Chapter 33: Dispute

Chapter 33: Dispute

"Nothing special?"

Before the young instructor could continue, the middle-aged man standing alone in a secluded corner suddenly spoke in a deep, slightly hoarse voice, carrying the weight of years. He gave a cold snort and pointed at him, saying, "Come on, show these blind folks the detailed data of his performance!"

The young instructor hurriedly responded, "Yes, Deputy Commander Wang!"

The speaker was named Wang Jian.

One of the deputy commanders of the Silver Dragon Battalion, Wang Jian held a position second only to the third prince, Mu Ziyu, the overall commander of the Silver Dragon Battalion. Although he had spent recent years indulging in alcohol and living recklessly, when it came to serious matters, he always managed to complete them perfectly, often to everyone's surprise.

Moreover, in his early years, he had led troops to repel an invading force attempting to breach the empire, subduing them and allowing the empire to study and cultivate them for trial purposes. Several years ago, he had also saved the third prince, Mu Ziyu, from a demonic clan, losing his right leg permanently in the process. Because of this, even though he often slacked off, Mu Ziyu couldn't bring himself to strip him of his position.

Others still respected him to some extent.

Hearing his words, they dared not be negligent and immediately straightened their attitudes.

They were actually quite puzzled.

Someone of Wang Jian's status wouldn't normally lower himself to supervise the assessments of new students. They couldn't tell if Mu Ziyu's patience with him had finally run out, assigning him such low-level tasks as a warning.

Their thoughts varied.

Until their eyes fell on the data displayed on the young instructor's tablet, their eyes first widened like saucers, then they frowned in doubt.

Wang Jian, unusually verbose today, said, "Such perfect score control proves that his perception, control, and calculation of surrounding things are excellent! The last time someone displayed such talent was a student like Lu Cheng."

"And then? It proved that in actual combat, he indeed has the superb ability to precisely target the source crystals on invading species! Such a talent, once trained, can become an excellent leader on the battlefield! Isn't that special enough? Doesn't that meet the third prince's expectations?!"

Wang Jian grew more and more excited, his neck even turning red.

Everyone was stunned by his outburst, finding his reasoning sound while also feeling a bit puzzled.

—Deputy Commander Wang, usually so laid-back and carefree, why is he so passionately concerned about the eldest son of the Xu family?

Both from the Silver Dragon Battalion, could they know each other?

Wang Jian didn't care what they thought, only saying what he wanted to say: "If this isn't satisfactory, then go find other promising talents on your own, and don't waste his time! Go see if there's anyone else who can bring such a pleasant surprise in just one month!"

His tone inexplicably carried a hint of pride.

However, after glancing again at Xu Qingran's data, they felt they could understand Wang Jian's rare excitement. The students in the academy were all top talents from across the entire empire, but to stand out among such a group indeed required certain skills.

Moreover, Xu Qingran was also a product of the Silver Dragon Battalion. After graduation, he might very well return to serve in the Silver Dragon. As a deputy commander of the Silver Dragon, Wang Jian's pride was only natural!

At the trial site.

After coming down, Xu Qingran didn't even glance back at the detailed data recorded by the academy system. After confirming the total time, he was about to leave. Turning his head to scan the area, he suddenly noticed that Feng Wei, who always loved to follow him around and chatter, was conspicuously absent.

Later, he found out that Feng Wei had been attacked and injured the night before, unable to participate in the assessment.

When Xu Qingran saw his condition at the medical center, he was quite surprised.

"Eldest son, are you here to visit me?!" Feng Wei, who had been feeling down, instantly perked up upon seeing him, "I'm so touched, this proves you truly consider me a friend!"

Feng Wei's problem was quite similar to his, both having been ambushed with that mental suppression spray. However, Feng Wei's condition was more severe, with bruises from being beaten all over his arms and face, patches of blue and purple here and there, looking quite miserable.

One of his eyes was swollen, covered with a bandage, instantly turning him into a one-eyed wolf.

Xu Qingran said, "I heard you couldn't even participate in the assessment, so I wanted to see how bad it really was."

Feng Wei grinned and started chattering again, "Did the eldest son also encounter the same thing as me last night?"

"That bad guy was clearly targeting us, the top students!"

"Fortunately, the eldest son wasn't affected and could still take the assessment."

"It's so despicable, do you think it could be someone from our class group? Can't win fairly, so they resort to underhanded tactics!"

"It's hard to say," Xu Qingran interjected.

He wasn't sure about others, but based on his own experience, he thought...

If it were a classmate from the A-S level group, even if he was relaxed about his surroundings, he wouldn't be completely unaware. To conceal their presence to the point where he couldn't detect it would require a higher level of spiritual pool than his current body's, and at least a double S.

Feng Wei lamented, "Who would have thought that in a top university like Grandis, we could encounter such petty students."

"No choice, the instructors said my situation means I'll have to wait for the make-up exam at the end of the year."

"A make-up exam it is, no big deal, it'll be a breeze."

Then he asked, "By the way, eldest son, how did your assessment turn out today?"

"Without me around, the best result in our class group should be yours, right?"

Xu Qingran met his gaze for a few seconds, then gave a slight smile, "No, I only just met the passing standard."

Feng Wei looked even more disappointed than Xu Qingran did, "It's all because of that despicable sneak attack!"

At that moment, a military doctor happened to walk by and interrupted their conversation.

The doctor said to Feng Wei with a surprised tone, "Feng, during your recent check-up, we detected signs of instability in your soul. We estimate that you'll enter a stabilization phase within 1-2 months."

"During this period, you may need to visit the medical room at least once a week. If your condition deteriorates, we may consider using a spiritual suppression spray on you."

"Ah? Please, no, I'm already terrified of that stuff..."

Xu Qingran slipped away quietly.

The first assessment project concluded successfully.

Xu Qingran's unconventional success also earned him recognition in a unique way. Some top-tier students, upon hearing about his 'carefully' planned assessment results, scoffed and claimed they could do the same. However, after a week, none of them managed to achieve precise score control in any of the challenges.

Thus, the mocking remarks about Xu Qingran gradually died down.

Life at the military academy turned out to be more monotonous than expected.

There was only a one-day break between the end of each learning project and the start of new courses. During this period, almost completely cut off from the outside world, Xu Qingran immersed himself in training and self-improvement, finding great joy in it.

There was just a minor incident in between.

Not long after Feng Wei resumed training with the class group, the school found the person who had framed them. In fact, apart from them, several other classmates had also been attacked. The academy admits many new students every year, and such issues always occur. Despite all precautions, they always find various loopholes to attack their classmates.

However, when Xu Qingran found out the identity of the perpetrator, he was doubly surprised.

First, it was actually a small classmate who lived on the same dormitory floor as him and had previously weakly reminded him to be cautious about befriending Feng Wei.

Second, the classmate's spiritual pool was only A-level, which didn't quite match what he felt during their encounter. Of course, it's also possible that the classmate used some special banned substances.

He questioned the instructors, but they said the little classmate had personally confessed to it.

On the day he was expelled, the little classmate packed his belongings and deliberately knocked on Xu Qingran's dormitory door.

As soon as Xu Qingran opened the door, he saw him with eyes red and swollen like a rabbit's, bowing deeply and apologizing: "I'm sorry, Xu Qingran, I let you down. I shouldn't have attacked you out of envy and jealousy."

As he spoke, tears welled up in his eyes again, looking utterly pitiful.

Xu Qingran's expression remained as cold as usual, his heart as cold as stone, showing no sympathy.

After a moment of silence, he brought up another matter: "The medicinal spray is only available in the infirmary, and our luggage was strictly screened before entering the school, so it's impossible for any contraband to have gotten through."

"So I'm quite curious, how did you manage to steal something from the locked infirmary?"

The little classmate was shaking all over, whether from fear or something else.

After a long time, he still didn't answer Xu Qingran's question, only biting his lip, tears streaming, he said, "I'm sorry."

Xu Qingran suddenly smiled, his intentions unclear.

His tone was icy and detached: "Are you sure the person you should really be apologizing to is me?"

The little classmate was stunned, and when he looked up again, the door to room 6038 had already been slammed shut.

Amidst the loud noise, there was a hint of disappointment.

He stood frozen outside the door for a few more minutes, then wiped away his tears and left, crestfallen.

In the academy, there are often those who fall behind and drop out.

Some can't keep up due to physical or other reasons, unable to handle the intense training, while others seriously violate discipline. There are too many people in the school, so most of the time, no one notices their silent exit.

Time passed unknowingly for several more months.

Feng Wei, as spirited as ever, just as the military doctor had predicted, experienced soul stabilization after more than two months. However, his soul and spirit ultimately settled into the N-type (Normal Type), which most people possess.

The normal type is possessed by over ninety percent of the population.

They possess unlimited potential for development in any field, with the only difference being the level of their spiritual pool. As long as they can reach 3S, they can still become top figures in various fields.

Not becoming the expected E-type, with his spiritual pool capped at 3S, Feng Wei's feelings were unclear, and Xu Qingran didn't offer any comfort. From the surface, it didn't seem like he was too dissatisfied, just a bit regretful.

Feng Wei found joy in his hardship: "It's okay, at least this way we won't have the possibility of disliking each other in the future."

"When the eldest son becomes an E-type in the future, you must take good care of me!"

Xu Qingran smiled silently.

Over the months, he rotated through learning many projects.

Starting from the basics, including combat and close-quarters combat techniques, etc. These were basics for others, but for Xu Qingran, it was all about refining his skills, and his project evaluations were all crushing victories.

Setting aside spiritual power, even the 3S Feng Wei might not be able to match him in basics.

The instructors, who were instructed to keep a close eye on him, gradually became satisfied, and the third prince Mu Ziyu, who received the report, was delighted and decided to arrange a special 'reward' for him.

"...What?"

In the office, Xu Qingran sat face to face with the dean, his calm expression slightly startled after hearing what he had to say.

He frowned and said: "I don't understand, what does giving me benefits have to do with having Lu Cheng as my mentor to guide me?"

Is this really a reward, not a punishment?

The dean smiled warmly: "It's like this, aren't you about to start the project course on the use of psychic guns soon? This is a basic skill that a qualified soldier needs to master, and it's a technique that excellent officers need to maximize."

"Major General Lu is the most promising person in our Silver Dragon Battalion in recent years. He has mastered the use of psychic weapons. It's only because your performance during this period meets the level of a special invitee that we arranged for him to give you special training. How could that not be a benefit?"

The dean's sincere smile made Xu Qingran extremely suspicious whether these high-ranking officers had not heard about his and Lu Cheng's gossip.

And, after just a few months without contact with the outside world, Xu Qingran realized—Lu Cheng got promoted?

It seems he’s doing pretty well.

After thinking, Xu Qingran asked again: "I remember that students at the military academy do not belong to any faction during their studies."

"Although I come from the Silver Dragon Battalion, does my benefit mentor have to be from the Silver Dragon Battalion?"

The dean was momentarily at a loss for words.

It's true what you say, but the academy rules are set by the royal family. The third prince made this request, and it's certainly not to benefit the rival faction. Assigning Lu Cheng is also an attempt to use this trusted general to win over Xu Qingran, ensuring he chooses the Silver Dragon Battalion after graduation.

As the one who issued the special invitation to Xu Qingran, Mu Ziyu does have the authority to make mandatory decisions, but what he wants is absolute obedience. He prefers not to use that privilege unless necessary.

The dean pondered for a moment and said: "Indeed, it has nothing to do with factions."

"Let me be honest with you, this is all arranged by the third prince. As the supreme commander of the Silver Dragon Battalion, the mentor he assigns will naturally come from his own faction. That is to say, the Golden Wing Battalion has no intention of arranging benefits for you, and I have no other way."

Hearing that Xu Qingran still wanted to choose, the dean thought he was being ungrateful and putting on airs, so he tutted and said: "If you want other options, someone else would have to be willing to take you on. At the level of Major General Lu, if it weren't for a noble like the third prince stepping in, he might not be willing to come."

His tone carried a hint of warning against ingratitude.

Xu Qingran chuckled after hearing this.

Then he stood up: "Alright, I understand."

After saying that, he left the dean's office.

When Xu Qingran came out of the academy office building, the sun was already halfway below the horizon.

It was winter now.

Although the continent where the Azure Star Academy is located doesn't get much snow, the temperature is still very low. The students he passed on the road were all bundled in down jackets and holding thermal cups filled with hot water.

By the time he returned to the dormitory, it was already dark.

A small iron box sat on the desk.

These two days were the end of the month when students could collect their phones and communication devices for contacting the outside world. Today was the last day, and in the dormitory and corridors, students were chatting with their families or cuddling with their partners.

Every month at this time, Xu Qingran collected his items but rarely opened them.

On the rare occasions he took them out to charge, he would just surf the internet casually. He wasn't outside, and the Star Horizon forum and the internet were quite calm, with no hot topics related to people or things he was familiar with.

He glanced at it, and Xu Qingran unusually took out the communication device, and then left the dormitory.

Xu Qingran came to the deserted cafeteria, poured himself a cup of hot water to ward off the chill, and dialed someone's communication.

Unlike previous times, this call took a while to connect.

The other end was quiet, with only faint sounds, suggesting a relatively calm and safe environment.

Xu Qingran drank his water, not the first to break the silence.

Until the person on the other end uttered a sound: "Hmm?"

The tone was drawn out, sounding lazily seductive, very much like someone who had just woken up.

However, at this time, he probably wasn't asleep yet.

"Shen Tingyu," Xu Qingran finally spoke, his tone calm, "Long time no see."

The person on the other end chuckled lightly: "It has been a while."

He added: "I suppose you didn't call me because you missed me, right?"

Xu Qingran silently smiled.

"There's something," he replied, "What's your opinion of me?"

There was a pause on the other side.

After a deep breath, he asked: "In what aspect?"

Xu Qingran raised an eyebrow: "As a potential military recruit."

"Aside from the spiritual pool level, you excel in all aspects," the person on the other end of the communicator answered honestly, "Including spiritual power, though there's still room for improvement."

The hot water felt comforting as it went down his throat.

Xu Qingran narrowed his eyes, resembling a lazy cat: "What if I guarantee to raise my spiritual pool to 3S level?"

Shen Tingyu then said: "Then you would be a perfect candidate."

Xu Qingran nodded in satisfaction: "So, General Shen, would you be willing to spare some time to guide this candidate?"

There was a moment of silence on the other end, not delving into the reasons behind his request, but instead asking unhurriedly: "What do I get out of it?"

Xu Qingran lowered his eyes in thought for a moment, then said confidently: "How about this: I'll give you a 'get out of jail free' card."

"When I surpass you in ability and feel like killing you in anger, I'll consider this favor and not finish you off."

Shen Tingyu laughed in exasperation.

He scolded, "Xu Qingran, you have quite the thick skin."

Xu Qingran accepted the comment and then explained: "Today, the dean told me that the third prince of the empire is arranging for Lu Cheng to take charge of my subsequent learning projects. Although I don't know what the Silver Dragon Battalion thinks, I also want to try the people and environment of the Golden Wing."

Maybe he'll decide to switch sides.

Thinking about it, he added: "Actually, it doesn't necessarily have to trouble you. If someone under you, like Xie Nanjun, is available, that would work too. Just consider it a favor, and if you ever need my help in the future, I can agree to anything, even murder and arson."

Mainly, he didn't want to give the dean too much face.

There was no response from the other end for a while.

Just as he was wondering if he had really angered the person, he suddenly heard a muffled groan, followed by suppressed gasps.

Xu Qingran: "?"

Some inappropriate and bizarre images suddenly flashed through his mind.

He fell silent for a moment before finally finding his voice again: "...Did I interrupt you in the middle of some... intimate activity?"

Perhaps because this person was still an unavoidable target in his plans, his tone carried a hint of irritation.

In the study of the Shen family, Shen Tingyu closed his eyes and took a moment to calm himself before forcing his eyes open again.

He smiled helplessly: "No, just a flare-up of my condition."

Thanks to Ming Hai's attack, his already problematic mental reservoir had worsened. Recently, he had been forcibly assigned excessive tasks by a certain top-ranking general. Just as he was about to grab an inhibitor after taking a shower, he accidentally passed out.

If it weren't for Xu Qingran's communication request, he might have stayed on the floor a little longer.

After a brief rest, the intense pain in Shen Tingyu's body had subsided a bit.

He got up and walked toward the metal cabinet containing the medication, grabbing the last dose of inhibitor. As he skillfully administered it, he replied to Xu Qingran: "Got it. I actually need to head over there too."

The teaching request from the Grandis Military Academy had been delayed for months, and it was high time he went.

Moreover—

Shen Tingyu glanced at the email page displayed on the computer screen on his desk.

Prince Mu Ziyue, somehow, had learned about Xu Qingran and seemed to have secretly sent people to monitor his situation at the military academy. He had also sent a new directive, instructing Shen Tingyu to approach Xu Qingran and, if possible, take him away from Mu Ziyu.

However, the idea of having Xu Qingran owe him a favor was quite tempting.

Thus, he chose not to mention this to him.

"Is there really no permanent cure for your mental reservoir problem?" Shen Tingyu had just finished injecting the inhibitor when he heard Xu Qingran's hesitant question.

"Not in the medical field, at least for now," Shen Tingyu replied, smiling faintly. "Though the esoteric realm might have an answer."

Xu Qingran was puzzled: "Huh?"

He had just thrown his empty water cup into the cafeteria's automatic cleaning machine and was puzzled by this response.

—In this futuristic interstellar setting, metaphysics still exists?

Then he heard Shen Tingyu add: "They say finding a compatible high-tier D-type partner could cure me."

Xu Qingran pushed open the door and started heading back to his dorm, thinking, *Oh, I see.*

During his time at the academy, he had picked up some knowledge about these D-types and E-types.

It was said that the signs of a D-type before they fully matured included traits like being gentle, soft-spoken, and exuding a divine presence. He tried applying these traits to himself, but considering he had recently beaten a few people so badly they could hardly function, he naturally excluded himself from the possibility of being a D-type.

So, he offered Shen Tingyu his most "sincere" blessing: "As a token of gratitude, I wish General Shen a swift meeting with that compatible D-type."

Shen Tingyu, upon hearing this, replied: "That's a cruel wish."

E-types, when lucid, refused to seek partners, let alone the overly constrained D-types.

He lowered his gaze, smiling coldly, and declared firmly: "I'd rather die from my illness than be bound to a D-type for life."

Xu Qingran wasn't surprised.

This was very much in line with Shen Tingyu's character.

At the stroke of midnight, the dormitory machine administrator arrived promptly to collect the small iron box.

The next day, Xu Qingran and his classmates started a new training session. Due to the risk of accidental injuries and the need for a more expansive learning environment, this course required them to fly to another continent on the same planet.

Most of the area there retained a very natural, primitive environment, surrounded by high iron walls, as if there were some dangerous creatures inside that needed to be prevented from escaping to human settlements.

Feng Wei, who was more knowledgeable, told him: "This place is called Linglong City. What you see now is only a part of this continent. There is actually a large underground base below."

"Inside, they specialize in researching and cultivating some alien species that have historically invaded the empire. Some species reproduce quite quickly, mostly through division, making them very suitable as targets for the students' combat training."

Xu Qingran, following a professional instructor, began to train with the guns used to fight alien species.

Then he discovered that the weapon was even harder to control than he had anticipated. Due to lack of experience during his first use, each time he fired, the recoil impact on his mental reserves was particularly strong, causing his vision to spin wildly.

It wasn't just him; every student in his class found it difficult to adapt.

Except for Feng Wei, who came from a noble family and had the opportunity to be exposed to related equipment from a young age, he handled it relatively well.

Meanwhile, Lu Cheng arrived at the academy base three days later.

But unexpectedly, another person he didn't really want to meet arrived the same day.

In the office, the dean looked at the two important figures sitting across the desk. One had an extremely gloomy expression, while the other still wore a polite smile, their powerful auras left him feeling overwhelmed.

He was well aware of the various grievances between the two sides but could only pretend not to know, forcing a polite smile: "Thank you both for taking the time out of your busy schedules to return to the academy and provide additional practical combat instruction for the students."

Lu Cheng said nothing.

Shen Tingyu, however, said calmly: "You're too kind, Dean. But before the instruction, I have a request from our Commander-in-Chief."

"He later watched the entrance exam recordings and was impressed by a student's abilities. He hopes to have him added to my training group roster."

Upon hearing this, Lu Cheng tightened his fist slightly.

He had a sudden feeling of dread.

The dean nodded: "May I ask who the student is?"

Shen Tingyu replied with a smile: "A student named Xu Qingran."

As soon as the words fell, Lu Cheng, sitting beside him, stood up with a grim expression and angrily asked: "Shen Tingyu, are you doing this on purpose?!"

Shen Tingyu chuckled lightly and replied calmly: "Yes."