CHAPTER 40: CHAPTER 40: PARTICIPATION QUALIFICATIONS_1

In the office.

Wang Zhan recounted to Duan Kun everything he knew and his speculations.

After listening to Wang Zhan’s account, Duan Kun’s expression remained unchanged. He simply asked, "From what you’re saying, it sounds like you want to participate in this Academy operation?"

"Yes," Wang Zhan nodded. "I believe my strength is sufficient to explore the outskirts of the wilderness zone now, and I won’t be alone this time, so I..."

Before Wang Zhan could finish, Duan Kun suddenly interjected, "Do you know the objective of this operation?"

Hmm? Wang Zhan was slightly taken aback.

Duan Kun explained, "This time, the Academy is collaborating with the military to conduct a major sweep of beasts within a one-hundred-kilometer radius around Base City."

Seeing that Wang Zhan still hadn’t grasped the gravity of the situation, Duan Kun sighed deeply and said, "You’ve met Teacher Sun Jian, haven’t you?"

"Yes, thanks to Teacher Sun last time, I was able to return safely."

"Teacher Sun is currently in the Academy hospital, severely injured," Duan Kun stated. "There are some things I can’t disclose to you right now, but our adversaries this time aren’t just beasts. They also include the organization to which those black-clothed people you encountered belong."

"Were they the cause of this? The Four-Arm Giant Ape?" A flash of understanding crossed Wang Zhan’s mind.

"More or less. This time, Teacher Sun dismantled one of their secret bases, and in the process, many rather formidable beasts were released. The Four-Arm Giant Ape is considered merely average among them," Duan Kun said nonchalantly. "I’ve heard that even soldier-level beasts, equivalent to Warriors, have started appearing."

It’s that serious? Wang Zhan was startled.

"That’s why a major sweep is necessary; otherwise, students would have nowhere to gain practical experience in the future," Duan Kun shook his head. "Originally, the plan was to dispatch mentors, but the Vice Dean had a sudden whim and decided to let the students experience true combat, which led to this operation."

Once Duan Kun finished speaking, he patted Wang Zhan’s shoulder.

"You’re only a level 3 Martial Artist. In this operation, beasts of level 5 and above will be abundant. It’s too soon for you."

Recognizing the refusal in Duan Kun’s tone, Wang Zhan hurriedly said, "Old Duan, don’t be so quick to decide. Actually, I could have broken through to level 4 Martial Artist a while ago; I’ve just been suppressing it."

As he spoke, Wang Zhan proactively lifted his shirt to show Duan Kun his physique, which he was currently refining. "Look, my current physical strength is already on par with those level 5 and 6 seniors. It’s just that my Essence Energy is a bit lacking."

"Eh? How have you been training, kid? To make such significant progress in just a few days?" Duan Kun was also somewhat astonished. He had only lost track of Wang Zhan for the few days of the ranking competition.

In that short span, Wang Zhan seemed to have transformed almost entirely.

"Besides, others will be participating in this operation. I definitely won’t be fighting alone, so it’ll be fine," Wang Zhan earnestly promised. "I guarantee that when we’re in the wilderness zone, I’ll stay at the very back and prioritize my survival above all else."

Since Wang Zhan had put it so emphatically, Duan Kun gave him a deep look.

"I’ll submit an application to the higher-ups for you. In previous years, no first-year student has been as outstanding as you," Duan Kun said. "But this will be handled through official channels. If they don’t approve it, then there’s nothing more I can do."

After expressing his gratitude, Wang Zhan left, content.

Duan Kun was quite efficient on his end.

In the evening, Wang Zhan received a message from Duan Kun and returned to the office.

"The application was approved," Duan Kun announced. "You weren’t the only one. The sophomores Huang Pufeng and Song Dongming also applied to participate in this grand clean-up mission, just like you."

"Those two?" Wang Zhan was surprised, recalling the situation at the end of the ranking competition the previous day.

Huang Pufeng had been his final opponent. That fellow had already reached the limit of a level 4 Martial Artist and was also undergoing body refining, apparently making very good progress.

Huang Pufeng possesses the true strength of at least a level 5 Martial Artist; he might even be able to contend with a newly advanced level 6 Martial Artist, Wang Zhan silently calculated. As for Song Dongming, that fellow can decisively suppress Huang Pufeng; he’s definitely not simple.

While Wang Zhan was secretly pondering, Duan Kun continued, "Coincidentally, you three are the top three in the sophomore rankings. So, the Academy has agreed to let you form a team for this grand clean-up operation. However, the Academy also requires you to prioritize your own safety. When necessary, survival is paramount."

Hearing this, Wang Zhan was momentarily at a loss for how to respond.

He naturally understood the underlying implication: the Academy clearly believed the three of them had greater potential and therefore didn’t want any harm to come to them.

Even if their companions were in danger, the three of them were to make their own survival their primary objective.

Noticing Wang Zhan’s unusual expression, Duan Kun explained, "This is what the Academy’s higher-ups have stated. If you don’t agree, then you don’t have to participate in this operation."

"I have no objections," Wang Zhan shook his head.

"Good." Duan Kun smiled, then retrieved a somewhat familiar-looking box from under his desk and placed it on the floor.

"Is this a soldier-level suit?" Wang Zhan was rather surprised. He was still vexed about not getting first place in the ranking competition and missing out on the soldier-level suit.

"It’s not just for you; Huang Pufeng gets one too," Duan Kun said. "This is a special privilege from the Academy for you. A soldier-level suit for ten thousand academic credits, no military merit required."

"Such a good deal exists?" Wang Zhan’s eyes lit up.

The price of a soldier-level suit was five thousand academic credits plus an unspecified amount of military merit. Originally, Wang Zhan felt he wouldn’t be able to obtain this item in the short term.

But now, things had taken an unexpectedly favorable turn; it was a pleasant surprise.

"You should have Huang Pufeng’s and Song Dongming’s contact information. In the coming days, besides cultivation, it would be best for the three of you to practice coordinating. It’s definitely too late for you to learn the Coordinated Strike Method now, and you don’t necessarily need to. However, it wouldn’t do if the three of you went into the wilderness only to fight your own battles."

The Coordinated Strike Method was a set of joint battle tactics created by Martial Artists to resist stronger beasts.

Theoretically, because beasts of the same level are generally much stronger than Martial Artists, three ordinary level 5 Martial Artists joining forces could only fight a level 5 beast to a standstill.

However, by using the Coordinated Strike Method, three level 5 Martial Artists could confront a level 6 beast head-on.

One could imagine how outstanding the effects of the Coordinated Strike Method were.

Actually, in the two months since the Academy term began, the first-year students had already started learning about the Coordinated Strike Method. However, Wang Zhan had never attended the related courses, and Duan Kun had likewise not required him to.

In Duan Kun’s words, Wang Zhan is destined to be a powerful leader of Human warriors in the future. The Coordinated Strike Method is for the mediocre; someone like Wang Zhan only needs to focus on improving his strength.

It seems Huang Pufeng and Song Dongming also haven’t learned the Coordinated Strike Method; otherwise, Old Duan wouldn’t just suggest that we get familiar with each other, Wang Zhan thought.

For the next week, Wang Zhan dedicated himself to body refining and increasing his strength.

He had temporarily put aside his normal courses. However, since Wang Zhan had already missed classes multiple times in the two months since the Academy term began, his current absence didn’t cause much discussion or dissatisfaction.

After all, having been at the Academy for only two months, he had skipped levels to participate in the ranking competition, achieving a 100-win streak to enter the top three. Such a formidable individual couldn’t possibly be held to the same standards as ordinary students.

In addition to continuing his body refining and striving to max out his attribute points soon, Wang Zhan also spent considerable time with Huang Pufeng and Song Dongming.

Although all three were top students at the Academy, their cultivation time was ultimately still too short. At their age, a great deal could be accomplished in a single year.

The joint practice with Huang Pufeng and Song Dongming went fairly smoothly. Although all three preferred to fight solo, they were well aware of the importance of this mission and therefore didn’t slack off.

After a few days, the three of them could already cooperate passably.

「That evening」

After temporarily concluding their joint practice, Wang Zhan also had a sparring match with Song Dongming.

When both held back some of their strength, Wang Zhan was surprised to discover he was no match for Song Dongming.

"A level 5 Martial Artist, you’re too much," Wang Zhan said, feeling rather helpless as Song Dongming pulled him up from the ground.

Most sophomore-year students are usually only level 2 or 3 Martial Artists, right? Huang Pufeng being a level 4 Martial Artist was already outrageous; how on earth did this guy cultivate? Wang Zhan was perplexed.

Breaking through to level 5 Martial Artist wasn’t difficult. The crucial part was that this Song Dongming fellow wasn’t an ordinary level 5 Martial Artist. Like Wang Zhan, he was a formidable individual who had broken through his physical limits during the Martial Student stage.

These past few days, Wang Zhan had consumed a large quantity of Mixed Essence Pills, bringing his Full Attributes to around 670. Yet, even so, he couldn’t gain any advantage when sparring with Song Dongming.

His physique wasn’t superior, and his Essence Energy couldn’t compare; Wang Zhan was no match for Song Dongming.

"Stop flattering me. You’re only a level 3 Martial Artist, yet your physical strength is faintly superior to mine by a fair margin. Just how much did you accumulate during the Martial Student stage? And you’re just a first-year. I’m afraid it won’t be long before you catch up to me," Song Dongming said, a wry smile on his face as well.

He could almost foresee the scene of Wang Zhan surpassing him.

After all, Wang Zhan’s rate of progress was simply too fast, so fast that he found it somewhat unbelievable.

After summarizing the results of his training, Wang Zhan bid farewell to Huang Pufeng and Song Dongming and returned to his dormitory alone.

"We set out tomorrow." Wang Zhan opened his attribute panel.

Host: Wang Zhan

Strength: 684

Agility: 681

Physique: 678

Charm: 30

Wisdom: 16

Once his attribute points surpassed 680, the increase from one Mixed Essence Pill became pitifully small. The closer one got to the limit, the more difficult it became, Wang Zhan mused, simultaneously taking out another Mixed Essence Pill and consuming it.

Soon, a vast amount of Essence Energy surged through his meridians, being absorbed by his body. Imperceptibly, his already rail-thin physique seemed to have become even more slender.

The night of cultivation passed quickly.

When the morning sunlight illuminated the room, Wang Zhan opened his eyes, changed into the soldier-level suit, and left the dormitory with his already packed bag.