Chapter 57: Upperclassman
Songyang High School.
The students of first-year Class 1 filed into the training hall, preparing for today’s martial combat class.
As she walked, Bai Zhenzhen wondered, What is Yu-boy up to? I can’t even reach him.
Sick leave? What high schooler even gets sick leave?
Could he have buckled under the pressure?
Just as Bai Zhenzhen’s thoughts were running wild, she suddenly noticed a large group of people standing in the training hall, in addition to the martial arts teacher, Lei Jun.
Her gaze fell upon the students behind Lei Jun and suddenly sharpened as she noticed the tallest one. The human door plank?
Looking at the students surrounding the ‘human door plank,’ Lan Ling, Bai Zhenzhen immediately recognized them as second-years.
The extra year of cultivation had made the second-years a full size larger than the first-years; their secondary sexual characteristics had all but vanished, and their exposed arms were covered in a dense pattern of pinpricks…
Every one of these marks of cultivation spoke to the power and diligence of the second-year students.
Bai Zhenzhen wasn’t the only one who recognized them, of course.
Soon, students began to approach the second-years to greet them.
Zhao Tianxing was the first to bow to the martial arts teacher, Lei Jun, before turning to the second-years and bowing again, saying deferentially, “Greetings, upperclassmen!”
Zhao Tianxing, who normally weighed over three hundred pounds, looked like a corgi standing before Lan Ling.
Only after Lan Ling gave a slight nod did Zhao Tianxing cautiously retreat.
This was the dynamic in high school—the deference lowerclassmen had to show their seniors.
A full year of cultivation separated each grade—first, second, and third—which often resulted in an absolute disparity in power.
It had even led some to classify the three grades as the early, middle, and late stages of Qi Refinement, just to emphasize the distinction.
At Songyang High School, for instance, underclassmen were expected to greet their seniors proactively; if a senior was standing, a junior could not sit; in the restroom, a junior had to let a senior relieve himself first; and when using alchemical enhancers in the same room, the senior always went first…
Rules like these had long been integrated into the students’ daily routines.
Of course, Songyang High School was more humane than the three elite academies. It was said that at White Dragon High School, seniors could even force their juniors to kneel and kowtow.
Fortunately, the vast differences in curriculum and teaching locations between grades, coupled with immense academic pressure, meant that juniors and seniors rarely crossed paths.
A true cause for celebration, indeed.
Now, in the training hall, every arriving student proactively bowed to greet Lan Ling and his group.
This only made one person’s behavior stand out all the more.
Zhao Tianxing watched Bai Zhenzhen, who still hadn’t greeted the seniors, and grew anxious on her behalf.
What’s gotten into Zhen? She’s going to get targeted by the upperclassmen if she keeps this up.
He could already feel several of the second-years glancing her way, and just imagining himself in her position made him feel a wave of vicarious embarrassment and tension.
Once all the first-years from Class 1 had assembled, Lei Jun addressed them.
“Today, the upperclassmen from second-year Class 1 have graciously set aside one of their periods to provide you with some combat guidance. Let’s have a round of applause to welcome them!”
What? We get to be beaten up by the second-year elites?
Hearing this, the students burst into excited applause.
“Thank you, upperclassmen!”
One of the top students was already grinning, thinking gleefully, These are students from the second-year model class. If you wanted to hire them for combat practice on the outside, wouldn’t a single session cost over a thousand?
A student eager to improve his combat scores could hardly wait, thinking, A pointer from a second-year elite would be worth it even if I got my arm broken!
Qian Shen’s gaze was fixed on the towering, door-plank-like form of Lan Ling.
Lan Ling, ranked second overall in the second year last month, and first in the physical education competition. The ace of the second-year athletic competition team. But…
“Pointless,” Qian Shen thought, turning away. “Comparing scores across grades is meaningless. These second-years from the model class have an entire extra year of cultivation… any one of them would be invincible to a first-year. To us, it makes no difference who we face.”
He Dayou simply smiled and nodded at the second-years, which served as his greeting. As the Son of the School Director, he was, after all, acquainted with many of the top students from the upper grades.
Lei Jun looked at the eager expressions on most of the students’ faces, pleased with their morale.
“Excellent. You’re all full of spirit.”
“Daoist arts require money—the more you spend, the more powerful you become.”
“If you want to excel in the martial arts, you have to take a beating. The less you fear losing, the less you fear pain, the less you fear being utterly crushed, the faster your combat skills will improve.”
“Only by being beaten down, crushed, and forcing yourself back to your feet time and time again can you truly improve your combat experience.”
Seeing the students below already raising their hands impatiently, Lei Jun was about to pick someone to begin the sparring when Lan Ling leaned in and whispered something in his ear.
Lei Jun nodded, his gaze shifting to Bai Zhenzhen, who was hiding at the back of the crowd.
“Bai Zhenzhen,” he called out, “you’re up first. Go a round with an upperclassman and set an example for your classmates.”
“Lan Ling, this is Bai Zhenzhen, the top combatant among the first-years. Give her some proper guidance.”
Lan Ling slowly walked onto the floor, curling a dumbbell in his right hand, and addressed Bai Zhenzhen gently, “Junior sister, shall we have a little spar?”
Bai Zhenzhen’s expression darkened. She walked forward slowly under the envious gazes of the crowd, though in her mind she was already cursing the human door plank to high heaven.
This damn creep. I knew he was up to no good. He’s just using the contract as an excuse to beat up a junior, isn’t he?
She guessed this wouldn’t be a simple spar; he would undoubtedly use this chance to teach her a harsh lesson.
The best defense is a good offense!
The moment she stepped onto the floor, Bai Zhenzhen shot forward, aiming a kick straight at the vital point in Lan Ling’s lower abdomen—his dantian.
Yet he didn’t even try to dodge, simply letting her foot connect with a heavy thud.
Even though she had clearly kicked a vital point, his expression remained unchanged, and he didn’t retreat a single step, as if nothing had happened at all.
Bai Zhenzhen, on the other hand, felt as if she had kicked a block of granite; the bones in her foot felt like they were about to shatter.
Is the gap between me and a second-year really this huge?
Just as she tried to retreat, an iron pincer of a hand clamped down on her ankle.
Gripping her ankle, Lan Ling smiled. “Junior sister, it seems you’ve underestimated me.”
As the two fought, Lei Jun provided commentary for the students on the sidelines.
“A good surprise attack! Remember this—a surprise attack is a profound skill in real combat, and it’s the best option for the weak to defeat the strong.”
“However, Bai Zhenzhen knows far too little about Lan Ling.”
“Lan Ling underwent the ‘absolute’ sterilization procedure long ago. Not only does he no longer possess any sexual characteristics and is unaffected by hormones, but he has also eliminated many conventional weak points…”
“Now Lan Ling has her locked down. She keeps kicking and striking, trying to break free, but Lan Ling’s physical strength is above level 6, while Bai Zhenzhen’s is only about 1.4, isn’t it? Once you’re caught, it’s over…”
Midway through his commentary, a loud bang erupted from beneath Lei Jun’s feet as his figure shot out like a bolt of lightning.
At the same instant, a deafening boom echoed through the air.
To the astonishment of the crowd, Lan Ling had violently flung Bai Zhenzhen through the air, sending her hurtling toward the training hall wall as a series of afterimages.
But just an instant before her head made impact, Lei Jun appeared behind her, and the two of them crashed through the wall together, flying out of the training hall with a tremendous roar.
A moment later, Lei Jun returned to the training hall with a limping Bai Zhenzhen, his expression grim as he looked at Lan Ling.
“Don’t you think that was a bit much?”
Bai Zhenzhen was one of the best first-year martial combatants; if she were seriously injured, it would reflect poorly on Lei Jun’s performance record.
Lan Ling offered a placid smile. “I had faith that with you here, Teacher, she would be perfectly fine.”
“This was also a good opportunity to teach our junior sister a lesson about underestimating an opponent in a real fight.”
With that, he turned to Bai Zhenzhen. “Junior sister, have you committed this combat lesson to memory? Shall we continue?”
Seeing his renewed invitation, fury flared in Bai Zhenzhen’s eyes. A long-suppressed power stirred within her, ready to burst from its cocoon.
No, she thought frantically, I can’t reveal it. If I reveal it here, it’s all over…
Lei Jun was about to intervene but was stopped in his tracks by a single look from Lan Ling.
“Don’t worry, Teacher. I’ll be more measured this time.”
Though Lei Jun had his suspicions before, this single moment confirmed them.
He recalled the student council’s previous demand to bar Bai Zhenzhen and Zhang Yu from the martial arts competition and understood that today’s events were also at their behest.
Thinking of the student council at Songyang High, he could only sigh to himself before issuing a warning.
“This is my class. Don’t take it too far.”
Lan Ling smiled. “Rest assured, Teacher. Student Bai Zhenzhen is a high-value asset to the school. I certainly won’t let her get seriously injured.”
By now, the other first-years had also sensed that something was wrong with the atmosphere, but none of them could figure out what was happening.
He Dayou’s eyes shifted. As the Son of the School Director, he could already see what was going on.
They’re trying to suppress Bai Zhenzhen? Is there a problem with the contract negotiations? Are they trying to lowball her?
The thought made him regret that Zhang Yu wasn’t present; it would have been a fine chance to see the poor bastard squirm.
Just then, a male voice called out from the training hall’s entrance.
“Hey, are you bullying my intern?”
Amid looks of shock and surprise, Zhang Yu strode in from the entrance, raising his right hand as he spoke, his fingertips flashing across a black-and-white Talisman Tome.
Detainment Talisman—activate!
In the next instant, countless points of golden light flashed into existence around Lan Ling, coalescing into giant, golden hands that shot toward him.
Lan Ling had barely begun to move when nine giant, golden hands seized him, pinning his head, shoulders, arms, legs, and torso.
“The Detainment Talisman?”
That pauper Zhang Yu… where did he get a Talisman Tome to cast the Detainment Talisman?
Feeling the nine giant hands crushing him, trying to force him to the ground inch by inch, Lan Ling grew enraged.