Due to a severe lack of Void Energy, Huang Xiaoxian had shrunk from a nearly man-sized mutated human vine into a small, shriveled ball.
Eventually, it transformed into a mere husk of shriveled green skin.
Had Huang Xiaoxian not possessed a unique quality, Huang Xiu might have lost it completely back then. Recalling the incident now, a shiver of fear still ran through her.
****
“Now that both mutated humans and mutated plants are flourishing, do you think we should advance on both fronts simultaneously, or focus solely on cultivating mutated plants?” Fang Miaoging inquired seriously.
Whenever a critical project milestone approached, she would first earnestly seek Huang Xiu’s opinion. Only after their discussion and confirmation would they proceed.
This meticulous approach undoubtedly made Huang Xiu feel comfortable and pleased.
After a moment of contemplation, Huang Xiu carefully organized her thoughts before responding:
“Mutated plants require me to provide Void Energy, and their versatility is far inferior to that of mutated humans. If we were to cultivate mutated plants, our project would inevitably move beyond my direct influence. Therefore, in the future, our focus will definitely shift primarily to mutated plants.”
Huang Xiu stroked her chin thoughtfully.
“However, mutated plants can reproduce a second generation as long as they have sufficient Void Energy. This has given me a different idea, but its success still needs further verification.”
If the second-generation plants produced by mutated plants could undergo mutation once more, it would be a game-changer.
Perhaps then, she could resolve a significant weakness of her own: the tendency to run out of steam when fighting prolonged battles in areas devoid of plant life.
‘If this truly works, I could cultivate a batch of plants specifically for resource production in long-term battles, especially in plantless zones, essentially ‘spamming’ units,’ Huang Xiu thought, a sweet sense of satisfaction welling in her heart.
The ‘spamming’ tactic was a powerful and enduring strategy.
If she could truly achieve her vision, she might become the plant-version of the Zerg, a veritable nightmare for her enemies.
“Alright, we’ll proceed according to your idea, Xiu Xiu.” Fang Miaoging decided to shift their focus to mutated plants.
Subsequently, the two returned to the living room and continued their conversation.
As they chatted, Huang Xiu suddenly remembered something crucial and quickly asked Fang Miaoging:
“Oh, right, A-Qing, are you going for military training next week?”
If Fang Miaoging was also attending military training, who would look after these potted plants?
“Of course, I’m going.” Fang Miaoging rubbed her earlobe. “Our Research Department also has military training. I asked a Senior Male Student, and every year the training takes place in the same location as yours, just with different content. This year should be no exception.”
“What about those plants, then?”
“Don’t worry, I’ve already spoken with Senior Male Student Mo Xuan. He’ll help me look after the potted plants while I’m at military training.” As Fang Miaoging finished speaking, she realized Huang Xiu might not know Mo Xuan, so she quickly added, “He’s the guy who was with me outside the Touchpoint in the urban village.”
“Oh, it’s him.” Huang Xiu recalled, instantly recognizing him.
It was primarily because Senior Male Student Mo Xuan had mistakenly noted the wrong date for welcoming new students, leaving a deep impression on her.
“Oh, there’s one more thing I need to tell you.” Fang Miaoging’s face was full of teasing. “You don’t have Bald Liu’s contact, do you? And you haven’t checked the high school class group chat recently, have you?”
“Bald Liu and I are on such bad terms, of course I don’t. As for the class group chat… I’ve been so busy lately, where would I find the time to look?”
Huang Xiu grew wary. “What happened?”
Any mention of high school inevitably involved Huang Xiu, and anything concerning her past was something she approached with the utmost caution.
“Nothing much, really. The school wants to invite you and me back to share our experiences as outstanding graduates at the freshman orientation ceremony.”
Fang Miaoging shrugged. “Bald Liu couldn’t reach you. He called your parents’ number, but they didn’t respond either. So, in the end, he came to me.”
“Hehe, is that even a question? How could I possibly attend, A-Qing? You’re teasing me again.”
Was she supposed to go back with this face to share experiences? Even if she were willing, the school wouldn’t accept it!
“Alright then. So you won’t be attending the class that starts in September, right?” Fang Miaoging said helplessly. “Your good friend Shi Lei is getting tired.”
“Refuse, absolutely refuse!” Huang Xiu made an X with her right hand over her chest, then narrowed her eyes as she asked, “By the way, A-Qing, your relationship with Shi Lei seems to have become quite good recently?”
“It’s all because of you,” Fang Miaoging retorted exasperatedly. “You take three or four days to reply to a message from Shi Lei. Of course, he’d have to ask me if he wanted to know about your situation!”
“Do you know what Shi Lei told me yesterday?”
“What did he say?” Huang Xiu asked curiously.
“He said he wants to enroll in a university in Tiandu City, so he can come visit you and me on weekends.” Fang Miaoging delivered this statement with a calm expression, causing Huang Xiu’s face to twitch uncontrollably.
“Shi Lei really said that?” Huang Xiu asked, her emotions complex.
Shi Lei wanted to apply to Tiandu University for her sake. For a moment, she didn’t know whether to be happy or alarmed.
“Truly, I have the chat logs as proof.”
Without another word, Fang Miaoging pulled out her phone, opened her chat history with Shi Lei, and generously handed the phone to Huang Xiu.
This candid gesture, coupled with Huang Xiu seeing that most of their chat logs indeed consisted of Shi Lei asking about her, instantly dispelled all suspicion from her mind.
‘Seriously… how could I have secretly suspected Shi Lei and Fang Miaoging of having something going on? Even novels wouldn’t dare to write something like this,’ Huang Xiu thought, finding it somewhat amusing.
She returned the phone to Fang Miaoging.
“Alright, if Shi Lei wants to apply to Tiandu City, let him. Tell him I’m cheering him on.”
“Huh? Aren’t you afraid he’ll come after you?”
Fang Miaoging’s eyes widened slightly, clearly not expecting such a reaction from Huang Xiu.
“If he wants to apply somewhere, how can I stop him? Besides, he wants to come for the sake of our friendship; I should be happy, not worried!” Huang Xiu said with a pout.
However, there were some thoughts she hadn’t voiced.
Shi Lei’s grades were quite average; wanting to get into an undergraduate program in Tiandu City was simply wishful thinking.
It wasn’t entirely impossible, of course.
But considering his fanaticism for gaming, it was more likely he’d reach Grandmaster rank than suddenly become studious within a year.
Moreover, Shi Lei was only in his second year of high school, with a year left until the college entrance examination. Worrying about whether he would come after her a year from now was truly fretting too early!
“Alright, you said it. I’ll tell him later.”
Fang Miaoging’s demeanor, as if fearing Huang Xiu would go back on her word, made Huang Xiu secretly chuckle.
“Don’t worry, just tell him.” Huang Xiu waved her hand, nonchalantly adding, “Just say I said it. If he really gets into Tiandu, I’ll treat him to a big meal.”
“Treat him to a big meal, but will you personally go, Xiu Xiu?” Fang Miaoging teased.
“Of course, I’ll go! I’ll treat him to a big meal, but that doesn’t mean I have to go in person. I’ll just reimburse him remotely, and that’ll be that.”
Having said that, Huang Xiu glanced at the time. It was getting late, so she bid Fang Miaoging farewell and left.
Upon returning to her dorm, she sat cross-legged on her bed, preparing for her daily essential Hammering Technique cultivation session.
Void Energy cultivation, while not a matter of ‘no progress means retreat,’ wouldn’t advance without effort.
‘The Gold Rank… still about four months away.’
After sensing her progress, Huang Xiu continued her cultivation.
****
The ninth week arrived, with less than seven days until military training began. All courses entered their final sprint.
Huang Xiu had heard from Yun Ning that once the first year officially started, their class schedules would change, with new courses being added and some concluding.
However, she hadn’t expected that the first official course to conclude would be the Basic Void Art class, which had started with the slowest progress, even before the summer special training ended.
On Wednesday afternoon, when the teacher announced the conclusion of the Basic Void Art class, all the students in the class were momentarily stunned.
Then, a hubbub of chatter erupted.
“After teaching for half a lifetime, I finally managed to finish a course exactly on schedule in my last year before retirement—not a single session more, not a single session less.”
The lecturer on the podium laughed heartily, a moment that left a deep impression on Huang Xiu.
So, it turned out that the old man’s previous lectures were either too fast or too slow!
On Wednesday evening, for the last psychological counseling class before military training, Teacher Nanmen Xiu uncharacteristically began discussing military training precautions with them.
“Military training is unlike regular classes; there are casualty quotas every year. Although there haven’t been any casualties in the past few years, this year’s military training is extraordinary. It’s being jointly organized by the four major institutions, specifically for troop training. I heard that madman is planning it again.”
Nanmen Xiu spoke seriously, “You must pay close attention to safety. After school starts, not a single psychological counseling class can be missed.”
Huang Xiu felt a touch of emotion, hearing Teacher Nanmen Xiu speak with such rare concern. However, in the very next second, the sentiment was shattered.
“Otherwise, if one of you is missing, I’ll lose my bonus, and my baby’s milk powder money will be gone.”
Nanmen Xiu’s words were clearly a joke.
As a teacher at Tiandu University, with a husband who was a renowned strong Awakened individual on the Hundred Sages List, how could she possibly be short on money?
Nevertheless, the slightly tense mood of Huang Xiu and her three friends did lighten considerably.
“What madman?” Chen Molian asked curiously.
“The battle-hardened fanatic from the Conquest Bureau. They once proposed to militarize all special domains and launch a grand offensive against the Void Realms,” Nanmen Xiu said softly.
“A grand offensive? Against where?” Huang Xiu asked.
If a grand offensive was to be launched, there must be a target. She was curious which Void Realm would warrant such a massive assault from the Great Xia Nation.
“No target,” Nanmen Xiu’s words were startling. “Or, one could say every Void Realm is a target. They believe in the doctrine of ‘striking out’—actively attacking and destroying Void Realms without waiting for them to descend.”
“That’s… a bit too radical, isn’t it?” Huang Xiu was stunned.
“It is indeed radical. After all, some Void Realms are quite friendly towards the Present World,” Jiang Qing said, her eyes glinting, seemingly deep in thought.
“Fortunately, the Conquest Bureau represents the radical faction, while the Jurisdiction Bureau is generally conservative. The two check each other, and the higher-ups won’t easily alter established policies,” Nanmen Xiu explained.
“The United Front policy?” Li Yurou asked casually.
The United Front policy was a strategy toward the Void Realms currently being implemented by the Great Xia Nation and most other countries. Its core tenets involved uniting with friendly Void Realms, combating hostile ones, and winning over Void Realm creatures inclined toward the Present World.
Huang Xiu had taken notes on this very topic in her Void Realm Knowledge Overview class.
“Yes, this time, you might even get to meet some of the friendly Void Realm creatures living within our Great Xia Nation,” Nanmen Xiu said with a smile.
“You’ll definitely be astonished by the ‘Holy Maiden.'”
‘Friendly Void Realm creatures…’ Huang Xiu silently recalled the fox she had seen in the library. If Hu Hui wasn’t a shapeshifting Awakened individual, perhaps she had already met one.
Thinking this, she subtly glanced at Jiang Qing, only to find herself meeting the other’s furtive gaze.
Their eyes met, and both froze for a moment, a sudden awkwardness rising between them.
But a staring contest wasn’t intimidating; whoever looked away first would be the one to feel awkward.
Huang Xiu knew this well. Her gaze did not waver; instead, she looked directly back, openly.
Seemingly embarrassed by the blatant stare, Jiang Qing tugged down her bucket hat, uncomfortably shifting her gaze away.
‘I won!’ Huang Xiu breathed a sigh of relief, then turned to Teacher Nanmen Xiu. “Teacher, do you already know the military training location?”
“I do,” Nanmen Xiu replied with a beaming smile.
“However, it’s still a confidential matter for now. Your respective class advisors will inform you.”
Since it was confidential, it truly couldn’t be disclosed. Huang Xiu understood Teacher Nanmen Xiu’s position.
‘The class advisor… Professor Yuan knows. So, he should tell us about the military training during Friday’s class.’ Huang Xiu twirled her pen, looking forward to Friday’s Ability Development class.
Amidst her anticipation, time flew by quickly, perhaps also due to her deep immersion in her studies.
In any case, Friday arrived swiftly.
Professor Yuan Fei was uncharacteristically punctual that day, arriving in his signature blue suit.
His hair was styled with pomade, slicked back, giving him a dashing and somewhat roguish appearance.
“Military training begins next Monday. We’ll be departing for the training location early this weekend. This military training is somewhat different, and I need to inform you of some precautions.”
Professor Yuan Fei’s gaze swept over the students sitting cross-legged on their meditation cushions, pausing briefly on Huang Xiu’s face before quickly moving on.
“This military training will be fully enclosed and will last for one month. All participants are prohibited from bringing any electronic devices. So, you’d best inform your families and friends tonight.”
“The first precaution is quite an imposing one: a month without electronic devices…”
For Huang Xiu and her peers, who lived in a modern society where phones were constantly in hand, this was nothing short of a nightmare!
One had to remember that in this day and age, payments were all electronic, and even when sitting together, people would often use their phones to send private messages!
Consequently, upon hearing this news, the classroom erupted in an uproar, with students chattering animatedly.
“Not being able to bring phones? Might as well just kill me!”
“We’re going to devolve into cavemen,呜呜呜呜呜.”
“No electronic devices…” Huang Xiu rubbed her chin. “Huang Xiaoxian is going to go crazy, isn’t he?”
(Volume Two: Summer Special Training Concludes)