Returning from the Nightmare

The scorching afternoon sun baked the earth.

Dragon City Ninth High School, Grade 12 Class 6.

The classroom was as stifling as a steamer.

The students were all drowsy.

The teacher brandished an Alloy Battle Blade in one hand and clutched a hideous specimen in the other, shouting hoarsely from the podium:

"Look at me, hurry up and look at me! If you don't look at me, how will you know what monsters look like?"

In the back row of the classroom, a youth with messy hair suddenly jolted awake, letting out a scream.

The students and the teacher were both startled: "Meng Chao?"

Meng Chao's face was still marked with deep red sleep lines, his expression one of extreme panic, as if he had just emerged from a long nightmare.

He scratched his hair, looking left and right.

When his gaze landed on the blackboard, his vacant eyes suddenly froze.

The blackboard was covered in dense, intricate notes on blade technique.

Analyses of the force arms and torques for blade swings, the speed, angle, and depth of strikes, the maximum strength of monster carapaces—all sorts of complex formulas.

These were all mandatory questions for the National College Entrance Examination.

There were also two lines of large characters on the board:

50 days until the decisive National College Entrance Examination!

Study hard, improve every day, promote our planetary might, and dominate the Otherworld!

"This is... my Grade 12 classroom?"

Meng Chao was dazed. "Didn't I die? How did I return to Grade 12, right before the National College Entrance Examination? This is even worse than being dead!"

In an instant, a splitting headache tore through him.

Countless fragments of memory rushed into his mind like a flood.

What, Dragon City fell?

I failed the National College Entrance Examination and spent decades being beaten down by society, only to end up as a Third-Rate Expert?

And my younger sister, who possessed innate talent and obtained the "Night Demon Bloodline," became the legendary "Black Night Witch," one of the most terrifying boss-level powerhouses in all of Dragon City—no, the entire Otherworld?

Meow, meow, meow, what kind of insane plot twist is this!

Meng Chao felt as if he had been struck by lightning.

He tried to recall the details, but the nightmare dissipated rapidly, leaving only scattered flashbacks.

In a blur, a familiar, dark, stern face leaned in close.

Meng Chao blurted out: "Teacher Yan, you're still alive?"

"..."

The entire class fell into a deathly silence, followed by an uproar.

Everyone was awestruck by Meng Chao's suicidal courage.

One had to know that Teacher Yan Dongxing, who taught this "Hundred Battles Blade Technique" course, was the dreaded "Devil Yan."

It was said that he was a renowned Iron-Blooded Instructor back in the military, and that killing monsters was as easy for him as mincing dumpling filling.

"To dare to tease even Devil Yan, you truly live up to your reputation as the former toughest guy in Class 6. Meng Chao, we will give you a proper burial."

The students shed tears of sympathy.

Yan Dongxing's face, which was as black as the bottom of a pot, instantly flushed red.

"Meng Chao, explain yourself."

His large hand gripped the monster skull specimen, his tone calm yet laced with murderous intent.

"Not good."

Meng Chao's pupils contracted.

At this moment, his perception of killing intent was ten times sharper than that of the surrounding students.

Stimulated by the murderous aura, he quickly recognized reality.

"I'm sorry, Teacher Yan. I was too tired from studying last night, so I took a nap just now and had a... nightmare?"

Meng Chao struggled to capture the flashbacks in his mind, saying uncertainly, "I seemed to dream of overwhelming Otherworld creatures, all of them extremely brutal, howling and screeching, surging toward Dragon City like a flood. We couldn't stop them at all, and our century-old home was destroyed in an instant. I was shocked and woke up in a fright.

"And then, uh, Teacher Yan, you were very heroic in my dream, a martyr revered by everyone. I was just deeply mourning your voice and smile in my dream, and when I opened my eyes and saw you walking over, I was truly overjoyed and couldn't help myself..."

"Wait."

Yan Dongxing raised an eyebrow. "In your dream, Dragon City fell, and I died?"

He wore a smile that didn't quite reach his eyes.

The monster's head crunched and crackled.

"This..." Meng Chao scratched his head.

Having returned from a nightmare, his survival instinct was strong. "Don't worry, you died without any pain. It was very peaceful."

Meng Chao wasn't lying.

He vaguely remembered Devil Yan being eaten by a Hundred Teeth Giant Worm.

Torn to shreds in two or three seconds.

He hadn't even had time to let out a scream.

Surely, that couldn't have been painful, right?

Crack!

Yan Dongxing crushed the monster's head with one hand.

"Dragon City will fall? That is utterly ridiculous!"

The Iron-Blooded Instructor was so furious his hair stood on end, his eyes bulging even wider than the monster's. "I'll overlook your usual slacking off, and I can't be bothered to care if you sleep in class, but Meng Chao, what on earth is inside your head that you would dream of Dragon City's destruction!

"Stand against the wall, head up, chest out, stomach in, stick your butt out, and tell me loudly: fifty years ago, when our Dragon City crossed over into the Otherworld, with no coal, no oil, no electricity, nothing at all, only plagues running rampant and zombies everywhere—did Dragon City fall back then?"

Meng Chao was in a bind. "Teacher Yan, how am I supposed to stick my butt out while standing against the wall?"

"What?"

"Reporting, Teacher! Dragon City did not fall!"

Meng Chao jolted, instantly recapturing the feeling of being seventeen. He stuck his butt out, his face full of determination.

"After the zombie crisis, the fog descended and monsters appeared. Countless martyrs shed their blood and sacrificed their lives, carving out a space for survival inch by inch from the jaws of monsters."

Yan Dongxing continued to roar. "In the first ten years of the 'Monster War' alone, we lost a third of our population. At the most desperate times, monsters would break into the city center every single day. Humans fought monsters in every shopping mall, every residential complex, every restroom—tell me, did we surrender? Did Dragon City fall?"

"Reporting, Teacher! We did not surrender, and Dragon City did not fall!"

Facing the Iron-Blooded Instructor's spray of saliva, Meng Chao stood firm, ready to face death.

Yan Dongxing's anger dissipated slightly, and he said in a deep voice, "Very good. Whether it was the 'crossing into the Otherworld,' the 'zombie infestation,' or the 'monster invasion,' these crises that failed to destroy us only made us stronger. After half a century of struggle, today's Dragon City has already gained a firm foothold in the Otherworld.

"Compared to when we first arrived, Dragon City's area has tripled, its population has increased fivefold, and many citizens have reached the level of elite special forces soldiers and Olympic champions from Earth. The one-in-a-hundred 'Transcendent' individuals possess even more astonishing combat power.

"We have upgraded our ancient martial arts, restored powerful industry, and unlocked brand-new technology. Dragon City's iron cavalry sleeps with their weapons, waiting for the dawn. Once the fog clears, our Iron Torrent will descend like a tiger from the mountains, spreading the brilliance of Earth Civilization across the entire Otherworld.

"How could such a Dragon City be destroyed by mere Otherworld creatures, and be 'brutal' on top of that? Let me tell you, in this world, only we Earthlings are the most brutal!"

The Iron-Blooded Instructor couldn't help but curse.

The students listened, their blood boiling.

Class monitor Zuo Haoran stood up.

With his sword eyebrows and star-like eyes, he stood tall and straight, carrying an air of righteous integrity that matched his name.

The class monitor glanced at Meng Chao and said sternly, "Teacher Yan is absolutely right. The long night has passed, and the dawn of victory lies ahead. Growing up in such a glorious era, the youth of today should study hard, cultivate diligently, and strive to become 'Transcendent' to contribute our strength to the rise of Dragon City in the Otherworld.

"How can one fear the enemy like a tiger and spend all day pondering the destruction of Dragon City?

"Of course, I believe those who are timid as mice are in the extreme minority. Most students share the same thought—Dragon City will win! Earth will win! Civilization will win!"

Led by the class monitor, the students became agitated.

"Dragon City will win! Earth will win! Civilization will win!"

Everyone waved their fists and shouted, wishing they could trade their pens for swords right now and sweep across the Otherworld.

"The class monitor is so cool!"

Many girls cast admiring glances at Zuo Haoran.

In stark contrast, the way they looked at Meng Chao naturally turned strange.

Some whispered among themselves:

"Meng Chao has really been going downhill lately, always sleeping in class."

"You can't blame him. He messed up his cultivation, suffered a serious injury, and dropped from first in the class to last. Wouldn't you go downhill too?"

"That still doesn't give him the right to curse our Dragon City to destruction!"

Damn it, looking for trouble!

Meng Chao narrowed his eyes, thinking, Do I have a grudge against you?

Thinking carefully, Huh, it seems I actually do.

The class monitor, Zuo Haoran, was Meng Chao's arch-nemesis during his high school days.

Staring at that handsome, righteous-looking face, Meng Chao felt a headache, and fragments of memory came flooding back, images flashing rapidly before his eyes.

Meng Chao realized with a start that in the nightmare just now, his failure in the National College Entrance Examination seemed to have something to do with the class monitor.

While he had failed to make the cut, the class monitor had been admitted to a prestigious university, quickly became a Transcendent, and soared to success.

But this grandson was a hypocrite through and through.

When Dragon City was slaughtering its way through Another World Civilization and winning victory after victory, Zuo Haoran's status rose with the tide, coating him in a halo of heroism and earning him heaps of flowers and glory.

At high school reunions, there would be seven or eight female classmates pouncing on him like wolves and tigers.

Meng Chao was a person with a strong sense of justice.

On the spot, he was envious—no, he was disgusted to his core.

However, when Dragon City collided with a true Another World Civilization and fell into a bitter struggle, this guy actually deserted the battlefield, causing the entire front line to collapse.

Zuo Haoran was sentenced by the war tribunal, and in for a penny, in for a pound, he simply betrayed Dragon City, defected to the alien race, and sold out the secrets of Earth!

"A traitor, what are you acting so smug about?

"Who exactly was 'fearing the enemy like a tiger'? At the very least, I fought until the final moment, living and dying with Dragon City.

"You little punk, first you sabotaged my National College Entrance Examination, then you acted like a hooligan at the class reunion, and finally, you betrayed Dragon City? I'll destroy you!"

Like an instinct, various combat plans churned through Meng Chao's mind.

He took half a step forward.

Zuo Haoran was subconsciously on guard.

"The class monitor spoke so well; it truly educated and moved me deeply."

Meng Chao's face was full of sincerity as he bowed slightly. "Thank you, Teacher Yan and Class Monitor, for your guidance. I have already deeply realized my mistakes. I will change. From this day forward, I will firmly hold my position, train diligently, and contribute all my strength to the rise of Dragon City in another world. Words are useless; please watch my actual actions!"

"..."

Zuo Haoran shivered.

He felt that Meng Chao's gaze had suddenly become eerie, as if he were a completely different person from before class started.

"Alright, Class Monitor, sit down and let's continue the lesson."

Yan Dongxing didn't waste words either; he pointed toward the corner of the room for Meng Chao. "Show some self-awareness. 'Hibernating Dragon Stance,' stand there until the end of class."

The three words "Hibernating Dragon Stance" drew a collective gasp.

The Dragon City compulsory education system, from kindergarten to high school, spoke of the "Nine Great Stances."

Three lying stances, three sitting stances, and three standing stances, when combined with Breathing Technique and Meditation Technique, could absorb the spiritual energy of heaven and earth, stimulate cellular activity, break through genetic shackles, and set one on the path to becoming Transcendental and Saintly.

Yet, the Hibernating Dragon Stance was a tenth stance that went beyond the teaching syllabus.

It was also the most difficult stance to practice.

Let alone high schools, even many junior colleges didn't teach the Hibernating Dragon Stance.

Only the legendary "Undergraduate Program," the sacred ground specifically for cultivating Transcendent, practiced the Hibernating Dragon Stance.

The new book is on the road and urgently needs the care of all you brothers and sisters. Please move your fingers to recommend and add it to your collection. Your support is my motivation. Let's take Earth and charge forward together!