Chapter 76: Group Division

Each school could send up to ten contestants for this martial arts tournament.

When Zhang Yu arrived at the venue, he found that there were only about forty participants total, with thirty of them coming from the Three Great Academies.

The remaining dozen or so were students from other regular or key high schools.

These students likely didn’t fully understand the tournament’s nature. Maybe they lacked access to reliable information or simply came on a whim, hoping to get lucky or just broaden their horizons.

But as one powerhouse after another from the Three Great Academies took the stage and displayed their strength...

The students from the other schools began to lose heart and started withdrawing one by one.

Zhang Yu and Bai Zhenzhen, of course, did not back down.

Zhang Yu recalled the rules: contestants would be scored and sorted into different tiers based on their performance.

Then, contestants of the same tier would be randomly assigned into eight different groups for the elimination round.

This structure was designed to ensure each group had a range of tiers and to prevent multiple top-tier contestants from facing early elimination in the same group.

Zhang Yu thought to himself, “If I want to avoid being grouped with the strongest batch, I’ll need to score as high as possible.”

“That’s the only way to dodge tough opponents in the group stage—and secure a spot in the top eight.”

Looking at the Yellow Turban Warrior in the ring, Zhang Yu was already forming a battle plan.

Moments later, it was finally his turn to step onto the stage.

…

In the spectator stands.

Zhao Tianxing, Qian Shen, and He Dayou were sitting together.

He Dayou looked annoyed, but Qian Shen was watching the ring with focused attention.

Zhao Tianxing, meanwhile, couldn’t shake the feeling that the students from the Three Great Academies nearby were glancing his way, making him feel awkward. He was from Songyang High, after all, and here he was watching the tournament like one of them.

His Songyang school uniform felt especially out of place in this White Dragon High School arena—rare, and not in a good way. He couldn’t help feeling like people were reacting oddly to the sight of that uniform.

But in truth, Zhao Tianxing was just overthinking it. To most students from the Three Great Academies…

Songyang High? Do their students even know how to cultivate? We’re here for the competition.

Just then, a White Dragon High School student walked up and said to He Dayou, “Dayou, you actually came to watch me fight?”

He Dayou looked at him, inwardly cursing his useless disguise of sunglasses and a mask.

“Yeah,” He Dayou nodded. “I came to see how strong this year’s batch from the Three Great Academies really is.”

Chu Qiuhe from White Dragon High chuckled. “I saw your Songyang High is competing too. What are you thinking? Not afraid you’ll get beaten into bankruptcy?”

Though He Dayou knew there was a gap between Songyang and the elite schools, as the son of a school board member, hearing that still rubbed him the wrong way.

Mocking Songyang in front of the school board’s son? You’re asking for death.

Still, he knew Chu Qiuhe had a point—there was a bit of a gap.

Even though they had been junior high classmates, things changed after they entered different high schools. Since he got into Songyang and Chu Qiuhe got into White Dragon, their friendship had started to sour.

Whenever he was around Chu Qiuhe, He Dayou always felt inferior.

Chu Qiuhe didn’t even acknowledge Qian Shen or Zhao Tianxing next to He Dayou—just treated them like air.

Songyang High? Yeah, right.

He Dayou said calmly, “Who knows. That guy got fourth place in the Law Tournament, so maybe he’s hoping for a lucky break here too.”

Hearing “fourth place in the Law Tournament,” Chu Qiuhe faltered and gave a forced laugh. “Martial combat is different from law-based duels. That’s about comprehensive strength. The gap between White Dragon, Purple Cloud, Hongta, and other schools is huge.”

He turned to the stage. “Looks like someone from your school is up. Let me evaluate his level for you…”

Meanwhile, seeing a Songyang High student enter the arena, many in the audience expected a tough battle.

Then—bang!

After a single collision with the Yellow Turban Warrior, Zhang Yu sent it flying out of bounds.

Zhang Yu scored 300 points.

The crowd erupted. No one expected someone from Songyang High to achieve that.

Chu Qiuhe froze mid-sentence, stunned. “Three hundred? Songyang High can train a student like that?”

He sounded like he’d seen a flower blooming in a pile of dung.

As much as He Dayou disliked Zhang Yu, he had to admit—seeing Chu Qiuhe’s dumbfounded face was oddly satisfying. He gave a reserved nod. “Our year is pretty strong.”

Qian Shen added, “Zhang Yu did get a 653. He’s strong.”

Zhao Tianxing puffed out his chest. Suddenly, that Songyang uniform didn’t feel so pathetic.

…

When Chu Qiuhe returned to Song Hailong’s side, the tournament coach was reviewing slow-motion footage with a few students.

The coach analyzed, “Zhang Yu started by standing right at the edge of the platform.”

“That way, once the Yellow Turban Warrior charged, it would end up near the boundary.”

“Then he used a basic straight punch—and here’s the interesting part.”

On screen, Zhang Yu intercepted the warrior’s strike as if he had predicted it in advance.

The coach explained, “He read the attack and broke it early. Then he used Limitless Cloud Hands to redirect its momentum and threw it several steps away.”

“And thanks to his positioning, those few steps were exactly enough to send it out of bounds.”

“Every move was perfectly calculated…”

After hearing the breakdown, Song Hailong’s once-interested eyes grew cold. He turned away with a bored expression. “I thought he’d be like he was in the Law Tournament—a real dark horse with some actual strength.”

“But he just likes using tricks. How lame.”

The coach didn’t argue. Song Hailong was not only the top of his grade but also incredibly wealthy. As long as he wasn’t insulting teachers, he could say what he wanted.

Besides, the coach knew that someone of Song Hailong’s caliber had no need to worry about a student like Zhang Yu.

Still, he addressed the others. “Don’t underestimate him. Even if it was a bit of a trick, to react in that instant requires sharp instincts and deep martial understanding.”

“Or, he studied the Yellow Turban Warrior’s patterns beforehand and figured them out.”

“He might not have high stats like you, but he’s the type who could beat stronger opponents.”

“If any of you lose to someone outside the Three Great Academies, it’s a 10,000-yuan fine and you’ll spend this month’s classes kneeling.”

“Understood?”

“Yes, Coach!” the students chorused.

Chu Qiuhe finally understood. At first, Zhang Yu’s instant win made him think the guy was as strong as Song Hailong.

But now that it had been explained, he felt like he could probably pull that off too—with some prep.

…

Elsewhere, in the Purple Cloud High prep zone—

Lian Tianji laughed heartily. “Zhang Yu really is impressive.”

Le Mulan gave him a side glance and said coolly, “He can’t even afford to rent a basic battle-grade spirit root. Pathetic.”

“But even being that poor, he’s still risking total bankruptcy to enter. I honestly don’t get it.”

She turned to Lian Tianji, curious and puzzled. “You’re way poorer than I am—can you understand their thinking?”

Lian Tianji gave an awkward smile, unsure how to respond, and could only console himself: “The Divine First Place is just blunt, not intentionally insulting. Don’t take it personally.”

…

Shortly after Zhang Yu left the ring, it was Bai Zhenzhen’s turn.

From the stands, Qian Shen and Zhao Tianxing were excited to see how she would perform.

But moments later, they were shocked to see her barely holding her own—dodging the Yellow Turban Warrior and only managing to touch its detection patch with great difficulty.

“She’s really struggling?” Zhao Tianxing said.

Watching the confident, domineering girl who once beat him up now flounder on stage, He Dayou didn’t feel any pleasure. Instead, a bitter taste rose in his mouth.

Though it wasn’t really about Bai Zhenzhen—it was about how he’d once been beaten by her.

Qian Shen frowned. “Her style isn’t suited to fighting the Yellow Turban Warrior.”

Zhao Tianxing added worriedly, “Won’t that get her grouped with high-scoring opponents? She might get eliminated early.”

…

As Bai Zhenzhen struggled, the crowd and other contestants quickly lost interest.

Song Hailong closed his eyes in boredom, as if watching her was a waste of time.

Even Lian Tianji was caught off guard. “That girl entered the Law Tournament with Zhang Yu, didn’t she?”

“She’s so weak—why would she bother following him into this? Don’t tell me… is she Zhang Yu’s servant? Songyang’s doing that now?”

Lei Jun, watching closely, said thoughtfully, “Seems like Bai Zhenzhen realized her combat style doesn’t work well against the Yellow Turban Warrior. Maybe she’s deliberately holding back.”

As someone who had tutored her for two weeks, Lei Jun knew she was far stronger than she appeared here.

Zhang Yu crossed his arms, watching her from the stands. He gradually understood her strategy.

The Yellow Turban Warrior, even at just 1.98 strength output, still had an unbreakable build.

And Bai Zhenzhen’s usual style focused on exploiting weaknesses—against such a tank, she was bound to struggle.

Zhang Yu thought, “My goal is to avoid strong opponents in the group stage and secure a top-eight spot.”

“Looks like Ah-Zhen knows she can’t get a high score, so she’s hiding her strength—saving it for a surprise attack during group matches?”

In the end, Bai Zhenzhen scored 89.