"Whose Vassals are these? They're so fierce! Look, they've actually broken through the circular formation made up of the teacher's Vassals and are pressing the attack!"
In class, most of the students' attention had been drawn to the footage of Liang Ji's Vassal assessment. Someone exclaimed in amazement.
"I know, I know! It's that Liang... Liang something-or-other, the one who's always following that beauty, Peng Yue..."
Someone immediately called out, though it was obvious he didn't know much about Liang Ji.
"They're Liang Ji's Vassals!" someone finally answered. He even opened the official website and said, "Look, his profile's on the site. His Vassals underwent a mutation during their evolution."
"I was curious back then, so I looked up all kinds of information about mutations on the Star Net."
"Can Vassal mutations really make them this strong?"
"Look at what they're holding! They're just ordinary shields and hammers... Uh, those are probably hammers, right?"
"Whatever they are, they're not Rune Artifacts!"
"They're basically fighting the teacher's Vassals with nothing but their own bodies!"
"And they've held out this long. From what we've seen, they're no worse than the others."
One student exclaimed in amazement. Then his eyes darted around, and he asked with a sly grin:
"If these Vassals were all equipped with Rune Artifacts, do you think they could turn the tables and kill the teacher's Vassals?"
"Immensely strong!"
"Impervious to swords and spears!"
"And they're highly resistant to the teacher's Vassals' poison attribute!"
One student listed Liang Ji's Vassals' performance in battle, his eyes shining.
"They're practically my dream... Ahem... They're practically the best Vassals I could ever hope for."
"No way! I want my Vassals to mutate too!"
As the students discussed the battle, homeroom teacher Du enlarged the footage of Liang Ji's Vassals' assessment and displayed it for everyone.
The assessment ground was now riddled with craters and strewn with debris. Broken pieces of iron and scattered corpses lay everywhere.
Of the thousand Half-Dragonfolk who had taken part in Liang Ji's assessment, only a little over three hundred remained. They were all wounded, and more than six hundred had died—a casualty rate of two-thirds.
Even so, the remaining three hundred-odd Half-Dragonfolk, each bearing their share of injuries, continued to wave their shattered battle-axes and shields, or even fight with nothing but their fists and feet. They struggled desperately against the Vassals Teacher Du had assigned for the assessment, battling and launching one attack after another.
Meanwhile, of the hundred first-tier Spotted Serpentfolk Teacher Du had assigned for the assessment, only a little over seventy remained. More than twenty had been killed or wounded, bringing their casualty rate close to one-third.
More importantly, Teacher Du's Vassals had originally gathered into a single circular formation. This effectively reduced the front along which they had to engage Liang Ji's Half-Dragonfolk, minimizing the impact of the difference in their numbers.
This was a common battle formation used when teachers tested their students' Vassals. It reduced the advantage of the students' superior numbers to a manageable level before launching a counterattack.
But now, everyone could clearly see that in the footage of the assessment battle, Liang Ji's Vassals had directly broken through and shattered the teacher's circular formation.
As a result, the more than seventy Spotted Serpentfolk Vassals still standing had been forced to split up and form several smaller circles to fight Liang Ji's Vassals.
"Wait, that's not right!" At that moment, Xu Hong watched the battle on the Star Net display and voiced a different opinion. "I don't think Liang Ji's Vassals broke through the teacher's formation. I think the teacher's Vassals deliberately split up their large formation, then formed these smaller circles."
"Pay attention..." Xu Hong pointed at the display and said, "Look at the teacher's Vassals' smaller formations. They keep moving during the battle, coordinating with incredible precision."
"They're like several blades working together flawlessly, expertly carving up Liang Ji's Vassal ranks."
"Have you noticed? The teacher's Vassals are fighting more and more smoothly, and their rate of killing Liang Ji's Vassals keeps rising, while Liang Ji's Vassals are putting up less and less resistance!"
"I don't see any coordination or smooth fighting!" a student immediately retorted. "Liang Ji's Vassals are getting weaker because they don't have Rune Armor or Rune weapons."
"Look at them—their injuries are getting worse and piling up, and they don't even have weapons anymore. They can only fight the teacher's Vassals with their fists. Hey, no wonder they're dying faster and faster."
"I really don't get it. Liang Ji has such good Vassals, so why doesn't he equip them with Rune gear?"
"Training a Rune Master doesn't cost that much."
"Following Liang Ji is a waste for these Vassals!"
"If they were mine, I'd definitely take first place in this mock exam!"
"Maybe... Heh... I'd even give the teacher's Vassals a proper fight and see if I could wipe them all out!"
Hearing that, Xu Hong rolled his eyes and shook his head. "You brute. You don't understand tactics or battle formations at all! All you know is how to throw money at a problem. There's no talking to you!"
At that moment, homeroom teacher Du also began commenting on the footage of Liang Ji's Vassals fighting.
"You should all know by now that this is footage of Liang Ji's Vassal assessment."
"Liang Ji's Vassals have undergone a mutation, but don't assume mutations are always a good thing."
"Many academies and Star Palaces in the Star Alliance offer specialized courses on Vassal mutations."
"According to these studies, in nine cases out of ten, a Vassal mutation ends in the Vassals' collapse. In severe cases, it can even affect the Natal Star, triggering a mass extinction among the life-forms on it, damaging the Dao Fruit, and even leaving the Star Lord gravely injured!"
"And even among the remaining one in ten cases, more than ninety-nine percent of mutations are useless, or even leave the Vassals weaker than before."
"Overall, the odds of a beneficial Vassal mutation are less than one in a thousand. And even that figure comes from experiments using carefully chosen environments and resources to induce beneficial changes."
As Teacher Du spoke, he looked at the class. Surprise had clearly appeared on most of the students' faces.
"So don't see how strong Liang Ji's Vassals seem and decide you want your own Vassals to seek mutations. In more than ninety-nine percent of cases, you'll just end up killing yourselves."
"Settle down and cultivate your Vassals step by step. Improve your stars and advance your cultivation—that's the road to success!"
"Look at Liang Ji's mutated Vassals. Aren't they still being beaten into submission by the teacher's Vassals?"
"Instead of chasing after mutations, you'd be better off focusing on your cultivation and advancing your rank. Once you've raised your Natal Star to the second, third, or fourth tier and improved your Vassals' ranks as well, won't your combat strength grow far more than it would from a mutation?"
The new xianxia novel chart is hard to climb once you break into the top ten. The novels above are all by big-name authors! o(╥﹏╥)o
I'm only asking for reads, comments, monthly votes, and tips—just help me hold my spot!
This pitiful, humble author bows in gratitude!
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