Rookie Counterattack

"Hahaha, the way you put that, even I want to punch you..."

Lan Junxian smiled and shook his head.

Ye Xiaojing's expression remained unchanged. "There is one thing worth noting. He possesses a tool-based life form capable of manipulating or influencing emotions. It seems to be a reward from the Whispers of the Inner Demon dungeon."

"Mm, I saw it." Lan Junxian's eyes shimmered with sharp luster behind his gold-rimmed glasses.

"That thing is dangerous," Ye Xiaojing reminded him again.

"He himself is also dangerous."

Beside Lan Junxian's hand, a diagnostic report from a high-end medical institution lay quietly. The photo on the cover page was unmistakably a younger version of Jiang Qian.

However, the Jiang Qian in the photo had a numb and indifferent expression, his temperament bearing a striking, uncanny resemblance to Ye Xiaojing's.

"But the more dangerous something is, the more fascinating it becomes."

Two days before the end of the quarantine period.

When Lan Junxian and Ye Xiaojing arrived at the "classroom," Jiang Qian was already waiting in his seat.

His body was covered in large patches of gauze, one leg was bound in a splint, and the bruises and lacerations on his face had not yet fully faded...

"Morning, Teacher Lan, Teacher Ye."

"Morning..." Lan Junxian's eyelid twitched.

Ye Xiaojing sat down next to Jiang Qian without a shred of guilt, pretending the other's injuries had nothing to do with her. "How do you feel?"

"Oh, compared to a full-body comminuted fracture, a thoracotomy really isn't anything to make a fuss about."

"Very well, I will be mindful of my strength later," Ye Xiaojing said, staring straight ahead.

Holy crap...

"Ahem! No idle chatter. You two will have plenty of time to communicate later..." Lan Junxian tapped the blackboard with his finger. "Today, we will break down the main types of Evolution Dungeons and their clearance strategies. Although you have a distinguished record in this area, your experience is too shallow. Listen carefully."

"All right, can I ask questions?"

"Of course."

Thus, Lan Junxian began a high-density, cram-style lecture.

The generally accepted classification of Evolution Dungeons is based on the number of participants: Single-player (denoted by "S") and Multi-player (denoted by "M").

Beyond that, the various sub-categories are dizzying.

There are slaughter types, survival types, exploration and puzzle-solving, rule-based competitions, and so on.

Jiang Qian heard a rather interesting theory.

Of course, this was merely a summary proposed by Lan Junxian: at present, all Evolution Dungeons in the Super-Species World, despite their complex and diverse types, can be summarized at their source into four core needs:

Foraging (Hunting), Mating, Territory, and Race.

For example:

Slaughter and survival dungeons can be categorized under foraging/hunting needs;

Dungeons involving boss raids or plot-driven tasks centered around a boss can be categorized under mating needs;

Dungeons requiring strategy and tactical deployment fall under territory needs;

And slaughter or competition dungeons where species act as factions belong to race needs.

Interesting as it was, it was also absurd.

It focused too much on "animality" while downplaying the roles of "humanity" and "divinity" in the Super-Species World.

Moreover, he could not accept that his act of conquering the Seven Emotions Demon in the Whispers of the Inner Demon dungeon was defined as mating...

As for clearance strategies, most materials are stored in the Wanzhong Group's Cloud Library. Except for special strategies with high security clearance, almost every Wanzhong Group employee can easily access them.

This does not affect the laws of evolution, because the number of types of Evolution Dungeons is too vast. You cannot finish them by rote memorization like a test-taking strategy, especially since the dungeons are constantly "updated" and "newly released" year after year.

However, Super-Species players who carefully study the strategies and summarize the methods still have a much higher win rate than those who go in blind.

Jiang Qian thought it necessary to find time to transfer these ready-made strategy materials into his brain.

"That's all for today. Ahem, do you have any other questions about this part?" Lan Junxian gathered his lesson plans, looking to slip away.

"I do." Jiang Qian raised his bandage-wrapped hand. "I have the following 999 questions I need to discuss with you in depth."

"So many? Let's talk about it tomorrow. Xiaojing, take good care of our junior!"

"Understood, boss."

"..."

Attempt to stall for time failed.

Jiang Qian turned his head to look at Ye Xiaojing beside him, hoping she might harbor a shred of kindness. "Sister, is this necessary? My bones haven't even healed after one night."

He heard Ye Xiaojing's terrifyingly logical reply: "It will be even more painful if they break again after they've healed."

Ye Xiaojing rose gracefully from her seat and glanced at Jiang Qian. "The plasticity of a First State: Cognitive Form exceeds any other stage, much like an infant learning to swim. I am putting you through high-intensity training so that your abilities can match your potential."

Jiang Qian stopped stalling, tore off the gauze on his body, and stood up. "Please, by all means, give it your all."

This sparring session lasted until sunset.

Ye Xiaojing explained the keys to offense and defense while she fought, truly managing to use both hands and mouth.

After receiving full treatment from the medical team, Jiang Qian was sent back to his room to rest.

The next day, the final day before the end of the quarantine.

After two days of being battered, Jiang Qian, who couldn't even move the night before, found he could move freely upon waking up.

There were no theory classes on the final day.

Facing his last sparring session with Ye Xiaojing, Jiang Qian's momentum and mindset were completely different from the beginning.

One had to remember, he had possessed zero combat foundation before this.

Now, he was a man who had been beaten to a pulp twice...

The two stood face-to-face in the combat arena once more.

It was still a technical sparring session under equal First State abilities.

Lan Junxian held a coffee, observing the two exchange blows on-site for the first time.

Similar to the first session, Ye Xiaojing drew two wooden blades, while Jiang Qian held a wooden sword.

"I hope you last long enough today, rookie." Ye Xiaojing remained expressionless.

"I hope you don't cry when you're on your knees later." Jiang Qian retorted bluntly.

Ye Xiaojing raised an eyebrow.

The next second, she suddenly sprang up. Her ghost-like figure whirled in mid-air with her twin blades, the centrifugal force surging instantly as she slashed down powerfully toward the top of Jiang Qian's head!

Swish!

Swish, swish, swish!

Jiang Qian retreated with strange, erratic footwork, dodging the rapid-fire slashes!

Every blade grazed his figure, but none landed on target.

Ye Xiaojing narrowed her eyes. Watching Jiang Qian, she felt surprise, but also a surge of fighting spirit. This caused her to clearly loosen the constraints on her subsequent attacks—

Twin blades locked onto his head!

She executed a clean, decisive sliding tackle to attack his lower body, and Jiang Qian lunged forward.

As the two crossed paths, Jiang Qian's long sword flicked toward the buttons on the girl's chest...

Lan Junxian nearly spat out his coffee.

Fortunately, Ye Xiaojing was no ordinary woman. She deflected the sword tip with her blade, not only preventing Jiang Qian from succeeding but also spinning and whipping her other wooden blade out like a whirlwind!

After landing, Jiang Qian quickly leaned back, letting the wooden blade arc away. As he turned his head, he met Ye Xiaojing's second incoming strike...

It was a similar scene, echoing the first sparring session in a miraculous way.

Jiang Qian stood his ground—he did not dodge.

Lan Junxian's pupils contracted!

Ye Xiaojing's final strike did not land on Jiang Qian's face... A strange turn of events occurred:

Under Lan Junxian's gaze, Ye Xiaojing's body, about to land, suddenly lost its balance.

At the same time, Jiang Qian grabbed her wrist with lightning speed, catching her as she descended from mid-air—using his shoulder as a pivot, he threw her to the ground!

The moment she lost her grip, Jiang Qian felt Ye Xiaojing's downward momentum. He channeled all the compound force from his elbow into her, slamming her down hard.

Immediately, Ye Xiaojing braced the ground with one hand, then used her toes and knees to roll and dissipate the force before rising calmly to her feet.

A trace of surprise appeared on her usually indifferent face.

In the past, Jiang Qian couldn't even get close to Ye Xiaojing.

But just now, strictly speaking, Ye Xiaojing had been shoulder-thrown to the ground by Jiang Qian.

It was only because her landing was so elegant and deceptive that it didn't look quite as wretched.

"Well, I'll be damned..."

Lan Junxian stared blankly at the two figures silently facing each other in the arena, completely unaware that half his coffee had spilled.