-089- Ten Against Ten (3/3)

"Fine! Since that is what you said, Xia Yan, then do not blame me when the time comes."

Whether Xia Yan had acted on impulse or not, she had plainly lost her composure this time, and Liu Min was not about to let such a golden opportunity slip by.

She returned at once to the Botany Class, as though she had gone to make some arrangements.

Not long after, Liu Min came back with another male teacher.

"For this wager of ours, let Teacher Zhu be the witness. You should have no objection to that, should you?"

"No objection."

Xia Yan adjusted her glasses and nodded.

"Teacher Xia, do not act rashly."

Teacher Zhu of the Fire Class was not very old, and he had always held a certain fondness for Xia Yan. Hearing that she truly intended to let the Cultivation Class challenge the Botany Class, he could not help but feel worried.

"Teacher Zhu, I am not acting rashly. I am serious."

Xia Yan spoke with complete gravity, never one to joke.

Seeing how certain she was, Zhu Di could only sigh helplessly. "Then how about this: each class selects five outstanding students, and the contest is decided by best out of five?"

Zhu Di knew that the Botany Class had far more students than the Cultivation Class, and that their overall strength was generally higher as well. If the two classes truly competed, the Cultivation Class would already be at a disadvantage in sheer numbers, let alone anything else.

"Teacher Zhu, there is no need for best out of five. This match was caused by me in the first place, so I alone will participate. The other girls from the Cultivation Class need not take part."

At Tong Si's words, everyone present was once again startled.

One person?

To stand alone against an entire class of the Botany Class?

Xia Yan had not expected Tong Si to be so arrogant. A faint trace of regret stirred in her heart over the decision she had just made.

Liu Min, meanwhile, felt like laughing. She could not help thinking that Tong Si must be some kind of fool.

Even Zhu Di looked utterly bewildered. He had seen arrogance before, but never arrogance to this degree.

"Cough, cough... that may not be entirely appropriate, is it?"

Zhu Di still tried to persuade him, but Tong Si remained unwavering.

"Classmate Tong Si, I truly did not expect you to be so presumptuous. But our Botany Class is not some soft persimmon to be squeezed at will. Since you think you can represent the Cultivation Class, I will give you that chance. How about a ten-versus-ten rotating match?"

After regaining her composure, Liu Min came up with a compromise.

If the two classes' students all went at once, it would be very unfavorable for the Cultivation Class.

Their Botany Class had a total of sixty or seventy students.

Even if she defeated Xia Yan, Liu Min would still leave herself open to criticism.

But if it were a ten-versus-ten rotating match, then even if the Botany Class won, it would merely prove that the Cultivation Class lacked strength.

Could anyone still accuse her Botany Class of winning unfairly?

"I agree."

Hearing that it would be a rotating match, Tong Si grinned, for it was exactly what he wanted.

If Zhu Di's suggestion of best out of five were adopted, then the Cultivation Class would lose for certain.

After all, Tong Si was the only one in the entire Cultivation Class who could fight.

But in a rotating match, never mind ten opponents, even if the whole Botany Class came at once, Tong Si would only regard them as tools for farming points.

"I agree as well."

Xia Yan nodded. As Tong Si's homeroom teacher, she could only support him unconditionally at this moment.

"Very well. Since that is the case, then I shall serve as witness to this challenge from the Cultivation Class to the Botany Class. I will give both sides half an hour to prepare. In half an hour, come to the ordinary battle arena of our Fire Class for the match."

In order to ensure fairness, Zhu Di chose their Fire Class as the venue.

As one of the larger single-element classes among the spirit-familiar departments, the Fire Class not only had a magma arena and a rock arena, but even an ordinary battle arena as well.

The Cultivation Department's arena was too small, while the Botany Class's arena was a grass field.

Neither option was especially suitable.

By contrast, the Fire Class's ordinary battle arena was quite appropriate for a contest between the two sides.

"I have no objection."

"Then I have none either."

Xia Yan and Liu Min spoke at the same time.

After that, Zhu Di and Liu Min left directly.

One went to prepare the venue, while the other went to select participants.

After they left, Xia Yan and the girls from the Cultivation Class all looked toward Tong Si.

After all, he was the one who had initiated this match.

"Everyone, do not stare at me like that. I said I can take on ten by myself. You just need to be my cheer squad later."

Tong Si smiled slightly.

If twenty-eight girls, together with a beautiful homeroom teacher, were all cheering for him, the scene would be rather lovely, would it not?

The male students from the Botany Class would probably be green with envy before the battle even began.

"No, Tong Si! That is too selfish of you. You actually want to fight ten alone? I do not agree!"

Chu Xuanxuan was the first to object.

"I do not agree either. We are students of the same class, a team!"

"Exactly, I want to compete too."

"So do I!"

"......"

After Chu Xuanxuan voiced her opinion, the other girls quickly followed suit.

Although the girls of the Cultivation Class were generally not very strong, they were not afraid.

Liu Min had essentially looked down on the entire Cultivation Class just now, which was the same as looking down on all of them.

As members of the Cultivation Class, they had a strong sense of class honor.

Thus, they all wanted to take part in the match and prove that they were not weaklings.

Seeing this, Tong Si even began to think: why not let them compete, and I can cheer for them from behind?

"Tong Si, I know you are very strong, but going against ten by yourself—is that not a bit reckless? How about letting them go first, and you step in at the end?"

Homeroom teacher Xia Yan stated her thoughts.

Tong Si frowned, somewhat hesitant.

If they all together still could not defeat the Botany Class's first opponent, then that would be fine.

He could still farm one hundred thousand points.

But if they managed to defeat four or five people, would not the points he earned be greatly reduced?

Seeing how eager the girls of the Cultivation Class seemed to be, Tong Si also felt somewhat helpless.

Surely he could not, on the very first day of school, offend the Botany Class and the girls of the Cultivation Class at the same time.

"Very well. Since that is the case, Teacher Xia, please select nine students to compete. After they have all been defeated, I will enter the arena."

Tong Si shrugged and could only accept it.

Hearing this, Xia Yan felt considerably more at ease.

A ten-versus-ten match—no matter how mediocre the other nine might be, with Tong Si there, she felt they could win.

But if Tong Si went straight into a one-versus-ten battle, Xia Yan would inevitably worry somewhat.

Perhaps this was what people meant by fretting over nothing.

Since the entrance assessment had not yet taken place, the girls of the Cultivation Class had no definite ranking for now.

Xia Yan had no choice but to have them draw lots to select nine participants.

By chance, both Chu Xuanxuan and Tong Si's new deskmate, Xu Shanshan, were among the chosen.

The girls who were not selected all expressed some regret, but they were willing to cheer for Tong Si and the other nine.

...

To be continued.