Volume One: Awakening of the Dragon Soul Chapter 19: "Pull Yourself Together!"

Hades Training Grounds.

Arena No. 21.

Yang Tianqi and the other instructors were observing the duel taking place on the platform.

With the sound of the referee's whistle, Teacher Yang Tianqi marked the scores for the two students on his evaluation sheet.

For the freshmen's practical assessment class, each arena was equipped with a referee and four instructors. The referee, of course, ensured the fairness and impartiality of the matches and determined the outcomes, while the four instructors evaluated the students' performances and assigned the corresponding scores.

Yang Tianqi, however, was in a unique position. Not only did he have to move from arena to arena, inspecting the competitions, he was also responsible for grading the students. He liked to joke that he was the "iron-willed scorer, ever-moving instructor."

"I'll go check out the other arenas," he said.

"Alright, take care!" the others replied.

Bidding farewell to his colleagues, Yang Tianqi left Arena 21.

As he weaved his way among the platforms, wondering which arena to visit next, he happened to hear a commotion from Arena No. 6 and headed that way.

The students, seeing him approach, parted to make way.

"Old Yang, you're finally here!" Teacher Long Lian sighed.

"What happened?" Yang Tianqi asked.

"Moxing, he's already lost six in a—"

Before Teacher Long Lian could finish, Moxing was sent flying off the arena by his opponent.

"Make that seven consecutive defeats," Long Lian corrected himself.

"What’s going on?" Yang Tianqi asked, rushing to where Moxing lay on the ground.

"Teacher Tianqi..." Moxing slowly opened his eyes and spoke.

"You were fine just two days ago. Why have you suddenly become like this?" Yang Tianqi shouted.

"It doesn't look like his abilities have declined," Long Lian observed with a sigh.

"He must be troubled by something," another voice interjected.

Yang Tianqi and Long Lian turned to see Teacher Su standing nearby with a gentle smile.

"Brother Yunzhou?" Yang Tianqi frowned. He and Su Yunzhou were old acquaintances, having joined Sky Hollow Royal Academy the same year. They often kept in touch.

"He was perfectly normal during this morning’s theory exam. Most likely, something happened at midday that distracted him," Su Yunzhou said.

"So that’s how it is..." Yang Tianqi nodded. "Moxing, if something’s troubling you, you can talk to us. Don’t keep it bottled up and let it affect your matches."

"I... I want to focus on the competition, but I can’t stop worrying about her..." Moxing said slowly.

"Who is she?" Yang Tianqi asked.

"Shi... Shiyan," Moxing replied.

"Did your confession get rejected, young man?" Long Lian muttered under his breath.

"I heard from others that Shiyan was poisoned and sent to the hospital," tears trickled down Moxing’s cheeks, "I don’t know why, but I’m so worried about her..."

"Pull yourself together!" Yang Tianqi suddenly roared. "Don’t act like a little brat who only knows how to cry!"

Moxing was stunned. Yang Tianqi, usually so gentle, had never exploded like this before.

The other instructors and students gathered around, curious to see what was happening.

"When you first enrolled, the crystal ball showed you were Level Zero. Everyone looked down on you, but did you give up? You didn’t! You proved you had what it takes. So what now? Are you just going to collapse this easily? Ask yourself, deep down!" Yang Tianqi jabbed his finger hard at Moxing’s chest.

"Exactly!" Long Lian added, seeing Yang Tianqi was being rather harsh. "Shiyan wouldn’t want to see you like this, would she? She’d want you to pass the assessment, so you have to pull yourself together!"

"She’s poisoned, and the doctors can save her. But if you fall, only you can get yourself back up," Teacher Su said softly.

"Moxing, get ready for your match," the referee called, megaphone in hand.

After a moment’s silence, Moxing slowly climbed to his feet, wiped away his tears, and nodded to the three teachers.

"Alright, I’ll do my best!"

Six-thirty in the evening.

A light rain fell from the sky. The lighting technician aimed the spotlights at the center of the arena, the cameraman adjusted his lens, and the audience seats were packed. Some students held up glowing support signs, and everyone had finished dinner, ready for the practical team assessment.

"Your student’s not bad; he finally pulled himself together," Teacher Su remarked in the stands.

"Yes, he’s recovered a bit. In the last three matches this afternoon, he won two and lost one. His final individual match record is two wins and eight losses," Yang Tianqi replied, shaking his head. "But he still hasn’t reached his usual level."

"Come on, Old Yang," Long Lian said. "What, did you think he’s the hero of some novel, who explodes with power after a little pep talk? These things don’t change overnight."

"I just hope he doesn’t fall apart again, or tonight’s team match will be tough."

Yang Tianqi gazed at Moxing and his teammates waiting by the arena.

A gentle rain fell from the gray sky.