"Of course it counts." Shi Feng gave a firm answer to You Ziping's question. "But isn't your White Tiger Dojo against members joining any gaming studio?"
You Ziping fell silent at Shi Feng's question.
Back then, he had been certain he would never join Zero Wing Studio. After all, he was a recognized advanced student of the White Tiger Dojo. Given enough time, he would surely earn Master Jiang's approval.
But Xie Qiwen's sudden appearance had robbed him of that time to build up his strength.
Xie Qiwen had already been a well-known competitor at the National Championship, and now the White Tiger Dojo's headquarters had decided to pour all their resources into training him, preparing him for the World Championship.
Meanwhile, You Ziping still hadn't even secured a ticket to the National Championship. With such a massive gap, and given Master Jiang's personality, he didn't have the slightest hope.
Now his only option was to become stronger in a short amount of time.
At the very least, he had to earn a spot at the National Championship before Master Jiang would even consider him.
If he wanted to get stronger quickly, the only path he could think of was joining Zero Wing Studio. As for the dojo's rules, they weren't officially posted anywhere. Compared to defying the rules Gan Xingteng had mentioned, getting stronger was far more important.
"If I join your Zero Wing Studio, I'd like to know how much stronger I can become within one month?" You Ziping's desire for a boost in power was intense, but he had serious doubts about how much Zero Wing Studio could actually deliver.
"I knew you'd say something like that. In that case, why don't you fight one of Zero Wing's new recruits?" Shi Feng smiled. "And it's someone you already know."
"I know them?" You Ziping had no idea what Shi Feng was playing at.
"Follow me." Shi Feng walked out of the reception room.
You Ziping followed right behind, curious about who Shi Feng wanted to pit against him.
Within the White Tiger Dojo, his level was far from low. At just eighteen years old, he was already an intermediate student, and not just any intermediate student—he ranked among the top of that tier. He was close to advancing to the advanced level, and reaching that milestone at his age would have given him the credentials to compete in the National Youth Championship.
Inside Zero Wing's training room, a large group of new Zero Wing members were running through basic drills. When they saw Shi Feng leading a cold-faced young man inside, everyone stopped what they were doing and looked over with curiosity.
"Who's that? A new recruit?"
"No way, I recognize him. He was one of those guys who came to challenge the dojo before. Sister Huo Wu dealt with him pretty badly."
"Poor guy. Sister Huo Wu never holds back when she fights—she's basically a carbon copy of Coach Lei..."
"Is he trying to challenge Sister Huo Wu again?"
...
Everyone whispered among themselves. As for whether You Ziping could actually win, that thought had never even crossed their minds. In their eyes, surviving five seconds against Huo Wu was already a miracle.
Win?
Since when could any normal person beat a monster?
"Lü Xiu, come here for a second." Shi Feng walked into the training room and spotted a slender young man in his early twenties going through drills. "Today's the day we test how strong you've gotten."
"Yes!" Lü Xiu responded promptly.
"Lü Xiu?" You Ziping stared at Lü Xiu in surprise as the latter walked over.
During the last dojo challenge, Lü Xiu had left the White Tiger Dojo to participate in Zero Wing Studio's assessment.
As a fellow intermediate student at the White Tiger Dojo, You Ziping knew exactly what level Lü Xiu was at—he had barely met the standard for intermediate students. That was why You Ziping had actually been glad to see him leave. Not everyone could walk this path very far, and a gaming studio might offer better prospects.
Now, judging from Shi Feng's words, he was supposed to fight Lü Xiu? That was practically a joke.
Just how little did Shi Feng think of him?
"Alright, both of you, get on the ring. Three-minute time limit." Shi Feng offered no further explanation and simply gave the order.
His words immediately drew the attention of everyone present.
"Now this is getting interesting! I'll be the bookmaker! Odds are one to five—whoever bets on You Ziping winning gets five times the payout! Don't miss out!" Hei Zi announced.
"Deal, I'm betting on Lü Xiu!"
"I'm in too—Lü Xiu!"
"I bet one bottle of Hundred Fruit Brew on Lü Xiu!"
...
In the end, not a single person bet on You Ziping to win. Hei Zi's face turned extremely grim.