Teacher Yuan had brought Huang Xiu and the others for combat training to test their abilities under extreme pressure and their limits in battle. Tian Rong’s current ease, however, did not align with his expectations.
Deciding to add more burden to Tian Rong, Teacher Yuan beckoned and pointed in his direction. “Give that boy two more,” he commanded.
He then turned his gaze to the far right of the battlefield. There, Huang Xiu had been fending off four Three-Month Pigs simultaneously for some time, her energy considerably depleted.
Her small face was flushed, and she gasped for breath. Her hair, drenched with sweat, clung to her face in strands, resembling wilting willow branches.
Her entire body was already stained with mud and grime from her constant dodging and rolling. Even her usually rosy knees were slightly bruised and darkened.
She appeared utterly disheveled and desperate.
Each evasion was fraught with peril, making it seem as though she could be knocked over at any moment by a Three-Month Pig brushing past her. It was evident that facing four Three-Month Pigs simultaneously had pushed her to her absolute limit.
Teacher Yuan could hear the students behind him exclaiming in continuous awe at Huang Xiu’s perilous dodges.
For an Awakened individual without physical enhancement abilities, reaching this stage after five weeks of weapons combat training was truly commendable.
However, Teacher Yuan held higher expectations for Huang Xiu. As an S-rank Awakened, her aptitude dictated that she should surpass everyone else.
This applied to both her supernatural abilities and her martial prowess. “S-rank,” he mused, a hint of expectation in his eyes, “can you achieve a kill while surrounded by four?”
Dodge, dodge, and still more dodging. The injuries Huang Xiu inflicted during her brief counterattacks vanished without a trace under the healing glow of the moonlight.
Such continuous evasion was incredibly draining. If Huang Xiu intended to make a final push and attempt a kill, she had to act quickly, or she would completely lose the stamina to retaliate.
‘Just one opportunity…’ Teacher Yuan murmured to himself, his slightly bloodshot eyes constantly reflecting the agile, dodging figure of the girl.
“Wow, my goodness, watch out, Senior!” someone suddenly cried out in shock from the student crowd.
The tide of battle shifted abruptly.
Huang Xiu, who had been dodging swiftly and even managing to parry, suddenly faltered. Perhaps it was due to extreme exhaustion, or perhaps she had stepped onto soft, treacherous mud that made it difficult to exert force.
Instead of dodging the charging Three-Month Pigs, she froze in place, appearing utterly bewildered. It wasn’t until a Three-Month Pig was merely two meters in front of her that she belatedly looked up.
The lead Three-Month Pig, charging head-on, was enormous. Weighing at least five or six hundred catties, its charge was incredibly powerful, causing a slight tremor with each hoofbeat.
Behind it, another, slightly smaller Three-Month Pig followed closely. The slender, delicate girl with bright teeth standing directly in their path was clearly not in the same league.
A collision of this magnitude, even for an Awakened individual, would likely result in severe injuries.
“No, Xiao Xiu!” Ying Zhiyu’s face was etched with worry, her right hand gripping her long blade so tightly that her knuckles turned white. She yearned to rush down and help.
Some of the girls in the class, unable to bear the sight of Huang Xiu being sent flying, even closed their eyes.
Many turned to look at Teacher Yuan, seemingly questioning why he wasn’t intervening. Did he intend to wait until everyone was injured before acting?
A more impatient student directly voiced their concern, “Teacher, hurry and save her!”
Yet, Teacher Yuan offered no reply, merely watching the battlefield in silence.
Two meters was but a mere step for the accelerating Three-Month Pig. The instant the girls in the class closed their eyes, the Three-Month Pig had already reached a meter in front of Huang Xiu.
The fierce wind generated by its charge swept her stray hairs back, and the sweat on her face felt surprisingly cool. Huang Xiu’s eyes darted around, quickly confirming that the other two Three-Month Pigs were still far off and had not yet begun their charge.
‘It’s time!’ Her eyes flashed with resolve.
She then leaped with immense force, soaring nearly three meters into the air from a standing position, her lithe body folding in mid-air. She had vaulted directly over the charging Three-Month Pig.
In the air, she unfurled her body. Her right hand gripped the butt of her spear like a vice, the tip pointing at the head of the other Three-Month Pig behind her.
Then, leveraging the downward pull of gravity and her own strength, she plunged the spear into the Three-Month Pig’s head with the impact of a meteor.
After the piercing shriek, there was a series of crunching, snapping sounds of bone. Both heads of the Three-Month Pig were impaled by the strike, strung onto the Senluo spear like candied hawthorn.
Even after piercing two heads, the spear’s momentum remained unchecked. The spearhead and more than half of its shaft plunged deep into the ground.
The immense inertia accumulated by the Three-Month Pig’s continuous charge was its greatest weapon, yet also its most significant weakness. Driven by this momentum, the Three-Month Pig, even after being attacked, couldn’t stop in time.
It brutally tore both heads from its neck. Huang Xiu, who had released her grip and jumped away as the spear embedded into the ground, couldn’t help but click her tongue at the sight.
“How bloody!”
With both heads torn off, the Three-Month Pig, despite the healing effects of the moonlight, could not recover from such massive wounds. Blood spurted like a fountain from its neck, scattering across the ground as it continued its charge.
The Three-Month Pig finally stumbled to a halt, letting out a mournful cry before taking two more steps and collapsing heavily to the ground. It had utterly lost its life force!
Huang Xiu secretly clenched her fist. “Yes, I did it!”
Just then, two more Three-Month Pigs charged from a distance. Huang Xiu glanced at her spear, firmly embedded in the ground.
Then she looked at the Three-Month Pigs, which were already within three meters of her. After a quick mental calculation, she realized she didn’t have enough time to retrieve her spear from the ground. She decisively raised her right hand.
“Teacher, I’m out of energy! Help me!” she yelled, sprinting away as the Three-Month Pigs chased closely behind her.
Swish!
A sound like a sleeve whipping through the air rang out. As Huang Xiu, using her last ounce of strength, fled, a dark figure suddenly flashed past her.
The newcomer was powerfully built, clad in martial arts attire, with a robust right arm cradling a vomiting, blood-stained Fu Yue. It was none other than Teacher Yuan.
Fu Yue had also decided to make a final stand, ignoring his injuries to unleash a desperate attack. He too had managed to take down one Three-Month Pig.
Teacher Yuan, concerned about Fu Yue’s injuries, had rescued him first before rushing to Huang Xiu’s side. Now, looking at the gasping Huang Xiu, he praised, “Well done!”
With that, he stepped past Huang Xiu and positioned himself behind her. As the charging Three-Month Pigs bore down, he gently extended his left hand.
The Three-Month Pig’s head and tusks struck precisely into the palm of Teacher Yuan’s left hand. This impact, which would have been enough to overturn a small car, created not a single ripple.
Teacher Yuan did not budge an inch. There wasn’t even the slightest sound of impact.
It was as if the collision had occurred within the Three-Month Pig’s own head, as if he had merely placed his hand on the creature’s forehead.
Teacher Yuan gently pushed with his left hand. The Three-Month Pig was sent flying backward, colliding with another Three-Month Pig and sending them both tumbling into a nearby mud pit.
“Heavy as light… such incredible control.” Huang Xiu’s beautiful eyes widened slightly. With that block and push, Teacher Yuan hadn’t used any supernatural abilities; it was purely the strength of his own body.
His superb technique was evident. Blocking the impact wasn’t difficult, but doing so without a sound was truly unbelievable. She couldn’t fathom how he had accomplished it.
“Out of energy, can you walk on your own?” Teacher Yuan asked. “If so, take your weapon and head out.”
Huang Xiu nodded, pulled out her spear, and followed Teacher Yuan out of the area, rejoining the main group. She was immediately met with enthusiastic praise.
“Xiao Xiu, you’re amazing!”
Ying Zhiyu’s face was flushed, and she vigorously pumped her fists, having completely transformed into a fangirl. “As expected of Senior, even in weapons combat, you’re incredible.”
Bu Chenghua, carrying a three-meter-long spear, lauded Huang Xiu’s recent performance. “Senior, that aerial strike you just pulled off was truly invincible!”
Because he also chose the long spear, he could naturally discern how solid Huang Xiu’s spear techniques were and how well she performed in combat. “Huang Xiu is just too strong!” Many other classmates around them were also impressed by Huang Xiu’s performance.
They simply couldn’t deny it. Unlike other fields, in weapons combat, one’s strength or weakness was immediately apparent in practical combat. “Hahaha, it was alright!” Huang Xiu, flattered by the praise, felt her cheeks flush.
Fortunately, Tian Rong was still fighting at the moment, so after praising Huang Xiu for a while, the class’s attention quickly shifted to him. Huang Xiu also turned her attention.
Previously, she had been barely able to cope with her own set of pigs, with all her focus on the immediate battle. She simply hadn’t had the energy to observe the other two students’ fights.
Now, as Huang Xiu leaned over the railing to watch, she was somewhat surprised. Tian Rong’s dual blades were clearly more practiced than hers, and his physical conditioning was also superior.
Even facing four Three-Month Pigs simultaneously, just like her, he still appeared to be handling them with ease. One Three-Month Pig was already heavily wounded by his blades, a mere step away from being killed.
Clearly, his final combat record would undoubtedly exceed three kills. “This reward is definitely not for me,” Huang Xiu muttered, smacking her lips. There was no great sadness on her face.
She had long anticipated this outcome. In terms of supernatural ability combat power, she was indeed first. But purely in weapons combat, setting aside physical conditioning, she would at most rank in the top five in her class.
Including physical conditioning, she might only be around the top eight. “I really want to raise a few Three-Month Pigs!” Huang Xiu gazed enviously at the Three-Month Pigs on the battlefield.
Just one Three-Month Pig would be enough for her to gather the money for a house; she wouldn’t need to save up with scholarships. At this moment, Teacher Yuan, who had escorted Fu Yue for injury treatment, returned.
Upon his return, he waved his hand and announced, “Second group, prepare to go. Any volunteers? If not, I’ll just pick people.” After witnessing the difficulty of this combat training and the severity of Fu Yue’s injuries, almost no one dared to step forward.
Even if there were any, they would have volunteered at the very beginning. However, much to Huang Xiu’s surprise, Liu Lu stepped forward, wielding two large hammers.
Teacher Yuan then selected the class representative Zhong Guangfu and another male student, completing the second group. After Tian Rong had killed four Three-Month Pigs, he gestured, and they were sent in.
Liu Lu possessed strong physical conditioning, and her heavy weapons, like the large hammers, were excellent for breaking bones and damaging internal organs. Her combat record was in no way inferior to Tian Rong’s; she also managed to kill four.
As for the class representative, his performance was mediocre. He barely managed to kill one, almost getting knocked over by a Three-Month Pig. His glasses even fell off and were crushed by a Three-Month Pig’s hoof.
The combat training continued according to Teacher Yuan’s rhythm. The third group, fourth group, fifth group… Ying Zhiyu and Bu Chenghua were assigned to the fourth and sixth groups, respectively.
Ying Zhiyu, a notorious struggle in weapons combat, could barely hold her own against one Three-Month Pig. With two, she was completely overwhelmed, merely cowering and scurrying away.
She ended the combat training with a dismal zero kills. Bu Chenghua, however, performed admirably.
She adopted Huang Xiu’s distance-keeping tactic against the Three-Month Pigs, successfully killing one. Then, before Teacher Yuan could increase the difficulty, she risked injury to force another kill.
Ultimately, she killed two more, achieving a pleasing combat record. The Three-Month Swamp seemed to have no distinction between day and night.
Three crescent moons slowly revolved in a triangular formation in the sky, only their luminosity changing with time. For instance, they would shift from crescent to full, then back to waning crescents.
By the time the final eleventh group completed their combat training, the moonlight in the sky had completed a full cycle. Huang Xiu felt as though a very long time had passed.
However, when she returned to school from the wooden mechanical elevator in the Pig-Raising Stronghold, via the Myriad Realms Transit Station, and turned on her phone, she discovered that twelve hours had actually elapsed.
“Why is it three in the morning? Wait, were we really there that long?”
Huang Xiu looked up at the inky black sky, feeling as if she had stepped into another era. “Is it a different flow of time? I remember Teacher Hua Song saying that the time ratio between some Void Realms and the Present World isn’t one-to-one,” Ying Zhiyu responded.
“That’s probably it.” Huang Xiu nodded. This was a concept covered in their Introduction to Void Realm Knowledge class. She also recalled Teacher Hua Song mentioning that even if the time flow between some Void Realms and the Present World was unequal, once a Void Realm descended upon the Present World and formed a Touchpoint, the ratio would be forcibly set to one-to-one.
Without dwelling on the issue, Huang Xiu and Ying Zhiyu quickly returned to their dormitory. Their first close-quarters combat, with such high intensity, had left them both utterly exhausted.
If not for how truly dirty and smelly she was, Huang Xiu wouldn’t even have wanted to shower; she would have simply gone straight to bed. But as she thoroughly washed and dried herself, she put on her underwear and immediately felt something was amiss.
Her chest felt slightly constricted… She wiped the fog from the vanity mirror with a tissue and, facing her reflection, secretly compared. She found that her breasts seemed to have grown a little larger.
Her face immediately showed a hint of alarm. “Oh no… I’m not starting to develop, am I?!”
She was quite satisfied with her A-cup size; it was small and cute and didn’t hinder her movements. Moreover, she had grown accustomed to having ‘two small steamed buns’ on her chest.
But if they continued to develop… Huang Xiu tugged at her underwear, silently praying, ‘Please, don’t grow any further!’
The largest size she could accept was B and B. If they were to grow to C, D, or even E, they would simply be too large and too heavy.
Not only would it affect her agility in combat, but it would also impact her daily life. And if they really did reach C or D, then even with slightly intense exercise, ‘those things’ would likely bounce around.