Chapter 64: A Choice Never Made Before!

A vast and boundless ash-white earth seemed to be shrouded by an endless night.

No stars were visible in the sky, only endless white mist drifting about.

Suddenly.

In front of everyone, a massive figure gradually emerged.

This was a creature standing over three meters tall, resembling a spider in shape, but far larger than any known spider.

Its entire body was a deep, dark black.

Eight steel-like legs supported its massive torso, with sharp hooks at the tips.

Even more eye-catching were the mouthparts in the front, resembling two crossed sickles, sharp and keen, gleaming with a cold light.

These sharp mouthparts could undoubtedly slice through a prey's flesh in an instant and tear it into pieces.

The students recognized this creature at a glance as the Dark-Bound Giant Spider, one of the common and feared creatures in the Abyss-Erosion Realm.

Although it was merely simulated and formed digitally, backed by seventy percent realism, it still possessed a formidable sense of oppression.

Faced with this terrifying creature, the students reacted in various ways.

Some breathed deeply and nervously, slowly stepping backward as if already awed by the sheer presence of the giant beast.

Others remained calm, quickly observing the surrounding environment to see if they could use the terrain to their advantage.

Sheng Jianxing gripped a long sword, a gleam of excitement flashing in his eyes.

"The weakness of the Dark-Bound Giant Spider is its eight long legs; we must disable its balancing support legs as soon as possible!"

In contrast to Sheng Jianxing's eagerness, Xu Shuo glanced at the Dark-Bound Giant Spider and then lowered his gaze to the ground.

The ash-white earth was dotted with holes of various sizes, from which mist drifted out from time to time.

The mist in the atmosphere of the Abyss-Erosion Realm actually originated entirely from underground.

Xu Shuo observed these caves for a moment, then looked back up at the steadily approaching Dark-Bound Giant Spider, deep in thought.

Xu Boyuan was observing from the outside. From the very first second of battle, these students had chosen different approaches.

There was no right or wrong among them; as long as a combat style suited oneself, it was the best.

Jiang Chenchen and Wan Song from Yali, as well as Liang Cheng from the First High School, had also begun their preliminary probing and attacks.

In addition to their respective weapons, every student wore alloy protective combat armor.

This armor was standard protective equipment provided by the system for every student. Besides possessing formidable defensive power, it could also filter out the corrosive erosion qi in the Abyss-Erosion Realm.

However, it could only sustain about half an hour.

Without this armor, even a Foundation Establishment martial artist could not last a minute in the environment of the Abyss-Erosion Realm.

Qian Mingjie was also watching the battle from the side.

He had experienced this simulated combat platform many times during his freshman year, and now, watching these younger students come to clear the trials, he felt a rather unique sentiment.

"Although the difficulty has been adjusted to an appropriate level, fighting creatures of the Abyss-Erosion Realm for the first time is no easy feat for these elite students."

"However, Big Brother Shiyu is a different story."

"I reckon it will all be over after a few swings of his staff."

Thinking this, Qian Mingjie turned his gaze to Shiyu's combat screen.

At this sight, he was immediately struck dumb.

"What... what... what are you doing, Big Brother?"

On the other side, Xu Boyuan also raised his thick eyebrows, a look of astonishment appearing in his eyes: "This little fellow..."

In the transmitted real-time footage, they actually saw Shiyu taking off his combat armor piece by piece!

Exposing his entire body raw to the corrosive atmosphere of the Abyss-Erosion Realm!

Qian Mingjie's mind went somewhat blank; he had never seen anyone do such a thing before.

Isn't this simply suicide?

Xu Boyuan reached out and stroked his smooth, bald head, murmuring, "Could he be trying to use his own divine soul to personally experience the erosion process?"

"Is there any need for that? Everything is explained clearly in the instructional videos!" Qian Mingjie protested.

"Instruction is instruction; no matter what, it cannot compare to personal experience."

Xu Boyuan narrowed his eyes: "Shiyu is testing the most extreme and adverse combat environment..."

"If you don't believe it, you can go right ahead and ask him."

Qian Mingjie pressed the communication button without hesitation.

When he voiced his doubt, Shiyu replied indifferently, "In future battles, can one guarantee that the combat armor will always remain intact?"

"I imagine that armor shattering is a high-probability event."

"That being the case, I feel it is necessary to feel the pain of erosion in the Abyss-Erosion Realm beforehand."

"This is merely a virtual environment, so trying it out does no harm," Shiyu said casually.

Qian Mingjie was stunned, speechless for a moment.

Big Brother, you are merely a high school student; why are you acting as if you are about to step onto a real battlefield immediately?

Xu Boyuan gazed deeply at Shiyu within the virtual system; he finally understood why Dean Xia paid such exceptional attention to this young man.

He often made choices that defied expectations.

...

"Clang!"

The last piece of combat armor on his body was discarded onto the ground by Shiyu.

Aside from the filtering respirator mask on his face, there was no other protection left on his body.

wisps of thick, eroding atmosphere began to tug at him like greedy demonic claws.

The stinging sensation felt like countless tiny needle tips dancing wildly across his skin.

Within mere seconds, Shiyu's skin turned crimson red.

As if being fiercely scorched by a merciless fire.

"Hiss..."

Even with Shiyu's resilient divine soul, he almost let out a groan of pain at this moment.

All nervous systems were frantically transmitting electrical signals of pain, converging in the brain.

In the sea of his divine soul, an endless tsunami churned, towering giant waves roaring and howling.

He furrowed his brows tightly, biting down hard on his teeth, enduring this indescribable agony.

Yet his gaze remained steadfast.

This was merely seventy percent realism; once truly on the battlefield, the pain would be even more intense.

At this moment, the Dark-Bound Giant Spider seemed to lose its patience.

"Squeak!"

Its eight steel-hard long legs moved rapidly, and it lunged savagely toward Shiyu!

Along the way, gravel shattered and dust flew into the air.

Shiyu's gaze tightened, and he abruptly leaped backward.

He wanted to test where his limit lay within this eroding atmosphere.

In an instant, the Dark-Bound Giant Spider pursued the tiny bug that annoyed it so immensely like a tank charging forward.

As time passed, the erosion of the corrosive atmosphere grew increasingly severe.

Shiyu's skin began to blister and crack, and in some places, bare white bones were even exposed.

"Damn, this hurts like hell!" He bared his teeth and grimaced repeatedly.

Yet even though not a single patch of skin or flesh on his body remained intact, Shiyu's eyes grew increasingly bright.

As if his divine soul was constantly undergoing tempering.

Outside, Qian Mingjie twitching the corners of his mouth, feeling his own body start to ache just by watching.

He checked the time: "A minute has passed."

Xu Siyuan remarked with emotion: "He still hasn't launched any attacks against the Dark-Bound Giant Spider, only dodging."

"Dodging amidst extreme agony."

"Is this the willpower of a martial artist?"

"I am truly looking forward to seeing just where his limits lie."