70: Chapter 70 Choosing a school is harder than choosing a wife

The sky had turned completely black.

The tent had been scavenged from those three unlucky assassins; it was windproof and sandproof, just a bit small.

Su Ming cleaned out the inside, tossed the only remaining thin blanket to Shen Qingci, and sat down cross-legged at the tent entrance.

In the open space not far away, Da Huang's blood cocoon stood quietly. The dark red and gold patterns on its surface flickered on and off, pulsing rhythmically like a heartbeat.

They were heading back tomorrow. If this damn mutt hadn't hatched by tomorrow night, he would have to leave it here to fend for itself.

He wasn't particularly worried, though.

This thing was just like him: tough and stubborn.

After tending to the wound on her arm, Shen Qingci rummaged through her spatial bracelet, pulled out two vials of Source Energy recovery potion, and tossed one to Su Ming.

Su Ming caught it and glanced at the label.

Five thousand Federation Credits.

"You treat these potions like they're free."

"They aren't costing you anything anyway."

Shen Qingci shot him a glance, unscrewed her own vial, and took a gulp.

She leaned against the inner wall of the tent, her long legs curled under the thin blanket, her gaze resting on the wound on the back of her hand.

This experience in the Source Abyss had been more thrilling than all her actual combat from the past year combined.

Her Source Energy was nearly bottomed out, and the aftereffects of her third sequence, Pagoda Bone Brake, were still lingering, with faint bone-white luster occasionally flickering on her fingertips.

She tapped open the heavenly pride ranking on her terminal and stared at her unbelievable score.

7100 points!

Within a single day, she'd gone from 3420 to 7100!

Everything felt so unreal.

It had been full of peril, yet it seemed... safe in the end.

Shen Qingci looked at the back of the figure sitting at the tent entrance wearing a wrinkled school uniform, feeling a bit dazed for a moment.

Su Ming.

That seemingly ordinary body had been riding on a quasi-Tier 4 wolf king just a few hours ago, beating a quasi-Tier 4 Source Beast to death with his bare hands.

Her trump card that she was so proud of, [Pagoda Bone Brake], seemed like nothing more than a skill for clearing out minions in front of him.

Her points for an entire year didn't even match his for a single day.

What kind of monster are you, anyway?

Unconsciously, Shen Qingci had developed a great deal of curiosity about him!

"You have the college entrance exam the day after tomorrow, right?" Shen Qingci suddenly spoke up.

Su Ming snapped out of his trance and nodded: "Yeah, the day after tomorrow."

"Then you..." Shen Qingci hesitated for a moment before asking, "Have you decided which university to apply to?"

"Haven't decided yet. I'll just go with my gut when the time comes," Su Ming shrugged, looking indifferent.

"Whichever school has the best-looking admissions officer or campus belle, that's where I'll apply."

Shen Qingci nearly choked.

Are you going to school or going on a blind date?

Besides, with your strength, do you even need to look at scores?

Aren't all the universities in the Federation yours to choose from?

Stop acting like that!

Being teased by Su Ming like this, her nerves, which had been tight all day, finally relaxed.

She lifted her chin slightly, wearing a hint of pride and smugness.

"Don't call me Miss Shen in the future."

Su Ming raised an eyebrow.

"And don't call me Long Legs."

"That one I can't do. I've never been able to lie since I was a kid. You want me to go against my conscience and say they aren't long? I can't do that."

Shen Qingci's cheeks flushed slightly, and she glared at him, but she didn't dwell on that nickname any longer.

"You can call me Senior."

"I was the top scorer in both the written and practical exams for last year's college entrance exam."

Call her Senior?

Su Ming's eyes lit up.

"Senior" is good!

He liked seniors, and he liked sisters-in-law too.

Younger sisters-in-law and sisters-in-law were also nice.

"Alright, Senior."

He called out smoothly, the title rolling off his tongue.

Shen Qingci nodded in satisfaction, feeling like she had finally regained some face in front of this guy.

Su Ming took the opportunity to shift closer to her, his face full of curiosity.

"So, Senior, you must know a lot of inside information that ordinary people don't, right? Tell me about it, so this inexperienced junior has a direction to work towards."

That "Senior" really pleased Shen Qingci.

She had always been cold and aloof, without many close friends.

Let alone being treated as a senior and asked for advice.

This feeling was quite novel.

She thought for a moment and began, "The best Awakened universities in the Federation all originated from the military. They are collectively known as the Four Great Military Academies, each corresponding to one of the four major war zones."

"In addition, there are the Federal Central University and the Oriental Pearl University, also known as Imperial Capital University and Demon City University."

"Let me tell you about the Four Great Military Academies first."

"First is the North, the Black Armor Academy."

"Black Armor?" Su Ming savored the word.

"Yes, 'While the Black Armor remains unbroken, the Northern Territory shall not fall.'"

A hint of respect flashed in Shen Qingci's eyes.

"The Black Armor Academy is the Federation's thickest shield, specializing in frontline battles and defensive holds. Their ace is the Steel Bastion Department, which specifically recruits defensive Enhancement Type talents. Graduates basically go into the Northern Border Defense Corps. There's also a Cold Region Combat Command Department there, which prefers Ice and Earth Type talents."

She glanced at Su Ming.

"Your talent is in the defensive branch of the Enhancement Type. Just looking at the surface data, the Black Armor Academy is indeed suitable for you."

Defense?

Defense was the last thing he lacked right now.

But the Black Armor Academy sounded like a bunch of heavy-armored blockheads, which didn't really match his development path.

I'm a hexagonal warrior!

Suddenly, Shen Qingci remembered the scene of Su Ming beating the wolf king to death and added:

"Emmm... there's one problem with this school. Their teaching system is designed around 'taking damage and countering.' It emphasizes stability. If you go there, you might get scolded by instructors every day..."

Su Ming thought about it and felt she had a point.

Even in his previous life when playing games, he was like that—claiming to play a tank but acting like a warmonger.

Starting a 1v5 fight, and getting his whole family greeted by teammates every time.

He definitely couldn't go there.

"I heard there's a beast in his third year at Black Armor Academy named Xiao Zhan. He has an S-rank Indestructible Golden Body talent and has dominated the school's combat power ranking for years. He's recognized as the Federation's number one defense in the younger generation," Shen Qingci added.

Su Ming pursed his lips.

Number one?

I can go toe-to-toe with him right now!

Let's see who's the daddy!

"What level is he?"

"Tier 3 peak, but it's recognized within the circle that his actual combat ability is infinitely close to Tier 4."

Still just a side dish. Su Ming felt there was no need to remember this guy's name.

"What about the Eastern Lingyun Academy?"

Shen Qingci shook her head. "This one is the least suitable for you."

"Thunderous might, dominating the firmament. Lingyun specializes in aerial suppression and rapid raids. Their ace is the Aerial Assault Department, which prefers Wind, Lightning, and flying-type special talents. Their admission standards are the most stringent; the requirements for reaction speed are simply outrageous."

She looked at his feet that crushed everything.

"You had a hard time just stepping on the ground today, so don't even think about taking to the sky."

Su Ming's mouth twitched.

That hurt, and it was highly insulting too.

But what she said was the truth.

His current Mass Engine was just a straight-line accelerator—no brakes, no steering. If he went to Lingyun Academy, he'd probably crash through the teaching building in the first class.

Wait, that's right!

He suddenly remembered that at Tier 3, he could exchange for that [Inertial Drift]!

The price of that thing was...

"The West has the Shadow Academy. The school motto is a bit chuunibyou—'Lone wolf travels a thousand miles, never dying until the end!'"

Shen Qingci started complaining too.

"The Western Shadow Academy, I won't waste words on it."

Shen Qingci didn't linger, skipping over it in one sentence.

"Stealth and assassination. You'd be exposed on the first day. The Seismological Bureau would track you more accurately than they track Source Beasts."

Su Ming didn't refute.

Before, his ten-ton body shook everywhere he went; without Mass Concealment, he was a human seismograph.

Stealth, my ass. As soon as he entered, the enemy base's earthquake alarm would go off first.

But now, he had a divine skill!

This Long Legs didn't know yet that he could exert force normally!

Hehehe...

Su Ming smacked his lips.

In the blink of an eye, three options had been cut off.

"Then what about your Southern United Martial Arts Academy?"

Mentioning her own school, Shen Qingci's words became noticeably more frequent.

"Our school's full name is 'Southern War Zone United Martial Academy,' and it has the most complex organization among the four major military academies of the Federation."

"The core key of the school lies in the word 'United'."

"How exactly is it united?"

"First, it's a tripartite union of the military, conglomerates, and the Hunter Association."

Shen Qingci explained:

"The military region provides the venue, organization, and military mission channels; the Federal Military-Industrial Consortium—those big conglomerates—provides money and equipment; and the Hunter Association provides frontline combat instructors and Source Beast intelligence. My dad's Scrap Yard is actually an outsourcing unit for the military-industrial consortium."

Su Ming had a sudden realization.

Isn't this just the mixed-ownership system from his previous life?

State-owned enterprises provide licenses, private enterprises provide money, and industry associations provide connections.

No wonder his father-in-law, just a Scrap Yard owner, could have such great influence.

"Secondly, it's the union of the four major war zones."

Shen Qingci continued,

"Although we are called the Southern Martial Academy, we have exchange student quotas every year. You can go to the North to learn cold-region combat, or to the West to learn stealth and tracking. The four military academies also hold a 'Four-School Competition' every year to vie for the honor of being the strongest military academy."

"So the students of this school aren't limited to the South after graduation?"

"Right. You could be assigned to any war zone in the Federation."

Su Ming slowly digested this information.

There was a saying in his previous life when looking for a job: choosing the platform is more important than choosing the position. A large platform means more choices and easier job hopping.

After all, when looking for a job, you have to talk to so-and-so!

Southern United Martial Arts Academy seemed to be that "big platform."

"Finally, and most importantly, it's the union of retired and active-duty personnel."

"Seventy percent of our school's instructors are experienced and have extensive connections. They can teach you life-saving skills that you'll never learn in textbooks. Students who perform well can even be directly recommended by them to major military-industrial enterprises or the Hunter Association."

Su Ming listened, mesmerized.

This Southern United Martial Arts Academy sounded just like a small society.

The military, business, and civilian worlds intertwined; the relationships were complex, but the resources were truly abundant.

"What about the ace major?"

"Source Beast Hunting Command Department. Actual combat assessment accounts for 70%. Your close-combat ability is at a crushing level for your tier; this department is practically tailor-made for you."

Shen Qingci looked at him with a meaningful gaze.

"Senior, you're selling your school to me so hard. Is it because you want me to be your junior?"

Shen Qingci's face flushed red instantly, transforming her from the knowledgeable senior back into the Valkyrie who would get bristly when teased.

"Who... who wants you to be a junior! I was just... just stating facts!"

She stiffened her neck, her eyes darting away.

"Whether you go or not, what does that have to do with me?!"

"Oh..." Su Ming deliberately drew out the tone.

"Then it seems I thought too much. Sigh, I was originally thinking that if I had a pretty senior looking out for me, I wouldn't even need to bring a tent when going out on missions in the future—I could just mooch off the senior's."

Shen Qingci glared at him in shame and anger:

"You... pervert! Who wants to sleep in the same tent as you!"

"Get out...!"

Just then.

"Crack!"

A crisp cracking sound came from the center of the tent, interrupting their bickering.

Both of them turned their heads to look at the same time.

A crack exploded from the top of the cocoon, and dark red flames shot up into the sky.

The cracks spread across the entire cocoon, and fragments shot out in all directions.

An aura, far more explosive and scorching than the Red-maned Wind-blade Wolf King, erupted from the cracks!

Su Ming stood up.

His Mass Concealment was still active, but the ground beneath his feet was still cracked by this aura.

The blood cocoon completely shattered.

The moment the firelight dissipated, Su Ming's pupils shrank.

Standing there was no longer the Da Huang he knew before.

It had already completed its evolution!