Chapter 205: Chapter 205: Watching the Competition
With three or four minutes to go before the competition, the two arrived at the competition hall.
As the school’s star teacher, Yan Huoshui, and the notoriously known "waste female," Shi Lan, their appearance instantly drew everyone’s attention.
The students in the already bustling competition hall let out gasps of shock when they saw Yan Huoshui and Shi Lan’s tightly clasped hands.
"What’s going on? How could a Level 2S male like Teacher Yan be with a waste female?"
"A waste female? I think this female is quite beautiful. Is she really a waste female? What a pity."
"Are those two dating? Oh my god, how can someone with Teacher Yan’s 2S Spirit Power be with a waste female like Shi Lan?"
...
The students buzzed with discussion. There were many first-years mixed in, and some of the older students began telling them Shi Lan’s story.
In any case, Shi Lan felt that this entrance had made her more of a spectacle than any of the original owner’s previous visits to the competition.
She, however, remained perfectly composed, as if she wasn’t the one they were talking about. But Yan Huoshui couldn’t stand seeing Shi Lan subjected to so much harsh criticism, especially since most of it was a direct result of his own influence.
His brows knitted tightly. He grabbed a nearby megaphone and, before the competition started, boomed, "Silence."
The competition hall was divided into several areas: the student spectator stands, the competition rings, the family section, and the waiting area.
The student spectator stands were mostly filled with females who weren’t being coached for the competition. The waiting area was for the males from each year who were about to compete. A moment ago, the waiting area had been the loudest section.
Meanwhile, many of the people from other schools in the family section had heard of Yan Huoshui but had never seen Shi Lan. They hadn’t spoken up earlier, and now that Yan Huoshui had spoken, they continued to observe the situation quietly.
In the waiting area, the males who had been gossiping wildly instinctively shut their mouths, not daring to cause any more trouble.
Yan Huoshui’s coaching and training classes covered males from every year. His course was a mandatory requirement for them, so not a single one could escape.
They were already afraid of him in class. Now that he had spoken out, they were terrified he would remember them. A few who had been speaking loudly moments before silently shrank back, trying to hide in the crowd.
The competition hall fell silent in an instant. Yan Huoshui didn’t lower the megaphone, continuing, "It seems some students’ Male Conduct lessons need improvement. To openly gossip about a female... Regardless of a female’s Spiritual Power Level, it is not your place to pass judgment."
"I have remembered every student who was just speaking. After the final exams, you had best come to me, admit your mistake, and retake your conduct exam in person. Furthermore, the kind of female I like and the partner I choose are my own decisions. I don’t need any of you to feel sorry for me."
"Also, Shi Lan will be my one and only partner. I love her, and I am the one who has been pursuing her all this time."
With one minute remaining before the competition, he delivered this speech—his words incisive yet calm and measured. He had essentially just confessed his feelings in front of the entire school’s faculty and student body.
Throughout it all, he never once let go of Shi Lan’s hand.
Shi Lan stared at him, stunned, her heartstrings stirred.
The arena was quiet for a dozen or so seconds. Then, the females in the spectator stands, seemingly shaken by his words, began to lead a round of applause.
Before long, thunderous applause filled the arena.
After he finished speaking, Yan Huoshui paid no mind to the crowd’s reaction. He escorted Shi Lan to her seat, then pulled out a pile of snacks, desserts, and drinks from his Space Chain, placing them on the small table in front of her. "Enjoy the competition," he said softly. "It might go on for a while. Have something to eat if you get bored."
When he had confessed in front of so many people just now, Shi Lan had managed to maintain her composure. But now, feeling the many assessing gazes from the family section, she couldn’t help but blush a little.
Noticing that even the dean was looking their way, and remembering the competition was about to start, she nodded and reminded him in a hushed voice, "I know. You should hurry to the instructors’ section."
"Alright."
Yan Huoshui ruffled her soft hair before heading back to his seat, reassured.
Beside Shi Lan, a woman was watching her with a smile in her eyes. "You two have such a wonderful relationship."
Shi Lan curved her lips, a bit shyly, and offered the woman a small pastry. "Thank you. Would you like some?"
"Oh, yes. Thank you very much."
The woman accepted without hesitation but was tactful enough not to ask any more questions.
Shi Lan sighed in relief internally.
Soon, the competition began.
This final competition focused mainly on combat prowess, consisting of three main modules: the spiritual power control test, the Insect Clan simulation response, and Mecha training.
Fourth-years did not participate. The first, second, and third-year students were divided into 10-person squads based on their Level, and squads of the same year and Level would compete against each other.
The original owner’s memories of this were rather vague, and Shi Lan had never seen such a competition with her own eyes. Her own eyes filled with curiosity.
The spiritual power control test came first. In this event, squads competed to see who could use their spiritual power to seize the opposing squad’s ring ball first.
It was similar to a lion dance climbing a post to retrieve a prize, but with a key difference: the participants couldn’t move. In reality, it was a battle of spiritual power between the males.
It was an invisible process, but you could clearly see the two ring balls, each guarded by a squad, bobbing up and down in the air.
’Maybe it’s because my own spiritual power has improved,’ Shi Lan wondered, ’but I seem to be able to see streams of different colored energy flowing in the air. They look a bit like the spiritual power threads I saw when I was healing He Hanshi and the others.’
But these threads of energy were clearly vicious, crushing and pressing against each other.
Some students were drenched in sweat, while others looked like they were handling it with ease.
Since all competitors were confirmed to have the same Spiritual Power Level, the difference in each person’s proficiency with spiritual power control was clear to see.
Although two students collapsed from exhaustion after the match, each round only lasted five or six minutes, and the outcome was decided quickly.
The spiritual power instructor announced the results. The winning squad cheered while the losing one looked dejected, and in a blink of an eye, a new pair of competing squads took the stage.
The entire spiritual power control competition lasted over an hour. Though it was long, Shi Lan didn’t find it boring at all. Munching on the snacks Yan Huoshui had given her, she actually gained a new understanding of spiritual power.
’So, spiritual power threads can be released and controlled to do so many things,’ she mused. ’I used to think they could only be used inside a person’s body.’
There was a 10-minute intermission before the next stage of the competition.
Worried she might be getting tired, Yan Huoshui once again used his Space Chain, this time to retrieve a soft cushion for her. Then he restocked her supply of snacks.
Seeing him piling more and more things in front of her, Shi Lan quickly stopped him. "I have plenty of food in my own storage space."
Seeing that the table was nearly full, Yan Huoshui reluctantly stopped and sighed softly. "But I prepared these especially for you, Lanlan. If you don’t eat them, I’m afraid they’ll all expire."
Shi Lan smiled. "I know, thank you. There will be plenty of opportunities to eat them in the future. After all, we have a long life ahead of us."
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