After class, Ben left the classroom and went straight back to his apartment to catch up on sleep.
At the same time, after class in Class A next door, Song Haitang was called to the office by Teacher Shen.
"Haitang, the second layer of the Spiritual Realm is still very dangerous," Teacher Shen said carefully, her tone gentle. "Are you still planning to go to the Spiritual Realm with just Ben this time?"
The reason Teacher Shen was so polite was twofold. On one hand, she genuinely had high hopes for Song Haitang's future. On the other hand, she had already heard about Director Robert of the Academic Affairs Office being demoted for a minor transgression and transferred to the warehouse department. But most importantly, it was because of the beautiful girl in front of her.
Seeing Song Haitang frown, Teacher Shen quickly added, "I don't mean to interfere with your team formation. I just want to suggest that you add two more teammates. This way, you can at least have someone to look after you in the Spiritual Realm."
Song Haitang understood that Teacher Shen was speaking out of concern for her and calmly replied, "Teacher, I can't make the decision about the team. I need to ask Ben first."
Teacher Shen raised her brows. "Haitang, are you doing this to compensate Ben?" she asked, unable to hide her frustration. "If you want to make it up to him, taking him to the Spiritual Realm is already enough. There's no need to give him the leadership of the team too. That could harm both of you."
Song Haitang didn't argue but replied simply, "Teacher, you don't understand."
She believed that Ben was hiding a huge secret. Otherwise, how could he have achieved such a record-breaking result in the first layer of the Spiritual Realm?
In Teacher Shen's eyes, however, Song Haitang had clearly fallen into the throes of love, which was something she felt was beyond saving. This situation gave Teacher Shen a headache, as it was impossible to persuade someone who had already succumbed to such feelings. The only thing that could possibly wake her up was experiencing loss firsthand.
"Alas, just don't regret it in the future," Teacher Shen sighed before saying no more.
After leaving Teacher Shen's office, Song Haitang thought about it for a moment and dialed Ben's number.
Back at the apartment, Ben, who had just been about to take a nap, was surprised to see Song Haitang's name on his phone. Although they had exchanged contact details some time ago, they rarely called each other.
"Hello?" Ben answered. "Haitang?"
"Ben, the teacher just talked to me and suggested that we complete our team," Song Haitang said directly, getting straight to the point. "What do you think?"
Her straightforwardness indicated that she was somewhat open to Teacher Shen's suggestion but wanted to hear Ben's opinion.
Ben understood her meaning. He thought about all the classmates he knew and realized that none of them were particularly familiar or trustworthy. After a brief hesitation, he replied, "I think the most important thing when forming a team is trust. Let's stick with just the two of us for now. We can add trustworthy people later."
Song Haitang agreed immediately without much thought, "Okay."
"So straightforward?" Ben chuckled. "Haitang, do you trust me that much?"
"Yes! Just like you trusted me when you gave me the Flare-Flare Fruit!" she replied, which stunned Ben and made him feel a little guilty. After all, his exchange of the Flare-Flare Fruit for Kryptonian bloodline wasn't really about trusting Song Haitang, but rather about tricking her.
"I'm going to train," Song Haitang continued. "I'll hang up now if there's nothing else."
"Okay, go ahead and get busy," Ben said, feeling a bit guilty.
The call ended, and Ben lay back on the bed, his thoughts drifting. While Song Haitang was working hard, he was planning to sleep. Wasn't that a bit too much?
But what else could he do? Training was out of the question. It didn't increase attributes, and it was too tiring. The only option was to sleep and maintain his energy.
"Forget it, sleep," he muttered, throwing his phone aside and drifting off to sleep.
Meanwhile, at the training hall, Song Haitang was met by someone as she arrived.
"Song Haitang, I'm very sorry about what happened last time," said Joe Root, his voice apologetic. "I didn't mean to say those things. I was out of line."
Song Haitang, who had come to train, remained calm. "I didn't take it to heart," she replied, her voice as composed as ever. Joe Root's words seemed childish to her, and since he hadn't said anything too offensive, she didn't see the need to argue.
"That's good," Joe Root said, visibly relieved. "I just wanted to apologize."
"Please move aside, I'm going to train," Song Haitang added, indicating that she wanted to get to work.
"Wait a minute!" Joe Root quickly added. "Song Haitang, the second layer of the Spiritual Realm is going to be really dangerous this time. I suggest you team up with us so we can look out for each other."
Song Haitang was momentarily stunned. But recalling Ben's decision, she refused immediately, "No need."
Joe Root, thinking that Song Haitang might have misunderstood, quickly clarified, "Don't get me wrong, I'm not asking you to abandon Ben. What I'm suggesting is that the four of us—me, Chen Kai, you, and Ben—form a team, and you would be the captain. How about that?"
It was a good suggestion, and if Song Haitang were to make the decision herself, she might have agreed. After all, Joe Root and Chen Kai's talents were strong, and they had achieved an A-level rating in the previous Spiritual Realm.
"You guys go and talk to Ben first. If he agrees, then it's fine," Song Haitang replied, before walking towards the training room.
…
Ten days passed in a flash. On the morning of July 1st, more than two hundred new students gathered on the school playground. Today was the day the Spiritual Realm would open, and the students had gathered here to wait for their turn to enter.
Many teachers were also present, though it wasn't as grand as the first layer of the Spiritual Realm. The vice-principal, for instance, wasn't attending.
Most of the other student teams were complete, with four members each. Only Ben and Song Haitang's team remained with just the two of them, standing alone in the crowd.
Seeing them, the others were intrigued.
"They're actually a two-person team this time? That's pretty bold!" one student remarked.
"Isn't Song Haitang being a bit too confident?" another whispered.
"Heh, they're asking for trouble by going in like this. They'll probably fail," a third muttered.
"I wonder how they'll do this time?" someone else speculated.
"Results? They'll be lucky if they come back alive. Their previous success was just good luck. Do they really think they can break records again?"
"Yeah, it was just luck, and luck isn't something you can rely on every time. Maybe their recklessness will cost them dearly this time."
"That's hard to say. If they manage to come back with good results again, they'll be amazing."
"Hehe! If they get good results again, I'll livestream myself eating... you know what!" someone joked.
"Wait, didn't you say that last time too? Didn't you have enough?" another person teased.
The whispers continued as the students eagerly awaited the opening of the Spiritual Realm.
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