Name: Lu Chong
Level: Martial Apprentice Stage 8(88%)
Martial Technique: Nine-Shadow Step perfected
Wind Splitting Leg perfected
Golden Cicada Robe Microscopic(57%)
April 7. The weather was clear. Lu Chong didn't go to school; instead, he headed straight to the military camp outside the suburban Hunting Ground to meet up.
"I'm just a little short of reaching Martial Apprentice Stage 9."
"As for Golden Cicada Robe, my progress has been good, but I'm almost out of bonus money. This Special Training Camp is the perfect chance to earn some more."
Only a hundred senior-year students were attending this training, and First High School alone had thirty spots.
After all, First High School was already the best high school in the city.
Lu Chong soon spotted Lou Qingqing and Sister Yu, who was standing beside her.
There were also a few students from other classes besides Class 5. Lu Chong recognized their faces, but had barely spoken to any of them.
There were Class 1 students Xiang Yueya and Huang Junyan, along with four Martial Apprentice Stage 8 students and eleven Martial Apprentice Stage 7 students. That one class accounted for more than half of the school's spots.
Lu Chong didn't know the others, but every student here recognized him. His performance in the Mock Exam had been so outstanding that it had been widely publicized.
"Lu Chong, over here!" Lou Qingqing called to him enthusiastically.
After spending so much time together, Lou Qingqing had grown quite familiar with Lu Chong and no longer seemed so shy around him.
"Hello, Sister Yu." Lu Chong went over to Lou Qingqing and greeted Sister Yu politely.
She was a Ninth Stage Martial Artist, after all. It was worth getting on her good side.
Sister Yu still wore a black suit and oversized sunglasses that covered half her face. She merely gave Lu Chong a cool nod.
Lu Chong didn't mind. He knew Sister Yu was cold on the outside but warm on the inside. She had never shortchanged him on his private tutoring pay.
"Why is Sister Yu here?" Lu Chong leaned closer to Lou Qingqing and asked in a curious whisper.
Lou Qingqing's face reddened slightly. Somewhat embarrassed, she said, "Sister Yu was worried about me, so she's coming with us into the Wilderness."
So that was it.
Lu Chong understood. He also noticed that several other students had brought experts along with them.
They were heading into the Wilderness, after all, where they'd face real Exotic Beasts. It made sense for families who could afford it to send people along to protect them.
Besides, the Special Training Camp didn't seem to forbid it.
For instance, Xiang Yueya and Huang Junyan each had a Martial Artist bodyguard with them.
"Are you Lu Chong?"
Just then, a lean male student with a crew cut and a black Zhongshan suit came over and asked him.
"I'm Lu Chong." Lu Chong looked at him curiously, realizing that he wasn't from First High School.
The student had a stern expression. He introduced himself without hesitation. "I'm Xue Cheng, from Class 1 at Third High School."
"My teacher speaks highly of you, but I want to compete with you again during this training. Let's see who earns more military merit," Xue Cheng said seriously.
Only then did Lu Chong remember that Xue Cheng was probably the Third High School student who had placed third in the Mock Exam, a top student at Martial Apprentice Stage 9.
But Lu Chong had no interest in competing with him. What mattered to him was how much military merit he could earn by hunting Exotic Beasts during the training.
As far as he knew, hunting Exotic Beasts and gathering medicinal herbs during training could earn them military merit directly. Military merit meant resources, making this a golden opportunity to earn money.
After all, the rewards he'd received after the Mock Exam were almost gone after just two days of spending.
It would take at least another two hundred thousand to fully master Golden Cicada Robe.
"I'm not interested," Lu Chong said flatly.
While they were busy trying to outdo each other, he still had to scrape together a living and earn resources for his cultivation.
Sigh!
Poor kids had to grow up fast.
But Xue Cheng clearly wasn't giving up. He seemed to know Lu Chong's family situation and immediately dangled a tempting offer. "If you beat me again, all my military merit is yours."
If you'd said that earlier, I'd have been wide awake.
The moment money came up, Lu Chong perked up. "Sure. It's a deal."
"And what if you lose?" Xue Cheng asked, nodding with satisfaction.
Lu Chong hadn't even considered the possibility of losing, but still answered modestly, "What do you want?"
"If you lose, I want you to tutor Xiang Yueya for free for a month, sparring with her for an hour every day." Xue Cheng stated his terms without hesitation.
Lu Chong paused, then couldn't help glancing at Xiang Yueya, who had her back to them in the distance.
Well, well. This First High School beauty sure had some pull. She could even influence students from other schools.
Still, at least Xue Cheng was a little more sensible than Zhao Longfei. He knew what Lu Chong needed right now.
"No problem," Lu Chong agreed readily.
Only then did Xue Cheng leave, satisfied.
"Lu Chong, if you lose, are you really going to tutor Xiang Yueya?" Lou Qingqing, who had been eavesdropping the whole time, came closer and asked, sounding reluctant.
Lu Chong laughed. "How could I lose? Don't worry. You pay me so well that I'm not about to tutor someone else for free."
Lou Qingqing smiled happily, though something still felt a little off to her.
The students gathered in groups of three or five, chatting and discussing things. They waited at the camp until half past ten in the morning before the instructors for this training finally arrived.
The instructors weren't teachers from the various high schools, but Martial Artists straight from the military.
There were seven instructors, all upright and imposing, with an aura as deep as an abyss.
Compared with high school teachers, these instructors carried a much more bloodthirsty air. They were clearly hardened veterans who had seen real battlefield combat.
Along with the seven instructors, two important figures arrived: Colonel Huang and Fang Yuan, the principal of Third High School.
With the arrival of these two big shots, the students at the camp quickly fell silent and focused their attention on them.
"Students, I'll be leading this training. You can call me Teacher Fang, or just Old Fang."
"Hello, Principal Fang!"
The students knew him as the principal of Third High School, second only in reputation to Principal Wei, and shouted their greetings.
Principal Fang smiled and pressed his hands down to quiet them. Then he continued, "Every year, the students selected for this training are among Guanyun City's most promising candidates for the College Entrance Exam."
"We organize this training to let you experience real combat in the Wilderness, because it's closer to the College Entrance Exam than the Mock Exam is."
"These seven instructors are all from the military, and they're genuine Martial Artists who've fought Exotic Beasts."
"Each instructor has also mastered at least one school Martial Skill."
"So having them train you during this camp will be the most effective way to prepare."
"As for what you need to watch out for once you enter the Wilderness, Colonel Huang will explain it to you."
. Provided by Yunyou Shuhai's Global Calamity: My Martial Arts Cultivate Automatically
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