There are too many teammates who are complete losers.

Chapter 162 The Bookstore Girl

Chapter 162 The Bookstore Girl

The afternoon sunlight slanted in through the window, falling on the empty space between the bookshelves, like a patch of melted butter.

The bookstore is tucked away deep in an alley. It's an old house that has been converted into a bookstore. The wooden floorboards creak softly as you walk on them. The air is filled with the smell of old paper and dry pine, mixed with the dampness emanating from the potted green ivy in the corner.

No one spoke, only the rustling of pages turning, like silkworms gnawing on mulberry leaves.

The bookstore looked old even in the old town, and the person at the front desk was a seventeen-year-old girl.

The girl wore a plain white cotton dress, her hair was loosely tied up with a wooden hairpin, and a few strands of hair hung down beside her ears. The front desk stool was very high, and when she sat down, her toes could not touch the ground and hung in the air, occasionally touching each other.

The girl's fingertips gripped the spine of the book slowly, as if afraid of disturbing something. Sunlight slid over her shoulder, casting a small, quiet shadow on the counter.

When someone came to pay the bill, she looked up, smiled, and took the items from them.

"Oh dear, little girl, this book isn't very interesting."

The person checking out was a middle-aged or elderly man dressed impeccably; he was probably a teacher or something similar, since the customer bought several physics-related workbooks and a few red pens.

The old man said it wasn't very good; he meant that he couldn't quite understand the book she was reading because the girl was reading "On Space and Time" at the front desk.

This is a monumental work on the physics of time and space. Although it is a popular science book, the content is quite hardcore.

The young girl tidied her hair behind her ear, looking somewhat shy and embarrassed, and said, "I just wanted to try it out. It is indeed quite obscure, but I feel a little embarrassed if I look at it twice and then put it back."

The old gentleman, a talkative man, laughed heartily upon hearing this: "Haha, this book doesn't explain many technical terms and just throws out formulas every now and then. It's supposed to be a popular science book, but it doesn't cater to complete beginners. However, some of the explanations are quite amazing. If you've studied quantum mechanics and thermodynamics in college and gotten a basic understanding, you should find it quite interesting. But why would a young lady be interested in such a dry book?"

The girl scanned his items while operating the machine, her smile still shy: "I'm just suddenly a little curious—does time really exist, or is it just my imagination?"

The old man was taken aback when he heard this. "Young people your age shouldn't all be staunch materialists."

To think that time is just an illusion is somewhat idealistic.

"So, what does the old gentleman think time is?"

"Time—"

The old gentleman pondered for a moment, then answered earnestly: "In a general sense, it is a recorded parameter, a scale for measuring the process of an object's movement. In essence, it is only because of the movement of matter that the concept of time arises."

"So, if matter doesn't exist, then time also doesn't exist?"

"If matter doesn't exist—is the little girl asking what the world was like before the Big Bang?"

The girl suddenly smiled, put the other person's things in a plastic bag, and said, "Are you a physics teacher, sir?"

"I originally taught high school, but the junior high school here was short of teachers, so they brought me here. Teaching junior high is not bad, the workload is much lighter."

"No wonder I haven't seen you here before, your book—"

"Thanks."

But at the moment of delivery, the girl suddenly asked, "Old sir, do you think that in 129,600 years, everything in this world will completely repeat itself?"

The old gentleman paused, then said, "This...is it a saying by Shao Yong, a philosopher from the Northern Song Dynasty?"

The scientifically determined history of Earth is around 46 billion years, but Shao Yong believes that the complete cycle of civilization evolution is only 129,600 years. Every 120,000 years, everything will be destroyed and restarted.

This was also mentioned in the book "Theory of Space and Time" that the girl was reading, but the book mainly criticized this part because the idea of ​​time loops was very popular when "Theory of Space and Time" was written.

However, this statement is far too idealistic, like fireworks in the night sky, dazzling and captivating, but without any basis. Perhaps there is some, but it is difficult for most people to understand.

The old man smiled wryly and sighed, "What a romantic way to put it, but even this old man can't answer this question. Perhaps you'll find the answer someday, young lady."

As a physics teacher, he actually wanted to say that this was something that was difficult to prove and more like a sensationalist nonsense. However, as an educator, the most taboo thing is to express an absolute opinion on something that has no conclusion. Just as he could not prove that it was a fact, he could not disprove it either. Moreover, there are quite a few people in the world who support this claim.

So-called science is actually about explaining and predicting the laws of things through observation, experimentation, and logical reasoning. But in a world where individuals possess power so great that they can move mountains and fill seas, and where there are many things that cannot be explained by science, all absurd topics become mysterious and unpredictable.

Just as the action and reaction forces between any two objects are equal in magnitude, opposite in direction, and always appear in pairs, this is such an absolute law, but professionals have a hundred ways to break this ironclad rule.

However, if everything related to the profession is excluded, these laws operate with unparalleled precision.

It's as if the natural and the supernatural are two intersecting lines, but as long as they don't intersect at the point of intersection, they can remain undisturbed by each other forever.

Materialism, idealism, and alchemists are all actually striving to find a world that connects nature and the supernatural, beyond that single point, to expand that point into a line, then into a plane, and finally into the entire world.

Unfortunately, this research has made no progress in the hundreds of years since then.

"I'm sorry to bother you, sir." The girl handed the item to the old man.

"However, I am willing to believe that everything will start over in 120,000 years."

"Um?

"That way, the old man can see my wife again, haha."

The girl smiled and watched the other person leave.

After the other person left, the girl placed her hand back on the back of the book, but at that moment, she suddenly felt a familiar presence.

She seemed a little surprised, her tone rather lighthearted, "Huh? We've run into each other again so soon?"

The girl sat back down on the high stool, seemingly in a good mood. Her skirt brushed against the chair leg with a soft sound, revealing white socks with lace trim and a slender, fair leg. The afternoon sun shone through the gaps in the blinds, landing on her leg as if someone had drawn a faint golden mark on her fair skin.

She held the book, her legs swinging gently, but the words in the book kept blurring, eventually turning into two stick figures.

One of them was a matchstick figure, wielding a small sword in his hand, chopping, slashing, thrusting, and stabbing with fluid, graceful movements.

The other stick figure, slightly shorter, also wielded a sword. Initially, it launched a fierce attack, but gradually lost its rhythm and began to retreat.

Far away in Yanzhou, Lu Ren was going through his third match. He felt that he had finally made something of himself. His childhood goddess had actually given him the chance to compete against her on the same stage.

Meanwhile, the audience remained completely silent.

"Hey, didn't they say he just used that forbidden technique and was already at his limit?"

Looking at the Third Princess, I suddenly realized that she has grown up quite a bit.

"But the Third Princess is really strong. Is this the Demon-Slaying Fire Master, hailed as the number one class for dealing with Void Beasts?"

"Fool, the one who's strong isn't the Demon-Slaying Fire Master, it's the Third Princess."

"Young comrade, do you mean you think the Demon-Slaying Fire Master isn't strong?"

But the most important thing is not the strength of the Third Princess, but that even such a strong Third Princess could not defeat the Shen family servant who had never appeared in the public eye before, but who suddenly defeated Lin Xinghe and Chen Sui in a short period of time.

Let alone taking him down, at first the man was indeed struggling to withstand the Third Princess's fierce and wide-ranging attacks, but as the fight went on, this guy inexplicably became faster and faster, his attacks became quicker and more ruthless, and his skill releases became faster and faster.

"And just how many skills has this guy used—?"

Although Lu Ren won the first two matches decisively, it always gave people the feeling that the wins were not particularly clean.

Of course, everyone knew that being able to use that kind of secret technique was a skill in itself, but the moves were too underhanded, and it really didn't feel like he was a strong person.

This person is now locked in a fierce battle with the Third Princess. There are no secret techniques or sneak attacks, only dazzling figures and sparks flying every time the two swords clash, leaving behind countless afterimages after a fleeting moment.

"Wow, this guy is amazing—"

Everyone felt that even without relying on that strange secret technique, this Shen family servant, based on his current physical skills and skill combination, was probably on par with Chen Sui.

Lin Xinghe swallowed hard on the ground. He looked at the two people on the stage, his eyes reflecting the sparks flying and the two figures flying around. His initial contempt gradually turned into seriousness, and finally he couldn't help but smile bitterly.

He had to admit that the kid who had initially tricked him was on a completely different level from him.

If you were tricked by someone who only knows how to use tricks, you would naturally be very upset. But if you were tricked by a strong person who could crush you in a head-on fight, what else could you say?

Meanwhile, Jiang Yanyan, who was struggling, suddenly heard a familiar voice in her heart.

"A minor character who only awakened his professional skills three months ago, and even our Third Princess can't beat him?"

Jiang Yanyan was startled upon hearing the rumor, and then hurriedly cried out in her heart, "Master, Master, you're awake! This person is strange, I really can't beat him!"

A while ago, Jiang Yanyan was noticed by a powerful and mysterious expert who was suspected to be the Burning Sun, and the expert wanted to take her as his disciple!

This master, who calls himself "Chu Sui," says that the world is about to collapse and a brave and intelligent young woman is needed to step forward and become an extremely powerful person under her guidance to save the world from ruin!

Jiang Yanyan isn't stupid; she's definitely the chosen one in this kind of plot!

She immediately agreed, and under her master's tutelage, her strength improved by leaps and bounds!

"Master, I can't beat this one, please take over!"

"Your opponent is no ordinary person either. It seems to be harboring the soul of a Burning Sun Realm expert. If I take over, I might be discovered. It's not convenient for anyone to know my whereabouts right now."

Jiang Yanyan was startled upon hearing this and looked at Lu Ren with surprise. This person actually had an old lady with the Burning Sun Realm on him.

So it turns out she wasn't the only one who got the protagonist template?

"What should we do, Master? We're really going to lose if this continues. This guy has so many weird skills, it's disgusting, and, and—"

Jiang Yanyan blushed slightly. Besides the intense battle, she also noticed that the boy's genitals had been bulging ever since she entered the arena, and his eyes kept wandering around.

What does this mean? What kind of nonsense is this?

This princess knows she's naturally beautiful, and ordinary boys can't resist her charms, but what were you thinking when you fought with her? Isn't that incredibly disrespectful to this princess? Oh wait, it seems you're being far too respectful!

She was filled with shame and indignation, glancing at him every now and then. His erection had actually increased a little more! How could this be! Men are terrifying!

She wanted to end the fight quickly so she could go back and wash her eyes, but the problem was she was still no match for this lecherous man!

"Don't rush."

In a bookstore thousands of miles away, a literary girl picked up a pen and circled something with great interest. After thinking for a while, she wrote eight characters—"The True Form of the Undying Flame Demon." Immediately, Jiang Yan Yan, who was originally in a bit of a predicament, just as her old strength was waning and new strength was beginning to emerge, suddenly felt—energized!

Is Master about to take over? No, this time the momentum is a bit too strong. This, this is—

At this moment, Prince Gong on the stage was stunned, and then his face suddenly showed wild joy.

"The Undying Flame Demon True Form Dharma Body, good niece, I didn't expect you to have comprehended the strongest Dharma Body of my Jiang family's Demon-Slaying Divine Fire Master!"

'

At this moment, the cold air below was also being drawn back.

"The true form of the Undying Flame Demon! I'm so lucky to see this form!"

"This talent, no one in the royal family has awakened it in two hundred years."

"Legend has it that three hundred years ago, after breaking through to the Burning Sun realm, the Great Ancestor used this Dharma Body to annihilate seven Crimson Gold-level Void Beasts that were wreaking havoc in the Central Plains!"

At this moment, Jiang Yanyan's clothes were completely burned away, and the girl's beautiful curves were covered by eerie divine fire. She looked a bit like one of those humorous fan service characters in a second-generation game, but the sense of oppression she brought was terrifying, like a monarch transformed into flames.

The girl's skin was like cold porcelain cracked with fiery patterns, her obsidian-like toenails glowed red, her pupils were vertical, flowing with molten gold, and a single glance could burn into one's soul.

She looked at Lu Ren in front of her and said, "You are very strong. Whether you can withstand my move or not, I will consider you to have won."

Her voice had changed; just a moment ago it was sweet and coquettish, but now it had transformed into a commanding queenly voice.

Lu Ren was in a bad mood because of the backlash from the sin of lust, and he was quite angry.

He's currently at 80% rage boost, with all his attributes exceeding 1000 and his total attributes nearing 10,000. Even with all his trump cards up his sleeve, he still can't defeat her.

Just when you were about to win, what do you mean by breaking through in the heat of battle and suddenly comprehending the strongest talent in the clan that you never had before?

This is supposed to be a market fair? It's all about swallow-shaped snacks!

"Master, I also need to break through. Do you have any energy-gathering skills that I can borrow?"

"Borrow a ghost, switch professions and use Death Vision" to dodge. Her newly awakened talent was unstable, and she was exhausted after dodging this attack.

Lu Ren's aura also changed, and the accumulated amplification of rage disappeared completely, making him appear unusually weak in everyone's eyes.

Of course, it also eliminated the heat in my body and the bulge in my crotch.

After changing his number, he assessed his situation and found that his mental energy was only enough for him to use Death Vision once.

He looked at the Flame Demon girl before him, remained silent for a moment, and then said, "Third Princess."

"It would be too cowardly to admit defeat now."

"No, I'm not admitting defeat."

"What are you trying to say?"

"Can we take a picture together after we're done?"