Chapter 145

Ability Tournament Finals.

Location: Aberrant Realm 47, Amber Lake. participating teams: Four.

Competition objective: eliminate the core monster, the Deep Blue Giant Eel.

Final reward: ownership rights to a portion of the demonic dragon’s remains.

Ye Zheng followed her teammates into the rest area. A tall, slender woman with short hair turned at the sound. Her gaze swept past Sykes and the others before settling directly on Ye Zheng. A hint of teasing flickered through her deep purple eyes.

Ye Zheng was briefly taken aback, then smiled and nodded in greeting.

It was Wu Shu.

The last time they had met was in the Blood Flower Aberrant Realm. She had remained hidden the entire time, only to use her spatial ability at the final moment to snatch the kill from Pei Xi, securing a massive amount of points and propelling her otherwise unremarkable Middle District team into the top ranks.

However, from what Ye Zheng knew, Wu Shu’s methods weren’t well received. Even her own teammates and the residents of the Middle District disapproved.

People wanted to see powerful yet kindhearted members of the new generation in the Ability Tournament, individuals who could represent the Empire’s future and hope, not ambitious schemers who relied on tricks and underhanded tactics.

Not only in this world, but even on the forums back then, many had condemned Wu Shu, calling her despicable for stealing the honor that should have belonged to the Cloud Soarers team.

Wu Shu’s hair seemed even shorter now. She wore sleek black clothing paired with a short jacket. Turning her head, she watched Ye Zheng approach, her expression calm and at ease. Quietly, she gave a wink with her right eye.

Seeing this, Ye Zheng understood that Wu Shu herself wasn’t greatly affected by those criticisms.

“Long time no see, Your Highness the Crown Prince, and Saintess.”

Sykes responded to Wu Shu’s greeting with a slight, expressionless nod.

There were only two teams present in the rest area. To prevent any premature clashes between teams, the remaining two had been arranged in a different section.

Originally, the Divine Academy had been ranked fourth in total points. After Yinkong went missing and Bai Muqing withdrew due to personal reasons, the Divine Academy had forfeited the competition altogether. As a result, the top-ranked academy from the Upper District had automatically advanced. Ye Zheng remembered that the Cloud Soarers team shared a fairly strong relationship with the Upper District’s leading academy team and had even cooperated with them before.

Ye Zheng raised her eyebrows slightly. This lineup was genuinely intriguing. It almost felt as though the teams had been deliberately arranged according to the classic “hero versus villain” camps of the story. She and Wu Shu were undoubtedly the two female figures most despised by the readers.

She suddenly thought of something and mentally knocked on the system. “System, I think you mentioned before that in the original plot, Wu Shu becomes the most popular female character, but her ending wasn’t very good.”

『Wu Shu is the kind of character who starts off as a bad woman, gradually gets moved by the male protagonist, and eventually sacrifices herself for him. That contrast between a bad woman and a good woman really hooks readers and makes them scream.』

『Especially male readers. They love bringing her up, saying things like “In the end, you’re still not my Wu Shu (bitter smile)” or “She’s the real good woman.”』

『By the way, readers often used Wu Shu to step on you. Your story’s thinner than hers, and you wore more clothes than she did, so in the original plot, your popularity and how much you went viral were completely incomparable to Wu Shu’s.』

Ye Zheng lifted her eyes and glanced at Wu Shu, who was chatting with her teammates, then lowered her gaze to the floor tiles in confusion. She didn’t really understand what the system was saying.

『They’re just that abstract. You don’t need to try to understand them. Right now, they’re all complaining that Wu Shu’s been drawn as an iron T and demanding the author restore her original outfit.』

Ye Zheng didn’t understand what they meant by “good woman.” She felt that Wu Shu’s current “bad woman” appearance must be something she herself liked.

Maybe because Wu Shu had shared a similar fate with her in the original plot, Ye Zheng found herself caring about her a little. She didn’t want Wu Shu to fall into that original ending.

Ye Zheng stepped forward and walked toward Wu Shu. Suddenly, a blinding flash of light struck her eyes. She shut them reflexively, then opened them and looked ahead. It turned out to be a reflective mirror hanging on the wall. She stared at it intently, recalling something strange.

Wen Xiaoxing shouldn’t have been outside just now. The Cloud Soarers team’s rest area was very far from here. Had he come specifically to wait for her? Was it really just to greet her and provoke her?

Ye Zheng shook her head. She looked back at the wall mirror, which reflected the figures of all the contestants in the rest area. Among them, she spotted her own inconspicuous shadow.

She unconsciously stepped closer until her face filled the mirror. Her widened black eyes reflected a focused expression.

Nothing seemed wrong. Ye Zheng observed for a while, then slowly stepped back. The “Ye Zheng” in the mirror stepped back as well.

Suddenly, a dark shadow flickered past the window reflected in the mirror. Ye Zheng’s heart skipped a beat. She quickly turned her head, but there was no one outside the window, only withered yellow leaves drifting down slowly.

Probably just someone passing by, she thought. She felt she was being overly cautious and sensitive, which was strange.

Could it be that Wen Xiaoxing’s sudden appearance, along with Wu Shu’s tragic original ending, had unsettled her, making her subconsciously more alert?

Ye Zheng found it a little amusing. She’d gone through so many things already. Someone like Wen Xiaoxing wasn’t worth making her this timid.

“Saintess? Are you feeling unwell anywhere?”

Wu Shu’s voice called out to her.

Only then did Ye Zheng remember that she’d originally wanted to talk to Wu Shu. She suppressed the doubts in her heart, looked at Wu Shu’s concerned face, and gave a reassuring smile. “Thank you for your concern, Wu Shu.”

“There’s no need for honorifics when addressing me. The title of Saintess is always weighing on my head. Even I’d feel burdened by it.”

Wu Shu’s smile deepened. “Alright then, Ye Zheng.”

Without another word, Ye Zheng reached out and took hold of Wu Shu’s arm. Wu Shu looked a little surprised but followed along anyway. The two walked toward the open doorway.

Sykes, who was waiting for the match to begin, noticed their movement. As Ye Zheng passed him, he lowered his voice and gave a dark reminder. “Behave yourself, Ye Zheng.”

Ye Zheng ignored him completely. She led Wu Shu straight to a secluded corner. The two were about the same height and silently stared at each other for a moment.

Wu Shu sensed something was off. She dropped her smile and asked, “Did something happen?”

Hearing her voice, Ye Zheng snapped back to herself. For some reason, she had spaced out just now.

She shook her head. “It’s nothing… Nothing should’ve happened yet.”

Wu Shu’s expression grew even more puzzled at that answer, but Ye Zheng’s next words immediately made her face turn serious.

“Wu Shu, do you want to win?”

“…Of course. Who wouldn’t want to win after getting this far?” When the topic of victory came up, Wu Shu’s expression turned faintly indifferent.

Ye Zheng looked at her seriously and continued, “Even if the result of winning isn’t necessarily what you want?”

The dragon bone reward was a complete scam, and the match itself was filled with irony.

Wu Shu’s eyes darkened, and the smile in them disappeared completely. She spoke slowly, “I’ve won many times, but not once did it end well.”

Her voice was cold, carrying a detached sense of self-mockery.

“I defeated the most promising senior in the academy in a one-on-one arena match and earned the position of captain, but the team’s results were mediocre. They believed I didn’t deserve to be captain.”

“Even though the results I achieved with the team surpassed the average of previous years.”

“I used clever tactics to secure the team’s qualification to compete for the championship, yet they criticized me for relying on crooked, underhanded methods and damaging the school’s upright reputation.”

Ye Zheng said, “Even so, you still want to win.”

Wu Shu replied, “I have to win until the very end. Otherwise, everything I’ve done will be completely denied.”

If she couldn’t bring the dragon bone back to her hometown or bring the highest honor to the academy, she’d only be labeled with negative tags like “incompetent” and “cunning,” then quietly fade away into the typical ending of female ability users.

“You’re the Saintess, Ye Zheng. I know I’m far from as noble and flawless as you. I’m cunning and slippery. I’m not worthy of being mentioned in the same breath as you…”

“But you have to understand me. The halo above your head is too heavy. You can’t afford even the slightest mistake. You and I are the same. We have to win until the very end.”

A sharp glint flashed in Wu Shu’s eyes as she stared intently.

She rarely opened up to others, because most people wouldn’t understand her, let alone someone like Ye Zheng, who was only an acquaintance. Their relationship was nothing more than a single cooperation.

Maybe it was the Saintess’s natural affinity that lowered people’s guard. Even Wu Shu didn’t understand why she’d ended up revealing so much to Ye Zheng.

“Ye Zheng, compared to your glamorous Royal Team, someone like me at B-Class is hardly worth mentioning.”

“But you’d better watch out for me.”

Wu Shu’s face returned to its usual generous smile. She patted Ye Zheng’s shoulder and was about to step away.

“What if I help you win the match?”

Wu Shu froze immediately and looked at Ye Zheng with wide eyes.

“The Royal Team’s victory or defeat doesn’t mean anything to me, so you don’t need to worry that I’m tricking you.”

Wu Shu still narrowed her eyes suspiciously. “I’m not some devout believer in the God of Hope. There’s no reason for the Saintess to ‘bless’ me like this.”

Ye Zheng stood in the corner with her hands behind her back. The shadow of the eaves covered her as she revealed a sly smile, like a snake peeking out from a branch.

“It doesn’t matter whether you believe in the God of Hope or not.” 

“Believing in me is enough, Wu Shu.”

Wu Shu’s pupils trembled. She stared at Ye Zheng for a long time as those calm yet shocking words settled in.

From their earlier conversation, Ye Zheng had already understood why Wu Shu in the original plot had fallen into such an ending.

On the surface, Wu Shu seemed warm and carefree, but deep down she was proud, cold, and desperately lacking in validation. She craved recognition.

It wasn’t her fault. The harsh scrutiny around her had artificially created this weakness.

Ye Zheng didn’t know how Pei Xi had gained Wu Shu’s true trust in the original plot, but since Wu Shu wanted to win, Ye Zheng decided she’d simply give her the victory she desired most.

“You’ll win, Wu Shu. But I hope you can experience the purest and most exhilarating joy that victory brings.”

Not winning for others’ approval, but because victory itself held meaning.

Wu Shu blinked rapidly, looking slightly uncomfortable. “Of course, but the rewards that come with victory are just as exciting.”

Once she won on behalf of the Middle District, her hometown would be spared from aberrant realm invasions, and her name would be recorded in its history, even if the Middle District had never received much attention.

What reason did she have not to fight with everything she had?

Ye Zheng saw her expression and knew she hadn’t fully understood yet. That was fine. They still had a long way to go.

As long as nothing unexpected happened along the way.

“You should think this through carefully, Ye Zheng. You’re helping me, but I don’t seem to be able to give you anything in return.”

A trace of gloom flickered across Wu Shu’s face. Ye Zheng and her team were already powerful, with both authority and influence.

Ye Zheng looked at her intently and thought for a moment. “No, Wu Shu. I might actually need your help.”

Wu Shu raised her brows in surprise, her gaze questioning.

The two leaned closer and spoke for about five more minutes. Only when they realized the match was about to begin did they finally turn and head back toward the rest area.

Ye Zheng pushed open the door. She’d already told Wu Shu the most likely location where the Deep Blue Giant Eel would appear, as well as the people who needed special attention.

Ye Zheng knew her battlefield wasn’t in the match to kill the giant eel.

She entered one step behind Wu Shu, turned to close the door, and suddenly came face to face with a mirror.

There was also a mirror hanging on the door.