218: training camp

The time for the intensive training set by the Coaching Team arrived. The Special Training Secret Realm opened. Xu Yan took out the Secret Realm Token from his storage device, activated it, and entered.

Unlike the previous School Team selection, not all School Team members could participate in this intensive training.

Besides the top seven who directly secured "fixed spots," the remaining School Team members underwent a series of "step-down" training sessions while Xu Yan and the others were in special training. Ultimately, three people were chosen through assessments and competition to join the top seven, forming the final intensive training roster.

Barring any accidents, these ten people would be the final roster for the Third Academy in the upcoming University League.

Ten figures entered the designated Intensive Training Square within the secret realm almost simultaneously. Xu Yan glanced around briefly, roughly identifying his future teammates.

There were no dark horses or surprises. The final list still consisted of the original top seven members of the School Team, plus the three new members: Xu Yan, Lin Heng, and Lin Jin. The only difference was that the rankings had shifted slightly.

Once everyone had gathered, Kong Ji appeared before them.

Without wasting words, Kong Ji directly announced the first part of the intensive training.

"Since the training has just begun, let's start by getting to know each other. Everyone will have nine matches in a 1v1 battle mode. You aren't required to go all out; you can hide your trump cards, control your score, or even forfeit if you don't want to fight."

"However, there is one thing you need to know: the distribution of resources and the level of attention from the Coaching Team during this training will be based solely on rankings, nothing else."

"For example, if between two people, one is actually stronger but ranks lower because they are hiding things or for other reasons, the resources and coaching focus will still lean toward the higher-ranked person until the rankings change."

"Such ranking battles will occur several times throughout the training. How you choose to perform is up to you."

"Before the training ends, we will hold a final ranking. The top two will serve as the Captain and Vice-Captain for the upcoming University League."

As his voice fell, a virtual screen appeared, displaying everyone's names, wins, and their first-round opponents.

Xu Yan's luck was neither good nor bad; he was up first. However, his opponent wasn't one of the other six top-ranked members, but Lin Jin, who could barely be considered an old acquaintance.

As Xu Yan looked away from the virtual screen, he felt an intense gaze fixed on him. Its owner was his first-round opponent, Lin Jin.

Somewhat surprisingly, Lin Jin, who had been utterly crushed in their previous encounter, did not show the same pain or self-abandonment as the other two members matched against the top seven. Instead, his eyes were filled with confidence and fighting spirit; he clearly had some sort of trump card.

As for what that trump card was, the others present didn't need to guess. It was likely nothing more than the School Team gaining another teammate who had mastered Domain Stage 2.

Because of this, the others—who had originally been uninterested in this first match due to the massive power gap—now felt a spark of interest in the upcoming battle.

Under everyone's gaze, the two entered the battle arena. As the surrounding environment shifted, two spirit beasts appeared by their sides.

Xu Yan didn't change his strategy because of Lin Jin's demeanor; the spirit beast he chose was still Xuan You.

By contrast, the creature by Lin Jin's side was no longer the former Sea-Overturning Flood Dragon, but a blue True Dragon that looked like shimmering ripples. Although its form had changed, one could still sense an aura very similar to the previous Sea-Overturning Flood Dragon.

Clearly, while Xu Yan was undergoing his special training, Lin Jin hadn't been standing still. With the infusion of various resources and opportunities, the Sea-Overturning Flood Dragon had successfully purified its bloodline, evolving into a branch of the Water-attribute True Dragons: the Azure Water Blue Dragon.

As the electronic referee's voice announced "Battle Start," the Azure Water Blue Dragon launched an immediate offensive. Water currents infused with Domain power transformed into thousands of arrows, raining down toward Xuan You's position.

The clearly scattered rain of arrows eventually converged into one through a "Ten Thousand Arrows Become One" technique, then concentrated on a single point like water dripping through stone, attempting to break through Xuan You's defenses with focused force.

Furthermore, just as the arrow rain was about to hit its target, the Azure Water Blue Dragon appeared almost simultaneously in front of Xuan You. Using its dragon teeth, claws, and tail in coordination, it launched a close-quarters assault.

Faced with such a massive onslaught, Xuan You's response seemed somewhat unremarkable. Driven by its spiritual power, it condensed two shields—one blue and one yellow—protecting itself with the blue shield on the outside and the yellow one on the inside.

However, these two "unremarkable" shields now stood like two Walls of Sighs, easily blocking the Azure Water Blue Dragon's offensive.

The incoming arrows, upon touching the outer blue shield, were directly absorbed like hundreds of rivers returning to the sea. Not only did the blue shield show no signs of wear, but it also gained layers of ripples, becoming even more divine in appearance.

As for the melee attacks using claws and tail, the outer blue shield didn't collide with them directly. Instead, as they passed through it, part of their power was buffered by the water flow before they hit the yellow shield, ultimately leaving only a few very shallow scratches.

Clearly, whether it was long-range or melee, elemental or physical, or even Domain power, the Azure Water Blue Dragon's attacks had not only failed to damage Xuan You but had also caused it to suffer some recoil damage due to the Retaliation Armor effect.

Although the recoil damage was mostly healed by a simple Water Therapy, thanks to the Water True Dragon's powerful physique and self-healing abilities, Lin Jin's face turned extremely ugly, his heart filled with disbelief.

This combo was already the Azure Water Blue Dragon's strongest offensive in its normal state. Yet, when facing that turtle-type spirit beast, an all-out attack couldn't even break the opponent's shield. This was something Lin Jin had truly never considered.

During the previous School Team selection, the person who had left the deepest impression on Lin Jin was Xu Yan, a junior who was younger than him but had crushed him in battle.

Because of this, after mastering Domain Stage 2, the battle Lin Jin had reviewed the most was that previous fight against Xuan You.

With his improved perspective, looking back at that battle, he could still sense the opponent's strength, but it no longer felt like the incomprehensible, unbeatable state he had faced before.

Of course, Lin Jin wasn't blindly confident enough to think that after evolving and also mastering Domain Stage 2, the Azure Water Blue Dragon could turn the tables and crush the opponent to avenge his past humiliation.

On the contrary, the moment he confirmed his first opponent was Xu Yan, he had a premonition that he would likely still lose this match.

His confidence and fighting spirit before the match were more about wanting to show his growth in front of this opponent who had once crushed him. He wanted to let the other party know he hadn't given up on chasing them, while also demonstrating the Azure Water Blue Dragon's power.

However, the harsh reality doused him like a bucket of cold water. The battle he had reviewed numerous times and felt he had little chance in was just something the opponent had done casually. Facing him again, the opponent's strength was still just as despair-inducing.