184: Chapter 184 Rules of the Exchange Competition

When the sound of water in the bathroom stopped, Tang Zhiwei stiffened all over.

She sat on the edge of the bed, her hands gripping her skirt tightly, her knuckles turning slightly white from the force.

Even though she had thought about it countless times before coming here.

Isn't it just like this?

The Tang Family doesn't have many choices left now.

The Qin Family is willing to extend a hand to help the Tang Family, but the price is to let her get close to Lu Cheng, and then ruin Lu Cheng's reputation...

But when this moment truly arrived.

The sound of the bathroom door being pushed open rang out.

Tang Zhiwei's shoulders still couldn't help but tremble slightly.

Lu Cheng had really taken a shower.

His hair was still a bit damp, and water droplets fell from the tips of his hair, landing on his shoulders.

He had changed into a clean black short-sleeved shirt from the system space, and his whole appearance looked less lazy than usual, with an added sense of indescribable oppression.

Tang Zhiwei looked up at him.

Then she tried hard to force a smile.

"Brother Lu..."

Lu Cheng stood at the doorway and looked at her for two seconds without speaking.

The air in the room was excessively quiet.

Tang Zhiwei's breathing became disordered little by little.

She had originally thought she could hold on.

At least she could smile and say a few ambiguous words, at least she could suppress all her fear like she had before coming here.

But when Lu Cheng walked toward her step by step, she realized that she wasn't as strong as she had imagined at all.

The mattress sank slightly as Lu Cheng sat down.

Tang Zhiwei subconsciously shrank back a little.

Lu Cheng looked at her, his tone very calm.

"Didn't you come here yourself?"

Tang Zhiwei's lips moved.

"I..."

Lu Cheng leaned over slightly.

Tang Zhiwei tensed up instantly, her eyelashes trembling violently.

She had clearly prepared herself.

But at this moment, fear still surged up from the bottom of her heart without warning.

It wasn't fear of Lu Cheng.

It was fear for her own fate.

She suddenly felt like a bargaining chip placed on the table, pushed out by the Tang Family, used by the Qin Family, and delivered by her own hands to someone else.

She didn't even know if she still had the qualifications to say "No".

Lu Cheng watched her reaction, his eyes sinking slightly.

Tang Zhiwei tried hard to look up, wanting to maintain her smile.

But tears fell first.

One drop.

Two drops.

She hurriedly raised her hand to wipe them, but the more she wiped, the more there were. Finally, she lowered her head, her shoulders trembling slightly.

"I'm sorry..."

Her voice was choked with sobs.

"I didn't... I didn't mean to cry..."

Lu Cheng watched her for a long time.

The words he had originally prepared to continue scaring her suddenly couldn't be said.

He stood up.

Tang Zhiwei was stunned for a moment and looked up at him, her eyes very red.

Lu Cheng didn't approach her again, just turned and walked toward the door.

When he reached the door, he paused.

"Acting like a fool, letting yourself be used as a gun for others..."

With those words, the door was closed.

The room quieted down again.

Tang Zhiwei sat on the edge of the bed, but her tears couldn't be stopped no matter what.

She covered her face with both hands, curling up little by little.

"I don't want to either..."

Her voice was so small it was almost inaudible.

"But what about the Tang Family..."

The Tang Family is currently weak.

The elders in the family only know how to quarrel, only know how to fight, and only know how to place all their hopes on her.

The Qin Family is willing to help, but the Qin Family isn't doing charity.

What they want is for the Tang Family to owe them a favor.

It is also to borrow her hand to drag Lu Cheng into this game.

Tang Zhiwei knew this was despicable.

Of course she knew.

But if she did nothing, the Tang Family might really be torn apart bit by bit from the circle of noble families in the Imperial Capital.

She cried for a long time.

Crying until her throat was hoarse, crying until her eyes were sore.

Finally, she leaned against the edge of the bed, looking at the empty doorway, revealing a smile that was uglier than crying.

"Lu Cheng..."

"Why do you have to be so smart..."

Early the next morning.

Imperial Capital Central Training Ground.

The training ground was very large.

The ground was paved with special black alloy bricks, transparent protective walls rose all around, and in the distance, dozens of Source Energy Puppets stood quietly in the standby area, the crystal cores in their chests flashing on and off, like a group of monsters that hadn't opened their eyes yet.

Lu Cheng had just followed Shen Guhong into the venue, still holding the Little Spirit Fox in his arms.

The next second, a light purple figure suddenly rushed over.

Tang Zhiwei grabbed Lu Cheng's arm.

The movement was as natural as if nothing had happened yesterday.

"Brother Lu!"

She tilted her face up, smiling sweetly.

"Thank you, Brother Lu, for showing me around the Imperial Capital yesterday!"

The entire training ground went quiet for a moment.

Heavenly King Lin carried his giant axe, his expression subtle.

Gu Changqing looked over silently.

The runic pen in Xu Xinglan's hand stopped, and her eyes instantly became meaningful.

Ye Beihan watched for two seconds, then lowered his head to drink water.

Lu Cheng: "..."

He looked down at Tang Zhiwei.

He didn't expect that she would still dare to continue doing this kind of thing so blatantly.

But what was strange was.

Today, Seeking Good Fortune and Avoiding Bad Luck had no reaction.

In other words, at least for now, she wasn't planning to harm him.

Lu Cheng narrowed his eyes.

"Haven't you given up yet?"

Tang Zhiwei blinked, a sweet and innocent smile appearing on her face.

"What are you saying, Brother Lu?"

"I don't understand."

Lu Cheng looked at her.

She was dressed very normally today, in a light combat uniform, and there were no messy things hidden in her cuffs.

At least in his perception, there was no danger.

But this girl's action of holding his arm was even bolder than yesterday.

The soft sensation pressed against him through the clothing, and Lu Cheng's arm was almost held in her embrace.

The Little Spirit Fox was sitting on Lu Cheng's other arm and was instantly dissatisfied.

"Ying!"

It barked at Tang Zhiwei, its tail even fluffed up a bit.

Tang Zhiwei looked down at it and smiled even more sweetly.

"Good morning to you too, Little Fox."

The Little Spirit Fox: "Ying!"

It's not early at all!

Lu Cheng ignored the undercurrents between the girl and the fox, just saying indifferently:

"I checked it out after I went back yesterday."

The smile on Tang Zhiwei's face did not change.

Lu Cheng looked at her.

"The situation doesn't seem very good right now."

Tang Zhiwei's smile finally stiffened imperceptibly.

Although it was only for a split second, Lu Cheng saw it.

He continued:

"Let me guess."

"Who came up with this trick behind the scenes?"

"The Qin Family?"

As soon as these two words were out, the fingers of Tang Zhiwei holding Lu Cheng's arm tightened significantly.

The smile on her face was still there, but it became somewhat stiff.

"What are you saying, Brother Lu?"

"I just admire you too much."

She looked up, her voice light.

"Especially after yesterday."

This sentence sounded very ambiguous.

The eyes of the people around them became even more strange.

But what Lu Cheng saw was not ambiguity... it was begging.

Tang Zhiwei's eyes were begging him.

Begging him not to continue.

She could continue to pretend.

She could be misunderstood by others.

She could let everyone think she was interested in Lu Cheng.

But if the matter between the Tang Family and the Qin Family was exposed in public, she would truly have no way out.

Lu Cheng was silent for a second.

This Tang Family had no backbone at all.

Actually letting a girl come out to do this kind of thing.

He looked down at Tang Zhiwei.

"Perform however you like outside."

"However, if I feel that you have any dangerous intentions..."

His voice was very light.

Only Tang Zhiwei could hear clearly.

"You will know the consequences."

The smile on Tang Zhiwei's face became sweet again.

"What are you saying, Brother Lu?"

"I don't understand."

She hugged even tighter.

Lu Cheng faintly felt the soft sensation coming from his arm, and his expression suddenly couldn't hold up.

This girl really knew how to act.

The Little Spirit Fox was so angry it barked again.

"Ying!"

Tang Zhiwei, however, acted as if she hadn't heard, instead smilingly looking at Lu Cheng.

Just as Lu Cheng wanted to pull his hand out, Academic Director Zhao Mingshan's voice already rang out in the center of the training ground.

"Since everyone is here, let's begin."

Everyone then withdrew their gazes.

Academic Director Zhao Mingshan stood in front of the tactical projection table, and the light screen unfolded.

Shen Guhong stood to the side, still looking like he didn't care about anything.

Academic Director Zhao Mingshan said:

"Today, we will mainly talk about the events for this exchange competition."

"Listen to the rules clearly first, don't just fight randomly when you get on the field."

Heavenly King Lin carried his axe.

"I can win even fighting randomly."

Xu Xinglan glanced at him.

"You'd better not be so confident in the rule-based matches."

Academic Director Zhao Mingshan looked at Heavenly King Lin.

"If you lose points, I will personally hang you at the gate of Imperial Capital No. 1 High School to be displayed to the public."

Heavenly King Lin fell silent.

Lu Cheng suddenly felt that this bald director had a lot of deterrent power in student management.

The first item appeared on the light screen.

[Item 1: Puppet Performance Match]

Academic Director Zhao Mingshan said:

"The first item is a performance match."

"All members from each country will enter the field at the same time, killing Source Energy Puppets within a designated area within a ten-minute time limit."

"The maximum number of puppets online in the venue at the same time is one hundred."

"Each time one is eliminated, the system will immediately replenish one."

"After ten minutes, the ranking will be based on the total number of kills by each team."

"This item tests comprehensive clearing ability, sustained output ability, and team cooperation."

Academic Director Zhao Mingshan continued to switch the light screen.

[Item 2: Arena Points Match]

"The second item is an arena match."

"Each member has one right to defend the arena, three rights to challenge, and three rights to be challenged."

"If the challenge is successful, the challenger gains three points."

"If the challenge fails, the challenger loses two points."

"The opposite applies to the one being challenged."

"If someone uses the right to defend the arena, the remaining members will stop challenging other targets and can challenge the arena defender without limit."

"The arena defender gains two points for each successful defense."

"Failure to defend the arena results in a deduction of five points."

"The person who successfully defeats the arena defender gets an additional five points."

Heavenly King Lin's eyes lit up.

"That means, I can keep defending?"

Academic Director Zhao Mingshan looked at him.

"Yes."

Heavenly King Lin grinned.

Gu Changqing also raised his head.

Xu Xinglan covered her forehead.

"It's over."

"These martial arts maniacs have already started thinking about how to stay on the stage and not come down."

Tang Zhiwei was still holding Lu Cheng's arm, smiling softly:

"Brother Lu should also be very suitable for defending the arena, right?"

Lu Cheng looked at her.

"Let go of your hand first."

Tang Zhiwei's smile was sweet.

"No."

The Little Spirit Fox: "Ying!!"

Academic Director Zhao Mingshan took a deep breath, pretended not to see the situation here, and continued to explain the third item.

[Item 3: Simulated Ruin Exploration]

"The third item is Simulated Ruin Exploration."

"Teams from each country will enter a simulated ruin venue."

"Points are earned by killing exotic beasts, cracking mechanisms, finding dropped items, and completing hidden tasks."

"This item is the closest to real ruin operations, and it is also the most critical item this time."

Speaking of this, Academic Director Zhao Mingshan's tone became more serious.

"You should all know that this exchange competition is more important than in previous years."

"The reason is simple."

"A restricted-level ruin has appeared in the high seas area."

"Currently, preliminary judgment is that only those at the Hua Hai Realm and below can enter."

The training ground went quiet.

Academic Director Zhao Mingshan continued:

"Letting first-year students decide some of the authority is not because the higher-ups are playing games."

"It is because those who can truly enter the ruins all need to prepare for the ruin exploration next."

"They cannot expend too much energy on preliminary exchanges and quota contention."

"Therefore, each country uses the performance of the younger generation to decide the allocation of resources on the periphery of the ruins and some exploration authority."

"The reason why the Tianlan Ancient Kingdom is sending people out this time is also because they are very interested in this ruin."