The press conference was over, and logically, I should have had a lot on my plate.
Like producing a new batch of medicines to put on shelves, researching locations for global chain stores, and responding to the public’s frenzy over this explosive news…
But instead, I just took Cluru back to school.
There was a small river in the schoolyard. Cluru and I sat by its edge, curled up beneath a box, with one of Cluru’s tentacles propping the box open.
We quietly gazed at the surface of the lake.
Cluru’s eyes looked somewhat dazed.
I understood how she felt.
Perhaps only I could truly understand her.
Only I knew what those restless nights filled with hatred felt like.
And now, we had finally severed one of our enemy’s legs.
Watching the enemy on the verge of a pitiful wail, after all these years, our hearts finally found a tiny bit of relief and satisfaction…
This satisfaction made us feel unreal and afraid.
Afraid that it was all just a fleeting dream, and more afraid that we would give up halfway because of this small sense of contentment.
“……”
We didn’t say a word and just sat there quietly.
Until dusk, then we went back to sleep.
When we stood up, the cold and resolute look of vengeance had returned to our eyes.
*
“The sunny day is so bright~ Milk must be drunk full~” Early the next morning, I carried a milk jug half my height, drinking as I headed to class.
Too heavy to carry alone, Cluru had to help hold it up with her tentacle.
“Hi.”
I was already feeling a bit too full to drink more.
“No wasting the dairy cow’s effort! Since you bought it, you have to finish it all, not a drop left,” said the Xuanwu Instructor, eyes glazed like a dead fish, staring hard at me.
It felt like if I didn’t finish it, she’d force-feed it all to me.
This Overnight Bobo woman was terrifying.
Today was Xuanwu Instructor’s class. As soon as we entered, she immediately tapped her watch.
“Everyone, set your Bai Ze Communicators to Xuanwu Class Mode,” she yawned lazily, still half-asleep, and said to us.
The yawns were contagious, making the entire classroom feel drowsy.
But once we switched our watches to Xuanwu Class Mode, we suddenly perked right up.
“Your Health Bar is so long!”
“Haha, yours is so short.”
After switching modes, we could see the Health Bars above our classmates’ heads!
Besides the Health Bars, our own names floated above us, each name accompanied by the corresponding Academy seal.
In an instant, our academy affiliation, spirit summoning type, and vitality—all these attributes were laid bare.
This was undoubtedly a huge advantage for missions and combat!
Even those with social anxiety who couldn’t remember names could immediately judge others’ specialties!
When coordinating in battle, we could quickly assign tasks based on the displayed information.
“Xiao Luo Xian, you…”
Everyone’s eyes fell on mine with a hint of shock.
The Xuanwu Instructor furrowed her brow, her gaze serious.
“Your Health Bar… is ridiculously short.”
Others’ bars were at least a meter long, but mine seemed barely a centimeter.
Uh… maybe from the overexertion yesterday during face-reading?
Reading someone’s bank card number and password like that wasn’t exactly a common face-reading technique.
Plus, the spell released on the female mother and child from the watch earlier was some shady dark art.
Lately, I had been using these methods a bit too often…
Ha! No problem!
Each time a cultivator breaks through a major stage, their lifespan extends.
Even if only a second of lifespan remains, successfully breaking through to the Golden Core stage could add a hundred years more.
“Your Health Bar is closely related to your health and damage resistance. With it this low… you might die instantly if attacked,” the Xuanwu Instructor said, utterly baffled, “I’ve never seen a Master this fragile in my life. You probably have just one drop of blood left.”
“No big deal, just a measly Health Bar,” I waved it off carelessly.
“We’re going to fight a BOSS later. Considering your Health Bar status, you better stay out of the frontline and act as logistics in the back,” the instructor sighed. “If something happens to you, I can’t take responsibility…”
“Fine.”
That meant I could take it easy.
“Alright, everyone, let’s move out. The destination is still Bridge over the River, and today’s target is still the water monkey.”
[Large Group Mission Start
Mission Name: How do you know I caught a 100-kilogram Wuzhiqi in Pujing River?
Objective: Defeat the Wuzhiqi terrorizing the riverbank
Reward: 1 to 1000 Academy Credits based on damage dealt to Wuzhiqi and logistics contribution.]
Our mission details popped up on the watch.
The Wuzhiqi had appeared again. Fortunately, this time it was not on the Bridge itself.
Instead, it was down on the riverbank under the Bridge.
[Mission Briefing:
The Wuzhiqi caught by Fishing Guy has gone berserk. To prevent harm to pedestrians along the riverbank, please eliminate the enraged Wuzhiqi as soon as possible.]
Fishing Guy really could catch anything but fish.
When are we organizing a few teams of Fishing Guys to take care of that Kun from the First Island Chain?
“Alright, that’s the situation. But this time, you don’t need to fight it one-on-one. It hasn’t set any barriers, and for a rampaging beast like this, we don’t need to play by the rules.”
The Xuanwu Instructor glanced at her watch. “This Wuzhiqi has already injured twelve Fishing Guys, and the number is still rising. You better finish it within ten minutes.”
“I’ll watch from the sidelines. Scouting, decision-making, fighting, and cleanup—all your responsibility.”
Because of my pitiful Health Bar, I didn’t need to join the reconnaissance.
Cluru and Zhu Yeqing took the lead, heading to the scene to scout.
Before leaving, Cluru glanced at me worriedly and sent a telepathic message: [Don’t be reckless. Stay hidden.]
[Alright, alright, I’m precious! No need to lecture me! Even if you get hit by the Wuzhiqi’s club and die, I won’t save you!]
Hearing that, Cluru seemed a lot more at ease.
I stood atop a building by the Bund, watching the Suzaku Recon Squad’s combat status from afar.
That Wuzhiqi was clearly no longer just 100 kilograms. Its waist had swollen until it spanned half the river; 100 tons wouldn’t be an exaggeration.
Its hair-covered ape arms were as thick as a small locomotive. With a sweep across the street, it sent small cars flying everywhere.
“Hmm… The intelligence seems off…” The Xuanwu Instructor frowned and tapped her watch. “The Bai Ze Communicator must have glitched. The twelve injured count is from half an hour ago. The current casualty count is… 5,700!”
And with this Wuzhiqi’s inexplicable size increase by hundreds of times, its mission rating had risen from F to A. This damn watch…
A-Class!
That was already comparable to a runaway maglev train!
Damn! Cluru’s in danger!