The day of the survival competition arrived in the blink of an eye. Lian Qiguang and the other four selected students had been assembled at the training grounds early in the morning, waiting for the special commissioner from District One to arrive.
The students gathered around the perimeter were talking loudly, discussing the possible outcome of the competition. The noisy voices gave Lian Qiguang a slight headache. For some reason, when he woke up early that morning, he had felt weak all over, and his head had been throbbing painfully. His accelerated heartbeat made Lian Qiguang inexplicably uncertain about this competition.
Compared with the other selected students, Qiu Limo was much more low-key. With his arms folded, he stood silently behind Lian Qiguang without saying a word. Even his presence was so faint that it was easy to overlook him.
Aside from Qiu Limo, the only other person who caused Lian Qiguang any emotional fluctuation was Zuo Jing, who stood nearby with his head lowered, gloomy and silent. Lian Qiguang still had some impression of this person. During the previous training session, Lian Qiguang had originally intended to eliminate him together with Ji Renlin, but because of an accident, he had failed.
Apparently sensing Lian Qiguang’s gaze, Zuo Jing raised his head, smiled slightly at Lian Qiguang, and politely nodded.
As the wind howled, two aircraft descended in circles over the training grounds. Cheers immediately erupted from all around. The selected students also wiped the smiles from their faces, straightened their backs, and assumed solemn expressions.
The aircraft landed on the training grounds. As their doors opened, two rows of men in military uniforms walked out one after another.
When he saw the people coming down from the aircraft, Lian Qiguang’s eyes narrowed slightly, and he straightened his posture.
There were ten soldiers in total aboard the two aircraft. Leading them were Chong Mu and Xuan Lang. Xuan Lang swept his cold gaze around the area. His eyes paused briefly on Lian Qiguang before quickly moving away.
“Truly worthy of being the Blood Fiend Wolf. What a grand display!” Qing Murrong stepped forward, glanced at the weapons carried by the men, and spoke sarcastically.
Blood Fiend Wolf!?
The moment Qing Murrong said those words, the entire area erupted into an uproar. Everyone looked at the men beneath the aircraft with burning excitement in their eyes.
“Look at you, Dean.” Xuan Lang curled his lips into a smile, his face full of smug arrogance. “These are all the future of Blue Star, of course we have to protect them properly.”
“Protect them? Are you sure this isn’t a show of force?” Qing Murrong sneered.
Faced with Qing Murrong’s sarcasm, Xuan Lang knew that the more he said, the more mistakes he would make, so he simply shrugged and said nothing.
Seeing Xuan Lang fall silent, Qing Murrong could not be bothered to waste any more words. He turned around and glared at the students behind him.
“What are you standing around for?! Can’t you see they’ve come to pick you up? What are you putting on airs for?!”
Were they putting on airs?
Obviously, they were scared out of their wits!
The students grumbled quietly to themselves, but they did not dare resist. They could only shrink their necks and walk toward the aircraft.
“Hm?” Chong Mu stepped forward and blocked one of the students. He looked down at the bewildered young man.
“What? You’re bullying people before you’ve even left the school?” Qing Murrong glared.
“Go over there!” Chong Mu shot a glance at the other aircraft and barked.
Under Chong Mu’s intimidating pressure, the student lowered his head and did not dare make a sound. He quickly turned around and ran toward the aircraft.
Qiu Limo stepped forward and gave Chong Mu an indifferent glance.
That single glance made Chong Mu’s heart turn cold. But before he could figure out what was going on, Qiu Limo had already withdrawn his gaze and walked toward the aircraft.
Chong Mu watched Qiu Limo’s retreating back, his expression sinking slightly. He silently committed the young man’s appearance to memory.
Soon, of the five students, only Lian Qiguang was left standing there.
Qing Murrong glanced at Xuan Lang and the others, then at Lian Qiguang. The corners of his lips immediately curled upward, and he happily stepped aside, looking as though he were waiting for a good show.
Xuan Lang looked at Lian Qiguang. He immediately struck several standard, handsome poses before moving to the side. The men beside him did the same, splitting into two lines and making way for a path.
With a crisp motion, they raised a rigid military salute.
“Young Master Lian, please!”
In an instant, everyone watching widened their eyes in astonishment. Their heads buzzed, and for a moment, no one could recover from the shock.
Lian Qiguang glanced at them, walked over to them, remained silent for a moment, then turned and headed toward the other aircraft.
Xuan Lang froze for a moment before hurriedly stepping forward to stop Lian Qiguang.
“Young Master Lian, please board this one.”
“Tsk, tsk. What’s the meaning of this?” Qing Murrong called out, clearly determined to stir up trouble. “My other students are all over there.”
“Dean Qing, this was ordered by the Major General. Please have Young Master Lian take the Major General’s private aircraft to the competition grounds.” Xuan Lang answered with a perfectly serious expression.
The Major General?
Was he talking about that Xiahou… Major General?
The surrounding area fell into an eerie silence.
“Young Master Lian, please!” Xuan Lang stepped aside respectfully.
Lian Qiguang stared expressionlessly at Xuan Lang. His strange gaze made a chill run down Xuan Lang’s spine.
After a long while, Lian Qiguang withdrew his gaze and turned toward the aircraft.
Xuan Lang secretly breathed a sigh of relief and could not help wiping away the sweat in his heart.
Sister-in-law’s abilities were becoming more and more abnormal. That look in her eyes was no less terrifying than Xiahou Shaoxuan’s. If anything, it was even worse.
Just as Lian Qiguang was about to step into the aircraft, his body suddenly swayed. He grabbed the metal door beside him with one hand.
Xuan Lang and Chong Mu were both startled. They hurried forward, their faces full of concern.
“Sis—Young Master Lian, are you, are you all right?”
“I’m fine.”
Lian Qiguang closed his eyes and shook his head. He calmed the discomfort raging through his entire body and the nausea churning in his stomach, then slowly entered the aircraft and found a seat.
“Dean Qing, all five students are aboard. We should return and report back.” Xuan Lang turned around, saluted Qing Murrong, and spoke solemnly.
“If anything happens to my students, I’ll butcher you.” Qing Murrong snorted coldly and impatiently waved his hand. “Get lost!”
Everyone boarded the aircraft. Amid the various gazes of the crowd, the aircraft slowly rose into the air and flew out of Qingdi Military Academy.
“Sister-in-law, you should probably skip this competition.” Xuan Lang handed over a glass of water, looking worriedly at Lian Qiguang’s pale face.
“I’m fine.” Lian Qiguang accepted the water and spoke quietly. “I haven’t been resting well these past few days.”
Ever since that day when he had gotten completely drunk at the bar, he had rushed to District One the next day, then fallen ill and developed a fever. Before he had fully recovered, the museum incident had happened. After returning, he had been preoccupied with the Little Crown Prince and could neither eat nor sleep properly.
This body was no longer as powerful as the one he had possessed in his previous life. How could it possibly withstand all of this?
“Why are you here?” Lian Qiguang asked curiously.
“We’re responsible for everything related to this competition, including the final assessment.”
“Is Shaoxuan doing all right on Buluo Star?” Thinking of how he had been unable to contact Xiahou Shaoxuan these past few days, Lian Qiguang still could not let go of his worry.
Xuan Lang and Chong Mu exchanged glances.
Chong Mu lowered his head, coughed dryly, and nudged Xuan Lang with his foot.
Xuan Lang rolled his eyes, then turned toward Lian Qiguang with a smile.
“Sister-in-law, Boss is doing perfectly fine. It’s just that he accidentally got injured a little while ago…”
“……”
Lian Qiguang’s expression darkened.
“But!” Seeing Lian Qiguang’s displeased expression, Xuan Lang hurriedly continued. “It was only a minor injury. He used a healing device, slept for one night, and was jumping around energetically again the next day.”
He had been injured?
Lian Qiguang lowered his eyes and stared quietly at the optical computer in his hand.
So that was why he had been unable to contact him.
“Sister-in-law.” Following Lian Qiguang’s gaze toward the optical computer, Chong Mu spoke. “Optical computers aren’t permitted during this survival training. Not just optical computers—every intelligent device, weapon, food item, and even spatial devices must be handed over. During the training, nothing can be kept except the food provided by the organizers.”
Lian Qiguang moved his gaze away from the optical computer. After hearing Chong Mu’s words, he swiftly removed it from his wrist and tossed it to him. He lowered the back of his chair and lazily lay down.
Chong Mu was about to say something more, but Xuan Lang reached out and stopped him.
Looking at the dark circles beneath Lian Qiguang’s eyes, Xuan Lang motioned for Chong Mu to keep quiet, then pulled him away from Lian Qiguang, leaving Lian Qiguang time to rest.
In his dreams, Lian Qiguang once again had that dream.
The city in the dream was once again dyed red with blood. Aside from cries and wails, it seemed that nothing remained beneath heaven and earth.
The cold wind howled.
Lian Qiguang stood alone atop a high-rise building, looking down at the crowds fleeing below. Fresh crimson blood flowed down from his chest and gathered into a small pool at his feet.
Lian Qiguang lowered his head blankly, only to discover a horrifying bloody hole in his chest.
Within that hole, a cold, pale hand was tightly clutching his beating heart.
Lian Qiguang slowly turned his head.
A face covered in cracks was pressed against his back. A pair of blood-red eyes stared straight at him, filled with suffocating despair and pain.
“…Teacher, why…”
Whatever the man said afterward, Lian Qiguang could no longer hear.
He was awakened by someone pushing him.
When he groggily opened his eyes and looked outside the aircraft, he discovered that it was already afternoon.
“Sister-in-law, we’ve arrived. Let’s get off.” Xuan Lang spoke softly.
Lian Qiguang sat up, rubbing his throbbing head. His pale lips were tightly pressed together, and he remained silent.
“Sister-in-law, are you… okay?” Seeing his poor complexion, Xuan Lang became worried. “How about I arrange for a medic for you later…”
“No need.” Lian Qiguang stood up and spoke calmly. “Rescue is what I study.”
“……”
Xuan Lang had no response.
Following Xuan Lang off the aircraft, Lian Qiguang saw an expanse of desolation.
For hundreds and thousands of miles, not a blade of grass grew. The barren landscape gave off a bleak and desolate feeling.
Temporary residences had already been set up across the wasteland. A group of students wearing military academy uniforms, each bearing their respective school’s shoulder insignia, moved among them, gathering in groups of three or five and talking quietly.
“Sister-in-law, you go ahead. I still have to report back.” Xuan Lang spoke softly.
Lian Qiguang nodded indifferently and walked over to the other four students who had already assembled. Together, they entered the temporary residence.
Perhaps because of the display earlier, among the four students, aside from Qiu Limo and Zuo Jing, who kept his head buried as though trying to become invisible, the other two were looking at him strangely.
The arrival of the new students caused the students who had been talking noisily around them to fall silent instantly. They openly or secretly sized up the newcomers.
Lian Qiguang had long since become accustomed to being the center of attention, so he remained completely indifferent.
But aside from Qiu Limo, the other three felt extremely uncomfortable.
“Go inside. This is your room.” The soldier leading them gestured toward the room and impatiently lifted his chin.
The room was divided into several small spaces, one for each person. Outside each space was the emblem of Qingdi Military Academy, marking the academy’s name and the student’s name.
Just as Lian Qiguang was about to enter with the others, the soldier stopped him.
The soldier looked at Lian Qiguang, losing his earlier impatience. He grinned ingratiatingly.
“Young Master Lian, please come this way. We’ve received orders from above. You have a room to yourself.”
The moment those words were spoken, the surrounding people froze.
An eerie atmosphere gradually spread through the air.
“……”
Lian Qiguang followed the soldier to a separate room.
The soldier opened the door and saluted Lian Qiguang.
“Young Master Lian, please!”
Lian Qiguang entered the room and gave it a cursory look. He turned back and expressionlessly looked at the soldier.
“I know you.”
“Huh?” The soldier froze, seemingly unable to understand what Lian Qiguang meant.
“On Buluo Star, you challenged me. I beat you.”
Lian Qiguang’s calm words instantly made the soldier’s face flush red.
The last time, he had wanted to teach the ignorant Lian Qiguang a small lesson. Who could have known that Lian Qiguang would not even turn his head? With one wave of his hand, he had dealt with him.
Because of that incident, the soldier had been dejected for a very long time.
“Sister-in-law, you… you remember me?”
“Mm.”
“Then, then… Sister-in-law, you rest first. If you need anything, just tell me. My name is Pu Nan.”
Lian Qiguang’s nod made the soldier exceptionally excited. He saluted him, then turned and ran out.
After the soldier left, Lian Qiguang closed the door and walked to the bed. He lay down and curled himself up, his face as pale as paper.
Pain periodically came from his abdomen, making him tremble slightly.
Remembering that he had not eaten since yesterday afternoon, Lian Qiguang struggled to take a nutrient agent from his spatial device. Without caring about the taste, he gulped it down.
A sour, bitter flavor spread through his mouth, stimulating his taste buds while tormenting his stomach.
Lian Qiguang suddenly rolled over and leaned against the window, one hand gripping his throat as he dry-heaved.
But his empty stomach left him with nothing to vomit.
After retching for a long while, Lian Qiguang finally felt somewhat better. He weakly leaned against the bed.
The nutrient agent gave him a sense of fullness, making him feel considerably better. At least the pain had lessened quite a bit.
Lian Qiguang took out a cup of lake water from his spatial device and slowly drank it.
Feeling his strength return, his complexion improved considerably.
Lian Qiguang lay on the bed.
Just as he was becoming drowsy and was nearly falling asleep, a sudden bang bang sounded from outside the door.
The violent knocking clearly indicated that the visitor meant trouble.
Lian Qiguang opened his eyes, a cold glint flashing rapidly through them.
He got out of bed, picked up the military academy uniform jacket he had just taken off, and put it on. Then he walked to the door and pulled it open.
The young man knocking on the door apparently had not expected it to open. His hand swung down from the force of his knock and stopped only two centimeters in front of Lian Qiguang’s face.
Lian Qiguang expressionlessly looked at the young man outside.
“Something wrong?”
The young man withdrew his hand. Relying on his height, he looked down at Lian Qiguang and sized him up from head to toe.
“You’re the commoner from District Three?”
“……”
Lian Qiguang said nothing.
“Hmph! You’re nothing special.” Seeing that Lian Qiguang remained silent, the young man assumed he had been intimidated. His arrogance grew even stronger. “I thought you had some kind of ability. So you actually have the privilege of occupying an entire room by yourself.”
“Looking at this commoner, the only decent thing about him is probably that face. Don’t tell me he traded that face for this privilege?”
One of the people following behind the young man chimed in.
Immediately, malicious laughter erupted from the surrounding spectators.
“Hey, brat!” the young man sneered. “If you know what’s good for you, hand over this room. When the competition starts, this young master might be in a good mood and protect you. Otherwise, I’ll make you get out of the competition zone immediately.”
“Brat, you hear that clearly?” someone shouted loudly. “Do you know who this is? This is Young Master Lu of the Lu family from District One. You’re just a commoner from District Three. Young Master Lu could crush you with a single finger.”
Lian Qiguang expressionlessly looked at them.
He knew exactly what they were after.
He glanced at the surrounding faces waiting for a show. Feeling increasingly irritated, he ignored the people still showing off their authority and reached back to close the door.
“You want to die!”
Someone noticed Lian Qiguang’s movement and immediately shouted angrily before rushing forward to grab him.
Lian Qiguang was physically unwell and already in a foul mood. Seeing the person approach, his eyes suddenly turned cold.
He swept a sideways glance at the man.
Before the man could even touch Lian Qiguang, he suddenly felt an oppressive force crash down upon him. Before he could resist, his body sank heavily, and he was sent flying several meters, crashing onto the ground with blood spraying from his mouth.
In an instant, the entire area fell into an eerie silence.
Wanting to finish things quickly so he could return to resting, Lian Qiguang simply released the door, removed his jacket, tossed it onto the bed, and slowly walked out of the room.
Everyone approaching him was intimidated by the pressure radiating from his body and instinctively moved aside, opening a path.
Lian Qiguang left the residential area and walked to an empty stretch of ground.
He leisurely rolled up his sleeves and spoke in a voice as calm as undisturbed water.
“Come together. I won’t kill you.”
“You! You don’t know when to quit!”
The young man came back to his senses and immediately flew into a rage. He strode forward, soundless wind gathering in his hand, rapidly spinning into a small storm.
Lian Qiguang narrowed his eyes slightly.
Second level of the Human Rank.
Trash.
The two faced each other. A battle was about to erupt.
Just then, an arrogant, overbearing voice crashed over, interrupting the tense confrontation.
“What are all of you crowding around here for?! Get out of the way for this young master!”
Upon hearing the voice, the expressions of everyone around them changed. The crowd quickly opened a path.
Xiahou Hetian swaggered over, playing with a military dagger in his hand, with Xuanyuan Zhe and Mu Anqi following behind him.
“Young Master He.”
Upon seeing Xiahou Hetian, the young man’s face visibly stiffened. He immediately withdrew his ability and turned around, bowing slightly.
“Making such a huge commotion. I can’t even have a peaceful meal.” Xiahou Hetian snorted coldly, looking at the young man with disdain.
“I’m sorry, Young Master He. I was just teaching an ignorant brat a lesson.”
“Ignorant? Who?” Xiahou Hetian raised an eyebrow and turned around.
He immediately met Lian Qiguang’s deep, dark eyes.
His face instantly went pale.
The dagger in his hand slipped and fell to the ground, nearly stabbing his foot.
Xuanyuan Zhe and Mu Anqi beside him also froze, their eyes filled with disbelief.
“You, you, you-you-you…”
Xiahou Hetian suddenly jumped backward a long distance, staring at Lian Qiguang in shock. One trembling hand pointed at him.
“Why are you here?!”
“If even an idiot like you can come, why can’t I be here?” Lian Qiguang replied coldly.
“Who’s an idiot…” Xiahou Hetian was just about to argue, but when he met Lian Qiguang’s emotionless eyes, he immediately fell silent.
“Young Master Lian!”
Xuanyuan Zhe and Mu Anqi stepped forward two paces and respectfully bowed.
This unexpected turn of events shocked not only the students watching the spectacle, but also the young man who had been shouting earlier.
His face went pale as he stared at Lian Qiguang in disbelief.
“Hey, did he bully you?” After a moment, seeing Lian Qiguang standing there silently, Xiahou Hetian awkwardly shuffled over to him and asked.
Lian Qiguang glanced at the pale-faced young man.
“A piece of trash like him can’t bully me.”
“That’s true. You’re so freakishly powerful.” Xiahou Hetian nodded in agreement.
Lian Qiguang stopped paying attention to Xiahou Hetian and turned to walk back toward his room.
Xiahou Hetian froze, then hurried after him.
“Hey! Where are you going?”
“Sleep.”
“Sleep? The competition could start at any moment. Can you really sleep?”
Lian Qiguang stopped.
He expressionlessly swept his gaze across the area.
Everyone who met his eyes instinctively shrank their necks and lowered their heads.
Lian Qiguang clenched his fist and looked at Xiahou Hetian.
The meaning was obvious.
Xiahou Hetian deflated and lowered his head helplessly.
“Yeah. You can crush all of us with one hand as easily as playing around.”
“Hetian, where did you run off to?”
A clear voice came from behind.
A blond-haired young man pushed through the crowd and walked over.
“You…” The blond-haired young man came to Xiahou Hetian’s side and immediately saw Lian Qiguang.
He froze, his eyes widening.
“Is, is that you?”
Lian Qiguang glanced at the blond young man and suddenly remembered him.
When he had first gone to the Xiahou family, this was the person who had helped him trick that fat guy into going to the bathroom—Shentu Sihao.
“Hey, hey, hey! Do you remember me?” Seeing Lian Qiguang speak, Shentu Sihao stepped forward excitedly, ruffling his hair and pointing at his own face. “Me, Shentu Sihao, the Seventh Prince?”
“……”
Lian Qiguang said nothing.
“You don’t remember me? Then what about this? The gloves.”
Shentu Sihao hurriedly pulled a pair of white gloves from his pocket and waved them in front of Lian Qiguang.
“These are the gloves you gave me after you finished fighting that time. I’m the one who helped you trick that person.”
He threw them away because they were dirty.
Lian Qiguang silently watched Shentu Sihao showing off.
“Shentu Sihao, what are you doing!” Xiahou Hetian pushed Shentu Sihao aside and stood in front of Lian Qiguang, looking vigilant. “I’m warning you, don’t try to seduce him. He’s not yours.”
“He’s not yours either. I’m cultivating a relationship with my idol. What does it have to do with you?” Shentu Sihao raised his head and snorted.
“He’s my…”
Xiahou Hetian was just about to say sister-in-law, but Xuanyuan Zhe, who was watching from the side, coughed dryly and interrupted him.
Xiahou Hetian was not stupid. He swept a glance around them, then snorted.
“He’s from my family.”
Watching the two of them nearly come to blows, Lian Qiguang rubbed his temples. His head felt even more dizzy.
Suppressing his urge to draw a knife and chop someone, Lian Qiguang reached out, grabbed Xiahou Hetian by the back of his collar, and casually tossed him aside.
Then he continued toward his room.
As he passed Shentu Sihao, Lian Qiguang shot him a sideways glance, silencing whatever Shentu Sihao was about to say.
Lian Qiguang made his way back to his room without obstruction. Under the gaze of countless pairs of eyes, he slammed the door shut with a bang, cutting off all the noise outside.
Back in his room, Lian Qiguang threw himself onto the bed and stared expressionlessly at the ceiling.
Suddenly, he remembered what Chong Mu had said: during the competition, all personal belongings had to be handed over.
Lian Qiguang took out the spatial device Xiahou Shaoxuan had given him and frowned slightly.
He flashed into the space.
Looking at the unchanging greenery within, Lian Qiguang walked deep into the forest. After busying himself for quite a while, he found a small metal box among a pile of collectibles.
He placed the spatial device inside it, then put the box beneath a tree.
Looking at the metal box, Lian Qiguang finally felt somewhat satisfied.
The spatial device had been given to him by Shaoxuan. No one was going to take it.
Not even temporarily.
In the competition zone, inside the monitoring room, Chong Mu watched the farce come to an end and laughed so hard he could barely contain himself.
Xuan Lang sat beside him leisurely drinking a beverage and shook his head with a sigh.
“Young people…”
“I can already foresee Sister-in-law slaughtering her way through the competition with overwhelming dominance.”
“Kids. They need to be beaten into shape.”
“A kindred spirit.”
“Cheers.”
The two cups of beverages clinked together, reflecting two faces grinning with utterly lecherous expressions.