The students all stared at the monster on the screen, truly shocked. None of them had ever seen a creature like this.

"It’s an imagination manifestation!"

"Gao Neng manifested a monster from his imagination!"

"This... how did he do that?"

When they heard "imagination manifestation," a strange atmosphere fell over the viewing hall. Imagination manifestation was far more difficult than normal energy manifestation.

A simple analogy: original creation is always harder than imitation.

Gao Neng, a Tier One Early Stage whose Magnetic Core Energy wasn’t even strong enough to be projected externally...

He hadn’t just achieved the impossible feat of energy manifestation, but an *imagination* manifestation. The word "genius" was no longer enough to describe him; "prodigy" wouldn’t be an overstatement.

"That kid..." Gui Zian’s expression was a mixture of emotions.

Was he pleasantly surprised?

He was...

’But the problem is, this pleasant surprise doesn’t seem to have a damn thing to do with me, does it?’

’So, the real reason Shen Ning’Er stayed at the Eastern Capital Military Academy wasn’t to teach Gao Neng the rules, but to teach him imagination manifestation?’

Gui Zian didn’t know what to feel. On the one hand, he was happy—Gao Neng had won the challenge, which was certainly a reason to be happy. After all, it made him look good.

But on the other hand, he was genuinely frustrated. The student was his, but he hadn’t been the one to teach Gao Neng energy manifestation.

...

「Inside the hunting grounds.」

Kong Kun, Feng Qingqing, and Fang Tangtang were also staring at the monster before them, too shocked for words.

’Gao Neng actually managed to manifest energy!’

’And he manifested an imaginary monster at that! A monster that can even travel underground? And what’s with those two giant scythes?’

"Gao Neng, fess up... did you get the inspiration for those two scythes from me, Death God Fang Tangtang?" Fang Tangtang’s gaze was fixed not on anything else, but on those two huge scythes.

After all, when she saw the sculpture in Gao Neng’s dorm, it didn’t have any scythes, and its aura was completely different.

"What the hell does it have to do with your scythe..." A slight smile played on Gao Neng’s lips.

The moment he finished speaking, the monster leaped up. Its two scythe-like forelimbs rapidly drew together, resembling a giant drill.

SWOOSH!

The monster’s body spun rapidly and, in an instant, it burrowed back underground.

"Mine is a scythe that can burrow. I’ve named it: Super Earth Dragon!" Gao Neng waved his hand dismissively. Having created a new species, he naturally had to give it a domineering name.

"Super Earth Dragon? Great name!" Fang Tangtang immediately raised both hands in approval.

Kong Kun, however, was a little speechless.

’What the heck is a Super Earth Dragon? Does this thing have even the slightest connection to a dragon? If you had to say what it looked like, wouldn’t it be a burrowing mantis-and-beetle hybrid monster?’

’As expected, Gao Neng has zero talent points in naming things.’

"Gao Neng, ’Super Earth Dragon’ is just too tacky. I think ’Double-bladed Egg’ would be more fitting. Don’t you think its shell looks like an egg?" Feng Qingqing, who also seemed speechless, immediately offered a suggestion.

"Double-bladed Egg..." Kong Kun was speechless again. Looking at Feng Qingqing, he suddenly felt that Gao Neng’s naming ability wasn’t so bad after all.

As for Big Fatty and San Pang...

...they were being completely ignored by the group.

Of course, the expressions on Big Fatty and San Pang’s faces were quite grim right now, not because they were being ignored, but because their minds were in turmoil.

’Gao Neng actually succeeded in his manifestation!’

’And he even managed to ambush and kill our captain and Er Pang!’

The Four Teeth Team...

...was about to be wiped out!

And by a team of first-year freshmen, no less!

’What do we do?’

Big Fatty and San Pang glanced at each other, a warrior’s glint flashing in their eyes.

"We’ll fight them to the death! We have to take at least one of them down with us!" the two roared. Unleashing their full power, they lunged toward Fang Tangtang in unison.

Melee fighters versus a ranged one.

Moreover, it was two against one, with the advantage of a higher tier.

The two fatties instantly gained the absolute upper hand.

Fang Tangtang swung her Scythe of Death relentlessly, but she was still sent tumbling across the ground.

"Help!" Fang Tangtang cried out.

"Unhand that loli! Let me at ’em!" Gao Neng shouted as he saw this, immediately lunging forward. He remembered the terms of the challenge: if they could annihilate the opposing team without a single death on their side, the wager would be doubled.

"Ignore Gao Neng! Focus on killing Fang Tangtang!" The two fatties paid Gao Neng no mind, relentlessly pressing their attack on Fang Tangtang, closing in step by step.

Every punch and every kick was aimed at her vitals.

"Tangtang, run!" Feng Qingqing grew anxious and leaped forward to help.

"Hahaha, perfect! We were waiting for you, the glass cannon! Witness our feint!" The two fatties’ eyes lit up. Their real target wasn’t Fang Tangtang, but Feng Qingqing.

The reason was simple.

They had all gathered intel on their opponents beforehand.

Although Fang Tangtang was a ranged fighter, she wasn’t easy to deal with. Intel from the freshmen orientation assembly mentioned that she had been knocked down by Gao Neng once.

But during that incident, Gao Neng’s punch hadn’t seemed to truly injure her.

What did that imply?

It implied that Fang Tangtang had some kind of defensive treasure on her.

But Feng Qingqing... did not!

Because she had been knocked unconscious on the spot by Gao Neng.

Seeing Feng Qingqing charge over, the two fatties immediately switched targets.

But just then, the Super Earth Dragon burst out from underground again. Its two large, scythe-like claws swiped swiftly beneath the two fatties, and both of them felt a sudden chill between their legs.

...

Silence.

More silence.

The two fatties were furious.

Even if this was the Virtual Battlefield, wasn’t this move... a bit much?

"You dare hit a woman? I’ll beat you to death!" Gao Neng had no time to care what the two fatties were thinking. With a righteous expression, he pounced, pinning them firmly to the ground.

Kong Kun and Feng Qingqing arrived at that moment as well.

"Get ’em!"

"You dare counter-attack me, Feng Qingqing? Take my crotch kick!" Feng Qingqing was ferocious. Having been nearly killed in a counter-attack, she showed no mercy with her kicks.

"AHH... OOH..."

"AWOO..."

Two bizarre screams echoed, and the two fatties finally closed their eyes in peace.

"Damn it, they died that fast?!" Feng Qingqing’s chest heaved as she resentfully withdrew her leg.

In truth, in that last moment, she had felt the threat of death. If the Super Earth Dragon hadn’t appeared in time, she really would have been killed by the two fatties’ combined assault.

"Glass cannons need to be more careful. Try not to make this kind of mistake in the future." As the captain of the Invincible Team, Gao Neng felt it was necessary to remind his teammate, Feng Qingqing.

"I know..." Feng Qingqing, surprisingly, didn’t argue back. After all, she had indeed made the mistake of underestimating her opponents. However, her expression wasn’t great, and she turned her head away.

Gao Neng didn’t lecture her further.

The Invincible Team had annihilated the Four Teeth Team. The wager was doubled!

He was quite happy right now.

Besides, he now knew that the fight inside the training room could be seen in the War Academy’s viewing hall.

’In that case...’

Gao Neng’s gaze sharpened. He cleared his throat twice and announced, "Tomorrow... same time, the Invincible Team will continue its challenge against the ’Hook Hook Team’ in training room 078! I’d like the four members of the Hook Hook Team to be prepared to be beaten to death. At the same time, all you students in the viewing hall, don’t forget to tune in!"

...

Kong Kun and Feng Qingqing were both silent.

Fang Tangtang, on the other hand, was incredibly excited. She instantly sidled up to Gao Neng. "The scene might be a bit bloody, but cruelty is not in our nature. Our wish is for world peace! Please remember my name, everyone. I am the vice-captain of the Invincible Team, Death God Fang Tangtang!"

...

...

In the viewing hall, there was dead silence.

’So arrogant!’

’So conceited!’

’They really think us upperclassmen are pushovers, don’t they?’

The upperclassmen were furious.

But there was nothing they could do.

The guy won with pure skill, and in Hunt Mode no less. What could they say?

Most importantly, Gao Neng now had the capital to be arrogant and conceited. An imagination manifestation... ’My brothers in training room 078, can you handle that?’

"The Eastern Capital Military Academy... it’s not going to be peaceful anymore." An instructor sighed, watching Gao Neng and Fang Tangtang on the screen.

In the past, the battle rankings were fiercely contested.

But something like this had never happened before—a first-year freshman team, right after enrolling, had challenged two upperclassman teams in a row and won both times.

Where could the upperclassmen hide their faces?

"The upperclassmen of the War Academy should never be at peace! On the path of the strong, if you don’t advance, you fall behind!" Gui Zian said coldly, then turned and left.

...

「Outside the training room.」

Song Jingyan had really come bearing gifts—not just experience, but cash as well.

Annihilating the enemy meant double the Merit Points and money!

Merit Points became 400, and one hundred thousand Alliance Coins became two hundred thousand!

Song Jingyan didn’t waste any words. After settling the debt on the spot, he pulled his three fatties away and left quickly.

Gao Neng was so happy he could have written a poem. This time, he was taking the entire 400 Merit Points and two hundred thousand Alliance Coins for himself.

’He who contributes the most, earns the most...’

So, he didn’t bother with any courtesies toward Fang Tangtang and the others.

Besides, that girl Fang Tangtang was clearly not short on cash. As for Kong Kun and Feng Qingqing, they didn’t seem to be hurting for money either. At least, when he received the payment, neither of them so much as glanced at it.

’Challenging the D-Rankings was definitely the right choice. You get fame and fortune! This is practically a money farm!’ Gao Neng did a quick calculation. He now had 710 Merit Points.

On top of that, he had over two hundred and twenty thousand Alliance Coins.

’I have to thank Shen Ning’Er for helping me issue that challenge...’

’Without that domineering challenge letter from Shen Ning’Er, my earnings would have been 100 Merit Points at most. The difference was just too massive.’

"Let’s go celebrate tonight! Gao Neng’s treating!" Fang Tangtang shouted, glancing at the money Gao Neng was pocketing.

"Celebrate what? How can we be so arrogant over such a small victory? Go back and practice. It won’t be too late to celebrate after we take first place in the D-Rankings!" Gao Neng immediately put a stop to such improper behavior.

’Celebrating at the drop of a hat.’

’And expecting me to pay?’

’Naive!’

Gao Neng turned and walked away. At the same time, he opened his system’s Attribute Panel, took out the Seven-Step Kill combat technique manual, and mentally chanted, ’Use the Wordless Celestial Book’s ability on Seven-Step Kill, use the Wordless Celestial Book’s ability on Seven-Step Kill...’

Soon, a mechanical voice sounded.

"Notice: Evolving Seven-Step Kill requires a cost of two hundred thousand Alliance Coins. Do you wish to evolve?"

"Two hundred thousand? Wasn’t it one hundred thousand? Could it be that Seven-Step Kill is some high-grade item... Fine, it should be a bit stronger than that Military Boxing! Money... you can always earn more after you spend it. Confirm evolution!" Gao Neng wasn’t stingy. Combat techniques were essential skills; the sooner you learned them, the sooner you could enjoy the benefits.

Besides, Gui Zian had told him that before reaching Tier Four, the power of energy couldn’t be fully unleashed, so victory often relied on combat techniques.

"DING! Seven-Step Kill evolution successful!"

"That was fast?" Gao Neng immediately looked at the Seven-Step Kill manual in his hand. He then noticed that the text and illustrations on it were constantly changing.

’Wow, this ability is awesome!’

Gao Neng quickened his pace, looking for a place to practice.

But for some reason, when he saw the system’s Attribute Panel, he opened the third page on a whim and took a look.

Ever since the system upgrade, the third page had been a field of flowing darkness.

Other than that, there was only the single word "Incubating."

But the system offered no explanation as to what was incubating.

’So many days have passed, has anything changed?’ Gao Neng’s gaze fell upon the third page. It was still a field of flowing darkness.

No change?

No, wait!

There *is* a change!