Translator: EndlessFantasy Translation Editor: EndlessFantasy Translation
The next day, in the Building of Practical Combat Training.
Fang Ping picked up on the negative vibes coming from the room.
At the sight of him, many students thought that they were going to get beat up.
Zhao Lei looked displeased as well. He exhaled through his nostrils furiously when he saw Fang Ping. He said in a low voice, “Fang Ping, I’ll get my revenge eventually for the things you did to me!”
“What?”
Fang Ping replied loudly, “Zhao Lei, we’re both men. Don’t be so petty!
“Look, even girls like Yang Xiaoman don’t mind. Why are you still holding grudges!
“Did I not surrender?
“Was that not enough? Do you still wanna thrash me?”
Zhao Lei was so furious he could spit blood. ‘I spoke softly, what are you yelling for?’
Beside them, Yang Xiaoman was similarly furious. ‘Am I not holding a grudge?
‘I’m just too embarrassed to say it out loud!’
Of course, another reason for it was her fear of Fang Ping. She dared not find fault with him directly.
Zhao Lei left the scene with his tail between his legs. Fu Changding said mirthfully, “I thought you forgave him and sh*t? Why did you rile him up?”
“To get something out of it!”
Fang Ping said with a wide smile, “I bumped into my mentor outside the room and asked about it. She told me that a class monitor will be picked among us classmates.
“Of course, there are perks to it, like more credits.
“We should fight for it when the time arises.
“I’m gonna beat him up badly anyway, so might as well give him some time to get himself ready.”
“Cough, cough, cough...”
Fu Changding was baffled, he coughed for a while before he asked, “You’re actually serious?”
“Duh!”
Fang Ping rolled his eyes and smiled. “I definitely wouldn’t involve myself in such matters if there’s nothing in it for me. But when there are perks to getting involved... I’ll consider it thoroughly.
“You better not try to fight with me for it or you’ll be in for a beating as well!”
Fu Changding curled his lips but did not say anything.
He did not know everything about Fang Ping’s past. However, he knew of what had happened before the holidays, two days after he got back to school – after all, he had his sources.
He had more bones honed compared to Fang Ping but if they were to fight... He would definitely not measure up to Fang Ping.
If Fang Ping had his mind set on being the class monitor, he did not have the heart to try and take it away from him.
...
As the crowd chatted among themselves, Tang Feng and the other Rank-6 instructors walked in together.
Tang Feng cut to the chase. Right after entering the place, he said, “Twice-honed martial artists, martial artists who have achieved a stable stance, martial artists deemed to possess intermediate mastery of combat techniques, or martial artists who have honed more than 20 bones, come to the front now!”
In no time, many people stepped forward.
Fang Ping went out as well, following the crowd.
“Good, 41 people. These 41 people will be directly admitted into the special training class.”
Tang Feng did not give them any time to discuss among themselves about the matter. He continued, “Students from the School of Tactics and Strategy who have honed more than 15 bones, come up!”
Nothing much happened. Two boys stepped out quickly.
“There are already 43 people!”
“Those who are in the School of Production and are skilled in weaponry maintenance, come out.”
There were not many martial artists in the School of Production to begin with, and their students were divided into faculties specializing in pill manufacturing, weaponry manufacturing, research on combat techniques and more. The school term had barely started. With such a condition, there were even fewer students; they had to know their way around weaponry and had to be martial artists.
Among the crowd, a diminutive guy stood up and whispered, “instructor, I only know a few basic maintenance techniques suited for Grade E alloy weaponry...”
“Mm. That’s ok.”
Tang Feng did not mind. He continued, “Students in the School of Social Sciences who scored an Excellent in Information Analysis last month, come out!”
Similar to before, very few students stood out. Only one person came out.
Tang Feng sighed minutely. He continued, “Female students with good looks, come out...”
“Cough, cough!”
Quite a lot of people coughed.
‘Instructor, is this necessary?’
Everyone could understand the purpose of the previous recruits.
Although the special training class had been organized in preparation for the National Championship, they needed a few students to be the brains behind the brawn. The students from the School of Tactics and Strategy could fulfill that role.
They could understand the need for people who were skilled in weaponry maintenance and repair as well as information analysis.
What the heck was “good looks” though?
Old Tang would not give his students some benefits because he thought that the class composition was too one-sided, would he?
Tang Feng said stoically, “I want to try a new teaching style to see if you all will balk just because your opponents are pretty.”
Some girls in the crowd looked stricken.
Try, what?
Try to make them stand in the arena and get beat up?
Among the crowd Fang Ping was in, Yang Xiaoman muttered to herself, “I won’t get the same kind of treatment too, will I?’
She was quite confident in her looks. Fang Ping and the others did not reply her question.
Everyone did not know if Tang Feng’s strategy would be effective. At last, two female students from the School of Social Sciences were recruited by Tang Feng into the class.
Fu Changding was happy about it. He laughed. “Nice. This tactic of Instructor Tang’s is quite ingenious.”
He obviously had not thought too much about it at that time.
Tang Feng did not say much about it. Did everyone think he was kidding?
Kidding, their asses!
As a Peak Rank-6 martial artist, he did not have the time and need to make a joke out of students.
He was serious!
The two girls would serve as targets used to test everyone else. Of course, the two girls had signed up for the class. It meant that they were interested. Now, Tang Feng was essentially giving them a privilege.
“There are three more places to fill.”
Tang Feng eyed the rest, thought for a while and then said, “Is there anyone who has a special skill? Of course, those whose so-called special abilities are something like running fast and singing can shut up.
“By special skills, I mean something that can serve to be useful in the National Championship.”
Someone hesitated before raising his hand. “Instructor, I can memorize maps. Does that count?
“Even if they’re complicated, I can memorize them in a matter of minutes. I have an affinity for directions and geographical distribution...”
Tang Feng’s eyes lit up. He nodded. “It does! Come out!”
“Instructor, I’m skilled in logistical management...”
“No!”
“Instructor, I can offer psychological consultations. If the students get hurt, I can reassure them...
“No!”
Tang Feng said no to quite a lot of people. Only two places were left at that time.
At last, he chose two students who had adequate Vitalities and showed some progress in their bone-honing. He did not pick any student who had “special skills”.
The 50-person class was now full.
...
“Instructor Tang did it quite haphazardly, huh? The selection is finished, just like that?”
Fu Changding commented offhandedly. He had assumed that the selection process would be more complicated, but it had ended before he could take stock of it.
Fang Ping laughed in response. “He’s prioritizing efficiency. Plus, they’ll have to form a team from the 50 people anyway, so there’s no point in wasting too much time.”
If the selection for the special training class was as long as half a month, it might as well not have been opened.
There were only three months until the end of the semester. They did not have much time to waste.
Tang Feng dismissed the others after the selection process had been completed, not caring if they were happy about it.
After everyone else had left, Tang Feng said without beating around the bush, “Time is short. The University never organized any special training class like this for the past few years because there wasn’t any need for it.
“The school was founded to train groups of people collectively instead of just focusing on certain individuals.
“However, we now have no choice but to do so. That’s why we don’t have any past experiences on the matter that we can refer to.
“We instructors are similar to you in this regard, that we’re going into it blindly and can only feel it out.
“Of course, it won’t be that difficult. Our goal is to win the National Championship, so we’ll only have to do everything with this goal in mind.
“In the end, everything is still about skill, experience, and ability.
“There are lots of ways to hone your skills. Hone more bones, increase your Vitality, practice your combat techniques and stance...
“You’ll need resources to do all that, so the school will provide them for you.
“They’re not for free though. You’ll have to fight for them yourselves.
“The 10 credits you get when you’re selected for the class are yours. Everything after that will depend on your performance. The better you are, the more you’ll get.
“Now, there are 50 students in total in this class. We instructors don’t have too much time to waste on minor affairs like herding you all to attend class or informing you about other stuff.
“As always, we’ll pick a class monitor who’ll be in charge of everything aforementioned.
“Of course, we won’t let his efforts be in vain. 10 credits...”
“Only 10?”
Fang Ping muttered from his position in the crowd. He thought that they were being a little too stingy.
Was it worth for him to waste all that time for 10 credits?
It was as if she had noticed Fang Ping’s expression or heard what he had muttered; Lu Fengrou, who had kept silent until then, piped up, “If someone thinks that the credits aren’t worth the effort, you could just hand the responsibility over to someone else. It’s that simple.
“There are 50 people in this class. If you’re the monitor, you can just defeat one person completely and make him run your errands while you get the credits without doing anything.”
“Instructor Lu!’
Tang Feng was somewhat displeased. Lu Fengrou said serenely, “If the freshmen don’t feel any pressure, can this still be called a special training class?
“Think. If someone’s forced to run errands and work for nothing, would he be willing to do so?
“If he’s indignant, he’d naturally have the momentum to avenge himself.
“Only when everyone has a motive and the desire to improve, will the special training class live up to its name.
“That’s it, I think that it’s quite an effective method.”
...
The students were all astounded.
Was it even possible?
Fang Ping was surprised, too. This trick of Lu Fengrou’s... It was ingenious!
Tang Feng and the other instructors obviously disapproved of it, but they relented without a word at the end.
In a martial arts university, one should fight for what they wanted.
Although extortion was generally frowned upon, Lu Fengrou was right in that the freshmen lacked motivation. Maybe it was a solution.
The National Championship was looming. They had to employ every solution there was.
“Getting those credits without any effort...” Fang Ping muttered.
Lu Fengrou spoke again, “Of course, the person holding the position can change as you become more skilled – every half a month, maybe? The monitor will be awarded 10 credits every time. With this, everyone should be more motivated to vie for the position.”
No one had objections anymore. The students’ eyes glinted.
Every half a month?
There were three months left before the commencement of the championship. That meant six times, 60 credits!
60 credits was not a small sum!
Fang Ping could not help but eye Lu Fengrou. His mentor was lobbying for his benefits, was she not?
She was obviously giving him a perk, but it was concealed under a facade!
Tang Feng and the others thought of it as well. They looked at Lu Fengrou and were pissed off.
Lu Fengrou yawned. “What are y’all eyeing me for? Is this not a good idea, giving everyone motivation?
“Just ask the students if they’re willing to do so.”
Although no one spoke, Tang Feng could see that his disciples Zhao Lei and Yang Xiaoman were both enthused with the possible reward.
Other skilled students were also clamoring for it.
Lu Fengrou’s suggestion was rough around the edges, but the students had obviously been ignited.
Tang Feng was sort of helpless. He knew of Fang Ping’s high prowess compared to the others.
Fine. If Fang Ping ended up assuming the position for six periods, the others would get riled up too. It was a good idea to erect a rival for the students.
It was only a matter of 60 credits anyway.
After some thought, Tang Feng said, “We’ll go with Instructor Lu’s suggestion then. Does anyone have anything to say in regards to it?”
If the students had something to say, they were too shy to. If they raised any questions, it implied that they were not confident in themselves.
After Tang Feng greenlit her suggestion, Lu Fengrou smiled at Fang Ping. She was wearing an expression that blatantly said, “Hey, kid, I got you some perks”.
Fang Ping chuckled without saying anything about it.
“If none of you have any qualms, the election starts now. Anyone who’s interested can run for the position.”
After Tang Feng had finished speaking, Lu Fengrou said abruptly, “Don’t waste time. I have something else to do.
“Fang Ping, exit the ranks!”
Fang Ping walked out. Lu Fengrou straightforwardly said to him, “Do you want to be the class monitor?”
“Yes!”
Fang Ping did not hesitate this time, 60 credits!
From what he observed at the mission claiming system the past day, even the reward for killing a Peak Rank-2 martial artist fell short of the reward – doing so would only yield him 20 credits.
60 credits was almost the minimum sum one was awarded for killing a Rank-3 martial artist.
One would only earn so little even after killing a Rank-3 martial artist. Now that the position was free, why would Fang Ping not be willing to seize it?
“Good that you do,” Lu Fengrou said while contemplating.
“Instructor Tang’s two disciples are highly extraordinary, everyone can see that.
“We’re all Rank-6 instructors. I have some pride too you know.
“You’re my disciple. Someone has reservations as they fear that I’m not equipped to mentor students. I have to prove that I deserve the salary I earn.
“You’re going to challenge the other instructor’s two students. If you win, you’ll be the class monitor. If you don’t, you’ll serve the others for free. Anything you wanna say?”
Fang Ping could not possibly ruin his mentor’s dignity, not when she had gone all out to get him a few perks. He replied without hesitation, “No!”
“How about everyone else?”
Lu Fengrou asked. No one answered.
Zhao Lei and Yang Xiaoman were one of a kind among all freshmen. If Fang Ping managed to beat them, no one else could possibly win against him.
“Zhao Lei, Yang Xiaoman, what about you two?’
Zhao Lei replied immediately, “I have no problems with it.”
Yang Xiaoman hesitated for a while before shaking her head as well.
“Let’s start then. Which one of you wants to come first?”
Zhao Lei said without hesitation, “Me!”
Fang Ping did not meander, making his way out of the crowd immediately. He laughed. “Zhao Lei, let’s make an agreement first. You better not cry or hold a grudge on me after this.
“Also, if you lose, you have to work for me without anything in return. You’ll have to inform everyone about the class sessions and stuff.”
Zhao Lei exhaled noisily. “Sure, It’ll be the same for you if you lose.”
“Of course!”
Fang Ping agreed easily. He did not wait for the command to start before dashing forward abruptly.
Zhao Lei had not recovered from the conversation before Fang Ping’s fist barreled toward him.
As he retaliated, Fang Ping withdrew.
His fist was withdrawn abruptly. Zhao Lei neither expected Fang Ping to attack first, nor did he expect him to feint.
He moved to retreat, but then Fang Ping’s leg collided with his knee.
Zhao Lei stumbled, almost toppling to the floor. At that time, Fang Ping formed a fist again and punched him on the nose.
“Uh...”
Blood streamed out of Zhao Lei’s nose as tears began to flow.
“I told you not to cry but here you are!”
Fang Ping punched his forehead, saying casually as he landed hit after hit, “I told you not to hold a grudge but you did!”
“Bang!”
“I’m actually quite personable. You thought that I didn’t hear what you said to Yang Xiaoman and the others?”
“Bang!”
“You’re always pissing me off. Think you’re so badass because you honed more bones than me, huh?”
“Bang!”
“Next time you try to provoke me, I’ll f*ck you up so bad that your daddy won’t be able to tell who you are!”
“Bang!”
“My sister’s ruling a devoted clique somewhere. That’s why I want to be the boss of all freshmen. You have an opinion on that, huh?”
“Bang!”
“...”
Before anyone could even react, Fang Ping had Zhao Lei on the ground and was thrashing him repeatedly. Fist after fist rained on the other boy until he was dizzy enough to the point that he had forgotten where he was.
The corner of Tang Feng’s lips twitched, but he did not speak up.
Fang Ping did not land any serious blows. They looked severe, but their impact was merely reflected on the surface.
Could he have hit somewhere else than the other’s face though?
Judging from how Zhao Lei looked by the end of it, he could not make a public appearance throughout the following week.
...
In the crowd.
Chen Yunxi watched Yang Xiaoman’s face turn pale. She said softly, “Give up and just surrender. Zhao Lei’s a guy, but if Fang Ping does that to you too...”
The color on Yang Xiaoman’s face began to drain even more rapidly.
She could not imagine how she would live with it for four years if Fang Ping did the same to her as well.
After a while, Fang Ping was sated. He stood up and laughed. “Yang Xiaoman, it’s now down to the two of us!”
“You... You want to hit me?”
“Of course. Did you not hear what Instructor Tang had said? Fighting against pretty girls is also a way to train. Instructor Tang, I’m not wrong, am I?”
Tang Feng’s face darkened while Lu Fengrou was all smiles.
“I... I surrender!”
Yang Xiaoman was embarrassed and furious. She did not dare step up to the challenge.
Fang Ping was somewhat regretful as he said, “Aw, what a pity. Fine, you better not hold grudges next time. I don’t like trouble, and holding grudges is really bad for you. Look at me, I don’t hold any grudges.”
He had overheard the girl talking sh*t about him quite a few times.
Zhao Lei as well!
Did everyone think that he really did not hold any grudges?
What a joke! It was only because he did not have the chance to avenge himself before! If Yang Xiaoman had come first, he would have made her face as swollen as a pig’s too!