Douluo Continent: I'm writing a diary, and something's not right with you guys.

On the stage, Xu Sanshi remained kneeling on the ground in the same position he had been thrown into the air, his mind completely blank.

He still doesn't understand what just happened. He only felt a sudden blur before his eyes, followed by a tremendous force hitting his weak spot.

By the time he realized what was happening, he was already lying on the edge of the ring.

He shook his still somewhat dazed head, stood up, dusted himself off, and looked utterly dejected.

What frustrated him even more than losing the game was that he had just made a fool of himself in front of Jiang Nannan.

He almost immediately looked up, frantically searching for that familiar figure in the densely packed audience seats.

There are none in the front row, none in the middle, and none in the back row.

He searched round and round, scanning the entire arena, but he couldn't even spot the hem of Jiang Nannan's clothes.

Xu Sanshi's face fell, and he cursed Bei Bei eight hundred times in his heart. If this guy hadn't suddenly exploded, how could he have lost so badly in front of the goddess?

Just as he was dejected and preparing to leave the arena, the door to a VIP box on the second floor creaked open.

Tang Ya walked out from inside, holding Jiang Nannan's wrist. Her face was still flushed with excitement, and her eyes shone like stars.

She spotted Beibei standing below the ring at a glance, immediately let go of Jiang Nannan's hand, and pounced over like a little bird, grabbing Beibei's arm.

"Beibei! You're amazing! I knew you could win!"

Tang Ya tilted her head back and chattered on and on.

Beibei was a little embarrassed by her praise. She touched her nose, her eyes still showing a trace of lingering confusion.

In fact, he himself did not see clearly what had just happened. He only felt that the soul power in his body suddenly became much smoother, and then subconsciously threw that punch.

However, in front of Tang Ya, he naturally wouldn't say that he was also confused; he just smiled and ruffled Tang Ya's hair.

Jiang Nannan followed behind Tang Ya, walking very slowly.

Her gaze was calm, so calm that it was completely still. She didn't look at the excited Tang Ya and Bei Bei, nor at Xu Sanshi not far away.

She simply lowered her eyes, looking at the stone path beneath her feet, as if all the noise around her had nothing to do with her.

The moment Xu Sanshi saw Jiang Nannan, his eyes lit up instantly.

He quickly straightened his slightly disheveled clothes, cleared his throat, and strode over.

When he walked up to Jiang Nannan, he was a little nervous, unsure of what to do with his hands. He scratched his head and stammered:

"Ahem, Nan Nan, although I lost, please believe me, I was just not in good form today, and it was Bei Bei who did something wrong."

His voice wasn't loud, but it was loud enough for the people around him to hear.

Tang Ya was talking to Bei Bei when she heard this and immediately turned around. She raised her eyebrows, let go of Bei Bei's arm, and stood in front of Xu Sanshi with her hands on her hips.

"Xu Sanshi, are you a sore loser?"

Tang Ya's tone was very firm, her face not flushed and her breath not out, her eyes full of self-righteousness: "What do you mean Bei Bei is up to something? Anything can happen on the field, luck is part of skill! If you lost because you were not as good as others, don't make up these messy excuses."

Although Tang Ya is not very old, she has been through so much in her life that she has developed a thick skin.

Although it was she who asked Huo Yuhao to help her cheat, which allowed Bei Bei to win the game so easily.

But so what?

Chapter 124 Is the level of the outer court really that bad?

Xu Sanshi opened his mouth, intending to retort that he had genuinely felt something was wrong, but his mind suddenly went blank.

But he swallowed the words back, sighed, and slumped his shoulders.

Yes, the winner is king and the loser is a thief. Now that he has lost, anything he says sounds like sophistry.

But he still felt a surge of anger, thinking that Beibei was acting strangely today, not at all like her usual self.

Beibei stood to the side, feeling a warm glow in her heart as she watched Tang Ya protect her.

Although he still didn't understand why the victory had come so suddenly, he couldn't contradict Tang Ya since she had said so.

So he straightened his back, patted Xu Sanshi on the shoulder, struck a victorious pose, and said in a pretentious manner, "Alright, alright, there are always winners and losers in competitions. We'll compete again next time."

Huo Yuhao stood quietly behind Bei Bei, a simple, honest smile always on his face, looking like a well-behaved junior.

Beibei's voice rang out again: "Xu Sanshi, forget everything else, when is the Xuan Shui Pill coming?"

Xu Sanshi waved his hand dismissively, looking completely unconcerned: "Don't worry about that. Although the Xuan Shui Pill is very precious, to me it's just an ordinary pill. I'll bring it to you tomorrow, and you'll get your share."

After saying that, he secretly glanced at Jiang Nannan, hoping to see a hint of emotion on her face.

Even a single glance or a word of comfort would have made him feel that losing the Mystic Water Pill was worthwhile.

But Jiang Nannan still didn't look at him.

Her gaze remained fixed on the ground, her long eyelashes drooping down, concealing all the emotions in her eyes.

Xu Sanshi's smile froze on his face, and he felt a pang of sadness, as if something had stabbed him in the heart.

He straightened his collar, trying to appear calm, and gave Jiang Nannan what he thought was a very dashing smile.

He turned around and swaggered towards the exit of the Soul Arena with an air of indifference.

However, his back view did not look as dashing as he appeared, and his steps were much heavier than usual; he even almost tripped on the steps.

Watching Xu Sanshi flee in panic, Tang Ya couldn't help but burst out laughing.

She grabbed Beibei's arm and said smugly, "See? I told you he wouldn't dare to renege on his debt."

Beibei smiled and nodded, but she still had some doubts in her heart.

He felt that things weren't as simple as they seemed on the surface, but seeing Tang Ya's happy expression, he didn't ask any more questions.

……

One by one, the lights on the dome of the arena went out, and the deafening shouts gradually faded away, leaving only the sound of scattered footsteps and the clanging of staff cleaning up the venue.

The clock on the wall had already struck 11:30. Most of the audience had long since left and gone home, with only a few die-hard fans still sitting in their seats, discussing the match they had just watched.

Lin Ye leaned back on the sofa, stretched, and his joints made a series of soft cracking sounds.

Only the two of them remained in the private room. Of the people who came with him, Ning Tian and Wu Feng had left two hours earlier.

Xiao Xiao was also pulled away by her roommate half an hour earlier. She was reluctant to leave, clearly not having seen enough.

In the end, only Lin Ye and Wang Dong'er remained to watch the last match of the day.

In fact, Wang Dong'er had already prepared to return to her dormitory to train after the duel between Bei Bei and Xu Sanshi ended.

But when Lin Ye said he wanted to see the true level of the senior students in the foreign language department, she didn't say much, but just sat down quietly and watched with him.

Lin Ye did indeed stay with an attitude of observation.

Bei Bei and Xu Sanshi are known as the twin stars of the outer academy, and their fame has spread throughout Shrek City. Many lower-grade students regard them as the ceiling of the outer academy.

But Lin Ye knew in his heart that although these two people had impressive reputations, their actual strength was not among the top in the senior students of the outer academy.

The competition at Shrek Academy's outer school has always been fierce; none of those who have made it from first grade all the way to sixth grade are mediocre.

Every year, a large number of students are eliminated because they do not meet the soul power requirements for advancement. Those who remain are all the best of the best who have fought their way through the competition.

Lin Ye had always been curious about just how strong these students, who were known as the best students in the outer academy of the number one academy on the continent, really were.

It just so happens that the Arena has scheduled three matches for sixth-grade students today. Upon learning this, Lin Ye immediately decided to stay and watch them all.

The first match was a duel between two offensive-type Soul Masters.

Both were level 43 Soul Masters, and their Soul Ring configurations were the standard yellow-yellow-purple-black. They released their Martial Souls simultaneously as soon as they entered the arena.

Various colored spirit rings lit up on his body, and he unleashed one spirit skill after another on his opponent.

In an instant, flames soared into the sky on the arena, ice shards flew everywhere, and the special effects were so elaborate that the younger students in the audience gasped in amazement.

But Lin Ye just shook his head.

The fight between the two was indeed exciting, but it was a pure battle of soul power from beginning to end, with no skill whatsoever.

You unleash a soul skill, and I'll counter it with another soul skill. Whoever runs out of soul power first loses. Forget about positioning, prediction, and finding weaknesses; even the most basic power generation techniques are a complete mess.

The one who ultimately won did so simply because their soul power was slightly greater than their opponent's; the victory required absolutely no skill.

The second match was a duel between two control-type Soul Masters.

This match was slightly better than the previous one; at least the two knew how to use their soul skills to restrain each other, but it was only slightly better.

Their soul skills are extremely clunky; often, after releasing one soul skill, it takes several seconds before the next one can be released, giving the opponent ample time to react.

Moreover, the accuracy of the control was ridiculously poor. Several times, even though it could have hit the opponent's vital parts, it missed.

The fight lasted a full twenty minutes before ending when one of the fighters ran out of soul power.

The third match was a two-on-two team battle, which was also the most disappointing for Lin Ye.

A combination of an offensive type and a control type should theoretically produce good synergy.

As a result, when the four players took to the field, they each played their own game, with absolutely no teamwork whatsoever.

The offensive units charged forward recklessly, while the control units unleashed their soul skills haphazardly from behind, nearly hitting their own allies several times.

The whole match was a mess; it was less of a team battle and more of a chaotic brawl between four people.

Throughout the three matches, Lin Ye's brow remained furrowed.