121: Not applicable to me

Venerable Xuanming's profound gaze lingered on Su Chen for a moment.

As one of the core leaders of the Pangu Project, he naturally knew Su Chen's file, aware that the young man before him was the "Thunder Emperor" who had recently caused a stir in Jiangcheng and been set up as a benchmark by the authorities.

The drone footage captured from high altitude, showing him single-handedly fending off the beast tide, was indeed astonishing, enough to make countless Spirit Sea Realm and even Void God Realm cultivators feel ashamed.

However, in the eyes of a powerhouse like Xuanming, who had long stepped into the Nascent Soul Realm years ago, that level of outburst, perhaps aided by some secret treasure or special fortuitous encounter, was valuable, but not enough to truly move him.

He valued more a person's temperament, potential, and... overall perspective.

At this moment, Su Chen's choice to go solo, in Xuanming's mind, was undoubtedly a display of "solitariness" and "lack of team spirit."

This free-forming team segment was precisely the first hurdle he designed to initially assess these geniuses' leadership, collaborative abilities, and personal charisma. Su Chen's choice caused him to lower his evaluation of him by a notch.

After all, future wars would never be fought by a single person; what was needed were leaders capable of rallying strength.

Out of a desire to cherish talent, and also as an elder's reminder, Venerable Xuanming slowly opened his mouth, his voice calm yet carrying an undeniable weight: "Su Chen, going solo, you may find it difficult to navigate the complex tasks and competitions ahead. I suggest you reconsider and walk alongside like-minded individuals; that is the long-term path."

Su Chen looked up, his gaze calmly meeting Venerable Xuanming's, his tone unwavering, merely stating a fact: "Aren't the rules, to allow free team formation?"

Venerable Xuanming was slightly taken aback; he hadn't expected Su Chen to respond to his suggestion so directly with the rules.

He was silent for a moment, an imperceptible ripple flashing in his ancient eyes, finally nodding: "The rules do indeed allow it."

He paused, his tone taking on a parental admonition, "But beneath the rules, there are also common sense. Su Chen, if you don't listen to an elder's words, you'll suffer losses. Some paths are too difficult to walk alone."

Su Chen responded faintly, his voice clearly echoing through the silent hall:

"Your common sense may be correct. But, it doesn't apply to me."

He paused slightly, then dropped a bombshell that left everyone dumbfounded:

"If this plan absolutely requires forming a team to participate, then I'm withdrawing."

"Whoosh—!"

At this, the entire Qiming Hall completely erupted; although no one dared to speak loudly, the suppressed shock and murmuring surged like a tide.

Everyone looked at Su Chen as if he were a madman.

Who was this person? How dare he contradict Venerable Xuanming like this?!

Venerable Xuanming was already a doyen of the Daoist community even before the spiritual energy resurgence, and now he was a mighty figure of the Nascent Soul Realm, holding an immensely revered status.

His words, to some extent, represented the will of the authorities and the guidance of a powerhouse.

This Su Chen not only rejected a kind reminder but even dared to threaten with "withdrawal"?

Did he think the Pangu Project was just any place? A wet market?

"My goodness... Does he even know what he's saying?"

"He's crazy, absolutely crazy! For the sake of so-called individuality, he's even giving up such a great opportunity?"

"I think he knows his strength is insufficient and is afraid of showing weakness in a team, so he's just finding an excuse to slip away?"

"The competition hasn't even started, and a fool has already eliminated himself." Ye Guyun, holding his long sword, curled his lips in undisguised mockery.

Qian Tong whispered to Zhao Meng and Lin Wenxuan: "What's wrong with this guy? There's no need to butt heads with Elder Xuan!"

Even Jiang Yuning, who had been fiddling with instruments, looked up, pushed up her glasses, and watched Su Chen with interest, as if she had discovered an interesting research subject.

And the young man codenamed "Shadow" still had his eyes closed, but the corner of his mouth seemed to twitch ever so slightly.

Everyone thought that Su Chen's arrogant and ignorant words would inevitably provoke Venerable Xuanming's wrath.

Even if he wasn't directly expelled, he would certainly be punished to curb his arrogance.

However, to everyone's surprise, Venerable Xuanming showed no sign of anger. He simply looked at Su Chen quietly, the light in his eyes, which seemed to penetrate all matters of the world, flowing as if he were re-evaluating something.

A strange silence fell over the hall; everyone held their breath, awaiting Venerable Xuanming's judgment.

A few seconds later, Venerable Xuanming slowly spoke, his voice still calm, but carrying an undeniable decisiveness:

"So be it."

"Since your mind is made up, I will not force you."

"Then, Su Chen, you shall form your own team—the Fifth Team for this plan."

What?!

Everyone could hardly believe their ears! Not only did Venerable Xuanming not blame him, but he... actually agreed? And even set up a separate Fifth Team for him? This... this was simply unheard of!

Astonishment, incomprehension, jealousy, and deeper speculation appeared on everyone's faces. What was so special about this Su Chen that Venerable Xuanming, a Nascent Soul Realm powerhouse, would make such an exception?

Venerable Xuanming ignored the commotion below and continued: "With the teams set, next we will proceed with the first adaptive training—Illusion Realm Confrontation."

With a flick of his sleeve, several strangely shaped silver platforms quietly rose from the ground in the center of the hall. Runes flowed on the platforms, emitting powerful spiritual energy fluctuations.

"This training will take place in the 'Spiritual Void Illusion Realm' constructed by the base. The four teams will engage in a round-robin confrontation. The Illusion Realm will simulate various combat environments, and victory will be determined by defeating all of the opponent's spiritual energy projections."

Upon hearing this, many people involuntarily cast their gazes towards the lone Su Chen, their eyes filled with schadenfreude.

One person, one team? And he had to participate in a team round-robin confrontation?

How could he fight? Others had nine people cooperating, with varied tactics, while he had only one person. Two fists are no match for four hands, let alone eighteen hands?

In the Illusion Realm, there were no opportunities for tricks; it was a test of raw, comprehensive combat power.

He probably wouldn't even last one round before being instantly "ganged up on" and eliminated!

This was simply the fastest way to be eliminated.

It seemed Venerable Xuanming agreed on the surface, but in reality, he was using this method to make this ignorant young man retreat in the face of difficulty.

Immediately, someone eagerly asked: "Elder Xuan, what is the reward for this confrontation?"

Venerable Xuanming said faintly: "The team with the most victories will all receive 100 milliliters of 'star water' as a reward."

"star water!"

A gasp and fervent gazes instantly erupted below the stage.

star water was a top-tier resource for refining spiritual power and enhancing one's foundation, priceless and in high demand.

Primarily, it was only obtainable through official channels; it couldn't be bought anywhere else.

100 milliliters was an enormous fortune for cultivators at their stage.

Even Ye Guyun, Jiang Yuning, and others showed expressions of determination to win.

However, Su Chen, standing in the corner, showed not the slightest excitement when he heard the words "star water"; instead, a faint trace of... speechlessness flashed across his face.

star water? He had more than enough of this stuff.

That girl Yue Yao had even been drinking it as a daily beverage recently, complaining that it tasted a bit bland. As for the Security Department, Nan Mingde still owed him a large stock that hadn't been settled yet.

Thinking of this, Su Chen really couldn't muster any interest. Rather than playing house with a group of "children" here and wasting precious time, he'd rather go back and quickly deal with matters in the game. Tantai Qinghuang was almost at the Zhengyang Secret Realm, and Dugu Xue should also be at the Rising Demon Sect; these were the real priorities.

So, as everyone was rubbing their fists, preparing for a big fight, Su Chen suddenly shook his head and spoke in a calm tone:

"Sorry, I'm going back to my dorm first."