Chapter 32 The First Practical Class, Those Who Fail Go to Clean the Toilets…

Chapter 32: Those Who Fail the First Combat Class Must Clean the Toilets...

Yu Xing found Miao Yuanjin's words utterly baffling, imbued with a deranged, lovelorn intensity.

After her near-death experience today, she was exhausted both mentally and physically, with no energy left to spare for Miao Yuanjin.

She showered, drew the privacy curtain, and then lay in bed, scrolling on her device while fighting off sleep. She hadn’t yet gotten her money from Jiang Hui—she couldn't afford to sleep now.

"Whatcha doing?"

Yu Xing sent Jiang Hui a message before rolling over.

About a minute later, Jiang Hui replied.

"You got out?"

Yu Xing's lips curled into a cold smirk.

"What? Did you think I wouldn’t make it out?"

Jiang Hui hadn't doubted her, but he was surprised she’d emerged so quickly.

"You okay? Any injuries? My clinic offers free treatment, you know~"

Though he sounded cheerful, Yu Xing wasn't amused. She cut straight to the chase.

"I bumped into Wang Kunyu at the barbershop. He said you quoted him 50 million credits."

Jiang Hui: "..."

In the silent, empty clinic, Jiang Hui stared at his terminal, frozen.

He reclined on the hospital bed, one knee bent, the terminal’s glow casting an eerie pallor on his handsome face.

Three minutes passed before he finally replied.

"The price was agreed upon long ago."

By then, Yu Xing was already drifting off in bed, but the message still made her snort derisively. She despised men who tried to play games with her, and she decided to give this ungrateful bastard one last chance.

"If I have the power to eliminate a pollution source, I have the power to make you regret your attitude today."

The message popped up before his eyes, and Jiang Hui immediately straightened up. Stroking his chin, he wondered, amused—was he being threatened?

His mind flashed back to that day: a battered, disheveled girl barging into his clinic, carrying one person on her shoulder and dragging another behind her.

Malnourished and looking every bit the slum-dweller from District D, she’d been wearing a Seventh Middle School uniform. Cheap as dirt, yet she dared to threaten him?

Jiang Hui was used to dealing with Divine Chosen in his line of work. If he could be intimidated so easily, he might as well quit now.

His eyes gleamed as he prepared a razor-sharp reply—but then, as if reconsidering, he put away his device.

Standing up, he removed his white coat and took a long leather trench coat from the rack, pulling it on with gloved hands.

Zipping it up to the top, he stuck his hands in his pockets and strode out of the clinic.

Twenty minutes later, Jiang Hui arrived at the abandoned Tuanjie New Village complex, stopping outside Sister Xiu’s Barbershop.

The glass door of the shop was wide open, revealing its grimy, run-down interior.

Jiang Hui couldn't help but wonder which deity Yu Xing worshipped—something he still didn't know. Deep in thought, he stepped into the barbershop, where dust filled the air. Fortunately, he habitually wore a mask, so it didn’t bother him much.

As he walked, his expression gradually shifted.

When he reached the innermost room and saw the marks on the walls and the pile of black ashes on the floor, his eyes (the only part visible above the mask) widened in disbelief.

"This…" Jiang Hui’s heart pounded. Had he misjudged her? Was that little girl actually some deeply hidden big shot? Wasn’t she just a student?

Yu Xing didn’t wait for Jiang Hui’s reply—she’d fallen asleep.

When she woke, dawn was just breaking. Miao Yuanjin had woken her up.

Opening her eyes, she saw Miao Yuanjin holding up two outfits, holding them up to herself and asking, "Which one looks better?"

Yu Xing: "..."

She checked the time and was horrified to find it was a full half-hour before she usually woke up.

In a voice thick with horror, she asked, "You woke me up this early just to ask that?"

Miao Yuanjin’s pretty brows knit together as she retorted, "Early? It’s not early at all. I only woke you an hour ahead."

"..." Yu Xing couldn’t comprehend it. Clutching her chest like she’d been stabbed, she weakly asked, "We all live in the dorms—there’s no rush. Why would you wake up an hour early?"

Miao Yuanjin’s frown deepened, just as confused. "Don’t you need time to get ready?"

Yu Xing: "..."

"Cut the crap," Miao Yuanjin huffed, shaking the two outfits impatiently. "Which one looks better?"

"The green one," Yu Xing pointed at the green dress. "That one’s nicer."

Miao Yuanjin nodded—then tossed the green dress aside and picked up a sparkly, sequined dress, heading straight for the bathroom.

"Wait!" Yu Xing stretched out a hand, lying crookedly on the bed like a beached fish, yet stubbornly demanding, "I clearly said the green dress was better!"

"I heard you," Miao Yuanjin replied matter-of-factly. "But you’re a D-region gutter rat. Your taste in clothes is garbage, so whatever you like is exactly what I should avoid."

Yu Xing: "..."

Yu Xing had to admit—this woman made her blood boil.

Just like that, Miao Yuanjin had robbed her of a precious hour of sleep. An hour later, Yu Xing grudgingly hauled herself up, rushed through her morning routine, tossed on whatever, tied her hair into a crooked ponytail, and was ready to leave.

The whole process took less than five minutes. Miao Yuanjin watched, as if about to hyperventilate.

Unable to bear the sight, Miao Yuanjin clutched her chest, leaned against the wall, and staggered out—only to see Fei Mingming standing in the courtyard, mining for gold.

"Ah!" Miao Yuanjin shrieked.

Startled, Fei Mingming’s finger jerked, almost gouging his nose. He spun around in confusion. "What? What’s wrong?"

By the time Yu Xing stepped out, all she saw was Miao Yuanjin’s retreating figure. Fei Mingming pointed at her back and asked Yu Xing, "What’s her deal?"

Yu Xing had no clue how women’s minds worked, but after a moment’s thought, she concluded that Miao Yuanjin must have had a meltdown after failing to capture her attention.

With a sigh, Yu Xing mused, "The flower longs for the stream, but the stream flows cold. Unrequited love leaves nothing but endless regret."

Fei Mingming gasped in shock, "You write poetry too?"

At that moment, the others started trickling out from their dorm rooms. Just as they stepped out, they heard Fei Mingming's astonished voice and hurriedly asked, "What? Who can write poetry?"

"Yu Xing!" Fei Mingming clutched his chest dramatically, looking as if he had been struck. "She just composed this super emotional, heartbreaking poem..."

Yu Xing tried to explain but didn't know how. Coincidentally, Jiang Lingwen arrived just then.

Jiang Lingwen was still dressed in her white clerical robe, her expression as blank-faced as always. She gave them all an icy once-over and said, "Follow me. I’ll take you to breakfast."

Yu Xing had assumed Jiang Lingwen would lead them to the cafeteria, but instead, she took them to the playground and passed out nutrient packs to each of them.

This was ridiculous! Yu Xing gripped the nutrient pack and looked around, only to see the others opening theirs without hesitation and chugging them immediately.

Fine...

With a grimace, Yu Xing followed suit and drank the nutrient pack like everyone else. Once everyone had finished, Jiang Lingwen announced in her icy voice, "Starting today, I will be your battle coach."

Hearing this, the group broke into surprised whispers.

So their very first lesson after entering the church was fight training? How could this be? They didn’t even understand anything yet!

Ignoring the panic among the young men and women, Jiang Lingwen stood quietly in place and said, "I will stand right here. From now on, you may attack me freely. If I step out of this circle beneath my feet, I lose. Conversely, if you lose, there will be punishment."

Before anyone could react to the rules, Miao Yuanjin loudly protested, "Even me? I’m the Moon God’s Chosen!"

It was common knowledge that while Moon God’s Chosen had the ability to resist and purify contamination, their Divine Skills lacked any offensive capabilities. This rule was totally unfair to Miao Yuanjin.

To this, Jiang Lingwen replied indifferently, "Of course. No exceptions."

Miao Yuanjin’s eyes widened in disbelief. Then, someone else asked, "Teacher, what’s the punishment for losing?"

Jiang Lingwen answered deadpan, "Cleaning all the church toilets for a week."

"......"

Silence fell over the group. Just as they were about to wail in despair, they heard the sound of someone bawling her eyes out.

Turning, they saw Miao Yuanjin crying like her world was ending, whimpering between sobs, "Targeting me... she’s definitely targeting me... Wuwu, Daddy, I miss you so much..."

Her tears made the others too ashamed to cry themselves. After all, the most unfortunate one here wasn’t them—it was Miao Yuanjin, the Moon God’s Chosen with no offensive power at all.

That's just how people are—when someone else is worse off, one’s own suffering feels lighter. Thus, no further objections were raised, and everyone quietly stood aside.

Beneath Jiang Lingwen’s feet was a white circle about one meter in diameter. She stood within it, her hands hidden in the wide sleeves of her robe.

"Who will go first?" Jiang Lingwen asked coolly.

The group looked at each other nervously until Da Ya, with her curly brown hair, stepped forward.

"I’ll go!" Da Ya emerged from the crowd and stood before Jiang Lingwen.

Yu Xing studied the weirdly magnetic Da Ya, trying to recall which god’s Chosen she was. She remembered everyone introducing themselves yesterday, but there were too many people, and her memory was fuzzy.

Just as she was thinking, Da Ya suddenly clasped her hands together in front of her chest, closed her eyes slightly, and prayed earnestly, "Rain God, who nourishes all life, source of life, your faithful follower beseeches you to grant the power of torrential rain!"

As soon as she finished speaking, a dark cloud rapidly gathered above her head. The moment it formed, it seemed to take on a life of its own, drifting straight toward Jiang Lingwen.

The cloud stopped directly above Jiang Lingwen. Under everyone’s watchful eyes, it churned violently before releasing a steady drizzle, soaking Jiang Lingwen completely.

"......"

The scene was absolutely ridiculous—under a clear blue sky, Jiang Lingwen stood alone in the rain.

Yet despite being soaked, she didn't even flinch, her face completely blank. After all, the rain wasn’t heavy—just enough to wet her clothes, not enough to cause harm.

"Is that all?" Jiang Lingwen asked expressionlessly, still standing in the rain.

Da Ya turned red, then took a deep breath and shouted, "Rain God! Grant me even greater power!"

As soon as she spoke, the cloud above Jiang Lingwen expanded rapidly, and the rain intensified, shifting from a moderate drizzle to a heavy downpour. Puddles quickly formed on the ground.

The rain continued for a while until Da Ya finally couldn’t take it anymore. She plopped down on the ground, gasping for air as she clutched her head. "No more... no more... I’m out of spiritual energy!"

The cloud dissipated, the rain ceased, and the thoroughly drenched Jiang Lingwen coldly regarded her. "Get out of the way. Prepare to clean the toilets."

Da Ya, usually so resilient and optimistic, couldn’t hold back her tears now. Trembling, she stood up and slunk off to the side, totally defeated.

"Who’s next?" Jiang Lingwen called out.

"I’ll go!" This time, it was Fei Mingming who stepped forward, oozing confidence and a cocky smile.

If it were a direct fight against this clergy member, Fei Mingming would've been screwed. But since the rule was simply to force her out of the circle, the task seemed much easier.

Moreover, Rain God’s Chosen were notoriously poor at combat—most ended up in the Ministry of Agriculture rather than the military or the Divine Chosen Team. But he was different. If Da Ya couldn’t do it, Fei Mingming certainly could.

With this in mind, Fei Mingming gave a slight nod to Jiang Lingwen and said, "Then I’ll give it a shot."

He then whispered, "Plants, heed my call, grant me the power to bind!"

Fei Mingming was the Plant God’s Chosen. Yu Xing watched him thoughtfully, recalling the man who had played with whips in the park with Gu Ya—he, too, had been the Plant God’s Chosen.

After speaking, Fei Mingming glared at the ground. A long moment passed, but nothing happened.

His eyes widened in confusion and dismay. He raised his voice and shouted again, "Plants! Heed my call! Grant me the power to bind!"

This time, his voice was much louder, yet still, nothing occurred.

Fei Mingming was completely baffled. He could feel the energy coursing through him—so why wasn’t it working?

"Plants!!" Fei Mingming shouted until his voice cracked, "Heed my call!! Grant me the power to bind!!"

By now, his voice was shot, yet nothing changed.

"Ah..." Fei Mingming collapsed to his knees, grabbing his hair in frustration. "How could this be? Why is this happening?"

Jiang Lingwen merely shot him a look. "You’re the Plant God’s Chosen. Can’t you even sense whether there are any plant seeds in this soil?"

"Huh?" Fei Mingming’s jaw dropped.

Oh! His Divine Skill only worked on plants—if there were no plants or seeds here, his ability was useless.

"Get out of the way," Jiang Lingwen said dismissively. "Prepare to clean the toilets."

"...Oh." Fei Mingming slumped away and shuffled over to Da Ya.

Da Ya looked at him and said cheerfully, "Sweet! Now I won't have to clean the toilets alone."

Fei Mingming: "..."

The third to step forward was Ke Yuan. Yu Xing remembered the deity he worshipped—he was a Beloved of the God of Steel.

Ke Yuan lowered his head and muttered something under his breath. Suddenly, his body began to change—the skin exposed on his body took on a metallic sheen.

Was this the Divine Skill of a Beloved of the God of Steel? Metallizing his body—it seemed quite impressive. Yu Xing watched him with anticipation.

After fully metallizing, Ke Yuan slowly raised his head.

*Creak creak.*

Ke Yuan lifted his leg and began walking toward Jiang Lingwen.

*Creak creak clang... Creak creak clang... Creak creak clang...*

Everyone watched as Ke Yuan, stiff like a robot, slowly shambled toward Jiang Lingwen. Finally, he reached her and swung his fist.

*Creak creak... AHH!!!*

Ke Yuan was sent flying with a kick by Jiang Lingwen.

The fully metallized but inflexible Ke Yuan struggled on the ground like an overturned turtle, unable to get up for a long time.

Jiang Lingwen took a deep breath, refusing to look at Ke Yuan still floundering on the ground. Her voice was icy. "For the God of Steel to favor you is simply..."

She didn’t finish her sentence, but it was clearly nothing pleasant. Ke Yuan dispelled his metallization and shamefully shuffled to stand beside Fei Mingming and Da Ya.

"Hmph!" Jiang Lingwen said softly. "At least you're self-aware."

The next to step forward was Zhao Lan, a Beloved of the God of Frost. Yu Xing was quite interested in her Divine Skill.

Unlike the others, Zhao Lan didn’t chant anything. Instead, she simply raised her hand and leveled a finger at Jiang Lingwen.

The moment she did, a layer of frost formed over Jiang Lingwen’s body. Seeing her attack succeed, Zhao Lan’s eyes gleamed, and she pointed again.

This time, Jiang Lingwen was frozen solid, her body covered in a crystalline layer.

Just as Zhao Lan smiled, thinking she would be the first to succeed, a sudden glow erupted from Jiang Lingwen’s frozen form.

A silver, cold, and sacred light burst forth, instantly melting the ice. Jiang Lingwen stood unharmed, still emanating light.

"Moon God..." Zhao Lan gaped at Jiang Lingwen before slumping her shoulders in defeat. With a bitter smile, she said, "Teacher, you’re a Beloved of the Moon God. None of our Divine Skills can affect you. Why humiliate us like this?"

Jiang Lingwen gave a faint smile. She asked, "So, are you conceding?"

Zhao Lan sighed. "I don’t see any way to win."

"Good." Jiang Lingwen nodded. "Go stand over there with them and prepare for latrine duty."

After learning Jiang Lingwen was a Beloved of the Moon God, almost everyone lost their fighting spirit. The remaining participants either surrendered outright or made half-hearted attempts. Eventually, only two were left—Yu Xing and Miao Yuanjin.

Looking at the large group now assigned to latrine duty, Yu Xing almost laughed. Covering her mouth, she turned to Miao Yuanjin. "You first or me?"

Miao Yuanjin had stopped crying by then—she’d given up the moment she realized Jiang Lingwen was also a Beloved of the Moon God.

But she was still in a bad mood. When Yu Xing asked, she rolled her eyes and turned away.

Left with no choice, Yu Xing went first.

As Yu Xing approached, Jiang Lingwen smiled openly. "I’ve always been curious about the Divine Skill of a Beloved of the God of Misfortune. Show me."

Yu Xing smiled back. "Teacher, you overestimate me. At my level, my Divine Skill can’t possibly harm you."

Jiang Lingwen brushed it off. "It’s fine. I won’t use my Divine Skill. Just attack me freely."

"Really?" Yu Xing looked at her with gratitude and nervousness. "But what if you get hurt?"

Jiang Lingwen found this child way too timid. Encouragingly, she said, "Don’t worry. You won’t hurt me. Besides, this is a church—if anything happens, priests will be here immediately."

"That’s a relief." With that, Yu Xing walked right up to Jiang Lingwen.

They stared at each other. Yu Xing raised her hand, extending a single finger, edging it forward cautiously toward Jiang Lingwen.

Just before contact, Yu Xing suddenly yanked her hand back. Jiang Lingwen frowned.

"What’s wrong?"

"Teacher, stop staring at me." Yu Xing covered her face nervously. "It makes me too anxious."

Jiang Lingwen: "..."

If not for her intense curiosity about the Beloved of the God of Misfortune’s Divine Skill, she would’ve scolded Yu Xing on the spot.

"Should I close my eyes?" Jiang Lingwen suppressed her irritation.

"Really?" Yu Xing blinked hopefully.

"..." Jiang Lingwen sighed and obliged.

The moment her eyes shut, Yu Xing suddenly gave her a hard push. Caught off guard, Jiang Lingwen lurched backward a step.

As she regained her balance and flashed her eyes open, she saw Yu Xing hurl something white at her face.

"What is that?!" Jiang Lingwen jerked back.

Yu Xing: "The handkerchief Fei Mingming used to wipe his nose-picking."

Jiang Lingwen’s face contorted in disgust as she hastily leaped aside to avoid it.

The handkerchief fluttered down, revealing an embroidered gardenia pattern. Yu Xing quickly picked it up, brushing it off carefully. It was her grandmother’s embroidery—she had to take good care of it.

Putting it away, Yu Xing beamed at Jiang Lingwen. "Teacher, you lose~"

Jiang Lingwen looked down—her feet had left the circle.

"..." She lifted her head, giving Yu Xing a long, piercing stare.

Yu Xing immediately dipped her head, putting on a pitiful, helpless expression. "Teacher, you never said we had to use our Divine Skills to beat you, right?"

Jiang Lingwen’s eyelid twitched before she flatly said, "You win. Go back."

The others were stunned. That counted? Was this allowed? Wasn’t today’s lesson about testing their Divine Skills?

The shock wasn’t limited to the toilet brigade—even Miao Yuanjin stood dumbstruck behind them.

So... that was an option?

Yu Xing really was a cheater. How could she treat a Beloved of the Moon God like that?!

But this method seems quite effective...

So when Miao Yuanjin stepped forward, she said to Jiang Lingwen, "Teacher, please wait a moment. I need to grab something."

With that, she turned and ran, leaving everyone behind.

A couple minutes later, Miao Yuanjin returned, and she came back holding a toilet plunger.

Everyone: "..."

"This thing is disgusting," Miao Yuanjin said, holding the plunger as she stood before Jiang Lingwen. Her eyes were red, but she spoke with total seriousness. "But I thought about it—if I don't win, I'll have to clean the toilets for a week, meaning I'll have to face this disgusting thing every day. I won't clean toilets, so even if I have to play dirty, I must win today."

Jiang Lingwen: "..."