Back at the martial arts arena, the six of them sparred with the two Blood-Circulating martial artists again—or rather, suffered another one-sided beating.
Just like yesterday, Zhou Leng fought defeat after defeat, rose after every fall, and was the last one to go down. Then he went to the hospital again.
On the third day, after leaving the hospital for the third time, the other five teammates stared wordlessly at Zhou Leng.
Pretending to tread on eggshells, Feng Wenhao said, "Zhou Leng, speaking from the heart, there's no need to put yourself through this just to earn Young Master Xue's medical expenses."
Everyone froze for a moment, then burst out laughing.
Cui Mingcong roared with laughter. "Right, right, right! I was wondering what was off about Zhou Leng. So he's been making money off medical bills."
Zhou Leng gave a soft snort. He did not even dare move his mouth, afraid of pulling at his wounds.
After laughing, Cui Mingcong clutched the wound on his stomach and let out an "ow." The others laughed along, then each grabbed at their own injuries, their smiles looking even worse than crying.
The two Blood-Circulating martial artists smiled and shook their heads.
"Go back and sleep. Tomorrow, we'll decide who stays and who goes."
When Zhou Leng woke up, he stood before the mirror and examined the wounds on his face.
They were still a patchwork of bruised blue and purple, but they were healing exceptionally well.
"This recovery speed is several times what it was before. The Origin-Replenishing Pill can't explain it..."
Zhou Leng turned to look out the window. He missed Big Yellow a little.
By the time he reached the martial arts arena, Xue Chengsong had not arrived yet. The others chatted idly, one word here and another there.
"Good news!" Xue Chengsong's voice rang out with the sound of the door opening.
Beaming, Xue Chengsong said, "The latest battle report came out last night. Martial Arts Brigade Commander Chen Shouhu charged into the demon army alone and slew three Innate Peak demon generals in succession, including a Blasphemous Demon Codex and a Ring Serpent Bishop. After that, the rest of the Martial Arts Brigade bored through the demon army and killed them until not a single piece of armor remained."
"Huh? Chen Shouhu is that fierce?"
"He's among Blue Star's top ten Innate experts. Did you think that was a joke? Starting at dawn, the 7th Division's army deployed in force. Working with Demon Spirit Masters for reconnaissance, they're sweeping up the remaining demons. The Wolf Valley area was cleared early, so we can keep hunting demon wolves today."
Feng Wenhao hesitated. "Can we really? Won't it be too dangerous now?"
"Soldiers are everywhere now, so it's actually the safest time. I bought a signal gun on the way over. If we run into demonic beasts this time, fire the signal flare and hold on no matter what. I guarantee there won't be a problem."
"That makes sense."
"Let's go!"
The Martial Arts Field Study team set out once more.
One day, two days, three days...
The six of them and their two bodyguards practically lived in Wolf Valley.
The team went from struggling at the beginning to handling things with ease later on.
Until one day, with the others standing guard for him, Zhou Leng challenged a demon wolf alone.
Unfortunately, the demon wolf was too agile and too powerful. Even after exhausting all his true qi, Zhou Leng still failed to defeat it.
July faded away, and August arrived.
The six of them walked down the roads of the Pioneer Base.
All six were covered in scars, but their gazes were sharp, as though claws hid within their eyes.
Behind those sharp gazes was also a trace of reluctance.
After a while, Xue Chengsong said, "When I came back this time, I originally only planned to resupply and head back out to hunt for a few more days. Unfortunately, I received West Sea Martial University's supplementary admission notice, so I have to prepare for the supplementary admission exam."
"It's nothing. We've just gradually gotten used to the life of hunting wolves in the wilderness. Going home so suddenly feels a little strange," Feng Wenhao said.
Xue Chengsong said, "All feasts under heaven must come to an end."
Everyone fell silent again.
"You still haven't received a notice? Check again." Feng Wenhao looked at Zhou Leng.
"There's no point looking for this kind of thing," Zhou Leng said.
A flicker of hesitation passed through Xue Chengsong's eyes. He opened his mouth, then silently closed it again.
Cui Mingcong stretched out his large hand, patted Zhou Leng's shoulder, and said with a smile, "Your Martial Examination score was so high, and you've got the record of killing an Ice Crystal Demon Lion. West Sea Martial University will definitely let you take supplementary admission. Even Xue Chengsong can do it, so why can't you?"
Xue Chengsong shot Cui Mingcong a glare.
Feng Wenhao said, "Those slots are released in batches. They'll probably notify you in a couple of days. Look at me—my scores should be enough for Ru City Martial Academy, but I still haven't gotten a notice."
Cui Mingcong and the other two top students exchanged looks and said nothing.
All three of them had gotten into Martial University and had received their notices. They only needed to go home and wait for their acceptance letters.
Martial University batch, Martial University supplementary admission batch, Affiliated Martial Academy batch, Affiliated Martial Academy supplementary admission batch, non-Martial University early admission batch... The batches came one after another, each later than the last.
Zhou Leng said, "Let's go. Hand in the Merit Badges, then head back."
Xue Chengsong glanced at Zhou Leng. "Want to have a meal together?"
"After we enroll."
"Fine! When the time comes, if anyone doesn't show up, don't blame us for coming to your door and dragging you out," Xue Chengsong said.
"Alright," everyone answered together.
After handing in their Merit Badges, the team boarded the bus bound for Ru City.
The six sat on the bus, staring out the windows with dazed expressions.
Days of continuous fighting and constant vigilance every day and every night had become habitual.
Returning suddenly to a safe place and finally relaxing felt strange instead.
It was like stepping ashore after spending half a month on a ship—the whole earth seemed to be swaying.
Before long, a messy chorus of snores rose up.
The other passengers saw these six dust-covered children and smiled kindly.
By the time Zhou Leng returned to Ru City, night had fallen. He spoke with Li Linhan until late into the night, recounting everything that had happened these past days, then went home, set some mixed-grain rice cooking, and went to sleep.
Water Continent Pioneer Base, Martial Arts Brigade.
"Commander, how should we handle this report?"
As he spoke, an officer handed a demonic tablet computer to Chen Shouhu.
Chen Shouhu took it and read slowly.
It contained the details of Tong Tianxia's conversation with Zhou Leng's team, as well as the battle in which they killed the Ice Crystal Demon Lion. It included video footage of the demon lion's corpse, the base's autopsy footage, and the report from the lieutenant who had driven away the chill with his intervention.
All six members of the team had been questioned about what happened.
Chen Shouhu read it three times in a row, then casually handed the tablet back.
"This minor demon disaster may be connected to Tong Tianxia, one of the five major figures of the Demon-Worshiping Cult. The 7th Division Martial Brigade will take over the investigation. To prevent information leaks, delete part of the online archives. Keep only physical documents and seal them for now. Without my authority or higher military clearance, no one may access them."
"Yes, sir!"
"What do you think? How did a child at the Qi-Nourishing Stage avoid the Ice Crystal Demon Lion's chill?" Chen Shouhu asked.
"The investigation team suspects that this child possesses a special Extraordinary Body, or perhaps some treasure."
"Mm... Has he been admitted to West Sea Martial University through supplementary admission?"
"I just checked. Not yet. I suspect..."
"Mark him. If he isn't admitted by a Martial University or martial academy, contact him and bring him into the Martial Arts Brigade."
"Ah? What about his uncle..."
"What does that idiot Ma Xingkong have to do with anything? He's already dead. He harmed a whole group of people—does he want to keep harming the future promising seedlings of our Martial Arts Brigade?"
"What if he gets admitted?"
"Then observe him for a while longer. If he turns out ordinary, forget it. If he stands out, snatch him into the Martial Arts Brigade."
"The Affiliated Martial Academy he's being supplementary admitted to happens to be the Ru University Affiliated Martial Arts Academy." The subordinate secretly glanced at his commander.
"Hmph." Chen Shouhu snorted softly.
The officers in the room sank into thought. This Mad Tiger commander cursed Ma Xingkong on one hand, yet wanted to recruit Ma Xingkong's nephew on the other.
The Martial Arts Brigade's status was far beyond imagination.
Countless graduates of the Martial Arts Ten sharpened their heads to needles trying to get in, only to fail.
If the Martial Arts Brigade's standing were compared to Martial Universities, it would rank just slightly behind Yunhua and Jinjing, then stand at a cliff-like height above all the other Martial Universities.
Principal Lu's home.
"Old Yu, what is it?" Principal Lu asked with a smile as he answered the phone.
"That meal isn't happening."
"Hm? What happened? Zhou Leng didn't get supplementary admission?"
"His physical test score was too low. He was screened out."
"Bullshit. He was injured then, so of course his physical condition was poor. But he recovered long ago!"
"Old Lu, getting worked up won't help. Today, I went to Vice Principal Jiang and argued my case with reason. I pushed him into a corner, and he showed me the call records from the past few days. Those remarks beside every number... Sigh, they're all people who show up in the news. There's really nothing we can do."
"I understand. I've gotten a lot of calls this year too. Sigh... I thought our old faces could still carry some weight, but who would've thought..."
"He should be able to enter Ru City Martial University's Affiliated Martial Academy. That isn't bad either."
"Yes, he can enter the Affiliated Martial Academy, but he was originally supposed to get supplementary admission to Ru City Martial University. I personally persuaded him to apply to West Sea Martial University instead. Now he can't get into West Sea Martial University, and Ru City Martial University is out of the question too. He can only go to the Affiliated Martial Academy."
"This..." Director Yu did not know what to say.
"Your West Sea Martial University is really something. I'll be stepping down in a couple of years anyway. Since you've gone this far to rub salt into the wounds of our No. 8 High School, then at the commendation ceremony, I can only say what ought to be said."
Director Yu drew a sharp breath. "Old Lu, you can't make a mistake! You can curse all you want in private, but in public, you can't say even a single word! Especially when it concerns West Sea Martial University's reputation. If something really happens, the Education Bureau won't stand idly by. You've always had a fiery temper—so many people are watching you!"
"Such a fine Martial Dao seedling. His father died in West Sea Demon City, and his uncle merely refused to go along with the filth. Why can't he enter the Martial Arts Ten? Do you think I'm blind?"
"Stop, stop, stop. Don't say any more. I'm hanging up if you do," Director Yu said, finally panicking.
"This matter isn't over!"
Principal Lu hung up, closed his eyes, and saw in his mind's eye the child named Ma Xingkong standing before his desk.
The Ma Xingkong of that year had been almost a replica of Zhang Xinglie. He had also been admitted to Yunhua Martial University.
Cheerful, passionate, upright, resolute, with a clear smile always on his face.
Ma Xingkong had been even more stubborn than Zhang Xinglie.
More stubborn than everyone else.
After sitting for a long time, Principal Lu rubbed his eyes and called Zhang Xinglie's homeroom teacher.
"Contact Zhang Xinglie. Tell him that this year's school commendation ceremony will be different from previous years. This year, we'll invite many alumni. I hope he can return from Yunhua in Xiong City to give a speech at his alma mater and encourage the younger students."
"Alright."
A while later, Zhang Xinglie's homeroom teacher called back.
"Principal Lu, Zhang Xinglie said he truly doesn't have time. He's currently undergoing intensive training at Yunhua Martial University's Genius Training Camp. The commendation ceremony happens to fall right when the semester begins, and he has to prepare for the Opening-Semester Martial Test and the monthly examination. And you know that all the major factions gather to recruit Yunhua and Jinjing students at the beginning of the semester. The people hosting those banquets are all figures who can cover the sky with one hand. He can't give up contact with those important people for the sake of our No. 8 High School."
"I'll call him myself."
After saying that, Principal Lu dialed Zhang Xinglie's number.
"Xinglie, this is Principal Lu. I'm asking you for a favor, and also asking you to help Zhou Leng..."
At dawn, Zhou Leng slowly opened his eyes.
He checked the time on his Demonic Wristwatch. Four o'clock.
Zhou Leng sat up and looked at the gray, misty scene outside the window.
His mind was clear, his body felt slightly swollen, and his energy and strength had fully recovered.
Zhou Leng felt weak all over.
He used his wristwatch to project a phone screen and silently scrolled through his phone.
He tried again, but it was still the same as before. He could not post text replies in most places, not even in games. He could only communicate through a few apps such as Wuxin.
Zhou Leng took a deep breath and slowly let it out.
Then he took several more deep breaths and continued scrolling through his phone.
Until the five o'clock alarm rang.
Before you continue