CH 119

Chapter 119: "The Dragging Anchor" Xiao Qingyang

During the first week of the inter-school competition, each team had a relatively easy time. After all, the teams were still far apart from each other at this stage, and since the competition had just begun, none of the teams had accumulated many points. Even if two teams happened to meet on a narrow path, they were reluctant to waste resources and energy to eliminate a team with only a few points; it wouldn't be worth the effort.

As a result, just like the beginning of the freshmen's training, everyone remained relatively calm and peaceful, minding their own business.

However, this situation changed in the second week. While searching for mutant beasts, the teams became particularly vigilant about the presence of other teams around them, especially teams from different countries. Once they encountered each other, they were determined to fight tooth and nail, trying to claim the other team's points for themselves and contribute to their own country's glory.

Perhaps because this competition included both federal and imperial teams, the sense of national pride seemed to unite everyone. Especially after the previous inter-school competition's championship was taken by a federation’s team, the imperial teams became even more united.

If they encountered a team from their own country, they formed alliances and stood united against the enemy. If they faced teams from other countries, they made sure to leave them with something.

As a result, on the live broadcasts of the matches, almost every screen showed a large group of people acting together. Even when they encountered teams from other countries, it turned into a battle of dozens against dozens, looking more like a brawl than a competition.

In the past, each team had its separate screen during the live broadcasts, and viewers could freely choose which team's screen to watch.

However, as time passed, the number of screens decreased. Aside from the screens of the eliminated teams, the remaining ones showed several teams acting together, and their screens were merged to save resources for the broadcasting company.

It was only at this point that the competition became truly interesting.

Nevertheless, the participants in the competition were not limited to those attending the inter-school event, and the competition venues were not only on this fringe planet; the vast StarNet was the more extensive "arena."

"Ah ah ah! His Highness made a move again! I'm seeing my Lord act again; he's just so handsome! Screen licking, screen licking..."

"Our male god is so handsome! My mom asked me why I was kneeling while watching. It's because the male god is so stunning that my legs have gone weak, and I can't stand anymore..."

"Our male god is really handsome and formidable! He just defeated another team. With our male god in this competition, our empire will undoubtedly take first place."

"Ugh! The person above is daydreaming. With An Shen on our side, the champion will definitely be from our federation."

"Hehe, the empire was already defeated by our subordinates last time. They still want to turn the tables this time? Just wishful thinking."

"In the last competition, my male god didn't participate. Do you really think your federation stands a chance if my male god competes?" 

Due to the significance of this competition involving the two countries, the StarNet of both nations was unusually connected. Citizens from both countries could watch the live broadcasts and freely comment, turning the live streams into virtual "battlefields" for the people. The intensity of the discussions was no less than that of the on-site inter-school competition.

However, the participants were unaware of this. Being present at the competition venue required constant vigilance, as the slightest relaxation might lead to elimination.

Yet, the atmosphere in the team where Long Jingze was in was noticeably different from the other teams. They didn't seem like they were here to compete; it was more like they were on a trip, especially Long Jingze and Xiao Qingyang.

Long Jingze: "Yang Yang, there's some fern here. I'll fry it for you later."

Xiao Qingyang: "Okay."

"Yang Yang, guess what I picked?" Long Jingze held a bunch of bright red wild strawberries, presenting them to Xiao Qingyang as if offering a treasure.

"Yang Yang..."

Long Jingze's voice was heard incessantly, and his teammates were almost numb to it. The tension of the competition gradually faded away in the presence of such voices, making them feel as if they were not here to compete but on a leisurely outing.

Even Bai Mingzhe and the others, who had been following Long Jingze all along, found it challenging to adapt to this version of Long Jingze, not to mention the fans on the StarNet.

Witnessing this version of Long Jingze, the fans were utterly astonished, and some even doubted whether they had mistaken him for someone else.

However, Long Jingze was unique among all the participants. This uniqueness didn't solely stem from his identity; it primarily came from his team being one of the favorites to win the championship for the empire.

For Long Jingze and An Muyao, who was on the federation's team, their live streams were the largest and most prominent, attracting the highest number of viewers.

As a result, many fans saw Long Jingze's uncharacteristic behavior and immediately left the live stream to confirm the room number before rejoining. Their astonished expressions didn't diminish in the slightest.

But Long Jingze paid no attention to this; he just hoped that Xiao Qingyang could have a more comfortable experience during this month. After all, it was he who brought him to this competition, and he had a responsibility towards him.

Of course, such a state of affairs only occurred when they were alone without encountering other teams. If they encountered other teams, there would be no mercy.

Perhaps due to Long Jingze and An Muyao's widespread reputation, whenever other teams encountered them, if they were from the same country, they would willingly surrender their points or be eliminated. After handing over the points, they would leave to continue accumulating points for their own seed players.

However, if they encountered teams from the opposing country, sorry, the only outcome would be elimination. Though the inter-school competition offered rewards for the top five places, the ultimate focus was on the national honor, particularly the championship, which held the most prestige.

The participants from both countries were highly motivated to secure the championship for their nations. Both countries had a seeded player with a strong chance of winning, so it was as if an unspoken agreement was made: even if they gave their points freely to their own seeded players, they absolutely wouldn't make it easy for the opposing country.

As a result, Long Jingze and An Muyao almost effortlessly maintained the top two positions in the points ranking. The points of the two teams were nearly equal, often fluctuating between first and second place. The viewers watched with bated breath.

"Who is the person with the male god? Why is the male god so good to him? I'm so envious!"

"Same question. The male god has almost forgotten it's a competition because of him. If this continues, the federation's team will surpass us. He looks so weak, why does he have to drag him down?"

"I really hope that person gets eliminated soon. He's distracting the male god from his main focus. Can't he stop dragging him down?"

Many fans on the StarNet were dissatisfied with Xiao Qingyang, especially seeing how Long Jingze treated him so well and always put him first. They couldn't understand why the male god had to bring along a "dragging anchor" to compete. They knew the importance of this competition for their empire, so why risk it by bringing someone who might hold them back in case of a defeat?

Such voices emerged from the first day of the competition and became more numerous with each passing day. Even though Xiao Qingyang had crafted many potions for the team, these comments continued to appear. After all, there were alchemists in other teams as well, and those alchemists also had to produce a certain number of potions daily.

Furthermore, Long Jingze was concerned that Xiao Qingyang's rapid potion production might attract unwanted attention from unscrupulous individuals. Therefore, during the potion-making process, he would periodically send the accompanying live-streaming bugs elsewhere.

Thanks to Long Jingze's careful protection, only their team members knew about Xiao Qingyang's fast and plentiful potion production. The viewers watching the live stream perceived him just like any other alchemist, without any particularly notable features.

However, this situation persisted until the tenth day of the competition when bullet comments mentioning "dragging anchor" and "holding back the team" suddenly disappeared from the live stream. This change could be attributed to a level four mutant beast.

When Long Jingze's team encountered other competing teams, it was easier to deal with them than facing mutant beasts. Thus, most of their energy was focused on hunting down mutant beasts, especially the higher-level ones.

With Long Jingze present, they didn't intentionally look for lower-level beasts to deal with. Even if they encountered higher-level ones, they would still give it a try but retreat if they couldn't win, avoiding the danger of higher-level mutant beasts.

On this day, they encountered a level four small earth dragon. Although it was called "small," it had a massive size, standing five meters tall and over ten meters long. Humans in front of it looked minuscule, like chicks next to a giant.

Despite its enormous size, the earth dragon's level wasn't particularly high, and it was incredibly delicious, especially the meat from its shrunken forelimbs, which was exceptionally tasty. So Long Jingze and the others planned to take down this earth dragon and have it for an extra lunch.

Since the start of the competition, Long Jingze had taken great care of Xiao Qingyang, and he hardly had any chances to take action himself. Seeing such a massive earth dragon now, Xiao Qingyang's hands itched with a desire to fight.

His physical condition had already returned to the level of his previous life. He had been wanting to find an opportunity to test himself and have a real fight. He had thought there would be a chance once he came here, but Long Jingze had always disagreed with him taking action. The mutant beasts they encountered before were generally not large, and Long Jingze always dealt with them before Xiao Qingyang had a chance to intervene. As a result, he had yet to find an opportunity to act.

However, this earth dragon seemed like it wouldn't be easy to deal with. Even if its level wasn't high, it would still take some time to handle it. Wasn't this a perfect opportunity for him?

After all, the earth dragon was massive, and he could easily run to the other side of it where Long Jingze wouldn't be able to see him. This way, he could test his own skills. Xiao Qingyang quietly made up his mind in his heart.