Opening Up, Line Up

Chapter 28: Opening Up, Line Up

Few shops in Spirit City ever had long lines forming at dawn.

Especially not a shop whose sign bore the two incomprehensible words "internet café."

But today, the moment Lin Chuan fully opened the doors, the people outside pressed forward by a step.

At the very front stood a burly student from Elephant Armor Academy.

He lowered his head to look at the wooden sign by the entrance and asked in a deep, muffled voice, "Boss, I heard that if you die three times here, you can become stronger?"

A teacher from Canghui Academy behind him immediately frowned. "Don't listen to random rumors. What I heard was that the lottery can improve your movement techniques."

Farther back in the line stood a low-ranking Spirit Hall deacon, holding a small notebook. He had clearly been sent to record the prices and rules.

Beside him, two competing students who had failed to secure spots near the front of the line stood on tiptoe, peering inside.

"Which machine did Tang San use?"

"Why are you asking?"

"To rub off some luck."

Hearing that, Lin Chuan nearly tore down the wooden sign he had just hung up and smashed it over their heads.

Lin Chuan felt his temple twitch.

Rumors really could spread eight blocks overnight.

He quickly hung a new wooden sign on the wall.

[The games in this shop can train judgment, reactions, rhythm, and mental fortitude.]

[Rewards are random and tailored to the individual. No breakthrough is guaranteed, and no martial soul problems will be cured.]

[Private fights, cutting in line, and forced buying or selling are forbidden in the shop.]

After reading it, Flender could not help asking, "Was that last line written for Spirit Hall?"

Yue Guan stood not far away, smiling without a word.

Lin Chuan began dividing the lines.

One line for using the machines.

One line for explanations and spectating.

A separate line for buyout processing.

Grandmaster was soon surrounded by teachers from several academies.

After word of yesterday's explanation mode got out, what concerned them most was not the lottery, but whether this kind of review could truly train their students.

They all claimed they were only here to take a look, yet every one of them stood firmly planted in place.

Some stared at the review screen, some at the price list on Lin Chuan's counter, and some secretly watched how the people from Shrek and Spirit Hall lined up.

No one wanted to admit they were afraid of falling behind.

But before the finals, anything that could help students make fewer mistakes was enough to make them crowd outside a strange little shop at dawn.

Grandmaster did not put on an air of mystery.

Pointing at the review screen, he said, "This is not fighting in your place. It breaks failure apart. If you want your students to grow stronger, don't just watch how they attack when they win. Look at why they lose."

The Canghui teacher fell silent for a moment before asking, "What if the student himself is simply slow to react?"

"Then he should watch even more," Grandmaster said. "There are many reasons for slow reactions. They may fail to see an opening move, have poor footwork habits, fear getting hurt, get greedy for attacks, or fail to distinguish priorities. The review can tell you where they are slow."

The teacher said nothing more.

The first batch of new players soon took their seats at the machines.

The burly Elephant Armor Academy student entered brimming with confidence, but before half an incense stick had passed, a scream came from the screen.

"Where's my defense?!"

His game character was circled from behind by a Little Demon and cut down with a single slash.

A chorus of sharp breaths immediately rose from the spectator area.

The student from Canghui Academy fared even worse.

He tried to use an illusion to confuse the Little Demon, only for his soul skill not to activate at all. Two Little Demons chased him all over the mountain.

"This game makes no sense!" His face was red when he pulled off the helmet.

Tang San said blandly, "It follows its own rules."

The student choked on his reply.

The burly Elephant Armor Academy student was unconvinced after reviving as well.

His fingers cracked as he clenched them, and he put the helmet back on. "I just wasn't ready. Again!"

The second time, he still tried to block the blade with his body.

The Little Demon circled behind him and slashed him across the back.

He froze in place. After a long while, he muttered, "It can circle around too?"

Ma Hongjun laughed so hard in the back that he slapped his thigh. "Brother, I asked that exact question yesterday!"

The Elephant Armor Academy team leader could not keep his face, and he was just about to scold him when the words stopped at his lips.

Because the review on the screen had laid out the problem with perfect clarity.

The student was not slow to react. He simply trusted his defense too much. In real spirit battles, he was used to letting his opponent strike first, then crushing them with his physical strength and martial soul advantages. But the monkey body in the game lacked his defense, as well as the sturdy foundation of the Elephant Armored Sect.

After watching for a long time, the teacher suddenly said in a deep voice, "The third time, you are not allowed to take attacks head-on. First survive this stretch of mountain path."

The burly student stared blankly.

He had thought his teacher would berate him for losing face. Instead, this was what he heard.

He nodded dully and sat up straight again.

The low-ranking Spirit Hall deacon did not use a machine, only recorded things from the side. When he wrote, "Small monsters can kill Soul Elders," his pen paused. He could not help lifting his head to look at the screen again.

At first, none of the new customers accepted it.

But after dying once, cursing a few times, and sitting back down again, they slowly fell silent.

Because the body remembered certain things.

Where the blade came from.

Where their feet needed to dodge.

When a moment of greed would get them killed.

Things that required repeated beatings to understand in real training became clear, direct, and free of real crippling injuries in the game.

After his second revival, the Elephant Armor student did not charge in head-on again. Instead, he tried to watch the Little Demon's shoulders.

He still died.

But he lasted more than ten breaths longer than the first time.

His teacher's expression changed.

"This isn't entertainment."

Grandmaster nodded. "Of course it isn't."

The Canghui Academy teacher said nothing more either.

He had initially resisted this game that suppressed soul skills. After all, many of Canghui Academy's methods relied on mental power and illusions. Those abilities could not be used in the game, which seemed no different from weakening them.

But after watching his student get chased all over the mountain by Little Demons, he understood something instead.

If a student could only panic once deprived of soul skills, that was not the game's problem.

It was a gap in their usual training.

He lowered his head to look at the reservation token in his hand, his expression far more serious than before.

Before coming here, he had only intended to watch the excitement and figure out why Shrek and Spirit Hall kept entering and leaving this strange little shop.

Now, he began considering which of the students he had brought most needed to die a few times first.

The low-ranking Spirit Hall deacon paused his pen when he heard that.

He had originally been sent only to record prices and rules, but now another small line appeared on the page: The various academies already show interest in training; report back immediately.

After writing it, he pressed the notebook deeper into his sleeve, as if afraid someone might see it.

But Lin Chuan still saw it.

He did not stop him. It was only a matter of time before the news spread. The more people who knew, the bigger the business would become. As long as the rules remained in his hands, bustle was not entirely a bad thing.

The reservation token in front of the counter swayed slightly.

Looking at the names on it, the new customers finally understood that this was not a place where the loudest person went first, nor where those of higher status played first. If they wanted to try, they lined up. If they wanted to learn, they lined up too.

The rule was simple, yet no one could find fault with it.

Those at the back of the line could only accept it.

And after accepting it, they still had to keep waiting.

The longer they waited, the more they wanted to try.

Ma Hongjun watched from the spectator area, grinning from ear to ear.

"So I looked that stupid yesterday too?"

Oscar answered seriously, "A little stupider than them."

Ma Hongjun kicked at him, only for the shop rules to lightly block the strike.

The shop burst into laughter.

After the laughter faded, the line did not shrink at all.

They saw others die miserably, but they also saw them survive more than ten breaths longer on their second attempt. The former made them afraid, while the latter made their hearts itch. A place that could make geniuses lose face was often the place that made geniuses most unwilling to admit defeat.

All eight machines gradually filled up.

The system notification before Lin Chuan finally lit up.

[Effective training progress with all eight machines occupied: one/one.]

[Total buyout customers: six/ten.]

Four more to go.

Lin Chuan looked toward Ning Rongrong, Dai Mubai, Oscar, and Xie Yue.

Those four would make their move soon, barring surprises.

The line outside continued to grow longer.

Someone poked their head in and asked, "Boss, can't you really add more machines?"

Lin Chuan looked at the customers filling the shop, the corners of his mouth lifting slightly.

"I will."

He paused.

"Line up first."