Sounds of fighting, explosions, and the screams of recruits rose and fell throughout the vast training camp.
The entire camp was in an uproar.
In contrast to all the commotion, an instructor walked along with two straight swords on his back and another at his waist.
His eyes were downcast, and his face was full of melancholy.
His steps were light, as though he were out for a stroll.
He stopped, turned toward the nearby classroom building, and let out a long sigh.
"I'd better go in and look around. I have to do my duty as an instructor, after all..."
Then the instructor slowly made his way toward the classroom building.
The door opened slowly. The instructor strolled inside and began looking around for recruits.
Suddenly, he stopped and looked toward a corner of the classroom hidden behind desks. "I found you. Come on out," he said leisurely.
But after he waited a moment, there was still no movement there.
The instructor shook his head slightly. He had just taken a step toward the corner when a stool suddenly came flying at him.
His expression unchanged, the instructor turned sideways and dodged it easily. A girl immediately ran out of the corner and charged toward the door.
Watching the girl run out, the instructor lowered his head slightly. One of the straight swords on his back drew itself from its sheath.
In the next instant, a straight sword thrust swiftly toward the girl. She frowned and held her sword in front of her with her left hand, blocking the strike.
But the impact also drove her back two steps, and she nearly fell to her knees.
The instructor walked out of the classroom building. A flicker of puzzlement crossed his eyes as he looked at the girl standing before him, her right arm missing.
"You're disabled? Why did you join the Night Stars?"
"None of your business!" The girl steadied herself and gripped her straight sword tightly in her left hand, pointing it at the instructor.
"That left leg of yours is a prosthetic too, isn't it? No wonder you run so slowly, and your balance isn't good either.
"If you try to run now, you won't be able to outrun me. I think you should just admit defeat and accept elimination."
The instructor looked at the girl's left leg as he tried to dissuade her.
"I said, I don't need you meddling!"
The instructor shook his head helplessly. The other straight sword on his back also slipped from its sheath and hovered in the air.
"Don't worry. I'll go easy on you when I eliminate you."
The two straight swords hovered beside the instructor, then began spinning at high speed and flew toward the girl.
Gritting her teeth, the girl turned sideways and narrowly dodged one sword, then raised her own straight sword to meet the other.
The spinning sword collided with the girl's straight sword. Clang after clang rang out as she swung with all her strength, barely managing to knock it away.
But in the next instant, the instructor appeared before her, sword in hand.
The instructor struck at the girl with the back of his sword. Though she reacted quickly and raised her sword in time to block, she was still sent flying several meters and fell to the ground.
The two straight swords hovering in the air circled once, then attacked the fallen girl simultaneously.
Watching the two swords grow larger in her eyes, the girl felt a flash of despair and intense unwillingness.
Just as the two stone swords were about to fall, a thick backbone suddenly rose from the ground in front of the girl.
Several ribs then grew from the backbone, enclosing and protecting her.
The straight swords spinning at high speed struck the hard bones and were immediately deflected, leaving several scratches a few centimeters deep on their surface.
Surprise flashed in the instructor's eyes.
Then a wave of sword qi flew toward the instructor, slashing at him.
The instructor dodged swiftly, but a bloody gash still appeared on his cheek.
Blood slowly flowed from the wound on his face, but the instructor had no attention to spare for it. He stared at the classroom building's wall, where the sword qi had cut a large gash, utterly stunned.
"Yo, pretty lady~ Well? Was I cool or what?"
The white-haired boy leaned against the enormous skeleton and winked at the one-armed girl.
"No need for empty words like 'thank you.' Just give yourself to me in marriage~"
The one-armed girl looked at the white-haired boy before her, who was not much different in age from her, and found herself at a loss for words.
"It's fine, no rush. I'll wait for you to think it over carefully~" After saying that, he even ran a hand through his silver-white hair.
"Hehe, let's go. I'll take you away. Just leave the rest to my big brother."
With that, he stood up and reached out to help the one-armed girl to her feet.
The one-armed girl looked at his outstretched hand but ignored it and stood up on her own.
"Yo~ Pretty cold, aren't you?" The white-haired boy patted the skeleton, and the enormous frame instantly turned into wisps of bone ash that scattered through the air.
The two straight swords flew back to the instructor's side. Holding a straight sword in each hand, he stared intently at Ye Yiqing.
"You're at the High Rank realm?" the instructor asked.
Ye Yiqing smiled and did not deny it. "I practiced a little before, so I have a fairly good foundation."
"Sword qi isn't something you can learn just by practicing a little." The instructor gently wiped the blood from his face.
"Mm, I have a little talent for swordsmanship, so I practiced it fairly well." Ye Yiqing placed his hand on the hilt of the sword at his waist.
"What's your ability?"
"Sorry, Instructor, I don't have an ability. I'm just an ordinary person who knows a little swordsmanship." Ye Yiqing smiled and shook his head.
"Is that so?"
With a thought from the instructor, the two straight swords hovering in the air instantly pointed at Ye Yiqing, then shot toward him.
At the same time, the instructor rushed forward at high speed and swung his sword at Ye Yiqing.
Ye Yiqing still wore a smile. He gripped his sword hilt and took a deep breath.
As the three swords were about to strike him, Ye Yiqing abruptly drew his sword.
Clang-!
Four swords collided. Holding his katana, Ye Yiqing used the back of its blade to hold the three straight swords firmly at bay.
The instructor's expression changed slightly, and he exerted more force, trying to push Ye Yiqing down.
But to his horror, he discovered that Ye Yiqing was like a great mountain, impossible to budge in the slightest.
The instructor immediately retreated, recalling his three swords as he tried to open up some distance.
But the instant the three swords left the katana's blade, Ye Yiqing leaned forward and attacked swiftly.
Swish!
Swish!
Two slashes flashed out, one from the left and one from the right, cutting toward the instructor like a pair of pincers.
The instructor quickly controlled two straight swords to block in midair.
Two metallic clashes rang out. The straight swords blocked the attacks, but the powerful impact forced the two blades together.
Without changing his stance, Ye Yiqing gripped his katana squarely in both hands and chopped straight down at the two straight swords before him.
The straight swords were knocked downward, putting distance between them and the retreating instructor.
Ye Yiqing seized the opportunity. His legs suddenly drove forward, bringing him in front of the instructor at a speed even greater than the instructor's.
The instructor's expression hardened.
Both men swung their swords at the same time.
A smooth sword gleam and another resembling sharp teeth collided in an instant.
In the next moment, the straight sword flew from the instructor's hand.
A cold glint flashed in Ye Yiqing's eyes as he swung his sword at the instructor again.
But just as he swung, the other two straight swords had already reached his back.
If Ye Yiqing brought his sword down, he too would suffer serious injuries.