Chapter 158: A Disastrous Battle, The Unluckiest Match

Chapter 158: A Disastrous Battle, The Unluckiest Match

The neighboring team had an age gap among its members. The oldest had white hair and was at least sixty years old, yet they hadn't passed the 35th Spirit Realm and hadn't retired. It seemed they only ventured into the Spirit Realm once every few years.

The youngest member was a freshman, a familiar face—Ma Jun from Jing University. Now it was clear that this team was from Jing University.

"Ms. Shen, what a coincidence!" greeted a female teacher from the Jing University team.

She appeared enthusiastic, but her smile was obviously fake, a classic case of a forced grin.

Ms. Shen's response was equally casual, "Indeed, what a coincidence."

Even a blind person could tell these two weren't on good terms.

Zhao Zheng had heard that Ms. Shen used to teach at Jing University but had moved to True Martial University for reasons unknown. Now it seemed she had lost a workplace battle...

"Is this your team for this year?" the Jing University teacher asked, her eyes scanning Ms. Shen's surroundings. With a disdainful look, she added, "Not bad at all! Ms. Shen, how have you been doing worse and worse?"

From her angle, she could only see Gu Yuying's profile and didn't recognize her at first.

Ms. Shen didn't mention that her team had a Seventh Rank Powerhouse.

The Jing University teacher directly mocked, "I never thought someone of your caliber could still make a team. I heard your lover was imprisoned last year. Did you get this team by selling your body? That's your usual trick anyway."

Upon hearing this, the onlookers were all taken aback, including Zhao Zheng, who was surprised by Ms. Shen's sharp retort, a side of her he'd never seen before.

"You..." The Jing University teacher was furious.

But Ms. Shen's words were true, making her even angrier.

Just as she was about to continue her tirade, a new prompt appeared in the left eye of all Extraordinary Beings:

"Participants, please enter the arena and find your designated areas within 10 minutes. Failure to do so will result in forfeiture."

Below this prompt was a digital code representing their seats.

Seeing this, all Extraordinary Beings sprang into action.

The Jing University teacher, after muttering, "Just you wait," hurried with her team towards the arena entrance.

Ma Jun glanced at Song Haitang and Zhao Zheng, saying nothing, and followed.

Zhao Zheng and the others did the same.

The arena had multiple entrances, each spacious.

Beyond the wide archway was a clear layout.

The arena resembled the ancient Roman gladiatorial arenas.

The central area was a raised platform, surrounded by numerous seats.

Upon entering, participants quickly located their assigned seats.

...

Zhao Zheng and his group found their seats, situated in the middle of the stands, offering an unobstructed view like in a movie theater.

"Hey, there's a door here!" a male teacher exclaimed.

Everyone looked and saw a red door at the end of each row.

It was just a simple door, with nothing on either side.

"Strange, what's this door for?" Old Chu wondered.

At that moment, Gu Yuying smiled and said, "The other side of the door leads to a rest area."

Hearing this, everyone was surprised.

There was nothing behind the door, and just beyond was another row of seats. How could there be a rest area?

"Just open the door and see for yourself," Gu Yuying continued.

Old Chu turned the doorknob and pulled the door open...

As the door opened, it revealed a separate space, resembling a private club.

Zhao Zheng quickly scanned the area, spotting a sofa, chairs, and even tea and refreshments.

"This..." Everyone was stunned.

The male teacher couldn't resist asking, "Can we go in?"

"Of course!" Gu Yuying replied. "The battles in the Universal Spirit Realm will be long. Without rest areas, would you have us sit here and get tired?"

"The rest areas are very stable spaces, like villas, with food, drinks, and even places to sleep."

"From now on, all Extraordinary Beings will watch the battles during the day and rest in these rooms at night."

Hearing this, everyone, including Gu Yuying, entered the rest area to explore.

Inside, it was indeed like a large villa.

The first floor was for relaxation, with unlimited food and drinks.

The second floor had ten rooms for team members to rest.

The rest area was luxuriously decorated with a modern, technological feel.

Zhao Zheng leaped up and jumped straight to the second floor, then headed towards the room in front of him.

However, just as he was about to open the door, he was prompted to scan his fingerprints. After doing so, the room became exclusively his, and even his teammates couldn't enter without his permission.

Zhao Zheng then entered the room.

The room was simple, similar to an apartment, with a bed, a sofa, and an attached bathroom.

"This resting room is really well-equipped!" exclaimed a female teacher with a smile. "The decor is to my liking; I'd be willing to stay here long-term."

The others nodded in agreement.

The resting room had everything one could need, and it was undoubtedly comfortable to stay there.

Zhao Zheng, curious, asked, "Aunt Gu, it seems like you know a lot about the Universal Spirit Realm?"

Gu Yuying nodded and replied, "As long as you reach the Seventh Rank standard and sign a confidentiality agreement, you can access the files in the Universal Spirit Realm."

After a brief pause, Gu Yuying continued, "This file is provided by the champion from our country."

The others realized the source of the information.

At that moment, a new prompt appeared:

【The combat will begin in 20 minutes. All participants, please prepare!】

【This combat is in Challenge Mode. As long as one member of each team successfully challenges and defeats the defender, the entire team will advance to the next round.】

【All team members are eligible to participate. Successfully challenging the defender will earn combat points.】

【The challenge duration is ten minutes. If you find yourself outmatched, you can choose to forfeit by shouting 'Forfeit'. The defender will stop attacking, and the challenger will be immediately teleported back to their seat.】

【Challengers who fail will lose their eligibility for the next round!】

【The later the round, the more combat points earned for defeating the defender.】

【The final team scores will be calculated based on combat points...】

Seeing these prompts, Zhao Zheng finally understood why the Universal Spirit Realm was renowned as the safest Spirit Realm.

The ability to forfeit and immediately return to their seat by shouting 'Forfeit' ensured safety...

In this mode, unless one was deliberately reckless, it seemed unlikely for anyone to be defeated fatally.

"This combat mode..." Old Chu couldn't help but speak up. "It's not in our favor."

The other teachers nodded in agreement, their faces filled with worry.

It was an obvious fact.

Since the scores were based on combat points, it was crucial for the team members to avoid elimination and advance consistently.

Only by having a large number of qualifiers in each round could they earn more combat points.

In this mode, the truly powerful teams had the advantage.

Among the group, only Song Leader and Zhao Zheng remained composed.

As a father, Song Leader's priority was undoubtedly his daughter's well-being.

Although the Challenge Mode was not in their favor, its clear rules effectively prevented casualties.

He had been concerned about his daughter's safety.

Now, he had a solution.

If they encountered a formidable defender, Song Haitang could simply forfeit.

"It's indeed unfavorable!"

Gu Yuying sighed and then explained, "The Universal Spirit Realm's combat has three modes: Regular Combat, Multiverse Combat, and Challenge Mode."

"Regular Combat is straightforward; it's a normal combat where opponents are determined by a draw. This mode is the most common."

"Multiverse Combat is the most dangerous because opponents are from other worlds and races. They won't show mercy to humans. If you don't forfeit in time, you might die on the arena. Fortunately, Multiverse Combat rarely occurs, maybe once in a decade or so."

"As for today's Challenge Mode, although it's the safest, it's..."

The rest of Gu Yuying's sentence was left unspoken, but everyone understood her implication.

In Challenge Mode, as long as one team member defeats the defender in each round, the entire team advances.

Although Gu Yuying, a Seventh Rank powerhouse, could consistently advance, how many points could she earn alone?

Ms. Shen couldn't help but apologize, "Ms. Gu, we're sorry. This time, we might drag you down."

"Don't say that," Gu Yuying smiled. "It's just a matter of winning or losing in the Universal Spirit Realm. We'll do our best."

Her words were sincere.

Before coming, she had prepared herself for the possibility of a poor performance.

...

A moment later, everyone left the resting room and took their seats outside.

The competition was about to begin.

As they sat down, a voice called from behind them.

"Gu Yuying!"

Hearing her name, Gu Yuying turned and saw several familiar figures.

Originally, for this Universal Spirit Realm event,

She was supposed to team up with these individuals temporarily. However, due to a favor owed, she ultimately decided otherwise...

(End of Chapter)

Chapter end