The first round of training ended, and everyone experienced the "exquisite agony" of wilderness survival!
After the last person had been attacked by a Stinky Little Demon Bat.
Practical combat teacher Li Qingcheng took out a special pill and placed it inside the cage. Before long, as though they had received some signal, the stinky little creatures swiftly flew back, scrambling over one another to get inside.
Then Li Qingcheng casually shut the cage door, ending this round of nightmarish practical combat instruction.
She blew her whistle, signaling everyone to return.
Only when they heard the whistle ending the session did the people in the mud pit struggle to pull themselves out.
Looking like mud children, they wiped their faces to clear their vision a little, endured the stench of the sludge, and ran to the edge of camp to rinse their entire bodies with the hoses on the ground!
They practically fought over the hoses.
Fortunately, the school had prepared in advance, setting out three hoses for precisely this situation.
After rinsing off, their extraordinary constitutions left them unafraid of the cold, and they plopped straight down on the ground to bask in the sun.
The fat Chen Zheng and the tall, skinny Hu Yifei even thoughtfully ran over to Li Wanqiu to fawn over her.
But it was already an achievement for Li Wanqiu not to have thrown up.
In an absolutely terrible mood, she immediately cursed them both away. Dejected, the two could only sit on the grass on the other side and watch everyone else suffer.
All three boys had rinsed the sludge from their bodies, but Tang Yunu and Li Wanqiu were still scrubbing and rinsing furiously, not even caring that their alluring figures were exposed as a result.
It was as though their constant rinsing could wash away the shadow that stinking mud pit had left in their hearts!
Chen Zheng and Hu Yifei had only been sneaking glances at the two girls for a short while.
Then they felt a terrifying gaze, like that of the Grim Reaper himself. Turning around, they saw Teacher Li Qingcheng staring at them with an unfriendly expression.
Both shuddered and guiltily turned away to enjoy everyone else's misfortune!
Jiang Ziliu kept his head lowered without speaking. He neither looked at the two girls' exposed figures nor showed any intention of watching the others' miserable states.
He knew that the shadows in everyone's hearts were now boundless. If he let his eyes wander, he might draw their fire.
In the clearing at the center of the training grounds, several foolish students who had not run at the start had now vomited themselves limp.
The horrifying stench on their bodies and their bodies' instinctive reactions had tormented them with exquisite agony.
One's happiness was always built on another's suffering.
Once people had something to compare themselves to, they would discover that what they had suffered was nothing much after all.
The fat Chen Zheng and the tall, skinny Hu Yifei laughed shamelessly, immediately drawing the attention of several students who were suffering.
They discovered that these two fellows who had hidden in the mud pit were fine, while they had to endure the torment of this stench for an entire week.
Without comparison, there was no hurt.
And those two fellows were even laughing shamelessly.
Although one boy had vomited himself limp, he came up with an idea and whispered a few words to the others beside him.
They immediately rose and lunged toward the pair.
Chen Zheng and Hu Yifei were sharp enough to understand immediately that these fellows intended to make them suffer too.
If those students threw themselves onto Chen Zheng and Hu Yifei now, the stench on their bodies would rub off on the pair, making them fellow sufferers.
The two immediately fled.
Noticing this, Jiang Ziliu decisively got up at once and ran to Teacher Li Qingcheng's side.
With Li Qingcheng there to deter them, the others would not dare entertain the same prank against him.
Li Wanqiu and Tang Yunu noticed this too.
They also caught on and swiftly ran to Li Qingcheng's side.
Girls were more likely than boys to put the idea of making others suffer along with them into practice.
The two girls were also preparing to guard against this.
What if someone actually did it?
They certainly did not want that stench following them around for a week!
Li Qingcheng paid no attention whatsoever to anyone's actions, nor did she interfere with those students' "pursuit" of Chen Zheng and Hu Yifei.
The other students returned, equally limp and giving off a terrifying stench.
Every one of them ran to the hoses and rinsed themselves furiously.
This did little good, washing away only a small portion of the source of the stench, but it could make everyone feel better psychologically.
It was summer now, and after they rinsed off, their clothes would dry after a little time in the sun.
In this short span, Jiang Ziliu's training uniform had already dried. There was not a trace of odor on him, and he felt clean and refreshed.
The same was true of Li Wanqiu and Tang Yunu. The two girls glanced at Jiang Ziliu with a little gratitude, but he did not respond.
Li Zheng and Hu Yifeng also caught on and only escaped disaster by running to Li Qingcheng's side.
The entire training ground reeked, but Li Qingcheng did not seem to mind at all, leaving the few of them reluctant to cover their noses and mouths.
They were very afraid of Li Qingcheng's devious streak.
Only after everyone had returned did Li Qingcheng open a box behind her, revealing masks inside.
She put one on herself and handed one to each of the few people, including Jiang Ziliu, who had escaped disaster.
The other students all wanted one, but Li Qingcheng showed no intention of giving them any.
Only then did she formally begin her closing lecture.
"I know you're all feeling absolutely miserable right now. Plenty of you are probably cursing me in your hearts in who knows what ways."
"But I want you to carve what you experience over the coming week deep into your hearts! That psychological shadow is exactly what I need!"
"The path of a beast tamer isn't one of enjoying your growth. It's a road paved with blood and bones!"
"Today, you're only being subjected to this stench for a while. But remember, during your future adventures in the wilderness and Dungeon Spaces, and even throughout the rest of your journey as beast tamers, you'll encounter far, far too many things more terrifying than today."
"If you can't build a solid foundation and prepare yourselves sufficiently in your minds, then today's experience won't be the end of your tragedy. It will be the starting point and lowest point of countless agonizing experiences!"
"If you can remember this day, study properly, think rationally, and make decisive choices in the future-choices like those Li Wanqiu and the others made-then today's experience will only be the highest point of the shadows in your lives!"
"Whether today's shadow becomes the highest point of such tragedies in your lives or the lowest point of your life's tragedies depends entirely on your efforts and choices!"
The entire lecture lasted nearly an hour.
Jiang Ziliu had not expected it. Usually, Li Qingcheng was ruthless and a woman of few words, but once she started talking, she was quite formidable too.
She also recounted some real experiences of beast tamers, helping these students understand certain truths and giving them a sense of urgency so they would take the initiative to work hard and learn everything related to beast taming.
Only then did today's practical beast-taming instruction finally end.
Jiang Ziliu and the others were allowed to live normally in camp and could return to their own dormitories there.
But everyone else who had been hit was assigned designated areas for eating and sleeping.
Because they stank too much, and students from other regular classes also needed to train here, they were effectively quarantined, except during lessons.
The special class became famous throughout No. 9 Middle School this time, because no attempt was made to conceal the incident.
The regular-class students finally discovered the "downside" of the special class too.
So their training could actually be this miserable!
But those who were truly clever and wise understood that this training had to be extremely useful, and that even training this miserable would never be offered to the regular classes.
Even if the regular-class students wanted to undergo this tragic experience, the school did not have enough resources or manpower to make it happen.
Their unequal paths of growth had already been set in stone once their talent grades were revealed, at the moment the special class was established.