Chapter 45: Public Teaching During the Semifinals Leaves the Entire Audience Stunned
"Both sides are in position!"
The referee's voice echoed in the examination room.
Dai Huabin stood on this side of the field, with Zhu Zhuqing half a step to his right. On the opposite side, Ning Tian and the other two had already taken their positions.
The stands around the room were noisy; after all, it was an internal battle between Class 9, and it would be interesting to watch whoever won.
The referee's arm fell.
"The match begins!"
However, none of the five players on the field moved.
More accurately, no one released their Spirit.
There was silence for about three seconds.
Ning Tian nodded slightly to Dai Huabin, then turned around, walked to the edge of the field, lifted her skirt, and sat down on the ground.
She didn't summon her Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Pagoda at all.
The stands erupted in a cacophony of noise.
"What's going on? Why did Ning Tian just sit down?"
"No way, they're giving up already? The semifinals!"
"Look, the other two didn't release their Spirits either..."
In the center of the field, only four people remained.
Dai Huabin and Wu Feng stood facing each other, less than ten meters apart.
Zhu Zhuqing and Nanmen Yun'er distanced themselves on the other side.
Wu Feng stretched her neck, making two crisp cracking sounds.
She rolled up her sleeves, clenched her fists, bent her knees slightly, and assumed a standard close-quarters combat stance.
Nanmen Yun'er followed her example, raising her arms in front of her, her emerald green ponytail swaying behind her.
There were no spirit rings, no Spirit possession, and no fluctuations in spirit power.
Pure hand-to-hand combat.
This was what Dai Huabin had agreed upon with Ning Tian and the others before going on stage.
There was a look of astonishment in the stands.
A brief silence also fell over the teachers' seats in the elevated viewing area.
Dean Yan Shaozhe of the Spirit Department frowned and turned to look at Vice Dean Cai Meier beside him:
What are they doing?
Cai Meier was also somewhat confused. She glanced around the field and shook her head.
The head of student affairs, Du Weilun, reacted the fastest. He pushed up his glasses and muttered, "Interesting."
Off the court, Mu Jin stood at the tunnel entrance, her arms crossed in front of her chest.
She didn't show any surprise.
She knew all too well how these kids were trained.
Every few days, Dai Huabin would organize Ning Tian's team and Cui Yajie's team to conduct rotational practice, not only practicing teamwork but also individual skills.
He and Ning Tian had a good relationship in private, and there was no need for the two teams to fight to the death.
It's just the semifinals; no matter how we play, it's all for the honor of Class 9.
Instead of fighting to the death, they might as well take this opportunity to sharpen their skills.
Mu Jin's lips curled up slightly.
A teacher is naturally happy when her students have a good relationship.
The key to uniting so many people with such different personalities into one team is the blond-haired boy on the field, Dai Huabin.
...
In the center of the field.
Wu Feng made the first move.
She rushed forward and slammed her right fist straight into Dai Huabin's chest.
It was fast and took a tricky route, going down the middle.
Dai Huabin stepped aside and casually patted the outside of her forearm.
"Don't raise your shoulders so high when you throw a punch. You don't have a weapon Spirit, you rely on the explosive power brought by the dragon force of your Spirit. If you raise your shoulders, the power will be interrupted when it is transmitted from your waist and hips."
Wu Feng was taken aback, then threw another punch. This time, she deliberately lowered her shoulder line, twisting her fist from her waist as she punched out.
"Bang!"
Dai Huabin caught the punch with his palm, which went numb from the impact.
"Yes, that's the feeling. Remember this way of exerting force."
Wu Feng grinned.
"Squad leader, is your hand alright? I didn't hold back."
"Enough with the nonsense, let's continue."
The two clashed again.
Dai Huabin's speed and strength were clearly a level above Wu Feng's, and he also had an advantage in height and wingspan.
However, instead of using these advantages to suppress Wu Feng, he would point out the problems after each exchange of blows.
"Your steps are too fragmented. When you are possessed by the Dragon Fire, you are a ball of fire. You don't need so many small steps."
"Take a large step forward, then immediately retreat if you miss your initial attack; don't linger in the fight."
"And your knees, never lock them in during a fight. If they're locked, you'll be half a beat slower when you want to change direction, and you'll suffer a lot against agility attackers."
Wu Feng listened to each sentence and adjusted accordingly, her movements becoming visibly smoother.
Meanwhile, Zhu Zhuqing and Nanmen Yun'er's "battle" was also underway.
Nanmen Yun'er's foundation was actually quite good; her footwork was light and her attacks were clean and decisive. However, her problem was also obvious: her attacks were always too conventional.
After dodging three straight punches, Zhu Zhuqing suddenly slid behind her and lightly tapped the back of her neck with her finger.
Nanmen Yun'er shuddered and quickly jumped back two steps.
"Your moves are too evenly paced," Zhu Zhuqing said softly.
"One, two, three, one, two, three, just like keeping a metronome. As long as your opponent counts your rhythm, they'll be behind you before you even throw your fourth punch."
Nanmen Yun'er nodded, blushing, "Then how should I change it?"
"Disrupt your attack intervals. For example, make the first two attacks fast, and the third attack half a beat slower, so that your opponent can't predict your timing."
Zhu Zhuqing gestured, "You give it a try."
Nanmen Yun'er did as she was told, throwing the first two punches quickly, and deliberately pausing for a moment before throwing the third punch.
This time, Zhu Zhuqing didn't dodge; she took the punch head-on and took a small step back.
"Much better."
Nanmen Yun'er immediately perked up and continued practicing changing the rhythm according to this idea.
The audience members who had been grumbling in the stands fell completely silent.
Even the most obtuse person could see that this was not a semi-final match at all; it was an open teaching session.
Dai Huabin was teaching Wu Feng close combat, while Zhu Zhuqing was teaching Nanmen Yun'er agility-based combat.
Ning Tian sat on the sidelines, watching all of this with a smile, clearly it had been planned beforehand.
On the high platform.
Yan Shaozhe's brows slowly relaxed.
He had been the dean for many years, and he personally observed the assessment of each new student class.
He had seen countless ways of competing, but this was the first time he had ever seen anything like this.
Using the semi-finals as a training ground—this mindset and perspective were not something an average eleven-year-old could possess.
"This Dai Huabin…" Yan Shaozhe muttered to himself, but didn't finish.
The old man sitting to his right chimed in:
"What? You've got your eye on someone?"
Yan Shaozhe did not deny it.
"I've been thinking about who should be the captain of the reserve team. This kid has the ability and the right mindset. What's most valuable is that he's willing to help others move forward together."
Du Weilun adjusted his glasses and interjected:
"He might have done this today to conserve his energy for the final. After all, Cui Yajie's team is no pushover."
Yan Shaozhe waved his hand:
"Even if there is this calculation involved, it does not affect the significance of what he did."
"The ability to strategize and simultaneously inspire teammates to willingly cooperate with those strategies—that's the quality of a leader."
Cai Meier listened from the side, a slight smile playing on her lips.
Of all the students she had taught over the years, this was the type she liked the most.
The dean of the Soul Guidance Department, Xian Lin'er, interjected:
"His betrothed is also very interesting. A level 27 Netherworld Cat, who can even provide guidance to an agility-type Soul Master. This pair would be considered top-notch even in the second or third year."
Several senior executives offered their opinions, all expressing high praise.
Only Zhou Yi, sitting in the corner, remained silent.
She stared at Dai Huabin on the field, her expression not looking good.
This kid was holding this "teaching match" in front of everyone. On the surface, it was about friendship between classmates, but in reality, he was telling everyone: I, Dai Huabin, am not only strong myself, but I can also help others become stronger.
This kind of behavior, when presented to the academy's higher-ups, would be an absolute advantage.
Zhou Yi felt a tightness in her chest.
Wang Dong'er and Xiao Xiao were originally supposed to be the top students in her class. But Dai Huabin brought them both to Mu Jin's Class 9.
but...
Zhou Yi took a deep breath and forced herself to calm down.
After the class division, the offensive and control classes would be grouped into one class.
Dai Huabin is from the White Tiger Spirit faction, practically guaranteed to be a powerful attacker.
When the time comes, this kid will still have to call her teacher.
Thinking of this, Zhou Yi felt a little better.
Let Mu Jin be smug for these few months, anyway, the final results of her teaching will all be attributed to Zhou Yi.
The "teaching" session on the field lasted for more than ten minutes.
Wu Feng's close-quarters combat was noticeably smoother than at the beginning; at least her punches were no longer as wild and unpredictable as before.
Nanmen Yun'er had also figured out a bit of the trick to changing the rhythm. Although she was still very unfamiliar with it, she was on the right track.
Ning Tian stood up from the ground and patted the dust off her skirt.
She walked to the center of the field and bowed slightly to the referee.
"We concede defeat."
The referee had already seen through the nature of the match, so he didn't say much and simply announced the result.
"Class 9, Dai Huabin's team wins and advances to the finals!"
A sparse clapping sounded from the stands.
Although most viewers didn't see any intense confrontations, they became more curious about Dai Huabin.
Ning Tian walked up to Dai Huabin and whispered:
"Good luck in the finals, class monitor."
Wu Feng also came over and punched him in the chest:
"Class monitor, I've memorized everything you taught me. Next time we practice, I'm sure you won't find my weaknesses in just three moves."
Nanmen Yun'er stood behind and quietly bowed.
"Thank you, Zhu Zhuqing."
Zhu Zhuqing hummed in agreement, a faint smile appearing on her face.
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