Chapter 46: Chapter 37: Didn’t Your Counselor Tell You?

It was September, the time of White Dew, when the autumn nights grew cool.

The early morning air was a little chilly, but by eight o’clock, the sun had climbed high. The temperature gradually warmed, starting to feel like the peak of summer.

Zhao Rui, dressed in his newly issued camouflage uniform for military training, followed his class’s small contingent to the university’s main athletic field.

Today was the first day of military training. All the freshmen were to assemble on the main athletic field and wait for the university leadership to hold a mobilization rally.

Once the rally concluded, they would be organized into units for two weeks of military-style training.

Zhao Rui’s academic department had a high ratio of female students. Now that they were all crowded into one place, the chirping sound of countless conversations filled the air from every direction.

Of course, despite the grating noise, it was, from an aesthetic standpoint, quite a feast for the eyes.

Some wore light makeup, others heavy, all of it exquisitely applied. Some had even gone so far as to slightly alter their uniforms, making them more form-fitting and snug.

It was as if they were afraid the standard-issue uniform would conceal their unique beauty and flair.

The boys, standing at the very back, wasted no time whispering among themselves about which girls had the best figures and which were the prettiest.

In just a few moments, they had already informally selected the top ten “beauties” of their class, and even their entire year.

Across the vast athletic field, the hormones of youth permeated the air, rising and swirling, like a flower bud called “Youth” that was slowly beginning to bloom.

“Quick, look! It’s the people from the Martial Arts Academy!”

“Wow, so many handsome guys!”

Just as Zhao Rui was chatting with his classmates, he heard the girls from his class exclaim in surprise. He followed their gazes and saw a square formation of students striding onto the field from the right.

The formation was composed mostly of men. Each one stood as straight as a pine, with a back as strong as a dragon’s spine. Though their gaits and postures varied, they moved with the powerful stride of dragons and tigers, their inner spirit palpable.

One look was enough to tell they weren’t like the other students, who tended to look slouchy and feeble.

The women, though not as overtly imposing as the men, had a light, graceful gait and an elegant posture. Compared to ordinary girls, they possessed a natural and distinct free-spirited charm.

An individual from this group might not stand out on the street, but when they moved together, they were a world apart from the average student body.

“I’m so jealous of them. I heard they get single rooms—one person per dorm, and they even have their own bathrooms.”

“Yeah, but my talent for the Martial Dao is terrible. It took me three years just to succeed at Introducing Qi into the Body. My teacher said for someone like me, it’s useless to even keep practicing. Ugh, it’s so frustrating!”

“You’re not bad, you could actually manage Introducing Qi into the Body. I can’t feel a shred of Qi. I really envy you!”

“See that girl walking at the front? She goes to our school. She’s number one in our year, and she’s super arrogant. Acts like she’s better than everyone.”

As this group arrived, the din on the athletic field instantly rose by several decibels.

Zhao Rui focused his gaze, a brow slightly raised. In the eyes of the other students, this was a group of enviable Martial Dao prodigies.

But in Zhao Tongxue’s eyes, they were all walking Advancement Points!

’The path of the Martial Dao is long and arduous. My fellow practitioners, I’ll be counting on you!’

The chatter didn’t last long. Soon after the Martial Arts Students took the field, the university leaders strode onto the grandstand with an arrogant swagger, as if they owned the world.

The next hour was filled with the redundant, convoluted, and utterly substance-free speeches of the higher-ups. Down below, barely anyone, student or faculty, was actually paying attention.

’I don’t get how these bureaucrats can be so shameless!’

In his past life, Zhao Rui had loathed the management at the sports center he worked at—all from different departments, all only good for empty boasts and grandstanding.

’Who knew that in this life, the people “in charge” would be cut from the same damn cloth!’

After what felt like an eternity of droning, the principal finally, looking quite pleased with himself, announced the start of the new semester and the beginning of military training.

Following that, soldiers from the local military garrison jogged onto the field in formation.

Then, at the command of a military advisor, the students moved to their pre-assigned companies and took their places.

The soldier assigned to Zhao Rui’s group was deeply tanned, with a resolute expression. Beneath a pair of thick eyebrows, his eyes glinted with spirit.

“All units, forward march!”

As the instructor gave the command, the throng of freshmen on the vast field began to disperse from the assembly point in an orderly fashion, heading toward their designated training areas.

“No talking!”

As they marched, the instructor glared, barking at the greenhorns who hadn’t yet grasped the situation.

Soon, Zhao Rui’s accounting department arrived at the basketball courts.

It was all concrete here—not only was the ground hard, but there were no trees to provide shade.

A crowd of pampered, delicate young women immediately began to complain.

“Quiet down! All personnel, listen up! Attention!”

The instructor’s eyes narrowed, his tone growing sterner. He began to circle the formation, and if he caught anyone fidgeting, he’d deliver a swift kick, making no distinction between men and women.

Only then did the freshmen realize this instructor wasn’t messing around.

They instantly fell silent as cicadas in winter, not daring to make another sound or movement.

This was military training, not some child’s game. The standard army drills were more than enough to make these pampered, soft-skinned university students suffer.

This was especially true for the delicate young women.

In just one morning, two girls on the field fainted from either heatstroke or physical exhaustion.

No one in Zhao Rui’s class fainted, but during the breaks, everyone was complaining endlessly about their sore backs and aching legs.

The military training was mind-numbingly dull. While Zhao Rui wasn’t tired, he certainly wasn’t enjoying himself either.

After getting through the morning, he couldn’t help but breathe a sigh of relief when they were finally dismissed.

“Zhao Rui, long time no see!”

Just as he was taking a sip of water, about to head to the cafeteria with his roommates, a voice as gentle as flowing water called out from his side.

Zhao Rui looked up to see Luo Min, the beauty of his former high school class, walking toward him.

Source: Webnovel.com, updated by NovelKeep