"Gao Neng, your energy must be almost depleted, right? Why don’t we step in?" Kong Kun had also noticed Gao Neng’s heavy energy consumption.

Taking out three by himself.

It looked easy, but the energy cost was immense.

"No need." Gao Neng shook his head.

Of course, he wasn’t using his second magnetic core to convert energy either. This time, he wanted to see just how far he could push his limits.

"Arrogant! Gao Neng, die!" Hua Youque gave Gao Neng no more time to recover, lunging at him with his sword.

"BOOM!"

The two figures collided.

Hua Youque was pushed back a step.

Gao Neng, on the other hand, was sent stumbling back a full five steps before he could steady himself.

"So your energy really is almost gone!" Hua Youque’s eyes lit up. He could clearly feel that the power behind Gao Neng’s last slash had diminished greatly.

’It really is almost gone... I can manage one more Half-Step Kill at most!’ Gao Neng calculated internally. The Half-Step Kill was powerful, but its energy cost was equally massive.

Without converting energy, he only had one more attack left.

But Hua Youque was a Tier Three Mid Stage, after all. Killing him with a single slash would be incredibly difficult. However, if he couldn’t end it in one blow, he would be as good as defeated.

’I need an opportunity!’

As he thought, Gao Neng retreated two more steps.

Seeing Gao Neng start to fall back, Hua Youque tightened his grip on his sword and pressed forward rapidly. Of course, he was also wary of Gao Neng’s final attack.

"Do you know the real difference between Tier Three and Tier One?" Hua Youque shouted as he pressed his attack.

"A thicker hide?"

"Bah! You’re the one with a thick hide! The biggest difference between Tier Three and Tier One is the completion of full-body magnetization, which allows one to form a ’grand cycle’!"

"’Grand cycle’?"

"It means I can either cover my entire body with my energy for defense, or I can instantly cycle and compress all of it, and then..." Hua Youque didn’t finish his sentence, but the battle armor covering his body suddenly vanished.

’Hm? An opportunity!’ Gao Neng was about to strike when he felt something was off.

Because at the same moment Hua Youque shed his battle armor, an incredibly terrifying aura erupted from him, like a bomb about to detonate.

’Holy shit!’

’He compressed his energy to its absolute limit...’

’...to cause an explosion!’

"BOOM!"

A massive explosion rang out.

Gao Neng felt his body get slammed by a terrifying force.

This time, he wasn’t launched into an 89-degree parabolic arc. Instead, he was blasted straight backward, ultimately smashing into the sand.

"Hahaha... cough, cough... That’ll blow you to bits!" Hua Youque, bathed in his own blood, laughed with wild abandon.

’I blew Gao Neng to smithereens.’

’Even if I lose this match, at least I can face Ling Feiyan now.’

"Damn it, that Hua Youque actually self-destructed!" Feng Qingqing was furious. After reaching Tier Three, one’s energy formed a grand cycle within the body.

If you forcefully compressed that energy...

...you could naturally use yourself as a bomb.

But doing so would completely deplete one’s energy. Moreover, it would leave the body riddled with wounds, with almost no chance of recovery.

However, this was the Virtual Battlefield...

You wouldn’t actually die from self-destructing here, so one could do it without fear.

But for that very reason, few people above Tier Three ever resorted to this in ranked challenges. After all, the move was basically cheating.

Of course, the War Academy hadn’t forbidden it.

It was a one-for-one trade. If your team had enough Tier Threes, trading one for another Tier Three wasn’t considered a violation.

As for trading a Tier Three for a Tier Four...

...that would depend on the opportunity.

A Tier Four’s Magnetic Core Energy could already be released externally; their energy wasn’t just limited to coating their body. Under normal circumstances, one explosion wouldn’t necessarily kill them—unless you got the chance to grab hold of them.

But how often did an opportunity like that present itself?

"A Tier Three self-destructing on a Tier One? Hua Youque actually went through with it..." Kong Kun was also speechless. This went beyond shameless.

"While he’s not dead yet, I’ll go deliver the final blow!" After saying this, Feng Qingqing charged forward in her high heels, her feet moving as if flying across the sand.

"Hahaha..." Hua Youque was still laughing manically.

’A Tier Three like me, blowing up a Tier One.’

’How satisfying!’

However, just as he was reveling in his delight, a high-heeled shoe kicked him in the face.

"SPLAT!"

A bloody hole appeared on his face.

Hua Youque didn’t care.

"Come on, kill me, hahaha..."

"I’ll stomp you! All men are trash!" After kicking Hua Youque over, Feng Qingqing stomped down hard on his crotch. 𝐟𝚛𝕖𝚎𝕨𝗲𝐛𝚗𝐨𝐯𝐞𝕝.𝐜𝗼𝗺

"AAAAARGH..." Hua Youque shrieked.

"Hmph, don’t think I’ll go easy on you just because you’re an upperclassman!" Feng Qingqing declared fearlessly.

"Hahaha... It doesn’t matter! As long as I blew up Gao Neng, it’s fine! Hahaha... It doesn’t matter..." Hua Youque was surprisingly tough, forcing himself to laugh through the pain.

"You..." Feng Qingqing was livid and prepared to deliver another vicious stomp.

Just then, a pained groan echoed from a distant sand dune, followed by a slender figure slowly rising to its feet.

"Gan Liniang, you can even play the self-destruct card?" Gao Neng was genuinely dazed by the explosion. Luckily, he had used his life form transformation to add 70% to his defense. Otherwise, he really would have been done in by that dirty trick.

"..." Feng Qingqing.

"!!!" Hua Youque.

Fang Tangtang and Kong Kun gaped in disbelief.

’The guy actually didn’t die?!’

’A Tier Three’s self-destruction didn’t kill Gao Neng?’

Feng Qingqing, Kong Kun, and Fang Tangtang all stared as if they were seeing a ghost as a blood-soaked Gao Neng climbed out of the sand dune.

"You’re not dead?! That’s impossible! I’m a Tier Three Mid Stage! The power of my compressed energy... How could it possibly not kill a Tier One like you?!" Hua Youque was on the verge of a mental breakdown.

’Could anything be more humiliating than a Tier Three cheating with a self-destruct, only to fail to kill a Tier One?’

’No! Nothing!’

’From this day forward...’

’...the name Hua Youque will be a running joke.’

"You dare blow me up? Then taste my Half-Step Kill!"

"NO!!!"

Everything fell silent.

Gao Neng, covered in blood, stood in the desert, holding his Alloy Machete high.

Today, he took on four opponents by himself.

Fighting the Flying Swan Team alone, he dared to ask one question.

"Who else?!"

"BOOM!"

A deafening blast rang out. All Gao Neng saw was a pillar of light shooting straight for his head. The next thing he knew, he was calmly materializing at the exit of the training room.

"???" Gao Neng.

’A 500,000-credit-a-shot Electromagnetic Cannon shell...’

’And Fang Tangtang dared to use it on her own teammate?!’

’The nerve!’

’Fang Tangtang!’

"..." Hua Youque, Ling Feiyan, and the rest of their team stared at Gao Neng appearing at the training room entrance, the four of them equally slow to react.

"What are you looking at? I came out on my own!" Gao Neng gritted his teeth. He didn’t leave. He was going to block the exit. ’Let’s see you try to hide in there, Fang Tangtang. I swear I’ll get my revenge for this!’

...

「Meanwhile, on the desert battlefield.」

Fang Tangtang held the massive cannon aloft and gently blew across its muzzle.

"Who else?!"

"..." Kong Kun and Feng Qingqing just stared at each other.

In the end, neither said a word.

’Fellow student Fang Tangtang, are you sure you’re going to live to see tomorrow morning?’

...

In the viewing hall, the students, all speechless, gradually began to disperse.

「And at the exit of the training room.」

After collecting his winnings from Ling Feiyan, Gao Neng was still blocking the door. He absolutely would not leave today until he’d spanked Fang Tangtang’s butt raw.

Just as he was waiting, Gui Zian arrived.

Glancing at Gao Neng blocking the exit, Gui Zian felt truly weary. ’These kids are really having a wild time, aren’t they? Don’t they know how many people are watching?’

"Where are Fang Tangtang and the others?"

"They’re still inside. I’m waiting for her!" Gao Neng gritted his teeth.

Gui Zian didn’t reply.

He directly pressed a button on the control console.

A moment later, Fang Tangtang, Kong Kun, and the others appeared at the exit.

"Teacher, save me! Gao Neng is trying to murder his vice-captain! He’s jealous of my talent! I just wanted to see whether the Electromagnetic Cannon or a Tier Three’s self-destruction was more powerful. I didn’t think one shot would actually kill him! It’s really not my fault..." Fang Tangtang immediately cried for help.

Gao Neng couldn’t care less.

He shot forward and tackled Fang Tangtang to the ground.

He didn’t hit her torso, because that girl Fang Tangtang was wearing a precious suit of Soft Armor. So, he immediately flipped her over and gave her butt a furious spanking.

"Ow! You jerk, Gao Neng! How dare you spank the butt of me, Death God Fang Tangtang?! I... I’m going to tell Sister Ning’Er!" Fang Tangtang shouted.

"Alright, that’s enough messing around. Come with me," Gui Zian said, his expression darkening.

"Teacher, where are you taking us?" Kong Kun immediately asked.

"First, we’ll eat. Then, I will personally conduct a half-month training program for the four of you," Gui Zian said without mincing words.

"You’re training us personally? Teacher, what about your duties at the academy?" Feng Qingqing was well aware that Gui Zian had more students than just them.

Besides, Gui Zian was also the Vice Dean of the War Academy; his workload was anything but light.

"Teacher Qin will be handling academy matters temporarily."

"Teacher, is the War Academy undergoing a reform?"

"Hm? You know about the reform?" Gui Zian looked slightly surprised. He then glanced at Fang Tangtang, who was still pinned to the floor, and let out a soft sigh. "Alright, fine. There’s no harm in you knowing. The matter will be made public throughout the War Academy soon enough anyway."

"Teacher, is the War Academy really undergoing a reform? Is it because a great war is imminent?" Kong Kun’s fists tightened slightly, and his expression changed.

"More or less," Gui Zian did not deny it.

"Then there’s something I don’t quite understand..." Kong Kun said, gritting his teeth.

"What don’t you understand?"

"Is the twenty-year cycle real? If it is... then why wait until a great war is upon us to enact this reform? What I mean is... if the reform is truly effective, wouldn’t it have been better to implement it earlier? Also, what exactly is this reform? Can you tell us?" Kong Kun let out all the questions that had been weighing on his mind in a single breath.

At this, Gao Neng stopped what he was doing.

Because he, too, wanted to know what the Military Department’s reform was all about.

’Are we being sent to the battlefield?’

’If it’s just that, then as Kong Kun asked, why wait until now? A twenty-year cycle... that means there are only two years left. Is that enough time?’