Chapter 151: The Preliminary Round Conclusion

Chapter 151: The Preliminary Round Conclusion

The match between Team 018 and Team 038 commenced at Arena 28.

The match was scheduled to start at 4:00 pm, but even before the hour struck, Li Wu had already arrived with Team 042 to secure a good spot.

After all, this match held significant importance for Li Wu, determining his chances of making it into the Top 8.

"Excuse me, may I sit here?" a particularly gentlemanly voice inquired beside them.

Team 042 had just settled down when this voice interrupted. Simultaneously, Jiang Bei Feng appeared beside Li Wu.

"I'd love to say no, but I assume you wouldn't leave even if I did," Li Wu responded, his disdain evident.

Jiang Bei Feng, unbothered, chuckled, "Who knew that just one meeting would reveal so much about me to you, Li Wu. It seems we have great compatibility. How about you enroll at North Jiang University, and I'll be your teacher?"

Li Wu's eyebrows furrowed, "Even if the wager wasn't about enrolling at North Jiang, the outcome is still uncertain."

"I believe the result is quite clear," Jiang Bei Feng pushed up his glasses and sat down casually next to Li Wu. "If you still had four cards in hand, the outcome would be uncertain. But unfortunately, I've taken three of your cards, leaving you with only Team 038's card, and it's a lousy one at that. I don't see any chance of you winning."

At this, Li Wu remained calm, but Lin Jianfeng couldn't contain his anger. He pointed at Jiang Bei Feng's nose and shouted, "You despicable person! Your actions amount to bribery and manipulation of the competition, a serious violation! I'll report you to the league!"

Jiang Bei Feng laughed upon hearing this, adjusting his glasses, "Now, that's not fair. You're tarnishing my reputation. I'm the Dean of Admissions at North Jiang University, and I have the authority to recruit students during the competition. How is that bribery? As for manipulation, it's laughable. Those teams are all recommended students from our university, and as their teacher, it's only natural for me to arrange their matches. I'm acting within the rules, and if you continue with these accusations, I'll have to sue you for defamation."

"You!" Lin Jianfeng was furious at Jiang Bei Feng's words. He had never met someone so shameless. Jiang Bei Feng, with a mischievous smile, tried to placate him, "It was just a joke. Don't be angry; we'll all be colleagues soon. No need to ruin the atmosphere over such a minor is dominated by the colors of the two teams, with Team 018's colors being blue and Team 038's being green.

Li Wu, however, seemed more agitated by Jiang Bei Feng's attempt to calm Lin Jianfeng. He furrowed his brows and said, "It seems Director Jiang is very confident about his victory. If you're so sure of yourself, why don't we raise the stakes to 500,000?"

Li Wu's words seemed to catch Jiang Bei Feng off guard. He hesitated, wondering if Li Wu had some hidden advantage. But he quickly regained his composure and replied with a smile, "No need, I'm not greedy. 50,000 is enough."

As this conversation unfolded, the match on the arena had already begun. Both team captains were in the arena, engaging in the customary handshake and dialogue. Li Wu, no longer interested in Jiang Bei Feng, shifted his attention to the arena.

Below the arena, Team 018's captain, Zhou Kai, and Team 038's captain, Zhao Lun, shook hands.

Zhou Kai, noticing Zhao Lun's dark eye circles, smirked, "I heard you were cramming last night at Li Wu's place. So, are you confident you can beat us?"

"Yes!" Zhao Lun, a straightforward man, didn't pick up on the sarcasm. He nodded earnestly and said, "Teacher Li Wu has given us the winning strategy. We will definitely win!"

Zhou Kai laughed upon hearing this, "Oh, a winning strategy, huh? Well, bring it on! I hope your so-called winning strategy will surprise me!"

"I'll do my best!" Zhao Lun nodded vigorously, his sincerity contrasting with his simple-mindedness. Zhou Kai realized why Director Jiang couldn't convince Zhao Lun to switch teams. He was a simple and honest man.

Bullying someone like Zhao Lun wouldn't bring much satisfaction, so it was better to defeat him swiftly.

Zhou Kai waved his hand, ending the dialogue.

The battle commenced immediately. Team 018 sent out a Small Rock as their first Summoned Beast, while Team 038 deployed a Tenderleaf Grass.

(End of Chapter 151)

As the Tenderleaf Grass emerged, everyone was left bewildered.

"What the heck? Using Tenderleaf Grass as the lead? This little guy's skin is so fragile, shouldn't it be reserved for the later part of the battle?"

Amidst the crowd's confusion, Zhao Lun scratched his head and revealed their battle plan.

"Coach Lu said that Team 18 has three Summon Beasts, and their order of appearance will be Small Rock, Flame Bird, and Goblin."

Zhao Lun continued, "Since our raw power is inferior to yours, we can only rely on exploiting elemental advantages. So, our lineup will be Tenderleaf Grass, Water Turtle, and Cave Dweller."

Zhao Lun's explanation only added to the audience's bewilderment.

Was he really revealing their strategy?

Was he feigning ignorance or genuinely foolish? Team 18 couldn't tell if Zhao Lun was pretending or not, but they knew that the Summon Beasts he mentioned would indeed appear in the order he stated, which made Team 18 slightly anxious.

Could it be that Coach Lu had seen right through them?

Team 18's captain, Zhou Kai, maintained a relatively calm demeanor.

"So what if he knows? In the face of absolute power, all strategies are a joke. Besides, he's already revealed the order of appearance. Why would I stick to the original plan? Forget all that, let's fight!"

With his command, the battle between Small Rock and Tenderleaf Grass officially commenced on the arena.

However, as the fight unfolded, the situation became even more perplexing.

Small Rock, under its owner's command, diligently attacked Tenderleaf Grass.

Tenderleaf Grass, on the other hand, had a different approach.

This tiny humanoid creature, barely a meter tall and composed of six leaves, immediately began dashing around the arena, utilizing its speed advantage to create distance from its opponent. As it ran, it scattered seeds along the way.

These seeds, upon landing, started to take root and sprout, quickly covering the arena with patches of lush green grass.

The audience was utterly confused by this display.

Did Team 038 send out Tenderleaf Grass to exploit elemental advantages and defeat Small Rock?

What was the purpose of this rampant grass-planting?

Soon enough, the spectators understood. As Tenderleaf Grass continued its seeding, the arena turned into a sea of green.

With the arena covered in grass, Tenderleaf Grass could easily hide within the foliage, vanishing from sight. This left Small Rock, who was frantically pursuing it, utterly bewildered.

Where was the grass?

What happened to that patch of grass?

"Stay alert and watch out for ambushes!"

Now, Zhou Kai and his team realized Tenderleaf Grass was setting up the battlefield.

By strategically planting the grass, Tenderleaf Grass instantly gained a geographical advantage. If it launched an ambush at this point, it had a real chance of defeating Small Rock.

Team 18 became vigilant for the first time.

However, as Small Rock remained cautious, Tenderleaf Grass showed no signs of emerging.

The arena fell silent, as if Tenderleaf Grass intended to hide until the end of time. Team 18 was perplexed by this unusual tactic.

"Wait, the grass is spreading! It's going to cover the entire arena; stop it!"

After several minutes of stalemate, Team 18 finally realized something was amiss.

But by then, it was too late to intervene. They had no idea where Tenderleaf Grass was hiding.

With no other options, Team 18 instructed Small Rock to clear the grass.

Small Rock, being a rock-type Summon Beast, lacked grass-cutting skills and could only pull the grass out manually. However, its pulling speed was no match for Tenderleaf Grass's planting speed. Moreover, whenever Small Rock pulled out some grass, Tenderleaf Grass would stealthily launch a skill attack.

After several attempts, Small Rock was exhausted and ineffective, completely at the mercy of Tenderleaf Grass's manipulation.

Zhou Kai couldn't hold back his frustration, knowing this battle was as good as lost.

It was a humiliating defeat, not because their Summon Beast was inferior, but because Tenderleaf Grass refused to engage in direct combat. In a fair fight, even with the elemental disadvantage, Small Rock could have potentially overcome the odds and emerged victorious.

In this version of the game, a 6-9-1-9-1-9 lineup was unbeatable!

The issue was that their opponent didn't intend to fight head-on.

In the current situation, their opponent held the initiative, and Small Rock's chances of winning were slim.

In the end, Zhou Kai, out of options, ordered Small Rock to roll around frantically, hoping for a lucky strike with area-of-effect damage.

Small Rock exhausted its energy in this frenzy, but to no avail. It couldn't even damage a few blades of grass, and eventually, it was knocked out of the arena by Tenderleaf Grass.

"Victory!"

Tenderleaf Grass secured the first match with an absolute advantage.

Team 038 and Team 042 couldn't help but cheer.

Even Jiang Beifeng, who was sitting in the audience, couldn't resist praising the performance.

"That strategy is impressive! To come up with such a tactic overnight, you truly live up to your reputation as a genius breeder!

Well done!"

Tenderleaf Grass's victory improved Li Wu's mood, and he finally deigned to acknowledge Jiang Beifeng.

"You don't seem worried at all?"

"Why should I be worried? Team 018's strength is clear. Losing the first match isn't a big deal. Besides, Team 018 can quickly turn things around in the second match..."

Before Jiang Beifeng could finish, Li Wu cut him off.

"You were about to say that Team 018 will quickly turn things around in the second match, right?

The advantage Tenderleaf Grass has created will become a deadly trap as soon as the second match starts, right?"

"Hmm?"

Jiang Beifeng was taken aback for a moment, then quickly reacted, his expression turning serious.

"You've already figured it out?

Given the current situation, Team 018 has no choice but to use Flame Bird in the second match, burning the grass that Tenderleaf Grass planted!"

"Exactly. This environment is perfect for Tenderleaf Grass. If Team 018 doesn't send out Flame Bird, the Goblin might not win in this environment. Even if it does win, the Water Turtle in the second match can easily take it down."

"Team 018, to protect the Goblin from being easily defeated, will have to use Flame Bird. And this plays right into your hands?"

Jiang Beifeng adjusted his glasses, immediately spotting the issue: "There's something wrong with that patch of grass!"

Li Wu didn't keep him in suspense.

"Yes, when Tenderleaf Grass planted that grass, it used both the Growth Skill and the Mind Fog Skill.

The Mind Fog is currently locked in the grass, but once it's burned, the Mind Fog will burst out, enveloping the entire arena in thick smoke. Flame Bird won't be able to avoid it."

Li Wu's honesty made Jiang Beifeng fully understand the situation: "So, the outcome of this match was determined the moment that grass was planted.

Whether Flame Bird appears in the second or third match, the result will be the same.

If it appears in the second match, it will be taken out by Tenderleaf Grass, and the Water Turtle will battle the Goblin with the Cave Dweller, a two-on-one relay match. The Water Turtle can wear down the Goblin.

If it appears in the third match, it will only be able to trade places with the Water Turtle, and Team 038 will win even more easily."

"Exactly!"

Li Wu found it easier to talk to intelligent people; he didn't need to explain much, just a little hint, and the other person would understand completely.

Of course, if he had a choice, Jiang Beifeng would rather not understand.

After all, this wasn't a pleasant realization.

"It seems our bet will continue. Fine, let's meet the day after tomorrow. I hope you can perform just as impressively then."

With that, Jiang Beifeng stood up and left, not even glancing back at the arena, knowing there was no need to watch the rest of the match.

And indeed, the subsequent matches unfolded exactly as Li Wu had predicted.

In the second match, Flame Bird took the stage and immediately set the grass on fire. The smoke billowed, but the arena had a special protection, trapping the smoke inside and completely covering it. The Mind Fog burst out, and Flame Bird was immediately affected.

Flame Bird and Tenderleaf Grass were both eliminated.

Then, Team 018's Goblin faced Team 038's Water Turtle.

The battle was intense. To be fair, Team 018's Goblin was strong, but its opponent was tough, with formidable defenses. More importantly, the opponent knew exactly where the Goblin's weaknesses lay.

The two battled for half an hour, and the Goblin finally managed to defeat the Water Turtle, but as soon as the Cave Dweller came in, it targeted the Goblin's weak points and took it down in one go.

Thus, Team 018 was defeated by Team 038 in a highly frustrating manner.

Team 018's loss extended to three consecutive defeats, matching the points of Li Wu's team. The next day, Team 001 also suffered two consecutive losses.

The final points of Group A's preliminary round were as follows:

Team 002 and Team 003, both with 41 points, tied for first place.

Team 001, Team 018, and Team 042, all with 39 points, tied for second place.

Now, Li Wu was just one step away from the Top 8 and 50,000 points, with only Team 001 standing in his way.

(End of Chapter)

Chapter end