Chapter 463 Contention
At the stadium, the cheers and shouts of joy continued. An award ceremony was held to celebrate that moment.
Next to the stage, the Vice Chairman announced the results of their little bet. It was surprising that Hu Jiutong was the only winner. All the others had made wrong judgments!
“I… am the only winner?”
Hu Jiutong couldn’t believe it. He rarely won, not to mention being the sole winner!
The other top trainers were just as surprised as he was. They were fine with losing a bet but the fact that Hu Jiutong could win was against all reason and logic.
“Old Hu, nicely done! Good eyes.”
“Never mind. I’ll give you the training skill book.”
They shook their heads. Since this was just a fun bet, they never took it seriously, and losing it didn’t put them in a bad mood. Of course, Hu Jiutong was the only one that did take it seriously.
Su Ping shook his head as well, a little bit disappointed.
“Do I give you the skill book now?” Su Ping asked Hu Jiutong.
He had no skill book but he could make a copy of one or two middle-rank thunder skills from the Elementary Rules of Thunder and give that to Hu Jiutong.
That way, Hu Jiutong would be able to impart the thunder skill to the beasts. That was kind of a training skill, but one that was different from the conventional path.
“It’s okay. You can give it to me later.” Hu Jiutong was smiling gaily. He was happy enough just by having won the bet in itself. He didn’t care about the stakes that much.
Su Ping nodded.
The other top trainers joked around with Hu Jiutong when the Vice Chairman reminded them, “Okay, did you take a liking to any of the participants? You can start thinking about it now. Same rules as before. If several of you are interested in the same student, it will be up to the student to decide who is more appealing. Also, after today, no one is allowed to make trouble for the others over their choices!”
The bet was irrelevant. The important task of the day was for them to pick students.
The top trainers became serious after that. They looked at each other, trying to sound out each other’s intentions.
“Brother Su, anyone caught your fancy?” Lv Renwei asked Su Ping.
Su Ping only replied with a smile.
Lv Renwei produced a forced smile in return. Su Ping had learned to be mischievous quicker than he had thought.
The award ceremony had reached its end. The master of ceremonies announced with emotion that the time for top trainers to pick students had arrived.
Everyone turned their attention to the nine seats.
“Is that…” an aged man said to a girl sitting next to him.
Both were frozen on the spot when the two saw the young man sitting among the top trainers. They stared with their mouths agape.
Is that the young man?
The one we met on the underground train?!
Wasn’t he a titled battle pet warrior? Why is he there, on the seats for top trainers?
The aged man and the girl were Ji Zhantang and his granddaughter Ji Qiuyu that Su Ping had met on his way there. Ji Zhantang took his granddaughter to the Holy Light Base City for the trainer’s test and the competition. Unfortunately, she had already been eliminated from the competition since she was merely at the sixth-rank. She didn’t even make it to the Top 10. They stayed and watched the following matches. It never occurred to them that they would see Su Ping there, the person who had killed a titled battle pet warrior with one punch. “Is he a trainer?” Ji Qiuyu asked her grandfather.
Ji Zhantang was puzzled himself. He couldn’t answer the question. Why would I know?
The fact that Su Ping was sitting with the top trainers was proof that he had to have a distinguished identity, even if he were not a trainer himself.
Ji Zhantang felt glad that he didn’t upset Su Ping in any way. That young man was horrifying in many ways.
“I think he got onto the train at the Longjiang Station. I don’t think he’s from the Holy Light Base City judging by his accent. Is he from the Longjiang Base City?” Ji Zhantang thought of an idea. “After the competition, let’s stop by the Longjiang Base City on our way back.”
The Longjiang Base City was a station that they had to pass on their way back. Making a temporary stop there would not slow them down too much.
Ji Qiuyu was still in a daze.
….
On the stage.
After the award ceremony, the two who didn’t make it to the Top 3 were invited back onto the stage. The five of them stood in a row as they looked at the nine seats in the front row.
Excitement and thrill!
That was the same feeling shared by the five and the audience. That was the main reason why the five participated in the competition, to begin with. “Nine seats. Eight top trainers and that one is the Vice Chairman…”
Muliu Tusu was standing in the middle. He was tall and straight. As he stared at the eight top trainers, Muliu Tusu could barely control himself.
Standing next to him was Yu Yundan who was a slim and breathtakingly pretty girl. She was kind of aloof at the same time. Her eyes were glowing as she focused her sight on the eight top trainers as well.
“So, let us start with the champion, Muliu Tusu. Anyone who wants to take him as a student can come forward now.”
The Vice Chairman sat in the middle; he looked at the top trainers sitting next to him. He also wanted to pick a student but he didn’t go for Muliu Tusu. The reasons were complicated, since Muliu Tusu’s abilities weren’t the only concern. The fact that he was from the Muliu Family was one of the reasons the Vice Chairman didn’t choose him.
Sitting to his sides were seven top trainers, including Su Ping. After a short moment of silence, Lv Renwei said first, “I’m going to go with him.”
“Me, too.”
“Sorry, I want him.”
Three spoke at the same time.
Lv Renwei squinted his eyes. “You two old dogs. You are trying to steal him away from
me!”
“The thing is, I’m not stealing anyone from you. He’s mine.”
“All right, stop that. Give up to save some face. He is from the Muliu Family, you know? Aren’t you aware of the connection between me and the Muliu Family? His dad will beat him up if he choses any one of you instead of me!”
“Old Cao, you know you’re playing dirty, right?”
“True!”
As they began to choose a satisfactory student, the previous friendly atmosphere between them disappeared. No one was holding back.
Su Ping sat there and remained silent.
He didn’t like that Muliu Tusu so he decided to enjoy that little show.
He had his reasons for not choosing Muliu Tusu, and the most important one was that there was someone else he was happy about.
Muliu Tusu did win first place and he had exhibited outstanding abilities. However, this was just one match. People would win and lose many times in their lives. He was more concerned about whether the person could learn and develop-and of course, if there was good chemistry.
“All right. Tell him what you want to say. Let’s see what you’ve got,” the Vice Chairman cut them off.
Lv Renwei snorted and shouted to Muliu Tusu. “Hey, the kid from the Muliu Family. Do you know me? Become my student and I will make you a master trainer in three years!”
His voice was sonorous. After all, he had eighth-rank astral powers. Even without a mic, his voice could be heard at every corner of the stadium.
The audience was shocked.
Three years to make him a master trainer? How bold!
Of course, being a top trainer, Lv Renwei did have the right to say those words.
On the stage, the other four players cast Muliu Tusu an admiring but jealous glance.
Muliu Tusu was intrigued but he didn’t say yes right away. He had heard that his father and a certain top trainer had talked about his future.
“Hmm, that’s nothing. I can guide you to open up a new training path for yourself, which is even harder than becoming a master trainer. Also, I can teach you everything about my Dragon Bloodline Refinement. That is the most powerful refinement skill there is!” another top trainer stroke his beard and said with pride.
“You!”
Lv Renwei was fuming with rage. You’re willing to seduce a student with your strongest skill. How generous!
“Interesting…” Old Cao let the two of them talk it out first. “Tusu, come and learn from me.” Old Cao said, neither anxious nor impatient.
Muliu Tusu looked at him and then darted a glance at the other two top trainers. If it weren’t for the fact that his dad had talked with Old Cao, he would have been more than happy to learn from any one of the other two top trainers. Also, they had made promises that were quite enticing. Amid everyone’s ardent looks, eventually, Muliu Tusu went with Old Cao. “Told you. There’s no use fighting with me considering how close I am to the Muliu Family. There’s no use for that.” Old Cao couldn’t hide his enraptured mood.
Lv Renwei and the other top trainer snorted, livid with rage.
Soon, it was time to decide who would take Yu Yundan as a student.
Even more top trainers fought over her.
Everyone knew about the relationship between Old Cao and the Muliu Family. Therefore, only Lv Renwei and the other top trainer who refused to be misled by fallacies decided to fight for Muliu Tusu, and yet neither succeeded. But there was nothing that complicated with Yu Yundan. She was from a large family but her family was not close to any top trainer.
This time, even the Vice Chairman joined the fray.