right was the Number Three Courtyard.

Although he only took one look at the time, the memory of a Monster Tamer was generally quite good, and coupled with the fact that Li Zhangsheng's charm was too high, it naturally left a deep impression.

Besides this, Zhang Yi also heard of one thing: this year, a candidate appeared who had the best scores in all three assessments, and according to the rules for dormitory allocation, he would be assigned to the Number One Courtyard.

Various reasons all indicated Li Zhangsheng's strength from the side; without a doubt, this was a tough nut to crack, and even as a Second-Rank Beast Master, he did not have the certainty of victory.

It would be fine if he won, but what if he lost?

Would he become the disgrace of a Second-Rank Beast Master, forever nailed to a pillar of shame?

Zhang Yi had reason to believe that if Li Zhangsheng defeated him by skipping a rank, he would definitely become the laughingstock of the Yuanling Academy.

The consequences seemed quite serious!

Moreover, there was no benefit to winning; perhaps he could eliminate him from the Battle Academy, but it would also offend the other party, which was completely against Zhang Yi's interests.

Zhang Yi was not stupid, nor did he care much about face; otherwise, he wouldn't have just refused Zhao Shuyi's challenge.

Thinking this in his heart, Zhang Yi immediately made a decision, slightly changed his direction, and brushed past Li Zhangsheng.

(End of this chapter)