Quick Travel to the Clouds

Ten minutes later, check-in for the sprint finals began.

Nine finalists in the boys' group stood at the starting line: six players and three NPCs.

Xia Wanqi stood in the third lane, Zhou Muyang in the fifth lane, and the other four male players were scattered around, each with a different expression on their face—tense, excited, fearful, and resolute.

Gunshots rang out.

Nine people shot off the starting line like arrows released from a bow.

ten meters.

A sudden change occurred.

On each track, a dark shadow appeared out of thin air and quickly solidified into a physical form—a monster.

Nine in total, each with a different appearance. Some had sharp claws like knives, some had protruding fangs, and some had thick black liquid flowing from their bodies.

They simultaneously pounced on the runners on their respective tracks.

The three NPCs didn't even have time to scream before they were torn to pieces by the monster.

Blood splattered on the track was particularly glaring in the sunlight.

The three monsters, having been defeated, let out satisfied roars and vanished into black smoke.

The remaining six players each used their own methods.

A male player with a buzz cut took out a talisman and crushed it. A pale golden light enveloped him, and sparks flew as the monster's claws gripped it. He gritted his teeth and continued charging forward.

Another tall, thin boy suddenly had a short sword in his hand. The blade glowed red, and with one slash, the monster that lunged at him was split in two.

Zhou Muyang used a small shield, which unfolded into a semi-transparent light barrier in front of him, knocking the monster away.

Xia Wanqi remained calm, raising his hand and waving it, an invisible shockwave blasting the monster into pieces.

Twenty meters.

A new monster has appeared.

This one is even stronger. It's larger, faster, and its claws are faintly covered in black mist.

The buzz-cut male player's shield flickered violently under the first attack, shattered under the second, and was pierced through the chest by the third. His eyes glazed over, and he collapsed on the track.

The tall, thin boy swung his short sword down again, but this time it only cut halfway into the monster's body. The monster roared in pain and swung its claw back, sending him flying.

Two players died.

Forty meters.

The monster reappeared.

A male player wearing glasses was attacked from both sides by two monsters. He ran out of defensive items and fell down with a scream.

Fifty meters.

Another player was pierced by the monster's claws.

On the track, only Xia Wanqi and Zhou Muyang remained.

Sixty meters.

Two monsters pounced on Zhou Muyang simultaneously. His small shield was already covered in cracks, its light dimming. The first monster's attack widened the cracks, and the second monster's impact shattered the shield completely.

Zhou Muyang groaned as the monster's claws slashed his shoulder, causing blood to gush out. He staggered, nearly falling, but gritted his teeth and continued charging forward.

Xia Wanqi remained calm.

He had a constant stream of items at his disposal, and every monster that lunged at him was blasted to pieces before it could even get close. But his face was starting to turn pale—the continuous use of items was taking a huge toll.

Seventy meters.

Eighty meters.

Zhou Muyang was struck again, three deep, bone-revealing wounds appearing on his back, blood staining half his body. His steps slowed, and his vision began to blur.

"Mu Yang!" Xia Wanqi turned around and glanced back, his brows furrowing slightly.

He hesitated for half a second.

Then accelerate.

Ninety meters.

Zhou Muyang finally couldn't hold on any longer and collapsed on the track, with only ten meters left to the finish line.

The monster pounced from behind.

He closed his eyes.

But the expected pain did not come.

A dull thud followed by the monster's final roar before it vanished.

He opened his eyes and saw Xia Wanqi standing inside the finish line, his face pale, with a fresh wound on his arm—he had turned back half a step at the last moment and used a prop to kill the monster.

"Get up." Xia Wanqi's voice was hoarse, filled with suppressed anger.

Zhou Muyang struggled to his feet and staggered across the finish line.

Both of them crossed the finish line.

They were all seriously injured.

The NPC students on the playground erupted in enthusiastic cheers, applauding the "exciting and intense match".

Zhou Muyang slumped down by the track, panting heavily, the wound on his back still bleeding.

Xia Wanqi stood aside, took out healing tools from his backpack and threw them to him, then began to treat the wound on his arm himself.

"Brother Wanqi..." Zhou Muyang's voice was weak, "Thank you."

Xia Wanqi did not respond.

His gaze swept across the playground and landed on the girls' rest area.

The girl with the ponytail sat quietly, as if the bloody battle here was just an ordinary background.

His brow furrowed even deeper.

Tai Lele originally wanted to rush over to check on Zhou Muyang's injuries, but just as she took a step, the broadcast sounded:

[Girls' sprint final, please proceed to the check-in area.]

She stopped in her tracks, gritted her teeth, and turned to walk towards the check-in area.

Yun Chu also stood up.

Nine girls stood at the starting line. Seven players and two NPCs.

The tall, slender girl stood in lane one, expressionless, her eyes indifferent. Yun Chu was in lane three, Tai Lele in lane five, and Zhou Xiaoya, the round-faced girl, in lane seven. The other three female players were distributed across other lanes.

Gunshots rang out.

Nine people rushed out.

Three seconds later.

The tall, thin girl disappeared from the spot.

The next second, she appeared inside the finish line.

Teleportation-type items.

She stood at the finish line, glanced back, and a slight smile appeared on her lips.

The first place winner in the girls' group has been determined.

The remaining eight continued their charge.

ten meters.

A monster has appeared.

Eight tracks, eight monsters of different shapes, all rushing toward their prey at the same time.

Yun Chu raised her hand.

Eight talismans flew out from her sleeves, tracing eight pale blue lines in the air before landing precisely on the eight monsters.

The talisman exploded.

Before the eight monsters could even roar, they were turned into ice sculptures, then shattered into ice shards scattered across the ground and dissipated into the air.

The runway was deathly silent.

All the players were stunned.

Tai Lele opened her mouth wide and almost tripped.

Zhou Xiaoya's eyes widened in disbelief as she stared at the figure that was still running steadily.

The other three female players were completely blank-minded.

Twenty meters.

A new monster has appeared.

Yun Chu raised her hand again.

Eight more talismans flew out.

All monsters were wiped out.

Thirty meters.

Forty meters.

Fifty meters.

Each time a wave of monsters appears, eight pale blue trails appear before disappearing into ice shards.

Yun Chu ran slowly, with steady steps and even breathing, like she was doing morning exercises on the playground.

But the six players behind her—including the two NPCs who had survived the second wave—all followed her safely across the finish line.

Bai Yunchu came in second in the girls' group.

Third place: Tai Lele.

Fourth place: Zhou Xiaoya.

Fifth place...

Everyone survived.

The moment he crossed the finish line, Tai Lele knelt down on the ground, panting heavily, whether from exhaustion or shock, it was unclear.

She looked up at the figure standing straight in front of her, her eyes filled with awe.

Zhou Xiaoya collapsed to the ground, and it took her several seconds to come to her senses.

"A big shot..." she murmured, "definitely a big shot..."

In the distance, Xia Wanqi's gaze froze completely.

He looked at Yun Chu, his pupils contracted slightly, and his fingers unconsciously clenched.

Controlling eight talismans simultaneously and precisely targeting eight different objects—this level of control and precision is something that ordinary players simply cannot achieve.

What's even more terrifying is that her expression didn't change at all from beginning to end.

It's like doing something perfectly ordinary.

Who is she?

Who exactly is she?

Xia Wanqi took a deep breath and forced himself to look away.

No rush. There's still a chance.

The competition ended, and the NPC instructor announced the results. Those players who placed wore expressions of relief—the Bright Badge was in hand; they could finally leave this awful place.

Those who didn't place looked dejected, while others gritted their teeth and looked towards the next competition—there was still a chance. There was still the 200 meters, the 400 meters, the long jump, the high jump…

Yun Chu walked to the edge of the rest area and sat down again on the lawn.

But not long after, footsteps were heard.

She opened her eyes and saw Zhou Xiaoya standing in front of her, her face showing nervousness and gratitude.

“Um… Boss…” Zhou Xiaoya’s voice stammered, “Just now… thank you for your help… if it weren’t for you, I would definitely be dead there…”

Yun Chu looked at her, her gray pupils expressionless: "Mm."

Zhou Xiaoya was momentarily speechless at the simple "um," but quickly mustered her courage and continued, "Um... Boss, I wanted to ask... do you sell the kind of talisman you used earlier?"

As soon as he finished speaking, several more figures approached.

These were the other three female players who had just competed in the finals. Their faces all wore similar expressions of anticipation and trepidation.

"Yes, yes, boss, do you sell those talismans?" a girl with her hair in a bun asked quickly. "I'll trade them for items, or points are fine too!"

"I want one too!" Another short-haired girl exclaimed, her eyes sparkling. "That effect was so powerful! I want to get a few for self-defense..."

Yun Chu looked at them and remained silent for two seconds.

Then she took out a stack of talismans from her spatial storage.

The pale blue talisman paper, with intricate runes outlined in silver lines, exudes a faint chill.

"Ice Blast Talisman," she said. "It can instantly kill monsters of that level. One talisman is worth 800 points, or an equivalent C-grade or higher defensive or escape item."

The girls' eyes lit up even more.

I want one!

"I want two!"

"I'll trade you some props—how about this?"

The transaction went smoothly.

Zhou Xiaoya exchanged a C-grade defensive item for one card with 500 points; the girl with the bun hair directly exchanged 1,600 points for two cards; the short-haired girl took out two C-grade items and exchanged them for two cards; the other two girls each exchanged one card.

Yun Chu's space has gained another batch of props and points.

After the transaction was completed, the girls left satisfied, and didn't forget to thank the girls again and again before leaving.

Yun Chu closed her eyes again.

Sunlight fell on her face, casting a soft shadow on her eyelashes.

The game continues.

In the 200-meter preliminary round, Yun Chu participated and easily advanced.

In the finals, she maintained her unhurried pace, used talismans to clear the field the moment the monsters appeared, and was still the first to cross the finish line.

First place.

400m preliminary round, advanced.

First place in the finals.

Three matches, three badges of light.

The sports meet ended in the evening.

On the platform, the principal reappeared with a kind smile on his face.

"Students, after a day of fierce competition, the 47th Autumn Sports Meet of Guangming Middle School has come to a successful conclusion." His voice echoed across the playground through the microphone. "Now, please come up to the stage to receive the Guangming Badge, the top three students in each event."

After the awards ceremony, the players who received badges began to move towards the school gate.

Those who didn't get it looked dejected, while others gritted their teeth and prepared to find other ways out—the dungeon still had a day left, so perhaps there were other ways to survive.

Yun Chu stood at the edge of the playground, looking at the three badges in her hand.

One is enough.

The two extra ones...

She looked up, her gaze sweeping across the crowd.

Soon, people gathered around.

"Big Boss!" It was the short-haired girl who had bought the talisman before. Her face was filled with urgency and expectation. "Do you...do you have any extra badges? I only got one because I came in third place in the 200 meters...but my friend didn't get anything. Could you..."

"Sell," Yun Chu said.

The short-haired girl was stunned for a moment, then overjoyed: "How much? How many points? Tell me!"

"One item, 5,000 points, or two B-grade defensive items."

The short-haired girl transferred her points without hesitation, then pulled a round-faced girl with slightly red eyes over.

"Quickly, quickly, thank you, boss!"

The round-faced girl took the badge, her hands trembling, and thanked him repeatedly.

Yun Chu nodded slightly.

One left.

She remained standing.

Less than five minutes later, someone else arrived.

He is a male player who survived the men's competition but did not place.

His face held a glimmer of hope after despair: "Boss, I heard you're selling badges... I... I only have 1,500 points, plus a C-grade item, is that alright? Please..."

Yun Chu looked at him.

The boy's eyes were bloodshot; he was clearly anxious.

“Okay,” she said.

The transaction is complete.

Both badges were sold.

Yun Chu turned around and walked towards the school gate.

School gate.

Yun Chu handed the Brightness Badge to the gatekeeper.

The gatekeeper NPC took it, examined it carefully, nodded, and opened the side door.

"Okay."

Yun Chu stepped out of the school gate.

A feeling of weightlessness washed over me, and white light flashed before my eyes.

[Congratulations to player Bai Yun Chu for successfully clearing the Survival Dungeon - Bright Campus!]

[Dungeon Rating: S]

[Rewards: 5000 points, 2 B-grade items, 3 skill points]

[Your outstanding performance in the dungeon has been detected. Bonus reward: Title 'Breakthrough'.]

[Redirecting back to the real world...]

After the familiar dizziness subsided, Yun Chu opened her eyes.

She stood in her living room, outside the window it was already night.

The living room was completely dark; it seemed Xie Yipei was still inside the instance and hadn't come out.