Rookie Counterattack

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

Lan Junxian chuckled and shook his head.

Ye Xiaojing remained impassive. "There's something worth noting. He has an item-lifeform capable of controlling or influencing emotions. It seems to be a reward from the Whispers of the Inner Demon dungeon."

"Mm, I saw it." A sharp glint flickered in Lan Junxian's eyes behind his gold-rimmed glasses.

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

"He's dangerous too."

A diagnostic report from a high-end medical institution lay quietly beside Lan Junxian's hand. The photo on its cover was unmistakably of a younger Jiang Qian.

In the photo, Jiang Qian's expression was numb and cold, and his bearing bore a striking resemblance to Ye Xiaojing's.

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

The day before the last day of the isolation period.

Lan Junxian and Ye Xiaojing arrived at the "classroom" to find Jiang Qian already waiting at his seat.

Large areas of his body were wrapped in gauze, one leg was bound in a splint, and the bruises and scrapes on his face hadn't completely faded...

"Morning, Teacher Lan, Teacher Ye."

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

Ye Xiaojing, meanwhile, sat down beside Jiang Qian without a hint of shame, pretending his injuries had nothing to do with her. "How are you feeling?"

"Oh, compared to having every bone in my body shattered, open-heart surgery is no big deal."

"Good. I'll be careful with the force later," Ye Xiaojing said, looking straight ahead.

What the hell...

"Ahem! Enough chatting. You'll have plenty of time to talk later..." Lan Junxian rapped his knuckles against the blackboard. "Today, we'll go over the main types of Evolution Dungeons and strategies for clearing them in detail. You've got an impressive record, but very little experience, so listen carefully."

"Okay. Can I ask questions?"

"Of course."

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

Evolution Dungeons were generally divided into two major categories based on the number of participants: solo (represented by "S") and multiplayer (represented by "M").

Beyond that, the various subcategories were dazzling in their variety.

There were slaughter, survival, exploration and puzzle-solving, rule-based competitions, and more.

Jiang Qian heard a theory that struck him as quite interesting.

Of course, it was merely Lan Junxian's own framework as the theory's originator: all the diverse types of Evolution Dungeons in the Super-Species World could ultimately be grouped under four core needs:

Foraging (hunting), courtship, territory, and species.

For example:

Slaughter and survival dungeons could be classified under foraging or hunting needs.

Dungeons involving boss strategies, or featuring storylines and missions centered on dungeon bosses, could be classified under courtship needs.

Dungeons requiring political maneuvering and troop deployment fell under territorial needs.

And slaughter or competition dungeons organized around species as factions belonged to species needs.

It was an interesting idea, but also rather absurd.

It placed too much emphasis on "animal nature" while downplaying the roles of "human nature" and "divinity" in the Super-Species World.

Besides, he couldn't accept having his strategy for the Seven Emotions Demon in Whispers of the Inner Demon defined as courtship...

As for dungeon guides, most were stored in the Cloud Library of the Wanzhong Group. Aside from special guides with high security clearance, almost every Wanzhong Group employee could access them with ease.

This didn't affect the laws of evolution, because there were far too many kinds of Evolution Dungeons. Like studying for an exam by drilling practice questions, it was impossible to work through them all. Besides, new dungeons were continually "updated" and "released" every year.

Still, Super-species Players who carefully studied the guides and summarized their strategies had a much higher success rate than those who went in unprepared.

Jiang Qian thought he should find a chance to transfer all that existing guide material into his brain.

"That's all for today. Ahem, do you have any questions about this section?" Lan Junxian gathered up his lesson notes with the air of a refined gentleman, ready to make his escape.

"Yes." Jiang Qian raised a bandage-wrapped hand. "I have the following 999 questions I'd like to discuss with you in depth."

"That many? We'll talk tomorrow, then. Xiao Jing, take good care of your junior!"

"Sure thing, boss."

"..."

His attempt to stall had failed.

Jiang Qian turned to Ye Xiaojing beside him, hoping she might have a shred of mercy left. "Sis, is this really necessary? My bones haven't even healed overnight."

He heard Ye Xiaojing give a chilling reply. "It'll hurt more if they heal first and then break again."

Ye Xiaojing rose smoothly from her seat and glanced at Jiang Qian. "The First State: Cognitive Form is more malleable than any other stage, like an infant learning to swim. I'm giving you high-intensity training so your abilities can match your potential."

Jiang Qian stopped wasting time. Tearing off his bandages as he stood, he said, "Please give it everything you've got."

The sparring session lasted until sunset.

Ye Xiaojing struck as she explained the key points of offense and defense, truly putting her hands and mouth to work at the same time.

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

The next day was the final day of the isolation period.

After two days of being tossed around, Jiang Qian had been unable to move the night before. Yet when he woke up, he found he could move freely.

There was no theory class on the last day.

Facing his final sparring session with Ye Xiaojing, Jiang Qian's attitude and confidence had changed completely since their first bout.

After all, he'd had no combat experience whatsoever before.

Now, he was someone who'd been beaten half to death twice...

The two stood face-to-face on the fighting mat again.

It was still a technical spar under equal First State abilities.

With a coffee in hand, Lan Junxian watched them spar in person for the first time.

Much like their first bout, Ye Xiaojing took up two wooden swords, while Jiang Qian held a wooden sword.

"I hope you last long enough today, rookie," Ye Xiaojing said, her expression as blank as ever.

"Let's hope you don't end up on your knees crying," Jiang Qian retorted without hesitation.

Ye Xiaojing raised an eyebrow.

The next second, she sprang into action. Her ghostly figure spun through the air with both blades, centrifugal force surging as she slashed down hard above Jiang Qian's head!

Swish!

Swish, swish, swish!

As Jiang Qian retreated with uncanny footwork, her blades came slashing down in rapid succession!

Each strike passed just inches from Jiang Qian's body, but none landed.

Ye Xiaojing narrowed her eyes as she watched Jiang Qian. Her surprise gave way to even greater fighting spirit, and she noticeably let up on the limits of her next attacks—

Both blades aimed at his head!

She slid into a clean, sharp low sweep aimed at his legs. Jiang Qian sprang up and lunged forward.

As they crossed paths, Jiang Qian's sword flicked toward the button on the girl's chest...

Lan Junxian nearly spat out his coffee.

Fortunately, Ye Xiaojing was no ordinary girl. She deflected the blade with one of her swords, foiling Jiang Qian's move, then whipped the other wooden sword at him like a whirlwind!

After landing, Jiang Qian leaned sharply backward, letting the wooden sword arc past him and fly farther away. When he turned back, Ye Xiaojing's second blade was already bearing down on him...

The scene repeated itself, echoing their first sparring match in a way that seemed almost miraculous.

Jiang Qian stood his ground—he didn't dodge.

Lan Junxian's pupils contracted in response!

But Ye Xiaojing's final slash didn't fall on Jiang Qian's face... Something strange happened:

Under Lan Junxian's watch, Ye Xiaojing's body suddenly lost its balance just before she landed.

At the same time, Jiang Qian moved like lightning, grabbing the wrist of the hand holding her sword and catching her as she fell from midair—using his shoulder as a fulcrum, he threw her to the ground!

At the instant she let go of her sword, Jiang Qian felt the force of Ye Xiaojing's dive. He brought his elbow down, adding all the combined force of the motion to her momentum, and slammed her hard into the ground.

Ye Xiaojing caught herself with one hand, then rolled across the floor, turning over her toes and knees to absorb the impact before rising to her feet with unhurried ease.

A trace of surprise appeared on her usually impassive face.

Before, Jiang Qian hadn't even been able to get close to Ye Xiaojing.

But just now, strictly speaking, Jiang Qian had thrown Ye Xiaojing over his shoulder and onto the ground.

Her graceful landing had been so deceptive that it made her fall seem far less messy than it was.

"What the hell..."

Lan Junxian stared dazedly at the two facing each other in silence, completely unaware that half the coffee in his hand had spilled...