Call Me by My Rank When I'm on Duty!

Silence.

The entire formation fell deathly silent.

The White Fierce Fist had struck the pile of corpses, but it had struck these freshmen's hearts, too, shattering their pride.

Only then did they realize why Zhou Sining had dared to demand a place to train at the Wild Goose Pagoda.

And why Han Ruijie, a Military Mage, treated him with such respect.

Zhou Sining was a Fire Mage capable of casting Intermediate Magic. Of course Han Ruijie wouldn't dare slight him.

What was more, when the Undead Tide had first stirred them into a panic, Zhou Sining had already completed his Star Map.

That proved not only that he had reached the Intermediate Level long ago, but also that he had prepared for anything that might happen!

Even Commander Su Zhe couldn't take that kind of power and reaction speed lightly.

They were convinced. Completely convinced. How could they not be?

Zhou Sining might not be the only one in Fire Class One to reach the Intermediate Level, but no one else could unleash power to match his.

Damn it, hadn't they seen that Fierce Fist blast cover seventy meters?

Whose Fierce Fist: Heaven-Shaking Blast had a range like that?!

All twenty-nine freshmen, whether they had attended Ancient Capital No. 3 High School or not, now respected Zhou Sining from the bottom of their hearts.

Once things settled down, Han Ruijie hurried to give orders. "All right, everyone! Groups of seven. Each group will come forward in turn and cast Flame Burst."

With Zhou Sining standing nearby, none of the freshmen dared act up again. They obediently split into four groups.

"Try to connect your Star Path within three seconds. Wait for my signal before you cast. I want you synchronized, neat, and aiming in the same direction at the same target. Understood?" Han Ruijie said.

"Understood!"

"Good! First squad, second-level Bone-Burning. Ten meters straight ahead."

"Cast!"

The moment Han Ruijie gave the order, the students, who already held their Flame Bursts in their palms, hurled the steadily burning Flame Burst: Bone-Burning spells forward together.

Seven bursts of flame traced graceful arcs through the air and landed squarely among the corpses below.

Flame Burst: Bone-Burning did not explode like Explosion, so it could not kill the Undead instantly. But its sustained flames were just as effective at holding them back.

Flames spread from one corpse to the next, then to dozens more. Soon, a sea of red fire blocked the Undead at the front.

Han Ruijie nodded in satisfaction.

The freshmen's aim was a little off, but they had earned their places at Ancient Capital Academy. They were no pushovers.

"Company commander, I killed several Undead!" one freshman exclaimed.

Han Ruijie explained patiently, "Don't rush. The first week of military training is mainly about getting you used to the Undead Tide and teaching you how to respond in battle. You won't start forming your own teams to kill Undead until the second week. Only kills from then on will be recorded."

The student immediately deflated. "I thought I'd already taken the lead."

"I said don't rush. All right, back to training." Han Ruijie clapped his hands to get their attention.

Each group trained for roughly ten minutes, casting Flame Burst every thirty seconds.

Afterward, they went to the back to meditate and replenish their Magic Energy. As soon as the group ahead finished, the next one stepped up.

Zhou Sining watched from the side, occasionally tossing out a Flame Burst himself or correcting a student's form.

Usually, a deputy company commander chosen from the students was little more than an errand boy.

If students had questions, he collected them and reported them to the instructor. If the instructor had instructions, he passed them on to the students. And when it was time to train, he had to train with everyone else.

Anyone else who slacked off as openly as Zhou Sining would have been slapped with a serious demerit.

But he was Zhou Sining. He could get away with it.

Over the past year, he had visited the Outer City Wall plenty of times, accompanying Su Zhe and Jiang Bowen. He knew the daily drills inside and out.

Forget guiding freshmen—he could even find fault with raw recruits.

If it weren't for the Wild Goose Pagoda, he wouldn't have bothered with such elementary military training.

Luckily, he had been assigned to Su Zhe. Otherwise, he would probably be miserably throwing Flame Bursts alongside everyone else right now.

The sixth day of military training, three in the morning.

"What a tough job."

Zhou Sining leaned against the city wall and sighed in boredom.

The twenty-nine students sprawled on the ground nearby turned resentful eyes on him.

Dude, what part of your job was tough?

For six days, every other deputy company commander had trained until they were dead on their feet. You'd slacked off the whole time, and now you were complaining?

What an infuriating bastard!

Zhou Sining caught every one of their looks. He merely smiled.

Intermediate Mages got privileges. If they didn't like it, they could keep it to themselves.

Seeing that the Undead Tide was no longer as fierce as before, Han Ruijie turned around and addressed them. "All right, you've all done well these past six days. We'll head back early and get some rest today."

"Take tomorrow off and make sure you replenish your Magic Energy. The day after that, free training begins and runs until the early hours of the twenty-fifth."

"During that week, you still have to report for duty at the Outer City Wall, but we won't require you to train. The Undead you kill will also be recorded on the Undead Ranking. Your ranking will directly determine how many cultivation resources you receive when school starts, so give it your all!"

"All right, dismissed."

"Yes!"

"You're the best, Company Commander."

"Thanks, Company Commander Han."

"Bye, Company Commander. I'll miss you." The student who said it looked genuinely reluctant to leave.

Something about that expression seemed odd.

Han Ruijie laughed and cursed at him. "What are you talking about? I'm not dead. Besides, I'll still be calling you all to assemble tomorrow."

Perhaps because Zhou Sining was there, Su Zhe and Jiang Bowen had rarely inspected the fire formation over the past six days. Han Ruijie had enjoyed the lighter workload and been easygoing with the students, letting them rest when they needed to without pulling any tricks.

As a result, the students in the fire formation thought highly of Han Ruijie.

Getting dismissed early made them happier still.

All twenty-nine left the Outer City Wall grinning, while the lightning and ice students nearby looked ready to cry with envy.

Why couldn't our company commanders be like that?

Why the hell wasn't I in Fire Class One?!

Zhou Sining did not return to the dormitory with them. He stayed at the Outer City Wall to kill Undead.

He was still a long way from raising the system to level seven. And with his Mana-Recovery Magical Artifact, he did not have to worry about running out of mana.

Su Zhe and Jiang Bowen came by for their usual inspection and immediately noticed that the fire formation's position was empty.

Han Ruijie was nowhere to be seen. Only Zhou Sining remained, mechanically tossing out Flame Bursts.

"Hey, where's your group?" Jiang Bowen asked, patting his shoulder.

"The company commander said training was over and sent them back," Zhou Sining replied.

Su Zhe checked the time. It was about right, so he said nothing.

"Hahaha! No wonder our young Zhou had the best attendance record at Ancient Capital No. 3 High School!" Jiang Bowen laughed.

"Hold on!" Zhou Sining suddenly looked up, his expression solemn.

"???"

"Commanders, please call me Deputy Company Commander Zhou. When I'm on duty, use my rank!"

"..."