"The ten-day intensive training ends today. The biggest improvements this time were from Tang Jian, Yang Mao, He Chong, and Wang Lele. Everyone else still needs to keep working hard."
In the quiet multipurpose classroom, Sun Yiying stood on the podium and addressed Tang Jian and the others seated below.
Although Liu Kun and the others whose names had not been called looked calm, they were clearly somewhat uneasy.
When Yang Mao heard his name, he deliberately puffed out his chest. But when he caught sight of Tang Jian's indifferent expression beside him, the smugness on his face faded considerably. It was as though he had been punched, and his expression fell.
"At present, there are four people in our class whose card energy has exceeded 70: Liu Kun, Gao Yang, Tang Jian, and Yang Mao.
"You four should be prepared. Tomorrow, the selection for the Rocket Class will begin. I don't care about the others, but all four of you must perform well and get yourselves into the Rocket Class."
Sun Yiying spoke bluntly.
He Chong, Wang Lele, and the others who had not been mentioned were not discouraged either.
Everyone would have a chance tomorrow to compete for admission into the Rocket Class. It was not that they had no hope; their chances were simply somewhat slimmer.
That was because Tang Jian and the other four would enter the Interstellar Tower tomorrow to spar with students from other classes and even fight alien races.
Their performances throughout the process would be fully displayed before all the teachers and school leaders, so their chances were naturally high.
As for those like them who had not been selected to enter the Interstellar Tower, they had not been abandoned either. They would be taken to undergo other tests before passing through another round of selection.
There was really no helping it.
Xi City was, after all, just a small place, and Xicheng No. 1 High School's resources were quite limited. When the Interstellar Tower opened, only a limited number of students could enter and experience it.
Students who had yet to meet the standard could only be temporarily passed over, though they were not being denied all opportunity.
"Bastard, do your best. You're so sneaky—I'm very optimistic that you'll definitely get into the Rocket Class."
As they were about to part ways, Jia Ling gave Tang Jian a thumbs-up.
"Is that how you compliment someone?" Tang Jian slapped him.
"Bastard, tell me honestly, how strong is your vitality now? I heard that battles in the Interstellar Tower don't just depend on card energy. Vitality is what matters most." Yang Mao leaned over and asked.
"You've been beaten up by me in every spar these past few days. Haven't you noticed?" Tang Jian glanced sideways at Yang Mao.
"Damn it, can't you stop bringing up my sore spot?"
Yang Mao was embarrassed. During this period, Tang Jian had beaten him into a pig's head in nearly every spar. Most humiliating of all, Wang Lele had knocked him flat several times, something he had always considered a disgrace.
The group laughed and horsed around for a while. With the ten-day training finally over, everyone seemed relaxed. He Chong took the initiative to suggest going out for a meal together, and many agreed.
He Chong was quite dejected. His card energy had originally ranked among the top three in the class, but after these ten days of intensive training, he had fallen all the way to fifth place.
It was not that he was weak. The others had simply improved far too much.
Liu Kun and Gao Yang had always possessed more card energy than him, and that was one thing.
But then Tang Jian, this invincible dark horse, had suddenly emerged. In just ten short days, he had gone from over forty card energy to more than seventy, completely suppressing him.
It was not just Tang Jian. Even Yang Mao had seemed pumped full of stimulants over these past ten days.
Apparently, Yang Mao's family had prepared two bottles of Solar Energy Potion and given them both to him. Combined with his frenzied physical training over the past ten days, his vitality had increased significantly. By the tenth day, he had barely managed to raise his card energy to 70, meeting the standard.
Only He Chong had remained stuck at 68 card energy. He would need at least two days to reach 70, but tomorrow was the selection for the Rocket Class. There simply was not enough time for him.
"Tang Jian, stay behind for a while. If you're going out for a gathering, go on ahead. Be careful outside, and don't cause trouble."
Before leaving, Sun Yiying gave the instruction.
Tang Jian immediately stayed behind helplessly while everyone else left together.
"I told you Tang Jian might be related to the instructor somehow."
"Exactly. His family's circumstances are pretty ordinary, yet he's improved so quickly lately. He probably drank Solar Energy Potion too. Where could he have gotten it? Maybe—"
"No way. I asked the bastard, and he said he had nothing to do with Teacher Sun. Besides, he's so ugly. Teacher Sun could—"
"The bastard is so sneaky. How could he possibly tell you the truth?"
Listening to his classmates' words, Liu Kun's expression could not help turning gloomy and frustrated.
He had always been the number one student in Class Twelve of Senior Year Three, but now Tang Jian, this suddenly rising dark horse, had begun to attract Sun Yiying's attention with his eye-catching performance.
He could even clearly sense that Sun Yiying valued Tang Jian far more than she valued him now.
That feeling was awful.
It was like the pride that had once belonged to him had been forcibly taken away by someone else.
If Tang Jian had truly been stronger than him, he would have accepted it.
But his card energy had already reached 87, his vitality had broken through 9, and his fighting skills were extremely refined. He had also learned many card combat techniques from Master Le.
No matter how he looked at it, Liu Kun believed himself superior to Tang Jian.
Yet Sun Yiying still valued Tang Jian more.
That even made him begin to believe that Tang Jian was Sun Yiying's relative. It was simply too unfair.
"Tomorrow, in the Interstellar Tower, I'll let my strength speak for itself. I'll demonstrate indisputable strength and let everyone know who the real number one of Class Twelve of Senior Year Three is. Tang Jian won't be able to contend with me either."
Liu Kun silently made up his mind.
Although he was not some petty, scheming person, this unfair treatment and the feeling of being overlooked forced him to prove himself—for himself and for everyone else—to make them notice his presence.
At that moment, Tang Jian looked innocently at Sun Yiying. "Teacher Sun, you've kept me behind alone again. You have no idea how easily it causes misunderstandings whenever you leave me alone like this."
Having spent more time with Sun Yiying, Tang Jian had begun speaking somewhat more casually around her.
More importantly, Sun Yiying was not very old, and her manner toward others was warm and approachable, making it hard for anyone to feel too distant from her.
Frost covered Sun Yiying's sweet, pretty face. She snorted coldly. "What misunderstanding? Who would dare misunderstand? Tell me."
Seeing Tang Jian merely chuckle awkwardly without speaking, Sun Yiying said coldly, "Your card energy has now reached 78, and your vitality has exceeded 8. I want you to put on an eye-catching performance in the Interstellar Tower tomorrow. If you run into students from Class One or Class Two, beat them within an inch of their lives. If you perform well, I'll give you an extra reward."
Tang Jian's eyes widened. "What kind of grudge is this? And Teacher, I'm not even a match for Liu Kun. Why aren't you assigning this to him?"
Sun Yiying reached out and knocked Tang Jian on the head, rolling her eyes at him. "Do you think I don't know you've been hiding your depth?
"You still have that Mechanical Card sleeve arrow, don't you? I suspect you can make some other cards as well.
"And when you were at Master Le's place the day before yesterday, you hid your skillful use of cards quite well, but I still saw it. Do you really think it's that easy to fool your teacher?
"I won't ask who is guiding you behind the scenes. I only know that you are my student, and I am your teacher. If a teacher needs her student to win her some face, and you can do it, then I'll vigorously nurture and protect you. If you can't, then stay out of my way."
Sun Yiying looked as though she had seen right through Tang Jian, a faintly irritated fierceness hidden in her gaze.
"Teacher Sun, your insight is truly sharp. As expected, nothing can be hidden from you. Then I accept—but what reward are you giving me?"
Tang Jian hesitated before replying with an awkward laugh, while inwardly he was weeping tears of frustration.
Damn it, I, a dignified Three-Star Card Master, have been putting on an act in front of you for so many days. You've finally laid your cards on the table. You've finally started suspecting that someone is backing me.
Before you continue