394: Chapter 394 The fish has taken the bait!

[Xiao Wangshu: Direct grandson of Dean Xiao Shan. The Dean has instructed that he should be properly placed in a logistics position to temporarily avoid the front lines. —— Lin Shui]

Cang Hai stared quietly at that small line of text, his eyes showing no ripples of emotion deep within.

After a few breaths, the fingers holding the paper vibrated slightly.

A gentle yet incredibly resilient surge of energy permeated every inch of the paper.

There were no flames, and there was no sound.

That sheet of paper, which recorded all the students' information and bore that special "suggestion,"

turned into extremely fine, uniform gray powder within his palm, silently and without a trace.

The sea breeze blew, and the powder drifted up, instantly dispersing into the salty, humid air, leaving no trace to be found.

Cang Hai withdrew his hand and brushed his palms together.

He looked up, his gaze passing over layers of tents toward the towering Zhenhai City wall in the distance, which shimmered with a blue aura.

And beyond the wall lay that stretch of surging, dangerously hidden sea.

A cold arc curled at the corner of his mouth.

“The Dean's direct grandson, heh.”

A faint, almost inaudible chuckle dissipated into the wind.

Immediately after, he didn't linger. He turned around and strode toward the area outside the city.

...

Meanwhile, in the core area of Zhenhai City.

Inside a large military tent that looked ordinary but was actually equipped with a sophisticated isolation formation.

The furnishings inside were simple, save for a massive sand table in the center outlining the coastal defense lines and the situation in the near seas. Dots of fluorescence displayed the movements of both friend and foe.

Huge nautical maps hung on the walls on both sides, marked with dense symbols and annotations.

Xiao Shan stood before the sand table with his hands behind his back.

He wore a simple gray robe, his aura completely restrained. To anyone not intentionally sensing it, he seemed no different from an ordinary old man.

Lin Shui stood respectfully to the side. Only when Xiao Shan's gaze moved away from the sand table did he report in a low voice: “Dean, a total of two hundred and seventeen students from the martial arts universities have arrived to provide support.

Cang Hai has completed all task assignments, and the reception personnel from each camp are currently leading them to their designated stations.”

Xiao Shan nodded slightly, his gaze deep. “Where was that child Wangshu assigned?”

Lin Shui bowed his head and replied, “According to your previous instructions, Dean, I added a suggestion in red ink after Xiao Wangshu's name in the student information summary, suggesting he be assigned to logistics or technical positions as appropriate for some degree of care.”

He paused slightly and continued in a steady tone, “However, when Dispatcher Cang Hai made the final assignments, he still assigned Xiao Wangshu to the Fiftieth Battalion, requiring him to participate in frontline rotation and joint defense missions.”

The stone room fell silent for a moment, with only the occasional faint crackle from the wick of the ever-burning lamp.

The air inside the tent seemed to stagnate for an instant.

Xiao Shan’s fingers, which had been tapping on the table, stopped.

He slowly raised his eyes. His gaze fell calmly on a point in the void, yet it was as if a cold sword intent was silently flowing within it.

“As expected...”

He whispered those two words. His voice was very soft, yet it made the temperature in the tent seem to drop by several degrees.

“It seems this Cang Hai really does have a problem.”

Lin Shui's expression turned stern, and he straightened his back even more. “The Dean means...”

“Proceed according to plan.”

Xiao Shan interrupted Lin Shui's inquiry. Though his voice was soft, it carried a tone of absolute decisiveness. “Contact Director Liu Mu immediately and tell him—‘The fish has taken the bait; we can prepare to pull in the net.’”

Liu Mu, another Eighth-Rank Grandmaster from Modu University of Martial Arts, was also the former supreme commander of the Zhenhai Battlefield!

“Yes! Dean!”

Lin Shui took the order solemnly without any hesitation.

“Go on, and be sure to act with caution.”

Xiao Shan waved his hand.

Lin Shui bowed, quickly turned, and exited the tent. His figure soon disappeared amidst the layers of tents and security.

Quiet returned to the tent, with only the points of light representing the forces of friend and foe flashing incessantly on the sand table.

Xiao Shan turned his gaze back to the sand table, lingering for a moment near the coastline marked as the “Fiftieth Battalion” defense zone, his expression complex and unreadable.

“Wangshu... a fledgling eagle must eventually leave the nest. No matter how great the wind and waves, you must fly on your own.”

“Grandfather can protect you this time, but you will have to walk your future path yourself...”

Xiao Shan murmured.

Meanwhile, Qin Yan followed that dark-faced, taciturn non-commissioned officer.

They were walking on the road leading out of the north gate of Zhenhai City.

Traveling with them, besides Xiao Wangshu, were seven other students assigned to the 5th Squad of the Fiftieth Battalion.

Qin Yan's gaze quickly swept over these companions. Their auras varied in strength, but all were at the Third-Rank level.

“It seems this 1st Battalion of the Fiftieth Battalion is indeed a relatively safe ‘newbie zone.’”

Qin Yan mused to himself. “The strength of the personnel assigned for their first battle is generally not high, mostly Third-Rank. Xiao Wangshu and I are considered high-end combat power among them.

Cang Hai’s distribution gives ‘geniuses’ like us a chance to adapt to the battlefield without throwing us into the meat grinder of the core battlefield right from the start. It's quite sensible.”

Thinking of this, his mood, which had been slightly tense due to being forced into the combat sequence, couldn't help but relax a little.

His steps even became a bit lighter.

“What is... your current strength exactly?” Lu Qingfeng asked in a low voice, his tone somewhat dry.

Qin Yan glanced at him and pondered for a moment.

Among the freshmen at Modu University of Martial Arts, this person was once a prominent figure second only to Xiao Wangshu. Both his talent and character were top-tier, and he had his own pride.

He had no intention of crushing the other man's spirit with an absolute gap in strength.

“I entered the Fourth-Rank not long ago.”

Qin Yan chose a relatively conservative statement, his tone calm.

Hearing this, Lu Qingfeng's eyes flickered, and his lips pulled into a somewhat forced smile.

“As expected... Fourth-Rank.”

Although he had already guessed it, hearing Qin Yan admit it himself still felt like a real shock.

He remembered less than a year ago, within the freshman circles of Modu University of Martial Arts.

Aside from the dazzling Xiao Wangshu and Lu Youyou, who had a special background and extraordinary talent for alchemy,

he, Lu Qingfeng, had been the most prominent.

At that time, although Qin Yan's Martial Arts Skills were refined enough to attract attention,

he didn't seem particularly outstanding in terms of absolute vitality cultivation.

In fact, during the crucial Exchange Competition, Lu Qingfeng was considered one of Modu University of Martial Arts's hidden trump cards!

Meanwhile, Qin Yan had been sent out early, which in everyone's eyes was more for testing and wearing down the opposition.

But in that Exchange Competition, Qin Yan had completely redefined everyone's perception of him with a stunning performance.

Afterward, Qin Yan even had the courage to participate in the 'Hidden Dragon Assembly' and... he came back alive.