Chapter 48

Chapter 48

In the blink of an eye, the next day arrived, and the six members of Jiang Tianming’s team gathered once again. With the group competition starting tomorrow, they needed to familiarize themselves with each other's abilities. After all, it would be ridiculous if they ended up getting hindered by their teammates rather than the opposing side.

Mo Xiaotian introduced himself first: “My ability is [Air] which allows me to create air blocks and adjust the pressure within them to cause explosions.”

Ah, so that’s how the explosions happened, thought Su Bei. Meanwhile, those who hadn’t seen Mo Xiaotian in action over the past couple of days were clearly surprised.

Lan Subing’s eyes widened as she asked, “You can make air explode? How strong is it?”

“Not very,” Mo Xiaotian said with a sigh. “Here, let me show you.”

He raised his hand, summoning an air block. From this, it was clear how adept he was with this skill, as he included a handful of sand within the block to outline its edges for visibility.

Su Bei suddenly asked, “If you used an air block around someone’s head, could you deprive them of air and win by suffocation?”

The others lit up at the idea. This method could be quite effective for carbon-based life forms that needed to breathe.

Unfortunately, Mo Xiaotian shook his head. “I’ve tried different methods with my ability,” he said. “When I adjust the air pressure inside a block, the block can’t move.”

This meant that any enemy who moved out of the block's range would be unaffected.

Just then, the sand in the air block stopped moving and floated mid-air. Mo Xiaotian said, “I’ve adjusted the pressure now—it’s ready to explode. Anyone want to try it?”

Everyone: "....."

Everyone took a step back. Wu Mingbai conjured a small mound of earth beside the block and said, “Just blow that up.”

Mo Xiaotian chuckled, activating the explosion.

"Bang!"

With a loud pop, the earth mound scattered slightly, though only half of it was blown apart.

Wu Mingbai immediately assessed, “If it exploded beside someone’s head, it might disfigure them, but that’s about it.”

The head is a strong yet fragile place. Even if the air block exploded nearby, it wouldn’t be life-threatening—just enough to cause disfigurement, showing that its power is pretty average, penetrating only the skin and muscle without reaching the bone.

“Can you make another one for me to see?” Jiang Tianming asked. “If you change the pressure inside, does it feel different?”

Mo Xiaotian nodded honestly, looking frustrated, and mumbled complaints about his skill. “Yeah, when I first developed this ability, I thought it would be really powerful. Turns out it’s hard to hit anyone with it. And even if I want to hit someone, I can’t get too close, or they’ll sense it. Each explosion block takes ten seconds to set up, so for it to hurt anyone, the opponent must not spot the block and must stay close enough during the explosion, or else it’s too weak.”

As he rattled off all the drawbacks in one breath, everyone’s expressions shifted from concern to shock, and finally to indifference. Wasn’t this guy a bit too honest? They’d just been opponents the day before; even though they were now teammates, it wasn’t necessary to reveal everything, was it?

Finally, the big brother, Mu Tieren, stepped forward and covered Mo Xiaotian’s mouth. “Alright, alright, you’ve said enough.”

At the edge of the group, Su Bei looked on curiously as Mo Xiaotian struggled. He wondered how someone like this had developed such an open personality.

From the marking on the back of Mo Xiaotian’s neck, Su Bei could tell he was part of the Black Lightning organization. But how could someone so innocent act as an undercover agent for a villainous group?

To prevent him from spilling more secrets, Jiang Tianming quickly introduced a new topic: “My ability is [Object Control] I can manipulate mobile objects, with difficulty depending on the object’s weight.”

“Can you control a person, like move my arm?” Mo Xiaotian asked, waving his arm in curiosity.

Jiang Tianming had actually experimented with this before and said, “If a person is unconscious, though it’s difficult, I can control them. But if they’re awake, I can’t.”

His ability sounded similar to high-level telekinesis, as both required mental power to manipulate objects. However, his ability used an ability as a medium, making it less mentally draining than telekinesis.

Unlike Mo Xiaotian, Jiang Tianming didn’t reveal much. He only shared part of his ability’s capabilities, hiding the fact that he could also manipulate others' abilities. This approach was more typical, as most people kept some cards hidden to surprise others when needed.

Next, Wu Mingbai said, “My ability is [Earth Element], allowing me to create various types of soil, and now I can even produce some stone.”

Among the items redeemable with enough points was a tutoring session with Director Li.

Without wasting time, the instructor introduced the group event: “This time, you’ll all be sent into an alternate space.”

“Alternate space?!” The crowd buzzed with surprise.

Alternate spaces were pathways for Nightmares to enter the Earth, where they’d wait until the spaces overlapped with the outside world to wreak havoc. Although the origin of Nightmares was still unknown, alternate spaces were notoriously dangerous.

Knowing the apprehension this news might bring, the instructor reassured them: “No need to worry. This space has been cleared of dangerous creatures, and each of you will receive a watch. Break the cover, and you’ll be instantly transported out. If you’re in fatal danger, the watch will also transport you out automatically.”

This safety measure eased many minds. Being able to leave at any moment made the whole event seem less daunting.

Once everyone received a watch, the instructor continued, “You’ve likely noticed the number on your watch. That’s your points. The final ranking will be based on each group’s total points.”

“You’ll earn points by defeating Nightmares, eliminating opponents, and completing tasks, which are scattered randomly in the space. The watches can also transfer points to another by tapping two watches together,” she said, adding an unexpected smile, “And yes, stealing points from others is allowed. If you’re worried about losing your points, break the watch to exit early.”

Allowing point-stealing? They really were stirring up chaos! Su Bei raised an eyebrow, already imagining how wild this gteam competition would be.

The dean on stage ignored the impact of the new rule on the students and continued, “This watch has more features than what I just explained. You can explore them yourselves.”

“You’ll be in the alternate space for up to three days, after which we’ll transport you out. During this time, you’ll need to find your own food and water. If anyone manages to eliminate all the beasts or defeat all other teams, the alternate space will automatically close, and you can leave early.”

While that sounded promising, it was almost impossible for first-year students to clear out all the beasts, even with some already eliminated. Also, taking out every other team was unlikely. Unless the space was very small, hiding would be easy for anyone who didn’t want to be found.

Su Bei felt relaxed at the thought of a three-day survival test. He’d trained with his father for survival training, so if the terrain wasn’t exceptionally difficult, he could easily manage. Jiang Tianming and Wu Mingbai also wouldn’t struggle. The teams had been split wisely, with each strong member leading a group, so Su Bei’s squad wasn’t likely to face survival issues.

After explaining the rules, Director Li raised her hand, and a black gate rose beside the platform, its interior pitch dark and impossible to see through.

“Now, when I call your team leader’s name, bring your team through this gate. You’ll be randomly transported to a location within the alternate space.”

“First group, Jiang Tianming.”

Hearing his name first, Jiang Tianming was momentarily surprised. He quickly signaled his group of six, and under everyone’s gaze, they entered the dark gate.

Upon entry, no one felt dizzy, just a sudden darkness before they reappeared in the alternate space. Su Bei checked his group to ensure everyone was present, then began to survey the surroundings.

They appeared to be in a dense forest, where towering trees blocked out sunlight, making navigation difficult. The thick layers of trees showed why it was so easy to get lost in a forest.

This place, however, was eerily silent. There were no birds, only the rustling of leaves, and Su Bei guessed this was due to the nature of this realm as a habitat for nightmares that destroyed anything with life force, leaving no room for birds or other wildlife.

With the area looking safe, Su Bei examined his watch. It was touchscreen, showing not only time and points but also features like “Map,” “Rankings,” and “Tasks.” The map showed five red dots and one green one, likely representing him and his teammates.

Jiang Tianming, the natural leader, quickly took charge. “It’s early, so let’s stick together and see if we encounter any tasks or beasts. We’ll split up according to yesterday’s groups if needed. Any objections?”

The team nodded, none speaking. The sudden, dangerous setting left everyone feeling a bit tense. Even Su Bei, experienced as he was with survival training, couldn’t guarantee safety here.

One person, however, stood out from the rest—Mo Xiaotian looked around, clearly thrilled, his bright red hair waving in the wind like flames. “I’ve never been to a big forest before!” he exclaimed, taking a deep breath. “The air is so fresh!”

Amused, Wu Mingbai teased, “You think this is a vacation?”

Mo Xiaotian nodded, enlightened, “You’re right! It’s like the school’s giving us a free trip. Isn’t that nice of them?”

Everyone: “...”

Is he a fool?

Note: The ability of Lan Subing has been renamed from [Word Spirit] to [Voice Command].