15: Chapter 15 The Strongest Newcomer and the Two Heroes

Yue Shanhai said, "The reason I'm having you Cultivate here is because immense pressure allows you to quickly master yourself in dangerous situations."

"The reason I'm not letting you use combat skills is because I want you to rely on yourself to [correct] the flaws of the Dragon Soul Body. At the very least, you must hold the condition of your body in your own hands."

"So that's how it is." Having the reason explained, Qin Feng's irritable heart gradually calmed down.

"However, I still have to give you a warning; you need to be mentally prepared," Yue Shanhai spoke.

"Please speak, Teacher," Qin Feng said.

"Your Dragon Soul Body is rated A+, but in reality, it's just impressive on the outside but hollow within—good-looking but useless. In actual combat, your Dragon Soul Body belongs to the weakest tier among A-ranks."

"Impressive on the outside but hollow within?"

Hearing this, Qin Feng was stunned like a wooden chicken.

"This is the flaw I spoke of. It's not as simple as just making you lose control over your body. If you cannot completely master it, the situation will only get more serious," Yue Shanhai said meaningfully.

"The weakest A-rank..." Qin Feng murmured to himself, chewing over those words repeatedly, lost in thought for a moment.

"Don't lose heart. With me here, since I brought you to this place, it means there is a solution. If I wanted to give up on you, I would have done so long ago," Yue Shanhai spoke, his tone gentle yet carrying a teacher's care and promise to his student.

Qin Feng was silent for a moment before finally revealing a smile. "Mm, thank you, Teacher."

The corners of Yue Shanhai's lips curled up slightly. He lifted the wine flask in his hand and said loudly, "Want a drink? It's wine I just borrowed from an old friend; it's good for the body."

Qin Feng grinned, bent down to grab the boulder, and hoisted it onto his back once more.

"Not for now. Let's talk after I finish these few laps."

"Fine, I'll save some for you. If it's not enough, I'll go borrow some more from someone later."

"..."

Meanwhile, somewhere in the academy.

Ye Jianxing searched all over the courtyard, finally digging up the soil under a tree, but it was still empty.

"Where's my wine?" He scratched his head in confusion. He remembered burying it here last time, so how could it be gone?

...

A few days into the start of the semester, the freshmen were arguably the most active on the campus forum.

As newcomers, they were fearless, unlike the older students whose attention was entirely on missions and points. They had plenty of time to experience the school's various facilities and activities.

Every matter, big or small, that happened in the academy was discussed on the forum. Especially recently, many people were inquiring about the Freshman Grand Competition from June, trying to get in on the excitement.

"The second-year students, that's the previous batch of freshmen. I heard the academy held a competition at the end of the term in June and crowned a [Freshman King]!"

"Freshman King? Why in June? By then, they'd been in the academy for a year, right? Are they still freshmen?"

"What do you know? As long as you're still in the first year, you're a freshman."

Someone was puzzled. "If that's the case, why not compete at the start of the semester, like we are now?"

Someone said, "Are you confused? Have you even been Cultivating for a month since the Awakening ceremony? What's there to compete with your amateur skills? It would just be a bunch of weaklings pecking at each other."

At this point, an older senior appeared to explain: "Some people start very slowly, but they learn faster and faster as their talent gradually reveals itself. Others start off flying but lack stamina later on. They are two extremes."

"Everyone is just starting out, so how much weight would a fight carry? Therefore, the academy took this into consideration. After one year, the end of the first-year term is the final moment of one's identity as a 'freshman'."

"Taking advantage of this, it's the perfect time to hold a real competition at the end of the term. It's not just to see the results of that year's Cultivation; the title of [Strongest Freshman] and the rewards are also an irresistible temptation."

The freshmen suddenly understood. No wonder it had to be held after a year; by then, everyone would have made progress, and it would better highlight a person's talent.

When talking about topics like the Strongest Freshman, their hearts naturally felt a bit restless.

After all, they were all hot-blooded youths. Who wouldn't want to be the strongest? Who wouldn't want to stand above the masses? They naturally cared about such titles, even more than the resource rewards that came with the strongest title.

"Senior, who is this year's Strongest Freshman?" someone asked about the battle situation in June.

"It's Mu Shiyu, of course. She has an A+ dual-element ability—one is Ice and the other is Poison. That kind of ability intensity is second only to those three S-ranks."

"Holy crap, A+ rank. That's explosive right from the start. Are there any A+ ranks in our batch of freshmen?"

"There seems to be one, but he didn't show up for the opening ceremony. It's quite a pity; I even had my camera ready."

"The point isn't the A+ rank ability; it's that Mu Shiyu herself is formidable. She challenged all the experts among the freshmen by herself and finally reached the top with overwhelming power!" an older student said.

"Challenged all the experts alone? Senior, you're not joking, are you?" Someone didn't believe it.

"If you don't believe it, go search for it yourself. There are videos of it." The senior couldn't be bothered to argue with him.

"..."

In his spare time from Cultivating, Chen Xing would occasionally browse the forum to watch them bicker and chat, which was somewhat interesting.

Speaking of the Strongest Freshman, he also went to search for it. Sure enough, many related videos had leaked. Because of the academy's large population, the comments below basically started at a million.

This girl named Mu Shiyu was very strong, and her background was not simple either.

The Mu Family—while this Family couldn't contend with the Alliance Academy, they were considered local powerhouses within the Tianhe System with significant influence.

For example, interstellar train flights, space material transport, and so on—these large-scale businesses all had the Mu Family's presence in one way or another, having been passed down for many years.

Mu Shiyu possessed extraordinary talent and intelligence, and she worked very hard herself. She was essentially the Family successor and the candidate for the next head of the Family.

Her reaching the top in June didn't just showcase her strength; it also told the world that their Mu Family had never declined.

"These big families are truly impressive. But, that senior said there are three S-ranks?" Chen Xing raised an eyebrow.

"Senior, who are the S-ranks you mentioned?" Before he could even ask, someone else asked for him.

The older student seemed quite interested as well, so he began to chat.

He said, "These few are quite extraordinary. But if we're talking about the weakest among the [Twin Heroes], so far it should be the third-year senior Li Baxian. His ability is S-rank Divine Gold Element."

Chen Xing had learned that the school had a total of ten grades. If one hadn't graduated after that, they would be categorized differently.

"Twin Heroes? Didn't you say there were three?" someone asked in confusion.

"Let me finish first."

"The strongest of the Twin Heroes belongs to the same batch as Senior Li; they are both juniors in their third year," the older student said. He was also a junior himself, so he knew the details quite clearly.

"Her name is Su He, and her ability is [Stars]. We usually call her Sister Xing, and her nickname is Su Xingchen."

"Let me tell you, Sister Xing is incredible. Not long ago, the two of them had a public battle. The winner was Sister Xing, and Senior Li had to admit defeat."