The freshman orientation hall was packed, but with this appearance that even Pei Su would barely recognize, Qi Dengzui didn’t reveal his identity.
In the sea of consciousness, a small white orb wobbled a little bean sprout and poked the black orb beside it: “Brother Qi, don’t be angry.”
A delicate blue flower twisted lightly, flicking away the little green sprout in front of it.
Guan Si poked again: “Brother Qi, I really didn’t mean to deceive you, truly, I don’t know why I got this weapon either.”
Qi Dengzui still ignored him.
Guan Si coughed, squeezing his voice: “Brother Qi, your little Guan sends you an apology.”
The corner of Qi Dengzui’s mouth lifted slightly: “Rejected.”
Guan Si drew a heart on the orb: “Your little Guan sends you a heart, please accept.”
Qi Dengzui: “Refusing to accept.”
The bean sprout wilted: “Brother Qi, I really know I was wrong.”
Qi Dengzui asked him: “Wrong where? I’ll give you time to reflect properly.”
Guan Si immediately began to reflect: “I shouldn’t have lied to you, I shouldn’t have hidden it from you, I shouldn’t have secretly bound the weapon behind your back.”
Qi Dengzui suddenly asked: “How many times did you spit blood?”
“What?” Guan Si was startled, recalling, and realized he’d been spitting blood the whole way, not knowing how many times at all, “Two, times?”
“Is that so?”
Guan Si felt a bit guilty: “Maybe… maybe three times.”
Qi Dengzui flicked the bean sprout on the white orb’s head, his voice unreadable: “Guan Si, do you think you’re a nine-tailed fox? That you have so many lives to play with?”
“Brother Qi.” Guan Si’s heart stirred, as if he finally understood why Qi Dengzui was angry.
Qi Dengzui continued: “If you can’t win, you can run. You could take down those nurses, was it really that hard to hold on until I woke up? You had to throw your life away like that. Guan Si, I never noticed, but you really enjoy suffering, don’t you?”
These words weren’t polite, nor were they gentle, but Guan Si could feel Qi Dengzui’s underlying concern for him.
He decided to smooth his Brother Qi’s feathers first at a critical moment, coaxing Qi Dengzui was the top priority.
Guan Si said: “I understand, Brother Qi. It’s all my fault. Don’t be angry. I won’t do it next time. Next time there’s danger, I’ll definitely leave the battlefield to you!”
Like hell I will.
O.o
I’ll do it again next time.
Qi Dengzui didn’t know Guan Si’s inner thoughts. Hearing Guan Si admit his mistake so sincerely, he couldn’t keep a cold face and could only say: “Go report first.”
Guan Si: “Mm.”
The two arrived at the registration desk, where many notices were posted, basically introducing most of the content of the Paranormal Academy.
[Team Battle Introduction]
Within three exams, candidates must join a team; otherwise, the system will automatically match you with one.
A team consists of four positions:
The main attack position, specializing in output and instant kills.
The main defense position, specializing in defense and immunity.
The support position, specializing in healing and buffs.
The tactical position, specializing in crowd control and breaking formations.
After the third exam, a 1v3 “fair” team battle will begin. Each team sends one member as the attacker (usually the main attack position), while the remaining three members serve as defenders, battling it out to determine the winner.
In other words, that careless Pei Su would pick people based on appearance alone. If he chose a useless pretty face with no real skill, he’d be handing victory to the opponent, practically begging them to win easily, pure troll behavior that would get him flamed on the forums.
Of course, because it’s a 1v3 format, if the main attack position is chosen well, they could even single-handedly turn the tide and change the final outcome of the entire team battle.
Back in the day, the Weixue team dominated the team battle rankings. Their main attack position was the No. 1 at the time, so strong he was practically a monster.
Except for No. 2, who could put up a fight, almost everyone else in that period was crushed by him.
As for the rest of their team a No. 3 and a No. 4 they were also elites among elites. Apart from the newcomer who joined last and dragged them down, the entire Weixue team was nearly invincible.
A book hung in front of the registration desk, its pages flipping noisily, golden text emerging above it:
[Candidate Qi Dengzui/Guan Si, your next exam will be in: 30 days.]
Other new students had already started whispering: “Damn, it really is like a monthly exam in high school. One exam a month, why torture us like this?”
“Yeah, what can you even do in a month? Are we just supposed to stay in this academy? We’ll grow moss.”
[Distributing the Paranormal Academy map to candidates.]
[Delivered to your backpack, please check.]
Qi Dengzui opened it and saw that the academy had everything. The upper left of the academy was the activity center. Tapping it brought up a description mentioning that the activity center changes its event every 30 days that is, every exam cycle. The current event was actually the underground arena.
Arena?
This piqued Qi Dengzui’s interest. He tapped the location on the map with his fingertip. “Let’s go check it out.”
The underground arena operated on a betting + PK model. Spectators wagered on whether the fighters on stage would win or lose. If a fighter won, they would receive half of the losing bettors’ stakes, while the winning bettors would also claim the other half.
The losing fighter suffered no direct loss, but since the bettors who backed them lost everything, the fighter inevitably had to endure their resentment.
The Occult Academy did have a rule prohibiting “violent behavior on campus,” but rules were rigid while people were flexible. As long as you were strong enough to evade the campus system’s surveillance, you could do whatever you pleased.
So much so that there had been a case where a fighter, after losing an arena match, was ambushed and killed by bettors on the way back to the dormitory.
By the time Qi Dengzui arrived at the underground arena, the person on stage had just defeated his opponent. The fighter wore a ferocious mask with bared fangs and held a horsetail whisk in his hand like a ghost, yet like a Buddha. With a slight flick of the whisk, he sent his opponent flying off the stage several meters away.
“Xie Jun! Xie Jun!”
The crowd below erupted in cheers.
“This is Xie Jun’s second time on stage this month. Every time Xie Jun goes up, you bet on him winning for sure. Even though the odds are low, a bet means a win. So satisfying.”
“I really want to join Xie Jun’s team, but he seems to have his team hidden. Ugh.”
The one respectfully called “Xie Jun” descended from the stage amid the crowd of bettors. His brow shifted slightly, and his gaze suddenly landed on Qi Dengzui.
Qi Dengzui watched him walk straight over, then offer a salute that was neither fully ghost-path nor Buddhist. His voice was low and pleasant: “Want to spar with me?”
Qi Dengzui curled his lips and drained the wine from his cup in one gulp. The red wine trickled down his slender neck and into his chest, leaving behind an ambiguous, sensual red trail.
He tilted his head back and laughed. “You’re strong, so why would I fight you?”
Xie Jun naturally drew attention on his own, and with Qi Dengzui’s striking appearance, a large crowd of onlookers gathered in an instant.
“Who is this? So handsome. Want to ask him out.”
“Ahhh, so hot. Is he a freshman? Does he like guys or girls? Damn, did he just glance over here? I’m about to lose it.”
“Seriously? He’s right there in front of you. Keep your voices down, restrain yourselves. This isn’t a no-man’s land.”
Xie Jun remained unfazed. “Because I consider you my opponent. Isn’t it natural for opponents to spar from time to time?”
Qi Dengzui said, “If you want to fight me, shouldn’t you at least introduce yourself?”
The man swept his whisk. “Xie Buyu.”
“Xie Buyu?” Qi Dengzui said. “I’m not fighting you.”
Hearing this, Xie Buyu smiled. “Why?”
Qi Dengzui said flatly, “Just don’t feel like it.”
Xie Buyu paused for a moment, then offered another salute. His bearing and manner stood in stark contrast to his terrifying, monstrous appearance. “Your personality is truly interesting. But I prefer opponents like you so I can defeat them.”
The whisk in his hand suddenly stirred, as if a powerful gust of wind had swept through it. His white hair merged with the whisk, forming a stark contrast against the black robes embroidered with golden threads.
“Qi Dengzui, until we meet again.”
With a flick of the whisk, Xie Buyu vanished from the underground hall.
He knew Qi Dengzui’s identity.
“Guan Si?”
Guan Si responded, “Brother Qi, what’s wrong?”
Qi Dengzui asked him, “Why are you spacing out?”
Guan Si shook his head. “Just thinking about his identity. He actually knew who you are, Brother Qi.”
Qi Dengzui said, “Seems this so-called face-swapping mechanism for freshman exams isn’t so foolproof after all.”
“Every system has loopholes; nothing is perfect.” Guan Si said, “Brother Qi, want to go up and fight a match?”
“No need.” Qi Dengzui looked at the spot where Xie Buyu had just disappeared. “I’ve made an interesting acquaintance, so it wasn’t a wasted trip. Let’s go check out Pei Su’s dorm.”
“Nothing good ever comes from sudden kindness. Spit it out, what’s your agenda?” Pei Su leaned against the dorm door with his arms crossed, negotiating with He Zhu.
He Zhu said, “We’ve already survived an exam together. We both know each other’s strength by now. Isn’t it only natural that I join your team?”
Pei Su shook his head. Even though he’d already decided to recruit He Zhu, he couldn’t resist the urge to tease him. “But you don’t meet the team’s requirements.”
“What requirements?”
Pei Su pointed at him. “Looks.”
He Zhu: “…”
He Zhu’s expression darkened. “In the dungeon, it was ‘Brother He’ this and ‘Brother He’ that, saying you’d die with me, be a pair of wild mandarin ducks, and have me guard your path. Now that we’re out of the dungeon, you’re turning your back on me? Pei Su, you sure know how to play around.”
Pei Su said with complete confidence, “What about me? Romance is only human nature. I’m just that kind of person.”
“Fine.” He Zhu’s face turned ashen. He slammed the door shut and left.
Qi Dengzui watched him storming off in a fury and asked Pei Su, “What did you do to him? How’d you get him this worked up?”
Pei Su’s mood was utterly unruffled: “He’s just reading too much into things. I only said a few casual words. Over these past few exams, I’ve flirted with at least eight or ten people he’s the only one who took it seriously.”
Guan Si, a staunch believer in pure love, chimed in, “Brother Qi, don’t ever learn from him. Someone like him is bound to crash and burn sooner or later!”
Qi Dengzui hummed in acknowledgment and asked Pei Su, “So what’s your plan then? Is He Zhu still coming to your team?”
Pei Su said, “Of course he is. All his stuff is with me, how’s he going to leave? Don’t worry, he’ll be back before long. I’ve got plenty of experience with this.”
Qi Dengzui: “…”
Something was fishy here.
Hadn’t they only known each other for the span of one dungeon? How were they already all lovey-dovey and teasing each other?
Could it be that they’d secretly gotten together in the exam hall behind his back?
That fast?! Pei Su’s speed was absolutely astonishing.
No wonder he was someone who could make even a female ghost fall for him. Qi Dengzui conceded defeat. “What position is He Zhu?”
“Main defense. I’m a formation mage, so naturally I’m the tactical position. You’re this strong at fighting, so you’re perfect for main offense. As for the support position, there’s no rush, we can take our time finding someone.”
“What about me?” Guan Si suddenly piped up from some unnoticed corner.
Pei Su said with confusion, “You’re Qi Dengzui’s secondary personality you’re the same person as him. He’s main offense, so you are too. Why split hairs over ‘you’ and ‘me’?”
Guan Si said, “I could do support.”
Pei Su said irritably, “Last exam, if it weren’t for your existence, the system wouldn’t have failed to detect you, losing one examinee and needlessly increasing the dungeon’s difficulty. Unless you split off from Qi the beauty, there’s no way you could be support. Even if your abilities are greater, you and Qi Dengzui ultimately share one body there’s no time to spare.”
Guan Si tried to speak again, but Pei Su cut him off: “Alright, alright, little beauty, just stick with Qi Dengzui. We’ll leave support open for now and find someone slowly.”
Guan Si: “…”
The nickname “little beauty” left him thoroughly scorched, and he couldn’t help but reflect that Pei Su’s habit of casually handing out nicknames and forcing familiarity really needed to change, or one day he’d tumble into a gutter and come out covered in mud.
Sure enough, He Zhu returned before long. His anger hadn’t fully subsided, but he was in much better shape than before.
Guan Si had to admire Pei Su’s ability to read and manipulate people. He Zhu was completely wrapped around his finger. If it were him, there was no way he’d have the nerve to come back he’d just leave his luggage behind and never look back.
After clearing out a spare meeting room, the four of them gathered together to discuss the team’s future development.
Before they left, He Zhu asked, “Qi Dengzui, has your weapon shown up yet?”
Qi Dengzui opened his inventory and saw that the spot that had previously displayed “???” now showed a glazed glass fan.
“A glazed fan?” Pei Su said, puzzled. “There was nothing like that in the asylum. The only thing even remotely related would be that white porcelain vase, but porcelain and glass can’t be compared, they’re completely different materials. How could your signature weapon be a glazed fan? That’s really strange.”
Qi Dengzui said, “Maybe a signature weapon doesn’t necessarily have to come from something in the exam hall.”
Pei Su shook his head. “Impossible. No one’s signature weapon has ever been anything other than something manifested from the exam hall. Unless the glazed fan is connected to some other hidden test in the asylum?”
He asked, “Have you used the fan yet?”
“No.” Qi Dengzui manifested the fan and said, “The weapon just appeared, so I haven’t tested it yet.”
He gripped the glazed fan in his hand, the glass material felt smooth and pleasant to the touch. Honestly, in terms of weapon quality, he’d come out ahead, since if he’d had to pick a weapon from the asylum, he’d more likely have gotten a ceramic fan rather than a crystal-clear glazed one.
The glazed fan wasn’t opened. It slid in a circle in his hand, then shot out rapidly, slamming into the glass across the meeting room. With a loud crash, the glazed fan emerged completely unharmed, and along its flight path, it flew straight back into Qi Dengzui’s hand, while the glass in the room opposite had shattered into pieces across the floor.
The glazed fan was indeed terrifyingly powerful.
Qi Dengzui then opened the fan, and it let out a crisp sound. He realized the fan paper wasn’t made of ordinary material either, it was a special kind of fabric that was not only extremely tough but also incredibly thin, like a razor blade, as if it could slice straight through a person’s blood vessels, sending a chill down anyone’s spine.
In a certain sense, his weapon was indeed somewhat similar to Guan Si’s skull-and-bone white umbrella, both were simple everyday items concealing deadly mechanisms, hiding killing implements like blades or spikes within.
Guan Si’s voice carried a note of cheerfulness: “Brother Qi, congratulations on getting your signature weapon.”
Qi Dengzui asked, “Can you use my weapon?”
Guan Si shook his head. “Probably not.”
Qi Dengzui said drunkenly, “Next time you switch bodies, you should try it. Or… tell me how you summon the Skeleton Bone Umbrella, and I’ll give it a try.”
Guan Si’s heart skipped a beat, inexplicably sensing the deeper meaning behind the words.
Guan Si knew that Qi Dengzui had never stopped suspecting him. From the very beginning, when he first appeared, Qi Dengzui didn’t believe he was his alternate personality, because no alternate personality would grow weaker upon switching, to the point where the entire body became frail and feeble.
And after entering this insane asylum exam, Qi Dengzui’s suspicion of him had only intensified.
The missing examinee, the extra weapon, everything pointed to one fact, Guan Si was likely not Qi Dengzui’s alternate personality.