180: Chapter 180 Even if a salted fish turns over, is it still a salted fish?

Jiang You paid no attention to the terrified gazes of the crowd behind him.

He took the backpack Bai Lan handed over, weighed its heavy contents in his hand, and nodded with satisfaction.

"Beautifully done, Xiao Bai."

"I'll add two big chicken drumsticks to your dinner tonight!"

With that, he turned around and looked at Gou Fugui's trio, who were still slumped on the ground.

Although he had been humiliated by Zhang Kuang just now and looked a bit disheveled, Gou Fugui had already pushed his wire-rimmed glasses back into place.

Instead of being despondent like a beaten dog, his shrewd little eyes were flashing with a calculating light—the unique ruthlessness of a dishonest merchant preparing to dip into his 'secret stash'.

"Brother Jiang, Xiao Bai, you guys go up first and grab some seats."

Clutching the calculator that Jiang You had wiped clean, Gou Fugui stood up from the ground and patted the dust off his butt:

"Don't think you can ditch us just because you entered the rich district."

"Just now, we were ambushed by that tough Tier 4 guy, Zhang Kuang. There was nothing we could do about the elemental counter."

"But as for the rest of these mediocre losers..."

With a look of sheer agony, Gou Fugui pulled a black-gold card from his breast pocket—his ultimate trump card.

He gritted his teeth, looking as though he were cutting off his own flesh:

"Damn it, I wanted to save some money to get a wife."

"Looks like I have no choice but to unleash my pay-to-win superpower! In a bit, I'll show them what the dignity of a pay-to-win player looks like!"

In the shadow of the corner, Mo Wu also slowly raised his head.

Although he still lacked any sense of presence—to the point where the people around him almost ignored him like air—a strange calmness shone in his otherwise ordinary eyes.

"Captain Jiang, I want to go up and see the view too."

Mo Wu's voice was very soft, so soft it seemed as if it could dissipate into the wind at any moment:

"If it's a head-on confrontation, I really can't do it."

"But it's not like I don't have any trump cards..."

His figure swayed slightly, unexpectedly producing a visual blur right before everyone's eyes:

"As long as I want to, no one can stop me from entering Pool 1."

Looking at these two teammates who clearly could still fight but insisted on playing dead, Jiang You couldn't help but laugh.

"Alright, so you guys were holding back, huh?"

"Then I'll wait for you guys up there. Don't make me wait too long; the tea won't taste good once it gets cold."

Only Su Nuonuo lowered her hand holding the rocket launcher in disappointment.

After all, she was only a sophomore, and her vitality and Supernatural Ability intensity were already at their limits in Pool 2. Facing a bunch of Tier 3 peak or even Tier 4 old-timers, pure fire coverage was no longer enough to win.

"Captain..."

Su Nuonuo sniffled, wiped the dust off her face, and revealed her two sharp little canine teeth. Although she was somewhat unwilling, she still raised her fist and shouted with a fiercely cute expression:

"Fugui and Mo Wu, those two cunning schemers, will definitely make it up there, but I probably won't be able to."

"But don't worry! I'll keep watch right here in Pool 2!"

"If anyone dares to speak ill of Class F behind our backs, or tries to go up and cause trouble for you guys..."

She patted the rocket launcher on her shoulder and said fiercely:

"I'll blow up their path from down here! I'll be your cheerleader from outside the field. If anyone dares to bully you, I'll go blow up his windows!"

Looking at these teammates who had vastly different personalities but were currently full of fighting spirit, a warm current welled up in Jiang You's heart.

Class F indeed had no cowards.

He smiled, waved his hand, and didn't say anything overly emotional. He simply turned around, took Bai Lan with him, and strode toward the golden gates leading to Seed Pool No. 1.

"Let's go."

"Remember, don't save your money, and don't hold back."

"Our Class F must meet in Pool 1."

They walked through the golden corridor lined with deep red velvet carpet, its walls hung with portraits of past alumni's glory.

The surrounding noise was completely blocked out by the specially made soundproof walls, and the world seemed to instantly quiet down.

Jiang You walked very slowly with his hands in his pockets.

If it were in the past, walking down such a ceremonial path, he would most likely complain about it being 'all show and no substance' and then find a corner to curl up and doze off.

But today, on this path leading to the stage of the highest combat power in Magic City Martial Arts University, a subtle change occurred in Jiang You's state of mind.

"Phew..."

Jiang You exhaled softly, looking at the tightly shut, heavy door carved with intricate patterns at the end of the corridor.

Once upon a time, he thought that 'slacking off' was the greatest rebellion against this hyper-competitive world.

Since he couldn't win the rat race, he might as well lie down.

Since his vitality was only 0.8, he would just be a useless person.

It was a form of self-protection, as well as a helpless compromise.

But now...

Jiang You subconsciously touched his eye sockets.

Right now, they were warm as jade, harboring a terrifying power capable of piercing through all illusions.

"So..."

Jiang You murmured to himself, a self-deprecating yet somewhat relieved smile playing on the corners of his lips:

"To truly lie flat comfortably, one also needs the qualifications."

"Lying flat without strength is just being a corpse."

"Having the strength to shut everyone up so they don't dare disturb my sleep, now that's... enjoying life."

He was still very lazy, still wanting to go back and sleep while hugging his spongebob pillow.

But deep in his eyes, the turbidity of his former wait-to-die attitude was replaced by a cold glint as sharp as a blade.

It felt as if a salted fish had suddenly grown steel-like scales and fangs capable of crushing a shark.

It still preferred to lie motionless on the seabed.

But if anyone dared to foolishly poke it...

...then they had better be prepared to be swallowed whole.

"Let's go, Xiao Bai."

Jiang You straightened his back. Although his black combat suit was loose, his spirit was like an unsheathed sword, completely impossible to hide.

"Let's go see just how strong this so-called strongest in the school... actually is."

...

*Swoosh—*

Sensing authorization, the heavy doors slid open slowly to both sides.

A cold draft, carrying a mix of high-end fragrance, expensive pastries, and a faint, chilling aura of slaughter, blew over them.

If not for the massive holographic leaderboard, this place looked almost like a top-tier business lounge.

There were leather sofas, panoramic floor-to-ceiling windows, a self-playing piano, and even a few waiters serving various functional drinks.

At this point, the number of people inside Seed Pool No. 1 had surged to nearly fifty.

In addition to the twenty 'indigenous' residents who were originally here, more than twenty 'intruders' like Jiang You had already fought their way into this circle.

But the atmosphere here was far more brutal than in any of the pools outside.

On the screen in the center of the hall, the red word [Eliminated] was flashing frequently.

"Damn it... I'm not resigned to this!"

A junior student who had just been promoted not long ago was standing despondently in a corner. Having just suffered three consecutive defeats, he was kicked directly out of Pool 1.

"The people here are all monsters..."

"I'm clearly at the peak of Tier 3 too... Why couldn't I even last ten seconds against these guys?"