Chapter 752: Practical Training Is Underway (Part 2)
The afternoon sun cast long shadows as several large buses squeezed onto the road leading to the practical training base, akin to golden carps diving into a lake. For students, it felt much the same.
If their practical training performance was excellent and noticed by teachers or referees observing, it would be like a fish leaping over the dragon gate, shedding its skin, transforming into a dragon, and soaring a thousand miles.
The school was not too far from the practical training base. Soon, as the scenery outside the bus windows blurred, rows of plane trees whizzed past, and a vast area of land emerged before everyone’s eyes.
However, Su Jiu and the others in the back couldn’t see very clearly. They were still discussing the recent issues, while Class Leader Zhou stood stiffly, unable to believe it.
“Are there really High-Rank Battle Generals?”
It was known that many students from good universities did not necessarily reach the High-Rank Battle General level. Now, to suddenly announce that there would be real High-Rank Battle Generals in the high school practical training.
What was the point of this?
Vote!
As if sensing her astonished tone, the students from Class A above looked down. A young man in a black combat suit with a square, honest face casually glanced at Zhou Zhizhi and said softly,
“There’s no need to lie to you. After all, it will be our Class A team that faces these strong individuals.”
He was the Class A leader, nicknamed “Fist of Dominance.” His strength was among the top in the entire class. Even at the Intermediate War General level, he could directly face an established Intermediate War General.
“You…”
Zhou Zhizhi looked up, her expression slightly沉重 (heavy/serious), but she didn’t refute him. What he said was indeed logical, but his tone clearly showed disdain for students from ordinary classes like them.
She believed her strength was more than enough to join their team. After all, her skills were evident, and wherever she went, the Tank Position was always welcome.
“Zhou Zhizhi, isn’t he right?”
Before the young man with the square face could reply, a girl beside him suddenly spoke. Her face was expressionless, her eyes looking down from above, and she said indifferently,
“Once we enter the Top Five universities, we can easily be assigned positions. Just as now, we are the glory of the entire school, and it will be the same in the future.”
With a faint smile, this girl clearly knew the Class D leader and said that deliberately.
“Huang Shi, you all just have better resources…”
Zhou Zhizhi’s lips moved slightly. She scoffed and then retorted with a blank expression. The fingers inside her combat suit sleeve clenched into fists.
She had to fight for everything in Class D, even getting her combat suit as class leader. While they enjoyed the benefits with ease.
The girl on the upper level, Huang Shi, looked down, scanning the three of them. She paused at Su Jiu but didn’t think much of it, then moved her gaze to Zhou Zhi, sneering,
“Getting resources is also a matter of luck. With our Class A leader, ‘Fist of Dominance,’ here, Zhou Zhizhi, you were better than me in everything during middle school. Now in high school, you only have higher skill proficiency; in other aspects, you can’t compare to me at all.”
As she spoke, she felt an unprecedented sense of exhilaration. Now, the tables had turned.
“You…”
Zhou Zhizhi gritted her teeth and was about to roll up her sleeves to fight. She couldn’t stand it any longer – this woman, who had always loved competing with her since childhood, was too disgusting.
Just as she was about to yell at her for being shameless, her arm was stopped by Guan Xiaorong beside her. The latter slightly shook her head, hinting that it was best to let it go.
“Don’t be impulsive.”
During the upcoming practical training, students from the same school would likely cooperate first before competing against each other.
“Right, she’s a War General level. There’s no need to offend her now…”
Looking at her new teammate, Zhou Zhizhi came to her senses and broke out in a cold sweat. If she had acted impulsively, they might have been targeted by the other party during the practical training.
However, the tree wanted to remain still, but the wind wouldn’t stop. Huang Shi, with her legs akimbo, chuckled again,
“Zhou Zhizhi, some things are destiny. You have to accept it. I will go further than you with Class A’s resources. Effort cannot compete with luck.”
“…”
Zhou Zhizhi clenched her fists and remained silent.
“Stop it. We’re all from the same school. Don’t let other schools laugh at us later.”
At this moment, the young man with the square face beside her frowned, waved his hand, and said softly, quickly stopping her.
“Alright, Class Leader.”
Huang Shi smiled and responded to him, a hint of invisible respect in her tone, almost as if “fan girl” was written on her face.
Guan Xiaotong gave Huang Shi, who was smiling foolishly upstairs, a cold glance and turned to the quiet girl beside her, lowering her voice, “Class Leader, I’ll give you some resources later. We don’t care about these lousy resources.”
“I’ll return them…”
Zhou Zhizhi breathed a long sigh, gave Guan Xiaotong a grateful look, then lowered her head slightly, her eyes revealing a hint of unwillingness.
She didn’t think she was inferior to those from Class A, just that her family background was poor and she lacked resources. However, the resilience she had developed over the years prevented her from completely losing her composure.
Just as the proud Class Leader Zhou was about to bow her head, a laugh echoed from beside her again. The laugh was very calm but carried an invisible aura, with a strange oppressive force.
“Class A members, when you enter university and join those organizations, most of you will only be ordinary members. Across the country, everywhere, there are students more outstanding than you…”
The speaker paused, adjusted her round-framed glasses, and looked up towards the upper level, speaking with a hint of amusement.
“Heh heh, they are as numerous as carp crossing a river. Why mock your classmates?”
As soon as these words were spoken, the atmosphere in the entire carriage turned rigid. Even with the heater on, the temperature seemed to inexplicably turn cold.
“Who is this person?”
Almost everyone’s gaze turned downwards, with some scrutiny, some amusement, but mostly surprise. This bus was for mixed classes, with students from the front classes forming a larger proportion.
They found that someone actually dared to talk back to the Class A students. They knew that Class A had the best resources, and even the students at the bottom of Class A were comparable to the top students of most other classes.
Huang Shi also looked over. She was about to speak but was stopped by the young man with the square, honest face. He reached out his hand…
“Who are you?”
The young man with the square face narrowed his eyes and looked in this direction, only to meet the gaze of those slightly blood-colored eyes. A strange sense of unease involuntarily rose in his heart.
Su Jiu smiled and said softly, “Jiu Susu, Class D Priest.”
The young man with the square face didn’t understand the source of this strange feeling, while the group of followers rushed to disembark first, encircling Su Jiu and the others sitting on the left.
“You say we can’t see all the students in the country. Then what level are you?”
The student who led them was also a War General level. He wore a combat suit, his eyes filled with coldness, and a trace of external Qi even dissipated from him.
He only needed the young man with the square face from above to speak before he would act to teach these insolent people a lesson.
“Cough, cough…” A cough came from the front of the bus. It was the leading teacher.
At this moment, the bus slowly stopped, then the doors quickly opened. Under the guidance of the teachers maintaining order in the front, everyone separated from this farce. One by one…
Until only Su Jiu and the others remained in the entire bus, and a teacher leaning against the railing not far away, smoking a cigarette, looked at them with interest.
“Priest? I hope you can protect yourself during the practical training…”
The young man with the square face gave Su Jiu a deep look but said nothing more. He leaped down, and the bus began to shake slightly.
“Let’s go, Teacher Niu is watching.”
He patted the student leader who had surrounded them, then led his group of followers away. As he left the bus door, he cupped his hands slightly towards the smoking teacher.
“You’ve gotten into trouble by offending them.”
The latter did not respond but smiled at Su Jiu and the others. This teacher was the old Teacher Niu who had taught Su Jiu’s practical training class.
“Thank you, Teacher Niu, for the rescue.”
Zhou Zhizhi and another person walked over together. As they approached him, the former bowed.
Then they moved towards the bottom of the main entrance. Looking back at Su Jiu, she saw the latter wave at them and then went ahead to queue at the entrance hall.
Seeing her two teammates leave, Su Jiu walked forward. The sound of her cloth shoes tapping on the iron plate ground made a “dada” sound. After a few seconds, she stopped in front of old Teacher Niu.
Old Teacher Niu looked at the spirited girl who had performed assertively in class, with a smile in his eyes, and asked, “What, are you scared?”
“No, I’m just thinking if Jiang Hai High School’s class ranking system is reasonable.”
The girl shook her head, took out the wine gourd from her cloth bag, and took a sip under his increasingly surprised gaze.
“Minors are not allowed to drink.”
Old Teacher Niu instinctively wanted to stop her from drinking, but when he met her serious expression, he was stunned for a moment and said with a slight smile,
“You think it’s unreasonable? The school has produced many talents through this mechanism. They have even reached levels you can’t imagine…”
“No, I think it’s reasonable too.”
Su Jiu shook her head, her gaze drifting towards the distance of the bus door, where two figures stood, as if contemplating something. Finally, she spoke,
“I think what Jiang Hai High School taught in three years should be called ‘cultivating willpower.’ This is something that no amount of resources can buy. It’s just that this year’s Class A is too invincible, so much so that they don’t need to challenge themselves, making their spirit seem diminished.”
Su Jiu’s words left old Teacher Niu, who had intended to tease her, completely stunned. He looked at the petite figure, speechless. She gave him a strange feeling of an old child.
He recalled when he first became a teacher, he also felt that this mechanism was unreasonable and tried asking the old principal.
At that time, the old principal gently patted his shoulder, his white-haired, aged face looking towards the sunset, and smiled, “High school is just the beginning. Resources can be obtained throughout life. Struggle and passion are what we Dragon Hunters need.”
He couldn’t help but ask, “But without resources, one can’t become a Dragon Hunter…”
The old principal still smiled, “So, every teacher has the qualification to review trainee Dragon Hunters. When a suitable person is found, they can be utilized. This is a promise to the passionate youths.”
Returning to his senses, old Teacher Niu suddenly thought of some strange changes in the school and some personnel adjustments. Just as he was about to inquire, he found that the petite figure had already disappeared.
“Jiu Susu, who exactly is she? Among the carp crossing the river, could she be one of them…”
