The enormous training grounds buzzed with noise, and the spectator stands were packed with a dense crowd of people.
Qiying had changed into combat gear and stepped onto the arena platform amid loud cheers.
It had to be said—Qiying truly was beautiful. Her vivid blue skintight combat suit outlined her alluring curves. Her long blue hair was tied high, losing some of its usual delicate charm, but gaining a heroic sharpness instead.
“Dean, where exactly did Lian Qiguang go? Why hasn’t he come yet?”
Looking at the still-empty entrance of the training grounds, worry appeared in Jin Anqi’s eyes.
“No rush, no rush.”
Qing Murong rubbed his small eyes, smiling strangely.
“It’s already this late. If he still doesn’t come, he’ll be declared to have forfeited.”
“Wouldn’t forfeiting be good? Didn’t all of you have no confidence in him?”
Qing Murong leaned lazily against his chair, sipping tea leisurely.
“We don’t have confidence in him, yes. But if he breaks his promise and runs without fighting, then he’ll be labeled a deserter. Dean, you know how military academies deal with deserters. His entire life will be ruined.”
“Anqi, being this impulsive doesn’t sound like you.”
Qing Murong narrowed his small eyes meaningfully as he looked at Jin Anqi.
Jin Anqi froze.
Her expression gradually calmed.
Turning around, she sat back down and said flatly, “No matter what, he is still my student right now. As his teacher, I have the responsibility to answer for him.”
“Ah, what a touching teacher you are.”
Qing Murong’s smile remained strange.
Scene Transition
“What’s going on? Where is he? Where’s that trash!?”
“Haha… Don’t tell me that useless loser got scared and didn’t dare come?”
“Tch! So Class One’s trash aren’t just trash—they’re cowards too.”
…
As Lian Qiguang continued not to appear, restlessness spread throughout the spectator stands.
Qiying stood on the arena platform, her face calm, but the anger in her heart kept building.
Damn trash. I’m definitely going to kill you!
The surrounding discussions entered everyone’s ears clearly.
Qingyi and the others burned with anger, yet there was nothing they could do but grit their teeth and endure.
“That guy isn’t really not coming, is he?”
Feng Qingyang stared at the empty entrance and muttered.
“No! He’ll come.”
Mi Xiaobao clenched his teeth stubbornly.
“If he said it, then he’ll do it.”
“This match is already set. If he doesn’t come, he’ll be branded a deserter. Military academies have no place for deserters.”
Lan Qi spoke quietly, fists clenched so tightly that the joints turned a terrifying bluish-gray.
“Could something have happened?”
A thought flashed through Qingyi’s mind and she blurted it out.
“Qingyi, stop talking nonsense.”
Mi Xiaobao’s expression tightened as he glared at her angrily.
“How am I talking nonsense? Isn’t that entirely possible? He’s not—”
The unfinished words stuck in her throat.
Qingyi widened her eyes in shock, staring behind Mi Xiaobao.
The others froze, then quickly turned around.
Lian Qiguang stood silently at the entrance of the training grounds.
“Kumu…”
A strange silence swept over the massive training grounds.
Lian Qiguang wore a black high-collared hooded sports jacket. His hands were tucked in his pockets as he walked into the arena expressionlessly.
His messy hair covered his eyes.
The oversized hood cast shadows across his face, revealing only a small smooth chin and tightly pressed lips.
Under everyone’s gaze, Lian Qiguang slowly walked toward the arena platform.
In the silent training grounds, only his clear footsteps remained.
“That guy… he actually… actually came.”
Watching Lian Qiguang pass by, Qingyi murmured softly.
Standing firmly on the platform, Lian Qiguang slowly raised his head and expressionlessly looked toward Qiying.
In that instant, an overwhelming pressure bore down on her.
Qiying’s heart jolted.
She stumbled back several steps.
The pounding of her heart and uncontrollable fear left her staring at Lian Qiguang in shock.
This feeling… could it be—
No!
Impossible!
He was trash!
A useless failure in both abilities and physical combat.
That feeling just now had to be an illusion.
It had to be.
Forcing herself to ignore the fear screaming through her body, Qiying smiled softly, appearing gentle and charming.
“So you actually came.”
“Overslept.”
Lian Qiguang answered expressionlessly.
Then he lowered his gaze again and calmly stared at his own toes.
This made Qiying even more certain that everything earlier had only been an illusion.
The person before her was just trash.
“You still have time to beg for mercy.”
As the defensive barrier rose, overwhelming cheers and shouts erupted again throughout the training grounds.
“I might consider letting you die more comfortably.”
Qiying’s final sentence was spoken especially softly, only loud enough for the two of them to hear.
Her smiling face still made everyone think she was gentle and considerate.
“If you beg now, it’s already too late.”
Lian Qiguang raised his head expressionlessly.
A seed had quietly appeared between his fingertips.
“Hmph! I’d like to see how long you can keep acting tough!”
Qiying snorted coldly, her eyes filled with venom as she glared at him.
Sixth-Level Soldier Rank flames condensed in her hands.
There was no restraint at all.
Clearly, she intended to kill with one strike.
In the spectator stands, Ji Renlin watched the two inside the barrier.
A cold smile curved at his lips.
Mi Xiaobao and the others stared fixedly at Lian Qiguang.
Their fists were clenched tightly, sweat already coating their palms.
Go die!
Madness flashed across Qiying’s face.
Massive flames surged forward like a venomous python, rushing toward Lian Qiguang, who still stood there unmoving like a mountain.
Gasps filled the air.
Everyone looked at Lian Qiguang with pity.
A Sixth-Level Soldier Rank ability—
For a powerless cripple with no abilities, that was absolutely fatal.
The flames were right in front of him.
Lian Qiguang slowly lifted his head and expressionlessly watched the incoming fire.
Green ripples spread slowly before him.
A pale green protective barrier—so faint it was almost invisible to the naked eye—appeared in front of him.
The flames reached him.
Then suddenly—
It was as though something blocked them.
They burned half a meter before Lian Qiguang and could advance no further.
The flames gradually weakened.
Then finally disappeared completely.
Smoke vanished.
“……”
Jin Anqi, who had been about to intervene and save him.
“……”
Everyone else.
“This… how is this possible?”
Qiying stared at the vanished flames in disbelief, frozen in place.
The green glow faded.
Lian Qiguang slowly extended his hand and looked at Qiying expressionlessly.
“I said it before. If you beg now, it’s already too late.”
The seed in his hand shattered and scattered onto the ground.
One after another, thorn vines over two meters tall burst through the floor.
They were as hard as iron and covered with dense steel-like spikes.
The thorn vines surged toward Qiying in clusters.
Anyone could imagine what would happen if those vines touched someone.
The result would be no less horrific than death by a thousand cuts.
“No!”
Qiying widened her eyes in terror and quickly retreated.
A dark glint flashed through Lian Qiguang’s eyes.
His left hand flattened downward.
Beneath the ground, a vine spread rapidly, racing toward Qiying.
“Get away!”
Qiying screamed.
She hurled fireballs at the thorn vines around her.
But what could Sixth-Level Soldier Rank power do against Second-Level Human Rank?
The fireballs struck the thorn vines—
And did absolutely nothing.
The vine burst upward from the ground behind Qiying.
It wrapped tightly around her body and hoisted her into the air.
The soft thorns covering the vine instantly hardened upon contact, piercing into Qiying’s flesh.
Her screams rang out.
“No! Don’t! Save me! Get away! GET AWAY!!”
The pain drove Qiying nearly insane as she frantically launched fireballs.
Lian Qiguang’s fingers twitched slightly.
One of Qiying’s fireballs struck the vine.
The vine seemed to recoil as though hurt.
Suddenly, it released Qiying.
Qiying fell straight downward.
Gasps erupted all around.
Below her—
There were only dense clusters of thorn vines.
“AAAAAHHHHHHHHH!!!!!”
A shrill scream instantly echoed throughout the entire training grounds.
It was enough to make everyone’s skin crawl.