Chapter 234: Super-Powered Zuo Xiaotang

Ma Long was startled, "Hao Ge, what are you doing? Is this such a big setup? I'm a little panicked."

"It's nothing, a small matter. I'm just taking precautions. We need to be focused from the start and set aside a few days for adaptation. Everyone is okay with that, right?" Li Hao laughed.

Zhou Naiyi and the others had no objections. Huo Ying had long been impatient, "Team Leader, let's do it, let's do it! The more special and intense, the better. I love excitement."

Looking at the excited blockhead, Jeris smiled, "I don't know about anything else, but it will definitely be exciting. I just don't know if your hearts can handle it."

"Ziyuan, Lingxiao, you two don't need to go. Consider it a holiday," Li Hao said. He felt this training team wasn't very friendly to girls, especially those not from the Mecha Department.

Tan Ziyuan and Lu Lingxiao looked at each other, "Do we need to keep it confidential?"

"It's not about confidentiality, I'm just afraid you'll feel uncomfortable watching."

Tan Ziyuan shook her head firmly and looked at Li Hao earnestly, "Team Leader, I am an officer of the team. You don't think I'm that amateur, do you?"

"I am my Ziyuan's assistant. Hmph, I'm going too!" Lu Lingxiao waved her fist to express her professionalism.

Li Hao rubbed his nose. If Tan Ziyuan were amateur, then no one would be professional. "Fine, do what you can. Don't force yourselves. Jeris, is everything ready on your end?"

Jeris made an 'OK' gesture, "Principal Long is still quite capable."

Li Hao really managed to stir up everyone's interest. The group arrived at the newly built laboratory of the Tianjing Mecha Martial Arts Academy. Along the way, everyone who saw Jeris had to offer a salute of respect.

In this field, Jeris was the king.

The group arrived in the room. Through the tempered glass, there was a very large and healthy Giant Insect. Its color was bright and translucent, indicating it was well-fed. There were still traces of blood from raw meat on the ground.

"Hao Ge, what for? Are we doing another dissection experiment?"

"We already understand the anatomy; it's boring. I like to hack, not take it slow."

"Dissection? This one looks very complete. Isn't that a bit of a waste?" Ma Long always started from the perspective of economic value.

Zhou Naiyi and Wuzang didn't speak, but they had already realized something. Zhou Naiyi's face was a bit pale. With a Mecha, she wasn't afraid, but what if she didn't have one?

Tan Ziyuan and Lu Lingxiao were fine, as they had seen many images and wouldn't have too much of a reaction. Mainly, they hadn't realized what Li Hao was about to do.

The door opened, and Long Danni arrived as well.

"Good day, Principal!"

Long Danni waved her hand, "Li Hao, are you sure you want to do something this dangerous?"

"Principal, it's not dangerous. I think everyone is ready. Our bodies and techniques have reached a bottleneck, and mental growth is urgently needed. While mental confrontation with a Giant Insect is a bit simple, the effect is the most direct," Li Hao said.

Zhou Naiyi and Wuzang had guessed it, while Ma Long and Zuo Xiaotang immediately jumped up.

"What, what? Mental confrontation? Confronting Giant Insect Terror???" Ma Long's pupils dilated, and his body shivered.

Li Hao nodded. Ma Long refused, "No way, Hao Ge, I'm not ready. This is playing too big. I won't slack off anymore. Let's slow down, or change it to something else. This isn't something humans do!"

"No, you are ready. Those who have awakened the Golden Zone have a stronger resistance," Li Hao said with a smile, "Of course, the rebound will also be a bit stronger."

Ma Long felt relieved at the first half, but almost choked at the second.

Long Danni nodded, "Then let's begin. Pay attention to safety!" She was a decisive person; to achieve great things, one had to take risks.

"Alright, today is just to test the waters. Everyone go down together. Don't worry, it's very safe." Li Hao took the lead, and Wuzang and the others followed. Ma Long tried to run but was dragged down by Huo Ying by his collar—who told him to mock him earlier.

"Hao Ge, Principal, Principal, can we discuss this? Principal, give me a chance..." Ma Long, while retreating, didn't forget to struggle for his life.

Tan Ziyuan and Lu Lingxiao looked at each other. They hadn't experienced Giant Insect Terror and had only heard of it, but seeing the reaction of the group, it probably wasn't simple.

【Line 33 is a continuation of line 32 in the source text.】

The group took the elevator down. Once inside, no one spoke. Everyone held their breath, and one could hear the *thump-thump-thump* of heartbeats.

Li Hao turned back and smiled, "It's fine. They're just bigger dung beetles. Don't be deceived by their appearance. In their eyes, we are also very scary."

Ma Long rolled his eyes and his mouth twitched. He was in no mood for witty remarks. If these things didn't drool, he would take the insect's surname.

In the observation room, Long Danni glanced at the relaxed Jeris, "Can safety be guaranteed?"

Jeris pushed up his glasses and a smile appeared at the corner of his mouth, "Principal Long is also a person who has seen the world. You wouldn't think this level is enough to participate in the S Tournament, would you?"

Are you kidding? Safety was never a factor that needed to be considered when Tianqi was improving strength.

"I am not in the military now; safety is the top priority," Long Danni did not back down.

"Relax, relax. With Second Brother here, nothing can go wrong. Just wait and watch the show." Although they weren't in the same system, Jeris still had to give Long Danni some face; after all, Second Brother was currently under her command.

The elevator door opened. The few seconds felt longer than ever. Zuo Xiaotang was sweating. Except for Li Hao and Wuzang, everyone else was barely holding on.

As soon as the group appeared, the Razor Giant Insect immediately became frantic, but it was tied down firmly. The titanium alloy chains as thick as an arm were pulled with a *Boom—* sound, and its big mouth let out a shrill roar, spraying saliva everywhere.

Facing the direct impact, everyone's heartbeats became more violent. Li Hao walked over. There was a line on the ground, five meters away from the Giant Insect. Ignoring the crazed insect, he said, "Come, stand on this line, one by one. Wuzang, you go first."

Wuzang did not hesitate and walked toward the Giant Insect step by step. He couldn't do it like Li Hao, who walked as if he were strolling. Every step, he felt the direct mental impact of the Giant Insect. The roar hit his crown, as if it wanted to swallow him whole.

But Wuzang's gaze never wavered. He looked straight at the clawing and gnashing Giant Insect and stepped over, step by step. Finally, he stood on the line, but in an instant, all his muscles tensed up. Facing the Giant Insect, he could no longer move, and his whole person was plunged into the confrontation.

"The boy from the Wu Family is capable. He's the real deal. His Mental Power and physical resilience are long and unified," Jeris laughed and pressed his glasses. A blue light flashed, "And he is very lucky."

Honestly, if it weren't for Second Brother, he would just be excellent; he would have no chance to reach the top. A thousand-mile horse is common.

Long Danni didn't speak, just watched. She knew how terrifying Giant Insect Intimidation was. One careless move and one's mind could be damaged. She understood Li Hao's intention, but it was too risky, so she had to watch personally. Once it crossed the risk line, it had to be stopped.

Results were desired, but she was a teacher first.

Seeing Wuzang stand firm, Li Hao turned around and waved at the others, "Huo Ying, Zuo Xiaotang, you two go together."

Huo Ying wasn't afraid, but... damn it, why were his legs weak? Damn it, so embarrassing. To hell with you, bug, I'm not afraid!

Huo Ying struggled and wobbled forward. Although there was a distance and the Giant Insect was tied tight, it felt like it was right in front of him, ready to swallow him in one bite at any moment.

And a surprising scene appeared... Zuo Xiaotang just walked over smoothly, muttering something to himself.

Closing one's eyes in front of a Giant Insect was useless. Mental Intimidation was direct fear, but it seemed to have no effect on Zuo Xiaotang.

Jeris in the observation room was stunned, "Eh, this is interesting. Damn, could it be Heart Flow Control? No, that's not right. How could this little fatty qualify? Not bad, there's a freak in the team."

Zuo Xiaotang stood on the line very easily, but he didn't move, as if he were maintaining some kind of thought, and he was also muttering to himself.

Huo Ying was very slow, almost crawling... wriggling, but he always maintained the confrontation. For Huo Ying, not being able to beat it was one thing, but it had nothing to do with whether he dared to or not. Just go for it, if you die, you die, but being a coward was not allowed.

In just a few meters, Huo Ying moved for seven or eight minutes. The moment he stood on the line, he

froze. His muscles bulged, and his expression was a bit ferocious, baring his teeth; he was clearly already engaged in the fight.

"Those who go up first will have to endure for longer, so why not let Zhou Naiyi and Ma Long go first?" Lu Lingxiao asked, a bit puzzled.

"Wuzang is the strongest, Zuo Xiaotang has a special skill, and Huo Ying has a very solid physique and a singular, focused temperament, so these three are actually the strongest. With those three sharing the burden, Zhou Naiyi and Ma Long will have it a bit easier. Zhou Naiyi is very strong, but she is meticulous in her thinking and still has the shadow of the Giant Insect, which weakens her. Ma Long is a bit flimsy; his opportunistic personality makes him prone to collapsing when facing the Giant Insect," Jeris explained. He glanced at Tan Ziyuan and Lu Lingxiao; regardless of anything else, the attractiveness of the girls from Tianjing was quite formidable, and their temperament was also excellent.

Long Danni nodded silently. Zhou Naiyi and Ma Long began to move forward in sync. Flirting aside, when it was time to step up, Ma Long didn't dawdle. Zhou Naiyi was clearly under great pressure; with her strength as an awakened Golden Zone user, it shouldn't have been this way, but having once suffered an attack from a Giant Insect, she still had some lingering trauma. Fear is something that multiplies in power the more one dreads it; mental pressure largely stems from self-consumption, and this is what Zhou Naiyi must face.

Fortunately, with three people already in front and sufficient time for psychological preparation, Zhou Naiyi was still moving forward steadily.

Ma Long was moving while trembling all over, no longer his usual suave self, and he had already entered the Red Eye State.

Eventually, the two of them also stood on the line, bearing the violent pressure from the Giant Insect. This Giant Insect was healthier, and its Mental Power Intimidation was more ferocious, crashing against the five of them in waves like a raging sea. At this point, there was no retreat; everyone could only resist, for once they gave up, their spirit would collapse.

This thought welled up in everyone's heart: they must hold on at all costs; there was no way back.

Wuzang was very steady, extremely, extremely steady, but this was also his first time undergoing such training. He had clearly used too much force at the beginning, and he had been at it the longest, so cold sweat had already broken out.

Zuo Xiaotang... was surprisingly in the best condition, as if he were in some kind of wondrous state. The Giant Insect seemed to have no effect on him, though the prerequisite was that he had to maintain this state.

Huo Ying had already started to shake, his body trembling irregularly, his face turning alternately red and white.

Zhou Naiyi and Ma Long were about the same; both had already entered the Golden Zone. If they controlled it well and kept their emotions stable, they should be about the same as Wuzang and wouldn't need to reveal their trump cards. However, both were exerting themselves too hard. They had done multiple rounds of psychological preparation beforehand, but when truly facing it, they collapsed more than halfway, wasting too much Mental Power.

(A final boost before entering the Mid-Season Tournament; it requires growth and also lays the groundwork for foreshadowing, hinting at the characteristics of several abilities. Who can guess Zhou Naiyi's... two characters? Applause for those who guess wrong, and if you guess right... no way...)

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