Chapter 173: Does He Like Me?

What is going on?

The assessment site… has turned into a drinking party?

Everyone else is gritting their teeth to hold on, yet they are actually drinking wine to recover?

For a moment, the atmosphere became extremely strange.

On the high platform.

Han Wuji watched this scene and couldn't help but laugh. "This must be Brother Tianci's younger brother, right?"

"He actually bought Super Alloy Robot Warriors to replenish energy. This line of thinking is quite novel."

"It seems that from now on, there will be a new way to play through the first stage of the Heavenly Pride Apotheosis Battle."

The divine pressure of the first stage was both a test of strength and a competition of endurance.

Under extreme consumption, if one could obtain external supplies, they could naturally last longer.

However, this "bringing supplies" tactic was something no one had ever done before.

"As expected of my brother, he's quite sharp-witted," Sima Tianci said, having opened his eyes at some unknown point.

He looked down at Sima Bang's wide-open mouth waiting to be fed, his eyes full of doting affection.

Qin烈 frowned at this moment, looking at Yang Fan and saying, "The person at the very front of their team should be a junior or senior student, right?"

"This… is a bit against the rules."

As soon as these words were spoken, the expressions of the others changed slightly.

There were loopholes to exploit in the first stage, but there were also unspoken rules—namely, that one could only form teams with those from the same year.

Someone like Gu Le, who gathered twenty people to huddle together, was unsightly but still within the acceptable range.

But if one brought in upperclassmen to shoulder the pressure, the nature of the act changed.

This was no longer being clever; it was fleecing the resources of the Five Great Families!

If everyone operated this way, the annual Heavenly Pride Apotheosis Battle would likely cost an extra hundred billion divinity points!

The atmosphere became somewhat subtle for a moment; the group exchanged looks, wanting to speak but hesitating.

If Sima Tianci weren't right here, and if the person on stage weren't his biological brother, they would probably already be discussing how to handle it.

After all, the essence of the Heavenly Pride Apotheosis Battle was to screen for future High-tier Gods worth investing in.

The rewards of the first stage were merely to incentivize participation, not for people to come and "fleece the wool."

"My brother would not do such a thing," Sima Tianci said in a flat tone, yet it carried an air that brooked no argument.

"If that is indeed the case, the resources they are rewarded will not come from the public account; I will personally make up the difference."

Hearing this, the tension in the scene eased slightly.

Gu Changkong chuckled and spoke to smooth things over: "There's no need to be too serious about such a small matter. I've hosted many Heavenly Pride Apotheosis Battles. I have no impression of this person; perhaps he really is a freshman."

Han Wuji narrowed his eyes slightly. "His aura is perfectly integrated and his Foundation is deep; he doesn't look like someone who just entered the academy."

"He might be a dark horse," Lu Chengyuan said indifferently. "Discussing this is meaningless. Once the first stage ends, we can just request the intelligent life to check his identity."

The others nodded one after another and said no more.

Time continued to pass, and the number of people on the platform decreased visibly to the naked eye.

Batch after batch of Prodigies could not withstand the pressure and were forced to leave the field.

Soon, more than sixty percent were eliminated, and the originally crowded platform gradually became sparse.

"Brother Yang." Ye Jianfeng had just downed a large cup of monkey wine, and his aura had recovered quite a bit.

"It'll be two hours in another fifteen minutes. If you can't hold on, switch with me. I am confident."

"No need," Yang Fan said calmly. "I can still hold on. If you guys stand behind me, we might be able to try for three hours."

As his voice fell, the three of them were stunned, looking at Yang Fan's back with complex emotions in their eyes.

To be able to persist until now under such pressure while still appearing perfectly composed…

Over the past year, the development progress of Yang Fan's Divine Kingdom had likely left them far behind.

Sima Bang felt even more fortunate. Originally, he thought he was leading the three of them to make a killing, but he didn't expect a dark horse like Yang Fan to be hidden in the team.

If he had known, he would have let Yang Fan go first; his own efforts in shouldering the pressure for the first hour were practically wasted!

Time quickly advanced to the two-hour mark.

At this moment, the pressure from the Eye of Divine Spirit surged again!

It was several times stronger than before!

Almost in an instant, screams rang out one after another.

"Ah—!"

Nearly another ten percent of the people were directly sent flying by the terrifying force! Their bodies were like kites with broken strings, violently ejected from the platform.

Even with Yang Fan at the very front blocking most of the pressure, Wen Yushui's face was still pale, and she could barely stand steady.

If she hadn't replenished herself with monkey wine earlier and had the alloy robot to lean on, she would have been out in that instant.

However, at this moment, her mindset was actually much more relaxed.

Two hours had passed; the one million divinity points were now secured.

She had invested a lot of resources early on for this Heavenly Pride Apotheosis Battle; now, she had not only broken even but would also make a massive profit.

Thinking of this, she couldn't help but breathe a sigh of relief.

The surroundings were oppressive, and the air seemed to gradually solidify. Almost every Prodigy still on the stage had a distorted expression.

Some gritted their teeth so hard their veins bulged on their foreheads; some had bloodshot eyes and heavy, beast-like breathing.

Even worse, some bodies began to tremble uncontrollably, as if they would collapse at any moment.

The invisible pressure was like the entire world collapsing down, making even breathing a luxury.

Yet in this extremely oppressive environment, Yang Fan still stood straight with a calm expression, his breathing not even slightly disordered.

The pressure that was enough to crush the vast majority of people fell upon him as if it didn't exist at all.

This stage tested the Physical Body, the spirit, and also the environmental stability of the Divine Kingdom.

Yang Fan's believers followed a path of triple cultivation, leaving almost no weaknesses.

As for the Divine Kingdom's environment, it was even further ahead by a massive margin. Its depth of Foundation even far surpassed many ordinary gods!

This level of pressure was nothing more than this to him.

Time passed once more.

When the two-and-a-half-hour mark arrived, Wen Yushui finally couldn't hold on anymore.

"I… can't go on…" her voice was hoarse. "My Divine Kingdom… can't hold… my believers… are praying to me…"

She closed her eyes, her face full of struggle.

"I must go down…"

Her Physical Body could still barely endure, but the believers within her Divine Kingdom were nearing their limit. Continuing would only cause irreversible damage to the Divine Kingdom.

Yang Fan nodded and instructed, "Take her down."

A robot immediately stepped forward, knelt on one knee, supported Wen Yushui's legs with its hands, and picked her up steadily.

Under the terrifying pressure, the robot warrior's metal joints made a "creak-clack" sound, yet it still walked steadily toward the edge of the stage step by step.

This scene was witnessed by the students who had already been eliminated on the periphery, immediately sparking a wave of envy.

They were both eliminated, but the difference in treatment was too huge!

"That guy… is so cool."

"That's not called cool, that's called being gentle and considerate… Is he from our year? I really want to get to know him."

"Forget it. Even among Prodigies, there are different levels. Those who can stand in that position as freshmen are basically from connected families."

"Exactly." Another person rolled their eyes. "Who among ordinary people can afford a Super Alloy Robot Warrior? Those cost a hundred divinity points each!"

"If you want to cling to a rich guy, just say it. Don't bring up 'gentle and considerate.'"

"What a buzzkill, what does it have to do with you? I wasn't talking to you, get lost!"

"Heh, gold digger. Don't act like a fangirl in front of me."

…

Discussions rose and fell, while Wen Yushui, who had been carried off the platform, was currently in a bit of a daze.

Those envious gazes made her heart feel a bit sweet, and even the fatigue in her body was dampened somewhat.

She couldn't help but look back at the figure still standing at the very front of the stage. The scene of him shielding her kept replaying in her mind.

"Does he…" Wen Yushui's heart rate quickened slightly, "…like me?"