“Senior Bishop is fantastic and is someone to look up to. He was level 35 last year and is now at level 41. He rose by six levels in a year, which is even faster than when I went from level 30 to 35!”
“Don’t compare yourself to such a godlike student. Bishop is the number one second-year student at Kyoto and in this year’s competition.”
“That’s right. Competing with others is infuriating. Competing with geniuses is a sin.”
…
The discussions about Bishop continued, and so did the competition as it progressed to the seventh match between Kyoto’s Co-captain, Gavin, and Taiwu’s seventh-best participant, Gerian.
Although it was a crucial match that had yet to begin, everyone already knew Gavin would win. However, Taiwu was thrilled because they had yet to reveal their first, second, and fourth-best participants, while Kyoto’s third, fourth, and fifth-best participants had yet to appear.
Even the audience could see that in such a situation, Taiwu University had the opportunity to win the entire match three times in a row.
Standing beside Moss, Nat stared unblinkingly at the match in the ring. She furrowed her brows and could not help but ask, “What do you think of the following matches, Moss?”
She was worried about the matches because she knew the next three matches after Gavin’s would be against level 38 to 39 students.
The difference between Taiwu’s three level 39 students was not significant to Kyoto’s. The matches were also ever-changing, so Kyoto did not have absolute confidence in winning.
Moss smiled, placed a piece of heart-shaped chocolate in his palm, and then firmly grasped it.
“Are you telling me to put my heart in my stomach?” Ned’s eyes sparkled as he asked curiously.
“Haha, I mean, everything is under control,” Moss said smilingly. His right hand was still on his stomach, showing that he was laughing until his stomach hurt.
Ned lowered her head and rubbed her hands together as he muttered softly, “You’re laughing at me…”
Moss stopped laughing and said, “Didn’t Captain Bishop say we only need to worry about pressure in next year’s competition? Also, we can’t expect to win if we can’t even win against Taiwu. Keep your heart close, and you will see the score reaching 6:3 soon.”
He was already thinking about the top 32 and 16 matches and Kyoto’s matches against East Lake Institute because he had already made up his mind when he saw Bishop’s performance in the ring.
Moss fully agreed with Blue Star’s classic saying, “Never underestimate the heart of a champion.”
It was the last exchange match between the five second-year students, so they would not waste their last dance.
“Yeah.” Nat glanced at Moss and softly nodded. Moss’s highly determined gaze swept away the doubt in Nat’s heart.
…
Gavin was a thoughtful and careful person. Of course, he would not give his seventh-ranked opponent any chances.
Although Gerian was not the student Gavin wanted to face most, Gavin was very serious and quickly won his match based on respecting each opponent’s capabilities. His next moves were just as Moss had expected.
In the eighth and ninth matches, Taiwu’s Captain Hardy and Co-captain Heller appeared one after another, but they still could not stop Kyoto from entering the top 128.
Although they had caused quite a bit of trouble for the level 39 Yellow-robed Holy Mage, Gerard, and the level 39 Holy Swordswoman, Carolyn, Kyoto did not give Taiwu a chance to win. They had defended the honor of Kyoto’s undefeated record.
Amidst the applause and cheers, the focus match between Kyoto and Taiwu finally ended with Kyoto defeating Taiwu University 6:3.
After their final matches ended, many audience members were surprised that Kyoto planned to place five first-year students in the front, followed by their first, second, third, fourth, and fifth-best second-year students starting with Bishop.
This discovery caused another wave of heated discussion. Many audience members could not help but ask, “If Taiwu had five second-year students in front, wouldn’t Kyoto be 0:5 in the first five matches?”
“Is this the oppressive aura of the defending champions? Isn’t Kyoto a little too confident?!”
A middle-aged man wearing a classic Chinese tang suit with white hair calmly said, “They have the self-confidence to do such things!”
His words immediately attracted the audience’s attention. He noticed everyone looking at him and continued, “Kyoto’s five second-year students are extraordinary. Three of them participated in last year’s competition, while the others are outstanding students.
“Moreover, these five have been training together for almost a year. Kyoto’s five second-year students’ tacit understanding and brute strength are more substantial than Taiwu’s. Also, their think tank is solid.
“Based on Kyoto’s order of appearance against Taiwu, they should have guessed before the match that Taiwu would send their first-year team members first.”
The audience members surrounding the middle-aged man nodded in agreement after listening to his analysis.
“Sir, I’ve always wondered why Kyoto sent so many first-year students to participate. Can you provide an answer to this, sir?” A young man behind the middle-aged man enthusiastically asked.
“Haha, I don’t know the answer to that question either. Perhaps only the principal and teachers of Kyoto know.” The middle-aged man waved his hand, laughed dryly, and continued to lock his gaze on the ring at the arena’s center.
…
Kyoto had overcome its first opponents in this year’s competition under unfavorable circumstances.
However, their brilliant performance did not increase their chances of winning the championship but decreased from 18% to 17%. Still, they were ranked fourth.
This mainly related to the opponents they would probably meet next: East Lake Institute during the top 32 and 16 matches, Aerospace Institute during the top 16 and 8 matches, and Military Institute during the top 8 and 4 matches.
These three teams represented the top 10 institutes, so their strength was not something Taiwu could compare to. Still, the authorities and many spectators were pessimistic about Kyoto defending its title again.
But one person was very interested in this year’s defending champion. This person was Locke. Bishop’s performance made Locke feel gratified and gave him many surprises.
However, the person who left the most profound impression on Locke was Moss. Especially later, when he looked up Moss’s information on his mobile phone and found that he was only 16 years old. Locke felt even more delighted.
After looking at Moss’s information, Locke could not help but reminisce about Safin when he was younger.
‘Oh, right, Safin! He, too, was a Knight with outstanding talent and tenacious will. He and Moss are too similar! Moss even broke Safin’s record in S City’s elite training camp. If he surpassed the gifted Safin at such a young age, Moss’s future would be limitless!’
“Will he surpass that old ghost of the Holy Light in the future?” Locke muttered to himself, his eyes full of anticipation. He genuinely wanted to see a younger Knight surpass the old ghost that made him jealous.
With those thoughts in mind, Locke recalled the unforgettable time he and Safin spent in the Aclamar Mountains and the seven stars cluster.
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