Full-Time Magister: Dark Throne

Chapter 54 Exchange Tournament Opens

The first rays of sunlight had just spilled over the walls of Xiamen University, illuminating the Douguan Hall that stood at the center of the university.

Early in the morning, Professor Gu Han led the exchange student team from Mingzhu Academy to the Douguan Hall of Xiamen Academy.

According to the schedule, this morning's match is between Xiamen Academy and six other academies. These six academies cover the four directions and are all top-ranked magic academies in the country.

The reason why Teacher Gu Han brought them to watch the game so early was twofold: first, to get to know their opponents in advance and prepare for the afternoon's match; and second, to see if they could find an opportunity to compete with the Imperial Academy, which Mingzhu Academy had been looking for for a long time.

"Hehe, Teacher Gu, why are you here so early? The competition doesn't start until 8 a.m.." Teacher Liang Lichuan, who was in charge of receiving them, saw them arrive at the arena from afar and hurriedly came to greet them.

"My students at Mingzhu are all quite diligent and ambitious, and they're not used to sleeping in late," Professor Gu Han replied with a calm smile, subtly establishing a positive image of Mingzhu Academy as a place of hard work and striving for excellence.

"So you're just not used to sleeping in? I thought you were too scared to sleep because of our Imperial Capital Academy." A gentle yet grating voice rang out from the entrance of the fighting arena.

The smile on Teacher Gu Han's face instantly turned into an expression of undisguised disgust.

He slowly turned around, his gaze locking onto the newcomer, and said through gritted teeth, "Yuan Yang, after all these years, how come your mouth still smells so foul?"

He An turned his head to look in the direction of the sound.

At the entrance of the arena, a man dressed in a very artistic style was leading four students with different expressions as they walked in.

The man looked to be about the same age as Gu Han, wearing gold-rimmed glasses, a beige shirt, and khaki trousers.

"Gu Han, you haven't changed much over the years!" The man with a refined artistic air chuckled as he walked up to Teacher Gu Han.

The two stood face to face, locked in a fierce confrontation, their gazes clashing, as if sparks were flying through the air.

"Haha, you two were once the best of the best, but let's wait until today's top talents have finished their exchange before we talk about anything." Teacher Liang Lichuan quickly stepped forward to smooth things over, seeing the two's imposing manner.

Judging from his smile, he probably secretly hoped the two of them would start fighting soon.

"Hey, isn't this the good-for-nothing third son of the Zhang family? What's wrong? Couldn't make it in Beijing, so you ran off to Shanghai?"

From the group behind Yuan Yang, a burly man with a rough appearance spoke up.

This man was nearly two meters tall, with bulging muscles that seemed to bulge out of his clothes. He was a human-shaped beast, just like Fu Yunshu's sidekick, Dong Yu.

Zhang Wenze's face instantly darkened. He still crossed his arms and coldly uttered two words: "Bullet!"

"A brute?" Zu Jiming revealed a smug smile. "So what if he stole your special admission spot? A piece of trash with no ability has no right to come to the Imperial Capital Academy."

Seeing Zu Jiming's arrogant and domineering demeanor, Guan Yu, standing beside him, frowned slightly, straightened his collar, and said, "Zu Jiming, don't go too far. When we go out, we represent the face of the Imperial Capital Academy. What kind of behavior is this?"

Hearing Guan Yu's reprimand, Zu Jiming chuckled disdainfully: "Guan Yu, you're not the captain. You just want to have a deeper conversation with that girl, right? What are you trying to prove by using me?"

Seemingly having been touched on a sore spot by Zu Jiming, Guan Yu's already pale face turned even paler. He quickly looked around and only breathed a sigh of relief after confirming that the person he was thinking of was not nearby.

Taking advantage of this moment, Zu Jiming put his arm around Guan Yu's shoulder and whispered, "I specialize in poison magic. You should know very well what good things a poison mage can produce. Do you want me to help you?"

Guan Yu's face quickly turned from white to red. She forcefully broke free from Zu Jiming's arm and roared angrily, her cheeks flushed, "I'm not that kind of person!"

Zu Jiming wasn't annoyed; he simply stepped back silently, a playful smile playing on his lips.

"That's enough," said Yuan Yang, the teacher leading the group from the Imperial Capital Academy.

"Yeah, if you keep arguing, you'll embarrass everyone at the Imperial Capital University," Gu Han said with a smile.

I never expected to see infighting among universities in the capital so early in the morning. I knew it was true that going to bed early and waking up early has its benefits.

"That's right, if we keep arguing, wouldn't we be just as immature as Teacher Gu back then? You must never follow his example!" Teacher Yuan Yang continued, echoing Gu Han's words, but her words were actually mocking Gu Han's past.

Gu Han's forehead veins bulged and throbbed as he turned to Liang Lichuan and asked, "Teacher Liang, would it be possible to arrange a magic duel between our Pearl Academy and the Imperial Capital Academy before the competition begins?"

"This—I need to consult Dean Chu," Liang Lichuan replied somewhat awkwardly.

"No need to ask for permission. If both academies are interested, why not join a warm-up match in advance?" A deep and authoritative voice rang out from behind the crowd.

A middle-aged man with a robust and powerful build walked over, his magnificent robes squeezed so tightly that not a single wrinkle was visible.

"Dean Chu," teachers Gu, Yuan, and Liang greeted him in unison.

"Hmm." Dean Chu nodded, then turned his gaze to Yuan Yang, representing the Imperial Capital Academy. "Professor Yuan, what is the Imperial Capital Academy's opinion?"

"Our university in the capital city wholeheartedly agrees," Yuan Yang said with a smile.

Mingzhu Academy has always been looking forward to turning the tide, and the Imperial Capital Academy also wants to completely crush Mingzhu Academy into the "perennial runner-up" position.

"Haha, great!" Dean Chu of Xiamen University laughed heartily after receiving Yuan Yang's affirmative reply.

"Then let's follow the rules of the exchange competition: four people from each side, a team competition, two rounds to determine the winner, how about that?"

Gu Han and Yuan Yang exchanged a glance: "We'll follow Dean Chu's arrangements."

Soon, the two teachers began their pre-battle review.

Although it was called a selection process, only four students from the Imperial Academy actually came, and the choice was entirely in the hands of Professor Gu Han.

"He An, Fu Yunshu, Dong Yu, Zhang Wenze, the four of you go up." Gu Han pondered for a moment and quickly pointed out the four.

"Yes, teacher."

The four answered in unison and walked to the center of the arena.

"You four can go too," Yuan Yang said with a smile.

"Yes, teacher."

Zu Jiming, Guan Yu, Jiang Yu, and Mu Tingying stood opposite the four from Mingzhu Academy.

"Hehehe, I didn't expect such a show to be waiting for us as soon as we walked in. Luckily, I didn't greedily eat that xiaolongbao earlier!"

At the entrance of the arena, two teams walked in side by side.

Dean Chu smiled as he looked at the newcomer.

"How did you two universities from East China and South China end up together? No wonder I couldn't find you anywhere."

The newcomer, dressed in a sharp suit, chuckled and said, "Brother Chu, isn't it because your Xiamen University is too luxurious?"

The other person, dressed in a Zhongshan suit, calmly said, "Is this a match between the capital and Mingzhu? It's not on the schedule."

"Mingzhu and Didu said they want to play a warm-up match to warm us up. You two brothers can take your students to the stands and enjoy the show!" Dean Chu replied with a smile.