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Chapter 157 - Innate Talent Awakens!

Ling Xiao's gaze was filled with satisfaction. This speed of Ling Lan's had indeed met his requirement, and was actually a hair better than what he required. Just as Ling Xiao was going to say that she had passed, the ringing sounds of the crystal beads colliding sped up even more, merging the separate noises into one collective consistent peal of sound. Meanwhile, at this time, Ling Lan's fingers had disappeared ...

Seeing this, the expression of the initially smiling Ling Xiao shifted. If he weren't afraid of disturbing Ling Lan's attention, he might have just yelled out in shock. Ling Lan's hand speed had actually reached the step of Void — this was a definite step into the standard requirement to become an ace mecha operator. His child should be no more than 10 years old ... right?

With a dull 'puff', Ling Lan's fingers stopped and she woke up from the state of Void she had been in. Her brows furrowed lightly, and she opened her palm. Inside it were still four crystal beads, but now there was also a little powder.

"Clap clap clap ..." Ling Lan heard the sound of applause coming from beside her. She lifted her head to look and saw Ling Xiao clapping sedately. He smiled and said, "Ling Lan, very good. You've actually reached the state of Void."

"Void?" asked Ling Lan, puzzled. Ling Lan had learned mecha training exercises on her own, other than those things taught by the instructors in the learning space. Therefore, no one had explained the relevant standards to her. Little Four should have been the one to gather this information for her, but Little Four was under the mistaken belief that his boss only needed to learn the techniques of Mandora, and so had neglected this front.

Ling Xiao seemed to be prepared for this. Hearing Ling Lan's question, he explained, "The hand speed for mecha control is split into 5 stages. Base, representing the foundational speed — most mecha operators in training and low-level mecha operators are within the range of this level. Diligence, the next stage after Base — typically putting in hard effort will be enough to bring one up to this level. Intermediate mecha warriors belong at this level. Apex, representing the advanced mecha warriors — this means that one's hand speed has already reached the standard limits of the human body. Shade, a stage belonging to special-class operators — of course, a part of those here could also advance into novice ace operators. Meanwhile, Void was the standard by which operators were judged to be ace operators or not ... originally, my requirement was for you to achieve Apex speed, but unexpectedly, you've given me such a great surprise from the start."

Ling Lan listened closely to Ling Xiao's explanation, then after a pensive silence, she asked, "After Void, is there a higher speed? And also ..." Both of Ling Lan's eyes focused on Ling Xiao, "What is your speed?"

Ling Xiao was silent for a long moment, but then he said, "Above Void is Form ... but, that's still a long way away yet for you. You don't have to know about it now." Ling Xiao only mentioned a title, but did not go into the specifics.

"And you?" Ling Lan doggedly continued to ask. The second question was the one she was more concerned about.

Ling Xiao looked placidly at Ling Lan, and Ling Lan looked back unflinchingly at Ling Xiao. Her gaze was filled with the message that she would not back off on this.

Ling Xiao sighed deeply. "My hand speed is Space ..." His tone was somewhat fond, as if a little resigned at his child's stubborn personality.

"That's the highest speed, right?" said Ling Lan decisively. Otherwise Ling Xiao would not have become a god-class operator.

Ling Xiao shook his head and said, "No one knows where the true limits of the human body are. Space may be the limit right now, but is it really the ultimate limit? No one is able to foretell the future with absolute certainty ..." Ling Xiao's gaze was somewhat vacant, as if reminiscing about something.

Thoughtful, Ling Lan nodded. In her previous life, she had never even considered that humans could be this strong. Just looking at the physical body alone, human strength in this world was over ten times greater than it was in her previous world ... For instance, the extraordinarily strong men of her previous world, would only match up to the strength of a 10 year old child here. It was clear to see that in these ten thousand years, humans had made countless breakthroughs in the so-called human limits.

Ling Xiao abruptly came to himself, and sensing that Ling Lan had no more questions, he continued to say, "Since you've already met my requirements, then the second part of the legacy is yours now."

That said, Ling Xiao waved a hand in Ling Lan's direction, and Ling Lan instantly felt a large surge of energy push her out. And then, she was falling rapidly, just as if plummeting uncontrollably from the sky.

Ling Lan's complexion was extremely pale. Even though she had already conquered her fear of heights after a period of bitter training, still, when faced with this sort of uncontrolled free-falling, she felt all the hairs on her head stand on end. If not for the fact that she was certain that her cheapskate dad Ling Xiao had no bad intentions towards her, she would certainly have started screaming by now. But even so, she was so scared that her body was drenched with cold sweat.

Ling Lan fell into a grey-coloured area. Mist covered everything, hiding the surroundings from her eyes. Just when Ling Lan was wondering what to do, countless information and precious images were crammed into her brain ... numbers, movements, formulas, experience — in short, everything that Ling Xiao had learned, from control intuition, battle experience, and all sorts of miscellaneous insight were shoved unceremoniously into Ling Lan's little head.

"Once you've absorbed all this, come find me again then ..." In a daze, Ling Lan heard this final statement by Ling Xiao, and then fainted dead away ...

Oh, but before fainting, Ling Lan at least remembered to point a savage middle finger at her old man. Hells, this legacy was just way too tyrannical! It was truly over the top!

Meanwhile, Ling Xiao thought: What a tenacious child! Luofeng, you raised her well!

********

When Ling Lan woke up again, it was already the morning of the next day. She climbed out from the virtual logon pod, and cradling her head, she shuffled to her bedroom to get some proper rest. Of course, this drew the concern of Lan Luofeng. However, Lan Luofeng still chose to believe in her child, thinking that Ling Lan had everything well in hand.

After a good sleep, along with Little Four's help, she managed to seal away anything currently inapplicable into the depths of her brain, thus clearing up a great portion of her overloaded brain. Only then did she have the space to continue processing. This is when Ling Lan found that, in the second part of Ling Xiao's legacy, the most important bit was the training and control of spiritual power. Moreover, this was the key for an ace operator to advance to imperial status.

Most notably, after turning 10 years old, mutations may occur in a child's spiritual power ... this would influence the developmental path of the child.

"Little Four, do you know anything about this spiritual deviation?" Ling Lan suddenly realised that she was currently at this crucial moment.

"This is how this world refers to it, but according to the studies of our Mandora star system, this is an inevitable manifestation. After 10 years of age, humans start to step onto the course where their various functions gradually mature 1 . The initially slowly developing spiritual power enters a period of rapid growth, starting to awaken the innate talents within the body at the same time. This type of spiritual awakening combined with the stirring of the dormant talents are what this world calls spiritual mutation," Little Four reported all the information he found on their studies of the subject.

"If so, then spiritual mutation is a good thing." Ling Lan was instantly reassured.

"Of course it's a good thing, but it may not definitely be a good thing." Little Four's words made Ling Lan frown. So was this a good thing or a bad thing at the end of the day?

"It depends on what the awakened talent is. Not every talent is suitable for operating mecha."

"Oh? How so?" Ling Lan was curious.

"Some innate talents, like Decadent Voice, Soaring Dance, Conquering Smile ..." Little Four began laying out the information he had gathered.

"Be detailed when talking about the talents. Just saying the name, what can I know?" Ling Lan glared fiercely at Little Four, dissatisfied with his laziness.

Little Four rolled his eyes. Something so easy to understand, yet his boss wanted to make things complicated. He pouted and said, "It's actually very easy to figure out. For Decadent Voice, the awakened talent affects the voice. It makes the bearer's voice attract people's attention without them noticing it, even able to make them drunk on it. Meanwhile, Soaring Dance is a type of body language, able to make people feel what it is conveying, as if they were in a dream or an illusion. Conquering Smile is even easier to understand. One smile conquers cities, another smile conquers countries, a third smile conquers galaxies ... hehehe, in fact, Boss, you have talent in this area." Little Four started giggling behind his little hands. Naturally, he was then captured by an angry and embarrassed Ling Lan for some domestic violence ...

With great difficulty, Little Four finally managed to escape Ling Lan's demon clasp, and whined, "How violent, I can't even speak the truth anymore ..." Seeing Ling Lan's pointed glare, he quickly clammed up and stopped joking around. Pulling on a straight face, he continued to say, "Those talents earlier are more suited for the entertainment industry. Many of the world's popular singers, dancers, and performers are all people with awakened talents in these areas."

"For instance, that evolved spectre hacker we met a few years ago was also due to a type of talent awakening. It's just that his awakened talent is destructive strength on the virtual side." Little Four raised another familiar example to clarify things for Ling Lan.

In the end, Little Four glanced at Ling Lan and said teasingly, "Actually, Boss, your innate talent is already awakened."

"What?!" exclaimed Ling Lan, "Why didn't I know of this?"

"Haven't you noticed, Boss? Isn't your ability to see through an opponent's weakness with a glance very miraculous?" Little Four pursed his lips, looking down on his boss for being so slow.

Ling Lan was enlightened. No wonder every time she fought she would see through the opponent's weakness straightaway. Even when she was on planet Demonbeast, fighting with the Twilight Empire mecha, she also had this feeling. That was why she had been able to successfully come up with a strategy on the fly, and make the opponents act as she willed so that she could finally kill them.

"Boss, this is your innate talent! It's just that Boss's innate talent still hasn't awakened completely. You still need to work on it. Right, Boss's number two follower (the number one follower is him, Little Four, the others are all after him), that one called Qi Long — that so-called animal-like instinct of his is also a type of talent awakening ..." Little Four continued with the revelations.

"So Qi Long has also awakened his talent!" exclaimed Ling Lan in astonishment. Suddenly, tone puzzled, she said, "That's not right. Qi Long already had his animal instinct since young. Didn't you say that innate talents could only be awakened after 10 years old?"

"Silly Boss. Talented children can naturally awaken their innate talents earlier. Like you, Boss, and Qi Long, are both this type. Still, early awakening is relatively uncommon. Most children only begin awakening from 10 years old onwards. And even if the talents are awakened early, they won't be noticed unless the changes are extremely obvious. Like yours, Boss, and Qi Long's covert type of awakened talent, it is not obvious at all and will be easily overlooked ... Before I said anything, didn't you yourself not notice anything, Boss?" said Little Four disdainfully.

1. a.k.a. puberty?

Chapter 158 - The Instructors of the Learning Space Assemble!

Ling Lan could only rub her nose and accept Little Four's contemptuous glares. Who asked her to be a real dimwit when it came to things like this? In future, she would still need Little Four to explain things to her. Ling Lan knew well that she could not use pure force on Little Four all the time — when appropriate, she should let him have his fun, so that he would put in even more effort in future to provide information of this sort.

It had to be admitted that Ling Lan herself was actually pretty black-bellied at times. Let us surrender some compassionate tears for the clueless Little Four in advance!

In fact, the spiritual power training method passed down by Ling Xiao's legacy was extremely reasonable. Even Little Four, who had N-amount of materials saved in his databases, could not help but have an intense light in his eyes at seeing these systematic training methods. While Ling Lan was not looking, he swiftly made a digital duplicate of the material in his hands, which then vanished instantly after without a trace. Who knows where he sent it to ...

********

In a particular exclusive space within the learning space, below the dark and gloomy skies, there was a towering mountain peak. At its highest point, there was a flat cloud platform. Number One was sitting there in solitude, eyes closed as he meditated. Suddenly, his brows lifted and he reached out a hand in a quick grab, and a file appeared just like that out of thin air into his hand.

Only then did Instructor Number One open his eyes and start flipping casually through the file. Then, his expression abruptly turned grim, and his cold voice thundered throughout the entire space. "Assemble!"

His voice had just dissipated when in that gloomy patch of sky, about 10 metres or so above the area Number One was meditating, eight dark vertical lines suddenly appeared.

Subsequently, those vertical lines grew thicker and thicker, and then they actually split open from the middle, and the first thing that came to sight was a pair of hands in each line. After that, the hands forcefully ripped those black seams apart, revealing the figures they were attached to. They were the instructors of the learning space, from Number Two to Number Nine, all eight of them with no absentees.

The seemingly simple and honest Instructor Number Three laughed heartily and said, "Big Brother, what has happened, actually calling us to assemble?"

Number Five's eyes narrowed slightly, and a harmless smile emerged on his handsome face. "It must be something big, but who knows if it can make me excited ..." That said, he licked at his lips, his demeanour one of profound interest. Speaking of which, ever since little Ling Lan had graduated from his tutelage, he had felt as if life had lost all meaning, he no longer had any desire or motivation to do anything ...

Number Four was a sexy great beauty. Even dressed in compact military clothes, her sexy curves and buxom figure were still clear enough to cause massive nosebleeds in men — oh, the allure of a woman in uniform ...

She sighed and said grumpily, "I only care about when I can debut ... I really want to teach our family's Baby Lan!"

Number Nine sniffed coolly, "Ling Lan has no need to learn those things of yours ..."

Number Four smirked and shook her hands, "No, no, no. Sister Nine, don't be so sure. Baby Lan will still need a man someday. When that time comes, she will need everything of mine. I will let her master all the methods she needs to control everything of a man's ..."

Number Nine was about to retort when she seemed to recall something, and so held back and said nothing ...

Number Six, Number Seven, and Number Eight were triplets, all male. They all looked to be around 25 to 26 years old, faces attractive and masculine, the type that would easily inspire trust in others. The three looked exactly the same. At a glance, it was impossible to tell one from another. They looked balefully at their big brother Number One, their gazes just short of directly complaining to their big brother — why didn't he let them go out and teach their baby disciple?

Number One seemed unable to withstand the wronged-wife look 1 coming from three identical handsome faces at the same time, for he coughed and said, "Before Ling Lan has decided her future developmental pathway, you all just have no way of coming out ..."

Who asked the three of them to be specialists in specific areas? Number Six was a whiz at anything to do with finance and investments, Number Seven was a master at administration and management, while Number Eight was an expert at military planning, strategy, and tactics. They were obviously respectively a money bag, a major-domo, and a military advisor. If Ling Lan had decided to conquer the world, the three of them would have appeared much earlier, but Ling Lan was still somewhat unsure about her future plans, so they could only keep waiting ...

"Eh? Where's Number Two?" Number Four suddenly recalled that there was still Number Two who shared their sad fate, not being able to debut as well. Could it be that Number Two, unlike them, did not want to interact with their Baby Lan?

Everyone abruptly realised that Number Two who had come here with them had actually disappeared ...

Number One coolly thrust the document in his hands behind him, saying calmly, "Number Two, take a look at this document."

The shadow of Number One's right hand suddenly moved, stretching up to take the document from Number One's hands. The moment the document left Number One's hands, it became a shadow too, returning to join Number One's shadow, merging seamlessly into it.

Watching this scene, everyone present felt a chill invade their hearts. However, they all seemed to have some resistance built up against this creepy shadow play — most of them just shifted a little, but then stood steady and pretended not to see anything.

Very soon, the dark shadow spoke, "A very perfect set of spiritual power training methods, even safer and steadier than the triggering method that our Mandora star system has to awaken innate talents. Compared to this method, our measures are clearly a little violent." The shadow's voice was hoarse and ragged, somewhat grating on the ears, making anyone who heard it feel uncomfortable.

"It's really that good?" Number Five's eyes finally sparked with some interest. His voice had barely faded when a copy of the document sprang out from the shadow and flew straight at Number Five.

Number Five caught it deftly and began browsing through it. His gaze flickered and he sighed in awe, "So that's how it is. This way, the effect of awakening the innate talents will be doubled with just half the effort. This is a good lesson, I'll need to see how I can integrate this with my Hell Training ..."

Number Nine grabbed the document from him, and sniffed coldly. "Don't ruin this great thing ..."

Number Five just smiled without retorting, and did not try to take the document back either. Frankly, as beings made from data, they could clearly know all the content within the document just by touching it; browsing through it was just a habit they had.

Everyone took their turn to take a look, and they each had their respective insights. Spiritual power training had a certain boosting function upon high-intelligence bio-entities like themselves. Or should we say, every one of them obtained differing types of insights applicable to their own domain — this was beneficial to their evolution.

"Who'd have thought that we would one day receive a present from our host ..." sighed Number Four. Her words caused everyone to fall silent. Due to the bindings of the rules, they would have to repay their host for the gift. However, at present, it was rather difficult to repay their host properly, because this was not the Mandora star system. Without the relevant technology, they could not materialize ...

"This matter, let's leave it till later. There will be a chance somehow." Number One closed the issue for now, in wait for a future opportunity. For this reason, at some time in the future, Number Six, Number Seven, and Number Eight would be working hard to develop the technology of this world, fighting to hasten the arrival of the day they could materialize.

Instructor Number One considered for a moment, and then said to Number Two, "Number Two, it's time for you to debut."

"Yes, Number One!" said Number Two darkly. This time, he had once again changed his manner of speaking. Being voiced by the shadow, the entire scene was made dark and eerie.

This sort of supernatural atmosphere displeased the other instructors. They all put forth their protest for Number Two to change his image so that he would not frighten their beloved Baby Lan.

Their protests were only met by Number Two's gruesome, cold chuckles. The entire space was filled with the hair-raising sound of his laughter, and then the entire space suddenly dimmed. Dark winds rose on four sides, a ghostly chill swirling into the air, and nameless will-o'-the-wisps fluttered in the distance ... it was as if they had abruptly been plunged into the abyss of hell.

Other than Number One who still remained expressionless, as unmoving as a mountain, the others, even the extremely perverse Number Five, could no longer hold onto their smiles. At this time, Number Two said faintly, "If Ling Lan could endure Number Five's torments, then I think she should not be afraid of me ... me ... me ..." His voice echoed endlessly within this space ...

At these words, Number Five instantly became the focus of everyone's anger as they vented their fear on him. They glared fiercely at Number Five, wanting him to fix things with the gaslighting 1 Number Two ... Number Nine, in particular, huffed coldly, her expression one of great displeasure. If Number One had not been there, she would definitely have challenged Number Five to a fight. Mind you, since a long while back, she had already wanted to give Number Five a good beating on behalf of their adorable Baby Lan.

Facing the crowd's anger, Number Five could only smile stiffly. With regards to Number Two, no matter how perverse Number Five was, he did not dare to push Number Two too far. That fellow was extremely proficient at spiritual manipulation, and was good at concealing himself. If he angered him by accident, he would definitely be greatly brutalized by the other. Number Five was a sadist, not a masochist.

Besides, towards Ling Lan, he really had no evil intentions. Why couldn't these companions beside him understand this? It should be known that their soft namby-pamby methods would never be able to cultivate an unparalleled prodigy — it could only be said that a genius was always lonely and misunderstood ...

Number Five cravenly pretended to be lost in the silence of his own genius and swiftly departed!

********

Ling Lan did not know yet that her good days were over. Very soon, she would be greeted by yet another wave of the learning space's torments. Currently, she was anxiously standing at the entrance to her villa, waiting for the arrival of Qi Long and the others. Not just them, even the other members of group 072 were coming, as well as the new addition Lin Zhong-qing.

This was the first time Ling Lan was receiving a visit from classmates in both her lifetimes. Even the typically calm Ling Lan could no longer keep her calm in this moment; she was actually quite nervous.

"Boss Lan, we're here!" This voice was most certainly that of the loudmouth Qi Long. Ling Lan walked out of her little garden, and immediately saw a group of children dressed in red uniforms and white uniforms about 100 metres away. The fellow right in the front waving wildly at her was none other than the brash and forthright Qi Long.

Right behind him, a girl was also waving just as vigorously. It was the candid, tom-boyish Han Xuya. Meanwhile, Luo Chao was closely tailing Han Xuya, tugging on the other's sleeve with a red face, trying to remind Han Xuya to be more reserved.

Yuan Youyun, Luo Shaoyun, He Chaoyang, and Li Jinghong were looking at Ling Lan with faces filled with excitement. They looked as if they really wanted to greet her but was unsure whether they should. Ever since Ling Lan and the others had gone to planet Demonbeast to hunt, they had not seen them for as long as half a year.

1. This is legitly what the author uses. Rofl.

1. A form of manipulation that seeks to sow seeds of doubt in a targeted individual or in members of a targeted group, hoping to make them question their own memory, perception, and sanity (wikipedia). Used as a verb here.

Chapter 159 - Take a Wife or Marry a Husband?

Speaking of the four of them, they were now all students of Special Class-B. In particular, He Chaoyang and Li Jinghong, due to their weaker talent, had worked themselves to the bone just to chase up to Ling Lan and the other elites. After four years of tenacious struggling, they finally managed an upset to squeeze into the competitive ranks of Special Class-B. Becoming classmates with Yuan Youyun, Luo Shaoyun, Han Xuya, and Luo Chao, the six of them successfully built their own team, becoming team members who would grow together. To commemorate group 072 where they had taken the exam together, they named their team '072'!

Most surprisingly, the team leader of team 072 was actually the easily embarrassed, shy and often blushing Luo Chao ... it was true enough that people could not be judged by their appearances.

Meanwhile, Ling Lan's team had been short of one person all this time. Ling Lan was unconcerned by this, so Qi Long and the others also did not worry.

Behind Yuan Youyun and the others were Han Jijyun, Luo Lang, and Lin Zhong-qing. Although they were restraining their excitement on the surface, their gazes revealed their true emotions. In contrast to the ignorance of the others, Qi Long and the other three knew the true meaning of this visit — this would be the first time they would encounter the world of god-class operator Ling Xiao, especially the wife mentioned in the legends of Ling Xiao. (That's my mum! ← Ling Lan was moody; these bunch of followers were actually ignoring her ...)

The group nervously followed Ling Lan into the villa, and then saw a beautiful lady smiling gently at them. Of course, in this time period, beautiful men and women were everywhere, but still, the children could feel a warmth coming from Lan Luofeng's body, easing their initially high-strung nerves.

The half-grown kids greeted Mama Ling politely and bashfully. This greatly pleased Lan Luofeng, because her Ling Lan always had a serious adult-like expression on her face, giving her no sense of achievement as a mother. But now, she could finally have a taste of what it felt like ... Boo hoo hoo, if only her own daughter was as lively as these children before her eyes ...

The intent behind Lan Luofeng's gaze rendered Ling Lan speechless — how had her mum come to the conclusion that these kids were lively? Setting everything else aside, just looking at Han Jijyun alone — that stern expression of his was not much better than hers ...

All that could be said was that parents would never be satisfied with the current situation. They would always admire the things that their child has yet to accomplish, regardless of whether it was apt or not.

In a great mood, Lan Luofeng's demeanour was naturally very welcoming to the children. In comparison with their fierce dragon mums at home, the children could not help but admire Boss Lan's blissful life. It was once again proven that the grass was always greener on the other side.

During the meal, Ling Lan observed her mum's formidable diplomatic methods for the first time. Without any notable signs, she managed to coax out the family backgrounds of all ten children by beating around the bush. Of course, not everyone was oblivious — Han Jijyun noticed, but he was not surprised by it. This was an expected measure by any responsible mother to understand the friendships of her child. Han Jijyun had already been mentally prepared for this, and so was the one to handle the subtle interrogation the best.

Lan Luofeng looked at the children before her with extreme satisfaction. It had been a really long time since the house was this lively; her child finally had her own friends now ... who knows which of them would become the right one for her daughter 1 ?

That one called Qi Long had a good personality, very obedient, not bad not bad; but then that one called Luo Lang was just so pretty, she liked him by just looking at him (Lan Luofeng was a certified face-con); that Han Jijyun was a bit stern, but he was very clever and handled things in a very organized manner, seeming to match well with her daughter ... and that Lin Zhong-qing, although his family background was a bit weaker, he knew how to compromise and seemed adaptable, and would most certainly do well in the future, also a good choice. What a shame she only had one daughter ...

In short, Lan Luofeng was extremely satisfied and pleased with all the boys here in front of her; she had actually already begun debating with herself over which one was the best choice.

These impure thoughts of Lan Luofeng were quickly seen through by Ling Lan, and cold sweat sprang out from her forehead. Oh mum, can you stop looking at my friends as if you are looking at your future son-in-law? Your daughter is only 10 right now, okay? And most importantly, right now your daughter is still male ...

Just like that, under Lan Luofeng's special ministrations, the dinner table was a lively affair for both host and guest. The atmosphere was friendly, and the children soon lost their initial reservations.

Of course, there was also an exception. Luo Chao was the only one at the dining table with her head bowed, only eating the white rice in her bowl, not even daring to lift up her chopsticks to get any of the other dishes. Watching her, Ling Lan wasn't sure whether to laugh or cry. Was this little girl going to eat only white rice till the end?

"Hey, eat more Duomo meat 1 . Your body is too weak." Ling Lan's seat was diagonally across from Luo Chao. She picked up a piece of white meat with her chopsticks and placed it into Luo Chao's bowl. The shy and adorable Luo Chao's gentleness melted Ling Lan's heart ... In truth, because Luo Chao's spiritual power increased at a greater rate than average, her body condition had always been a little unwell. This struck a chord with Ling Lan, bringing up memories of her past life, so she would always pay a little more attention and care to Luo Chao.

"Thank you, Big Brother Lan!" Luo Chao's entire face flushed red, and her eyes were glistening like those of a baby deer. Ling Lan pulled back her chopsticks speechlessly. Oh, little girl, big sister is only concerned about your body; there really isn't any deeper meaning ... perhaps she needed to tone down this type of involuntary care a little in the future.

This action of Ling Lan's caused the initially lively dinner table to suddenly fall silent. Qi Long, especially, was gaping, extremely shocked at Boss Lan's sudden kindness in caring for Luo Chao. Meanwhile, Luo Lang's expression was conflicted — should he push away his boss to safeguard his little sister, or should he just go with the flow ... The others kept stealing glances at Ling Lan and Luo Chao — could it be that without them knowing, Boss and their little sister had developed some relationship?

Only Han Jijyun remained composed, as if unaffected. Unfortunately, his chopsticks slipped a few times, unable to pick up the dishes he wanted. From that, it could be seen that he currently was not as calm as his appearance would suggest ...

Ling Lan swept an exasperated glare at the group of brats with varying expressions on their face. This glare frightened the kids so much they hurriedly pulled their rice bowls close and began gulping down the white grains. Boo hoo hoo, as expected, they had no right to be nosy about Boss's business ... what a waste of all the delicious food on the table — they now did not even dare to reach out to take any!

Lan Luofeng's originally decorous and demure smile suddenly froze, and her gaze became somewhat unfocused. Could it be that these boys all had no chance? Would she obtain a daughter-in-law in the end instead? No, that's not right, she gave birth to a daughter, right?

At the end, the evening ended and the group dispersed. The children left Ling Lan's home satisfied. The fact that Ling Lan had invited them to be guests at her home proved that Ling Lan had truly accepted them. This was the main reason for their satisfaction with this visit.

All said, they finally succeeded in hugging onto a big thigh ... er, that is to say, they have finally become Boss Lan's sworn siblings!

Lan Luofeng waited impatiently for Ling Lan to return from sending her friends off, and then she pulled Ling Lan close and asked anxiously, "Baby Lan, do you like boys or girls?" Whenever Lan Luofeng was in a panicked state, she would default to calling Ling Lan 'Baby Lan'.

Ling Lan secretly rolled her eyes in exasperation — she's still a 10 year old child right now, okay? Isn't it a bit too early for her mum to be worrying about this?

"You still remember that you didn't give birth to a boy, right?" Big sister here is female in both body and soul — how could I like girls?

"Then what's going on with that Luo Chao?" Lan Luofeng still could not let it go. Even she had rarely ever gotten such caring treatment from her Baby Lan ... alright, so Lan Luofeng was a little bit jealous!

"Don't you think she's really sweet? So much cuter than that bunch of smelly brats ..." replied Ling Lan, "I like this kind of little sister!"

Seeing Lan Luofeng's stricken face, Ling Lan added on helplessly, "Purely as an elder brother towards a younger sister. Mum, don't overthink it."

That said, Ling Lan ran away! Leaving behind a petrified Lan Luofeng.

And then, in the vast and vacant great hall, a hysterical cry rang out:

"AHAHAH ... Nanyi, I'm going to go insane!" Lan Luofeng pulled at her hair wildly; at this moment, she no longer retained any of her so-called decorum.

A knife in hand, Ling Nanyi rushed out from the kitchen in shock, "Mistress, what happened?"

"Boo hoo hoo, Nanyi, Baby Lan has really started thinking of herself as a boy ... what should we do now?" Lan Luofeng's mind was echoing with the phrase 'purely as an elder brother towards a younger sister' ... That 'younger sister' was most definitely referring to Luo Chao, then wouldn't the 'elder brother' be referring to Ling Lan herself?

Hearing this, Ling Nanyi's expression calmed down. "This is how it should be, otherwise Young Master Lan would not be able to pull off the role so well."

"But, I don't want to have a daughter-in-law in future, I want a son-in-law ..." said Lan Luofeng in distress.

"Don't worry, Mistress. Even if Young Master Lan takes a young mistress, with the current technology, it will still be possible for the young mistress to give birth to Young Master Lan's child ..." Ling Nanyi's eyes were shining, starting to consider the possibilities along this avenue — where she could go to obtain excellent sperm, and then let Young Master Lan's and the young mistress's eggs combine to take the sperm and merge so that a pair of twins could be born ... Of course, only Young Master Lan's child could be considered as family head for the Ling family. As for the young mistress's child, they would just be trained up as a loyalist to accompany Young Master Lan's child ...

Listening to Housekeeper Ling Nanyi's counsel, Lan Luofeng felt that it made sense. After all, no matter whether her daughter took a wife or married a husband, it would not affect her getting grandchildren. Thus, her mood brightened, no longer conflicted.

Ling Lan, who had barely turned the corner, heard this conversation between her mum and the housekeeper, and was instantly rendered speechless. What was up with these people ... she really could not think on the same wavelength as them.

However, Ling Lan did not take this matter to heart. She was still only 10 years old — whether she would marry a wife or husband, the choice was still very far off. Right now, she might as well make full use of her time to get stronger instead. Might was the true right!

********

Time passed swiftly, three years went by just like that! In these three years, Ling Lan grew from a short little bean sprout into a stately and well-proportioned, aloof youth. Compared to three years ago, Ling Lan's current status within Special Class-A of Year 4738 was also extremely noteworthy. Even the influential types like Wu Jiong and Li Yingjie could only turn their blades away, full-heartedly acknowledging Ling Lan as the only boss of Class-A.

In reality, these three years were not as pleasant for Ling Lan as everyone assumed. By day, her authority was indeed unchallenged, but by night, she was thoroughly living a tragedy. Within the learning space, she was going through countless torments, being bullied endlessly by Instructor Number Two.

1. T/C: Matchmaking mode on.

2. Is this dish named after the Duomo code creator ...? @.@ I'm thinking it might be like the 'Dong Po Pork' of our world ...

Chapter 160 - A Grand Game?

Still, Instructor Number Two was not as crazy as Instructor Number Five. Of all the countless ways he could use to torment Ling Lan, he only used the simplest of them, but it was still enough to frighten Ling Lan to within an inch of her life during every training session with him.

Who knew where Instructor Number Two obtained his intel? (Little Four was cackling smugly; of course the info came from him.) He brought the ghost movies and horror films of Ling Lan's previous world to life. Ling Lan had thought that after Instructor Number Five's perverse torments, she was already immune to any other torments, but who knew she still had a weakness ... actually being terrified of those illusionary ghosts and spirits.

These eldritch ghosts had no form, so physical attacks were useless against them. Many times, Ling Lan found her own sword turned against herself by these ghosts to disembowel herself or stab out her own heart, where she then breathed her last without being able to do anything. This greatly frustrated Ling Lan — she had never felt so helpless before. At least during Instructor Number Five's insane training, she had not been completely unable to fight back.

From the start, Instructor Number Two had not told her what she should do. Every time she entered the learning space, she would be thrown directly into all sorts of horror films to train, putting Ling Lan through time after time of unending terror. Ling Lan finally knew what a so-called endless trial was now ... it was truly unbearable.

In the course of dying five or six times, Ling Lan had tried countless ways, finally grasping the use of spiritual sensing to kind of sense the existence of those eldritch ghosts. And so she began to focus on training with the spiritual power training methods bequeathed to her by her father, trying to use her spiritual power to fight these ghosts in these horror films ... Only at this time did Instructor Number Two appear to instruct Ling Lan on how to pull out her spiritual power and teach her the way to divide it.

This extraction and fragmentation of spiritual power was agonizing — every time, Ling Lan would go through the suffering of having her spiritual power being forcefully ripped apart. This was much more painful and much more unbearable than the feeling of her physical body being torn apart — every time, Ling Lan would only barely succeed after she started puking from the pain. If it weren't for the fact that she did not want to die in myriad strange ways, Ling Lan would have lost all courage to even attempt a second time.

Still, this inhuman torment had significant results. Ling Lan's original one cord of spiritual power split into two cords, and then the two cords split into three cords, and so on until she finally succeeded in splitting out 12 cords of spiritual feelers. In Instructor Number Two's words, she had succeeded in becoming an initiate level spiritual power user. Of course, from the moment Ling Lan succeeded in extracting and projecting her formless spiritual power, this meant that she now had the ability to defend against those formless spirits, giving her the possibility of survival in those endless horror film scenarios.

In these three years, Ling Lan had pretty much lived through all the horror films in her previous world. From the start when she could only defend passively, till the point when she could finally fight back, to now where she could kill her way through the sea of ghosts — these three years caused Ling Lan to grow up very quickly! This method of Instructor Number Two's which forced Ling Lan to reincarnate repetitively caused Ling Lan to master the various uses of spiritual power in a very short amount of time. Ling Lan even managed to invent several spiritual power attacks of her own ...

Regarding this, Instructor Number Two could only exclaim in silence at how aberrant Ling Lan's tolerance was. Consequently, he further increased the difficulty — in several attacks in some scenes, he took part personally ... and so Ling Lan once again experienced the sensation of dying at ghostly hands, welcoming yet a new round of evolution.

Due to the endless pressure of terror, Ling Lan's innate talent awakened at a much faster rate than other people. Not only did her Profound Insight talent awaken completely so she could now use it as she willed, she even awakened a second innate talent — Ice Affinity, which allowed Ling Lan to learn the element of ice. This caused Ling Lan's body to emit a faint chill, and in tandem with her cold and expressionless ice-block face, a new generation cold-faced pretty boy came into the world!

The awakening of Ice Affinity not only took Ling Lan by surprise; the instructors of the learning space were also very surprised. Ling Lan's body clearly was not born with the element of ice, so why did this innate talent awaken? Later on, Instructor Number One made an irresponsible guess — perhaps because in her heart Ling Lan believed that cold-mannered slackfaced people were all good, while those who liked to smile were a black-bellied lot full of bad water, so the element of ice had become fond of her ...

Wasn't this just ridiculous? Look well, this was what is meant by an irresponsible guess!

Ling Lan truly shocked and surprised everyone with the awakening of her innate talents. The awakening of the innate talents of others would always show some sign, whether big or small — for instance, Qi Long's Animal Instinct had presented young and just became more and more obvious. During this period of time, his initiate instructor mentored him for a full year, letting him fully master Animal Instinct. He was now especially sensitive to those who tried to get close to him, directly being able to intuit their true intentions ... he was just like a human lie detector. Moreover, under his instructor's invitation, Qi Long also officially became his true disciple ...

Han Jijyun's awakened innate talent was Strategy, an enhanced version of intelligence. This would definitely aid him in becoming a perfect intelligence-type staff officer.

In comparison, Luo Lang's awakened innate talent was rather unexpected —— Alter Ego! When his innate talent activated, it would automatically create a new personality — this personality could be passionate, or heartless, or wrathful, or cold-blooded ... once, it even presented the personality of a ruthless fighting machine. At that time, both his attacks and his tactics were extremely scary, because Luo Lang had become so cold-blooded that he would even risk himself in his calculations ...

Whenever Luo Lang's innate talent activated, Qi Long would become extremely agitated, because only Qi Long's Animal Instinct could tell whether Luo Lang's new personality was good or bad. If it were a bad personality, the group would pounce on Luo Lang to control him, to prevent him from doing anything unforgivable. It was truly an undeniably dangerous innate talent to awaken! Of course, this type of uncontrollable innate talent like Luo Lang's was pretty much half-useless ... without Qi Long there, if a bad personality presented, no one would know. These personalities were all able to fake normalcy, so only Qi Long's Animal Instinct could detect it as its natural counter. Of course, this was also true of Ling Lan's Profound Insight, but no one knew about this innate talent of Ling Lan's. Everyone just assumed that Ling Lan's awakened talent was Ice Affinity.

Both Han Jijyun and Luo Lang had also been taken in by their instructor as true disciples; this was especially imperative for Luo Lang. His dangerous innate talent gave his instructor no choice but to seek help from his sect, hoping they would be able to think of a good way to resolve this latent threat of Luo Lang's.

Of course, both Qi Long and Luo Lang's talents were suitable for operating mecha, but compared to the relatively unstable Alter Ego, Animal Instinct was undoubtedly a level better.

Lin Zhong-qing's awakened innate talent was Concealment. When it was activated, his presence would vanish without a trace. As Ling Lan would say, he was a person very suited to become an assassin.

Han Xuya's awakened innate talent was Violence. Once it activated, her combat strength would multiply by several folds. This was also a low-level innate talent very suitable for mecha operation. Everyone lamented that this innate talent was wasted on Han Xuya, causing Han Xuya to fly into a rage and demand a PK 1 from them with her talent activated. Then, this strongwoman would beat them into the ground with her abominable strength ... it was clear to see that the talent of Violence was very helpful in terms of providing combat strength.

The most unique talent was Luo Chao's. Initially, everyone thought that the shy and pacifist Luo Chao would awaken some type of lifestyle related innate talent, such as Favourable Impression, or Voice Control etcetera ... But surprisingly, she actually awakened Navigator, which was very rare among females. This meant that Luo Chao would become an excellent starship captain in the future.

Yuan Youyun's awakened talent was Energy Reservation, most suitable for drawn out battles, while Luo Shaoyun's was Berserker, the complete opposite of Yuan Youyun's. Luo Shaoyun's talent lent itself well to a quick-paced battle, where he could just rain a torrent of blows down on the opponent to crush them, and was not good for a drawn out battle. He Chaoyang awakened Phantasm, while Li Jinghong awakened Thousand Li 1 Astral Projection. Both these innate talents were not really combat-suited and were extremely common. Still, the two boys were very happy, because many of the other students in their class did not even awaken any innate talent at all. In other words, they did not undergo a spiritual mutation.

Some of the awakened talents of the members of the two teams were counters of each other or very similar, so the two teams often PK-ed among themselves. The relationship between the members increased steeply till they were all bosom buddies, however, they all also knew that some of them would be leaving once they turned 16. This was because the paths they would walk in the future were divergent.

Everyone also knew that the youngest little sister Luo Chao had a crush on Boss Lan, but Boss Lan did not seem to reciprocate ... he treated Luo Chao exactly the same as he treated them all. They felt that this was a bit of a shame, for they were actually very willing to leave the adorable little sister Luo Chao in Boss Lan's hands.

********

One day, Ling Lan was studying some class materials on the virtual network when she suddenly heard her communicator ring blaringly.

Ling Lan glanced down and saw with some surprise that it was Luo Lang. Normally, either Qi Long or Han Jijyun would be the one to contact her; it was extremely rare for Luo Lang to do so. Why was this fellow contacting her ...? Curious, Ling Lan connected the call and asked, "Luo Lang, what's up?"

"Boss, come to the academy canteen quickly! Qi Long is going up against some tenth grade students ... the other side has over about 20 people!" Luo Lang's tone was anxious. Qi Long was indeed very strong, but against so many people, his pair of fists would still be unlikely to defeat the opponents' horde of fists.

"Calm down. What happened?" asked Ling Lan calmly.

"A female student from Class-B accidentally bumped into the other, and an argument broke out. One of the girls on the other side actually slapped the Class-B student several times. We just happened to be in the area, and Han Xuya could not overlook it and so went out to defend the student. Boss, you know how hot-tempered Han Xuya is. After some bickering back and forth, they almost wanted to hit Han Xuya as well, so Qi Long stepped out. And then twenty students suddenly emerged from their side to surround Qi Long, demanding that Qi Long kneel down and apologise! They also said they wanted to teach us arrogant juniors 1 a lesson ..." Luo Lang detailed the entire stream of events to Ling Lan.

"Got it. I'll be there at once! Also, delay for as long as possible!" After giving these instructions to Luo Lang, Ling Lan hung up. After some thought, she immediately contacted Wu Jiong, "Wu Jiong, notify all the students of Class-A and Class-B to gather at the academy canteen!"

"Uh? Okay!" Wu Jiong was stunned for a moment, but immediately agreed and then asked, "What's going on? Why do the students of both classes need to go there?"

A sly smile appeared on Ling Lan's lips, "Do you want to play a grand game with me?"

"A grand game?" Wu Jiong's interest perked up instantly.

"I'm very curious ... what the 'grand armed melee' which has disappeared from the academy for over a hundred years is like ..." Ling Lan's smirk was sinister. At this moment, she seemed to be channelling a faint shadow of Instructor Number Five.

"A grand armed melee!" yelled Wu Jiong in shock. He was drenched in cold sweat in an instant.

"What? You don't dare to play with me?" Ling Lan's tone seemed mocking, but sounded more like the seductive tone of a demon.

Wu Jiong felt his heart pounding violently, his mind filled with the idea of a grand armed melee ... He gulped audibly, swallowing a mouthful of saliva then said, "Fine, I'll play with you! Who's the opponent?"

1. Mentioned before, stands for 'Player Kill'. To look for someone for a PK is to seek them out for a PvP fight.

2. The unit of distance mentioned in a previous chapter. 1000 li = 500 kilometres. However, the '1000 li' here is most likely symbolic, just referring to a long distance.

3. FYI, Ling Lan and friends are in the 7th grade now, age 13.

Chapter 161 - Grand Armed Melee!

"10th graders! They've long been unable to stand the sight of us 7th graders, and are now bullying the girl from Class-B to taunt us ..." After hearing what Luo Lang had to report, Ling Lan could tell that this was definitely a show of strength by the 10th graders to try and put them in their place.

"10th graders ... Boss Lan, you sure enough are the boss. I, Wu Jiong, give in to you completely!" Wu Jiong had initially thought it was just going to be a grand armed melee with the 8th graders, but who would have expected that Ling Lan would just go for the challenge with the greatest difficulty, directly going head to head with the highest-ranking 10th graders. Wu Jiong folded completely to this sort of courage.

"Wu Jiong, I heard that there are very few people in Class-B that experienced a spiritual mutation, and even in Class-A, a little less than half had no obvious changes?" said Ling Lan, changing the topic.

Wu Jiong's mood dipped. "Yes, over these few years, there are less and less students experiencing spiritual mutations. If they don't mutate before they turn 16, they will very likely lose the possibility of operating mecha ..." Even if someone who did not undergo a spiritual mutation operated mecha, they would never be able to go beyond intermediate mecha warrior status. Therefore, when they applied for the various large military schools after they turned 16 years old, those schools would never accept these children into their mecha classes.

"Sometimes, a cruel battle will spur someone to evolve and have a breakthrough ... the grand armed melee is such an opportunity." Ling Lan vaguely revealed the reason why she wanted to have this grand armed melee.

Wu Jiong's eyes brightened, and his admiration for Ling Lan deepened. He immediately tapped his chest and said, "Boss Lan, don't worry. I will inform all our classmates in the special classes ..."

Wu Jiong's popularity was very high within their grade; he had a good relationship with every team. So, if the students within the grade had any problems, they normally liked to look for Wu Jiong for help. Only if Wu Jiong was not able to help would they carefully approach Ling Lan for assistance.

It could not be helped. Although Ling Lan never got angry, her cold and austere face, along with the faint chill emanating from her body and her indifferent stare, all made them hesitant to approach her. As the children grew older, the better they became at gauging strength levels. Ling Lan's capabilities had obviously gone far beyond the range of a scout student, causing the children to feel pressured naturally — they even felt that facing Ling Lan was scarier than facing their instructors.

This was also why Ling Lan tasked Wu Jiong to inform the other students — who asked him to be so popular? Of course, Ling Lan really did not know anyone else's contact number other than Wu Jiong's. So, even if she wanted to notify the other students personally, she had no way to do it.

After settling everything, Ling Lan logged off the virtual world, put on her jet-rollers, and swiftly left her villa.

Ling Lan had just risen into the air on her jet-rollers when she saw quite a few students of Class-A gliding out from their villas on their jet-rollers as well.

"Boss Lan!" Everyone stopped, greeting her with clear idolisation. If Qi Long was said to be the number 1 fighter of Year 4738, and Wu Jiong was the central pillar, then Ling Lan was their unmoveable mountain 1 , proving just how steady and reliable she was in their eyes.

"Hn. Has everyone arrived?" Ling Lan halted as well, hovering in the air, and in less than a minute, over 30 odd students had gathered around her.

"Pretty much. Some have already gone ahead," replied one of the students, "While some are still on their way."

"Then let's go!" said Ling Lan calmly. With that, the jets on both sides of her jet-rollers shot out a stream of air, activating instantly, driving her towards the canteen of the academy's upper division.

"Move out!" The students behind her shouted, and the 30 odd students collectively followed Ling Lan on their jet-rollers.

At this moment, inside the academy upper division's canteen, a gang of red-clad youths of 15 to 16 years old — whether standing or sitting, or leaning and supporting — were casually but surely cordoning off an area with their bodies. On one side inside this circle of people, someone was seated unabashedly on a chair. Opposite him stood a slightly younger red-clad youth, while several boys and girls of the same age stood behind him, dressed in either red or white.

"What, Qi Long, you want to take responsibility for this matter?" said one of the 10th grade Class-A students standing at the side, sneering.

Qi Long grinned good-naturedly and said, "Senior, no matter how the incident started, you've already managed to hit and scold — isn't it time to stop?" Qi Long was not really afraid, but if the situation continued to degenerate and they actually began fighting, the few Class-B female students here would certainly be harmed. He had initially stepped in just so he could prevent them from getting hurt.

"Qi Long, how dare you! Actually speaking to a senior in that tone?!" That person was infuriated by Qi Long's barbed words, immediately leaping out to berate him loudly.

"Senior, you think too much!" A slight trace of a mocking smile appeared on Qi Long's lips. By now, of course he could tell that the other side had intended to make a big deal out of this matter from the very start. They were planning to give these 7th graders who had just entered the upper division 1 a show of force to put them in their place!

"Qi Long! You ..." This attitude of Qi Long thoroughly enraged the 10th grader. Was this really how a student who had just entered the upper division should act? Thinking back on when they themselves had first moved up and had been hazed by their seniors, their attitude had been extremely respectful and humble. Why was it that now that it was their turn to haze their juniors, they just had to meet this kind of disrespectful and insolent prick?

"Qi Long, don't be too arrogant now! Although you are the number one of the 7th grade, in our eyes, you're nothing ..." spat out the leader, expression dark and foreboding, "If we want to play around with you, it would just be like toying with a pitiful worm ... know your place! Kneel down to me and apologise!"

"Kneel!"

"Kneel!"

"Kneel!"

Cry after cry demanding Qi Long kneel echoed within the academy canteen. The 10th grade students were now united against a common enemy, putting all their pressure on Qi Long, who they saw as the head of the 7th graders.

All of the 8th and 9th grade students stayed in their corners, not daring to make a sound. This was a scene that would occur every year, where the 10th graders of the upper grades would exert pressure to put the newly advanced 7th graders in their place. This was just the beginning — once the other 7th graders appeared, they would also be given the same treatment ... When they had been in the 7th grade, they too had endured the same — that feeling was really absolutely horrible. But this was just how things worked in the upper division ... whoever had the larger fist would be the one with authority!

Here, no instructors would interfere in this type of bullying or scuffles. It should be said that once students entered the upper division, they were already considered as students who could graduate. The academy had taught them all it could, and everything beyond this was for the students themselves to figure out on their own. Therefore, this area had become a microcosm of the adult world, a world where might was supreme and logic was irrelevant. This was also why this incident of the 10th graders hazing the 7th graders would occur every year. It had become a sort of dark legacy. The humiliation they had endured at the beginning would be taken out of the hides of their juniors now.

So, even if the 7th grade students here now were once the elite of the intermediate division, within the upper division, they should first learn how to walk with their tails between their legs!

"Hehehehe ... kneel? My boss told me that men can only die standing, and cannot live kneeling!" The smile on Qi Long's face had vanished completely. He could compromise, but he would not lose his dignity and his pride.

"In that case, then I really would like to see how tough your bones really are, Qi Long!" The moment the leader of the 10th graders said this, 7 or 8 people stepped out from the crowd, rubbing their palms and clenching their fists in preparation to mob Qi Long.

Seeing this, Qi Long immediately got into a defensive stance. He harrumphed coldly and said, "I too would like to know how capable you seniors really are to get me, Qi Long, to submit ..."

"That's right! I, Luo Lang, would also like to see!" Luo Lang knew there was no longer any way to delay, so he also stepped forward to stand beside Qi Long. His fists were raised, ready to put up a good fight against these people.

Han Xuya clenched her fists fiercely and shouted, "And me too! Dammit, I'm not afraid of these bastards!" Men who bullied women and those weaker than themselves were the worst, and these 10th grade seniors had committed both those sins — her hate against them was at the max.

Facing this situation of being surrounded on all sides, Luo Chao's complexion was pale with shock and fear, but she still stood her ground resolutely, supporting the injured female student without retreating a single step. She would never forget what Boss Lan had said to her — you can be afraid or panicked, but you cannot retreat and run away!

"What an insolent fellow. Just a 7th grade top rank and he thinks the whole academy is his to rule?" The 10th grade students began to jeer — the more they saw this kind of backbone, the more they wanted to destroy it. They themselves had not managed to stand up for themselves back when they were hazed, what gave these 7th graders the right to do so?

"Teach him a lesson!"

"Teach him!"

"Teach him!"

The 10th grade students were insistent on putting the 7th graders in their place; the entire canteen was filled with raucous cries urging for a beatdown.

"Since you 10th grade seniors want so much to teach us 7th graders a lesson, then we 7th grade students shall collectively accept your challenge!" An icy voice rang out from the doors to the canteen.

Qi Long turned his head in surprise and joy and saw that familiar figure in the lead. He shouted, "Boss, you're here!"

A large group of students in red uniforms marched into the canteen, and at the fore was Ling Lan!

Seeing so many 7th graders appear all of a sudden, the expression of the leader of the 10th graders shifted minutely. "Could it be that you 7th graders want to revolt?"

"Revolt? In my opinion, fighting you all doesn't deserve the use of this term!" Ling Lan's words caused the 10th grade students to break into an uproar. Hells, this gang of 7th graders just kept coming out with more and more insolent punks! Looks like it wouldn't do not to teach them a good lesson!

"Since you all want to fight so much, then as you wish, we 7th graders challenge you 10th graders to a grand armed melee!"

"Grand armed melee?" The 10th grade students were somewhat confused. And then, as if suddenly recalling something, the leader yelled out, "You're insane!"

He looked at the number of students beside Ling Lan and instantly let out a sigh of relief. "No, you all can't possibly succeed in requesting a grand armed melee. With just this number of people, it's impossible ..."

To be approved, a grand armed melee required 95% approval out of the total 100 students 1 of the Special Class-A and Special Class-B in the grade.

"No, you heard right, we're officially challenging you 10th graders to a grand armed melee!" Another voice rang out from behind Ling Lan. It turned out that Wu Jiong had also rushed over with a group of students at his back, most of them Class-B students in white uniforms.

Wu Jiong was late because he had been busy contacting the Class-B people. As a grand armed melee required 95% approval from the combined students of Special Class-A and Special Class-B to pass, Wu Jiong had discussed the issue with the Class-B teams in advance and had finally reached a consensus.

"You're all insane, insane!" The 10th grade students all had fear on their faces. They had only wanted to scare the 7th graders and put them in their place — they definitely did not want to unleash that horrifying grand armed melee ... that was just asking for someone to die!

1. The original phrase here is once again referring to the 'ocean-calming cudgel/staff', referring to Sun Wukong's weapon which had the ability to stop raging ocean waves in its tracks.

2. The author previously gave the breakdown of divisions in Chapter 118. According to that breakdown, the 7th grade should be in the intermediate division still, but somehow has now been shifted to the upper division here.

I guess just roll with it? Just consider the upper division as 7th to 10th grade and everything's fine. :3

3. T/C: Such easy math. 95 students out of 100. ;3

Chapter 162 - Fighting For Honour!

In the most recent hundred years, there had not been a single grand armed melee. This was because the event was much too bloody and cruel, involving all the students of two grades in a large-scale group melee! During that time, no one would be able to control themselves — terror, rage, submission, humiliation ... there were all sorts of elements that could cause someone to lose control. A massive number of casualties had been recorded for a grand armed melee in the past — this was another important reason why the grand armed melee had faded away into obscurity for up to a hundred years.

Of course, the moment the words 'grand armed melee' were said, not only were the 10th graders taken aback, even the 7th graders present, like those Class-A students who had come with Ling Lan, were all gobsmacked as well. They had only been notified that a 7th grade Class-B female student had been bullied by a 10th grade senior, and had only rushed here to lend a hand and show support. They had never expected their leaders Ling Lan and Wu Jiong to immediately escalate the issue to such an extent.

However, their blood could not help but boil with excitement — if the 'grand armed melee' of 100 years back which made all students turn pale at its mere mention were to reappear at their hands ... that would be so goddamn amazing!

"Big Brother Xu, they don't have enough people, only 89 ..." One of the 10th grade students quietly reminded their leader to not panic. This was very likely a scare tactic by the 7th graders; they should not trip themselves up because of this.

At this reminder, this Big Brother Xu took a closer look and found that it was as that student said and calmed down. Indeed, who would be so stupid as to play the fool with their own lives — a grand armed melee? Even if they really wanted to try it, they wouldn't dare to fight one against the 10th graders, right? Wasn't this just suicidal? These little brats were definitely just trying to scare them, wanting to get them to surrender without putting up a fight. They must not fall for this threat and undermine their own authority! Thus, the leader laughed long and loud, "Hahaha ... that's hilarious! Actually daring to suggest a grand armed melee against us. Alright, I'll play with you all. Let's see if you all can really gather the full 95 people needed to successfully initiate a grand armed melee!"

Originally, there was some disturbance among the 10th graders at the mention of a grand armed melee, but after some internal discussion, the 10th graders had quickly settled down. Now, hearing their leader speak out, they all began chiming in as well, "Yeah, we're waiting ..."

"Such a fun event, how can you leave me, Li Yingjie, out!" A flippant and prideful voice rang out from the doorway. Ling Lan and Wu Jiong couldn't help but sweatdrop — this punk Li Yingjie just loved to show off, extremely egotistical.

However, the arrival of Li Yingjie's team showed that the three strongest teams of Year 4738 were working hand in hand. Meanwhile, at this very moment, the number of 7th graders present had reached exactly 95 people. If everyone here chose to agree, they would have the minimum quorum required to initiate a grand armed melee.

"Classmates, since entering the upper division, you all must have felt the suppression from the upper grades. Be it by a little or a lot, quite a number of people have suffered. Boss Ling Lan has said before that people should possess backbones — we should rather die standing than live being forced to kneel. Because this is our dignity, our pride — once lost, then we will be unqualified to be soldiers ... and what are we scouts? The cradle to cultivate qualified soldiers. What do you say? In this situation, can we submit?" proclaimed Wu Jiong loudly.

"No!"

"No!"

"No!" The rage of the 7th grade students was stirred up by Wu Jiong's words; they all shouted their defiance loudly with clenched fists.

"Shall we take up weapons to defend our own honour? To let everyone know that, although we are new members of the upper division, we will not allow ourselves to be scorned!" Wu Jiong continued to fan the flames.

"Grand armed melee!" Heaven knows who hollered it out, and then all the other 7th graders took up the chant, "Grand armed melee! Grand armed melee! Grand armed melee!"

Only by initiating a grand armed melee would the 7th graders prove their right to stand on equal footing with the 10th graders, through a fair fight.

"Then let us initiate a grand armed melee!" Wu Jiong raised his right hand, revealing his communicator, and put up the grand armed melee against the 10th graders for a vote.

Simultaneously, all the 7th grade special class students received the options of 'agree/disagree' to initiate the grand armed melee. Everyone present resolutely clicked on 'agree'. Even those 7th grade special class students who had not yet made it to the scene also received this selection notification from their communicators at the same time.

********

A white-clad youth lying down on the grass in front of one of the dormitory villas suddenly felt his wrist vibrate. Bored, he listlessly opened the notification and when he saw the contents, he instantly leapt up. "Grand armed melee? Haha, how interesting! Who'd have expected the Class-A people to have such guts? I need to go watch the fun!" The initiator had to be one of the top 5 of Class-A — although he did not know who it was, he still decisively clicked on the button to agree. Then, with a stamp of his feet, he disappeared from the patch of grass!

"Grand armed melee against the 10th grade — 7th grade special class approval at 97 people. This number exceeds the minimum requirement. The grade grand armed melee is officially established!"

Spread out at all corners of the academy, all the 7th grade students, whether they were from the special classes, the merit classes, or the regular classes, received this news on their communicators at the same time. This caused the 7th graders to jump in shock 1 ...

And then, all the alarms in the academy started to blare, going on for a whole 3 minutes! Everyone was flushed out from all corners of the academy by these warning alarms. They began asking the people beside them what was going on, but unfortunately, other than the 7th graders and a small number of the upper grade students, most of the students were clueless, so there was no clear answer to be found.

Right then, a female voice with a faint mechanical tone rang out above the academy:

"Warning, one hour later, a grand armed melee between the 7th grade and the 10th grade will officially begin. Duration is set for 24 hours. All students not involved with the grand armed melee please note, please enter the dormitory area quickly within this 1 hour. For 7th grade and 10th grade students who refuse to participate in the grand armed melee, please enter the dormitory area as well! One hour later, the dormitory area will go into full lockdown, becoming the only safe area during the grand armed melee. No one shall fight within the safe area; violators will receive heavy punishment!"

The academy's warning announcement was repeated three times. All the students of the academy were instantly in an uproar — some lower grade students did not even know what a grand armed melee was, and were quickly looking it up along with all other relevant information on their communicators. When they found out how cruel a grand armed melee was, some children's faces had turned deathly pale.

Very quickly, a recording was played on the academy loudspeakers. It was the speech that Wu Jiong had given to the special class students in the canteen:

"Classmates, since entering the upper division, you all must have felt the suppression from the upper grades. Be it by a little or a lot, quite a number of people have suffered. Boss Ling Lan has said before that people should possess backbones — we should rather die standing than live being forced to kneel.

"Shall we take up weapons to defend our own honour? To let everyone know that, although we are new members of the upper division, we will not allow ourselves to be scorned!"

...

"Grand armed melee! Grand armed melee! Grand armed melee!"

In the end, the students were collectively bellowing for a grand armed melee. This infected all the students of the academy, especially those 7th grade students of the merit classes and the regular classes. During this period of time, they had all suffered the suppression of the upper grades. All the humiliation they had been forced to endure all this time, abruptly exploded in this moment.

Grand armed melee! This was a chance for revenge gifted to them by the special class students! They silently clenched their fists tightly. Even if they died, they would pull those seniors who had bullied them down into hell along with them!

"The assembly point for the 7th grade — Sunmoon Square in the district-N! The assembly point for the 10th grade — Freedom Plaza in district-E!" Finally, the academy mainframe gave the two grades their respective assembly points, and everyone began to move. In contrast with the 7th grade's repressed and focused fighting spirit, the 10th grade students were obviously somewhat panicked and unbridled ...

"Bastards! That bunch of 7th graders are most definitely lunatics!" A majority of the 10th grade students had the same opinion. Otherwise, how would they be so berserk as to initiate a grand armed melee?

On the other hand, the 8th grade and 9th grade students were all puzzled, astounded at the sheer guts of the newly advanced 7th graders. They would rather start a savage grand armed melee rather than submit and compromise, and subject themselves to the bullying of the upper grades ... could it be that the upper division would be turned on its head?

Some of them were even vaguely regretful — if only they had suggested a grand armed melee like the 7th grade now when they had been hazed by the 10th graders back then ... would they have become different? Maybe even stronger?

********

In the dining room of the instructors, the instructors had initially been quietly eating their meals. Today, our esteemed dean was also eating in the dining room.

Just as he was enjoying his meal, the academy alarms suddenly sounded throughout the academy. In his fright, the dean actually spewed out the food he had in his mouth right then. He abruptly stood up and yelled, "What's going on?!"

Could the mainframe have shorted? Or was someone actually stupid enough to attack the scout academy?

The dean's wrist communicator began vibrating forcefully. The moment he connected, the captain of the ace mecha team guarding the school appeared on the screen. "Dean, what happened?"

"I was just about to ask you. Could it be that outsiders have invaded the academy's airspace again?" The dean recalled the incident with Ling Lan seven years ago. That Ling family had been so brazen as to fly a mecha straight into the academy's airspace, giving them quite a scare.

"No, we used radar to scan the surroundings. Everything's normal. No unidentified objects have approached the academy. Could it be that there's an internal problem?" The mecha captain reported their findings to the dean.

"Understood. Be prepared to act on your end, I'll check with the school mainframe ..." The dean had yet to finish speaking when the voice of the mainframe rang out in the dining room:

"Warning, one hour later, a grand armed melee between the 7th grade and the 10th grade will officially begin. Duration is set for 24 hours ..."

"Grand armed melee? F*ck, why did this hundred year old relic appear again?" All the teachers looked at one another. Even they had not experienced a grand armed melee before, having only heard its name, so they did not really know how bloody or scary a grand armed melee could be.

"Heavens, which bastard initiated this?" The dean's complexion changed drastically as he leapt up in shock. He had actually seen those top secret files before. Every time there was a grand armed melee, the children would indeed develop rapidly, however, the casualty rate was just too shocking. Therefore, the dean of every generation would take precautions against a grand armed melee happening. They would rather the children develop steadily instead of using this kind of cruel method to force their growth. This was yet another reason why the grand armed melee had disappeared for over a hundred years.

The dean connected to the mainframe and pulled up the video of the location where the grand armed melee had been initiated.

The large screen right at the front of the dining room suddenly lighted up, and then the scene of a confrontation was played. Two sides were facing each other — Ling Lan, Qi Long, Wu Jiong, etcetera were all displayed clearly, not a single person was excluded ...

"Godd*mn! Basically all the 7th grade special class members are there!" Seeing the 7th grade special class so united, all the instructors had approval in their gazes. This made them think of their comrades who had fought by their side through battles of life and death ...

Good good good! As expected of his offspring! The dean stared at Ling Lan's figure and could not help but suck in a sharp breath. The dean was truly an old fox — just by looking at the standing positions of the 7th grade students, he could tell who the orchestrator of this grand armed melee was.

1. Probably just those from the merit classes and regular classes. Remember, they did not need to vote and so this would be the first time they are hearing the news.