Sanye sat in stunned silence, watching as Haodao hit the ground and lost. Even after seeing every movement of the fight, he couldn't understand how Haoran's simple maneuver had worked, at least not at first.
But the more he thought about it, the more speechless he became. Haoran's move hadn't been flashy or fast, it had been smart. Subtle. Unpredictable.
Before Sanye could unravel it further, another shout cut through the air.
"Yayang, out!"
"Oh," Sanye murmured, snapping back to reality. He turned toward Yayang, who was lying on the ground, groaning in pain. She clutched her arm, which was already turning blue from a heavy bruise.
She was clearly injured. And yet, the young boy, Yuan, kept walking past her without even flinching, heading straight for Jianhai. He didn't slow down. He didn't hesitate.
"How ruthless…" Sanye muttered.
With Yayang down, Yuan didn't need long to finish Jianhai. The fight wasn't even worth describing, there was no clever trick or last minute reversal. Yuan simply endured longer. Even though his body was aching from exhaustion, he kept going. He had known worse pain.
Then came the final shout,"Jianhai, out! Group Four wins!"
Yuan allowed himself a small smile and looked back at his team. Most of them were barely standing—especially Tianyu, who could no longer get up. He was hunched over, struggling to breathe.
Seeing this, Yuan walked over to the collapsed Tianyu and the resting Yuxin. As he reached them, he gave a warm, proud smile.
"Good job," he said.
The words made Yuxin and Tianyu chuckle faintly despite their fatigue.
"Brother Luanyuan, please don't joke like that," Tianyu said, his voice rough and dry. "If we had failed, you still would've handled all four of them by yourself… right? You were holding back the whole time, weren't you?" He let out a cough at the end, clearly still recovering.
"What? Holding back?"
Sanye, still sitting where he had fallen, heard Tianyu's words and his shock hit harder than when Haoran defeated Haodao.
His entire strategy had depended on Yuan being nearly out of strength by the end. His plan, after defeating Yuxin and Tianyu, had been to regroup with Anbo and then join up with Yayang or Haodao to take Yuan down together.
But now, hearing what Tianyu had just said, Sanye felt a helpless chill run through him.
"Hehe…" Sanye laughed bitterly, unsure of what to say.
Anbo, on the other hand, looked like the color had been drained from his face. Pale and stunned, he just stared at Yuan in silence, unable to form a single word.
Yuan didn't pay either of them any mind. Instead, he walked over to Yuxin, who was still lying on the ground.
"How are you?" he asked gently.
Yuxin smiled faintly. "Tired."
"Haha," Yuan chuckled at her simple answer. "Then take a good rest."
His gaze drifted toward Meilan, who was already walking back to where the teacher stood. Then he looked over to Haoran, who was grinning and laughing loudly. Haoran gave him a cheeky wave.
Yuan just smiled in return. Then he bent down, grabbed Tianyu under the arm, and helped him to his feet.
The training ground was slowly clearing. Everyone could see that Group Four was in no condition to fight again right away. All eyes turned to the teacher, waiting to hear his decision.
The teacher simply smiled.
"Since you're all clearly exhausted, I'll be merciful and give you a full hour of rest. I'm not a devil, after all."
"How kind of Teacher." The sarcasm in the student's voice was unmistakable.
The teacher ignored the tone and nodded calmly. "Group Four, take your rest. I'll see you all back here in one hour."
With that, he turned and walked away without another word.
Tianyu let out a sigh that bordered on despair. Even now, he could barely stand, leaning heavily against Yuan for support. How much could he possibly recover in just an hour?
Things didn't look much better for Yuxin. Physically, she wasn't as bad as Tianyu, but mentally she was spent. She wouldn't be able to fight again. That left only Yuan, Meilan, and the tired but still smiling Haoran.
"What should we do?" Haoran asked once the group was alone.
No one answered. They all just sighed, frustration settling in.
"Luck is a skill too," Yuxin said bitterly, recalling something the teacher had once told them.
Yuan chuckled softly. "Indeed. And today… we're the unlucky ones."
A heavy, dark atmosphere hung over them after those words.
If they had been the lucky ones to go straight to the finals, they would be at their peak. But now, two of them were completely exhausted, one could barely move. Luck was clearly not on their side.
"But that doesn't matter!" Yuan suddenly declared, breaking the silence.
"If luck isn't on our side, then we win without it. We grit our teeth, endure the pain, and crush luck beneath our feet. Luck only raises the chance of winning, it never guarantees it. Victory is still ours, if we believe it is. One step to rest. One to rise. Then we walk through the impossible. The only thing stopping us is the belief that it's not. So let's give it our all."
His words cut through the gloom. The suffocating air of defeat began to fade.
Haoran burst out laughing, loud and carefree. Tianyu and Yuxin followed soon after, their laughter light but genuine. Even Meilan let out a soft chuckle.
Yuan watched them all, his heart lightening, and smiled.
"Yes! So what if things aren't in our favor? We'll still win, somehow!" Haoran shouted, laughing harder.
"Yeah, somehow we'll make it!" Yuxin chimed in, nodding enthusiastically.
"Good words," Meilan said quietly, a rare praise slipping from her lips.
"Then let's rest now," Yuan said, "and face the impossible together."
With that, they all lay back on the grass, enjoying the fresh breeze and the warmth of the sun. The sky above was a soft, endless blue.
The dark, defeated atmosphere had completely vanished, replaced by something new.
Hope, Laughter, a shared determination. A peaceful and friendly quiet.
Time was short, and it passed quickly. The hour slipped by in the blink of an eye.
But unlike before, they now carried a quiet confidence. Tianyu's knees buckled with every step, each breath a jagged knife in his chest. But he kept walking, jaw clenched, refusing to fall again.
Though none of them were in peak condition, their belief in victory had become unshakable. This quiet conviction was plain to see, even the teacher noticed it, and it brought a pleased smile to his face.
He didn't comment on it. Instead, he simply raised his voice,"Alright, we begin the final match, Group Three and Group Four! Everyone to the training field. Grab your wooden weapons and prepare to fight!"
The teacher's voice rang with excitement. He smiled wider and added,"Let me remind you brats, whoever wins this match will go on to represent the Luolong Family in the Young Talent Tournament! I shouldn't have to tell you what an honor that is. You'll not only carry our name but also receive the best resources we have to offer to help you conquer the tournament. So take this seriously!"
With a final wave of his hand, he signaled them to get ready.
Without a word, they all stepped forward and picked up their wooden weapons. Yuan was the last to take his sword in hand.
As they turned to face one another, Group Four exchanged quiet nods and faint, confident smiles, surprising Group Three.
After all they had no right to still be standing. Not after what they endured. But there they were calm, collected, quietly unshakable. Group Three, for the first time, began to doubt.
And yet, there they stood.
Side by side. Calm. Unafraid. Unshaken.
Group Three hesitated for the first time, beginning to sense something they hadn't expected, danger.
Caution settled into their stance as they began to spread out and prepare to attack. Meanwhile, Yuan's group moved into a small defensive formation, Yuan standing at the front, Tianyu guarding the rear, his gaze filled with proud determination.
Both sides braced themselves.
And then came the shout, "Begin!"
The final match had begun.