Seeking the Instructor's Guidance

The foreign student's forearm had a chunk of flesh bitten off, damaging an artery, and blood was still gushing out like a fountain.

However, with the medical technology of this world, even a severed limb could be regenerated, so this injury was not yet life-threatening.

The surrounding students were pale with fright and dared not approach, but the squad leader soon brought two soldiers over to perform emergency first aid on the student, temporarily stopping the bleeding.

Lu Chong took the handkerchief handed over by Lou Qingqing and wiped the snake blood off his face, feeling no particular discomfort.

He had long since mentally prepared himself for such situations, even going so far as to repeatedly watch relevant gory videos in his spare time.

Yet, Lu Chong once again felt the peril of the Wilderness; it was completely incomparable to the captive Exotic Beasts in the Hunting Grounds.

The Shadow Cat from his mock exam, while not domesticated, clearly lacked the savage aura of a Wilderness Exotic Beast.

"Kid, are you alright?" the instructor Liu Ziqiang asked as he approached Lu Chong.

Watching the other soldiers help him collect his spoils of war, Lu Chong shook his head with a grin: "Instructor, may I ask how many Military Merits I have now?"

After working hard for half a day and aggressively sniping kills, Lu Chong was naturally after those Military Merits.

Liu Ziqiang was visibly stunned; the kid in front of him wasn't concerned about his classmate, nor was he traumatized, but instead wanted to know his merit count first thing?

He really didn't know whether to call him cold-blooded or just thick-skinned.

"Three hundred and fifty-two Military Merits. Don't worry, you're currently ranked first," Liu Ziqiang said, annoyed.

Lu Chong did a rough calculation. According to common knowledge, one Military Merit was worth over a hundred yuan, so he had earned over thirty thousand today?

"Nice, this is faster than being a private tutor," Lu Chong thought with secret delight.

Crucially, Military Merits were more valuable than their monetary equivalent because they could be exchanged for resources not available on the open market.

Sigh... if only I could get a few Martial Skills for free like the teachers at school, that would be even better, Lu Chong mused.

But he knew that was difficult; soldiers were soldiers, and the Military Department was not a charitable educational institution—everything was determined by Military Merits.

Of course, private instruction didn't count toward that.

Thinking of this, Lu Chong looked at the instructor Liu Ziqiang beside him with a meaningful gaze.

This Martial Artist instructor must still have some stock, surely.

"What are you staring at?" Liu Ziqiang felt a chill from Lu Chong's gaze.

Lu Chong replied honestly: "Reporting, Instructor, I would like to ask for your guidance on my Martial Skills."

Liu Ziqiang breathed a sigh of relief. He thought it was something else; it turned out this genius kid knew how to be humble and seek advice.

"Let's head back first. The afternoon is for Martial Skill training."

Their squad's scouting mission was complete, and they soon returned to the Fortress in an orderly fashion.

By two in the afternoon, all the students had gathered at the training grounds.

Some were injured, some were dejected, and others appeared quite excited.

Clearly, the first day in the Wilderness had provided these students with an experience unlike any other.

Lu Chong also noticed that the electronic bulletin board at the training grounds displayed the Military Merit rankings for all students.

Just as Liu Ziqiang had said, the first place was indeed Lu Chong, with 352 Military Merits.

The second place was none other than Xue Cheng from Third High School, who had provoked Lu Chong earlier, with 297 Military Merits.

Third and fourth place were Xiang Yueya and Huang Junyan, both of whom had also surpassed two hundred.

Xue Cheng glanced at Lu Chong from afar, his fighting spirit still high.

Lu Chong responded with a smile, calculating in his heart, Three hundred fifty-two plus two hundred ninety-seven, I effectively have six hundred forty-nine Military Merits now...

The Chief Instructor, Cheng Dongye, lectured: "I trust you are all very clear about your performance in the Wilderness."

"I have to say, you are the worst batch I have ever led."

"If there is no improvement later, my advice is for you to pack your bags and go back to school to play house."

Upon hearing this, more than half of the students lowered their heads in shame, each assuming he was talking about them.

"Now, you have a thirty-minute break."

"After thirty minutes, we begin Martial Skill training. Find the corresponding instructor for sparring based on your own situation."

As he said this, Cheng Dongye smiled rather menacingly, making the students present shiver.

They had heard from students of previous years that sparring with these instructors was nothing short of torture.

After all, the motto of military training was to find life in the midst of death—it was a rhythm of training until you dropped.

Many students, and even new recruits, had said they would rather face Exotic Beasts in the Wilderness than spar with the Devil Instructor.

Lu Chong didn't mind; he was still thinking about how to fleece the instructor.

During the break, Lu Chong took the opportunity to check his personal panel—

Name: Lu Chong

Level: Martial Apprentice Stage 9 (4%)

Martial Skill: Nine-Shadow Step (Perfection)

Wind Splitting Leg: Perfection.

Golden Cicada Robe: Microscopic (59%).

Tiger Roar Skill: Great Success (2%).

The automatic cultivation speed of the Golden Cicada Robe and Tiger Roar Skill is still a bit slow! Lu Chong felt somewhat unsatisfied.

The Golden Cicada Robe requires medicinal liquid for assistance; Lu Chong planned to exchange his military merits for some tonight and soak in it while he slept.

The Tiger Roar Skill is a top-tier cultivation method, so it is understandable that its automatic cultivation speed is slow after reaching Great Success.

Regardless, he still had Principal Fang providing extra guidance, so he believed that within a month, he would at least be close to Perfection in the Microscopic stage.

So, I can definitely cultivate a few more Martial Skills; the more, the better.

Especially after realizing the importance of basic Martial Skills, Lu Chong would not complain about having too many; these were all ways to save time for future cultivation.

Half an hour passed in a flash. Lu Chong did not go looking for other instructors and headed straight for Liu Ziqiang.

Since he had already reached Perfection in all seven of the school's Martial Skills, it didn't matter who he chose; what mattered was who could teach him new ones.

Under Lu Chong's sparring, Lou Qingqing's Monument-Splitting Palm and Nine-Shadow Step had both reached the Microscopic stage, so she simply chose to join Lu Chong's group.

To Lu Chong's surprise, Xiang Yueya, Huang Junyan, and even that Xue Cheng had also chosen Instructor Liu Ziqiang.

Do they all want to learn Mountain Leaning Back?

Liu Ziqiang stood tall and proud. Facing the fifteen students who had chosen him, he spoke with a voice like a booming bell: "I may not be as well-versed in teaching as your other instructors, but I can suppress my cultivation level and engage in the most realistic Martial Skill sparring with you."

"What I want to teach you isn't the theory behind Mountain Leaning Back, but how to use it to defeat an opponent."

"As for how much you can comprehend, that depends on yourselves."

"Who's first?" Liu Ziqiang's tiger-like eyes swept across the group.

The students all lowered their heads, dodging his gaze; no one volunteered.

"Then I'll call on someone." Liu Ziqiang suddenly looked at Lu Chong in the crowd. "Lu Chong, step forward!"

Lu Chong stepped out in response, cupped his fists toward the instructor, and said, "Please guide me, Instructor."

"Good. I will use the cultivation of a Martial Apprentice Stage 9 to spar with you using Mountain Leaning Back," Liu Ziqiang nodded and announced loudly.

"Stage 9?!" A stir immediately rippled through the students.

When did this happen? Wasn't Lu Chong a Martial Apprentice Stage 8?

Moreover, after the buzz on the Campus Forum, the students present all knew that it hadn't been long since Lu Chong broke through to Stage 8.

But it had only been a few days; how was he already at Stage 9? Did he think this was as simple as eating and drinking?

Liu Ziqiang did not know that Lu Chong had just broken through, nor was he aware of Lu Chong's previous rate of progress; he had only judged Lu Chong's cultivation to be at Stage 9 after seeing him take action in the Wilderness earlier.

"Quiet!" Liu Ziqiang roared like a tiger. "The rest of you, watch the fight closely; it will be helpful to you as well."

Once the students quieted down, Liu Ziqiang looked at Lu Chong and shouted, "Kid, watch closely. This is what a Perfection-stage Mountain Leaning Back looks like."

Before the words had even faded, Liu Ziqiang strode toward Lu Chong. Every step sounded like it was shattering the ground beneath his feet, thundering with immense momentum.

As he closed the distance, Liu Ziqiang suddenly bent his elbow and turned his body, erupting with even greater speed as he slammed toward Lu Chong's chest.

Lu Chong was not afraid in the slightest. He executed the same Mountain Leaning Back technique, sucking in his chest as if it had collapsed inward, neutralizing fifty percent of the instructor's force.

At the same time, Lu Chong's right knee shot upward violently, driving toward Liu Ziqiang's exposed chest and abdomen.

With a muffled thud, Lu Chong took several steps back, while the instructor, who had just been brimming with momentum, was also forced back two steps before he could steady himself.

Liu Ziqiang was inwardly shocked. When experts spar, a single exchange is enough to gauge the other's weight.

Through Lu Chong's reaction and the force of his counter-attack in that split second, he could tell exactly what level Lu Chong's Mountain Leaning Back was at.

This kid... his Mountain Leaning Back is also at Perfection, it must be! Liu Ziqiang felt like cursing. He didn't know how the Department of Education had vetted the files they submitted.

With a damn Perfection-stage Mountain Leaning Back, what was there left for him to guide?

He quickly realized that this kid named Lu Chong was no saint either, hiding this ace up his sleeve just to make him, the instructor, look bad in front of everyone?

If you're already at Perfection, why are you even looking for me?

Liu Ziqiang had a headache because he had spoken too confidently earlier. If he couldn't even guide the first student, how were the others supposed to practice?

At this moment, Lu Chong said nothing and had already taken the initiative to attack, his movements and momentum in no way inferior to Instructor Liu Ziqiang.

Bang!

The two collided, locked in a struggle using the techniques of Mountain Leaning Back, appearing evenly matched.

Liu Ziqiang finally couldn't help it, lowering his voice to say, "What exactly are you trying to do, kid? You're already at Perfection, yet you come here to make a fool of me?"

Lu Chong chuckled inwardly, but his expression remained as steady as a rock. He replied in a low voice, "Instructor, I really just want you to guide my Martial Skills."

"Guide my ass! Aside from Mountain Leaning Back, I'm not proficient in the other campus Martial Skills," Liu Ziqiang replied, feeling frustrated.

Lu Chong answered earnestly, "That's fine. I'm not interested in the other campus Martial Skills either, so I wanted to ask the instructor for some new ones. Low-grade or even lower, I'm not picky."

Liu Ziqiang was stunned for a moment. He quickly realized what Lu Chong was after and almost cursed out loud.

"Trying to take advantage of me? You're dreaming, kid."