Chapter 287: Chapter 286: Failure in Cultivating Mental Resilience
Gu Li scratched his head and said, "Not exactly. But for some reason, I just feel a bit nervous."
Tang San said, "This is something we must go through. But, there\'s one thing I want to remind you of—since we\'ve already registered, there\'s no turning back. We can only move forward courageously and crush our opponents. Otherwise, there will be no future for us. The more you worry and let it affect your state, the closer death becomes. Without going all out, it\'s just a dead end. In such a life-and-death struggle, there\'s no other choice but to fight with everything we\'ve got."
Gu Li was stunned, but Wu Bingji\'s eyes instantly sharpened, and Cheng Zicheng muttered, "Yes! It\'s too late for regrets now that we\'ve signed up."
"Unless we run away?" Du Bai tentatively said.
Tang San replied indifferently, "You can choose to run away. If you do, then you can forget about holding your head up high for the rest of your life. That goes for both the human world and here in Demon Monster Land. Do you remember what you thought when I first arrived? What did you want to do?"
"I wanted to be useful. To be someone who could keep up with everyone and not hold anybody back," Du Bai said somewhat ashamedly.
Blazing with intensity, Tang San looked at him and said, "If you choose to run away now, I won\'t stop you. You can go. Will you?"
"I... I won\'t go," Du Bai said through gritted teeth.
Tang San said, "If you\'re not going, then perk up. Don\'t forget, at least until we die, it\'s not your turn yet. If even you, who stands at the very back, are cowardly, what are you expecting us to do?"
Du Bai\'s face flushed red with embarrassment, "I\'m not cowardly, I\'m not afraid. Let\'s fight them, let\'s fight it out."
Gu Li\'s gaze also began to harden, and Tang San\'s speech, though directed at Du Bai, was just as much for them.
Taking a deep breath, Cheng Zicheng said, "Let\'s do this. They say elephant trunk is quite nourishing for dinner."
At this, Tang San couldn\'t help but laugh, and Wu Bingji did too. Du Bai looked at her and said, "I didn\'t expect you to have such a heavy taste, Chengzi!"
"Get lost," Cheng Zicheng said irritably.
The atmosphere, initially a bit tense, immediately lightened somewhat, but Tang San could see that the worries in the hearts of the four had not completely vanished. This was normal; they were all young and had never been through anything like this. It was understandable to have issues with their mental state. This was also why he purposely provoked the Elephant Demon yesterday, to choose an opponent that was relatively within a controllable range for his team.
As they arrived at the Grand Animal Fighting Arena, the tension among them clearly began to rise again.
Returning to the Grand Animal Fighting Arena, Wu Bingji, Du Bai, Gu Li, and Cheng Zicheng all subtly felt that the stench of blood had grown even thicker. Some even wondered if this smell of blood would soon become a part of them.
"You didn\'t run away. That\'s good," they met the Bloodthirsty Devil Ape from the day before again.
The gaze of the Bloodthirsty Devil Ape swept over the five of them, "According to the rules, those who register for the team battles cannot leave the Grand Animal Fighting Arena before the first three fights are over. The moment you stepped into the Grand Animal Fighting Arena today, it truly began. Not running away proves you have courage."
Tang San looked at him and said, "Why didn\'t you keep us yesterday? Isn\'t it supposed to be that we get kept after we register? Otherwise, if we had run away, wouldn\'t that be a wasted arrangement?"
The Bloodthirsty Devil Ape spoke coldly, "That was your chance to save your own lives. Those who register for the team battles have this opportunity to change their minds before the first fight begins. However, if you choose to run away after registering, you\'ll be on the wanted list. If caught, you\'ll become slaves of the Grand Animal Fighting Arena."
Tang San found the rule somewhat odd in his heart. Was this a lifeline, or was it the Grand Animal Fighting Arena creating an opportunity to capture more slaves for itself?
"Come with me," the Bloodthirsty Devil Ape didn\'t elaborate further and turned to walk into the Grand Animal Fighting Arena.
Entering the Grand Animal Fighting Arena, the smell of blood instantly became much more intense.
Following a dimly-lit corridor straight ahead, the atmosphere became notably more oppressive.
Tang San could feel the accelerating heartbeat of Du Bai behind him.
But perhaps his words that morning had an effect, the other four didn\'t say anything and just silently followed him. The moment they stepped into the Grand Animal Fighting Arena, there was no turning back.
Passing through a long corridor, they were taken into a room made entirely of stone. Many spots within the room bore dark red traces, making the scent of blood all the more intense.
"Wait here, a staff member will guide you to the arena before the match starts," the Bloodthirsty Devil Ape said indifferently before turning and leaving.
The thick iron door closed, giving off the feel of being locked in a cage.
"Huff, huff, huff!" Breathing became noticeably more rapid.
"Brave, brave, brave!" Du Bai kept muttering to himself.
"It\'s time for you to bestow Luck Enhancement upon us," said Tang San.
"Ah? Oh, oh, okay," Du Bai responded, snapping back to reality and hastily getting up.
As he tried to release his bloodline power, his mind suddenly felt faint, and the first attempt at releasing it failed.
With calmness, Tang San simply said to him, "Any little mistake on the battlefield can lead to the death of a comrade, or your own death."
"I\'m sorry, I..." Du Bai gritted his teeth and suddenly "smack, smack," slapped himself hard twice on the cheek. Then he took a deep breath of the blood-tinged air, clenched his teeth, and released the Heavenly Fox Transformation.
The phantom of the Two-Tailed Celestial Fox took shape above his head, and streaks of white light fell, landing on each of the five people.
Perhaps it was the effect of the Luck Enhancement, but Wu Bingji, Cheng Zicheng, and Gu Li obviously felt somewhat better.
A white light flickered in Du Bai\'s eyes, and the next instant, his expression relaxed, "I\'m such a fool, such a fool! How could I forget that I can sense good and bad fortune?"
"How is it?" Gu Li asked.
Spreading his hands wide, Du Bai replied, "Can\'t you tell by looking at my expression? Naturally, there\'s nothing wrong! I really am an idiot for forgetting my own inherent ability. Let\'s beat them up later, you all cheer on!"
A twitch appeared at the corner of Tang San\'s mouth; he suddenly felt that this Heavenly Fox Transformation wasn\'t so great after all. He had intended to use this opportunity to give everyone a chance to strengthen their mental fortitude. With Du Bai saying this, Wu Bingji, Gu Li, and Cheng Zicheng also visibly relaxed.
Although the premonitions of the Fifth-Stage Celestial Fox Transformation couldn\'t be said to be completely accurate, when it came to Du Bai\'s safety, his premonitions were certainly very clear. He felt no danger at all, which was obviously because Tang San was there! If including his own hidden abilities, such a group fight truly was without risk.
Truly speechless!
Wu Bingji chuckled softly, "The feeling just now was quite tense, but also exciting. Thinking back, it seems quite nice."
Cheng Zicheng rolled her eyes, "It was thrilling. But my hands are cold; feel them, Elder Martial Brother," she said, and took hold of Wu Bingji\'s hand.
"Eh, Elder Martial Brother, why are your hands even colder than mine?"
"Cough, cough, I am the Ice Spirit Transform, isn\'t it normal to be cold?"
"But you haven\'t performed the Demon God Transformation, have you?" Cheng Zicheng asked, puzzled.
"Do you have to be so honest, Chengzi? Do you really like Elder Martial Brother or not?" Du Bai\'s sharp tongue was back to normal.
"Get lost."