Chapter 9

"Hello, everyone. My name is Jiang Shiyi, a first-year student at Leikdasi Military Academy. I look forward to learning with you."

With that, she stepped down from the podium and found an empty seat in the back row.

Xu Jintang looked away as well, propped her chin on her hand, and began listening to the homeroom teacher explain the basics of mental power cultivation for ability users.

An hour later, the theory lesson ended, and Jiang Lu brought up the assessment:

"As in previous years, the academy will hold an assessment at the start of the school year. This year, the administration has decided on arena battles between teams of three. You can form your own teams. Team captains must submit their members' names to me before this weekend."

The arena battles would proceed round by round, eliminating teams until only one remained: the champion.

Arena battles were highly competitive and the best way to test each team's true strength.

After Jiang Lu left, noisy discussions soon filled the classroom. Within moments, several students who were usually close had gathered together and formed teams of their own.

Xu Jintang rested her clasped hands on her desk and glanced behind her, considering whom to team up with.

"Class rep, class rep! Let's team up." Song Duoduo rushed over to Xu Jintang, blinking expectantly.

She remembered that Song Duoduo's ability was the plant-type datura, a plant containing a hallucinogenic toxin. Although it lacked the offensive power of Xu Bohan's Hardening Ability, it could still greatly restrict opponents.

"Sure." Xu Jintang nodded in agreement.

That left them one teammate short. Xu Jintang turned and swept her gaze over the students behind her.

Having misunderstood something, Song Tianqi chuckled, rose, and walked over to Xu Jintang. "Class rep, are you... looking to team up with me?"

Clearly, he had mistaken Xu Jintang's glance for one directed at him.

Xu Jintang smiled and went along with it. "We do happen to be one person short."

Song Tianqi thumped his chest heartily. "Then allow the handsome and charming me to join you!"

Xu Jintang: "..."

She had thought that getting specially recruited into First Military Academy might have made Song Tianqi a little more composed.

Once their team was settled, Song Tianqi covered his mouth and began complaining in a low voice. "Let me tell you, my time at Leikdasi Military Academy nearly did me in. Even the first-year students there could completely crush our academy's teachers. The competition is insane!"

"Things used to be so much better. I was just a bottom-ranking student, and neither the teachers nor my classmates bothered with me. But now, just because I awakened some top-one-hundred ability, people watch me wherever I go. I'm so anxious every day that I can't sleep."

After a moment of silence, Xu Jintang asked him, "Do you know what humblebragging means?"

Song Tianqi scratched his head. "What's humblebragging?"

Xu Jintang smiled as she explained, "Humblebragging is a way of speaking that expresses dissatisfaction indirectly or casually shows off your superiority to others."

Silence settled for a moment before Song Duoduo caught on. "So you're saying Song Tianqi is humblebragging."

"I'm not humblebragging! I really am not!" Song Tianqi protested loudly. "I genuinely feel a lot of pressure."

Just then, Jiang Shiyi stood and happened to pass by Song Tianqi. Without stopping, she headed straight for the classroom door, her retreating figure soon disappearing from view.

Xu Jintang looked away and asked, "Is she your senior?"

"Yeah." Song Tianqi glanced cautiously toward the classroom door and replied quietly, "And I heard from the military academy teachers that she's already a peak third tier ability user."

Song Duoduo covered her mouth in shock. "She doesn't look much older than us, but she's already on the same level as our homeroom teacher."

Xu Jintang was startled too.

The Ice Soul Dragon suddenly spoke from within her mental sea. "That girl's strength is indeed quite good. It seems Leikdasi Military Academy is fairly capable of training its students. Prepare well and apply to that military academy."

Xu Jintang looked thoughtful.

If even Brother Long said so, she really needed to work hard to prepare for Leikedasi's entrance exams.

Puzzled, Song Duoduo pressed on. "If she's that strong, why did she come along with you to study temporarily at our academy? Isn't that a waste of her time?"

Song Tianqi shook his head and sighed softly. "She was sent here to train with me in a low-grade star region as punishment from the military academy. But I don't really know the details. All I know is that she's incredibly, incredibly strong. The military academy's punishment for her is practically negligible, purely on account of her talent."

Military academies generally had stricter discipline than ordinary academies.

A punishment like this really did amount to very little.

"Sure enough, geniuses get special treatment in everything they do," Song Duoduo remarked enviously.

"Song Tianqi, want to team up with us? Me, Xu Bohan, and you. The three of us would be guaranteed first place." A tall girl had walked up behind them at some point.

Xu Jintang looked up.

The tall girl's name was Yao Wenna. She had wavy curls and a trace of coldness in her dark green eyes, with an air of nobility that placed her above others.

With her and Xu Bohan at their center, the students gathered around the two were essentially representatives of the academy's top students. They usually held their noses so high they looked down them at everyone else.

Because Xu Jintang often hung out with all sorts of poor and average students, she was excluded from this group as well.

That went even more so for Song Tianqi, who had ranked dead last for years.

Song Tianqi promptly replied, "I've already teamed up with the class rep and Song Duoduo."

Yao Wenna's pretty brows furrowed slightly. "Xu Jintang only has a support ability, and Song Duoduo's ability barely does any damage. The two of them together aren't even as good as me alone. Are you sure you want to turn us down?"

"What kind of bullshit is that?" Dragged into this for no reason, Song Duoduo slapped the desk and stood indignantly. "What do you mean, the two of us together aren't as good as you alone?"

Yao Wenna remained as arrogant as ever. "Am I wrong?"

Song Tianqi, who had always been looked down on for being a poor student, stood his ground for once too. "So what? With me here, I alone am worth all three people on your team!"

Song Duoduo chimed in, "Exactly! All three of you!"

Yao Wenna's expression darkened. "Suit yourselves."

With that, Yao Wenna turned and left.

Xu Jintang watched her retreating figure, raised a hand, and rotated her wrist.

Song Duoduo folded her arms and snorted. "What a joke. They never even gave Song Tianqi a proper look before, but now that they know he's awakened a powerful ability, they actually came over to invite him onto their team."

"I wouldn't team up with them anyway," Song Tianqi said with a look of distaste.

Xu Jintang rested her clasped hands on the desk, a subtle smile appearing on her face. "In that case, let's give them a real fight for first place this year."

In previous years, the top three teams in the academy's assessment had all received special rewards.

Last time, the reward had been a combat magical artifact for each person. Such artifacts were permitted in the joint entrance exam and provided a significant boost to combat strength, but they were expensive enough that ordinary students could not afford them.

She was rather looking forward to seeing how generous the reward for first place would be this time.

Chapter 9

That afternoon, word spread through the academy that Xu Jintang and Song Tianqi had teamed up.

"Have you heard? Xu Jintang went out of her way to suck up to Song Tianqi so she could win the assessment. They've already formed a team."

"He used to be a poor student nobody cared about, but now he's hot property. Everyone's fighting to team up with him."

"What can you do? He's a genius who was specially recruited directly into First Military Academy now."

Having heard the rumors, Song Duoduo pulled Xu Jintang aside and complained indignantly, "There are clearly three of us on this team, but everyone only remembers you and Song Tianqi. Is my presence really that insignificant?"

Xu Jintang: "..."

Song Tianqi waved a hand, trying to console her. "The class rep is having rumors spread about her, and she hasn't even said anything."

Clearly, nobody cared what the truth actually was.

In everyone's eyes, Xu Jintang had gotten a huge bargain anyway, so the nasty remarks naturally fell on her.

That afternoon, it was time for practical combat class.

Huang Binhan led the students into the combat simulation room.

Inside, silver metal simulation pods stood in a row. Behind them was a specialized simulated battlefield control console, its array of complicated dials dizzying to behold.

Huang Binhan stopped and turned to explain. "To develop students' combat skills, all major academies now have specialized combat simulation rooms like this one. Our academy's simulation pods can simulate demonic beasts up to the fourth tier. Once you enter a military academy, you'll have access to higher-level simulation pods with more features."

"The simulation pods use advanced optical computer interface technology, allowing users' consciousnesses to enter virtual simulated battlefields and fight."

"The battlefield's weather, demonic beasts, environment, and other parameters can all be configured and simulated."

"Those who attended the winter break intensive training should already be familiar with all this, so I won't go into detail. Today's class will take place on a simulated battlefield. If you have any questions, ask now."

"Sir, if we get hurt on the simulated battlefield, will we feel it too?" Xu Jintang raised her hand to ask.

Huang Binhan nodded. "After being injured, users will experience a proportionate degree of pain, but their lives will not be endangered. If you encounter a life-threatening situation on the simulated battlefield, the simulation pod will automatically eject your consciousness, ending that simulated battlefield training session."

Soon, another student asked, "Sir, can we use our usual weapons and inscriptions on the simulated battlefield too?"

Huang Binhan said, "Yes. Before you enter the simulation pod, everything inside the spatial bracelet you carry will be replicated exactly. Using inscriptions or weapons on the simulated battlefield will not consume them in reality."

Xu Jintang considered this for a moment.

In other words, casualties and weapon consumption on the simulated battlefield were all virtual and would not affect reality.

Seeing that nobody had any more questions, Huang Binhan walked over to the simulated battlefield control console and configured the arena environment and the demonic beasts' level.