Chapter 38 The Second Contest, The Second, Third, and Fourth Guests Leave Lying Down…

Chapter 38: The Second Match—The Second, Third, and Fourth Contestants Were Carried Out...

Watching yet another person being carried off, the crowd's initial excitement cooled slightly. The God of Misfortune was truly terrifying.

With one less teammate, Fei Mingming gritted his teeth, telling himself it was fine—even with just two, they could still defeat Yu Xing. He could control vines for long-range attacks, keeping Yu Xing from getting close. Ruan Xue had her umbrella, rendering Yu Xing’s rock-throwing useless. If things continued like this, victory was assured!

Gasping for breath from all the running, Yu Xing turned and saw Fei Mingming fiercely manipulating the vines. It suddenly hit her—she wasn’t a Divine Chosen. There was a fundamental difference between them.

Divine Chosen expended mental energy to use their Divine Skills, but she didn’t.

If she could just drain their mental energy, wouldn’t they be like pigs on a chopping block?

With that thought, Yu Xing immediately changed direction, chucking rocks at Ruan Xue while booking it even farther away from Fei Mingming.

Seeing this, Ke Yuan started to worry. “Is Yu Xing trying to escape?”

“No,” Zhao Lan said, her eyes fixed on the field. “Yu Xing isn’t the type to surrender easily.”

“But running like this won’t solve anything,” Ke Yuan worried, especially since Yu Xing was his team leader.

Fei Mingming also shouted from the center of the field, “Yu Xing, just give up! You can’t win!”

Yu Xing turned her head and made a gesture that supposedly no man could stand. She’d learned it from a patient in the mental hospital and had once used it on a male doctor, who went crazier than the delusional patient in the next room.

She didn’t understand why, but the gesture was undeniably effective.

Sure enough, the moment she made it, every man present gasped.

Fei Mingming’s face flushed crimson. “Yu Xing, that's too much!!!”

Enraged, the single vine he controlled rapidly branched out, splitting into multiple tendrils that chased after Yu Xing, trying to cut her off.

By now, Yu Xing had reached the farthest edge of the field, getting as far away as possible from Fei Mingming. His vines were rooted in the soil and couldn’t move. To reach her, they had to grow longer—and the longer they grew, the more they branched, the more mental energy they consumed.

Not only did he have to sustain their growth, but he also had to control their attacks. He was clearly wearing himself out as sweat poured down Fei Mingming’s face.

Too angry to think straight, Fei Mingming failed to notice, but the observing teachers saw Yu Xing’s strategy clearly. This student had a smart strategy—draining her opponent’s mental energy.

“Not bad,” someone remarked. “She’s got promise. After she graduates from the church, we should recruit her for our squad.”

“In your dreams,” a well-informed voice cut in. “She’s already been scouted by Team Two. Bai Qinghe drove her here himself.”

“What?! Team Two works that fast?!”

Ruan Xue chased after Yu Xing but kept her distance, only daring to toss small fireballs from afar.

Having fought alongside Wang Kunyu before, Yu Xing knew this was the most energy-efficient way to attack. She couldn’t let Ruan Xue keep this up—if she did, she’d tire herself out.

So, mid-sprint, Yu Xing whirled around and shouted, “Stop chasing me! No matter how hard you try, I won’t be with you!”

Ruan Xue: “?”

Everyone else: “???”

Ruan Xue’s face turned red. “What nonsense! Who wants to be with you?!”

Yu Xing, well-versed in such denials, yelled back, “If you don’t, why are you so worked up?”

“I’m not worked up!” Ruan Xue protested, getting even more worked up. “I’m completely calm!”

“You are!” Yu Xing yelled back over her shoulder. “Your voice is cracking from excitement!”

“Ahhh!!!” Ruan Xue snapped. Abandoning small fireballs, she unleashed a torrent of flames. “I’ll end you!!”

Both Fei Mingming and Ruan Xue were now attacking Yu Xing with reckless abandon, using up their mental energy like there was no tomorrow. The spectators could only shake their heads.

This Yu Xing… her tactics were downright dirty. Mind games? Against classmates?

“Told you,” Zhao Lan said, watching the field with an I-told-you-so look. “Yu Xing doesn’t surrender easily.”

Ke Yuan winced. “At this rate… will anyone want to be her friend?”

“Who says?” Zhao Lan put a hand on his shoulder. “Aren’t we her friends?”

Ke Yuan thought that might mean Yu Xing had friends—but he might lose his.

Sure enough, Fei Mingming soon started to struggle. A wave of weakness hit him, his mind prickling with pain.

Uh oh—he was out of mental energy!

The vines that had been hunting Yu Xing suddenly stilled. Seizing the opportunity, Yu Xing screeched to a halt, pivoted, and charged straight at Fei Mingming.

The crowd shouted. “Fei Mingming, run! She’s coming for you!”

Fei Mingming clutched his temples, trying to control the vines again. But his mental energy was completely drained. The vines gave a weak twitch before withering away.

As Yu Xing closed in, the sight was scarier than seeing a ghost. Fei Mingming turned to flee, but his exhaustion got the better of him—his legs gave out after two steps, and he almost fell to his knees.

Then he felt arms wrap around him from behind.

A devilish whisper sounded in his ear. “Hehe, got you.”

Fei Mingming’s scalp prickled with dread. A loud cry came from Ruan Xue: “Yu Xing! I’ll fight you to the death!”

The grip on his arms loosened as the person behind him vaulted over his head using his shoulders as leverage. A blast of searing heat engulfed his back.

“Ahhh!!!” Fei Mingming screamed. “Ruan Xue, are you blind?!”

Before Ruan Xue could apologize, Yu Xing grabbed Fei Mingming by the collar and yanked him up. Then, using his burning body as a shield, she barreled toward Ruan Xue.

Ruan Xue’s eyes widened. How could Yu Xing do this? Treat a classmate like a human shield?!

With Fei Mingming in the way, Ruan Xue couldn’t throw fireballs—nor could she let Yu Xing get close. She had no choice but to turn and flee. The situation had completely flipped—from chasing Yu Xing across the field, now they were the ones being chased.

“Yu Xing, you’re despicable!” Ruan Xue screamed as she ran. “Fight me properly if you dare!”

Yu Xing, dragging Fei Mingming behind her, shouted back, “Then fight properly! Drop the umbrella!”

Ruan Xue: “You drop Fei Mingming first!”

Yu Xing: “You drop the umbrella first!”

The poor Fei Mingming, still on fire, was hauled along by his wrist, his back scraping against the ground.

Even the medics couldn’t take it anymore. “Should we step in?” one asked Jiang Lingwen.

Jiang Lingwen shook her head calmly. “No need. Fei Mingming hasn’t surrendered or called for help yet.”

This kid is really tough, still refusing to surrender even in this state. This generation of kids is all stubborn. The doctor observed a bit more and concluded that Fei Mingming's injuries weren't life-threatening, though the treatment would take a bit longer.

Actually, Fei Mingming wasn't unwilling to surrender or speak—it's just that while being dragged on the ground, he accidentally took a big mouthful of mud. His entire mouth was clogged with dirt, and when he tried to call for help, he was unlucky enough to inhale some into his windpipe.

Now, he was struggling to breathe, his throat and lungs burning with pain. He was about to black out and couldn't speak at all.

Yu Xing dragged Fei Mingming for a while longer before finally running out of stamina. Ruan Xue had slightly better endurance, but her spiritual energy was too depleted, leaving her dizzy and unable to keep running.

Both stopped, hands on their knees, panting heavily.

The other students couldn't stand Yu Xing's dirty tactics and cheered Ruan Xue on.

"Ruan Xue, don't give up!"

"She can't run anymore, Ruan Xue, hit her!"

"Quick! Blast her with fire!"

"Seize this chance and counterattack!"

Ruan Xue pressed a hand to her chest, thinking, *Right now, I can barely muster one small fireball. How's that gonna help me counterattack?*

She said to Yu Xing, "How about we call it a draw?"

"No!" The loud refusal didn't come from Yu Xing but Miao Yuanjin. "Our squad doesn't accept losses! A draw counts as a loss!"

"See?" Yu Xing gave a helpless smile. "Someone won't let me lose."

Ruan Xue gritted her teeth. "If this keeps up, we'll just cripple each other!"

"No, we won't." Yu Xing shook her head. "Once I recover my stamina, I'll just chase you again."

Ruan Xue: "..."

Stamina recovers quickly, but spiritual energy doesn't. Yu Xing seemed completely unaffected, which was total bullshit.

Ruan Xue was ready to surrender, but doing so outright would be too humiliating.

Then, she heard Yu Xing say, "Is Fei Mingming about to die?"

A brilliant idea struck Ruan Xue—what a perfect out!

She immediately declared, "Yu Xing, I'm not afraid to fight you, and I don't think I'd lose. But Fei Mingming is too badly hurt—I can't abandon my partner. Hmph, mark my words: I'm surrendering today not because I can't beat you, but for Fei Mingming's sake!"

Fei Mingming, lying battered and broken but still conscious on the ground: "..."

"I surrender!" Ruan Xue announced loudly, striding toward Yu Xing like a warrior.

Yu Xing crouched, feeling for Fei Mingming's pulse. She smiled. "Good, he's still breathing."

Ruan Xue also knelt, sliding her hands under Fei Mingming's armpits to lift him. The moment she touched him, her expression changed—she suddenly felt a sense of impending doom.

Yu Xing looked at her. She looked at Yu Xing.

Yu Xing said, "I touched Fei Mingming less than ten seconds ago, and now you've touched him too, so..."

Ruan Xue: "!"

Her hands jerked, and Fei Mingming hit the ground like a sack of potatoes.

"What's going to happen to me?" Ruan Xue asked, face pale.

"Beats me," Yu Xing replied honestly. "Maybe... if you're super careful, nothing will happen?"

The medics loaded Fei Mingming onto a stretcher for the hospital. Ruan Xue stood frozen in place, but after several minutes, nothing happened.

Confused, she asked Yu Xing, "Why hasn't anything happened to me?"

Yu Xing was just as clueless. Ever since her Jinx Skill leveled up, she no longer got prompts when using it on others, so sometimes she didn't even know if an attack succeeded.

After some thought, she said, "Maybe it's because Fei Mingming doesn't count as a person, so we don't count as indirect contact? Plus, we didn't touch the same part of his body, right?"

Ruan Xue bought this explanation and relaxed, patting her chest in relief. "Good. I was freaking terrified just now."

Jiang Lingwen watched Fei Mingming being loaded into the ambulance and asked Ruan Xue, "Your spiritual energy is drained. Do you want to go to the hospital to recover?"

"Yes." Ruan Xue felt a throbbing pain in her head and followed Fei Mingming into the vehicle.

Fei Mingming had severe burns and foreign matter in his windpipe and lungs, but his life wasn't in danger. However, skin regeneration would take at least twelve hours, so he couldn't be treated on-site and had to be hospitalized.

Once Ruan Xue boarded, the vehicle departed.

Jiang Lingwen glanced at Yu Xing, her gaze complicated. "How's your spirit holding up? Can you keep accepting challenges?"

Yu Xing shook her head. "No real drain. I can keep fighting."

"Good." Jiang Lingwen nodded, then addressed the others. "Who else wants to challenge Yu Xing?"

A dead silence followed. After four consecutive challengers—three of whom were now hospitalized—who would dare?

Seeing no takers, a member of the Divine Chosen Team sneered. "Y'all shaking in your boots already? That last fight was a joke. If those three had mastered their Divine Skills properly, Yu Xing wouldn't have stood a chance."

All eyes turned to him as he continued, "Ao Zheng's Divine Skill lets him go ghost. He could've ambushed Yu Xing for a killing blow instead of chasing her like an idiot."

"Fei Mingming's Divine Skill usage was hot garbage. His vines moved so slowly—how could they catch anyone? Zero tactical awareness, easily provoked—with skills like that, he'd be the first to die against contaminants."

"And Ruan Xue—team-killing multiple times. How can teammates trust her with their backs?"

His critique made everyone realize: Yu Xing's Divine Skill was weird as hell, but harmless if avoided. The trio's poor coordination and unrefined Divine Skills had let Yu Xing mop the floor with them.

They began to think that, by learning from Fei Mingming's group's mistakes, defeating Yu Xing might not be so hard after all.

Restlessness stirred again. Jiang Lingwen repeated, "Any more challengers for Yu Xing?"

Miao Yuanjin stood in the crowd, she had already heard scheming whispers about how to cooperate once they were on the field. She frowned, indignant. *Why should Yu Xing have to face three challengers at once? Lower-tier Divine Chosen aren't that far apart in strength.*

Just as someone stepped forward—

KABOOM!!!

The sudden explosion startled everyone.

They turned to see the ambulance ablaze on the road. The church's fire alarms blared as fire-fighting drones rushed out.

The flames were quickly doused. The doors opened, and medics stumbled out, directing bots to retrieve the injured. Somehow, the blast caused no serious harm—only barely a scratch among medics and patients.

Then, a woman's blood-curdling scream pierced the air as a bot carried Ruan Xue from the smoldering wreck.

Ruan Xue was carried by the robot, her hands severed by something sharp, blood gushing everywhere.

"Waaahhh... boo-hoo..." Ruan Xue wailed loudly, her voice breaking with anguish as she accused, "Yu Xing, you lied to me! You totally attacked me! Yu Xing, you liar! Waaahhh..."

"Quick, quick!" A doctor held Ruan Xue's severed hands, which had fallen inside the car, and directed the robot, "Rush her to the hospital immediately!"

Out of everyone in the car, only Ruan Xue got hurt in the explosion...

All eyes turned back to Yu Xing. Those who had been eager to challenge her moments ago now shrank back nervously.

Four people had challenged Yu Xing, and all four had ended up completely wrecked...

The God of Misfortune was no joke!

Yu Xing felt guilty as hell—Ruan Xue's injury was truly an accident. She asked Jiang Lingwen, "Will Ruan Xue's hands be alright?"

"No big deal," Jiang Lingwen replied dismissively. "For a little scratch like this, she'll be discharged by tonight."

That was a relief. Advanced medical technology really was a blessing.

Yu Xing had already made up her mind—she would study medicine in university. She planned to bring the advanced medical techniques she learned in this world back to Earth.

After this incident, no one dared to challenge Yu Xing anymore. No matter how much Jiang Lingwen urged, nobody would bite. Jiang Lingwen had no choice but to let it go—who could blame them when Yu Xing's Divine Skill was so terrifying?

She told everyone to get their act together for the upcoming team competition, mentioning that spectators would be invited and urging them not to make fools of themselves in public.

During dinner that evening, nobody dared to sit within ten meters of Yu Xing in the cafeteria.

It was too terrifying—what if they accidentally brushed against Yu Xing? They might end up like Fei Mingming and Ruan Xue.

Yu Xing ate alone, relishing the rare quiet. Just as she was about to savor the solitude, someone suddenly sat down across from her with a tray.

Yu Xing looked up to see Miss Miao Yuanjin elegantly arranging her utensils.

Noticing Yu Xing's gaze, Miao Yuanjin sniffed, "Don't misunderstand—I'm not here out of pity. I just dislike crowds, and this spot happens to be quiet."

Despite her words, she couldn't keep the smile off her face.

Yu Xing noticed Miao Yuanjin's barely-hidden delight and sighed inwardly—this young lady had finally found an opportunity to be alone with her.

Just as they were about to start eating, two more people sat down beside them.

Da Ya tossed her brown curls and gave Yu Xing a flirty smile. "The teacher said teamwork requires time to develop. To build synergy in our group, we'll be doing everything together from now on—eating, training, everything."

Zhao Lan added with a smile, "They're overthinking it. I've observed that as long as we don't share utensils or make close contact, eating with you is perfectly safe."

Meanwhile, Ke Yuan white-knuckled his tray nervously. His fear of Yu Xing was no less than anyone else's, but when he turned around and saw all his teammates sitting beside her, what choice did he have?

He couldn't isolate himself from the entire group, could he?

Ke Yuan edged his way over and cautiously took the seat farthest from Yu Xing.

Da Ya noticed Miao Yuanjin's constant smiling and asked, "Why the big smile?"

Miraculously, Miao Yuanjin didn't roll her eyes at Da Ya. Instead, she chuckled lightly. "Hmph, the teacher said we can invite family and friends to watch the competition. Who are you all inviting? I'm inviting my grandpa, parents, and my whole extended family..."

"That's quite the entourage," Da Ya remarked, then thought for a moment. "My mom works in another city and can't come, so I'll just invite my dad."

Zhao Lan hesitated. "My family won't have time... but I can invite my classmates."

Ke Yuan lit up. "My parents will definitely come!"

"What about you?" Da Ya asked Yu Xing. "Who are you inviting?"

Yu Xing frowned, troubled. Miao Yuanjin scoffed. "Bet she's too embarrassed to invite her dirt-poor relatives from District D."

Zhao Lan and the others awkwardly glanced between Yu Xing and Miao Yuanjin.

Yu Xing slowly shook her head. "I don't have any relatives. My parents are dead, and only my elderly grandmother remains."

"..."

Zhao Lan and the others stared at Yu Xing in shock. Miao Yuanjin went sheet-white.

"I didn't tell my grandmother about becoming a Divine Chosen. Her health is poor, and I don't want her to worry," Yu Xing explained. "So I won't be inviting any family."

Da Ya's eyes welled up as she listened. Ke Yuan's throat tightened—he knew Yu Xing's situation was likely worse than his own, but he hadn't expected it to be this dire.

Zhao Lan stayed silent, unsure of what to say.

Only Miao Yuanjin's face kept cycling through colors—white, red, white again...

"But I can invite my good friends and my two boyfriends," Yu Xing perked up, saying, "I haven't seen them in days—I'm dying to see them."

"Right, friends are good too. I'm also inviting friends..." Zhao Lan paused mid-sentence, suddenly realizing something odd.

"Two boyfriends?" Da Ya zeroed in on that.

"Yeah," Yu Xing replied shyly. "They're not Divine Chosen—they both study at Seventh Middle School."

"Wait." Miao Yuanjin recalled her father's intervention with Gu Ya. "You have two boyfriends? I thought it was just Gu Ya?"

"No, Gu Ya was my original boyfriend," Yu Xing beamed. "But Mei Hexuan also likes me a lot. He's cool with Gu Ya's existence, so now I have two boyfriends."

Zhao Lan and the others gaped—was that even possible?

Yu Xing came off so straight-laced—who knew she'd be so bold in relationships?

"Mei Hexuan?!" Miao Yuanjin exclaimed. "The heir apparent of the Mei family?"

Yu Xing batted her eyelashes. Miao Yuanjin all but shrieked, "He's willing to share a girlfriend? And Gu Ya agrees?!"

"Of course they don't agree," Yu Xing sighed. "They even fought over me and landed in the ER with serious injuries."

Hearing this messy drama, Zhao Lan and the others oddly figured that made more sense. After all, what guy in his right mind would share?

"My only wish now is for them to get along," Yu Xing mused hopefully. "As long as the three of us can make it work, nothing else matters."

Ke Yuan looked away sharply, unable to look at Yu Xing directly.

Zhao Lan and Da Ya looked completely floored.

Miao Yuanjin's mouth worked soundlessly as she muttered under her breath, "No way... in your dreams..."