Grinding to Become the Master of the Universe-Chapter 40 - 32: Return to School

"Don’t let them get away!"

Seeing the green-skins rout, Chu Lan’s decisive voice rang out in the team channel again. "Everyone, pursue at will! Mop up the battlefield!"

At his command, the students’ long-suppressed bloodlust erupted.

They broke formation, descending like a pack of tigers upon the shrunken, shriveled green-skin runaways who had lost all will to fight, beginning the final hunt.

Without the enhancement of the ’WAAAGH!’ field and their Combat Will, the Green-skinned kids’ strength plummeted, leaving them pathetically weak.

Qin Feng’s figure weaved through the battlefield, the Alloy Long Spear in his hand like a silver Wandering Dragon.

He didn’t chase after those who ran farthest, instead specifically seeking out closer targets or those already entangled with other students.

SHUK!

A single, clean thrust precisely pierced a green-skin through the heart from behind.

With a flick of his wrist, he withdrew the Long Spear. Without pausing, he shifted his footing and appeared beside another green-skin attempting to flee by taking a roundabout path.

The horrified green-skin turned its head, only to see a silver gleam explode in its field of view.

SCHLICK!

The tip of the spear plunged through its eye socket and out the back of its skull.

One shot, one kill. No wasted motion.

In a chase that lasted only a few dozen seconds, he had already claimed four green-skin kills.

Soon, the last runaway green-skin was overtaken by a student known for his speed and decapitated with a single slash of his sword.

The chaotic battlefield finally fell completely silent.

On the dark red expanse of the Gobi, nothing remained but the ground littered with dark green remains and the ragged gasps of the students.

"Rest where you are!"

Chu Lan’s voice rang out again. He leaned on his sword, his chest heaving, but his eyes remained sharp. "All squads, do a head count and check for injuries! Help each other administer first aid!"

The students gathered in twos and threes. Some collapsed to the ground, while others leaned on one another, checking for wounds.

The three from Room 402 drew close together.

Though Shi Potian’s white training uniform was spattered with dark green blood, he was completely unharmed.

Qin Feng was just as filthy, but he too was uninjured.

Only Qian Duoduo looked a bit battered.

He had several gashes on his arms and legs from enemy weapons. Though none were deep, the blood flowing from them had stained his clothes red.

"Hiss... These green-skinned bastards really are vicious,"

Qian Duoduo said through gritted teeth.

Qin Feng took an antiseptic spray and bandages from his first-aid kit, while Shi Potian silently pulled out a blood-clotting gel.

Without a word, the two of them began treating Qian Duoduo’s wounds with practiced motions.

"Hey, thanks, Brother Shi, Qin Feng."

Qian Duoduo watched the two of them work, a good-natured grin on his face.

He glanced over at Chu Lan, who was coordinating everything from a short distance away, then turned back to Shi Potian. "By the way, Brother Shi," he asked curiously, "with your strength and prestige, no one would’ve complained if you’d stepped up to take command just now. How come you didn’t...?"

Shi Potian calmly replied as he applied the gel to Qian Duoduo’s wound, "Everyone has their specialty. I’m not skilled in that area."

He glanced up at Chu Lan, who was methodically handling the aftermath of the battle. "Chu Lan may still be a bit green," he continued, "but when it comes to battlefield command, he has a solid grasp of the big picture. He’s a better fit than I am."

At this, his gaze shifted to Qin Feng, a hint of inquiry in his eyes.

"But when it comes to situational awareness and battlefield Control during a chaotic melee, Qin Feng, you’re even better than Chu Lan."

Qian Duoduo froze for a second, then nodded emphatically. "He’s right! If Qin Feng hadn’t been covering me just now, I’d have at least twice as many wounds! Qin Feng, it’s like your spear has eyes, always showing up exactly where it’s needed most!"

Qin Feng smiled as he finished wrapping the bandage and tied a secure knot.

"The Thousand Army Spear technique was born from the chaos of legion warfare. It’s all about coordination and controlling the field. I just happen to have grasped it a little faster than you all."

"It’s more than just a little faster."

Shi Potian’s voice was low and firm. "Your Slaughter Realm... I suspect it’s the highest among our entire freshman class."

He looked at Qin Feng and continued his analysis. "For most of us, regardless of our entrance exam scores or our vitality index, this is the first time we’ve ever encountered true ’Slaughter Arts.’ They’re strictly controlled. Around here, you can’t freely purchase them until you’re a Level 4 Martial Artist. The school is the only place to learn them; not even Martial Arts Halls are allowed to teach them. Some Martial Arts Halls in other Star Zones can, but they don’t have schools there, so the halls serve the same function."

"In other words, when it comes to practicing ’Slaughter Arts,’ we all started from the same place. For you to master the Thousand Army Spear to this degree in just a single month... your aptitude is second to none."

Qian Duoduo nodded again and again, his eyes, fixed on Qin Feng, already brimming with admiration.

Shi Potian said no more, but a thought flashed through his mind.

’If that illness hadn’t held him back... just how terrifyingly powerful would he be right now?’

With this one battle, Qin Feng and his miraculous spear technique had earned the complete respect of everyone in the class, including the two top prodigies, Shi Potian and Chu Lan.

At that moment, the form of their homeroom teacher, Wu Shangfeng, silently appeared before the assembled students.

He gazed at the students. They were a bit battered, but their spirits were unusually high. A rare look of satisfaction flickered across his eternally stoic, icy face.

"Very good."

His voice was quiet, yet it carried clearly to every student’s ears. "To perform this well in your first live combat exercise is beyond my expectations. It was messy, but the outcome was good. With your strength, you have proven yourselves worthy of the title ’students of Qi Yi High School.’"

He didn’t offer a lengthy debrief or analysis. He simply raised the terminal on his wrist and tapped the air.

A small drone flew out from behind him, a menacing nozzle extending from its underbelly.

WHOOSH—!

A torrent of scorching, orange-red flame erupted from the nozzle, sweeping across the battlefield like an enraged Fire Dragon.

The green-skin corpses scattered across the ground were instantly incinerated by the multi-thousand-degree flames, turning to charcoal before vanishing without even a trace of ash.

"Green-skin corpses must be completely and efficiently incinerated," Wu Shangfeng explained, his eyes on the flame-purified ground. "Otherwise, the spores released from their bodies will quickly adapt to this planet’s environment. By next year, this place would be sprouting entire fields of Green-skinned kids, just itching for a fight."

"Their lineage is passed down primarily through instinct encoded in their genetic sequence—a method completely different from how we humans pass on knowledge through learning and study."

Having done all this, Wu Shangfeng tapped a few commands into his terminal.

[Mission Objective Complete. Submitting...]

[Mission Evaluation: Excellent.]

[Calculating Mission Rewards...]

"Alright, time to head back."

He turned to his students. "Cleaning up the battlefield isn’t your job, not at this stage."

Wu Shangfeng once again activated the Teleportation Array back in the classroom. A Teleportation Gate leading to Qiming First Martial High School slowly materialized before them.

"Form ranks. Return to school."