Pyrrhic Victory

Under Han Wu's divine decree, a total of 2.6 billion locusts took flight, blanketing the sky like an endless black cloud, charging towards the Red Goblin legion.

The Red Goblin legion, facing the swarm of locusts, refused to back down.

They gathered fireballs on their claws and launched them at the locusts.

Each fireball turned dozens of locusts into ash.

Hundreds of thousands of locusts were annihilated every second.

The Red Goblins' casualties were negligible.

Han Wu's divine avatar watched everything. He seized the moment and issued another divine decree.

"Explosive Locusts, attack!"

Five million Explosive Locusts, under the cover of ordinary locusts, launched a suicidal assault on the Red Goblin legion.

Instantly, crackling explosions echoed endlessly.

The Red Goblin legion finally suffered damage. Under the attack of five million Explosive Locusts, 6,000 Red Goblins were injured to varying degrees, and 400 were directly killed by the explosions.

However, for the entire Red Goblin legion, numbering in the tens of thousands, this damage was insignificant. They still had ample forces to fight.

In utter desperation, Han Wu had to deploy his trump card.

"Bursting Locusts, deploy."

The accumulated 400,000 Bursting Locusts, braving the rain of fireballs, broke into the Red Goblin ranks and detonated.

Vast swathes of lava turned the area where the Red Goblin army was located into a molten hell.

Some injured Red Goblins were continuously scorched by the high temperatures, eventually dying miserably in this lava region.

But Red Goblins were, after all, elite fire-elemental life forms.

Many Red Goblins, enduring the high-temperature damage, charged out of the lava zone, saving their lives.

The sacrifice of 400,000 Bursting Locusts only claimed the lives of 3,000 Red Goblins.

The remaining nearly 6,500 Red Goblins were almost all injured, yet still possessed the strength to fight.

They followed their mission and charged towards the core of Han Wu's Divine Realm.

The swarming locusts couldn't even slow them down.

The observing teachers and classmates all declared.

"Classmate Han Wu is finished this time. Although he still has a Hero life form as a trump card, no matter how powerful that Hero life form is, can it kill 6,500 Red Goblins?"

"Locusts are just low-level creatures after all. No matter how well they are trained, they can't amount to much."

"Let him be arrogant. It would be good if the Red Goblin army shattered his Divine Realm Core!"

Director Xu Mei couldn't bear to watch. She also didn't have high hopes for Han Wu's situation at the moment.

Through a secret channel, Xu Mei transmitted a message to Han Wu: "Classmate Han Wu, if you can't hold on, just surrender. Failure is not shameful. Only by living can you have the opportunity to wash away the shame of failure and create glory. I believe that as long as you are given time, you will rise again soon."

Han Wu shook his head firmly at Xu Mei's suggestion: "Director Xu, since I've already decided to switch classes, I will see it through to the end. I won't hesitate even if I have to fight to the last soldier."

"Moreover, I haven't lost yet."

On the battlefield, Sword Wind Iron Cutter was slaughtering its way through.

Four Storm Greatswords swung, and a large area was agitated by ferocious sword winds.

The Red Goblin legion refused to be outdone.

Under a volley of fireballs, Sword Wind Iron Cutter also sustained injuries.

However, with its robust physique, the Hero life form, Sword Wind Iron Cutter, still stood unyielding.

The four Storm Greatswords continued to swing relentlessly. Any Red Goblin that approached the Divine Realm Core would suffer a fatal blow.

A large area around the Divine Realm Core was stained red with blood.

Many observing students couldn't bear the gruesome scene and voluntarily withdrew from watching.

The battle trend became increasingly clear.

Sword Wind Iron Cutter, a Hero life form, was powerful, but it was still no match for the siege of 6,500 Red Goblins.

Under the onslaught of nearly infinite fireballs, Sword Wind Iron Cutter was covered in wounds, its body crusted with dried blood. Its strength was depleted, and it used its four hands, wielding swords as shields, to barely protect its body.

Anyone with discerning eyes could see that it was on the verge of death.

Around it, over 5,000 Red Goblin corpses testified to the ferocity of the slaughter.

But the end was near.

The remaining over 1,000 Red Goblins gathered fireballs, preparing to deliver the final blow to this tenacious hero.

Liu Letian, who was observing, couldn't hide his satisfaction. He seemed to already envision the tragic death of this Hero life form and the shattering of Han Wu's Divine Realm Core.

But at this very moment, the ground trembled.

The Red Goblins stopped their fireballs and looked in the direction of the sound.

They saw a fully armed Dwarf Legion charging out of the forest.

They weren't numerous, only 900 in total.

Yet, they were clad in full iron armor, wielding weapons like warhammers and battle axes.

"Protect our god!" the leading old dwarf roared among them.

The 900 dwarves responded in unison, their low growls like a soul-stirring battle hymn.

The remaining thousand-plus Red Goblins were stunned by the sight. By the time they reacted, the dwarves' warhammers were already upon them.

"Kill!"

The old dwarf swung his great hammer, smashing it onto a Red Goblin's head, splattering blood everywhere.

The pursuing dwarves caught up, engaging the Red Goblins in a fierce battle.

Suddenly, shouts and explosions erupted once more.

The battle devolved into a stalemate again.

The onlookers were all shocked.

Scanning the entire Divine Realm, they hadn't noticed that besides his Core Kin, the Locusts, Han Wu had also raised a Dwarf Legion.

And judging by their fully armed state, they must have been cultivated for some time.

A meticulous teacher noticed that these dwarves seemed familiar. Upon closer inspection, weren't these the Core Kin that Zhang Bin had previously?

In just two days, Han Wu had nurtured them into a retinue loyal to him.

"What talent! With this ability, he's a sure top-ten student." The teacher was tempted.

Han Wu initiated the test to switch classes.

If such a talented individual were brought into his class, wouldn't it be like picking up a top student for free?

With another top-ten student in the class, the educational assessment for this semester would surely increase, and the rewards would be substantial.

"If Han Wu can successfully pass the test, I must recruit him for my class!" the teacher secretly vowed.

Several other teachers harbored similar thoughts.

They were all waiting for the final test results, to see if Han Wu could indeed pass.

In Han Wu's Divine Realm, the sounds of combat grew fewer.

Every dwarf and Red Goblin that fell tugged at the hearts of the spectators.

Who would win?

Soon, the answer was revealed.

The last Red Goblin had its head smashed by the old dwarf's hammer.

Han Wu's side had achieved victory.

However, this victory was destined to be a pyrrhic one.

Under Han Wu's command, the Locusts were nearly wiped out, and the 900-strong Dwarf Legion suffered heavy casualties, with only 54 dwarves surviving.

The only solace was that the Heroic lifeform, Sword Wind Iron Cutter, had survived.

"Student Han Wu wins!"

While the onlookers were still processing the battle, Head Teacher Xu Mei announced the result.

She herself was quite shocked by the outcome, finding it almost unbelievable.

She could only describe Han Wu's victory as a miracle.

Within the Divine Realm, Han Wu cast two waves of Growth Acceleration to aid the recovery of his surviving kin before exiting the Divine Realm through the pod.

The small classroom was already packed with homeroom teachers from various classes.

They looked eagerly at the three students who had passed the test, extending sincere invitations.

"Student Qin Shuang, come to my class. I have the most suitable resources for Thunder Sparrows to help your kin improve rapidly."

"Student Zhang Xiaolong, I have secret methods for cultivating monster-type kin. If you join my class, I'll pass them on to you."

"Student Han Wu, come to my class. I am willing to provide you with an even stronger Dwarf Legion."

Amidst the enthusiastic invitations from the homeroom teachers, Zhang Xiaolong did not answer rashly. Instead, his gaze fell upon Qin Shuang.

Qin Shuang, however, was looking at Han Wu.

The homeroom teachers immediately realized that the key to recruiting the top students back into their classes lay with Han Wu.

Facing numerous invitations from the homeroom teachers, Han Wu turned to Head Teacher Xu Mei and asked, "Director Xu, may I ask why my test difficulty was so high?"

Xu Mei replied, "The difficulty of individual tests is decided jointly by all the homeroom teachers in the grade."

At that moment, the ten homeroom teachers who had assigned Han Wu the highest difficulty test were rendered speechless.

"I'd like to see the voting results," Han Wu said.

Xu Mei retrieved the voting results and presented them to Han Wu.

Among the twelve homeroom teachers present, nine wore embarrassed expressions, cursing Liu Letian in their hearts countless times.

The remaining two were one who was fortunate to have chosen to abstain, and the other who was sizing up Han Wu.

"Teachers, if I join your class, what can you offer me?" Han Wu asked the two homeroom teachers directly after seeing the votes.

Han Wu sought resources by joining a class.

The teachers accepted Han Wu, seeking performance.

Both sides got what they needed.

Han Wu was confident that his performance in the test could secure him a higher price.

The two homeroom teachers appreciated Han Wu's directness and responded.

"Student Han Wu, I saw your ability in cultivating Dwarf Retinues during today's test. If you join my class, I can provide you with a team of no less than ten thousand Dwarves. With this team, you will surely remain in the top ten of your grade, and entering a first-class university in the future will not be a dream."

The other homeroom teacher said, "The cultivation of Core Kin is the most important. I have a few resources that are very useful for Insectoid Retinues. If you can join my class, I will help you achieve a complete life leap for the Locust Retinue species."

The offers from the two homeroom teachers were both very generous.

However, in Han Wu's opinion, the second homeroom teacher's words made more sense.

Core Kin were the most important.

"Teacher, may I ask your name?" Han Wu asked the second homeroom teacher.

"Tian Wen," homeroom teacher Tian Wen replied.

Han Wu immediately stated, "Teacher Tian Wen, I am willing to join your class."

Before Tian Wen could answer, Qin Shuang, standing beside him, said, "Teacher Tian Wen, I am also willing to join your class."

Zhang Xiaolong, behind them, immediately followed, "Teacher Tian Wen, please let me join your class."

Tian Wen's mouth fell open, his face a mixture of surprise and joy.

Three requests at once.

This was the rhythm for winning the outstanding teacher award this year!