"Graduated. I really don't want to leave the academy!"
"Who wants to go? Outside the academy where can you find such a safe environment and atmosphere?"
"If only I could be assigned to the Countermeasures Research Office..."
"That’s still not as good as staying at the academy. The Research Office has nice benefits, but you'd have to go on missions and you can't refuse. At the academy, you just study, nothing else to worry about."
"True... It looks like staying at the academy as a lecturer and counselor is the best."
"Not necessarily. If a student gets into trouble, the counselor might take the fall. Remember Fang Qian from the last year? Didn’t she get forced out for taking the blame?"
"Ah, damn..."
Three days after the Twenty-First Rule ended, on August 5th, the 2041 class of the Mind Power Development Academy formally graduated and left campus.
Many students were reluctant to leave, not only because of friends they had made over the year, but also because they hated leaving an environment that was far safer than the outside world.
But no matter how unwilling, they had to go, because a new class was about to enroll.
In the administration building’s conference room, Dean Zhou Qinfeng was leading a meeting of the lecturers.
"The new freshmen for cohort 42 will arrive tomorrow, and classes for the new academic year start on the 10th. Thank you all for your hard work. The government officially notified us yesterday that the academy’s funding will be further increased this year, and teachers’ salaries will be raised by fifty percent."
Most lecturers present brightened at the news.
Being a lecturer at the academy wasn’t easy: you only had one day off every two weeks and no long vacations.
The perk, of course, was receiving many special considerations from the government. If a teacher encountered a difficult rule challenge and couldn’t complete it, the government would work out a way to help that teacher pass.
"The hardest work for the new academic year will probably fall to Lecturer Shi Jingyi." Zhou Qinfeng looked toward Shi Jingyi seated to his left.
"After the Twenty-First Rule ended, regardless of whether Ascendants lost abilities or items, everyone recognized the superiority of your combined mind power flow and martial technique, Lecturer Shi," Zhou continued. "Everyone wants to learn from you, to escape dependence on items and abilities like you did. So whether online or offline, your teaching load will increase substantially."
Shi Jingyi said calmly, "Not a problem. As long as people find it useful, I will do my best to teach as many willing learners as possible."
"No wonder you are so beloved by students."
"Yes, Lecturer Shi has been elected the academy’s Most Popular Lecturer for two consecutive academic years. It looks like she’ll keep the title this year."
Other lecturers praised her. They weren’t jealous—Shi Jingyi’s personal strength and teaching attitude were universally acknowledged as the best in the academy.
Especially her creation, refinement, and in-depth research of the mind power flow technique, which was a major, innovative achievement.
Every lecturer knew that even if Shi Jingyi stopped teaching one day, the academy would fight to keep her as a professor or the Countermeasures Research Office would recruit her to train official Ascendants.
So everyone felt it important to stay on good terms with her. If anyone spoke ill of her, others would immediately defend her without her needing to speak.
"Heh, that’s harsh. You've always been most worried about Lecturer Xiongbi," Liruo'an said, then brought up a new initiative.
"Not yet. You all know the academy only teaches one academic year each cohort, but in the Doomsday Rules era, changes that happen in one year can exceed what occurs in ten or seventy years of peaceful times. As an academy meant to train the backbone of Ascendants, your curricula must be adjusted each academic year to adapt to changes. For cohort 42 that is about to end, the academy will upgrade the practical combat class to one of the core required courses, and it will include casualty metrics."
The lecturers’ expressions turned serious; they had heard of this policy earlier.
In the past the academy had practical combat classes, but calling them "practical combat" was misleading—they were more like controlled sparring.
The curriculum required students to spar with each other and stop at a designated point; using high-damage lethal items or abilities was prohibited.
Because of that rule, the practical combat class was not true combat; many students treated it like physical education in peaceful times—a chance to relax.
But in the new year, that would change completely. Just upgrading it to a core required course and adding casualty metrics made that clear.
"I don’t quite understand," said Ouyang Shanyue, who taught philosophical reflections on mind power. "Given Beixing’s national situation, most Ascendants stay in shelters and only face each Doomsday Rule. Under those circumstances, is it really necessary to upgrade practical combat to a core course?"
Teacher Sun, who had handled the student truancy and murder incident with Guan Tong and taught psychology, spoke up:
"Guan Tong previously advocated more real combat training for students, and I think that has real value. If the students involved in the Cangying Ridge incident had had regular practical training, they would have known how to control the force of their strikes and might have avoided the major casualties that ruined those students’ futures."
Mentioning the Cangying Ridge incident silenced the lecturers.
Indeed, the student Shen Yun, who had caused multiple deaths, remained imprisoned for life; such a tragic lose-lose outcome was something teachers didn’t want to repeat.
Zhou Qinfeng said, "Besides that, I think the government’s request also considers changes in the external environment."
"External changes?" a lecturer guessed. "Is it because... the recent Beixing–Suroma conflict over the 'Bright Moon' rule?"
Other lecturers showed signs of realization.
After the A Bright Moon Rises Over the Sea rule, tensions between Beixing and Suroma had become palpable from official channels to public sentiment. Both sides blamed the other for blocking the rise of the 'Bright Moon' and refused to give the other a face-saving exit, which strongly suggested one side was lying.
Moreover, with sea shipping from Lanyang temporarily halted, bilateral material exchanges dropped, and relations grew more strained. If things worsened, conflict might break out.
Perhaps because of this, Beixing’s government emphasized practical combat training for academy students, to make them understand combat’s cruelty. Students should not just focus on completing rule challenges, but also be ready for unavoidable human conflicts.
"The best teacher for the new practical combat course in our academy is Lecturer Shi Jingyi, but Lecturer Shi already teaches a core course and has no spare time or energy to take on another," Zhou said. "So after consultating with the government, the plan is to transfer elite Ascendants from the Countermeasures Research Office—those with multiple real combat deployments—to the academy to teach practical combat. By the time we finish scheduling, they should be here soon."
Shortly after Zhou finished speaking, his phone rang.
He stepped out to answer it and returned to the conference room accompanied by a towering giant over two meters tall, whose presence made everyone stare.
"Allow me to introduce formally: this is Duanmu Feng, transferred from the Countermeasures Research Office to the academy to teach the practical combat course. Duanmu, on behalf of the academy I welcome you—going forward we are colleagues."
"Hello everyone, I am Duanmu Feng."
Duanmu Feng’s immense build produced a deep voice resonant from his chest that buzzed in the listeners’ ears.
He looked a little over forty, which was considered "older" in this era, with a neat crew cut. In midsummer he wore a heavy leather jacket, creating an odd but undeniable oppressive aura.
The lecturers exchanged looks, thinking this new colleague did not look easy to mess with—they’d better be careful in the future.
....
"God, this is annoying—crawling through those rat holes again!"
As soon as he stepped into Liruo'an City, Scarface spat onto the ground, glaring with displeasure.
Han Qiu had instructed him to deliver a message to Your Holiness, but Scarface dawdled for two days before setting out. Now that he’d arrived, the thought of crawling through complicated tunnels made him wince.
Thanks to the brain enhancement from his increased mind power, his memory had improved considerably. But compared to relying on memory, he still preferred to use the unique advantages his ability provided.
"Transform."
Scarface activated his ability and his nose shifted shape, becoming a rounded, black, bulbous snout.
A black rounded snout on a human face looked grotesque—then again it was supposed to be grotesque, because it was a bear nose.
As the former leader of the Three Beasts Army and the new alpha wolf after the previous alpha died in a warlord civil war, Scarface had developed his beast transformation ability farther than most.
The previous alpha could only fully transform or partially transform—like turning a palm into a claw as a weapon. Scarface could use transformation fluidly, applying the distinct features of the bear, eagle, and wolf to his advantage.
Now he changed his nose into a bear’s to exploit its superior sense of smell.
Bears have among the strongest land senses, hundreds or even thousands of times more acute than humans. They can detect animals kilometers away—far surpassing even Ascendants whose five senses had been greatly enhanced.
After transforming his nose, he found a collapsed building, lifted a slab, and entered a basement tunnel where there was an entrance to an underground passage.
Just as he was about to go down, his bear nose twitched and he turned his head sharply to look backward!
Aside from a gray wall, there was nothing.
"Did I smell wrong?"
Scarface frowned and twitched his bear nose hard a few more times, then turned and entered the basement tunnel, following the scent markers he had memorized.
On a distant ruined building’s rooftop edge, Guan Tong said in surprise, "It’s him..."
"What?" Adam asked at once. "Who did you find?"
"The leader of the Three Beasts Army who extorted the Human Consortium during the Debate of the Oracle rule. Part of my Shadow found him."
"You mean that guy who calls himself Scarface?" Adam was astonished. "He disappeared after extorting the Ascendant city; I heard the Human Consortium tried to find him after the rule ended but couldn’t. How is he in Liruo'an?"
"Not sure. But he went into a basement tunnel. If I’m right, his target is the same as ours."
Adam’s face lit up. "If he knows the location of Your Holiness, have your Shadow follow him!"
"I thought the same." Guan Tong nodded.
In the days after the rule ended, the two still hadn’t located Your Holiness.
It wasn’t for lack of effort—the underground passageways of Liruo'an were extremely complex. They also suspected the Fire Thief Cult or Your Holiness might have set up special illusions to hide the underground base perfectly.
When things looked tricky, unexpectedly Scarface appeared in Liruo'an, and it seemed he was heading for the Fire Thief Cult’s underground base. That made things much easier.
Guan Tong sent his Shadow into the wall and secretly trailed Scarface’s movements.
He didn’t have the Shadow move right at Scarface’s feet because he had found Scarface’s bear nose could detect the Shadow’s scent, or rather the scent of someone’s mind power. That had nearly exposed them earlier.
As expected, Scarface knew the route. Guided by his sense of smell, he walked through the tunnel for twenty minutes, then stopped at an unremarkable earthen wall.
He placed his hand on the wall and, sounding reluctant, said aloud, "Great Fire Thief, all-knowing, almighty god, please open the path for one who prays to you devoutly!"
After he finished speaking, the wall emitted a faint glow and a small door materialized. Scarface pushed it open and slipped inside; the door quickly faded and disappeared as if it had never existed.
No wonder Adam and I couldn’t find this underground base before...
Watching through his Shadow, Guan Tong confirmed the Fire Thief Cult’s underground base was hidden using some item; only by speaking the passphrase would the door appear.
"Found it?" Adam asked the instant Guan Tong opened his eyes.
"Found it. Let’s go now."