Descendants of the False Gods - Chapter 36

Chapter 036: Life in the Imperial Capital (14)

Li Xin took a breath before continuing, “I heard from the teacher that these guys want to show off their skills in the arena, hoping that some big shot will notice them and directly arrange for them to join the military or government. Otherwise, they can only stay home as wastrels, waiting for the day their fathers die to inherit their titles. There’s another group at the academy whose situation is similar to the one I just mentioned, but they’re all children of the royal guards, and their families are all knights. If they can’t get their graduation certificates, they can wait for the royal guard’s recruitment and get priority for enrollment. The royal guard is the emperor’s personal army, and since they are descendants of the royal guard, the emperor won’t worry about their loyalty. They just need to select the best, and if they join the royal guard, they can also be promoted to knights. If they can’t join the royal guard, they can apply to be knight attendants. As long as they have enough combat strength, they can become honorary knights. I heard this group is quite strong, all shield-sword fighters. They have been training under their parents’ supervision since they were young. They’re about the same age and classmates, and their education is similar, so the teacher believes their advantage is that they have a balanced offense and defense and a well-coordinated teamwork. They are likely the seeded team for this group competition.”

“Lu Bing, the guy who humiliated you at lunch, should he be one of those martial noble kids?” Luo tried to confirm with Lu Bing.

“That Tao Ji is two years older than me, so he should be one of them,” Lu Bing offered his analysis.

“If they’re all as strong as him, we should be able to beat them. But that knight team sounds pretty intimidating, so be careful,” Lan seemed eager to face that knight team.

Luo then asked ‘Little Guy,’ “Is that all?”

“There’s more. This year’s graduating class has six or seven teams. But those teams only have one or two strong individuals, and the rest are just baggage hanging behind them. The teacher said they have a tendency to rely on others without contributing, typical of those who latch onto powerful people. No ambition. Our grade has seven teams, and no one here is particularly outstanding in martial arts. We’re all just ‘audience-level’ participants, joining in the fun. The other teams from your grade don’t seem to have any strong ones either. Our team has a good chance of advancing,” Li Xin confidently reported all the information he had gathered about the known teams.

Li Xin added, “Oh! I also asked about the individual competitions. A lot of people are signing up for the fist fight, and there are over 300 people already. The teachers say only a dozen or so have real strength. By the way, a guy named Tong Meng seems to have fought against you, Boss. As for the weapon fights, there were still fewer than 100 sign-ups when I left this morning. I guess when people realized how dangerous the weapon fights are, fewer of them signed up.”

“Oh, that’s not a concern. The dean said that both of us will directly advance to the individual competitions,” Lan wasn’t worried, just glanced at Luo.

“I’ll play it safe. If it doesn’t work, I’ll forfeit. It’s just that I’ve never used weapons to fight someone before, so I want to give it a try,” Luo didn’t seem too concerned about his participation.

“Alright, enough rest. Let’s each practice a bit. When’s the new competition schedule, ‘Little Guy’?” Lan asked Li Xin again.

“Ah, tomorrow the teachers will finalize the list and form the groups. The preliminary competition will be the day after tomorrow in each grade’s training hall. The group competition might also be on the sports field, but the exact details will be announced tomorrow afternoon,” Li Xin was always responsive to questions from Lan and Luo.

“It’d be great to find a team to try out the formations,” Luo still seemed a little worried about the formation he designed.

“Ah! We don’t know any teams, so we’ll have to get familiar during the preliminaries. Worst case, the three of us will take the front and resist,” Lan had made great progress after joining the academy. He was confident in holding his own if he encountered Tong Meng again.

In the afternoon, everyone focused on their own practice, taking breaks when tired, chatting and joking around. The atmosphere was very relaxed, far from the tension before a big competition.

After school, Lan and Luo, along with a few younger brothers, went home to measure and modify their armor. Lu Bing and Hou Ting joined them, also excitedly visiting the twins’ small courtyard. It had been a long time since such laughter and joy filled the little garden.

The next morning, the academy announced that the list of participants and the details of the preliminary competition would be posted at the cafeteria entrance by noon. The whole academy would have the afternoon off, hoping that all students would attend the competition with full energy and perform to the best of their ability.

At lunch, the team members saw the notice.

Summary of the group competition details:

1. 1. 1. 1. The five-person team competition will be held on the large sports field.

1. 1. 1. 1. There will be a draw before the competition. Since the number of teams is odd, one team will have a bye in the first round, and the bye will be decided by the draw.

1. 1. 1. 1. The team that wins the first round with the shortest time will have a bye in the second round.

1. 1. 1. 1. In the third round, the three teams that win will be ranked by the number of standing players at the end of the match. The top two teams with the highest scores will advance. If the second and third place teams have the same score, they will have another match the next day to determine the final rankings.

1. 1. 1. 1. The advancing teams will participate in the arena finals with Southwest Academy the following Monday. The schedule will be announced by the academy.

Since Lan and Luo directly advanced to the individual competitions, they didn’t pay much attention to the preliminary schedule, only waiting for the academy’s announcement of the arena schedule.

Of course, on the last day of the individual preliminaries, they both planned to watch the advancing matches to assess their opponents’ strength.

After hearing the competition details announced by the academy, Lan and Luo knew their team would need to win three matches, and they had to win consecutively.

The third match, in particular, was crucial not only to win but also to ensure the team members sustained minimal injuries or even no injuries.

In the afternoon, the academy was on break. Luo decided to take his team members to the memorial grove to test the formation he had designed.

Luo usually spoke less than Lan, but his thoughts were more than Lan and Xiao Xiong combined. He didn’t want anyone to get hurt in the competition. These teammates were the friends he cared about most, even if they were just newly acquainted, like Lu Bing and Hou Ting.

Luo’s personal strength was insufficient to protect everyone on the field, so he hoped his formation would make up for his shortcomings by covering the gaps and protecting everyone from injury, ensuring they could win the competition with joy.

Even though this was Luo’s personal wishful thinking, he wanted to hold onto this belief.

The seven of them arrived at the memorial grove, and Lu Bing and Hou Ting were surprised, “How did you find such a suitable place?”

“Big Brother Pang found it,” Li Xin, always chatty with familiar faces, jumped in.

Xiao Xiong said proudly, “That’s right! When Boss first came here, I was the guide. There’s no place in the city or outer city I haven’t been.”

“So, the moment we arrived in the Imperial Capital, you wanted to be our Boss, huh?” Looking at the smug little fatty, Lan pushed him into the corner.

“Boss, don’t expose my flaws!” Xiao Xiong put on a pitiful face.

“Alright, let’s test the formation first. Xiao Yi and Lu Bing will take turns attacking from the opposite side,” Luo got the conversation back on track.

Lu Bing was the first to stand in the opposite position, but no matter what kind of attack she imagined, she found that she was immediately knocked down. Every angle of attack exposed a large gap for the others. After a few tries, she gave up without landing a single blow.

Next, it was Xiao Yi’s turn. He charged in with a lunge punch combo aimed at the main attacker, Lan.

The first punch was dodged by Lan, stepping back half a step. After Luo deflected the second punch, he used his other hand to tap Xiao Yi on the waist.

The ticklish spot made Xiao Yi lose his breath, and the attack broke down.

This caused everyone to burst out laughing.

After Xiao Yi regained his composure and returned to attack position, he suddenly realized that, facing the two shield walls of the formation, he couldn’t find a way to attack without exposing a gap. After trying for a while, he gave up.

After hearing everyone’s direct feedback about the formation, Luo thought for a moment and realized that a single attacker facing the double-line defense would indeed have a hard time breaking through. So, he had Lu Bing and Xiao Yi try attacking together from the offensive position.

This time, the two coordinated their attacks better, one kicking and one punching, both with powerful strikes that included some distance, allowing them enough space to recover and strike again.

However, after just two moves, their attack lines were blocked simultaneously. Lan stepped forward from the middle and tapped both of their heads with his hands.

Luo believed they had both tried their best, so in general, the formation seemed effective against the attacks from two enemies.

He then had Xiao Xiong stand in the opposite position, responsible for looking for gaps in the defense while Lu Bing and Xiao Yi attacked.

With the three of them attacking full force, confidence surged. Xiao Xiong’s speed was fast, and his movements were agile, constantly weaving in and out behind the two main attackers.

But every attack was blocked by Luo and Hou Ting’s tight defense. After several rounds, Lan found an opportunity and gave each of the three attackers a tap on the head.

Finally, Luo had Li Xin join the opposing attackers.

Li Xin hesitated, “Second Brother, you want me to attack with my fists and feet? Aren’t you making things difficult for me?”

Lan put on an authoritative tone, “Don’t be scared! We’re not actually fighting you, just making you move around and find our gaps. Plus, you’ll have to fight with us later, even if you don’t know martial arts. You’ll need to learn how to throw a punch, kick a leg, throw a stone, or slam a brick. Otherwise, when someone comes at you, you’ll be the one getting beaten up. Don’t come crying to me afterward. I can’t stand people whining.”

“Alright, fine,” Li Xin reluctantly agreed.

With four people attacking, Li Xin, despite not knowing martial arts, kept running around and forcing Lan and Hou Ting to pay more attention. Even when three attackers concentrated on one side, Lan would always cover the other side.

After multiple attempts, Luo was confident that his formation could effectively defend against up to four attackers with just three defenders.

On the actual competition day, with two more powerful attackers on their side, they would be able to win against the academy’s teams with minimal injuries, advancing smoothly to the finals.

After the formation test, Lan and Luo sent everyone home early, advising them to rest well and do some stretching exercises in the morning.

Their group, full of anticipation for the competition, scattered and went their separate ways.

Footnote:
This passage contains several cultural references to martial arts competitions and traditional knight roles. The “royal guard” or “近卫军” (jìn wèi jūn) refers to the emperor’s elite troops, often seen in ancient Chinese societies as the most trusted military faction. The term “knight” refers to a warrior of noble birth or a knightly order, typically with duties to protect the emperor and uphold honor. In addition, “脑锛” (nǎo bēn) refers to a head knock or gentle tap on the head, often used in martial arts as a way to disable an opponent without causing lasting harm.