Douluo: A Century-old Legend I Am the Second Uncle Chenxin

Chapter 1518 Sudden Change in Schedule, Division of Fields

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……

That evening, the council hall of the Chen family mansion was brightly lit.

Ji Xiang spread the new schedule map on the central long table and said in a deep voice, "Now the competition has entered the middle and late stages, and the battle has begun."

"According to the newly arranged matchups, our team will most likely face two top teams from other regions in the next three rounds."

"As for the seven second-ranked academies, our team has already played against three of them: Kamikaze, Thunder, and Green Forest. We also need to be careful of the remaining four."

Yan Nan, who was standing to the side, looked at the schedule and added, "With eight qualifying spots, if there are no major surprises, the situation will be basically clear by the end of the fourth round of matches, and the qualifying list may even be decided ahead of time."

Ji Shuran offered a different observation: "Another situation deserves attention."

"With the significant improvement in the academic performance of several colleges in the province of Fasno, I could clearly see from the observation platform that the overall evaluation of us by other provinces had been greatly boosted."

"Various forces have begun to increase their attention to our provincial academy."

He paused briefly, looking around at everyone, "The changes brought about by this attention may affect the strategic choices of other colleges. The private deals that used to be made to compete for interests or block potential rivals have become active, and the undercurrents are becoming turbulent."

Ji Xiang picked up the conversation, his tone becoming somewhat serious: "Yes, and there are already rumors that the number of finalists for the next tournament may increase by eight, and the Empire expects to obtain two or three of the new spots."

He tapped the table with his fingertip. "Regarding how these spots will be allocated, it is rumored that the Imperial Ministry of Education and the tournament organizing committee already have a preliminary plan. The general direction is: the region where the champion team is located will receive an additional spot, and the remaining spots may be allocated based on the overall performance of the teams from the seven regions in the competition."

He looked at everyone and concluded, "Therefore, our Fasno team, especially the academy that performed well this year, is likely to become the target of everyone's criticism."

With the second round of matches concluded, the results of the Fasno Provincial Academy were presented: Chang'an Academy remained undefeated; Wushan Academy was also undefeated; Qinglin Academy had thirteen wins and two losses; Yuesi Academy had twelve wins and three losses; and Xuanhuang Academy had nine wins and five losses.

This record, even when compared to previous competitions, is dazzlingly good and the best in history.

It is worth noting the details: Qinglin and Yuesi each lost one game, and Xuanhuang each lost two games, all of which were lost without any casualties in their provincial "derby" matches.

In other words, Xuanhuang Academy actually lost only three matches in external battles against other provincial academies.

The key to their consistent success in international competitions lies in their mastery of their own strengths.

The core of Xuanhuang Academy is the Bell-type Martial Soul—possessing both offensive and defensive capabilities, with particular strengths in defense and sonic attacks.

To further solidify this advantage, the academy introduced several powerful reinforcements: Hai Dafu, a level 47 defensive Soul Master from Canghui Academy, whose Martial Soul is the Giant Clam of the Vast Ocean (Crystallized Armor: Abyss Vortex Heavy Shield); Wu Xiao, a level 46 pure defensive Soul Master from Canghui, who is skilled in group armor techniques; two high-level defensive Soul Masters from Panshi Academy in the county; and Ruan Chaoyin, a level 51 control-type defensive Soul Master from Chaosheng Academy (from Earthly Paradise Star, who consumed an eighth-level spiritual medicine and absorbed a Soul Bone). They all possess significant abilities on both offense and defense.

Under integration, the Xuanhuang Academy team demonstrated extremely strong resilience: the outer layer had a heavy defensive system as solid as a copper wall, while the middle and offensive layers combined powerful bursts of strength with unpredictable and bizarre sonic attack techniques.

With the addition of Zhong Weiyang, the new captain urgently brought in by the Zhong family, along with Zhong Liwu and Ruan Chaoyin, the original captains from the Zhong family branch, the team now boasts three Soul Kings. On the national stage, this team has become a unique and formidable force known for its "grinding" tactics.

Any opponent who wants to break through their impenetrable encirclement will inevitably suffer a torment and exhaustion of both spirit and physical strength.

Their core tactic is not to win quickly, but to steadily wear down and disintegrate their opponents like a rock.

This is a team they formed by taking Chen Xiaojun's advice and absorbing the philosophy of Pan Shi Academy in the same county.

……

The only region that can rival the current performance of the Fasno province is the historically most successful Tosk province.

As the largest of the five provinces in terms of area and population exceeding 100 million, its sheer size gives it an inherent advantage.

Looking at their participating academies: Moonflower Academy has always been a regular contender for the top three; Moon Bay Academy has a deep foundation as a provincial academy; and Elephant Armor Academy, Black Tiger Academy, and Water Moon Academy are all supported by top-tier/peak sects with eighth-grade martial spirits.

Each of them consistently ranks in the top half of the performance chart.

……

The atmosphere in the council chamber turned somber as the data was compared.

Although Tosk province is renowned, its overall record so far in this competition is indeed behind that of Fasno province.

Therefore, the overall points of all participating colleges in Fasno have jumped from the middle position in previous competitions to the current first place.

Wang Weimei touched the wine stains on his chin: "Jixiang, how credible is the plan regarding the quota?"

Without hesitation, Jixiang calmly replied, "Eighty percent."

Lian Changzhi, standing to the side, nodded in agreement: "Yes, I also heard similar news when I was chatting with someone in the private room today."

Wang Wei nodded in a deep voice: "It seems this news was deliberately leaked. If we don't win more games, it will be hard to explain ourselves."

Ma Zhibin chimed in, "Director Wang, I reckon this method is meant to force strong teams to fight tooth and nail in the mid-to-late game, preventing them from playing coordinated matches and also preventing weak teams from slacking off." Lian Changzhi's expression turned serious: "Therefore, we need to win more matches to secure more spots for the entire Fasno region."

"Otherwise, it will have a huge impact on the current reputation and status of the academy as the leader of the Fasno district."

Wang Wei said with a hint of teasing, "Old Lian, you're getting into the swing of things pretty quickly, new consultant."

Lian Changzhi rolled his eyes at Wang Wei, annoyed: "Nonsense. This year, Canghui Academy failed to qualify for the provincial competition and distributed its team members to other colleges in the province."

"For colleges in other provinces, it can be considered that we have taken advantage of them."

"If the colleges in the entire region perform poorly this time, Canghui College will be fine, but the five colleges representing Fasno will likely face a lot of criticism from the outside world. On the contrary, if we can get a spot, we will go down in history."

Wang Wei was silent for a moment, then picked up his wine glass, took a sip, and said in a low voice, "You're right."

"Especially at a time when colleges across the province are showing unprecedented advantages, it is also a critical juncture for Chang'an College to pursue the reputation of 'the number one college in mainland China'."

"If we cannot produce results that are convincing and impeccable to everyone, we, as the benchmark and flag bearers, will likely face a barrage of criticism from all sides."

Ma Zhibin, also holding a wine flask, said in a direct and decisive tone: "Then let's aim for a complete victory. A complete victory means everything will be accomplished."

As soon as these words were spoken, everyone in the hall turned their gazes to the young man sitting in the main seat—Chen Xiaojun, the school team commander and captain.

Chen Xiaojun tapped his knuckles lightly on the table twice. His gaze swept calmly over everyone before finally landing on Wang Wei: "Elder Wang, tomorrow you and Grandpa Xia Yun should invite the heads of the other three families to VIP Room 22 (Chen family's private room) to discuss the follow-up arrangements."

Wang Wei nodded in agreement: "No problem, I'll arrange it."

Immediately, Chen Xiaojun turned to team leader Yan Chengyi, who was sitting to the side: "Teacher Yan, has the specific draw for the third round of the round-robin tournament been finalized?"

Each round involves drawing lots to reduce certain undesirable spaces.

Yan Chengyi immediately flipped open the papers he had prepared beforehand: "They're out. In our matchup arrangements, the stronger opponents are... and the other Five Mountains will face off against..."

He Qiang, Xiao Yi, and Xi Xi sat listening from the side and behind.

…………

As night deepened, in a stone pavilion in the back garden of the Chen family mansion, Chen Xiaojun leaned alone against the railing, the clear wine in his cup reflecting the waning moon on the horizon, the starlight sparse.

A sense of tranquility filled the air.

Light footsteps sounded behind him, followed by a slightly hoarse elderly voice: "Young master, drinking alone so late at night, is something troubling you?"

Chen Xiaojun turned around upon hearing the voice, "Elder Shi, are you still awake so late?"

Old Shi carried a wooden tray with several delicate dishes on it and walked steadily to the stone table to put it down.

His voice was deep and mellow, carrying the marks of time: "As people get older, they sleep less at night."

As he spoke, he took out a warm, smooth white jade wine pot.

Chen Xiaojun's gaze fell on the pot, his eyes narrowing slightly: "Seven-Turned Snow Mushroom Wine?"

The medicinal effects of this wine are even stronger than those of the seventh-grade wine, and he himself has never possessed it.

The old man Shi, the chief steward of the Duchess of Tiandou Chen's mansion, was clearly no ordinary person.

Old Master Shi calmly lifted the lid of the pot and poured the fine liquor into the cup in front of Chen Xiaojun.

The snow-white liquor swirled in the moonlight, exuding a refreshing and cool medicinal fragrance.

"This Snow Mushroom Wine has a cooling medicinal property, which is more nourishing to the old blood vessels and hidden injuries of my body than the Wine Mushroom Wine. Therefore, the family makes a special supply of some."

He looked up at Chen Xiaojun, his eyebrows twitching. "I heard that you used the 'Nine Yang Great Thunderbolt' move today. It was fierce and explosive, so your meridians must have been somewhat shaken."

"This wine is quite suitable for nourishing the meridians; why don't you try a glass?"

Chen Xiaojun picked up the cup, feeling the warm wine beneath the cool porcelain wall with his fingertips: "Old Shi, the treatment you're giving is even better than that of Grandpa Yanfeng and Grandpa Bingyuan (the chief steward of Chenlin Village)."

A faint smile flickered in Old Shi's eyes, but his tone remained unchanged: "Of course. In terms of seniority, those two brats can't even put on airs in front of me.

Chen Xiaojun felt a slight chill run down his spine.

(End of this chapter)