From a loser to an immortal sage

Chapter 34: Survival in Dilemma

"By order of the sect leader, the rules of this sect competition have been changed..." the disciple announced loudly, but my heart sank suddenly, and a bad premonition surged into my mind.

A buzz of discussion arose around me. I tried to suppress my unease and listened carefully as the disciple read the contents of the scroll.

"In this competition, a team battle segment will be added to the semi-final stage. All the advancing disciples will be drawn into five teams to compete..."

Team battle? I was shocked; this sudden change completely disrupted my plans.

I instinctively looked at Sun Yue, only to see her staring at me in astonishment, clearly shocked by the news as well.

"Why change the rules all of a sudden? Isn't this deliberately making things difficult for people?"

"Who knows? It was probably a spur-of-the-moment decision by the elders."

"Ugh, what bad luck. I should have known better than to push myself so hard..."

I heard the whispers around me, took a deep breath, and tried to calm myself down. There was no point in complaining now; I could only take it one step at a time.

Soon, the drawing ceremony began. Five teams, each with five members, were formed, with the disciple with the highest cultivation level in each team serving as the captain.

My luck seemed to be running out; I was drawn into Team 4, while Sun Yue was assigned to Team 2. I looked at her and smiled helplessly. It seemed that for the rest of the competition, we would have to fight our own battles.

"Alright, the groups are complete. Team leaders, please come forward to collect your team flags and mission scrolls," the disciple announced loudly.

I followed the other captains to the front and took a flag embroidered with the blue number "four" and a scroll from his hands.

Back in the team, I unrolled the scroll, which contained the details and rules of this team battle.

"This team battle will test the team's tacit understanding and cooperation..." I read the contents of the scroll in a low voice, but my eyes involuntarily swept over the other members of the team.

My teammates, besides myself and another junior sister from the outer sect, consisted of two senior brothers from the inner sect. One had a cold and stern expression, while the other was carefree and irresponsible; neither of them seemed easy to get along with.

I sighed inwardly. It seemed this team wasn't as easy to lead as I'd imagined...

I read the contents of the scroll carefully three times, and only after confirming that I had fully understood the rules did I look up at my teammates.

"In this team battle, we need to find five spirit orbs in the Misty Forest, each representing the elements of metal, wood, water, fire, and earth. The team that finds them in the shortest time wins," I explained succinctly. "The Misty Forest is fraught with danger, and there is also competition from other teams. We must unite to achieve final victory."

"Unity?" The nonchalant senior brother scoffed. "You think we can win with just a few of us? Don't dream!"

I frowned slightly, suppressing my displeasure, and tried to speak calmly: "Only by working together can we unleash our full potential."

“Easy for you to say,” another senior brother with a cold expression spoke up, his tone tinged with disdain. “Who do you think you are? What gives you the right to order us around?”

I took a deep breath and was about to speak when I heard a commotion not far away.

"Look, it's our senior brother and the others!"

"Go, Senior Brother! Go, Second Senior Brother!"

I followed everyone's gaze and saw the first group marching menacingly towards the Misty Forest. The one leading them was none other than Senior Brother—Gu Han.

Gu Han is the sect leader's favorite disciple and a favorite to win the sect competition. His strength is unfathomable and he is one of the top disciples in the entire sect.

"It seems that our biggest opponents in this team battle are Senior Brother and his team," I thought to myself.

"Alright, it's getting late, let's set off." I said, and took the lead towards the Misty Forest.

However, my teammates did not catch up immediately.

"Hey, why are you walking so fast? Wait for us!" complained the carefree senior.

I stopped in my tracks, turned around and looked at them, a sense of unease rising in my heart.

"Don't you guys feel like something's not right?" the usually taciturn outer sect junior sister suddenly spoke up.

"What's wrong?" the nonchalant senior asked dismissively.

"I have a feeling that the other teams seem to... know about the rule changes in advance," the outer sect junior sister said, her gaze sweeping over the other teams, her tone tinged with doubt.

"How could that be? These rules were decided by the sect leader on short notice, how could they have been leaked in advance?" the nonchalant senior brother retorted.

However, my heart sank suddenly, and a bad premonition welled up inside me.

The outer sect junior sister's words were not without reason. Judging from the performance of the other teams just now, they seemed to be very familiar with the rules and content of this team battle, and even had already formulated their strategies.

"Could it be..." I was startled, and a terrible thought flashed through my mind.

Just then, a scream suddenly came from the misty forest.

My heart skipped a beat, and I quickly looked in the direction of the sound. I saw a disciple lying on the ground, covered in blood, and already lifeless.

And standing next to him was none other than—Gu Han!

My pupils suddenly contracted, and a chill ran from the soles of my feet straight to my heart.

"It seems this team battle is more dangerous than I imagined..." I muttered to myself, my gaze turning coldly towards Gu Han. "Gu Han, what exactly are you trying to do?"

However, Gu Han merely glanced at me coldly before turning and disappearing into the mist with his team.

I gripped the hilt of my sword tightly, remaining vigilant.

It seems this battle has only just begun...

In the misty forest, miasma filled the air, obstructing visibility. I gripped my longsword tightly, my heart pounding. Gu Han's icy gaze and the image of that disciple lying in a pool of blood replayed in my mind again and again, fear coiling around my nerves like vines.

"Watch out!" Sun Yue warned from behind. I instinctively dodged to the side, and an arrow flew almost past my cheek before embedding itself in the tree trunk behind me.

"Who is it?!" I roared in a low voice, my eyes searching for the attacker in the mist.

"It's our senior brother and the others!" someone in the group exclaimed.

Gu Han! It's him again! My anger flared up instantly. How could he be so despicable, disregarding our camaraderie and treating us so cruelly!

"Don't get scattered!" I suppressed my anger and reminded my teammates, "Stand back to back and cover each other!"

In the mist, shouts of battle, the clashing of weapons, and screams mingled together, chilling the heart. I brandished my longsword, fending off attacks from all directions. My swordsmanship was never refined; I relied entirely on ruthlessness and the instinct for survival to struggle and endure amidst the flashing blades.

"Xiao Yao! Let's join forces!" Sun Yue's voice came from not far away, tinged with anxiety.

"No way! It's against the rules!" I gritted my teeth and refused. The team battle rules state that different teams are prohibited from cooperating, and violators will be disqualified from the competition.

“But…” Sun Yue wanted to say something, but was interrupted by a fierce attack.

I was anxious, but powerless to help. I could sense that Sun Yue's team was also struggling. Their opponents were clearly stronger than us, and coupled with the unique environment of the Misty Forest, we were like prey trapped in a cage, completely at their mercy.

"This won't do! We have to find a way to break through!" I thought to myself, while fending off the attacks and observing the surrounding environment, searching for a glimmer of hope.

Suddenly, I noticed a detail: after each attack, Gu Han would deliberately hide his figure in the mist, as if he was deliberately avoiding something.

"Could it be that he..." A thought flashed through my mind, and a bold guess gradually surfaced. Although Gu Han was powerful, he didn't seem to be without weaknesses!

While pretending to be physically exhausted, I subtly observed Gu Han's actions, trying to verify my guess.

"Hahaha! You piece of trash think you can fight us?" Gu Han's voice came from the mist, full of contempt and mockery. "Just admit defeat obediently, or you'll suffer some physical pain!"

A cold smile curled at the corner of my lips; I already had a plan. It was time to take a gamble!

"Everyone, listen to my command!" I took a deep breath, a resolute glint in my eyes. "Charge with me!"

As soon as I finished speaking, a series of chaotic footsteps sounded in the group. The three of us, back to back, rushed into the depths of the fog.

"They're trying to break through! Stop them!" Gu Han's voice rang out from behind, tinged with panic.

My heart was in my throat. The more flustered Gu Han became, the more it proved my guess was correct! He was afraid of close combat!

Countless attacks came crashing down on us from the mist, but I wielded my longsword and deflected them all. My strength was nearly exhausted, and I was sustaining more and more wounds, but I felt an unprecedented sense of exhilaration.

Close! Closer!

I could sense that Gu Han was not far in front of me. I held my breath, concentrated my spiritual energy in my legs, and suddenly accelerated, rushing towards Gu Han.

"Xiao Yao! What are you doing?!" Sun Yue exclaimed, but I was too fast, and she couldn't stop me in time.

I broke through the fog, and suddenly everything became clear.

Gu Han stood not far away, a hint of astonishment on his face. He seemed not to have expected that I would actually dare to rush out.

"You..." He had barely uttered a word when my attack arrived.

I poured all my spiritual power into the longsword and thrust it towards Gu Han's chest.

In his haste, Gu Han only had time to raise his arm to defend himself.

With a loud "clang," Gu Han was forced back several steps, and my longsword was also knocked away.

My hand went numb, but I couldn't care less. I pressed my advantage, lunged forward, and punched Gu Han in the face.

Gu Han was clearly not prepared for my attack to be so fierce. He hurriedly dodged to the side, and my fist grazed his cheek.

A ruthless glint flashed in Gu Han's eyes, and he slapped my chest with his backhand.

I was prepared, so I dodged to the side and kicked his knee at the same time.

With a muffled "bang!", my foot landed squarely on Gu Han's knee.

Gu Han groaned, lost his balance, and knelt on the ground.

I was overjoyed and was about to press my advantage when suddenly, a powerful pressure descended from the sky, immobilizing me and rendering me unable to move.

"Stop!" a dignified voice rang out.

I struggled to lift my head and saw an old man in a blue robe standing in mid-air, looking at me with icy eyes.

It's Elder Yang!

"The match is over!" Elder Yang said coldly. "Xiao Yao has violated the rules and is disqualified!"

My heart suddenly turned ice-cold.