Volume One, Chapter 119: The Open Audition

"Step right up, take a look! The Fighting Club is hosting a massive end-of-semester extravaganza, and the Masked King of Fighters open qualifiers are officially underway!" A loud cry drew the attention of those strolling around the artificial lake. People turned toward the sound, discovering that a small, illuminated ring had been set up on the lakeshore.

Mo De and Mu Qing, drawn by the gathering crowd, wandered over to see what the commotion was about.

University club activities—Mu Qing felt a twinge of nostalgia. Back when she was at the Academy of Superpowers, she had joined a tea ceremony club, but she was forced to take leave after only two events to travel across the Huaxia region on missions. In her memory, those club activities had been quite interesting.

University club activities—Mo De felt a sense of longing. He had often heard his companions in the "Tide" talk about how gorgeous the girls in their clubs were... ahem, he meant how much fun the club activities were. New friends were made, working together toward a common goal. And when a club activity concluded successfully, the sense of accomplishment was deeply satisfying.

The two pulled their hat brims low and walked over, intending to see what this "Fighting Club" was up to.

A short-haired girl stood on the illuminated ring, holding a megaphone and explaining the large-scale event her club had spent a fortune to organize. In her hand, she held a mask marked with a number, which radiated a faint aura of "Yi" energy, suggesting it contained some sort of basic enchantment.

"The seal inside the mask is an anti-surveillance technique. It can shield the wearer from prying eyes and, to a certain extent, mask their true aura," Mu Qing remarked, observing the mask with interest. The "anti-surveillance barrier" on it was, of course, no match for the cheat-like vision provided by her tinted sunglasses.

The girl introduced the masks to the crowd, emphasizing that the club president had paid a premium to have them custom-made by the Science Club. Each mask had a plain white base with a black-ink number written on the forehead.

"Once you pass the qualifiers, the mask is yours to keep as a souvenir. You’re free to get creative and paint your favorite designs on them. Are you stressed by your daily routine? Are you angry about your heavy academic workload? Then come and join..." Before the girl could finish, the microphone was snatched from her hand by a man with a crew cut who had stepped up behind her.

"Senior Lan Cheng!" Just as the girl looked flustered, Lan Cheng cleared his throat and addressed the crowd gathered below the ring: "The Fighting Club's 'Masked King of Fighters' event will be monitored by Student Council members throughout. All participants must first verify their identities with us before they can receive their aura-dampening masks..."

Lan Cheng unceremoniously interrupted the girl's persuasive pitch and began to explain the rules in a serious tone.

"So Senior Lan Cheng is a member of the Student Council." Seeing a familiar face here, Mo De couldn't help but feel a pleasant surprise.

"An acquaintance?" Mu Qing tilted her head, curious about when this guy had gotten to know students from the Third Academy of Superpowers.

"He was the team leader when the Third Academy of Superpowers came to conduct the grand assessment at our Tianshui High School," Mo De replied, pulling his hat lower to hide his face. He didn't want to be recognized by Lan Cheng, especially since he was currently with Mu Qing.

In reality, the team leader for the Third Academy group hadn't been Lan Cheng, but Gu Yichen, whom Mo De had knocked unconscious. However, her temperament was too flighty; she preferred to be a hands-off leader, pushing all the assessment-related tasks onto the workhorse, Lan Cheng.

"Oh, right, I remember now. You mentioned him before." Mu Qing finally searched the vast archives of her memory and found the name. "So, are you going to go up there and give it a try?"

"Why would I go up there? Looking for trouble?" Mo De rolled his eyes at Mu Qing. This girl really loved to watch the world burn. He wasn't even a student at the Third Academy, just a winter camp trainee visiting the campus. How could he participate in a university club event?

"I’m not interested in these things anyway." Mo De tucked his hands into his sleeves, preparing to leave. He had no interest in the petty scuffles of these "kids," even if most of the participants were older than him.

"You might not want to join, but someone else does." Mu Qing smiled at Mo De and pointed toward the registration area behind the ring.

Following her finger, Mo De saw a girl there, undergoing identity verification by the Student Council. She extended her wrist, and when the smart chip on her wristband touched the sensor area of the verification machine, the device let out a "beep."

"Identity confirmed. Please go forward and collect your aura-dampening mask according to your number." The Student Council member, seeing the machine confirm the status, waved her through and called for the next participant.

"Why does that girl look so familiar?" Mo De blinked, failing to recognize who she was.

"If I recall correctly, she’s a kid from Yutian High School in Tianhai City, named Ning Muyu." Mu Qing had previously reviewed the list of the forty trainees. While accompanying Chen Yue in memorizing the basic files of every student, she had naturally memorized all their names and general appearances.

"It seems the wristbands the Third Academy gave us have high clearance. With this, we could sneak into club activities and have some fun," Mu Qing said, looking at her own wrist with satisfaction.

"Stop right there. Just because you have the clearance doesn't mean you can mess around," Mo De quickly cautioned her.

"Tch..." Mu Qing pursed her lips, then shifted her attention back to the winter camp trainee. "That little girl is actually going to get up there and fight." Mu Qing was always happy to watch a spectacle, as long as it was interesting enough.

"Aren't you going to stop her?" Mo De felt a bit worried for Ning Muyu; she was much younger than the other participants and might be at a physical disadvantage.

"Why stop her? The girl wants to fight, and she’s eligible to compete. As an external teaching assistant, what right do I have to boss her around?" Mu Qing adjusted her sunglasses, her face wearing an expression of someone who loved nothing more than chaos.

"Well, you stay here and watch, and keep an eye on her while you're at it. I'm going to take a walk elsewhere." Mo De turned and left, leaving Mu Qing alone to enjoy the show while he took the opportunity to explore the campus further.

"OK, OK, see you later," Mu Qing gestured to Mo De, then turned back, watching the heated qualifying tournament with great interest.