Chapter 172: Shocking the World! Can This Garbage Team Win the Championship?

Chapter 172: Shocking the World! Can This Garbage Team Win the Championship?

"Miss Gu, I am truly, truly grateful to you."

"I never dreamed that I would have the chance to become a champion, and I am so thankful to you."

The teachers immediately expressed their gratitude to Gu Yuying.

Even Zhao Zheng, who was well aware of his own capabilities, thanked Gu Yuying.

Although he knew that their victory should be attributed to his strength, in this plan, he couldn't claim the credit for the championship just yet and had to let Gu Yuying take the glory for now.

Facing the gratitude of the group, Gu Yuying felt a bit uneasy...

She was well aware that with her strength, winning the championship in the Universal Spirit Realm, where powerful individuals gathered, was almost impossible.

Gu Yuying was familiar with the three combat modes of the Universal Spirit Realm, and she knew that all of them required a strong foundation of power.

With her strength at the bottom of the seventh rank, winning the championship would require an extremely lucky stroke of fate...

"I feel like this championship is a bit out of the ordinary."

Gu Yuying scanned the group and asked, "Did any of you choose to retain your memories?"

Everyone shook their heads.

President Song was the most daring, immediately taking out his treasure chest: "This is my Extraordinary Item reward. I wonder what's inside? I can't wait to find out!"

Seeing this, the others also took out their treasure chests.

Gu Yuying's gaze swept across the group, and to her surprise, everyone had a treasure chest!

Even she had one! How was this possible?

In this unusual champion team, not a single person chose to retain their memories? Not even she herself? The more she thought about it, the more peculiar it seemed.

"This... something feels off."

Gu Yuying spoke up, "I know my own strength well. Logically, our team shouldn't have been able to win the championship. Not only did we win, but everyone also chose the Extraordinary Item reward and gave up retaining their memories?"

Hearing Gu Yuying's doubt, President Song smiled and said, "Miss Gu, you're underestimating the allure of an Extraordinary Item for us."

Everyone nodded in agreement.

"That's right! Miss Gu, don't overthink it. Winning the championship is a good thing." Ms. Shen added.

Gu Yuying could only nod helplessly.

Since no one had retained their memories, there was no point in her dwelling on it further.

President Song suddenly spoke up again, "However, Miss Gu's words have reminded us of something. It does seem a bit unexpected for our team to win the championship. I believe the outside world will have the same opinion."

"Therefore, I propose that we all leave with our reward treasure chests together!"

"By doing this, we can show everyone that we chose the Extraordinary Item reward and didn't retain our memories! This way, we can avoid those with a strong sense of curiosity from asking too many questions."

This suggestion immediately gained everyone's approval.

"That's right, we should do it this way," said Gu Yuying. "Let others know that we chose the Extraordinary Item reward and lost our memories. It will prevent a lot of trouble."

Everyone understood what kind of trouble she was referring to.

So, the group held their treasure chests and left the lounge together.

Outside the lounge, many people were already waiting.

After all, everyone had seen the announcement.

It was impossible not to be shocked, and out of curiosity, they all came to take a look.

As soon as the group came out, they were surrounded by many people.

However, upon seeing the treasure chests in their hands, everyone's questions were left unspoken...

...

Meanwhile, in Seoul, South Korea.

In a luxurious private residence, Ma Dongwu was furious.

"Damn it! How is it possible that we only got second place?"

He had been stuck on the 35th layer of the Spirit Realm, aiming to win a few more championships in the Universal Spirit Realm to enhance his strength before advancing to the next realm.

He never expected that after winning two championships, his path to victory would be cut off.

Although the runner-up position was still a commendable achievement, it didn't justify his efforts over the past year...

"Where is the champion team from?"

Ma Dongwu asked.

His nine teammates, all led by him, immediately took action.

Soon, someone made a phone call.

After a while, the caller returned and said, "President, we've found out that this championship is very unusual! Most of that team are fifth-rank Extraordinary Beings, and there are even two newcomers among them."

"The only standout among them is Gu Yuying! She advanced to the seventh rank about a year ago, and her strength hasn't changed much since then. With her current abilities, it's impossible for her to be a match for you, President."

Hearing this...

The living room was filled with shocked expressions as everyone present reacted to the news.

Ma Dongwu was especially furious, "How could such a trash team, one that usually doesn't even make it into the top hundred, manage to become champions this time?"

"Chairman, there must be some hidden reason behind this." Someone spoke up.

Ma Dongwu immediately ordered, "Investigate! I want to get to the bottom of this!"

Similar discussions were taking place in various places.

The majority of powerful individuals believed that this championship was highly irregular.

As for Gu Yuying, many were aware of her reputation.

To put it bluntly, old-school seventh-rank powerhouses often looked down upon Gu Yuying.

It was unimaginable that Gu Yuying could lead a team of misfits to victory and become champions. No matter how you looked at it, it was abnormal!

Regardless, the champion team became an instant sensation.

At least within the circle of Extraordinary Beings, it caused an uproar.

When the news spread, it even went viral online and trended on social media.

In the past, the Universal Spirit Realm rarely made it to the trending charts.

The reason it did this time was because both champion teams were from the same country.

"Haha, both the first and second-place champions are from our country. That's truly amazing!"

"I can't believe the Bamboo Team's championship run ended so quickly. I thought they would dominate for several seasons!"

"How come there are foreigners in the second-place champion team?"

"Hehe, at that level of strength, they don't really care about national boundaries. To win the championship, it's normal to team up with powerful foreigners."

"No, what are you talking about? I don't understand."

"The Universal Spirit Realm! This is a topic for Extraordinary Beings. It's normal for an ordinary person like you not to understand."

"The second-place champion team is still reasonable, as they're all top-notch veterans. But what about the first-place champion team? How could a team like that also become champions?"

"What's the problem? Ms. Gu is also a seventh-rank powerhouse, you know."

"The problem is huge! The difference between seventh-rank powerhouses can be like heaven and earth. Ms. Gu has only recently reached the seventh-rank standard, so it's impossible for her to compare to those veteran seventh-rank powerhouses."

"There is indeed a problem. Ms. Gu's team is far inferior to those ultra-luxury champion seed teams..."

"I even suspect that this session of the Universal Spirit Realm might have had a bug."

"Hmm? In the list of members of this champion team, I saw two very familiar names. Song Haitang? Zhao Zheng? Aren't they the King Combo among the Newcomers?"

"I also noticed them. It's strange that whenever they're in a team, it's either an SSS-Class Quest Evaluation or a championship."

"Wow, could it be that this session's Universal Spirit Realm champions are them?"

"Don't jump to conclusions. They are indeed the King Combo among the Newcomers, and globally, no Newcomer can rival them. However, in the Universal Spirit Realm, where powerhouses gather, they are insignificant, and it's not a stage for them to shine."

The online discussions were intense, and almost all participants were Extraordinary Beings.

The champion team had indeed caused a huge sensation and raised many doubts, and some even suspected Song Haitang and Zhao Zheng.

At True Martial University, countless powerhouses were stirred up and came to inquire about the situation.

Fortunately, everyone had Extraordinary Chests, which avoided many troubles.

...

That afternoon.

In the dormitory of Song Haitang.

Song Leader sat on the sofa in the living room, chatting with Zhao Zheng.

Song Haitang was sitting beside them.

"Zhao Zheng, you little rascal, you're really something!"

This was Song Leader's first sentence.

Upon hearing this, Zhao Zheng broke out in a cold sweat.

He pretended to be calm and said, "Uncle Song, I don't quite understand what you mean by me being unruly."

Song Leader snorted and turned his gaze towards Song Haitang, asking, "Haitang, where's your senior Chen Ye?"

Song Haitang: "..."

Zhao Zheng: "..."

"What? You can't bring him up?"

Song Leader angrily said, "You two are really something, teaming up to fool me, huh?"

Whenever Song Leader thought about this matter, he felt that the conversation he had with Chen Ye was too awkward and uncomfortable. He was also upset that his daughter had the audacity to deceive him, her father. That was why he brought up this matter again.

"Dad! Did you... retain your memory?" Song Haitang asked.

The girl was quick-witted and knew that Song Leader must have discovered the truth during the Universal Spirit Realm.

"What do you think?"

President Song scoffed and scolded, "Haitang, I can't believe you're actually helping this brat deceive me."

It was clear that Old Deng was taking advantage of the situation.

Unfortunately, Song Haitang didn't fall for it.

Calmly, she replied, "Since you already know the truth, it means you might have scolded me in the Universal Spirit Realm. There's no need to do it again, right?"

President Song was speechless.

His daughter was too smart, and it seemed like it wasn't always a good thing!

"There were outsiders present at the time. How could I possibly lose my temper then?" President Song tried to deny, "Now is the time to settle the score!"

Song Haitang wasn't going to let him off the hook, "Alright, Dad! Let's get to the point!"

This left President Song choking, almost unable to catch his breath.

He had no idea how to deal with this daughter of his.

With a sigh, President Song took out the treasure chest he was holding and handed it to Zhao Zheng.

"This treasure chest is your reward from the Ninth Layer Spirit Realm. Take it with you."

Zhao Zheng politely declined, "Uncle Song, I don't lack Extraordinary Items right now. If you need it, you can keep it for now."

President Song waved his hand, "Forget it. I've already been polite in the Spirit Realm."

Zhao Zheng was speechless. He pushed the treasure chest towards Song Haitang, "Then you open it, Haitang. If there's something you need, you can use it. I truly don't need any Extraordinary Items."

President Song was very pleased with Zhao Zheng's gesture.

He could tell that this young man had genuine feelings for his daughter.

And Song Haitang didn't want to argue with Zhao Zheng in front of her father, so she said, "Alright, I'll keep it with me for now."

As her words fell, she turned her gaze back to President Song, "Dad, you chose to retain your memory, so there must be more to it, right?"

President Song sighed and looked at Zhao Zheng, "Although you didn't retain your memory, you should have a good understanding of your own strength, right?"

"Uncle Song, are you saying that I contributed the most to winning the championship?" Zhao Zheng asked.

President Song nodded, "I should say it was all thanks to you! In the Universal Spirit Realm, the one named Gu was eliminated early on. It was you who defeated Red Hair Shanks, surpassed Ma Dongwu, and ultimately became the champion!"

Hearing the name "Red Hair Shanks," Zhao Zheng's eyes lit up.

He hadn't expected that the Universal Spirit Realm would include a Four Emperor from the Pirate World.

And now, his strength had surpassed that of a Four Emperor?

"I still find it hard to believe that at such a young age, you already possess such formidable strength," President Song said, his eyes fixed on Zhao Zheng.

"Kryptonian heritage can be considered the strongest talent in the Holy Land," he added.

"Zhao Zheng, tell me honestly, when you exchanged the Burn Fruit for Haitang's Kryptonian heritage, did you have ulterior motives?"

This Lao Deng was truly despicable!

He had already asked this question in the Spirit Realm, and now he was asking it again after they had left.

He just wanted to see if Zhao Zheng's answers would be different.

If they were, it would prove that Zhao Zheng was deceiving him and Song Haitang!

One could say that Lao Deng was overly suspicious...

Upon hearing President Song's last words, Zhao Zheng's expression changed instantly.

At the same time, he knew that he must have answered this question in the Spirit Realm.

But he couldn't ask a question in return.

Song Haitang was right next to him!

Answering this question incorrectly could have serious consequences.

Fortunately, Zhao Zheng had anticipated this when Song Haitang invited Lao Deng to join their team. He knew his secret wouldn't remain hidden in the Universal Spirit Realm, and he had already prepared an excuse.

So, Zhao Zheng recited the excuse he had prepared in his mind...

...

After Zhao Zheng finished speaking, President Song nodded slightly and smiled at him.

Although Zhao Zheng's explanation had some different phrasing from the previous one, the overall meaning was similar.

That was enough.

Lao Deng glanced at his daughter, and as expected, she reacted just as she had in the Spirit Realm, deeply moved.

He believed that she would surely be devoted to Zhao Zheng from now on...

However, President Song didn't regret his decision.

After discovering Zhao Zheng's excellence, his thoughts had completely changed, and he was now very willing to match these two young people together.

"Zhao Zheng, I entrust Haitang to you. Don't ever let her down, and don't betray my trust in you!" President Song said earnestly.

(End of Chapter)

Chapter end