Chapter 189

Chapter 189 However, his pale skin wasn’t natural—it stemmed from expending vast Mental Energy. After a moment, the yellow-haired girl suddenly realized: "Have you already used your Ability?" She couldn’t fathom why he’d do nothing otherwise—surely he wasn’t planning to lose from the start? And Su Bei’s complexion was unnaturally pale, lips too, not a healthy pallor but one suggesting excessive Mental Energy use. Su Bei, still earnest, replied: "Yeah." Her expression froze. First, she hadn’t expected such blunt honesty—he answered whatever she asked. Second, knowing his Ability was [Destiny Gear], where had he applied it? Feeling uneasy, she shouted: "Quick, get him—" Before she finished, Su Bei lunged, attacking her. They were close, and his explosive force was strong. In a few moves, he threw her off the stage, leaving her no time to react. Stunned below, she yelled up in frustration: "Didn’t you say your physical skills were bad?" At the stage’s edge, Su Bei looked sincerely apologetic, but his words were cutting: "Sorry, I didn’t expect you to be this weak." "Tch! Who’re you calling weak? If you hadn’t snuck up, how could I lose so fast?" she fumed, though sportsmanlike enough not to warn her teammates from below. Her tirade continued: "My physical skills are—" "Watch out!" Jiang Tianming’s anxious voice came from behind Su Bei. But Su Bei, with his Mental Energy always active, sensed the anomaly, dodging the brown-haired senior’s lunge and kicking him off the stage effortlessly. "Sigh, I tried drawing his attention," the yellow-haired senior sighed, helping her teammate up. The brown-haired senior was helpless: "He reacted too fast, like he knew I was sneaking up." Su Bei on the stage just smiled silently. Meanwhile, the black-haired senior, trading blows with Lan Subing—her [Void] countering [Word Spirit]—was distracted by the commotion. Battle-savvy Lan Subing seized the moment, unleashing two [Word Spirits], sending her off the stage. Only the blue-haired senior remained against the full junior team. Meng Huai clapped, ending the match: "Enough, it’s decided. Get down." "Teacher, I can still—" the blue-haired senior protested. Meng Huai, impatient, cut him off: "Still what? Get down!" His authority was immense. The senior composed himself, descending coldly. The senior team looked displeased—understandable, as losing to juniors stung. Meng Huai sneered at their reaction: "Hmph, feeling bad now? Weren’t you all smug earlier, not using your brains?" Pointing at them, he scolded: "Regressing in your second year, huh? I’ll have a word with your teacher about how you’re trained!" Turning to Su Bei’s group, who looked pleased after their win, he said: "Pretty happy, huh?" They quickly sobered, knowing Meng Huai’s lecture was coming. Smiling now risked targeting. Winning didn’t exempt them from criticism—Meng Huai’s style, which they were used to. "I know how you won," he said, eyeing Su Bei with a half-smile, then the group. "But their carelessness doesn’t mean real opponents will be. Betting everything on one person will only lead to total loss." Summarizing their strategy, he focused on Su Bei: "Your issue: if I’m right, altering five people’s fates drained most of your Mental Energy, didn’t it? Can what’s left support another Ability use?" Normally, Su Bei’s pale face hid Mental Energy depletion. Being noticeably pale meant severe exhaustion. Su Bei shook his head honestly. The plot demanded their loss, so altering plot characters’ fates took extra Mental Energy. With their pointers scattered, he adjusted each individually, consuming even more. "If Huang Jiaqing had fought you directly, without your Ability, she’d have noticed something off. If she called others to gang up on you, could you protect yourself?" Su Bei, unfazed, replied: "No, but wasn’t our tactic four protecting one?" Implying if the four couldn’t shield him, it wasn’t his fault. Though shirking responsibility, he wasn’t wrong. He’d taken the burden of ousting their opponents; protecting him was their job. If he had to protect himself, what were they for? Su Bei wasn’t the lecture’s focus. Meng Huai pivoted, blasting the others: "He had his role, but you? Each took one opponent, leaving one for Su Bei? Can’t find your place?" Jiang Tianming’s four couldn’t escape the barrage. Meng Huai wasn’t just scolding—his points were valid. Though berated, they took it quietly, knowing he was right. They soon realized he went easy on them. His tirade against Qi Huang’s five was a tempest—his tone with Jiang Tianming’s group seemed gentle by comparison. "You’re sly," Huang Jiaqing said, sidling up to Su Bei, having caught his deflection. She’d thought he was only infuriating to enemies, but he treated everyone equally. Su Bei, denying her assessment, said earnestly: "I just sincerely want them to improve." Only a fool would buy that. Huang Jiaqing didn’t press, asking what mattered: "Teacher said our loss was because of you. Was it [Destiny Gear]?" When assigned to train S-Class first-years, they’d researched the tri-school team. The juniors were secretive, with only surface Abilities known. Jiang Tianming was rumored to have multiple Abilities, but specifics eluded them—understandable, as most didn’t know. Su Bei was odder. His Ability was known, but its mechanics weren’t. Everyone called him mysterious—he always got his way, true to Destiny Track’s reputation. They didn’t underestimate him. After Huang Jiaqing’s main role, she watched him to prevent Ability use. Her teammates, though occupied, would’ve rushed Su Bei if she signaled. But his calm demeanor fooled her—she didn’t notice his Ability use, as she’d watched him from the start. Even their loss initially seemed like carelessness to her, not Su Bei’s doing, until Meng Huai pointed it out. "If I say it wasn’t, would you believe me?" Su Bei asked, seemingly genuinely curious. Huang Jiaqing’s mouth twitched, admitting: "No." Su Bei gave a polite smile, his silence speaking louder than words—why ask if you don’t believe? As they bantered awkwardly, Meng Huai finished scolding, telling them to reflect and dismissing them. He turned to Zhao Xiaoyu’s four: "Want a go?" "No, no," Zhao Xiaoyu refused. All jokes aside, could they handle those Abilities? Her Ability barely harmed humans, Feng Lan’s prophecies offered no arena edge, and Mu Tieren’s strength was inconsistent. They’d be easy pickings. Meng Huai didn’t push, nodding them off. The others seized the chance to slip away with Zhao Xiaoyu’s group, avoiding more criticism. Back in class, silence reigned. Someone sighed, sparking a chain of sighs. Mu Tieren, as an observer, spoke fairly: "Honestly, you had zero teamwork." His usual tact made such bluntness striking, showing how disjointed they were. Meng Huai had already scolded them, and now Mu Tieren’s words made Wu Mingbai sigh: "No teamwork instinct." They’d fought solo before. The five in Jiang Tianming and Ai Baozhu’s groups had some synergy, but split and mixed with others, they had none. Qi Huang, sitting remorsefully, owned her mistake. One of the few who could’ve saved others, she didn’t react, aware that her error was glaring. "Let’s practice outside of class," she suggested. "At home, others adjusted to me, so I’m not used to adjusting. More practice should help." "I was too slow," Wu Mingbai admitted. "If I’d filled the rifts first, it’d have been better." His instinct was self-preservation, delaying aid. Fine individually, but a team error. Mo Xiaotian scratched his head: "I... didn’t think you’d fall. Sorry, I’ll think more next time." Everyone: "..." Classic Mo Xiaotian. Li Shu and Wu Jin exchanged glances. Knocked out early, they had little to do with the match. Their mental Abilities had no counter, and with unhelpful teammates, they fell first. But they weren’t blameless. Everyone knew seizing the initiative was key. Their preemptive Abilities should’ve struck first, like Huang Jiaqing’s [Cataclysm], leaving no reaction time. Too slow, they took hits. Knowing they’d fall, they didn’t seek allies. If the mountain wouldn’t come, they should’ve gone to it. Hugging a teammate’s leg was smart when countered, but they didn’t think of it. After their apologies, it was Jiang Tianming’s group’s turn. Meng Huai’s critique was spot-on—they should’ve ensured Su Bei’s safety, not assumed he could handle it, letting Huang Jiaqing approach him. It was poor team awareness. Despite planning, they fought individually, just pre-assigning opponents. Had they united, they might’ve locked down the seniors, keeping them from Su Bei. Tough, as the seniors’ teamwork outclassed theirs—group fighting would’ve favored the seniors, possibly exposing Su Bei’s role. Their tactic wasn’t wrong, aided by the seniors’ overconfidence, likely underestimating first-years, giving ample openings. Had the seniors not tested their individual skills, opting for 1v1s, Jiang Tianming’s group wouldn’t have lasted. Meng Huai’s fury at the seniors was justified—a sure win lost to carelessness deserved a scolding. No one truly won—everyone got an equal thrashing from Meng Huai. Meng Huai was perhaps the real victor. Su Bei took less heat, his performance nearly flawless. But despite his nonchalance, he reflected. Teamwork was his weak point too, and unlike most, his Ability wasn’t team-friendly. How to coordinate? Have teammates act identically for uniform pointers? Or force opponents into the same pose for easier adjustments? That was laughable! Not just him—among the ten competitors, Wu Jin studied solo too. His [Succubus] Ability was hard to control, risking teammate ensnarement if unleashed. But they differed. Wu Jin suited preemptive strikes, turning 5v5 into 6v4. Su Bei was better behind the scenes, tweaking pointers safely. Frontline fighting? Fine without Abilities, but aggressive Ability use left him exposed. Yet both were on the team, making teamwork crucial. Su Bei’s dilemma was how [Destiny Gear] could mesh with teammates—or should he just coordinate Gear attacks, staying solo otherwise? Sighing, he rubbed his brow, exasperated. No need to obsess. If teamwork was needed, battles would reveal it. If not, no need to force conformity. His persona allowed solo play, just putting more pressure on the protagonist group. As long as he maximized his Ability, he was a good teammate. Though they resolved to improve teamwork, it wasn’t easy. Like math, determination didn’t guarantee success. Teamwork often meant reining in egos, but powerful Abilities bred strong egos. All ten wanted to shine. The two Attack Tracks craved full output, the two Control Tracks wanted to dictate, Defense Track Abilities disrupted others, Support Tracks were ignored, and Special Tracks like Su Bei and Li Shu needed no coordination. Divided, they ruled; united, they crumbled. Outside teamwork, training went smoothly. The academy’s scientific, safe, effective regimen showed results. In a month, their physical fitness and reflexes visibly improved. Team battles remained the biggest hurdle. Further spars with the seniors ended in crushing defeats. Post-scolding, the seniors went all-out, leaving no openings. As last year’s tri-school team, their strength was undeniable. Jiang Tianming’s group matched their experience but lagged in fitness and coordination, losing repeatedly. The seniors had a system: [Cataclysm] and [Extreme Ice] shaped favorable terrain—tsunamis, quakes, miasma—paired with [Death Gaze]’s near-death sensation, convincing opponents they faced unbeatable disasters. Support and Defense handled the rest—[Void] neutralized enemy Abilities, [Earth Armor] restricted movement. It armored allies lightly and foes heavily with near-defenseless mud armor. Compared to their synergy, Jiang Tianming’s group was scattered, unable to track teammates or aid promptly. Even occasional help risked exposing flaws, hastening defeat. They had teamwork ideas but lacked instinct. After several sessions, Meng Huai decided: "Prepare yourselves. Friday, we’re going out." "An outing?!" Everyone lit up. Since tri-school prep began, they’d been stuck training. Now, freedom thrilled them. Mu Tieren asked the key question: "Where?" "‘Life Tech Machinery Co., Ltd.’s factory. Some of you use their products, right?" Meng Huai glanced at Si Zhaohua. As expected, Si Zhaohua nodded knowingly: "That place. Their products are impressive. Didn’t expect the academy to get us in." Not just him—Feng Lan, Ai Baozhu, and Qi Huang also recognized it, clearly aware of the company. Facing curious gazes, Qi Huang explained: "Think of it as a robot manufacturer for the normal world. Its founder has an Ability to give machines life, like semi-sentient robots." Their surprise stemmed from "Endless Ability Academy" securing such access. As one of three top Ability schools, its prestige and corporate ties made sense.