Silence reigned over Cambridge tonight.

Silence filled the entire Kyoto Stadium.

What had they just witnessed? A necromancer knock out his opponent with a slap? Seriously?

Even as Lei Mingyi was carried away on a stretcher, many spectators rubbed their eyes in disbelief, some even wondering if they were dreaming.

Shen Jianshu placed his thermos on the table and slumped into his chair. "I'm done. Let it all burn."

He didn't want to deal with it anymore. Qiao Yu was completely unpredictable. He had told him to hide his strength, but he came out and slapped his opponent unconscious. Wouldn't all the other teams be wary of him now?

Fortunately, in the following preliminary rounds, whether it was the team competition or the individual competition, Qiao Yu and his teammates sailed smoothly.

After all, their strength had long surpassed what freshmen should possess. As long as they didn't draw one of the top schools, there wouldn't be any problems.

Nineteen days passed in the blink of an eye, and Qiao Yu and his team were extremely lucky, rarely drawing any strong opponents.

In the end, they successfully secured fourth place in the Eastern Division of the Combat Competition with an excellent record of 9 wins and 18 points.

Ahead of them were the first seed – Huaqing University Team One; the second seed – Kyoto University Team One; and the third seed – Danfu University Team One.

This result also meant that regardless of whether they won or lost the final match, Qiao Yu and his team would represent the Eastern Division and advance to the promotion round.

That day, as Qiao Yu and his teammates were in the lounge, raring to go for the final match of the preliminary round, Shen Jianshu walked in with a grim expression.

"For the final match, just forfeit. With your current score, you're guaranteed a spot in the promotion round even if you concede."

Qiao Yu and his teammates were stunned, unsure why Shen Jianshu would suddenly say something so demoralizing.

They had been on a nine-match winning streak these past few days, attracting a lot of attention. There were even fan groups in the stands.

Shen Jianshu then placed the draw results for today's match on the table – Huaqing University Team One.

Six simple words, yet they carried a suffocating, terrifying pressure.

It was as if Qiao Yu and his team had used up all their luck in the previous matches. In the final round, they actually drew the most formidable opponent in the Eastern Division!

The top four teams all had the exact same nine-match winning streak. The reason Huaqing Team One was ranked first was because the combined level of their five members was the highest!

And despite also having a nine-match winning streak, Qiao Yu and his team's levels were relatively low, naturally placing them in fourth.

They were also the only team without a single high-level player to achieve a nine-match winning streak.

"If you conserve your strength, you will definitely be crushed by Huaqing Team One. Even if you go all out and use every means at your disposal, your chances of defeating them aren't great."

"Fighting this battle is not worth it for us. So, forfeit."

The white smoke rising from the thermos obscured Shen Jianshu's face, preventing everyone in the room from seeing his expression.

"Professor Shen, is Huaqing Team One really that strong?" Yang Xiangdi asked.

"Not just strong, even Duan Shui Liu and his team would be in serious trouble if they faced Huaqing Team One."

Shen Jianshu shook his head, then looked at Qiao Yu.

"You should know very well how terrifying the destructive power of a high-level necromancer can be when they unleash their full power, right? Moreover, Huaqing's team has four high-level players!"

Qiao Yu's face darkened. Of course, he knew.

When facing a necromancer, if you can't take them down immediately, you'll be facing an overwhelming tide of undead creatures.

A person's energy and stamina are limited, but undead creatures don't have that limitation. Unless they are completely destroyed, they can continue to attack relentlessly.

Just like in his fight with Lei Mingyi, even if he hadn't intervened, the countless skeleton soldiers could have worn Lei Mingyi down to death.

Moreover, Qiao Yu had an even more terrifying thought in his mind.

High-level… plus the resources of Huaqing University… that Gu Ming… might be able to cast an S-rank undead skill!

Although Qiao Yu also had an S-rank skill book given to him by Shen Jianshu, his current spirit and intelligence couldn't support him using it.

The creatures summoned by an S-rank undead skill are truly top-tier undead creatures…

Qiao Yu fell silent. He didn't want to give up. He had never given up, no matter how strong the opponent was.

If it were an individual competition, he definitely wouldn't forfeit, but this was a team competition, and he couldn't risk the safety of his partners.

Just as Qiao Yu raised his hand to forfeit…

*Clack!*

Another hand grabbed Qiao Yu's wrist.

"Qiao Yu, you're not really going to be scared into forfeiting by Huaqing University Team One, are you?"

Ma Fei raised an eyebrow.

"Remember Nightmare Village? We were just apprentices back then, and we dared to work together to kill the Boss Nightmare King. Now that we've become stronger, you want to give up instead? Don't let me, Ma Fei, look down on you!"

Yang Xiangdi nodded repeatedly from the side. "That's right, it was indeed working together. I remember Ma Fei landing a critical hit that dealt a whopping 2 points of damage!"

Ma Fei's face darkened. Why did this fatso remember such ancient history so clearly?

At this moment, Zhao Ziyue quietly raised her hand.

"Ma Fei, don't include me when you brag. I fainted back then. Killing the Nightmare King had nothing to do with me."

Ma Fei's face darkened even more. Then, Zhao Ziyue smiled.

"But if you guys want to fight today, I guarantee that as long as I'm alive, no one will fall!"

Zuo You didn't say anything, but she silently gave Qiao Yu a firm look.

After being stirred up by his teammates, Qiao Yu also smiled. Ma Fei was right. Why was he becoming more timid as he got stronger?

"Professor Shen, we're not forfeiting today's match! We're fighting! Even if we can't win, we'll fight until they're scared!" Qiao Yu's eyes sharpened, and a strong fighting spirit surged from his body.

Forfeiting was impossible. He could never forfeit. He couldn't bring himself to admit defeat, so he could only fight with everything he had to maintain his way of life.

Shen Jianshu was stunned for a moment, then gently tapped his fingers on the table.

"Alright. And I'll allow you to use that knife!"

Shen Jianshu's eyes burned with passion. For a moment, he was also ignited by the burning passion of these five young people.

He suddenly remembered that he was like this when he was young, fearless and daring to take on anyone.

"No, perhaps we can win even without using that knife!"

Qiao Yu had a bold idea in his heart, an idea that had been brewing for a long time!