For a truly dedicated foodie, the speed at which food is served can never match the speed at which it’s eaten.

And as it turned out, Rong Taotao was exceptionally dedicated!

Having devoured a plate of crispy fried pork, Rong Taotao looked up toward the ordering window not far away, where he could faintly see the flames flaring up in the kitchen.

Gao Lingwei rested her elbow on the table, cupping her cheek with her hand. A small smile appeared on her face as she watched Rong Taotao’s eager, expectant expression.

Sensing Gao Lingwei’s gaze, Rong Taotao felt a little awkward and put down his half-eaten bowl of rice. "Stop staring at me all the time."

Gao Lingwei paid him no mind, her gaze unwavering. "Tell me about your training over the past few months," she said.

"The training conditions in the Starfield Vortex are much better than here. The Star Candle Army has designated training grounds, and the climate is pleasant, the environment beautiful," Rong Taotao said casually. Then, as if suddenly remembering something, he added:

"Oh, right. I trained with my dad for the first month. When we were about to head back to Earth for a break, we ran into a mother and daughter. The woman was really strong, a Soul General, and she knew my dad. So for the next two months, I trained with her daughter. Um..."

Gao Lingwei raised a slight eyebrow. "And?"

Rong Taotao’s eyes fell on the Stir-fried Dried Tofu with Hot Peppers the cook brought over, and he couldn’t help but chuckle. "Her daughter’s name is Ye Nanxi. She had all the bad habits of a spoiled rich kid—arrogant, willful, and totally unreasonable. But I knocked some sense into her, and she straightened right up. Ah, so satisfying!"

As he spoke, Rong Taotao started eating again.

"After I tamed her, our teamwork was actually pretty good. She even made a deal with me to come visit Songbai Town during the New Year and join the New Year’s Eve celebration." Rong Taotao suddenly took on a furtive look and glanced up at Gao Lingwei. "She also said she wants to meet you."

Gao Lingwei looked at Rong Taotao with great interest. "Meet me?"

"Yeah," Rong Taotao said. "When we teamed up, I made it clear to her that I have a girlfriend. She probably wants to see for herself what kind of outstanding girl is worthy of me."

"Hah." Gao Lingwei scoffed, glancing at Rong Taotao. Her words were casual, but they carried immense confidence. "She won’t be disappointed."

"By the way," Rong Taotao said suddenly, "I heard your father was a military officer too?"

"He was once a soldier in the Snow Burning Army but retired due to injury," Gao Lingwei nodded lightly.

Rong Taotao’s expression was probing. "A high-ranking one?"

"Hm?" Gao Lingwei prompted.

Rong Taotao shrugged. "When I was talking about you with my dad, he described you as a descendant of generals."

Gao Lingwei mulled it over for a moment, then shook her head. "Rong is too kind. My father was only a regiment-level officer."

Curious, Rong Taotao asked, "What unit did he lead?"

Gao Lingwei pressed her lips together. "A rather special unit. They had a difficult history. You’ve probably never heard of them. Their designation was Cyan Mountain."

Rong Taotao’s mind reeled.

Seeing the astonished look in Rong Taotao’s eyes, Gao Lingwei frowned slightly. "You’ve heard of this unit? It exists in name only now."

Rong Taotao nodded dumbly and asked cautiously, "His injuries... they weren’t light, were they?"

A shadow passed over Gao Lingwei’s eyes. She said softly, "He lost half a leg and half an arm."

Rong Taotao’s chopsticks froze. This was the second time he’d heard the name "Cyan Mountain Army." The first was when his brother, Rong Yang, had told him in private. And on the very night Rong Yang had told him, the two brothers had chatted with Gao Lingwei right after.

Rong Taotao never would have imagined that such a small gap in time would cause him to learn only now, so much later, that Gao Lingwei was the descendant of a Cyan Mountain Army commander.

"Let’s talk about something else," Gao Lingwei said.

"Mm... yeah." Rong Taotao buried his head in his food. Beside him, Cook Gao’s voice rang out again. "Here you go! A large order of Guo Bao Rou!"

Cook Gao clearly noticed something. The atmosphere at the table had been quite good the first two times he’d brought food over, so why had it suddenly become so somber?

Gao asked with a smile, "I heard you two are going to participate in the school’s selection tournament?"

Rong Taotao looked up and smiled politely. "Yes, we are."

"Attaboy, that’s the spirit! Good luck!" Gao said before turning to leave, an unsung hero making his exit.

Gao Lingwei picked up a piece of Guo Bao Rou, blew on it, and used the opportunity to change the subject. "The format for the selection tournament is very unusual."

Rong Taotao paused, confused. "Isn’t it just a single-elimination tournament?"

Gao Lingwei shook her head. "No, you’re thinking of the national tournament. That’s a formal competition.

Our school’s selection tournament starts with a massive free-for-all. The first phase doesn’t end until only eight teams are left on the field.

After entering the second phase, the quarterfinals, if there’s an even number of teams, it’s single-elimination. If it’s an odd number, it becomes a round-robin where points are tallied."

Rong Taotao was shocked!

’What kind of crazy system is that?’

"A free-for-all?" Rong Taotao said hurriedly. "Won’t we get ganged up on? Everyone will think we’re an easy target, right?"

"No, quite the opposite. As long as we keep a low profile, most people won’t want to knock us out," Gao Lingwei said, shaking her head. "This isn’t a placement match. Your ranking doesn’t matter, and there are no rewards for it."

A thought struck Rong Taotao. "So?"

"So," Gao Lingwei explained, "most of the teams will join forces to eliminate the seeded teams first, paving the way for the quarterfinals.

If possible, the others might even escort us into the top eight, choosing to face us then to reap the fruits of their victory."

Rong Taotao stared blankly at Gao Lingwei. "I think I get what you’re saying. To clear the way for the quarterfinals, the other teams will definitely unite to knock out the seeded teams in this phase, but... but that’s not fair!"

Gao Lingwei nodded lightly. "This is the rule Principal Mei Hongyu set. It’s also a test for the seeded teams. Only a seeded team that can fight one against four, one against five, or even one against eight is qualified to break through and enter the quarterfinals."

Gao Lingwei smiled and continued, "The first three selection tournaments all followed this rule. It turned out that not only would the second-tier teams unite, but the first-tier teams would do the same. No one’s a fool. And the result..."

Rong Taotao quickly asked, "What was the result?"

"A classic example was the last tournament. The four first-tier seeded teams united and utterly crushed the second and third-tier students. In the end, due to the number of injuries, they couldn’t even fill the top eight slots by the end of the first phase.

In the second phase, five teams played a round-robin. The team that ultimately won the spot and came out on top was truly the best of the best."

"My god..." Rong Taotao ate another piece of Guo Bao Rou. He finally understood why Xia Fangran was always calling him "Old Ghost Mei." ’If you really want to select the strongest team, even a single-elimination tournament has an element of luck.’

’A round-robin format is what you need to minimize risk and pick the most outstanding team.’

’Tsk, tsk... This Principal Mei, his methods are truly bizarre. Just like his calligraphy, they give people an intense sense of pressure. To start with a free-for-all...’

’Only a team that can fight one-on-eight is worthy of representing the school?’

’What if all the seeded teams are wiped out? What if a second-tier team slips through?’

Rong Taotao looked at Gao Lingwei with a strange expression. "Has Principal Mei’s selection system ever backfired?"

Gao Lingwei shook her head. "Not yet, it seems. For the first three tournaments, the seeded teams always won against the odds, and the final winner was decided from among the first-tier teams.

But this fourth tournament... things will probably be different."

"Hm?"

"This is the last chance. After three tournaments, everyone has a clear idea of which tier each team’s strength falls into.

Some of the more arrogant teams have come to recognize their own limits. They no longer call themselves first-tier and aren’t willing to pave the way for others anymore.

Moreover, even within the first-tier teams, there are probably some who don’t want to face teams of the same caliber. The students will have their own little schemes, so it’s very likely chaos will break out when they try to cooperate."

Rong Taotao couldn’t help but exclaim in admiration, "I see it now! The goal of this selection tournament isn’t just to pick a team to represent the school. It’s also to let the students experience the harsh realities of the world ahead of time. Principal Mei is quite the schemer!"

Gao Lingwei nodded thoughtfully. "After all, dozens of teams participate, but only four get to go. The vast majority are just along for the ride. They won’t get anything out of it, so gaining some experience is good."

Rong Taotao’s eyes brightened, and he nodded to himself. "But for the two of us, this is an opportunity!"

Gao Lingwei gave a casual smile. "That’s what Coach Xia told me, too. He wants us to watch from a corner of the arena and stay out of the fight.

That way, most teams won’t bother us. They’ll leave us for the quarterfinals.

Coach Xia also said that our theoretical opponents are the few first-tier teams. They’re the only ones desperate to reduce the number of teams on the field to eight as quickly as possible to start the second phase."

Rong Taotao nodded in agreement. "Of course, that makes sense! We should practice our defensive formations over the next few days."

Gao Lingwei put down her chopsticks and rested her chin on her hand, silently watching Rong Taotao.

Seeing her silent expression, Rong Taotao thought for a moment and said, "You don’t like this strategy? Coach Xia is right. All we have to do is stall."

Gao Lingwei was noncommittal, simply staring silently at the plate in front of her.

Rong Taotao said in a low voice, "A bunch of pawns clearing the obstacles for us, how great is that! We’re the underdogs here; we have to take advantage of the rules."

Gao Lingwei finally nodded, no longer rejecting his proposal.

A look of delight crossed Rong Taotao’s face. "Eat, don’t put your chopsticks down! Eat some more! You train so hard every day, how can you not keep your nutrition up?"

"Mm."

But Rong Taotao just chuckled, a wicked grin on his face. "Hey, what do you think... they painstakingly fatten up a pig, planning to slaughter it after the quarterfinals, but once they get there, the fat pig turns into a tiger. Won’t they be furious?"

Gao Lingwei shot Rong Taotao a glare. "You’re the pig."

"Heh heh." Rong Taotao waved his hand magnanimously. "Don’t be so polite. We both are, we both are..."

...