novelraw Chapter 377: Do your best and leave the rest to fate
Chapter 377: Do your best and leave the rest to fate
"Break it up, break it up. There's no need to watch Vermilion Bird Academy's matches this year. It's a pure waste of time. Better to focus on the peak showdown between Azure Dragon and Kirin Academies."
"Indeed, the champion is definitely going to be between Azure Dragon and Kirin Academies. No suspense there."
"I heard their Dean, Ye Hongyu, is under tremendous pressure this year. If they don't produce results soon, Vermilion Bird Academy's resource allocation is going to be cut."
"Poor Feng Jue and the others. Fighting tooth and nail, only to be dragged down by their own academy's lack of a new generation to succeed the old."
...
These harsh bullet comments scrolled across the screen one by one, mercilessly exposing the cruel reality Vermilion Bird Academy now faced.
The lack of top-tier geniuses meant they lacked competitiveness on the highest stage.
The former hope, "Su Zhan," had already "fallen." The remaining Feng Jue, Liu Ziming, Xu Hao, and others, no matter how hard they tried, in the public's eyes, the chasm of talent was simply too wide to cross. Even breaking into the top ten would be a miracle.
Su Zhan calmly watched these comments, his golden vertical pupils revealing neither joy nor anger.
Feng Jue, Liu Ziming, Xu Hao... They had walked out of their former shadows, were striving forward on their own paths, and on this globally watched individual competition stage, were radiating a light uniquely their own.They fought for personal glory as students of Vermilion Bird Academy.
And he, could only watch them from the distant Black City through a cold screen, under the identity of "Chen Qing," as a mere spectator.
They represented the glory and hope under the light.
And he, walked in darkness and mist, bearing secrets and hatred.
The two paths seemed to be diverging further and further.
Su Zhan turned off the live stream, placed the tablet aside, and silence returned to the quiet room.
As for the mainstream online opinion not favoring Vermilion Bird Academy...
Although he didn't want to admit it, it was indeed the truth.
For example, that Chu Zhou he had met before in Black City, who was a sixth-year student at Kirin Academy back then, was already at the third stage of the Abyss Realm. That cultivation speed was definitely SSS-grade, no doubt about it.
That kind of opponent... The hope for Feng Jue and the others to win was indeed slim.
Sigh...
Vermilion Bird Academy's results in this Grand Competition really aren't going to be great.
Su Zhan held no particular affection for Vermilion Bird Academy.
At most, he had spent only one year within that academy.
That year was less about learning and growth, and more like a performance under the spotlight.
The academy itself, to him, was more like a battlefield where he briefly stayed, not a warm home.
What he cared about was never the massive symbol that was "Vermilion Bird Academy," but the few living faces beneath that symbol.
Feng Jue counted as one.
Xu Hao counted as one.
Liu Ziming counted as one.
Wang Mingyuan counted as one.
Ye Hongyu... counted as half.
Just like veterans who have experienced mountains of corpses and seas of blood, after the smoke clears, what they miss is never the battlefield soaked in blood and fire, but the comrades-in-arms who shouldered rifles together and shared life and death.
The academy itself was that battlefield he had long since left.
Su Zhan felt no emotional waves in his heart. It wasn't indifference, but clarity.
He currently could not, and must not, intervene or help in any way.
Any attempt to reach out might drag himself, and more likely, drag Feng Jue and the others into an abyss of utter ruin.
He had long accepted this solitary position.
Therefore, he simply watched quietly.
The victories, defeats, and honor of his comrades-in-arms, he cared about, but could not interfere.
All he could do was continue walking down his own path, strewn with thorns, and settle his own grudges.
That was all.
He was now Chen Qing, the Calamity-level Guest Advisor of Black City. He had his own path he must walk, and a revenge he must complete.
The individual competition of the Five Great Academies Grand Competition was their stage.
And his stage was elsewhere.
...
Capital
The temporary lodgings prepared by the Five Great Academies for participating students, Vermilion Bird Academy area.
After an intense match concluded.
Feng Jue, Liu Ziming, and Xu Hao returned to the restroom.
The atmosphere inside the room was somewhat heavy, as if it were a different world from the noisy arena outside.
Xu Hao picked up his phone and habitually glanced at the public opinion trends on the Spiritual Network.
He put it down with a bitter smile and shook his head. "The voices outside... really don't hold back."
Liu Ziming plopped down onto the sofa, grabbed a bottle of water, took a few big gulps, then wiped his mouth. "Damn it, pisses me off just looking at it! They talk as if we're just here to go through the motions! 'All below SSS-grade are ants,' 'Vermilion Bird Academy has no new generation to succeed the old'... Can't they see the matches we won? Do they think we're air? If it weren't for... Hmph!"
He didn't finish his sentence, but the other two understood. He wanted to say, if it weren't for Su Zhan being gone, or rather, Su Zhan not being able to appear.
Feng Jue looked up and glanced at the indignant Liu Ziming. "What they say is the truth."
A few simple words.
Instantly cooled Liu Ziming's heightened emotions. He opened his mouth but couldn't refute it.
"Feng Jue is right. The SSS-grades from the other four academies this year are indeed ridiculously strong. At least Abyss Realm second stage as a baseline, and their Life Soul talents are downright crushing."
Xu Hao sighed and continued, "We... do have a genuine gap in hard strength. Let's just do our best in every match, leave no regrets. That's enough."
Liu Ziming leaned back on the sofa, looked at the ceiling, and murmured, "I understand the logic... It's just frustrating. Think about back then, we were aiming for the championship..."
Silence fell over the room again.
Back then, with that dazzlingly talented figure present, they truly dared to dream of the championship.
Now, the dream had awakened, leaving only cold reality.
Feng Jue stood up, his gaze sweeping over Xu Hao and Liu Ziming. "Do your utmost, and leave the rest to fate."
His words were as concise as ever.
Acknowledging the gap didn't mean giving up.
They would exert their full strength to fight well in every match that followed. As for the outcome, it was beyond their control.
Xu Hao nodded, forcing a slightly strained smile. "Right, do our best. At the very least, we can't let the academy lose too much face, and we can't disappoint... those who believe in us."
"Damn it, let's just do it! Even if we lose, we'll take a few of their teeth with us!"
Liu Ziming sat up straight again, the unwillingness in his eyes transforming into fighting spirit. "Let those arrogant bastards know that our Vermilion Bird Academy isn't so easy to chew!"
The three exchanged glances and said no more.
On the upcoming competition stage, they would burn themselves out and fight until the last moment.
Do your utmost, and leave the rest to fate. That was all.
The restroom door was gently knocked on, then pushed open.
Wang Mingyuan, dressed in Vermilion Bird Academy professor attire, walked in. He closed the door behind him, and a ripple of Spiritual Energy quietly spread out, enveloping the entire room and isolating the sound from inside and out.