April 13. Less than two months remained until the National College Entrance Exam.
When the students returned from the Wilderness and prepared to train intensively in Martial Skills, they realized that Lu Chong, who had always stood out, was nowhere to be seen.
"Chief Instructor, are you going to give me special one-on-one instruction?"
Lu Chong looked earnestly at Cheng Dongye, who had summoned him, and asked curiously.
Come to think of it, the chief instructor hadn't taught him anything yet. Maybe he could pass on a couple of military Martial Skills, too?
"Cut out the wishful thinking."
Cheng Dongye didn't need to guess what the kid in front of him was thinking. He was trying to get something out of him.
He'd been prepared for this. He wasn't about to fall for it.
"There's nothing I can teach you," Cheng Dongye said seriously. "And it's not just me. The other instructors don't have time to help you train in Martial Skills right now, either."
"The instructors are too modest. There's still so much I'd like to ask you about," Lu Chong said, his face full of regret.
The corner of Cheng Dongye's mouth twitched. Could you really call that asking for advice? You were just trying to squeeze military merits out of us.
"Enough. Quit running your mouth."
"We may not have time to teach you, but we've found a better way to train you."
When Cheng Dongye got down to business, his expression turned serious. "I've found you a soldier from the Special Warfare Class to spar with you."
"These soldiers are Ninth Stage Martial Disciples who've seen plenty of combat. They may not be able to teach you much about Martial Skills."
"But you can learn the most practical fighting techniques and experience from them."
"If you can beat them, you'll be a true soldier, not just a student who knows how to talk about fighting."
"Understood?" Cheng Dongye asked solemnly.
Only then did Lu Chong understand what the instructor had in mind. He was quite interested. This was exactly what he needed right now.
He could learn a great deal from soldiers who had been through blood and fire, and what they could teach him would be extremely practical.
"Understood. Thank you, Instructor," Lu Chong said gratefully.
"Good. Follow Squad Leader Li to the soldiers' training camp," Cheng Dongye said with satisfaction.
A broad-shouldered soldier stood beside him. He was the Squad Leader Li Cheng Dongye had mentioned, and a genuine Martial Artist as well.
But Lu Chong didn't hurry off. Instead, he asked, "Instructor, if I can beat every soldier in the Special Warfare Class, will there be a reward?"
"Don't worry, Instructor. I'm not asking for much. A few thousand military merits or a top-grade Martial Skill will do. I'm not picky."
How could Lu Chong pass up a chance to ask for a reward?
Cheng Dongye felt his temper flare. So he had to prepare a generous gift just to train this kid?
He didn't refuse Lu Chong outright. Instead, he looked at Squad Leader Li behind him. "Squad Leader Li, it seems this student Lu Chong is pretty confident."
"What do you say?"
Squad Leader Li immediately snapped to attention and saluted, his voice booming. "Reporting to the platoon leader: we refuse!"
"We'll make sure to take good care of this student."
"He's made quite a bold claim. What if you lose?" Cheng Dongye pressed.
"Of course—" Seeing that Squad Leader Li was about to make a formal pledge, Cheng Dongye quickly added, "I mean the whole squad taking him on together."
Squad Leader Li clearly froze for a moment. Was the platoon leader looking down on the Special Warfare Class?
After all, aside from him, the ten soldiers in his squad were all Ninth Stage Martial Disciples with plenty of combat experience. They'd be ganging up on a student?
"Answer me." Cheng Dongye didn't give Squad Leader Li a chance to question him. He simply demanded an answer.
He knew that once Lu Chong figured out how the soldiers fought, beating one or two of them wouldn't be difficult.
So he couldn't set the bar too low.
Squad Leader Li quickly stood at attention. "Reporting to the platoon leader: we won't lose."
"If we do, we're willing to pool our resources and meet the student's demands."
Cheng Dongye gave a satisfied hum, then turned to Lu Chong. "Well? Do you dare?"
Lu Chong's face lit up. He looked gratefully at Cheng Dongye. "Thank you, Chief Instructor."
"Hmph!" Cheng Dongye snorted. "You're confident, all right. But what happens if you lose?"
"I mean, if you can't take down the entire Special Warfare Class within ten days."
Lu Chong was taken aback. This chief instructor wasn't playing by the rules. Was he actually trying to get the better of a student?
"Enough." Cheng Dongye didn't make things difficult for Lu Chong. Instead, he suggested a solution. "If you can't do it, spend the rest of the intensive training period helping the soldiers hone their Martial Skills."
"That won't be a loss for you, either," Cheng Dongye said with a smile.
Lu Chong thought about it. Wasn't that just making him the soldiers' Martial Skills instructor instead?
It wasn't a bad deal, so he said earnestly, "I'll do as you say, Chief Instructor."
"All right, go on." Cheng Dongye waved him away, not wanting to look at the kid's face any longer.
Once Lu Chong had left with Squad Leader Li, Cheng Dongye chuckled to himself. "You little brat, still trying to get something out of me."
"Whether you manage it or not, I, Old Cheng, have nothing to lose."
"Squad Leader Li, I still don't know your full name," Lu Chong asked as they headed toward the Special Warfare Class.
"Li Yibing." Squad Leader Li replied curtly, with a hint of coldness.
Clearly, the Special Warfare Class squad leader was also put off by Lu Chong's arrogance.
Lu Chong didn't press the matter. He followed Li Yibing in silence until they reached a camp some distance from the students' training grounds.
They hadn't even reached their destination when Lu Chong heard the soldiers' shouts, full of bloodlust, along with bursts of cheers now and then.
"That kind of spirit really is beyond what students can match."
Just hearing them made Lu Chong's blood surge.
When they reached the soldiers' training ground, Lu Chong saw more than a hundred soldiers sparring in pairs.
They weren't using weapons, but every one of them was bare-chested, showing off their strong muscles and the countless scars on their bodies.
Most of them were young soldiers. A few weren't much older than Lu Chong.
After all, many high school graduates didn't necessarily choose to attend a Martial Arts university. Some enlisted directly, entering the crucible of the Military Department to earn distinction, serve their country, and make a difference.
Lu Chong also noticed that the soldiers fought much harder than the students had during their school sparring sessions.
Quite a few were genuinely beaten until their heads were bleeding. Some even kept gritting their teeth and fighting despite broken bones.
This wasn't training. It was like they were fighting their comrades as though they were enemies.
Lu Chong could understand. If they bled and sweated in training, fewer lives would be lost in battle.
No matter how confident Lu Chong was, he held the utmost respect for these soldiers who protected their country.
They were the kindest and most genuine people in the world.
"Hold it!"
Li Yibing stepped onto the training ground and shouted. The soldiers immediately stopped what they were doing, snapped to attention in perfect unison, and turned to face him.
"This is Lu Chong, a student from First High School who's about to take the College Entrance Exam."
"The platoon leader sent him here to spar with our soldiers."
"This student also claims he's confident he can take down our Special Warfare Class within ten days."
"To be clear, he means taking on ten of you by himself."
Li Yibing raised his voice. "Soldiers, tell this student: do you accept?"
"We refuse!" The hundred-plus soldiers shouted together, their voices carrying the force of a vast army.
Lu Chong gave an awkward but polite smile. Squad Leader Li was deliberately stirring things up.
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