Chapter 147: Acquaintance

The first two battles had brightened Yi Chen’s eyes, every gentleman’s performance was spectacular, and it was evident that everyone present was unwilling to let go of the opportunity to explore the “New Birth Passage”—especially the teams with older members, who were eager to acquire relics that suited them. At the same time, all adhered to the gentlemanly code of conduct, ensuring that if one side showed absolute suppression, the dominant party would never deliver a killing blow, while the defeated would promptly concede loss. As the referee, the gentleman wearing the stone mask never intervened, allowing the matches to conclude naturally. Yi Chen gave a succinct assessment of the situation at hand, “William and I must be the youngest in terms of ‘gentleman age’ in this match selection. Most have graduated from the academy, and some have even been in Zion for three or four years. Moreover, they have all touched the ‘Limit of Man’ and found their rightful place.” As the second match concluded, it was time to vie for the last team slot. “We’re up.” As Yi Chen waved forward, the trio stepped onto the field. Jin, in his multicolored suit, led the way, and during his entrance, he took the initiative to strip off his jacket, proceeding to the upcoming battle in just a shirt. He also rolled up his sleeves and performed some exaggerated stretches that exceeded the limits of his joints, cracking and popping as he did. A man from the team that had just won the second round, also hailing from Cesimani, showed a difficult expression when he saw Jin’s iconic rainbow mask. Because Yi Chen had carried Jin on his back and arrived just in time at the end, the man who had walked ahead of the main group had not noticed Jin’s presence. “Jin Almeda… coming to participate in a relic event just a year after entering the city? No one can stop that madman. We’ll try to avoid her as much as we can in the future explorations of the Grey Zone, let alone have conflicts of interest.” A white-robed wizard-like teammate beside him asked curiously, “What’s the story with this person? You seem so tense, Arthur.” “A ‘Cesimani’ combat record of 59 victories and zero defeats… I lost one of my three battles in a real fight against Jin. This woman is specifically a monster targeting the physical. Luckily, we didn’t end up drawing her.” The white-robed gentleman’s pupils shone with the luster of magic, his curiosity piqued: “She can defeat you head-on, Arthur? I’m quite eager to see the performance of this monster.” … When both teams reached the center of the arena, Jin stood with her hands on her hips, leaning forward to scrutinize her opponents. Then she straightened up, a look of satisfaction appearing beneath her mask. She could sense that the quality of the opponents’ physicality was quite excellent, their strength reliable. At that moment, Yi Chen’s voice came from behind her, “Jin, try not to use ‘Red Lotus’.” “Don’t worry, I still have a sense of measure… If I accidentally kill these guys, our chance to go out will be spoiled, and that damned organization will call me in for a talk again.” As weapons were prohibited, Yi Chen also began to stretch his muscles and activate the plants within his body, confident in his hand-to-hand combat, though admitting he was no match for Jin. After all, he was the sole student of Zede, known as ‘Special Record Combat Power’. ŖάꞐȫ????Ëṣ Just as the duel was about to commence, the enclosed stone door of the underground area was suddenly opened from the outside, and a familiar voice came through. “Stone, pardon the interruption! Some friends outside are quite interested in the match happening here. I’ve brought them along to observe—hope it’s not over yet?” The opener was none other than the co-manager of the Gentleman Hall, and an old acquaintance of Yi Chen, Aiji. He entered the underground area, holding a long staff and wearing his hat askew, followed by Qian Bosen with an owl perched on his shoulder and Instructor Beili, dressed in knee-high black leather boots. Their appearance was not due to Yi Chen or Jin, but specifically to see ‘the third person’ who had teamed up with their students. “Professor Qian Bosen, long time no see.” At that moment, one of the contestants about to battle called out to Qian Bosen, It was the captain of Yi Chen’s opposing team, with semi-white hair, a white suit, and a dark blue tie patterned with clouds. Qian Bosen recognized him immediately, “Charvis? Haven’t you found a suitable Relic yet?” “Relics with dual Intelligence attributes are really rare, I plan to give myself one more year… By the way, Professor Qian, it’s a surprise to see you here. Is there a student here you’re keeping an eye on?” “William is a student I have taken under my wing recently.” At this, Yi Chen, who was standing on the field, also gave a gentleman’s bow to the other side. Although Charvis returned the gesture, he felt bitter inside. During his student days, because of the similarity in Profession and Attributes, Qian Bosen had given him guidance and help multiple times, but it had always been just a normal teacher-student relationship. Later, he heard that Qian Bosen, as an honorary professor, did not take on students, and that merely receiving private guidance from an honorary professor was already more than what most students could hope for. However, a student had suddenly appeared one year after his graduation, even bringing Qian Bosen here to watch the battle in person. “Could it be that my mediocre talent wasn’t enough to interest you?” Charvis couldn’t help but show a self-deprecating smile, slowly putting on the Spellcasters’ gloves marked with the pattern of the wind, ready to face the upcoming match with all his strength. S~eaʀᴄh the Novёlƒire.n(e)t website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality. He had no intention of seeking revenge; he only wanted to test how special this new student, taken in by Professor Qian Bosen, really was and in what aspect his talent surpassed his own. Yi Chen’s gaze also locked on Charvis, “A Wind Element gentleman like Professor Qian? From the previous conversation, it seems that he has developed both Sensing and Intelligence and has won Qian Bosen’s favor, he must be a formidable opponent.” Then, he slowly turned his attention to the other two people opposite him. One was wearing a black pointed hat, with all but his right eye wrapped in bandages, His dark grey clothing was purposefully designed to look tattered, with sleeves cut off at the elbow, exposing and wrapping everything forward in bandages as well. Sparks and ashes trickled out from the gaps in the bandages, complementing this person’s slender and slightly hunched figure, like a severely charred zombie. Jin’s attention also fell on this person, speaking softly: “This guy is the Executioner from our Cesimani, ‘Ashen One – Livovich’, with a training record of 113 wins and 4 losses. Having arrived at Zion two years before me, I haven’t crossed paths with him yet. I’ll take him on; they say his body is turning to ashes, making him hard to kill, which is just to my taste.” “Alright.” The last one had a huge physique similar to Darkberg and the Village Chief and was also wearing Medieval knight armor, with a bucket-shaped steel helmet on his head. Since weapons were forbidden, his heavy hammer and large shield were placed outside the field. “Is this some kind of modified gentleman’s clothes? This is the first time I’ve seen such a thing. The special tailor shop under the organization’s command can completely refashion ‘Gentleman’s Skin’ and combine it with armor, but three conditions must be met. 1. The gentleman’s Profession must be metal-related, with a focus on Physique development. 2. His family ancestors must have been true knights, possessing experience and talent in wearing armor. 3. He must be able to afford the expensive modification costs. The teams that appear here are indeed not ordinary… Such team composition is quite perfect, the level of this team is not weaker than those of the teams that won the previous two times. An intense battle is to be expected next.” With the preliminary Observation concluded, Yi Chen casually glanced at his newly joined teammate. But unexpectedly, Reagan seemed uncomfortable, his right hand on his spine as though he were scratching an itch, but it looked more like he was adjusting something. “Reagan, are you okay?” Reagan gave a thumbs up, “Hmm~ I’m a bit uncomfortable, but it’s manageable. I’ll finish the game quickly.” With a brief interruption by the supervisor Aiji, the third match officially began…