Chapter 52: Still Haven’t Killed Enough
On Cyan Blue, strength is the ultimate passkey.
That single demonstration was more effective than a thousand words. No one in the class dared to move a muscle.
Yang Shen included.
How could a school like Nanliang High possibly hire a True Gang Realm master as a PE teacher?
’This old man must owe Director Liang a ton of money...’
It was as inconceivable as a billionaire applying to be a security guard.
Aside from ’I just have a thing for homeowners,’ he couldn’t think of any other reason.
Liu Yuankui? An Early Innate Stage practitioner? Even if he came back to life right now, this guy would just twist his head off and kick it around like a soccer ball. And after he was done, he’d probably ask, ’Hey boss, want some barbecue?’
Yang Shen quickly shut his mouth and stood ramrod straight.
The PE teacher stood with his feet naturally apart and called out in a loud voice, "Is Xu Bamboo here? Fall out!"
No one answered. The master shouted again. As her deskmate, Yang Shen had no choice but to speak up. "Sir, Xu Bamboo is on sick leave. She hasn’t returned to school yet."
"I told you, you say ’Report’ before you speak."
Yang Shen quickly added, "Report!"
The master nodded. "Then is Yang Shen here? Fall out!"
Yang Shen took a step forward. "Report! I am Yang Shen."
Huo Jun’s gaze swept over Yang Shen. "The rest of you! Class representative, lead the warm-up. Thirty laps, to be completed in thirty minutes. You’ve missed three days of class, so get back in shape. Yang Shen, come with me."
With only two months left until graduation, Yang Shen was finally experiencing what it was like to be singled out in PE class... but he had a feeling it wasn’t for a good reason.
On the field, the class representative led a group of students on a run. Perhaps wanting to make a good impression on the new teacher, they even started chanting, "Ya’er ya!"
Meanwhile, at the edge of the field, Huo Jun and Yang Shen stood side by side. The one-armed old man got straight to the point. "They say you killed someone?"
Yang Shen quickly replied, "Report, Sir. It was self-defense."
"I didn’t ask if it was justified. I asked if you killed someone!"
"Uh... she died from her grievous injuries... I just created a convenient external environment for it to happen."
"Did you or didn’t you!"
"I did..."
Once he got his answer, Huo Jun’s entire demeanor suddenly became much more benevolent. With his only right hand, he chuckled and patted Yang Shen on the shoulder.
"Good! The quality of students these days is too poor. It’s good that you killed them. This will be excellent Nourishment for your growth."
Yang Shen: ???
"Uh... Sir, is that... right?"
"How is it not right? Killing an enemy of a higher level in your first real fight... That’s the kind of triumphant debut countless Martial Arts Practitioners dream of! It won’t be so thrilling in the future. Once you’ve killed enough... you get used to it."
"Sigh... The first person I killed was just some old lunatic in an Exotic Realm. He had no Martial Arts Realm to speak of, just charged at my face with a sickle. What a pity... I wasted my precious first time."
The absurdity of it all made Yang Shen’s face stiffen.
’Just who is the real old lunatic here...’
Huo Jun spoke amiably, "I heard you’ve also grasped Fist Intent? Not bad. Me being here is just a temporary measure. Firstly, two traitors in a row have come out of Nanliang High, and it’s hard to say if there are more. The students here have been affected the most, so I’m mainly in Nanliang to ensure their safety."
"Secondly, you really don’t have a PE teacher. I’ve trained many people in the military before, so I’m just filling in. I’ll be gone after this year’s college entrance exams are over."
Yang Shen asked, "Huo, you were in the military?"
’That makes sense. The only people who can go to the Exotic Realms are either from official military forces, large corporations, or prominent families.’
"I was. Not anymore. You’re aware of the situation this time. It’s very serious. Hundreds of schools, plus hidden threats in society... They pulled in a lot of manpower, and I got called up too."
Yang Shen felt that this big shot had a strange fondness for him...
’Is it just because I’ve killed someone?’
’Is he some kind of bloodthirsty old demon who’s been at it for years?’
"Come on, perform the Initial Realm Body Refining Fist for me. I want to see what the Sixth Set looks like. Back in my day, we were on the Second Set."
Yang Shen saw no reason to refuse and performed a run-through at the edge of the field.
After watching, Huo nodded. "Your mastery is decent, but you’re lacking a bit of killing intent. Seems you still haven’t killed enough."
Yang Shen: ...
After they chatted for a while, the other students were nearly done with their run. Even though they all had some Martial Cultivation, thirty laps in thirty minutes was by no means an easy feat. Many of them were panting like dogs.
Crucially, the new teacher hadn’t split them into ’A’ and ’B’ groups according to their realm. They all ran together.
The Skin Refining practitioners obviously couldn’t handle it. Many had already given up completely, lying by the track like dead dogs.
Back in a teaching mindset, Huo Jun’s expression immediately turned stern. "Did I say you could rest? If you can’t run, walk! If you can’t walk, crawl! If you can’t even crawl, then get on your knees and beg for mercy! Throw your pride on the ground!"
With a wave of his hand, two underperforming students who had just collapsed were involuntarily pulled back onto the track. After a glare from Huo Jun, they could only continue to wring out every last drop of their stamina.
Yang Shen watched, secretly dumbfounded. ’His style is so... militaristic...’
This was the first time he’d seen Gang Qi with his own eyes. It was a really useful ability...
’It’s just... when will Class Six get a normal PE teacher? The first one was a cultist slash pharma rep.’
’The second one turned out to be a military hard-ass slash bloodthirsty old demon.’
’Seriously, Nanliang High has gone completely off the deep end!’
Yang Shen sighed and voluntarily joined the running legion.
Even though Huo Jun seemed to have a good impression of him, he couldn’t act too special. Yang Shen was afraid that if the teacher thought he was slacking, he might be ordered to kill a couple of classmates for fun on the spot.
Huo Jun was very satisfied with Yang Shen’s initiative.
’As expected of someone who’s killed before. He’s nothing like these green recruits!’
————
By the time PE class ended, everyone looked like they had been worked to the point of dehydration. Even Yang Shen was gasping for breath.
The intensity was too high... Even at Mid-stage Bone Training, he felt tired. The Skin Refining practitioners were probably down to their last sliver of health.
He hadn’t yet felt the high level of the master, Huo Jun, but he had certainly experienced his high standards. No grouping, just treating everyone with equal ruthlessness.
So, after Huo Jun left, not even the lingering pressure of his Martial Arts Realm could suppress the students’ resentment.
"That old man has no idea how to be a teacher! If he can actually teach us anything, Huang Gang will eat shit upside down!"
"I can’t take it... Hold my leg down for me. I’m trying to give myself a shot, but my leg is shaking too much, I can’t aim..."
"We have the monthly exam tomorrow! We’re so screwed!"
Yang Shen took out a Vajra Pill of Great Strength from the Vajra Sect. It was the last one he had. After this, his stock would be completely cleared out.
As he felt the "Source" slowly precipitating inside his body and converting into Qi and Blood Value, Yang Shen’s expression shifted...
’The absorption effect seems to be better than usual... The reasoning is quite simple.’
’No shit! Someone who’s dying of thirst is obviously going to absorb water faster than a normal person!’
It wasn’t that Huo Jun’s style was wrong, just that it demanded a high level of willpower from the students. If they could endure it, the results might not be any worse than Liu Yuankui’s "scientific style."
Wiping away her sweat, Zhao Mengmeng walked over. She first glanced unconsciously at Xu Bamboo’s empty seat, then said, "Yang Shen, how come I feel like Huo’s attitude toward you today was... a little better? He was almost pleasant. How did you manage that?"
Yang Shen’s mouth twitched. ’How did I manage that? You just have to go kill someone, too.’
Zhao Mengmeng continued, "By the way, there’s a day off after the monthly exam. Do you have any plans, Yang Shen? A bunch of us are going for karaoke... seven or eight people, guys and girls."
Yang Shen shook his head. He had just taken three days off and wasn’t in the mood for entertainment.
Besides, ever since learning he still couldn’t afford a burial plot for his Uncle, he always felt that spending money was like "squandering his Uncle’s grave money."
Zhao Mengmeng bit her lip, about to try persuading him again, when a voice suddenly came from behind her.
"What are you two talking about? Mind letting me through?"
Zhao Mengmeng whipped her head around, saw Xu Bamboo’s smiling face, and immediately lowered her head and ran off!
Like a little rabbit caught stealing vegetables.
Yang Shen said, pleasantly surprised, "You’re better?"
Xu Bamboo squeezed into her seat. "Not completely. I get terrible headaches every day... The doctor said these aftereffects vary from person to person. If I’m unlucky, they could last for a month or two."
Yang Shen sighed. "Sigh... That’s rough. But school’s about to end. What are you doing here?"
"Remedial training at the gym. It’s not far from here, so I thought I’d come back and check on things first."
Xu Bamboo opened her backpack, stuck a straw into a bottle of Initial Realm Passage, and in the blink of an eye, shoved it into Yang Shen’s mouth.
"Take your medicine first."
Yang Shen took small sips. He had been thinking about Xu Bamboo’s condition every day, but now that she was actually in front of him, he didn’t know where to start.
Xu Bamboo rested her chin on her hand, her elegant brows furrowed slightly as if she were enduring a faint headache.
She had only woken up the day before in a major hospital in Jianghuai City and had undergone several rounds of comprehensive examinations.
However, when it came to the headaches, the potential causes were too numerous, and the situation she had experienced was too novel.
The doctors just told her to rest and that it wasn’t a major issue.
Xu Bamboo’s large eyes glanced to her side. Only when she looked at Yang Shen did she feel her head hurt a little less.
"The police came to talk to me later. They didn’t tell me a lot of the details, but... thank you for saving me."
Yang Shen smiled. "You saved me too. If you hadn’t kicked that teacher away, he would have knocked me out with a pressure point strike. Everything would have gone to hell after that."
The entire outcome of that night might have been rewritten.
He nudged Xu Bamboo with his shoulder. "Zhuzi, you’re awesome. That kick was totally badass."
Xu Bamboo laughed too. "Would I let anyone lay a hand on you? I’d kick away anyone who tried."
Seeing Xu Bamboo, his last lingering worries vanished into thin air.
Yang Shen remembered something. A smile playing on his lips, he used Life Chart Inspection on Xu Bamboo.
Then, the smile slowly faded from his face.
"Xu Bamboo: Second Layer of Qi Cultivation"
"Life Chart: A Fate of Premature Death."
’What the hell is going on?!’
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