Chapter Seventy-Four: The Devil Instructor

On the second day of the new semester, there were still no classes. Before the official curriculum began, all new students would participate in half a month of—military training! This was a tradition at all higher martial arts academies. Through military training, students could develop discipline, a sense of competition, and a strong fighting spirit and perseverance, which would be greatly beneficial for their future studies.

“Damn, this outfit is really expensive—costs two silver coins!” Early in the morning, after finishing his breathing exercises, Luo Chen stepped out of his dorm wearing camouflage and saw that Shi Feng’s door was still closed. He banged on it forcefully until his roommate, clad only in shorts, lazily got up to open the door, rubbing his eyes and yawning. “You beast, what’s all the noise?”

“Man, today’s the start of military training! Did you forget? I heard the drill instructors are tough, especially on the first day—they like to make an example out of someone. If you’re late, you’re dead. Hurry up, get dressed, grab breakfast, and let’s head to assembly!” Luo Chen was genuinely worried about Shi Feng. His laid-back nature was exactly what the instructors hated most—he was bound to have a hard time.

All the new students in the academy were dressed in their uniforms, making their way to the sports field in small groups. They were both curious and apprehensive about the upcoming military training, having heard rumors from upperclassmen that it was a particularly harsh ordeal.

They hadn’t yet reached the training ground when someone suddenly called out, “Luo Chen!” At Blue Empire Academy, where Luo Chen was somewhat isolated from his peers, he had few friends—he could count them on one hand. Turning, he saw Ellie and Joanna standing tall. Dressed in camouflage, their impressive figures could not be concealed; they looked strikingly valiant, especially Joanna, whose long legs and bold demeanor perfectly complemented the uniform, giving her the air of a female soldier and drawing appreciative glances from many of the young men.

Luo Chen grinned. “Good morning, Queens of the Battlefield. You both look great in uniform!”

Joanna replied, “Hey, are you saying we look bad in anything else?”

One had to be careful what one said around Joanna. Luo Chen quickly explained, “No, of course not. I just meant that you both have a unique charm in uniform.”

Shi Feng muttered to himself, “Every man thinks women look best out of uniform.” Joanna didn’t quite catch that, so she glared and demanded, “What did you just say?” Shi Feng chuckled. “Beautiful, I said the beast here has good taste.”

“Alright, enough with the compliments,” Ellie laughed. “Luo Chen, last time we met was too brief to talk. How was your break?”

“Pretty good,” Luo Chen answered honestly. “I gained some new insights into the martial techniques you taught me over the holidays.”

“Oh, come on, you’re playing favorites,” Shi Feng complained woefully. “We’re friends too, but you only care about Luo Chen the Pure and ignore me.”

Joanna interjected, “You’ve got nerve to say that! You left Luo Chen alone at the academy and went off who knows where to have your fun!”

Shi Feng put on a wounded face. “What fun? I just went home for a while. Besides, I’ve told you—my hometown’s full of dinosaurs. This continent is so much better, beautiful women everywhere. You’d never find anyone like you two—uh, I mean, in uniform—back home.”

Joanna scoffed. “You always have a slick tongue!”

Shi Feng made a mock bow. “Joanna, you flatter me. My mouth is my meal ticket.”

Soon, they arrived at the sports ground. During military training, boys and girls were separated by class. As they reached the girls’ assembly area, Ellie said, “Alright, we’re off to assemble. See you, Luo Chen.” With that, she pulled Joanna into the lineup.

Shi Feng turned to Luo Chen in confusion. “Hey, beast, how did Ellie and Joanna know I wasn’t in the dorm during the break?”

“Because they stayed late helping the tutors organize materials. A few days before the Festival of Reunion, they even came to the tower to celebrate with me early.”

“What? No way, that’s amazing!” Shi Feng leered, nudging Luo Chen with his elbow. “I can’t believe it! I leave for a bit and you’re already involved with both of them. Nice going, man!”

Luo Chen was speechless. “I told you, we just celebrated the festival together. You’re overthinking it.”

“Sure, celebrated together, probably spent the night together too, right? So, how was it? Must’ve been wild—three’s a crowd, huh?”

“…”

At eight o’clock, all the new students had gathered on the field. Having heard so many rumors about the harshness of military training, no one wanted to be the “example” the instructors made on the first day.

Just before eight, a burly man in uniform walked up to Class Three’s assembly point. The students immediately fell silent—their instructor had arrived.

The instructors were all soldiers from the Alliance. This burly man wore a uniform adorned with a single bar and two stars—lieutenant rank. His face was fierce, covered in scars, with one eye hidden beneath a black patch, where more terrifying scars ran from the edge of the patch down his cheek, giving him an intimidating aura. In his hand, he held a long, jet-black whip.

“Greetings, rookies!” the one-eyed man began slowly. “Let me introduce myself. I’m called the Butcher. That’s not a family name—it’s what everyone in the army calls me, and I like it so much I’ve forgotten my real name. You can call me Instructor Butcher! As for you lot, you’re the pitiful little lambs awaiting slaughter under my hand!”

A few instructors passing by the training field muttered, “Poor things, Class Three got stuck with the Butcher. I bet they’re all going to be half-dead by the end!”

“Yeah, the Butcher always tries to torture his class to death during training. We’re much gentler, hahaha!”

The Butcher gave a twisted grin, his scarred face only more menacing. “You’re unlucky to have me. Listen up, brats: I accepted the Blue Empire Academy’s invitation to train you, not to turn you into talents, but to fully indulge my love for tormenting people! What you’re about to face is hellish, worse than death. If you’re scared, get out of formation now. During training, you can fake injury or illness for a break—I don’t care! But in the ranks, people like that are called trash!”

With that, the Butcher bellowed, “Is there any trash among you who wants to step out now?”

No one moved. No one wanted to be labeled trash. In fact, the students straightened their backs with pride. After all, those who came to Blue Empire Academy were all outstanding students from their previous martial arts schools, each with their own pride and dignity.

“So, none of you are afraid to die? That annoys me!” the Butcher snarled. “But soon, I’ll destroy and shred your confidence! Now, here are the rules for training: First, when I’m speaking, I don’t want to see anyone whispering in the ranks!”

As he spoke, his right hand snapped out and the black whip lashed through the ranks like a viper, striking two whispering students at the back.

Even with fourth-level spiritual power, the lash left them crying out in pain.

The Butcher’s face darkened. “You two brats, step out! Run five laps around the field, and finish before I’m done speaking!”

This sudden blow shocked all the students. Clearly, this Butcher was no joke—far stricter than any tutor at the academy. Not even the old witch at Westin College was this harsh.

[This is the last week on the new book rankings. Updates during the new book period have been a bit too fast, so the word count’s a little over. If I kept up three chapters a day, I’d be off the rankings early. So, this week, I’ll return to the regular update schedule as promised—no cutting corners! Don’t worry, even then, there’ll still be three chapters on Mondays, Wednesdays, and Fridays. Once we’re off the rankings Sunday night, I won’t have to worry about word count anymore, and next week I’ll go all out—an update spree to your heart’s content! As always, I ask: please vote for me~~~]