Chapter 30: Teamwork is crucial for a four-person squad, but there's no teamwork. ...
Immediately afterwards, Chu T Jue discovered that not only did Yun Qian Du have a value above his head, but Ying Yi and Ying Sui Xin also had red numbers appear above their heads as well.
Ying Yi's score was the highest, at 2,731, while Ying Suixin's was slightly lower, hovering around 1,800.
What are these red numbers? Are they the merit points for the new exclusive skin version?
In a way, it made up for the regret that only men had numbers above their heads... Now, Chu Jue's eyes were filled with a mess of red and black numbers everywhere.
Thinking about where the boldface font function came from, Chu Jue went to the bottom of it and called on the designer.
The designer quickly went online and, despite the pressure, immediately posted an announcement.
It's still that familiar line of large gold lettering:
The main (advanced) quest has been completed, and rewards have been distributed.
...It turns out the task rewards have been distributed.
The rewards for the previous phase were just numbers, and now the numbers are back for this phase.
Main (Advanced) Quest Rewards Unlocked: [Potential Value Exploration Function] Acquired
It seems that the red part represents potential value, but what exactly is this seemingly random potential value?
Designer: [Insufficient permissions. Please explore on your own.]
Chu Jue, who was already used to automatic replies: Thank you, I didn't even ask.
Designer: [Main storyline progress has been updated for you.]
Current total merit points: 6681
Main Quest (Intermediate) Required Merit Points: 6681/10000
After the settlement is completed, the next stage goal becomes intermediate level.
My income has been too low these past few days. Apart from doing some daily tasks in Fang Zhiyi's spiritual realm to recover some spiritual energy and grinding the side quests to around 1,100, I haven't made any progress in terms of merit points.
It only increased by ten points, and it still needs to kill two more people by two thousand to reach ten thousand.
Chu Jue surveyed the merit points of those present. Overall, they were close to the level of the Battle Halberd Group, with a few exceptions of those with two or three hundred merit points, who were probably the group leaders of their respective groups.
People like the leader of the Co-prosperity Group, who number two, are still one in a million.
No wonder people on the forum always say that Liangqian is different from other men; he truly stands out in this respect.
etc.
Chu Jue's gaze lingered on Zhu Xi.
According to Chu Jue's previous summary, merit points are only displayed on men, and not on women.
But now the potential value is exactly the opposite. A quick scan of the entire room reveals that those wearing red badges are all female members.
But now she saw Zhu Xi again.
The number above Zhu Xi's head was neither red nor black, but light gray, with a gray value of 803.
...How come there's another function now?
Are you sure the designer didn't issue two rewards at once? The red one is potential value, so what is this gray one?
Designer: [Insufficient permissions. Please explore on your own.]
Although the designer cannot reveal the question, they can provide a different perspective based on her inquiry.
Designer: [After verification, you have obtained [Potential Value Detection Function]*1]
Since only one reward was obtained, the newly appearing gray and red values represent potential values.
What difference causes the system to interpret them as two different colors for display?
Chu Jue observed the contestants, and soon it was Ying Suixin's turn to go on stage to announce.
Ying Suixin's moves were chaotic and disorganized, and his fighting style was even more ferocious than Yun Qiandu's. Based on the moves he had learned from the boss in the past few days, he defeated his opponent in a surprisingly effective manner.
She also skipped and jumped triumphantly from the winners' zone, and a new round of casual praise began in the small group of Group 111.
When Yun Qiandu won, Jiang Jingshu and the others had already celebrated and applauded in the group chat.
Jiang Jingshu: That's amazing! [Applause][Thumbs up][Heart]
Jiang Tianjiao: Team Yun is amazing! Amazing! Amazing! Amazing! [Applause][Applause][Applause]
There's even a voice message sent by Fang Zhiyi, who possessed Jiang Tianjiao's account: "It's alright."
The dog teacher praised the person reluctantly, his tone indifferent.
Jiang Tianjiao repeated Ying Suixin's praise once again, and filled the group chat with clapping and likes.
[Yun Qiandu: ? Why weren't you so enthusiastic when you praised me earlier?]
Jiang Jingshu simply read the message but did not reply.
Yun Qiandu: ...
Sure enough, love can fade.
The sparring between the Spiritualists and the Martial Artists has ended; the second half is now the turn of the Martial Artists.
The list doesn't include many martial artists, but the martial arts matches are far more entertaining than the spiritual practitioners' fights. Even if it's just a friendly match, it's still worth watching.
It wasn't until contestant Zhu Xi's announcement came that Chu Jue realized she had also signed up for the competition.
Female martial artists are even rarer than spiritual practitioners, and Zhu Xi was matched with female opponents.
When the two appeared, what first caught Chu Jue's attention was the wisp of gray on their heads.
They are all martial artists, so do the gray numbers represent martial artists? Or perhaps non-spiritual beings?
The potential value of a spiritual being is displayed in red, while the potential value of a non-spiritual being is displayed in gray.
Chu Jue judged the difference between the two colors.
Zhu Xi's duel with her opponent was imbued with the code of martial arts; they sparred fiercely yet maintained a sense of restraint. The two were evenly matched, exchanging dozens of blows on the stage without showing any sign of weakness.
When the two are evenly matched, the sparring tests their physical fitness and reaction speed. As time goes on, Zhu Xi's lack of experience gradually becomes apparent.
In an instant, her opponent seized the opening she had made and gave her no chance to turn the tide, successfully sealing the victory.
As the announcement of the victory rang out, Zhu Xi subconsciously looked in Chu Jue's direction, only to find that Chu Jue was also looking at her.
She lost. Chu Jue thought, but her potential was higher than her opponent's.
Therefore, potential value is not equivalent to strength, at least not at this stage.
Numbers of various colors and with unclear meanings lingered before Chu Jue's eyes.
She couldn't determine the purpose of the "Merit System" in granting her these functions. If it needed her to do something, why was it being so secretive?
Chu Jue pondered for a moment, then summoned the designer. Just as the designer thought she was about to ask another question, Chu Jue requested to start a new game.
If you can't figure it out, then don't think about it. It doesn't matter what it is.
She only needs to complete the main quest; the only focus for returning to interstellar space is accumulating merit points. What do the other side quests, even if they turn into rainbows, have to do with her?
-
The second day of the exchange meeting featured 2v2 and 4v4 team competitions. As Zhu Xi had previously explained, the former required one person from each of the two teams, A and B, while the latter required two people.
Ying Suixin and Zhu Xi formed a duo team, while Yun Qiandu and Ying Yi teamed up with Quqi and Xiaomi, forming a quartet team.
The former is a matter of personal will, while the latter is a matter of arranged and collective action.
"Sigh, I never thought my last teammate would be that little fan..." Yun Qiandu had been feeling resentful since last night. She didn't like many people, but coincidentally, one of them was a little fan.
Ying Yi comforted him, "If it weren't for her, we would only be able to team up with one man."
The list for the Co-prosperity Group this time only included three women and three men, and they failed to win over Zhu Xi.
I don't know what common topics Ying Suixin and Zhu Xi had, but they quickly decided to team up as if they had known each other for a long time... If there were more options, I believe Xiaomi would not have wanted to team up with them.
Yun Qiandu: "Sigh, then I'll choose Xiaomi... If I had to choose between Xiaomi and a man, I'd rather choose Xiaomi..."
The little fan who was abandoned by Yun Qiandu also complained to Cookie:
"The team leader shouldn't have invited them to the team in the first place. They're all women. How are they supposed to win when they face four men on the field?"
Cookie felt a bit conflicted, thinking that it had little to do with whether they were male or female: "Actually... both of them have quite high spiritual levels."
Ying Yi's skill level is not just "not low"; there are very few men in the arena who are better than her.
Xiao Mi then remembered their test results: one was a fourth-order and the other a sixth-order.
A third-tier Cookie is already an extremely powerful spirit practitioner. My own second tier isn't exactly low, but compared to them…
If we're talking about "holding others back," it seems like it's oneself who can't be carried along.
Xiao Mi blushed instantly.
As she said this, all she could think about was that level zero woman, but she subconsciously ignored the fact that the level zero woman had not teamed up with them at all, but instead chose to participate in the solo arena competition on the third day.
“…It’s better if it’s not too low.” Xiaomi stubbornly changed the subject. “It’s not mandatory to participate, so I don’t understand why people who are already at level zero would still force themselves to sign up.”
Her tone was dry, trying to hide the guilt she felt when she said it.
Cookie understood the underlying meaning in her words; she was clearly sulking. She wasn't usually like this, so why did she change so drastically when it came to the male team leader… Cookie didn't know what to do and could only sigh.
We'll soon find out whether it's just a facade or not.
The 2v2 match took place in the first half. Zhu Xi and Ying Suixin cooperated awkwardly with each other, but their performance was not satisfactory.
The two had a relatively smooth start, but soon they encountered a team whose spirit rank was not high but whose teamwork was more seamless.
The facts show that teamwork is also an important component of victory.
The two seemed to be playing a 1v2 game against each other, rarely able to coordinate, and quickly lost, ending their run in disappointment.
"How are they so amazing? We're all in a new team, but these two seem to have known each other since birth," Ying Suixin exclaimed.
Zhu Xi: "I'm sorry, it was my fault."
She did find opportunities along the way, but she couldn't break through the opponent's defenses. After one mistake, she became somewhat disorganized, and afterwards, she played entirely randomly.
You should disagree: "What do you mean, 'your problem'? Don't rush to reflect on yourself when something happens; you should blame the other person first."
Zhu Xi: ...
Although we lost, I unexpectedly learned something...
"Teamwork is very important," Yun Qiandu summarized from their experience. "But we have absolutely no teamwork, what can we do?"
Cookie sighed, "We'll do our best."
Yun Qiandu said meaningfully, "It would be best if everyone could do their best."
Before the war has even begun, there's already a sense of tension within the country... It makes one inexplicably worried about their chances of winning.
Surprisingly, the four-person team performed quite well.
Although they weren't very familiar with each other, the two of them were able to work together to their fullest potential.
The main combat force on one side is Yun Qiandu. Ying Yi, as the highest-ranking spirit master in the team, guides Yun Qiandu's attacks in a way that is both a mentor and a friend.
She can capture every detail in the arena at the same time, and with just a glance, Yun Qiandu can launch a perfectly synchronized attack with her.
The two fighters' battle still carried some of Chu Jue's influence, as if the three of them were standing on the platform at the same time, fighting to the best of their abilities.
On the other side, Xiao Mi and Qu Qi also had great chemistry. Once they switched to battle mode, all of Xiao Mi's shortcomings that Yun Qian Du usually disliked disappeared.
She displayed the aura a spiritual being should possess, standing one in front of the other with Cookie, becoming each other's solid support.
Cookies maintained a steady output, and Little Fans were not to be outdone.
She went on stage hoping to be praised by her team leader, but once she got into the zone, she completely forgot that initial intention.
Ever since she witnessed the fluid and skillful interceptions of her teammates, all she could think about was the exhilarating thrill of battle.
Xiao Mi had long forgotten about the "unbeatable man" and shouted at Cookie without a care in the world, "We can't let them outdo us!"
Cookie was equally amazed by the two's teamwork, her eyes filled with envy. Upon hearing this, she replied, "Don't worry."
A match against the opponent turned into an internal struggle between them. Although, in terms of spiritual rank, Xiao Mi and Qu Qi's role was not as significant as Ying Yi and Yun Qian Du's.
But since they were both spiritual beings, neither of them wanted to admit their "inferiority." The two members of the Co-Prosperity Group were completely focused and used their strongest strength.
Inspired by their fighting spirit, Yun Qiandu became even more interested. The battle had clearly been going on for quite some time, yet she showed no signs of fatigue.
The women, in their silent competition, unleashed a higher level of skill, resulting in a situation where they crushed their opponents in battles assigned according to their spirit rank.
The four men opposite complained incessantly, "Are these women crazy...?"
Yun Qiandu: "These are just a few men."
Xiao Mi happened to be closest to her and couldn't help but laugh after hearing what she said. Realizing her expression, she quickly suppressed her laughter.
She and Yun Qiandu don't get along, so how could she possibly laugh at her witty and humorous remarks!
After easily defeating the team in front of them, the four of them maintained this two-on-two strategy and won several rounds in a row. However, as the opponents' spirit rank increased, it became more difficult to cope.
Ying Yi surveyed the overall situation and, after several rounds, figured out Quqi and Xiaomi's tactics. He then assigned each of the four people their strengths and quickly determined the most suitable role for each person.
"Cookie, focus on defense from the back. Little Mi, stand on the left and attack the two directly in front. The one on the far left might be targeting you, so be careful to break their formation."
Upon hearing this, Yun Qiandu instantly understood her meaning and filled in the missing positions without needing her to assign them.
"you……"
Xiao Mi's words caught in her throat, but seeing Cookie do exactly as she was told without a doubt, she struggled internally to convince herself.
This doesn't mean she gave in; it's for the sake of the competition, for the sake of victory...
The four players honed their skills together throughout the battle. Ying Yi's commands were concise and precise. As they got to know each other better, their teamwork became more and more proficient, and they ultimately achieved an impressive sixth place.
This caused Xiao Mi to fluctuate between "unbelievable" and "reasonable." She knew that her spiritual rank was not high, and that she could only get such a ranking because of Qu Qi and the other two.
Besides, she also learned a lot from Ying Yi's assignments, and Xiao Mi realized for the first time that she had such potential.
"...Thank you for helping me achieve such a good result," she said softly.
Let me make this clear first, she didn't mean to thank me... it was just words, but she had to at least say something to appease me...
Ying Yi: "Didn't you earn this through your own hard work?"
Xiao Mi was taken aback.
“Yes, I think our teamwork was pretty good,” Yun Qiandu added. “But you should thank Sister Ying. It was Sister Ying, this tactical mastermind, who helped you break through your limits. It was Sister Ying…”
Ying Yi manually sealed away Yun Qiandu's unfinished words.
Since they weren't really close, they waved goodbye and left to go back to their own little group chat to claim credit.
Cookie patted Little Fan, who was standing there dumbfounded: "Are you crazy with happiness? The team leader just asked about you..."
Xiao Mi's attention kept wandering, and even when the topic involved the group leader, she didn't immediately come back to her senses.
She was still thinking about Ying Yi's question, the exhilaration and unbridled joy of the battle, and her indomitable spirit, which far surpassed her usual performance.
...The battle just now was really exhilarating.
So, she can achieve all this through hard work?
She didn't need anyone's praise or reward. This was the first time she had ever received affirmation from herself.
-
Ying Suixin was raising all ten fingers to give Ying Yi and Yun Qiandu a thumbs up when she realized that her boss's attention was on the Gongrong Group.
"What's wrong, boss? Are we no longer able to get your attention...?"
Chu Jue: ...
It wasn't anything else, but she inadvertently discovered that Xiao Mi's red stat had suddenly skyrocketed, increasing from a low value of around 200 to 600 before stopping.
The effect of the artistic lettering is like a blood plasma film.
...It's really hard not to notice.
-----------------------
Author's Note: Haven't killed anyone in a while, will arrange it tomorrow.
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