Chapter 77: Winter Vacation

Of course.Su Zhan's training regimen naturally wasn't limited to just this one type.

He turned off the gravity system, his entire body steaming with heat as he walked toward the adjacent speed reaction training chamber.

This was a hexagonal room filled with miniature spiritual energy emitters.

Its function was exactly as the name suggested - to practice speed and reaction.

"Activate swarm mode, difficulty level 1," Su Zhan commanded hoarsely.

Hundreds of emission ports on the ceiling simultaneously lit up with blue light.

The next second, spiritual energy pulses fired one after another.

These energy beams, only the size of bullets, wouldn't cause actual damage, but the unpleasant sensation when hit was comparable to being stung by a hornet.

"Accelerate!"

Su Zhan applied the acceleration buff from his Abyssal Gaze pupils.

His figure suddenly blurred as he dodged and weaved through the barrage.

His acceleration skill could only increase his speed, but couldn't enhance his reaction time.

So he needed to familiarize himself with this speed, to make his thinking keep up with his velocity.

This was exactly why he came here.

He was hit 17 times in the first minute.

This thing didn't have any particular technique - it was all about practice making perfect.

"Difficulty level 2," Su Zhan gritted his teeth and ordered.

The barrage immediately became 50% denser.

A spiritual energy pulse struck him directly on the temple.

Su Zhan's vision went black, but his rolling movement didn't falter in the slightest.

Growing stronger through being beaten.

Developing through adversity.

Two hours later, he emerged completely red all over, like a boiled lobster.

...

Every day was like this, cycling repeatedly.

But soon enough.

Su Zhan gradually stopped such insane training.

Not because he was tired.

But because... he couldn't handle much more medication.

Su Zhan stared at the inspection report.

Below were detailed physical data.

Su Zhan glanced over them.

Liver conversion rate had fallen below the safety line, kidney filtration coefficient was showing yellow warning signs, and even blood oxygen saturation had dropped 3 percentage points from yesterday.

"Tch." Su Zhan rubbed his temples irritably.

Right now, the undigested medication residues were accumulating in his blood vessels - he could feel his temples throbbing just by slightly channeling spiritual energy.

He really couldn't handle more medication!

Su Zhan took out a light blue spiritual energy nourishing agent from his pocket.

This was the alternative solution provided by the resource distribution office - gentler in effect than neuron activation agents, but that also meant...

"Training intensity has to be cut in half." Su Zhan now only regretted not being Ronnie Coleman.

Without superhuman drug tolerance.

"After all, I still can't do it?" Su Zhan said while inserting the needle into his neck.

Now he could only slowly adjust the equipment parameters.

Reducing from ten times to eight times gravity, even locking swarm mode at difficulty level 1.

Time flies like a shuttle, years flow like water.

In the blink of an eye, three months had passed.

As freshman tournament champions, Su Zhan's five-person team enjoyed Vermilion Bird Academy's top-tier cultivation resources.

All training facilities, medication supplies, and instructor guidance were completely free - treatment ordinary students wouldn't dare dream of.

Every day before dawn, the five were already at the training grounds, not leaving until late at night with exhausted bodies.

There was no other way.

In the other four's eyes, Su Zhan had the highest talent.

Even he worked this hard.

What excuse did they have not to work hard?

To put it bluntly.

Su Zhan was too competitive.

The other four feared falling behind.

Even if they wanted to slack off, they couldn't.

Liu Ziming exclaimed: "Stop being so damn competitive!"

But despite saying this, there was no slacking off in training.

This team was transforming at an astonishing rate.

You should know.

Things like cultivation realms become harder to break through the higher you go.

They couldn't cultivate as rapidly as at the beginning of the semester.

Plus, cultivation medications couldn't be used too excessively.

But through three months of dedicated cultivation forgetting sleep and meals.

All five had broken through three minor stages in their realms.

Su Zhan had also reached Dew Realm sixth stage.

Actually, he could have gone higher.

But rapid consecutive breakthroughs would make his foundation unstable.

Especially with various cultivation medications assisting, his foundation would become even more unsteady.

This was the result of his deliberate suppression.

Winter had arrived, and Vermilion Bird Academy welcomed the winter break after the first semester.

Awakened were still human - whether students or teachers, they all had families, needed to reunite with them, and maintain emotional bonds.

So holidays were inevitable - they couldn't go a whole year without time to return home.

By convention, this should have been when teachers and students returned to their respective hometowns for reunion, everyone resting for a month, all happily content.

However, things became different starting today.

The Transcendence Society, this terrorist organization composed of Aberrants, had emerged this year.

Recently they frequently attacked talented awakened throughout Daxia.

Their methods were cruel, already claiming many excellent students from various academies.

The academy leadership held emergency meetings through the night.

Finally deciding: All students must be protected by instructors or local high-level awakened throughout their return home.

Particularly top protection targets like Su Zhan's five-person freshman exchange champion team.

"Sigh~" Xie Xi leaned against the dormitory window: "We cultivate desperately to become stronger, yet we need protection even to return home."

That's right.

She had come to the boys' dormitory yet again.

Liu Ziming complained: "The boys' dormitory security system is much worse than the girls'."

Xu Hao looked unconcerned: "We're still young, haven't fully grown yet. Naturally we need protection at times like this."

Su Zhan silently packed his luggage.

His luggage was simple - a few changes of clothes, some notebooks, and a small box of cultivation medications specially approved by the academy.

Feng Jue crossed his arms, saying calmly: "See you in a month."

Liu Ziming threw an arm around Su Zhan's shoulder, grinning: "Don't you dare keep being competitive during break! These three months have almost given me psychological trauma! Rest properly during vacation, understand?"

Everyone nodded silently at these words.

Xu Hao rubbed his sore arms.

Feng Jue nodded seriously at this moment.

Even Xie Xi, who usually considered herself hardworking, couldn't help sighing.

Over these three months, Su Zhan's nearly insane training intensity had indeed put considerable pressure on the entire team.

Whenever they thought they were pushing hard enough, they'd always see that tireless figure in the training room.

"Don't worry, that won't happen going forward."

Su Zhan laughed at their resentful looks, patting his chest: "These three months of desperate effort were because resources were free. Right now I still have a bunch of undigested medications clogging my system - continuing to train like that would probably cause problems."

Liu Ziming exaggeratedly sighed with relief, releasing his shoulder: "That's good! I don't want to be stimulated into getting up for midnight training during New Year's."

Everyone laughed at this, unusually unified in their agreement with Liu Ziming's words.