Volume One: Awakening of the Dragon Soul Chapter 20: Please Give Me the Sword!

Arena Number Twenty-Four.

This was where Mo Xing would undergo his evening assessment.

The team assessment pitted two sides of five students each against one another. Most had never met before, let alone built any rapport, so it was impossible to count on any real teamwork.

As Mo Xing forced himself to calm down, the anxiety for Shi Yan no longer distracted him, but the current situation was hardly optimistic. After a lackluster showing in the afternoon’s solo matches, he’d managed only two wins out of ten—a dismal record. If he failed to stand out in this team round, elimination was almost certain.

The individual trial granted each student ten matches against different opponents, mainly to gauge personal skill and mental resilience. Some grew braver with each bout, others wore down, and a few, like Mo Xing, experienced wild swings of form.

The team event, however, offered just one shot. Both teammates and adversaries were assigned by the school. Here, the emphasis was on collaboration and adaptability; raw strength was less of a factor than the risk of ending up with teammates who refused to cooperate. To put it simply:

“A formidable adversary is nothing to fear—what’s terrifying is a hopeless ally.”

“Mo Xing? We meet again!”

At the jubilant cry, Mo Xing turned to see Li Xiangcao standing behind him, eyes shining like stars.

“Uh… classmate?” Mo Xing asked, uncertain if she was to be his teammate.

“This is amazing! My idol is on my team!” Li Xiangcao shouted, bursting with excitement. “My team assessment is saved!”

“Actually, I’m not as strong as you think,” Mo Xing explained. “I won only two matches in the individual round.”

“What?” Li Xiangcao stared, speechless.

“It’s true. Only two wins,” Mo Xing nodded earnestly. He preferred to let the girl grasp reality now, rather than rely on him excessively.

“You’re too modest!” Li Xiangcao grinned. “I bet you went easy on them, worried they wouldn’t pass!”

“Why would I go easy when I might not pass myself?” Mo Xing smiled faintly, unmoved by her exaggerations.

“Well…” Li Xiangcao hesitated, falling silent.

The judge took a sip of water, cleared his throat, and called out with his megaphone:

“Next group!”

“Blue team: Mo Xing, Li Xiangcao, Liu Shuguang—”

Mo Xing climbed onto the arena and glanced at his team and their opponents:

Li Xiangcao—she was somewhat familiar, though her strength was unknown. She wielded dual blades, likely a magic swordswoman.

Liu Shuguang—a chubby boy with regular features, holding a staff. He didn’t look like an elemental mage; perhaps a healer?

A blond boy, name forgotten—he carried an enormous sword, likely a berserker.

Another girl, armed with a bow—undoubtedly an archer.

As for himself, he was an elemental mage.

Their opponents were a berserker, an archer, a heavy-armored knight, a healer, and a gunner.

The advantage of Mo Xing’s team lay in their burst damage and his modest crowd control; the opposing lineup was more defensively inclined, favoring counterattacks and ranged attrition.

Mo Xing eyed his silent teammates, sensing something vital was missing from their group dynamic.

The whistle blew.

“Begin!”

No sooner had the word left the judge’s mouth than the blond berserker charged forward with his giant blade, unleashing a “Flame Rush.”

“Wait!” Mo Xing tried to intervene, but the berserker dashed into the enemy ranks like a bull at a red flag. The other team, not to be trifled with, swiftly “escorted” him off the stage.

The blue team lost a “major player” right out of the gate—more accurately, a hopeless teammate.

“Listen, everyone, we need to—” Mo Xing realized their team lacked a leader and a plan.

“Save it!” the archer girl cut him off, trembling. “Four against five… what’s the point?”

“Don’t lose hope, it’s just begun,” Mo Xing tried to reassure her. “We still have a chance—”

“Get down!” Li Xiangcao yelled. Mo Xing turned to see the opposing gunner firing a volley of missiles. He dove to the floor, but was still grazed by an explosion.

“Find cover! Cough, cough!” Mo Xing shouted, but the smoke choked him.

Suddenly, the enemy berserker appeared from nowhere, unleashing “Dragon Cleave,” sending the archer girl flying. The gunner charged up a “Photon Cannon” and fired in her direction—Mo Xing watched another teammate blasted from the field.

“This is the campus tournament director! The central screen will now switch to camera twenty-four for live coverage!”

As the announcement finished, the audience erupted:

“Look at the big screen!”

“Oh my god, it’s Mo Xing!”

“What’s happening?”

“Mo Xing’s team is down to three!”

“They’re being chased all over the arena!”

“This is a disaster!”

Mo Xing dodged relentlessly, pursued by the berserker and archer. The enemy archer unleashed a flurry of blue-white arrows. Mo Xing summoned a “Pillar of Chilling Water,” but his watery shield couldn’t stop the arrows—they struck his shoulder, sending him sprawling.

At the brink of collapse, a beam of green light enveloped him—Liu Shuguang’s healing magic!

Mo Xing sprang up and kept running. Facing five opponents, the three survivors could only retreat. Twice, Li Xiangcao was nearly knocked out, only to be saved at the last second by Liu Shuguang. He proved a reliable ally, though as a healer, all he could do was heal on the run.

“Plan B! Focus the healer!”

A command echoed through the smog. The enemy berserker and archer turned on Liu Shuguang.

Mo Xing managed a bitter smile. Unlike his own team’s sullen silence, the opposition had used their thirty minutes of prep for strategy and communication—they’d become a coordinated unit.

But so what!

Mo Xing turned and sprinted toward Liu Shuguang, gathering water elements with his staff.

“Chilling Blade!”

A jet of water shot out, freezing instantly under the enemies’ feet, halting their charge.

Mo Xing watched the two adversaries frozen in place.

This… this was the Ice Blade!

He’d done it!

Suddenly, a chill wind swept behind him. Mo Xing spun—an enemy knight had appeared out of nowhere, spear brimming with power.

“Wind Spike!”

No time to dodge. In that critical moment, Li Xiangcao twisted through the air, her twin blades deflecting the attack.

“Don’t you dare harm my idol!” Li Xiangcao roared.

Mo Xing was taken aback—a petite girl, yet her shout was thunderous.

A flash of light flared behind him.

Not good!

Mo Xing wrapped his arms around Li Xiangcao, just as a shell struck him; both went down together.

Smoke swirled across the arena; the big screen showed nothing but a blur.

“Idol…” Li Xiangcao trembled in Mo Xing’s arms.

“I told you, don’t call me that! What kind of idol is this useless?” Mo Xing forced a smile. “I don’t even know where my staff landed.”

In the stands:

“The healer’s out too.”

“How can two fight five?”

“Might as well surrender!”

“Mo Xing isn’t as amazing as the news said.”

“Wasn’t he level zero at first? Ha!”

“He probably got by on connections.”

“He’s finally showing his true colors in real combat.”

“Can’t argue with the facts! Haha!”

By the ring, the judge frowned at the shrouded arena. Suddenly, two teachers approached.

“Judge, just call the match,” said Teacher Apocalypse. “There’s no point dragging this out.”

“Agreed,” nodded Teacher Longlian. “Scores are already settled. Let’s end it.”

“Alright, I’ll announce the result now,” the judge reached for the megaphone.

On the arena:

“Mo Xing,” Li Xiangcao spoke suddenly. “You can’t give up like this!”

“What?” Mo Xing saw the seriousness in her gaze.

“Listen—really listen,” Li Xiangcao smiled. “You can hear the crowd outside.”

Mo Xing paused, listening carefully. Outside, a wave of chants rolled in, like the crashing of the sea, growing ever louder:

“Mo Xing, don’t give up!”

“Mo Xing, we believe in you!”

Were these his fans? Mo Xing was stunned—he’d never imagined so many cheered for him.

“You may not know this, but when many of us arrived, our Dragon God power was just a few levels. When we all felt hopeless, your story of rising against the odds gave us new strength,” Li Xiangcao said gently.

“You are our star. As long as you shine in the night sky, we’ll feel at peace. So please—”

“Keep shining in the darkness!”

“Keep… shining in the darkness,” Mo Xing repeated, faltering.

Yes! They were all hoping for him, hoping he’d pass the assessment. Why should he give up? Senior Mianhua brought him breakfast, Senior Cai Hong escorted him to the exam, Teacher Longlian gave him revision materials, Teacher Apocalypse provided careful guidance, and his fans drew strength from his journey. Even Mr. Shen had trained him.

And Shi Yan…

He was bound to them all. For their sake and his own, he couldn’t just give up.

“Thank you, all of you…”

Li Xiangcao watched as tears—warm, genuine tears—fell from Mo Xing’s eyes.

“I can’t let myself look so pitiful,” Mo Xing wiped his face. “Hand me the sword!”

“The sword?”

Li Xiangcao pointed to the blades lying nearby.

Rain began to fall in the night sky, and the arena’s smoke began to clear. Mo Xing rose, seizing both blades.

“I will keep shining!”