Chapter Seventy-Seven: Psychological Weakness

Luo Chen said in confusion, “But I’ve followed the rules, and I behaved well this morning too!”

“What use is behaving now? Even those who have been marked with major demerits in their files might end up as his primary targets for discipline. Be careful, or he’ll break you!”

Luo Chen laughed it off. “It’s fine. Back when I was a class assistant, didn’t you always end up putting me through the wringer? Yet here I am, still in one piece.”

The nearby students who had been eavesdropping almost choked on their food. Joanna broke Luo Chen? How exactly did she do that? Their minds couldn’t help but conjure up some indecent images.

“You brat, could you not put it so ambiguously?” Joanna’s face, unaccustomed to blushing, flushed red. “People will think I’m some kind of sadist!”

“Haha, in any case, I’m used to it. Thank you both for the warning, but I’ll be careful!”

“Luo Chen, there’s something I’ve never understood,” said Ellie, covering her mouth with a smile. “Joanna’s Blazing Palm burns are hard to heal, yet you always come to the next session looking perfectly fine. Joanna often tells me you’re like a cockroach—impossible to kill.”

Luo Chen puffed out his chest. “Of course! Just look at me, sturdy as an ox!”

Shi Feng chimed in from the side, “Wrong! It’s all thanks to my special All-Health Tonic and Invincible Artillery Soup!”

“……”

At the instructors’ cafeteria of Blue Emperor Academy, there were many more people than usual today. Since the Academy had invited soldiers from Miracle City, they had to be properly entertained. It would be inappropriate to make the officers line up for food with the students.

At one table, a group of soldiers chatted animatedly. Being assigned as instructors at the Academy wasn’t a hardship; life was far more relaxed than in the army.

“Haha, these little rookies think they’re impressive just because they’re from Blue Emperor Academy. I can make them collapse like dead dogs with just a little effort.”

“Yeah, they need to suffer a bit. Otherwise, how can they survive in harsh environments later?”

“I just checked with the Academy office. Among this year’s freshmen, there are fifteen who have major demerits from their previous schools, mostly for fighting.”

At this, the instructors barely reacted. In their eyes, fighting was the lightest of major offenses. Fights—even brawls—happened often in the army. After all, these were men full of blood and pride who refused to admit defeat.

The instructor who’d spoken first added, “But one student wasn’t punished for fighting.”

Everyone grew interested and asked, “Then what was the reason?”

“Because… during an internship mission, that student encountered a vicious beast and abandoned his injured partner to run away. And his partner was a girl.”

A heavy silence fell. In the military, betrayal is the gravest offense, but abandoning a comrade in the heat of battle is the most despised. Even soldiers who bore grudges against an injured companion would risk their lives to save them, never choosing to flee alone. Especially when the abandoned comrade was a woman.

After a long pause, one instructor said angrily, “Damn it, what’s that student’s name? If he’s in my class, I’ll make sure he suffers!”

The others all voiced their agreement, indignant and full of righteous fury. As soldiers, they found such behavior utterly intolerable.

The Butcher was eating quietly nearby. Compared to his vicious words in training, he was now silent, but at this news, a terrifying gleam flashed in his eyes.

“That student’s name is Luo Chen. He’s in Class Three, under the Butcher.”

The Butcher’s eyes blazed more fiercely, his grip tightening around his fork until the metal bent like a noodle. How could such a disgrace come from his class? What a humiliation!

The others began to pity the delinquent student. If they’d handled him, it would have been bad enough. But falling into the Butcher’s hands—he’d be lucky to come out alive.

At two in the afternoon, military training resumed, and the students of Class Three assembled at the designated spot.

“You little brats, I’m delighted to see you all again. I didn’t have enough fun this morning, so this afternoon’s training will be even more excruciating! Are there any weaklings who want to quit now?”

No one answered.

“Good! Seems you’re all stubborn masochists, but I like that. Now, before we begin, I want to know who you are. Line up and report your names, starting from the first student on the far right. For example, ‘Number One, so-and-so,’ then the next. Louder! My hearing isn’t great, and if I can’t hear you, you’ll be shouting after a taste of my whip. Begin!”

As soon as the Butcher finished, the first student shouted at the top of his lungs, as if trying to fill the entire training ground with his voice, “Number One, Neboklin!”

“Number Two, Dulvin!”

“Number Three, Reit!”

“……”

Of course, the Butcher wasn’t truly interested in learning the names of Class Three. Rather than wasting time on roll call, he’d prefer to indulge in the pleasure of tormenting them. His real purpose was to identify which one was Luo Chen.

If an instructor wanted to target a student, he needed an excuse, not just arbitrary punishment. That was the rule of the military. If he asked directly, his intentions would be too obvious. No matter how much he disliked someone, the Butcher still had to follow protocol.

“Number Fifty-Seven, Luo Chen!” (Note: This number is not the student number; boys and girls train separately.)

When the Butcher finally heard this long-awaited name, his gaze followed the voice to an unremarkable boy. Yet among the Class Three students, this boy seemed familiar. During the morning’s training, the Butcher had kept an eye on a few who performed well, and this boy was one of them.

Heh, from this moment on, I’ll be giving this kid my special attention!

The Butcher began the afternoon’s training with high hopes, but to his frustration, even many of the top students couldn’t endure the whip for long. Yet this Luo Chen managed to tough it out, performing each task to perfection and giving no opportunity for punishment.

Impossible. With this intensity, and his ranking, he should be utterly spent by now, no matter how strong-willed he is. How can this kid still stand? The Butcher had trained many students, but never encountered one like Luo Chen.

Indeed, Luo Chen was only at the fourth level of spiritual energy, but he was able to practice his breathing technique twice daily. After lunch, he would return to the dorm for another round, which, though not as complete as in the morning, was still more effective than the average student’s second session. This replenished most of the spiritual energy he’d used in the morning, and with half an hour of deep sleep, he’d wake nearly as refreshed as he’d been at dawn.

Moreover, his spiritual energy circulation system allowed him to absorb energy anywhere, anytime. Though the process was slow, over the course of a day, it accumulated. Counting one full session and one partial session, his reserves surpassed many fifth-level spiritual warriors. His pore breathing also slowed his physical fatigue, so gains and losses balanced out, letting him compete with the top students without falling behind.

There was another factor not to be overlooked—Luo Chen’s willpower. Years of training against the Thunderfall had forged his mind, and the reverse-thinking technique had honed his ability to endure pressure. This made him more tenacious than most.

In both body and mind, Luo Chen held a distinct advantage, so it was no wonder he escaped the Butcher’s whip. His energy might be at the fourth level, but across all of Class Three, few could match his endurance. As Joanna had said, Luo Chen was indeed a cockroach that refused to die.

If the Butcher wanted to see Luo Chen collapse, he’d have to take down the entire class first. His whip couldn’t manage that many at once. However fierce his words, the devil instructor had his limits; he would not resort to indiscriminate torture.

Unable to find an excuse to act, the Butcher grew irritable, but he didn’t give up. Everyone has a weakness—once he found Luo Chen’s, he would have his chance.

[Only four days left! Just four days until the big push. The author is eagerly awaiting that day, and I’m sure all of you are too. A little preview: during the promotion, daily updates will explode to at least three chapters, with occasional surprise fourth releases!]