Chapter 61: The Ancient Self Sacrifice Technique

The second match was a duel between medics. There was no surprise in the selection of participants. Red Flag High School sent out their main medic, Ren Dong. Qingye High School's contestant was also a female student, named Shen Qingqing.

There was a relatively high proportion of female medics. Both of these contestants were beautiful young women. They each used their match keys to enter the light core virtual battlefield.

The medic profession had its unique characteristics. It didn’t focus on close combat but rather on understanding various mutated plants under starforce radiation. They mastered the properties of different toxins and medicines interacting with each other, allowing them to concoct various potions to heal or poison their opponents. Therefore, a medic's individual battle differed greatly from that of a main fighter.

Both parties could choose between a Wen Battle [1] or a Wu Battle [2].

A Wen Battle involved each medic gathering materials from the virtual battlefield to prepare poisons from different plants. They would then consume the poison made by their opponent and attempt to detoxify it before succumbing to the poison. The first to successfully detoxify themselves would win. If both managed to detoxify themselves, the one who did so first would win. If both succumbed to the poison, the one who died last would win.

In a Wu Battle, things were more straightforward and direct. Both sides would use the vegetation in the battlefield to create various poisonous weapons and manipulate some toxic plants to set traps. The only victory condition was to kill the opponent.

Ren Dong and Shen Qingqing chose a Wen Battle.

In the livestream.

"Red umbrellas, white stems, after eating we all lie down..."

Big-headed loli Ren Dong, with a small bamboo basket on her back, skipped and hummed a tune as she moved through the dense forest. She picked some bright red mushrooms, dark gray green plants, and serrated leaves. She also set traps to catch some poisonous insects.

Finally, she happily sat by a small river and began mashing all these poisonous items together, like pounding garlic, until she had a lump of dark green paste.

"It’s done," said Ren Dong. Her big eyes turned into crescents as she smiled. She leaned in and sniffed the paste lightly, showing a satisfied expression on her face. Then, she dipped her finger into the paste, bringing it to her mouth to taste it.

“

Ugh!

”

Ren Dong's expression suddenly froze. Foam started coming out of her mouth and nose.

Thud.

The big-headed loli convulsed and collapsed backward. Instantly, the livestream erupted.

WHAT THE HECK?!???

A barrage of question marks flooded the screen, representing the 3,671 viewers’ collective bewilderment.

Did she mess up?

Did she poison herself?

Even Li Xiaofei, watching from the preparation area, was stunned. Ren Dong was their main medic.

Can she really be this careless?

In the livestream, commentators Shen Yan and Little You were momentarily speechless when faced with such an unprecedented situation. They didn’t know what to say. This was just absurd. But in the next moment, something even more absurd happened.

In the broadcast, what looked like the stiffened body of Ren Dong suddenly sprang up in a perfect kip-up. She grinned mischievously at the camera, and then went back to enthusiastically working on her dark green paste.

Wait, what?

A collective

WTF

feeling washed over everyone watching. They had been pranked. Red Flag High School's contestants all seemed a bit off. The first one was arrogant, while the second one was playful.

Where did they find these oddballs?

About a quarter of an hour later, the two beautiful medics met at the agreed-upon location. Without any unnecessary words, they each took the carefully prepared poison from the other and swallowed it without hesitation.

The toxins quickly took effect. Ren Dong sat cross-legged, her face twitching as she seemed to channel her energy to resist the poison. Shen Qingqing, on the other hand, displayed a more professional approach. She confidently took out various detoxifying plants she had prepared and began chewing them in large mouthfuls.

In a short time, she consumed a significant amount of green plants. But as she chewed, Shen Qingqing's face suddenly froze.

Thud.

She collapsed backward, her figure turning into a stream of data light and disappearing from the spot. At that moment, Ren Dong stood up with a mischievous grin and flashed a victory sign at the camera. She had won.

“Red Flag High School wins the second individual battle. Pre-match predictions heavily favored Qingye High School, but now they have yet to secure a single victory. Unexpectedly, the underdog Red Flag High School has secured two consecutive wins.”

“Many viewers are commenting, saying they didn’t understand how Ren Dong from Red Flag High School won. You see, during the final poisoning phase, she didn’t take any antidote at all, while Shen Qingqing, who seemed well-prepared with plenty of detoxifying herbs, was the first to succumb to the poison. In fact, this is a very rare and ancient Great Xia medical technique. The self-sacrifice technique. Do you remember when Ren Dong tested the poison she made and almost succumbed to it? Everyone thought that was due to her carelessness. But it wasn’t. She was using herself as a test subject for the poison.”

“When she personally experienced the poison's effects, she added certain non-toxic herbs to develop it into a poison that would actually interact badly with the antidote! So, when Shen Qingqing took the antidote, she fell into a trap, accelerating the poison’s effect. Had she not taken any antidote, she would have lasted longer. As for Ren Dong, the residual toxins from her self-testing helped neutralize part of Shen Qingqing’s poison, allowing her to endure longer. Of course, this kind of extreme method is very dangerous. Students who have not undergone professional training should never attempt it rashly.”

In the livestream, the host, Shen Yan, also known as Little White Dragon in the Waves, quickly provided a professional and detailed explanation, clarifying the audience's confusion.

The viewers were impressed.

Self-sacrifice technique? Is there really such a path for medics?

The commentator is quite professional.

He really knows his stuff.

So that's how it is. The commentator's knowledge is very comprehensive.

The audiences had a collective moment of realization. Li Xiaofei still found it a bit hard to believe. He glanced at Grandpa Qin questioningly. The latter nodded seriously, confirming the explanation.

Wow. There really is a self-sacrifice technique.

Li Xiaofei suddenly saw the big-headed loli Ren Dong in a new light. She looked cute and innocent, but she was using some seriously clever tactics.

The teachers and students of Red Flag High School in the stands erupted in deafening cheers once again, celebrating their hero. Ren Dong returned to a hero's welcome.

"Well done."

"Nicely done."

Her teammates swarmed her with congratulations. Meanwhile, Qingye High School's preparation area fell into a cold, icy silence.

The third round was next, a duel between beastmasters. This was Li Xiaofei's first time witnessing a beastmaster duel. Red Flag High School's beastmaster, Liu Xiao, and Qingye High School's beastmaster, He Ye, entered the light core and were transported to the system's randomly chosen map, the Disordered Research Facility.

1. referring to a literary battle ☜

2. referring to a martial battle ☜