Sorry, I Called First

On April 8, at first light, a loud, urgent whistle woke the students who were about to begin special training at the Fortress.

Lu Chong had slept for only three hours, but he still got up full of energy and quickly made his way to the assembly point.

After breaking through the previous night, he spent several hours examining his condition to see whether his cultivation would regress.

Fortunately, the Auto Cultivation System had indeed developed just as he'd hoped.

Most notably, after his cultivation reached the Ninth Stage, the speed of his automatic cultivation hadn't decreased. If anything, it had even improved slightly.

With a supply of intermediate Nutrition Bars, his cultivation could increase by ten percent each day.

At this rate, it would take him less than ten days to break through the bottleneck and become a true Martial Artist.

Eighteen-year-old Martial Artists were rare, but there were still quite a few across the country. Every year, a wave of them emerged during the College Entrance Exam.

But don't forget: Lu Chong had gone from the third stage of Martial Disciple to where he was now in just one month.

Going from the third stage of Martial Disciple to becoming a Martial Artist in a little over a month—he couldn't claim no one would ever do it after him, but he was surely the first to do it.

Lu Chong wasn't arrogant about it, though. He understood perfectly well that talent or a cheat could only count as an innate advantage. If he didn't keep working hard, others would catch up sooner or later.

Besides, if he ever ran into a ferocious Exotic Beast or an enemy, they wouldn't care whether he was a peerless genius. If anything, they'd go even further out of their way to take him down.

A genius who hadn't yet grown into their potential was merely a promising prospect, not a true powerhouse.

"Students, today you'll follow our soldiers into the Wilderness to carry out reconnaissance and clearance missions."

"But this time, you're the ones in the spotlight, not the soldiers."

"The soldiers will only cover you and record your military merits, then gather up the spoils."

"We leave at eight and return to camp promptly at fourteen hundred. We'll tally your military merits every day."

"You can spend those merits however you like: exchange them for money, resources, or even Martial Skills from the Military Department."

"Also, Colonel Huang has personally ordered that, after training ends, the student with the most military merits may be awarded an honorary military rank, depending on the circumstances."

"I'm sure you all know what that means."

When head instructor Cheng Dongye finished speaking, the hundred students erupted in an uproar.

While Lu Chong was thinking about what to exchange his military merits for, the other students were discussing the honorary military rank Cheng Dongye had mentioned.

It wasn't an actual position of authority that let them command troops, but most people knew how valuable an honorary military rank was.

Put simply, it was like having an Amulet.

It came with numerous national benefits, the respect of others, and the prestige of a symbol of status.

Most importantly, those with an honorary military rank could receive the corresponding salary and benefits, enjoy priority access to resources from the Military Department, and gain opportunities to learn many legacies that weren't open to the public.

When Lu Chong overheard the discussion, he immediately perked up.

Salary and benefits, resources from the Military Department—weren't those exactly what he needed most?

How could the resources and Martial Skill legacies available at school or on the open market compare with those offered by the Military?

Besides, accepting an honorary military rank didn't require him to serve or restrict his freedom. He could still go to university and do what he wanted.

"Where else could you find a deal this good?"

No question about it: I, Lu Chong, have first dibs on first place in this training session.

Lu Chong made up his mind, suddenly brimming with motivation. The gleaming honorary military rank seemed to be beckoning to him.

He wasn't the only one. Every student there was just as eager, rolling up their sleeves and itching to leap off the Fortress and fight Exotic Beasts.

The head instructor stopped before he got carried away and whipped the eager students into a frenzy. Instead, he began dividing them into groups.

Each instructor would lead a group of fourteen or fifteen students, with a squad of soldiers assigned to each group.

Lu Chong and Lou Qingqing were assigned to the same group. He didn't know any of the other students.

Their group's instructor was a sixth-stage Martial Artist named Liu Ziqiang, a Second Lieutenant and platoon leader.

In the military's organizational structure, platoon leaders were usually mid- to high-stage Martial Artists, squad leaders were low-stage Martial Artists, and ordinary soldiers in a squad were mostly Martial Disciples.

The seven instructors here were clearly all Second Lieutenants.

The soldiers who would escort the students into the Wilderness were mostly high-stage Martial Disciples.

"Move out!" At eight o'clock, Cheng Dongye gave the order. The students filed through the open Light Wall and emerged into the Wilderness.

This Wilderness was completely different from the ruined, desolate towns in the base's Hunting Ground. It was true wild mountain forest terrain.

The seven student groups spread out at once, heading in different directions to search and scout.

Their mission was to scout the Wilderness within fifty li of the area, look for potential hazards, gather rare medicinal herbs, and clear out any Exotic Beasts they encountered.

The students led the way, while their instructor and a squad of soldiers brought up the rear, ready to provide support at any moment.

Some students had also brought their own bodyguards. Sister Yu was one of them, silently following at the very back.

Unless they encountered an unavoidable crisis, these outside reinforcements weren't allowed to interfere with the students' training.

"Lu Chong, if you run into danger, call for me right away. I'll have Sister Yu help you," Lou Qingqing urged him anxiously.

Lu Chong smiled at Lou Qingqing to show his gratitude.

But unless the situation was especially dangerous, he wouldn't call for help. That would interfere with earning military merits.

"Platoon leader, is he the top scorer from the Mock Exam a few days ago?"

At the rear of the group, the squad leader leaned toward Liu Ziqiang and asked in a low voice.

Liu Ziqiang nodded, his voice serious. "That's him, Lu Chong. I hear he's mastered the Monument-Splitting Palm, Nine-Shadow Step, Eagle Claw Technique, and Heart-Piercing Kick."

"So Old Cheng had me lead this group and teach him the Mountain Leaning Back," Liu Ziqiang said.

"Isn't that a bit biased?" The young squad leader grew even more curious. "Who's pulling strings for him? Why give him special treatment?"

Liu Ziqiang glanced at him, then kicked him three meters away. "Do your job. What do you know about the future flowers of our motherland? Do you even know what a genius is?"

"Tell all the soldiers to be ready to provide fire support at any time. These precious kids are only here to get a taste of life. Not one of them can get hurt."

After the squad leader walked away with a grimace, Liu Ziqiang glanced at Lu Chong in the distance and recalled Cheng Dongye's warning: "Colonel Huang thinks highly of this student. He must not come to any harm."

"I'd like to see just how capable a student the colonel thinks so highly of really is. Let's hope he doesn't piss his pants the first time he sees blood in the Wilderness."