Congratulations to Moye on Advancing to the Top Eight

"She really knows how to put on a show." The commentators for the second day were Lieutenant Quan and Teacher Chang, and the two of them spent two hours and ten minutes on the job, two hours of which were spent talking about Xu Lingqu.

"Look at the popularity of this livestream, look at how packed the venue is—this is on par with the semifinals of previous years. Who would've thought this was just the final match of the qualifiers?" Teacher Chang shook his head.

"There's nothing to say about it. This is what they call the formula for going viral. Those who love her are crazy about her, and those who hate her are equally crazy." Lieutenant Quan gave a mischievous smile.

Take, for example, the captured Peng Yue, Guan Chuanjun, Li Muyi, and Jinfang Taibai.

"Xu Lingqu! You're too treacherous!" Jinfang Taibai was about to explode with anger. The originally bleached blond parts of his hair had grown out with a lot of black roots, so in Xu Lingqu's eyes, he looked like a furious Oreo.

"Thanks for the compliment." Xu Lingqu accepted it with grace.

"I wasn't complimenting you!" Jinfang Taibai was on the verge of a breakdown.

"It doesn't matter. I didn't really mean it either."

Jinfang Taibai: "..."

Even angrier.

Xu Lingqu stood up, gun in her left hand and knife in her right: "Angry?"

Li Muyi, on the other hand, wasn't all that angry. Rather than being angry or broken, he actually felt a strange sense of admiration filling his heart.

He was most afraid of snake-like creatures, especially giant pythons. Seeing the Feathered Serpent had nearly scared him to death, but the Feathered Serpent had let them off the hook in the end.

He had initially thought the Feathered Serpent was just full, but now it seemed it had been Xu Lingqu's order.

She could even command the NPCs inside.

Peng Yue wasn't angry either. She had a completely accepting attitude of taking the loss gracefully. Back in the first match against Moye, as a solo soldier, she had watched the video of Xu Lingqu single-handedly storming into Shaji's command post many times. She knew from then on that Xu Lingqu's solo combat ability was definitely not low—in fact, it could be said to be top-notch in this league.

Outmaneuvered in strategy and beaten in a pure fight—wasn't losing only natural?

Guan Chuanjun was the most conflicted of the four.

The last time in Moye's rest area, he had said he would never take Moye lightly again and that he would win this time. Yet here he was, bound hand and foot like a fish on a chopping block, appearing before Xu Lingqu.

Guan Chuanjun felt a bit wronged—yes, wronged.

Every time, he seemed to end up in a pathetic state before Xu Lingqu. In his previously glittering life, this had never happened before.

"Since none of you are angry, I won't untie you then." Xu Lingqu glanced at the match end time—five minutes remaining. "I'll be off then."

In the communication channel, Moye's students excitedly reported that outside the pyramid, they had been continuously attacking Shaji and Du'e. With their commanders absent and no squad deployments, Moye had fully adapted to leaderless squad tactics, routing the enemy and leaving them behind as they fled, abandoning their commanders inside the pyramid.

The situation outside the pyramid was fully in Moye's control. Xu Lingqu walked out of the pyramid holding the energy core, and the Moye students had all exited their armored vehicles, waiting for her on the sand, waving excitedly.

The final second of the match froze on the image of Xu Lingqu smiling slightly at the Moye students.

[Ahhhh, Moye Military Academy, we love you, we love Xu Lingqu, Xu Lingqu, Xu Lingqu~]

[She smiles so gently at the Moye students. No way, I'm going to work hard for a year to get into Moye Military Academy! Next year, Commander Xu better smile at me like that too!]

[From this moment on, I declare that no one in this world is allowed to defy Xu Lingqu. Xu Lingqu is the heavens.]

[Am I the only one who thinks tying up Jinfang Taibai and Guan Chuanjun at the end was a bit inappropriate? It feels disrespectful.]

[Oh? So Shaji and Du'e secretly teaming up to take down the Federation's three schools before attacking Moye was respectful to Moye's students?]

[To the person above, yes, you're the only one. Your family register only has you in it, and you have a year with fewer than two holidays—only you.]

[Some people, seriously, don't make me slap you at the happiest moment, okay?]

...

The final match of the qualifiers ended on a perfect note. The buzz around this match was double that of last year's qualifier finale. The venue was buzzing, the livestream was buzzing, and the broadcast venues were buzzing too.

Take, for example, the Berry Wine Bar in the Tri-Star system. The owner was 45 years old. At 30, while on active duty, he had been seriously injured in a starship battle and was forced to retire, one hand replaced with a mechanical arm.

Regulars knew he was from Moye Military Academy.

At first, he had treasured his school badge, telling every customer that he was a soldier trained by Admiral Sheng Shu, the Admiral of the Galaxy. But as Moye got worse year by year, he gradually stopped mentioning his alma mater and grew increasingly silent.

This year, he hadn't wanted to broadcast the league matches in his little bar, but the customers insisted on watching the replays there, so he had no choice but to go along with it.

When it came to Moye's matches, the owner almost hid under the table to avoid watching, refusing to look.

But after Moye's first victory, he gradually began to believe in this new generation of Moye students.

And now, it was Moye's third match.

Lieutenant Quan was commentating passionately: "Moye Military Academy—this academy that once produced countless of the finest soldiers of the Interstellar Empire, the sharpest and most formidable blade of the Empire. After more than thirty years of silence, they've once again shown us their edge! This new generation of Moye has wiped the rust off this sword and made it shine anew! With three consecutive victories in the qualifiers and a cumulative score of 13 points, tied for first with the Federation's Qingjun, they advance to the top eight of the league!"

Teacher Chang's tone was tinged with emotion: "We can see that the three instructors of Moye Military Academy are also teary-eyed. As many of you may know, these three are former students of Moye and have represented Moye on the league stage before. Now, they stand here with a new generation of Moye students, brushing away the frost and snow from the blade. They've returned—for the sake of many who can never return! Finally, let's once again offer our applause to Moye Military Academy and to the commander of Moye Military Academy, who performed outstandingly in all three qualifier matches: Xu Lingqu."

The owner stood at the bar, stunned for a long time. Around him, his regulars' cheers and celebrations rang out. He slowly wiped away his tears and finally said that today, all drinks were on the house.

The cheers in the venue were unending, applause rolling like thunder. Xu Lingqu stepped out of the competition pod, and a gentle breeze stirred the tips of her hair that had grown longer at her shoulders. At that moment, everyone's gaze was fixed on her.

She simply pointed to the Moye Military Academy badge on her uniform—the two crossed blue-green swords.

The Blade of the Empire, unstoppable wherever it goes.