The team members who successfully advanced are: Ben, Leo, Hales, Rickleton, and Shen Nana. Hales' Steel Iron Fist remains incredibly powerful, knocking his opponent off the stage with ease. Rickleton's hand blade is also very fierce. With one strike, he cut off his opponent's pincers, which made the opponent surrender immediately! As for Shen Nana, she was the strongest of the three. On the stage, she transformed into a giant python and, with a flick of her tail, instantly killed her opponent, the "Goat-Headed Monster"!
Among those eliminated: Let's not talk about Althea and Duminy. Joe Root couldn't transform because he had exhausted his energy during the train ride and hadn't recovered. Stylen, the Explosive Fruit user, encountered a stone man with remarkable defensive power, which completely neutralized his abilities. Duplessis' "Ghost" teleportation ability is elusive and might be useful in other situations, but it wasn't ideal on the stage. His opponent was a mantis monster, similar to the monsters in the second level of the energy realm, but much stronger and faster. Had Duplessis not conceded quickly, he might have been sliced into pieces…
The first round saw half of the team eliminated. For most teams, this would be insignificant. But for a team aiming for the championship, it was somewhat unsettling. Now, team #96, Leo's team, has dropped outside the top 10,000. Their exact ranking is unknown because the leaderboard only lists the top 10,000! Faced with such results, it's no surprise that everyone was disheartened. Even more discouraging is the top-ranked team in human civilization, an old acquaintance. Team Conrad from Sanford University! Ranked 438! That petty Conrad somehow managed to advance all his members, earning a perfect score of ten in the first elimination round!
"Why do you all look so down?" Ben asked with a frown. "Eat what you should eat, drink what you should drink. Fill yourselves up and rest a bit. There are more matches to come!" "Brother Ben…" Joe Root said with an embarrassed expression, "We didn't realize the ranking in this energy realm is based on the team's score, not like the teacher told us." "We were eliminated in the first round… I'm afraid we'll drag you and Sister Leo down in this spirit realm." The others also looked ashamed. "You just need to avoid losing any members!" Leo's voice rang out. Her expression was calm, and there was no sign of worry on her pretty face. "Leo's right!" Ben said with a smile. "I only expect you to not lose any members. Leave the rest to me and Leo!" Joe Root wanted to say more, but suddenly, an unpleasant voice cut through the air. "Isn't this the number one freshman team? What a coincidence!" Everyone immediately turned to look at the speaker. It was Conrad, leading his team, walking toward them slowly. While Joe Root and the others were dejected, Conrad and his team were smug and proud, acting like arrogant peacocks! Once they got closer, Conrad asked with a smirk, "Leo, may I ask how many points you scored in the first round? I didn't see you on the leaderboard." As soon as these words were spoken, Conrad's team burst into laughter. Joe Root and the others felt a mixture of anger and shame. If it weren't for their struggles, how could they have let Conrad mock them like this? "It's good to be young!" Ben sighed. Only the youth could engage in such petty mockery. If it were him, he would be too embarrassed to face anyone. "Childish!" This was Leo's comment. Conrad and the others were stunned. Then, Conrad laughed even harder. "Leo, I admit you're powerful, but you probably didn't expect that the ranking in this spirit realm is actually based on the entire team's score, right? Hahaha…" "How does it feel to be dragged down by this bunch of trash? Do you regret your choice back then?" "This time, don't even think about an SSS-level mission rating. You won't even get an A-level mission rating!" Leo didn't bother responding and simply picked up her plate to get more food. She was very hungry after not eating or drinking for ten hours. "Leo, this shrimp ball is delicious!" Ben said, using his chopsticks to pick up a shrimp ball from his bowl and offering it to her. "Come on, open your mouth!" Leo's face turned slightly red, but she still opened her mouth to let Ben feed her. Conrad: "…" Such a display of affection made everyone around feel awkward! Conrad hesitated several times before walking off with his team. He looked at his rough teammates and suddenly felt that the food on his plate was no longer appetizing. … After eating and drinking their fill, the team retreated to the rest area. They found a private room to relax. The room had semi-reclining single sofas, designed to suit human preferences. "Leo and I will sleep for a while. If we haven't woken up by the time it's needed, wake us up," Ben said. His words were a bit ambiguous. Leo's face immediately turned red. The others: "…" Ben didn't care much. He lay down on the sofa and snored loudly. His mentality was good! Because the martial arts rules clearly stated that once you enter the official competition, you can become a ring leader! When the time comes, if the points aren't enough, he would become the ring leader and single-handedly challenge all the enemies! He would earn enough points in one go!! So why worry? Moreover, fighting was prohibited in the restaurant. The environment was safe, so he could sleep soundly. … Five hours passed. Although five hours is not a short period, if spent sleeping, it feels like closing and opening your eyes. For Ben, those five hours felt like no time at all. Ben was woken up by Joe Root. "Brother Ben, wake up. The rest time is almost over." When Ben opened his eyes, he saw Joe Root's tired face, his eyes bloodshot. "You didn't sleep?" Ben asked. Joe Root forced a smile and said, "I'm fine. Anyway, I've already been eliminated. It's okay as long as you guys get enough rest." Ben shook his head, too lazy to try to convince him further. To be honest, Joe Root's personality was very contradictory. When things were going well, he was arrogant, inflated, and disregarded others. But when facing difficulties, his mentality collapsed faster than anyone else… Ben got up from the sofa, stretched, and felt that his energy was inexhaustible—he couldn't wait to tear down the arena! Before long, the rest time was over. The teleportation channel appeared as expected. Everyone stepped through the channel and returned to the arena. The second round of elimination began!
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