Just a mediocre talent built up by family resources, there won't be any outstanding performance.

Liu Feiyu fell silent for a moment, his eyes flickering rapidly behind his glasses. He glanced around at the group and said, "Alright, let’s stop wasting time on meaningless discussions."

"We’re a team now. Regardless of Teacher Su’s... stance, we still have to compete."

"My suggestion is to explore east first. The terrain there is relatively flat, the woods aren’t as dense, and visibility is better. It’s a good place for us to get used to working together."

"We can start by hunting some sixth-tier Source Beasts to familiarize ourselves with each other’s combat styles. Then, on the second day, we can move up to seventh-tier. What do you all think?"

The proposal was undeniably cautious.

Most of the students instinctively nodded. In an unfamiliar environment, prudence was never a bad thing.

However, the burly man named Li Ran frowned again.

"Sixth-tier is a waste of time."

Liu Feiyu’s expression remained unchanged as he explained, "This isn’t about wasting time. We don’t know each other’s strengths yet. If we recklessly challenge seventh-tier beasts and someone gets hurt due to poor coordination, it’ll only slow us down later. Steady progress is the optimal strategy."

"Optimal my ass!" Li Ran cursed outright. "If we keep hesitating like this, the other teams will leave us in the dust with their scores!"

"We have ten seventh-tier fighters! Even if we run into a high-tier seventh-tier beast, we can still put up a fight. What the hell are you so afraid of?"

Liu Feiyu finally frowned. "Don’t start trouble."

Li Ran took a step forward, his chest muscles tensing. "Who’s starting trouble? We’re all from the Magic Card Academy—everyone here has their own trump cards. Do you really think we’re useless without teamwork?"

The two locked eyes, the atmosphere instantly turning tense.

The other students exchanged uneasy glances, unsure whose side to take.

Liu Feiyu’s plan sounded the safest, but Li Ran’s argument made sense too.

They were all prodigies, each carrying a natural arrogance. The idea of "bullying" sixth-tier beasts didn’t exactly excite them.

Yun Huang stood to the side, silent.

She simply observed.

She watched the two arguing, as well as the reactions of the others.

And she noticed something strange.

According to the academy’s records, every one of them was supposed to be among the best of their peers.

Yet their current behavior felt oddly... amateurish and mediocre.

Their first instinct wasn’t to conquer, but to protect themselves.

Their pride seemed to exist only on paper.

Yun Huang found herself leaning toward Li Ran’s perspective.

Even without coordination, even if they fought individually, she alone could hold off a mid-tier seventh-tier Source Beast for a long time. With just a bit of support from the others, taking it down would only be a matter of time—and the risk wasn’t that high.

She had only said she wouldn’t use her abilities to cover for anyone’s recklessness, but she hadn’t opposed hunting mid-tier seventh-tier beasts.

These people were too cautious.

Cautious to the point of... not seeming like geniuses at all.

...

Meanwhile.

On a dozen massive screens, live footage of the seven competing teams played out.

Lin Xiao stood with his hands behind his back, his gaze fixed on the main screen—where Yun Huang’s team was embroiled in their heated debate over whether to fight or not.

His face was unreadable, betraying neither approval nor displeasure.

Wu Gong stood beside him, beads of sweat forming on his forehead.

He rubbed his hands nervously, mentally cursing Su Qi for the hundredth time.

Being a hands-off leader was one thing, but this was ridiculous!

The team meets for the first time, and without saying a word, she just leaves. Now look—they’re already at each other’s throats.

"Lin, uh, they’re young. Full of energy, full of ideas. They’ll figure it out after some time together, haha..." Wu Gong forced a laugh, trying to smooth things over.

Lin Xiao snorted coldly, ignoring him entirely.

His eyes remained fixed on Liu Feiyu, who was adjusting his glasses on screen. His voice was icy.

"Too cautious. Lacks boldness. Afraid of risk."

As soon as he spoke, a staff member nearby immediately typed an evaluation next to Liu Feiyu’s profile: [Decision-making style: Excessively conservative. Recommendation: Unsuitable for critical roles outside niche scenarios.]

Wu Gong’s heart sank.

He knew these evaluations would eventually factor into their final scores.

Lin Xiao’s gaze swept over the other students on screen before he shook his head in disappointment.

"A bunch of coddled sheep. Too timid to break out of their self-imposed limits. They’ll only fall further behind."

...

Back on screen.

The argument raged on.

"Liu Feiyu, you’re just a coward!" Li Ran’s patience seemed to have run out.

"I’m being responsible for the team!" Liu Feiyu shot back.

"Responsible? More like afraid of taking accountability!"

"You—"

Just as the two were about to come to blows, a deep, guttural roar erupted from the dense forest nearby.

ROAR—!

The sound was filled with fury, instantly draining the color from every student’s face.

A foul, beastly stench rolled in with the wind.

The argument stopped dead. Both Liu Feiyu and Li Ran immediately shifted into combat stances, their eyes locked on the source of the noise.

From the trees emerged a massive, truck-sized bear, its body covered in dark blue-black scales.

Three crimson vertical pupils locked onto the intruders.

"It’s... a mid-tier seventh-tier [Earthsplit Bear]!"

Liu Feiyu’s expression turned grave. "Everyone, defensive positions! Li Ran, don’t act recklessly!"

But before he could finish—

Li Ran, far from obeying, let out an excited battle cry.

With a stomp that cracked the ground, he launched himself forward like a human cannonball, charging straight at the [Earthsplit Bear].

"Come at me, you overgrown mutt!"

His muscles visibly swelled, his skin taking on a metallic sheen as he transformed into a miniature giant.

And just like that, their first hunt began—not with strategy, but with infighting.

Liu Feiyu’s face twisted in frustration, but he knew now wasn’t the time for reprimands. "Focus fire! Support Li Ran!"

The others snapped into action. Glowing cards materialized as multicolored Source energy flared to life. A barrage of attacks rained down on the [Earthsplit Bear].

Yun Huang didn’t move.

She just watched.

Watched as Li Ran fearlessly traded blows with the beast. Watched as the others scrambled to assist, their attacks disorganized and ineffective.

The battle was intense.

But also... chaotic.

Li Ran fought with reckless abandon—brave, but lacking finesse.

The others’ attacks were flashy but unfocused, most bouncing harmlessly off the bear’s scales or missing entirely. Only a few left faint marks.

Vines wrapped around the bear’s legs, only to be sliced apart by a teammate’s wind blades.

There was no coordination.

They were a mob, not a team.

And at last, Yun Huang understood why Su Qi had said those words.

"Compared to teaming up with a complete stranger, at least I know you won't be stupid enough to cause trouble for me."

It turned out he had already seen through the nature of this group.

Not stupid.

Just... useless.

The [Earthsplit Bear] was thick-skinned and tough, and these feeble attacks only enraged it further.

With a furious roar, its massive tail swung horizontally, sending two unprepared students flying.

"Hold your ground! Don’t panic!" Liu Feiyu shouted desperately, continuously unleashing mental shocks in an attempt to disrupt the [Earthsplit Bear]'s movements—but to little effect.

Just then, Yun Huang, who had remained motionless until now, finally acted.

Instead of joining the chaotic fight, she circled to the other side of the battlefield, her cold eyes locked onto the raging beast.

She was searching for a weakness.

Suddenly, a small flame flickered at her left fingertips.

Her right palm swept over the flame before clenching and pulling outward sharply.

A crimson longsword materialized in her grip.

No sound, no overwhelming aura—just silent lethality.

Then, like a shadow, she slipped into the battlefield, her blade sliding precisely into a barely noticeable gap in the scales behind the [Earthsplit Bear]'s left ear.

"Hiss—!!!"

The previously berserk beast stiffened abruptly before letting out an ear-piercing shriek of agony.

Its massive body convulsed wildly, thrashing against the ground and smashing nearby trees to splinters.

The others stumbled back in shock at the sudden turn of events.

They watched as crimson flames erupted from the bear’s ears, eyes, and mouth—burning it from the inside out.

In less than ten seconds, the ferocious seventh-tier creature collapsed lifelessly, its body still twitching faintly.

The fight... was over?

Everyone stared at the charred corpse, then at Yun Huang, who stood a distance away, her face slightly pale. No one could find words.

What kind of technique was that?

Too precise. Too eerie.

After a long silence, Liu Feiyu finally spoke, his tone complicated. "That just now was..."

"Fire control," Yun Huang replied simply, as if the attack had taken a toll on her as well. "Found its neural center. Plus, its attention wasn’t on me—just a sneak attack."

"Winning head-on would’ve been much harder."

They had secured a full hundred points.

Yet not a single face showed joy.

This victory was too ugly. Too lucky.

Without Yun Huang, casualties would have been inevitable.

Liu Feiyu glanced at the silent group.

...

Meanwhile, elsewhere in the Origin Realm...

Su Qi strolled leisurely with Liu Yuan in tow, as if they were taking a casual park walk.

Liu Yuan, experiencing the Origin Realm for the first time, bubbled with curiosity, chattering nonstop.

"Bro, that tree is so tall!"

"Bro, look! That flower glows!"

Su Qi spared her a glance but couldn’t be bothered to respond.

He stopped, surveying their surroundings.

They stood in a gorge, a stream cutting through it with a gentle murmur.

Nearby, a small waterfall cascaded down the rockface, scattering white spray.

"Here," Su Qi declared.

"Huh? What are we doing here? The scenery’s nice, though," Liu Yuan asked, puzzled.

Su Qi didn’t answer. Instead, he walked straight to the waterfall and pushed aside the curtain of water.

Behind it lay a pitch-black cave.

"Bro, how’d you know there was a cave here?"

"Looked for it. The ‘official safe zones’ in this Origin Realm are a joke. ‘No designated resting areas during the day’—what kind of nonsense is that?" Su Qi grumbled before stepping inside.

Liu Yuan muttered under her breath, "Well... most people don’t come to the Origin Realm just to sleep..."

"Discrimination against night owls, then? What if someone’s more active at night?"

The cave was dry and spacious—a decent temporary shelter.

"Alright, we’re staying here for the next three days."

Su Qi clapped his hands, then pulled out a folding lounge chair, a pillow, and a thin blanket from his luggage.

With practiced ease, he set up the chair, lay down, draped the blanket over himself, and closed his eyes.

"......"

Liu Yuan stared, utterly dumbfounded.

She had dragged her luggage all the way here, ready for a thrilling adventure with her brother.

And yet Su Qi...

Had come to take a nap?

With a full sleep setup?

Then again...

This was exactly the kind of thing Su Qi would do.

Unwilling to accept it, Liu Yuan rushed over and shook the lounge chair. "We’re really not doing anything? What about hunting like you said?"

"No rush," Su Qi replied without opening his eyes. "Work-life balance, got it?"

"Rest first, gather energy."

"Three days later, we’ll go collect the harvest."

Liu Yuan blinked. "Why ‘collect the harvest’?"

Su Qi scoffed. "Ending a losing streak is called ‘harvesting.’"

Liu Yuan still didn’t get it.

She climbed onto him, pestering, "Explain it, bro~ Tell me before you sleep~"

Su Qi knew resistance was futile.

If he didn’t answer now, she’d start biting.

"What do you think of the people in my team?"

Liu Yuan pondered. "They’re probably strong, right? It’s the top Cardmaster Academy in Demon City, after all."

Su Qi shook his head. "Nah, they’re pathetically weak."

Liu Yuan couldn’t fathom it. Students from the top academy—weak?

Su Qi elaborated patiently, "A Cardmaster’s strength lies in high-tier cards. Forget Origin Cards, but with Legendary or Mythic-grade ones, they’d dominate their rank effortlessly."

"But here’s the catch—low-tier cards are manageable, but high-tier ones require card affinity."

Liu Yuan nodded vaguely. "So their card affinity is too low to use rare cards, making them weak?"

Su Qi shook his head again. "Yes and no."

"Overall, they’re not weak. Otherwise, they wouldn’t be in Demon City’s academy."

"The real issue is their insecurity..."

...

"A flock of sheep raised in captivity, too timid to break free from their inferiority complex. They’ll only fall further behind."

Lin Xiao added coldly, "Not the eldest child, always overshadowed by an older sibling."

"‘Look at your brother/sister,’ the parents say. ‘Oh, you’re just so-and-so’s little sibling?’"

"Kept trying to prove their worth, only to realize their own incompetence."

"Just mediocrities propped up by family resources."

"Nothing remarkable to show for it."