As dawn broke, in the center of the inner city, on the huge square in front of the city lord's mansion, ten arenas stood tall, surrounded by crowds of onlookers from three directions.
Some were residents of the inner city, while others had traveled from afar just to join in the fun.
At this moment, there was a great deal of chatter and noise in the room.
In the direction without the crowd, there was a high platform where the deans of the thirty-six academies, along with the two bishops and priests from the temple and the papacy, were seated according to their rank. Behind each dean stood their students, ready to be arranged for the upcoming duels.
It's worth mentioning that the people sitting at the head of the table were not the deans of the three higher academies, but rather the two bishops and the priest.
This clearly demonstrates the profound influence of temples and the Papacy on the mainland.
Su Qing couldn't help but yawn. Getting up before dawn was something he wasn't used to.
Still feeling a bit angry, he decided that if these guys didn't perform well this time, they would have to work to earn their own travel expenses.
He perked up and flipped through the information he had just received; it was sent by Old Sam.
It has to be said that, given the other party's abilities, loyalty, and selfless attitude, Su Qing wouldn't trade him for something ten times the wealth of Old Sam.
Such a useful person is truly rare. Li Ming is just capable; he can handle the things you assign, but if you don't assign him anything, he's like a fool, clueless about how to do anything.
Little Mary is even less capable; she's alright at handling government affairs, but completely clueless about everything else.
Therefore, with over a hundred high-ranking knights and several Glory-level powerhouses under Su Qing's command, Old Sam, an ordinary man, has always been able to secure a place, which is entirely due to his outstanding abilities.
He flipped through the information in his hand, completely ignoring the several deans around him, and muttered some student information to himself.
"Qinghe Academy, Apis, is estimated to be above the mid-level Grand Knight level. He is rumored to be most skilled in swordsmanship and has also studied some auxiliary magic!"
Sitting to the left of Su Qing, Dean Qinghe's face, which had been all smiles and gentle demeanor, suddenly darkened, and he couldn't help but cough lightly.
Gathering information about the enemy is normal, but you just read it out to my face like that? Do you really think I have no temper?
"I'm sorry, I didn't mean to!"
Su Qing apologized guiltily and continued flipping through the information in her hand.
On the other side, Dean Qinghe was also secretly shocked.
That's terrifying. Apis is among the top three students he brought, and he's always been low-key. How could someone have gathered such clear and accurate information about him?
Su Qing knew exactly how she had gathered the information; there was a note below that she had spent five gold coins to have Apis's relatives and friends inquire with the other party's parents.
It's hard for the accuracy not to be high!
Just as he was browsing the information, the area below became lively. Dean Gao Suo, one of the three deans of the higher academy, stood up and gave a speech.
Without many twists and turns, it was straightforward: it explained the history of the Northwest Academy Alliance, the reason for the Academy Grand Competition, and the competition rules, and then announced the start of the competition, with the first group of ten arenas taking the stage.
Su Qing's gaze was also drawn, and she asked the ten people around her, "Which of you will go first?"
He threw the bamboo sticks to them yesterday, letting them decide their own order of appearance and which ring they would go to.
"I'll go first!"
A boy came out, looking a little shy.
"I'm from group 2 in arena number 5!"
Su Qing looked at the young man and fell into a deep silence, her flickering gaze showing a hint of helplessness.
"May I have your name?"
No, that's not true. He doesn't care much about these children. It's mainly because he can't possibly remember all ten names.
Hearing the principal's question, the little boy was clearly very disappointed: "My name is Tony Torritodtovtowski!"
Su Qing looked at him with a complicated expression. If I asked again, wouldn't that seem a bit too much?
But if I didn't ask, what was the child's name again? I think it was "driver"?
"Little Ji, who named you?"
"My dad!"
"What's your father's name? When you get back, make him work in the coal mine!"
Su Qing's face darkened. Was this really her biological father who gave her such a name?
"My father's name is Tony Torritodtov, my grandfather's name is Tony Torritodtov, and my grandfather's father's name is..."
The big boy was so excited that he wanted to memorize the family tree backwards.
"Alright, shut up!"
Su Qing interrupted him, now certain that he was her biological father: "Do your best on stage later. Don't be afraid. Don't forget what I taught you. If you can't beat us, just admit defeat. Grandpa Principal won't blame you!"
Su Qing's gentle words comforted the poor child and eased his inner tension.
Xiao Ji was somewhat moved, nodded earnestly, and vowed in his heart that he would definitely perform well later.
Su Qing smiled gently. He couldn't possibly say anything like, "If you don't win, I'll throw you off here."
All you need to know is that he really will do it!
The first competition, with ten arenas and 20 participants, quickly yielded results.
Of the 20 students, 15 are from established colleges and 5 are from emerging colleges.
Of the ten who advanced, nine came from established academies, while only one girl from Qinghe Academy narrowly made it through.
However, with so many powerful figures on the platform, it was clear that the girl had deliberately concealed some of her strength.
Several people whispered among themselves, clearly taking notice of the girl; the next round was probably going to be tough.
The second group competition began, and Xiao Ji, encouraged by Su Qing and his classmates, slowly walked onto the stage.
Because of nervousness and being the center of attention, she was a little shy, and her cheeks were flushed.
He was about 1.56 meters tall and looked like a child who hadn't grown up, but he was holding a broadsword that was completely disproportionate to his size.
His opponent also stepped onto the stage, a boy over 1.8 meters tall with broad bones, holding a sword in one hand and a shield in the other, his face full of ferocious smiles: "Little brat, have you been weaned yet?"
Xiao Ji's face turned bright red, and steam began to rise from his head. He was so angry that his entire face puffed up.
"Are you really that ill-mannered?"
To retort sharply.
The young opponent's face darkened, and he sneered, "Sharp tongue! State your name, and after I defeat you, I will carve your name on my shield. When I become a famous knight, you will feel honored by it!"
"That depends on whether you have the ability!"
Xiao Ji's expression turned serious, and he proudly declared, "Dragon Territory, Academy of Scholars, Knight Department, Class Monitor of the Third Class, Tony Torritodtovtowski!"
The boy opposite him remained silent, quietly abandoning his idea of carving the other's name onto the shield.
PS: First update!
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