Homework

A few hours later, deep beneath Kyoto Base City, Dr. Long stood beside Huo Haitian in the Science Division where Feng Qingmo had once come for an examination. She watched the Silver Moon Fierce Wolf inside its alloy cage.

"Which War God captured it?" Dr. Long asked, her usually cool voice tinged with excitement.

Although Beast Soldier-level monsters were easy to capture, Beast General-level monsters were much harder, especially a wolf-type monster from the royal bloodline.

A live Beast General-level monster could be used for all kinds of experiments. For instance, which drugs would affect them? What frequencies of sound waves would make them uncomfortable or even afraid?

The goal of experiments like these was simple: to find the best way to deal with large-scale monster tides.

Of the five surviving nations in the world and their twenty-three Base Cities, only the Base Cities that housed the headquarters of the Limit Dojo and the Thunder Dojo were spared. All the others had to face monster tides of varying sizes several times a year.

Finding a way to deal with large-scale monster tides would be a tremendous service to humanity. It would not only greatly ease the pressure on Base City defenses, but also free up more manpower to deal with the monsters in the oceans.

Every year, countless soldiers died in monster tides, and even more were injured. The military would be more eager than anyone to find a way to contain or disperse them.

"I'm not sure. Let me ask..." Huo Haitian took out his Communication Watch and quickly found a number to call.

"Long, it's Haitian... No, nothing's wrong. I just wanted to ask about that Silver Moon Fierce Wolf you had sent over. The guy who delivered it said you'd arranged it. Did you capture it yourself?"

"It wasn't me. I just went to pick it up..." Guan Chenglong's voice came through the Communication Watch. "Since when did you get so curious?"

"Heh..." Huo Haitian chuckled.

"Come to think of it, you know this person too." Guan Chenglong was clearly in a good mood. "Remember that kid you picked up in Jiangnan Base City more than twenty days ago?"

"Oh!" Huo Haitian certainly remembered. Feng Qingmo had made quite an impression on him. He blurted out, "Was it Feng Qingmo?"

Dr. Long had been intently watching the Silver Moon Fierce Wolf in its cage. At Huo Haitian's sudden shout, she turned to look at him.

"How is that possible? He only passed the Martial Artist Combat Assessment last month. How could he be strong enough to capture a Silver Moon Fierce Wolf alive? Unless he teamed up with another squad?" Huo Haitian sounded unconvinced.

"No!" Guan Chenglong replied. "He really did it alone. He captured the Silver Moon Fierce Wolf alive, and I personally went to pick it up. After getting approval from the chief, I had it sent to you..."

Hearing Feng Qingmo's name, Dr. Long pictured the young man in her mind. His gaze had seemed unfocused, yet there had been something mysterious and profound about him.

I didn't realize he was so capable... Remembering her promise to tell him her name the next time they met, she couldn't help smiling. Then she composed herself and returned her attention to the giant wolf.

After his battle with the Silver Moon Fierce Wolf, Feng Qingmo had made considerable progress in both swordsmanship and footwork. After resting for a night, he spent the next few days searching the city for suitable monsters to hone his skills against.

Seven days passed quickly. With a backpack full of monster materials on his shoulders, he set off for Huashan Training Camp.

His seven days of living alone in the Wilderness Zone had helped him grow considerably. It wasn't just his outward abilities, like swordsmanship and footwork; more importantly, he had become stronger and calmer inside.

He might not have noticed the change himself, but his parents had been quick to pick up on it. During a phone call with them the night before, Feng Jiansong had said with great satisfaction that his son had finally grown up and was no longer a flower in a greenhouse.

By the time he returned to Huashan Training Camp, night had fallen. He went to the department that bought monster materials and sold the materials from three Intermediate Beast General-level monsters and two Elementary Beast General-level monsters in his backpack.

The materials from the three Intermediate Beast Generals sold for 120 million, and those from the two Elementary Beast Generals sold for 18 million. That came to a total of 138 million. Of course, he hadn't yet received payment for the Silver Moon Fierce Wolf, which was worth the most. Including that, Feng Qingmo would earn at least 500 million this time.

Early the next morning, Feng Qingmo stepped into Room 301 of the Central Building. The other students filed in one after another.

"Hey, Brother Mo!" Zuo Mingkun rushed over as soon as he saw Feng Qingmo. "You have no idea what we went through these past seven days..."

"Come on," Feng Qingmo said, lightly punching him on the shoulder. "You came back in one piece, didn't you? Tell me, how many monsters did you kill?"

"Heh." Zuo Mingkun immediately perked up at the question. "The few of us killed quite a lot of monsters over the past few days. We should each get a few hundred thousand. What about you?"

"What do you think?" Zheng Hu joined them. "With Brother Mo's strength, he must've killed at least a few Beast General-level monsters this time..."

Feng Qingmo smiled. "Looks like everyone's settling in pretty well..."

"We have Canyang to thank for that," Guo Hui said. "Canyang had already been to the Wilderness Zone before, and if he hadn't been there, Chu Xinming would've been more than just a little hurt..."

Chu Xinming had a bandage wrapped around his left arm, clearly the result of an injury. He nodded at Guo Hui's words. "That's right. I let my guard down, and Canyang saved me..."

Chu Xinming had been somewhat impetuous before, but after a week of training in the Wilderness Zone, he was clearly much steadier.

"We're teammates. Helping each other is only natural," Li Canyang said quickly.

"You've all done well!" Guan Chenglong's voice came from the doorway. Everyone turned to look as he entered the room and nodded to them in greeting.

"Feng Qingmo needs no introduction. He completed the assignment perfectly, killing several Intermediate Beast General-level monsters," Guan Chenglong said, stepping over to the group. "The rest of you did well too. Even though Chu Xinming got hurt, he'll recover in a couple of days..."

He paused and pointed to the seven desks in the room. "We won't be sparring this morning. Instead, I'm giving you an assignment. Each of you take a desk and write down what you went through this past week, what you gained, your experiences, your lessons—everything..."

"Huh?" Zuo Mingkun let out a yelp. "Are we having an exam too?"

"It's not an exam!" Guan Chenglong shook his head. "It's a review. Almost all of you went through the Wilderness Zone for the first time, so reflecting afterward is important. It'll help you understand your strengths and weaknesses more clearly, and know what you need to work on and improve..."

He chuckled. "When you're done, hand it in to me. If I don't think you've reflected deeply enough, you'll have to do it over!"

The group exchanged uneasy glances.

"Teacher Guan's only trying to help us. This really is a good way to reflect and learn from experience." Feng Qingmo was the first to find a desk and sit down.

The others nodded and found desks of their own, ready to "do their homework."