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July.
The vast Youth Training Camp was now down to just twenty students.
The world suddenly became much quieter. The dormitories were eerily silent, devoid of the usual noise, the sounds of Pokémon moving about, or their cries.
The classrooms held only a handful of students.
Physical training became a session for just a few, and even the nightly runs felt lonely, with hardly anyone around for long stretches.
The pre-meal battles were still happening, but the batch system was canceled.
For a time, the camp felt exceptionally desolate and lonely. Most signs of human activity belonged to the armored officers and other staff.
Especially during this period between late spring and early summer.
As temperatures rose, the days grew brighter, and visibility improved. The battle arena, the largest activity area, was completely empty except for the waiting referee teachers and patrolling armored officers.
It felt like some remote suburb.
However, enduring solitude was also a good quality for a trainer. The arena challenges continued.
As the final boss, Li Xiang was inevitably challenged.
The daily battles among students were an important part of improving and testing their strength. Plus, completing all the monthly matches also earned a significant number of performance points.
However, having negative or zero points no longer meant elimination; it only affected the total score.
Additionally, in early July, Xiang Yangwei distributed two thousand performance points that weren't counted in the total score.
Even though these two thousand points had usage restrictions—they could only be exchanged for various resources and training facility access—and special items like shiny Pokémon weren't allowed, nor could they offset arena challenge expenses, it was still better than nothing.
This continued for two weeks.
Finally, the classes were merged.
The twenty students scattered across six classes were gathered into one, and their dormitories were relocated nearby.
More importantly, Xiang Yangwei handed out benefits again, calling it a graduation bonus, and brought in students from Qingcheng University to battle them.
One hundred points per win, ten matches total.
This was also a signal to everyone: the final moment had arrived. If they wanted to exchange or buy anything, they should hurry.
Late July.
Report cards were distributed.
Li Xiang's results, as always, were at the top. These people were never his match to begin with, and after his battle style changed, even less so.
Xiang Yangwei came to the classroom for the first time, looked at the twenty students below, and smiled as he told them the first Youth Training Camp had concluded successfully.
Over the next month, the total performance points would be fixed. No matter what they did, it wouldn't affect the total score.
New Youth Training Camp students were coming, and as graduating seniors, they couldn't bully them.
At the same time, everyone would start filling out their applications.
Each person had five choices, listing the five universities they most wanted to attend.
But the process was different from the college entrance exam application system. Listing a university first didn't guarantee priority admission.
There was no such thing as adjustment or majors. Everyone's major was Trainer.
After submitting their applications, by mid-August, they would be taken to a venue in Mancheng for on-site interviews.
All final students from Youth Training Camps across Yuzhou would gather there.
They would go to each university's booth in order of their preference for interviews. If they passed the on-site interview, they would immediately become students of that university.
Student IDs and admission letters were printed on the spot, and personal data was entered immediately.
Simple and efficient, as if afraid the students would be snatched away by someone else.
Li Xiang figured each school had a quota for recruiting students, probably to prevent the top six universities from taking all the students.
Without limits, what would be left for the other schools?
The Youth Training Camp would completely become a talent pool for the top six. Not even leaving scraps for the other schools.
"At that time, the interviewers will mostly be professors and senior student council members. I hope students can dress formally and tidy themselves up. Leave a good impression on them."
Xiang Yangwei spoke, suddenly growing sentimental, much like principals giving speeches before graduation at ordinary schools.
He launched into a lengthy monologue.
Unfortunately, most people below weren't really listening, completely absorbed in discussions about where to go.
Li Xiang's phone was also constantly bombarded by a certain blond youth.
Xiang Yangwei, finding himself uninteresting, left after being perfunctorily applauded by the students.
And here he was, rarely feeling sentimental.
Once he left, the discussions among the boys and girls grew even more heated. Interestingly, among the top twenty, there were five girls, achieving a three-to-one ratio.
This surprised Li Xiang, but everyone was very concerned about where he was going.
After all, they were all going to the Youth/Junior League, and a monster like Li Xiang was unavoidable.
Even if he didn't end up at the same school, they needed to know where he was going to warn others.
"So, it's time to apply. Have you decided which school you're going to?" Song Jie actively asked this question.
Li Xiang put his hands behind his head, leaning back slightly. "To be honest, I really haven't decided... I'll just follow your choices."
Mist City University was good, but if Song Jie wasn't going, there was no point.
Song Jie looked at Li Xiang and said softly, "If you really want to go to Mist City, I can follow your choice too. I don't necessarily have to go to Tiandu or Shanghai."
He wasn't like Xu Wan, who had to go to a specific place.
"Let me think about it a bit more, let me think," Li Xiang waved his hand. "No rush, applications are still a couple of days away."
The white-haired youth being so accommodating made him embarrassed.
At that moment, Gong Xu, whose text bombardment was ineffective, opted for a voice call.
Li Xiang saw it, hesitated for a moment, then walked out of the classroom to answer.
Sure enough, he was asking which places Li Xiang was listing as his first and second choices.
The earlier the choice, the more it indicated where someone wanted to go.
'This kid is really straightforward. Said he wanted to be support, and now he's asking where to go.'
Li Xiang didn't answer directly but first asked Gong Xu where he himself was going. The answer was Shanghai and Shen Island.
Shanghai again?
Why was this place so popular lately?
Li Xiang felt a bit helpless and said he was considering Mist City, hadn't decided on the others, and might follow someone else's choices.
This was absolutely an honest answer.
Returning to the classroom, Song Jie asked if it was Gong Xu. Li Xiang nodded, then sighed, "This guy is serious. I thought he was just trying to be cool all along."
Wanting to go to the same school as someone he'd only met a few times and battled a few times was a bit too much.
Normal people wouldn't think this way.
"So, what was your answer?" Song Jie asked.
Li Xiang expressionlessly looked up and said, "I just told him what I was thinking. No point hiding it anyway; he hasn't done anything wrong."
"True."
Song Jie nodded and said nothing more.
Other classmates, seeing Li Xiang hadn't decided yet, temporarily dropped the matter, planning to ask again on application day.
As for Xu Wan, surprisingly, even though it was said she'd have to become a Breeder if she didn't go to Tiandu, and that rival had sworn it, making even Li Xiang believe it, in the end, she was still going to Yuzhou with Lin Feng.
They had discussed it with her family, and Lin Feng personally went to negotiate.
Li Xiang looked at that person's stunned, incredulous expression and silently mourned for him.
Sometimes underestimating Lin Feng was a mistake.
'Kids these days.'
During the heated discussion, another call came to Li Xiang's phone.
"You're really popular."
Song Jie glanced at it and said.
"Maybe it's some university's administration trying to persuade me directly."
Li Xiang winked at him.
Going outside the classroom, the screen showed an unfamiliar number, not even from within Yuzhou.
'An admissions office call? Or a spam call?'
Li Xiang raised an eyebrow. Telecom fraud was also common in this world; people who loved to cause trouble were everywhere.
Pressing the answer button.
"Hello? May I ask who's calling?" Li Xiang asked softly.
On the other end of the phone, after a brief silence, a somewhat unfamiliar man's voice came through.
"Li Xiang, come to Mist City."
'Oh ho! It really is the admissions office! They even know my name! And it's Mist City's!'
'Do the top six universities have no dignity left? Personally recruiting people? Or is this privilege for those on the key training list?'
Li Xiang covered the bottom of the phone, glanced at Song Jie in the classroom, who was also looking at him.
Seeing the surprised expression on his face, the white-haired youth seemed to realize something and made a "six" gesture.
Li Xiang nodded frantically. Song Jie also genuinely looked surprised.
Their actions attracted others' attention.
"Ahem, sorry, sorry." Li Xiang looked around, confirmed no one was nearby, then asked in a low voice, "May I ask, which teacher from Mist City University are you?"
"Teacher? I'm not a teacher."
"Uh, then you are..."
"I'm Mo Ye. You should have seen me last year at the underground palace in Saizhou."
"..."
Li Xiang forcefully resisted the urge to throw his phone. He actually found it hard to believe.
But the person on the phone even mentioned the underground palace in Saizhou. If this was telecom fraud, then the Association was a fraud group.
But… Mo Ye personally calling to recruit him to Mist City University was a bit too exaggerated.
'You, one of the strongest Elite Four of Zhu Xia, have no face to lose? Something like this, you're handling it personally? Shouldn't it follow a hierarchy?'
'Perhaps start with a director or professor or something. Opening with a king bomb, what's the meaning of this?'
'What's the difference between this and the vice president calling a student privately?'
For a moment, Li Xiang questioned life, but only for a moment.
"Hello? Still there? Bad signal?"
Mo Ye's voice came through, then there were some rustling voices on the other end, and he said, "Oh, you're worried about telecom fraud?"
"No, no, no, no, I'm just too surprised." Li Xiang hurriedly denied. "Elite Mo—"
"Just call me Mo Ye... Forget it, call me teacher or professor. I'm barely an honorary professor at Mist City University."
Mo Ye said softly, "Li Xiang, come to Mist City. I'll be waiting for you here. You can name your terms."
'I—Terms as I please? This is even more excessive!'
Li Xiang's hand trembled slightly. He glanced at Song Jie again only to find everyone in the classroom pressed against the glass, quietly, eyes shining, staring intently at him.
'Huh? What's up with you guys?'