Chapter 242: Godwind Academy's Direct Surrender
In the first round of the qualifying tournament, Shui Bing'er achieved the shocking feat of defeating 7 opponents in a row. She secured victory for Thunder Academy and instantly boosted the academy's prestige.
In the rounds that followed, Thunder Academy's matchups were all far weaker. At most, those teams had only 1 Spirit Ancestor at the helm, nowhere near Botany Academy's level. They were crushed with ease.
Not to mention Yu Tianlin, even Shui Bing'er no longer needed to step onto the field. Most of the time, only 3 teammates were enough to defeat all 7 opponents.
After breezing through several rounds, Thunder Academy finally drew Godwind Academy in the seventh round of the qualifying tournament, exactly 1 week later, when the tournament was halfway finished.
The news of facing Godwind Academy made Lei Tian and Lei Dong visibly excited. They were desperate to wash away the shame of their loss in the preliminary rounds.
Back then, Thunder Academy lost to Godwind Academy because Yu Tianlin was absent, and their perfect record shattered. Even though Yu Tianlin never blamed them, everyone in Thunder Academy still felt it like a thorn in their chest.
Now that the chance had finally arrived, they were ready to seize it and make a statement.
Godwind Academy had grown stronger after absorbing Blazing Academy, but Thunder Academy now had Skywater Academy as well, and Yu Tianlin was present this time.
Who was afraid of whom?
Morale soared.
Then, the next day arrived, and something completely unexpected happened.
Godwind Academy chose to concede.
It left everyone in Thunder Academy feeling like they had swung with all their strength, only to punch empty air.
Yes, it counted as a win, but no one wanted a win like this. They wanted to defeat Godwind Academy on the field. So why did Godwind Academy surrender?
Frustration spread through the group. Lei Tian even blurted out that Godwind Academy was cowardly.
But Yu Tianlin and Shui Bing'er, the captain and vice captain, didn't think so. They exchanged a glance and immediately understood Godwind Academy's intention.
Shui Bing'er warned, "If Godwind Academy is this patient, it means they're planning something bigger. Don't underestimate them, or you'll suffer later."
"Bing'er's right." Yu Tianlin smiled and continued, "As a power attack type Spirit Master, don't let your head fill with muscles. Learn to think and analyze."
"Godwind Academy has Blazing Academy's support, and their entire lineup is Spirit Ancestors. They're strong, yet they avoid fighting us. That means there's definitely a problem."
Godwind Academy's surrender shocked the other teams as well.
No one expected the second strongest team in the qualifying rounds to refuse to fight Thunder Academy. It made many teams fear Thunder Academy even more, and it also caused plenty of people to look down on Godwind Academy.
On Godwind Academy's side, Feng Xiaotian faintly caught the whispers drifting over from the other teams. He said helplessly to Huo Wu beside him, "Huo Wu, if we concede like this, people will start talking about us."
"Our strength isn't weak. Why don't we fight Thunder Academy? The one on one format means Shui Bing'er can't activate her Martial Soul Fusion Technique. Their Xue Wu is a support type and can't go onto the field, which is basically losing 1 Spirit Ancestor. We might not necessarily lose."
From his tone, it was obvious that the surrender had been Huo Wu's suggestion. That was almost unbelievable. No one expected someone as proud as her to choose that path.
"We can't win in a one on one arena match." Huo Wu replied calmly. "No one in this tournament can beat Yu Tianlin in a one on one fight. With Yu Tianlin holding the line, our chances are too low."
"To defeat Yu Tianlin, we need everyone's strength in a team battle."
Ever since witnessing Shui Bing'er's seven kill streak in the first round, Huo Wu had begun reflecting on herself. She hid her pride and forced herself to analyze calmly, refusing to let emotion cloud her judgment.
Feng Xiaotian paused, then recalled the battle in the preliminaries.
Even though they hadn't fought directly, the comparison was obvious. Back then, Yu Tianlin fought the Ice Phoenix Martial Soul Fusion Technique to a standstill, while Godwind Academy was crushed when they encountered it.
The gap in strength was clear.
Even so, Feng Xiaotian still touched his nose and said, "Even if Yu Tianlin is strong, conceding without fighting is too demoralizing."
"Saving our strength is the priority." Huo Wushuang, who had been silent, finally spoke. "The teams that place 1st and 2nd in the qualifying rounds both get a bye in the finals. With our strength, we can definitely take one of those spots. There's no need to clash head on with Thunder Academy. It's pointless."
"Besides, our move isn't perfected yet. If we reveal our trump card now just to fight for first place, we'll be at a disadvantage later."
"Alright, you both make sense." Seeing the siblings share the same stance, Feng Xiaotian didn't argue further. "Then we'll endure it this time and let Thunder Academy be arrogant for a while. We'll give them a surprise in the final competition."
So, the showdown between Thunder Academy and Godwind Academy, a battle between two all Spirit Ancestor lineups that should have been the most explosive match of the advancement tournament, ended before it even began.
Thunder Academy secured another win, kept their winning streak intact, and rose to first in the standings. From the looks of it, no team would be able to stop them afterward, so that 1st place was likely to hold until the end of the qualifying rounds.
In the rounds after that, Thunder Academy faced weak teams again.
To train Lei Tian and the others, and because Yu Tianlin had no interest in bullying weak opponents, Yu Tianlin stayed at the back as insurance while his teammates took the field. They didn't disappoint, sweeping their opponents cleanly.
And so, the qualifying rounds passed quickly.
Several teams even chose to concede, giving everyone a few days of breathing room until the twelfth and final round.
Since the qualifying rounds required facing every team, the last round didn't need a draw. The only remaining team you hadn't fought yet became your final opponent.
And Thunder Academy's final opponent was Blue Tyrant Academy.
.....
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