Beginning the Attack

"4,000 first-year students went in, but only 2,738 came out, with 1,252 dead."

"Wei Daocheng's boat had 800 people. 58 died in Qin Mountain, 18 withdrew because their masters died, and 724 enrolled. Now only 11 remain."

"Not only did 713 people from Wei Daocheng's boat die, but 539 innocent people also perished!"

"All because of a whim from some important figure!"

Yang Ning looked at Ming Yuxiu, who was smiling at him. He understood this was a gesture of goodwill, as if she were telling him, I saved you!

But was there any fundamental difference between Ming Yuxiu and Lin Tianheng?

No!

He knew the inside story of this trial, yet he still stood by and watched it happen.

On the contrary, the other Inner Disciples, perhaps unaware of the truth, genuinely believed it was an accident.

Yang Ning noticed Lin Yuanxi's gaze, a mix of sadness and relief.

This girl is very kind. She must have been very well protected since childhood! Yang Ning thought.

Just like him, Yang Ning had been well protected by the country since he was young, which made him willing to treat the world with kindness, until his attitude began to slowly change after talking with Tuo Buchuan.

"This trial was an experiment for our Ascension Academy, but it seems the risks were a bit too high!" Fang Zhuo sighed from above. "You are unfortunate, but compared to those who died, you are fortunate. Go collect a Treasure Essence Pill. Everyone gets one, it's what you deserve. That's all. Xun Hu's team, stay behind!"

The first-year students, who had been feeling anxious, heard Fang Zhuo's words and looked at the significantly fewer people beside them. They suddenly felt quite lucky.

As for reasoning with Fang Zhuo? Don't be ridiculous. Royal scions are heartless; they wouldn't hesitate to kill their own brothers, so how could they possibly seek justice for others who died!

What, your servant, page, or maid died? Is that a big deal? Write a letter home and send some more.

As for those whose masters died, then we apologize. You are no longer an Ascension Academy disciple and have no right to speak.

The crowd quickly dispersed, and soon only the four members of Xun Hu's team remained.

Unlike the others' disheveled and miserable state, the four were neatly dressed with rosy complexions. Only their foreheads were sweaty, which was because the Tank had no air conditioning and was too hot.

When there were many people around, the four hadn't felt much, but now that only four of them remained and had to face seven or eight Inner Disciples, the pressure suddenly mounted.

"What is that mobile fortress?" an Inner Disciple asked.

"This esteemed sir's name is Li Yuan, and he is the most skilled in artifact refining among the Inner Disciples!" Fang Zhuo introduced.

Oh, same surname. My name is Li Feiyu!

"That's the Kun-12 Mobile Infantry Fighting Vehicle, or Tank for short!" Xun Hu replied.

"I understand 'mobile infantry fighting vehicle,' but where did the name 'Tank' come from?" Li Yuan asked.

"Uh..." Xun Hu scratched his head, then turned to look at Yang Ning. Right, why is it called a Tank?

"Uh..." Yang Ning was also speechless. Why is it called a Tank? Because it's a transliteration of 'Tank'!

"Tan means 'peace,' and Ke means 'to overcome enemies and achieve victory.' The meaning of Tank is to protect oneself while also defeating the enemy!" Fortunately, Yang Ning's mind worked quickly, and he explained without hesitation, "It means it has both defense and offense!"

"Defense?" Li Yuan scratched his head.

"Lots of defense, strong defense!" Yang Ning replied.

"I see!" Li Yuan nodded. "That's quite fitting. Those who cultivate their bodies have strong defense and high offense. Can they be called 'human Tanks'?"

"Esteemed sir, your comprehension is excellent. That's exactly the meaning!" Yang Ning praised.

"Mhm, Tank. That's a good name!" Li Yuan nodded.

"Of course, it's good. Yang Ning is a rare scholar with outstanding literary talent in the path of cultivation!" a female voice said from behind Li Yuan.

"Hm?" Li Yuan was startled. Isn't that the green-clothed girl from earlier? Why are you speaking up for him?

Yang Ning looked at Lin Yuanxi and cupped his hands. "Thank you for your praise, young lady. Yang Ning is unworthy."

Lin Yuanxi's expression was calm. She thought Yang Ning didn't recognize her.

But you've changed your appearance. Your looks and demeanor are completely different from before, but your maid hasn't changed! She's still the same one as before, and even her clothes are the same set!

Lin Tianheng, upon hearing this, suddenly turned his head. My sister usually doesn't care about anything. Why is she suddenly speaking up for an artifact refiner?

No, this is wrong!

If his murderous intent towards the people on Wei Daocheng's boat was just because they had seen his embarrassing side, then his current murderous intent had another reason!

With a thought, Wang Yi immediately stepped forward and said, "Xun Hu, can you bring out your Tank for us to see?"

"Of course!" Xun Hu quickly took out his storage bag and released the Tank.

A dull hum was heard. Li Yuan's eyes lit up. No wonder that bear couldn't budge it. Is this thing so heavy?

"This thing!" Wang Yi approached the Tank and circled it. Suddenly, she asked, "This thing is quite similar to Meng Qingyun of the Tianyi Sect's Dao Artifact, the Eight Treasures Dragon Chariot. Have you seen that Dao Artifact?"

The four shook their heads in unison: "We haven't seen it, we've never even heard of it!"

"Never heard of it?" Wang Yi sneered. "I doubt that. Ten years ago, when Meng Qingyun came to Tai Heng for Senior Brother Lin Tianheng's Golden Core ceremony, he disappeared for half a month within Tai Heng's borders before leaving. I wondered what he was doing. So, he planted spies within my Tai Heng? Yang Ning, I'm asking you, did you invent the Curved Shaft Plow ten years ago?"

"Yes," Yang Ning nodded. "But I never met this Meng Qingyun. I invented the Curved Shaft Plow myself!"

"You, Yang Ning, a farmer with no knowledge and no family tradition, were only two years old at the time. How could you invent the Curved Shaft Plow normally without someone teaching you?" Wang Yi said sternly.

"You've misunderstood!" Yang Ning quickly said. "I invented the Curved Shaft Plow, but it wasn't created out of thin air. It was improved from the Straight Shaft Plow. The difference between the two isn't very significant."

Is that so?

Wang Yi had only just seen the words "Curved Shaft Plow" when she temporarily pulled up Yang Ning's information. She had no idea it had a predecessor!

Before she became a maid, she was a Saintess of the Thousand Illusions Sect and had never soiled her hands with manual labor. Let alone Curved Shaft Plows or Straight Shaft Plows, she probably couldn't even tell the difference between chives and wheat seedlings.

However, her mind was sharp. She immediately asked, "Alright, even if you improved it, then tell me: how could you, at just two years old, improve something that people haven't discovered for thousands or even tens of thousands of years? Wasn't someone teaching you?"

"You just said no one has changed this thing for thousands of years. So who would teach me?" Yang Ning spread his hands. "Does the Tianyi Sect use Curved Shaft Plows for farming?"

How would I know what plows the Tianyi Sect uses for farming? If I knew, wouldn't I be the spy?

Wang Yi never expected that Yang Ning, who looked dull-witted like an idiot, would be so eloquent. She was instantly rendered speechless and then turned to Lin Tianheng, her eyes pleading for help.

"What a waste!" Lin Tianheng rolled his eyes. He was so full of sweet talk when they were vying for favor, but he couldn't even out-argue a child when it came to serious matters.

He turned and gestured with his eyes, You go!

Wang Luo sighed and gracefully walked down from the viewing platform, a gentle smile on her face as she looked at Yang Ning.

"Yang Ning, I just heard that young lady say you have amazing literary talent. I actually agree. I've read your poems!"

"Hmm?"