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The Sky Chasm Battle Stadium.
A high-tech arena surrounded by giant screens with incredibly high resolution, capable of swapping terrain types in just ten minutes.
Connected underground, it could lower old terrain and raise new terrain to replace it using internal mechanisms, just like in the Ever Grande Conference.
A whopping several thousand square meters swapped at once. Reportedly the latest achievement in recent years.
Currently, what lay before Li Xiang was the simplest flat battlefield. In addition, there were four special terrains: Sandstone, Jungle, Water Flow, and Ice Snow.
Randomly selected during matches.
Coaches needed to decide their lineup based on the different terrains to avoid situations like fielding a Fire-type specialist only to get the Water Flow terrain.
Taking this opportunity, Xu He led everyone to experience all the terrains.
None of the four terrains were absolutely pure.
Sandstone included quicksand, rock walls, and rocky ground; Jungle included grassy areas, trees, and shrubs; Water Flow included water areas, muddy bottoms, and surface rocks; Ice Snow included ice surfaces, snow piles, and icy rocks, etc.
A whole bunch of flashy stuff.
Li Xiang was almost dazzled and mourned silently for Incineroar, who couldn't fly.
If unlucky and got the Water Flow terrain, it would be in trouble.
It might have to evaporate all the water to continue fighting.
But Li Xiang wasn't that stupid either—knowing the terrain was unsuitable, he wouldn't send Incineroar out.
For the entire morning, Li Xiang and the others spent their time familiarizing themselves with the terrains, almost like touring a shopping street.
Xu He even let them move around freely and explore.
Most senior students directly found places to slack off, with only a few seniors still leading the freshmen around the stadium.
After all, Mist City University had home-ground advantage.
Of course, other schools would also be arranged by the Alliance to familiarize themselves with the stadium a few days before the Spring Tournament. Li Xiang and his group were just one step ahead.
The reason the tournament was chosen in Mist City was mainly considering the impact of climate on Pokémon.
Too cold or too hot wouldn't do, favoring any specific type of Pokémon.
Mist City, with its perpetual spring-like weather and consistently warm, comfortable temperatures, was the most suitable place.
The other eight tournament regions also decided their stadium locations based on this standard.
Fortunately, fixed tournament venues were only for the Spring Tournament. When it came to the regional level, the stadiums would change according to the opponents.
That's when true home and away matches would occur and be influenced by the city environment.
Noon.
Team meal.
Professors and teachers weren't present.
In this situation, the sixth-year senior girls actually ordered alcohol and drank heartily.
For them, this year would be their last. If they couldn't make it to the global level this year, they would have to enter the professional trainer world with lifelong regrets.
So, everyone couldn't help but feel a bit panicked.
Smiling on their faces, but their hands holding glasses trembled incessantly… Clearly nervous.
During the meal, a senior girl threw herself into Li Xiang's arms, drunkenly saying, "If only you had come earlier! Why didn't you come earlier!"
She kept repeating similar phrases.
Obviously, she believed Li Xiang had enough talent to get the school to the global level. But saying this was quite disrespectful to others, especially the other starting members on the team.
Fortunately, everyone was tolerant towards drunks, laughing it off.
Su Qian even came over to take the drunken girl away to sober up.
"Little brother, everyone has such high expectations of you. Feeling any pressure?" Zhao Jie leaned close to Li Xiang, her long eyelashes fluttering, a bright smile on her face.
Although many didn't say it out loud, the past month-plus was enough for them to have full expectations for this fifteen-year-old.
Li Xiang glanced at Abigail and Lü Shu, who were also watching him, then put down his chopsticks and said, "I'll just do what I need to do. Can't really talk about pressure or not."
Others' expectations of him were their business. He just needed to grow step by step according to his own plan.
"Heey... you know how to talk, huh."
Zhao Jie poked Li Xiang's cheek, her smile undiminished. "Do your best! Big sister believes in you!"
"Thank you."
Li Xiang nodded calmly. He now understood why Song Jie was afraid of these guys.
"Do your best."
Abigail came to his side, whispering.
"Yeah."
Li Xiang nodded. Abigail on WeChat was much more active than in real life and also talked more.
Lü Shu, the information expert, patted his shoulder and poured him a glass of juice. The starting trio all seemed to have certain expectations of him.
Afternoon.
The team uniforms were distributed.
The Junior World Tournament didn't force schools to have unified attire, but schools, for their own image, still prepared them for team members.
The style was, without a doubt, loose, easy-to-move-in sportswear. Silver and black with some stripes, looking not much different from sports attire from his previous world.
Couldn't say they were ugly, but definitely not to everyone's taste. At least Gong Xun thought the color scheme was hideous, lacking some gold.
"You... obsessed much?"
Li Xiang was speechless. Gong Xun was too fixated on gold.
"Ugly is ugly." Gong Xun thought he was being honest.
Song Jie silently put on the jacket. He thought the color scheme was quite nice—low-key and good-looking. Really classy.
...
Time passed.
As the Spring Tournament approached, online buzz skyrocketed.
Soon, the new Spring Tournament hit the trending searches, dominating the charts, with tens of thousands discussing students from major universities.
And whether any dark horses would appear this year.
Among them, the regions with the Big Six were often the focus of discussion, and also where high likes gathered.
But amidst the discussions, some were curious whether the new students could recreate past glories.
It wasn't uncommon—even common—for a school to be strong one year and have a gap the next.
And fielding new members in the Spring Tournament to let them get used to the environment was something every school did.
During this period, new players who could shine would receive special attention.
Including Li Xiang.
As someone once heavily promoted by the media, he had flashed into the public eye again and again.
Due to Mist City University's relentless protection, anything related to his privacy would be deleted within an extremely short time. Including his performance at school.
Some students had leaked it to the outside world, but before it could spread, Mist City University stopped it at the source.
Li Xiang was pretty securely protected by Mist City University.
Over time, hardly anyone paid attention to a student who had just enrolled less than a month ago. People also generally believed the "national number one" title was just empty fame.
Haven't there been plenty of hyped-up trainers these days?
So what if Mo Ye personally invited him? Can't the Four Heavenly Kings misjudge?
Do you understand marketing?
Similar discourse were everywhere online, successfully shifting the public's attention to other students.
Li Xiang watched all this, knowing it was likely the school's public opinion campaign. But did they have to disparage him so badly?
Really necessary?
Of course it was necessary.
He couldn't imagine how badly Mist City University wanted to give other schools a huge surprise during the tournament.
If not for wanting to train him and let him adapt early, some even had the idea of waiting until Li Xiang fully matured before releasing this beast from its cage.
But to avoid ruining Li Xiang, they still chose to give him a chance to get familiar with the environment.
The Spring Tournament's buzz continued to grow. The situation grew increasingly intense.
"Sure enough, the women's army nickname is something else."
Li Xiang scrolled through blogs. In the mouths of many industry insiders, the global-level slots for this Junior World Tournament would still go to the old three.
And Mist City University, with the most female members, was mercilessly ridiculed as the women's army.
Busybodies kept emerging, turning a good pre-opening period into a series of verbal wars.
This stuff was like supporters of various teams—each had their own stance. Some people couldn't tell what was important and would naturally spout nonsense online or use nicknames to mock others.
Even Shen Island University had the 'Three-Eyed Insect' nickname, meaning an insect with an eye on its head, thinking it's a dragon when it's actually an insect.
Multiple parties cursed back and forth, constantly mocking and ridiculing each other's supported schools, as if gaining verbal advantage could boost the school's ranking.
But through this, Li Xiang also found on blogs many schools with dark horse potential, aside from the Big Six.
As for whether they were as good as hyped, that could only be said after seeing for himself.
...
April 22nd.
Under everyone's anticipation, a total of nine tournament regions, eighty-seven higher education institutions, each sounded their horns symbolizing victory.
The Spring Tournament officially began.
Countless reporters and media, like sharks smelling blood, rushed madly to each tournament region in a short time, striving for first-hand news.
South Summer (Xia-Nan) Tournament Region.
This day at noon, a total of ten higher education institutions, carrying their team members, gathered at the Sky Chasm Battle Stadium.
On both sides of the road, clearly marked boundaries were set, with security personnel firmly keeping unrelated people out.
These people could be reporters or ordinary onlookers.
Students from major universities could then disembark from their vehicles one by one, making their appearance like walking a red carpet.
Whenever a captain-level or starting member appeared, camera flashes would go off continuously. As for new faces... few reporters could actually recognize who was new and who was a senior.
Mist City University, as the local institution, was neither the first to arrive nor the grand finale.
They appeared in the middle.
Li Xiang got out of the car. He shielded his eyes from the intense sun.
He was wearing a mask today to cover his face, and following the coach's arrangement, others wore masks too.
Such a peculiar scene caused a round of photography from the reporters.
"What's wrong with Mist City University's group? The flu?"
"Definitely not—Hey! There are three more guys!"
"Blond, silver-white hair, and black hair, all moving together. What's this? Three colourful meatballs?"
"They don't look very old. Lowerclassmen?"
"Could it be Li Xiang!"
"Are you joking? He's a first-year. Those getting off the car are either starters or reserves!"
Bystanders discussed nonstop.
Meanwhile, Li Xiang and the others ignored the rumors and gossip and, under the coach's lead, walked steadily towards the player passage.
The team in front was from Dianzhou University in Jincheng, Yunnan—a school named after one of the nine ancient provinces.
Hongcheng University was behind them.