Chapter Ninety-One: An Unexpected Enemy

That night, Liu Zong lay on his small bed, eyes tightly shut as he began to sense the soul fragment deep within his own spirit. This method was something he had deliberately learned after discovering the existence of a soul fragment within himself.

Under his perception, his soul appeared as a vast violet space, with the soul fragment resembling a sphere about a meter in diameter, positioned at its center.

The surface of the fragment was covered in cracks, each fissure bearing different contents. Liu Zong could only sense the largest fragment at the bottom, from which many violet threads extended, connecting it to other fragments. Yet, in the end, only one fragment was slowly making contact with the main piece Liu Zong could perceive, while the others nearby were still some distance away.

Liu Zong understood this situation well. The bottom portion contained knowledge he could currently access, while the remaining fragments lacked something—some required a higher level, others were missing prerequisite knowledge, and some had lost the intermediate transmission of knowledge altogether.

At first, Liu Zong hadn’t paid much attention to this, but after the incident with Xu Ying, he realized that even knowing the path forward required a wealth of knowledge. Even if he had no intention of fully following the path laid out by the soul fragment, there was still much within it he could learn.

He had already decided: from now on, every time he rested, he would meditate once more, repairing and integrating the soul fragments. This way, when the crucial moment arrived, he wouldn’t be at a loss as to which choice to make.

What Liu Zong didn’t know was that while he was meditating diligently, his four new companions were each contemplating their own affairs.

The next day, when everyone had agreed to meet at the portal on the sports field of Yangcheng City’s Third High School, Liu Zong noticed that each of his companions had undergone some change.

The most striking transformation was in Xu Ying. His hair, which had been golden, was now white—bone-white, not silver. Standing before the group, everyone felt Xu Ying resembled a dying lion, swaying as he walked.

Yet, the more he appeared this way, the less anyone dared underestimate him. This time, Reina was quicker than Lü Shang, pointing directly at Xu Ying and exclaiming, “You’ve changed jobs?”

Xu Ying nodded, covering his mouth. “I succeeded yesterday, but was a bit too hasty. My vitality is a little lacking, but I’ll recover in a few days.”

Liu Zong merely nodded at this. He could see clearly that Xu Ying had made his choice—not only for Level 1, but for Level 2 as well.

Once everyone had gathered, Liu Zong prepared to lead them into the battlefield map. As they approached the portal, a group of people blocked their way.

Liu Zong glanced at them: five in total, including Yuan Yan, who had tried to join his team the previous day but failed.

He didn’t recognize the others, but it was clear that the leader possessed a Level 1 strength. Since they were still in the real world, he likely wasn't in any special profession, and there was no obvious indication of his background.

This was where Lü Shang’s advantages became apparent. Whispering in Liu Zong’s ear, he explained, “These are all from the Student Self-Government Committee. The Level 1 is called Xu Da—his strength is average. The inconspicuous one in the corner, Liu Gu, is the most formidable. He is the direct son of Liu Hanfeng from the Liu family. You know Liu Hanfeng—one of the city’s best hopes for reaching Level 4. Liu Hanfeng spoils him, giving him anything he wants.”

Liu Zong looked at them again, thought for a moment, and prepared to lead his group around them.

Just then, Xu Da spoke up, “What’s this? Looking down on us?”

Liu Zong knew this couldn’t be settled peacefully. If things continued this way, it would negatively affect his team’s morale, so he stepped forward and pointed at Xu Da, saying, “Get out of my way.”

Xu Ying and the others hadn’t expected Liu Zong to speak so bluntly. In their minds, Liu Zong was a quiet, steady, cautious strategist—never impulsive. His reaction stunned everyone present, including the blockers.

Liu Zong offered no further explanation, nor did he pause. Leading his group forward, he declared confidently, “I scheduled this portal slot. The time is almost here. If you don’t move, I’ll turn around and report this to the school.”

Liu Gu scoffed from the side, “Even if you tell the school, it won’t matter. They won’t intervene.”

“Is that so?” Liu Zong returned the disdainful look. “Do you believe that if the school refuses to intervene, I can simply withdraw from the contest? In a month, I’ll qualify for Level 1, and universities will scramble to recruit me. When I leave Yangcheng, who do you think the school will hassle then?”

Hearing this, Liu Gu’s expression soured. Although his father was reputed to be closest to Level 4, he had not achieved that rank. The two principals of Yangcheng Third High were also Level 3, and they had invested enormous effort in preparing for the school's contest.

The task before them was crucial; otherwise, Liu Gu wouldn’t have come personally to block Liu Zong. If Liu Zong truly did as he threatened—left in a month—then not even Liu Hanfeng could prevent the principals from retaliating against Liu Gu.

They wouldn’t need to do anything drastic: just keep Liu Gu stuck at school for ten years, unable to advance his profession. For players with status and background, every day before reaching Level 1 was precious and not to be wasted.

Liu Gu dared not risk Liu Zong’s claim being true. If Liu Zong left as promised in a month, what then?

With this in mind, Liu Gu glared fiercely at Liu Zong and made way, though he remained defiant. “Remember this: you’d better not die in the mission. If you do, your task will land in my hands.”

With that, Liu Gu and his crew turned and left. As they departed, Yuan Yan cast a provocative glance at Yuan Ying.

Once they were gone, Lü Shang remarked, “Liu Gu keeps a low profile at school, but he has a history of snatching others’ tasks. It’s said he has a method to forcibly take over someone else’s mission.”

Liu Zong frowned at this, about to speak, when Reina interjected, “That’s the task transfer technique. When a player fails a mission, certain methods can influence the system’s decision, showing the player is no longer suitable for the task. The mission may then transfer to a nearby player. However, transferring missions requires many conditions, and few are willing to do it.”

Liu Zong gazed in the direction Liu Gu had left, certain in his voice, “If it’s him, he definitely will.”