Chapter 131: The Temporary Team

“Qin’s Code of Laws?”

Seeing Wang Dongwei, Zhu Xiaoyong, and Li Changxin all showing keen interest, Chu Qingfeng felt a touch of pride. Yet, glancing at Yan Luo, who remained calm and expressionless while quietly nibbling on a chicken drumstick, he couldn't help but feel a hint of disappointment.

“It’s nothing particularly extraordinary—a mere Level 1 skill. I personally believe that as it levels up, it might unlock elements like ‘Order,’ ‘Law,’ and ‘Punishment.’ But at Level 1, it’s simply ‘Word.’”

“Word?”

At this, Yan Luo lifted his mouth from the drumstick. His ‘Word Power’ was indeed ‘Word,’ Level 1 — Word Bullet.

“The Law of Words.”

Chu Qingfeng hurried to explain, “At Level 1, the effect is naturally very simple. Whoever among you knows a skill can use it. Let’s demonstrate together.”

“I’ll do it.”

Having demonstrated the Word Bullet ability back in Ancient Greece, Yan Luo saw no reason to hold back. He opened his mouth, releasing a single character into the air:

“Eat.”

They were eating at the moment, and ‘Eat’ was the meaning of that word. Of course, whether it was “Eat” or “Ying,” the effect was the same: a golden-yellow bullet swiftly formed in the air before his mouth.

Zhu Xiaoyong, a simple-minded and innocent chubby fellow, was not surprised by this ability. Chu Qingfeng had already extracted from him some stories about Yan Luo’s adventures in Ancient Greece.

The psychologist smiled faintly. At the moment the Word Bullet took shape, he slammed his hands down on the table and shouted:

“Objection!”

With Chu Qingfeng’s thunderous table slam, something miraculous happened: the formed bullet shattered violently, dispersing into a chaotic flow of energy midair.

“My ability—Qin’s Code of Laws Level 1, Law of Words—allows me to speak an objection that can halt the use of others’ skills.”

“Oh? Is that so? Then I’ll try voicing an objection myself.”

Without changing his expression, Yan Luo activated his Word Power again, spitting out “Objection.” These two characters condensed into a bullet even larger than before in the empty space ahead.

“Fusion?”

Chu Qingfeng exclaimed in surprise, “Objection!”

Yan Luo echoed, “Objection!”

The two Word Bullets began to merge, on the verge of collapsing, when an additional two characters were added. Sweat trickled down Chu Qingfeng’s forehead, his face turning pale. Clearly, the Law of Words had failed and backfired. Meanwhile, the four-character Word Bullet had fully formed in midair, now impossible to interrupt.

Seeing the bullet hurtling toward his head, Chu Qingfeng’s mind was consumed by one thought:

“My life is over.”

Suddenly, Li Changxin pulled out a black, sturdy machete and slashed at the gigantic flying bullet.

“Boom!”

A small ring-shaped shockwave exploded, shattering many plates on the table and sending dishes crashing to the floor, creating a chaotic clatter. Hearing the noise, a waiter quickly pushed the door open.

“What’s going on here?”

“Nothing much. Just clean this up and prepare a new table with the original menu.”

Chu Qingfeng, ever wealthy and generous, said, “I’ll compensate for the broken things when we settle the bill.”

The bewildered waiter left. Chu Qingfeng wiped the sweat from his forehead and thanked Li Changxin, who had intercepted the fusion of four Word Bullets with a single strike. Then, with lingering unease, he forced a bitter smile:

“My Law of Words can stop others from casting skills, but it consumes mental energy terribly... I can’t hold back anything too powerful. Were you trying to kill me just now?”

A strong emotion was felt:

Sadness +1

“Oh.”

Yan Luo remained expressionless. Even if Li Changxin hadn’t stopped the fired Word Bullet, it would have only grazed Chu Qingfeng’s cheek and hit the sofa.

“Chu, your Qin’s Code of Laws skill is really practical!”

Zhu Xiaoyong’s face was full of envy. As a chubby gamer, he loved games, and this was basically an ‘Interrupt Spell.’ Interrupting others’ skills was incredibly powerful! Imagine fighting a boss; just as it’s about to unleash a skill, you interrupt it and then deal heavy damage…

And this was only Level 1 of Qin’s Code of Laws!

“By the way, Li Changxin, how was your last life?”

Chu Qingfeng dared not mention the skill again and changed the subject.

“Nothing special—just killed a few people.”

The group fell silent.

A waiter entering overheard and trembled briefly, but upon seeing Li Changxin was a cute girl, he scoffed, dismissing it as bluster.

Once the outsiders left, Takanashi Yeli suddenly pouted, puffed her cheeks, her eyes misting over. Then, with a wail, she burst into tears, pointing at Li Changxin with indignation, launching what seemed like a tearful accusation.

“At Sakaki Academy, she forced me to wear maid outfits, nurse uniforms, bunny girl costumes… and made me sing and dance. Then, at the school festival, she locked the boys who were attracted to watch me inside the school…”

Li Changxin interrupted the melodramatic teenager with a gentle smile:

“That was just a test using my little sister’s name, something about ‘three years of blood profit, death penalty not a loss.’”

Chu Qingfeng was speechless.

Was this really the pinnacle of cuteness beyond human limits? Also, wasn’t this basically entrapment?

Sensing the heavy atmosphere, Zhu Xiaoyong, the chubby fellow, grew uneasy. Chu Qingfeng quickly changed the subject again. Once a new banquet was served and the mood gradually lightened, he revealed the true purpose.

“It’s been several days since we left the novice world. I estimate tomorrow is likely the day we, as alchemists, will enter the mandatory worlds. Has anyone thought about forming a team before entering?”

Chu Qingfeng had thoroughly researched the relevant information:

“In Dream Space, by paying a certain amount of bio-energy, you can form a team. There are quite a few in the newbie zone—at least 50,000 bio-energy to establish a team of five. Of course, this can be expanded later by paying more points.”

“This is an official team. Before forcibly entering a world, you can also each pay 1,000 bio-energy to form a temporary team in Dream Space. But temporary slots are limited to three members. Also, joining as a trio or team means you might encounter other teams, potentially even team battles.”

After a brief introduction, Chu Qingfeng said:

“We’re all beginners; 50,000 bio-energy for an official team is definitely beyond our means.” (Yan Luo remained expressionless.) “That’s beyond our capability—but paying 1,000 each for a temporary team has huge advantages.”

“The inner worlds are dangerous. To put it plainly, without someone you trust, you can’t sleep soundly. Who knows if you’ll be stabbed while asleep?”

Wang Dongwei was clearly tempted. The last time he entered Ancient Greece, he, Yan Luo, and Zhu Xiaoyong had effectively formed a team—though that wasn’t a forced world. Each consumed an entry pass and activated the coordinate point to enter.

He asked, “What are the benefits and restrictions of a temporary team?”

“As a team, at mission settlement, there is a group reward—however, if a member dies, the reward is cut by one-third! In a temporary team, if two of your teammates die, you lose two-thirds of the reward! This is actually good; it prevents team members from recklessly killing each other.”