ASER - Chapter 62
Chapter 62: A Bit Bitter
Back in the training room, while everyone was still immersed in the excitement of clearing the Clearance Points Tower, Shi Dagang had them select weapons and fight.
Fight?
Fighting again? How predictable.
Most of the 50 students had been holding back in the tower and were eager to truly stretch their limbs. Only a few, like Yuan Shu and his group, were in low spirits, while Zhongchuan Mingxiu's eyes gleamed, covertly glancing at A'Diao several times.
Tian Zhongxiang worried that he would take this opportunity to beat A'Diao mercilessly and avenge his previous humiliation.
Tuoba asked Shi Dagang how they would be fighting.
This was a battle maniac, his eyes filled with the desire for combat.
"I can fight anyone, I can fight all day," he declared, his gaze sweeping over Ming Zeye and the others, not sparing A'Diao, which made their expressions a bit complicated.
A'Diao silently retreated to a corner.
She wanted no part of it.
Shi Dagang said, "Who said you'd fight each other? With your current combat level, it's just rookies pecking at each other. What kind of effective combat training would that be?"
Then were they supposed to fight him?
"Are you even worthy of fighting me? Fight them." He raised a hand, the door opened, and three stiff, mechanical figures entered.
Robots.
Military combat mechs, each worth tens of millions, usable for frontline individual operations and also for training new recruits.
Watching the three expressionless mechs stare them down, even Tuoba and the others were astonished, instinctively tightening their grip on their weapons. A'Diao had already reached the corner and selected two close-fitting short blades.
She had a feeling that no matter what weapon she chose, it wouldn't be much use. It was better to pick something light to lessen the burden.
"Those who have mastered Spirit Power have all registered. Focus your attacks on them. Go!"
At Shi Dagang's command, the three mechs instantly brandished their heavy fists, and then… afterimages lunged forward.
Holy crap!
My vision blurred, where are the mechs!!!
Before A'Diao could react, she saw all fifty students sent flying, indistinguishable from one another. She turned to run, but a mech executed a lightning-fast leg sweep, tripping her.
Evidently, all those who had raised their hands were targeted.
Bang!!!
Her world instantly turned upside down…
At that moment, her only thought was: Show off my skills? Whose damn skills were being shown off?
Shi Dagang pulled up a chair and watched the 50 students being brutally beaten. Only Tuoba was valiant enough to exchange a few blows head-on; the rest were… a miserable sight.
So what if they had passed the first level? They were still rookies.
Shi Dagang watched with glee, secretly observing, occasionally jotting down his observations and sending them to a certain account.
In a teaching building at the academy, Class 1's head teacher, Qu Jiangnan, was in a meeting with several teachers from the knowledge department, integrating exam materials and study packages. They had a vast amount of data, including the academic records of all 50 students from childhood, even their exam papers.
Qu Jiangnan occasionally offered her opinion, mainly to guide the overall direction. Upon seeing a message on her phone account, she raised an eyebrow slightly.
"Tuoba has the highest Spirit Power level, F5. Combined with his physical strength, reaction speed, innate skills, and so on, his comprehensive combat power can be rated E2, completely leading everyone. No wonder he could pass the second level."
"Ming Zeye, Zhongchuan Mingxiu, and Zhou Xiuhe are roughly similar, with Spirit Power at F1, but their comprehensive strength can be rated around F3."
"Among the ten who mastered Spirit Power early, apart from these four, the comprehensive strength of the other six is around F, with some variations."
"However, it's worth noting that currently, the Tian siblings exhibit the strongest combat skills in the class. Tian Zhongye, in particular, has the highest combat talent, surpassing even Tuoba."
After reading, Qu Jiangnan sent a reply to Shi Dagang, "You didn't know that this generation of mechs has an upgraded function that provides data analysis of combat opponents, so your analysis was redundant. But consider it a summary."
Shi Dagang was least proficient with high technology, so naturally, he didn't understand this aspect. However, Qu Jiangnan pulled up the combat data fed back by the three mechs, scanned it rapidly, and largely confirmed that Shi Dagang's assessment was not unfounded.
Currently, the most noteworthy were naturally the strongest few, like Tuoba. But below them were the Tian Zhongye siblings. Their combat talent and experience alone were enough to compensate for many resource gaps they faced compared to other children of influential families in the early stages.
Then there was this Song Ling.
The mechs evaluated that she could already use psychic means to predict their attacks. Although not always successful, she was hit the fewest times in the entire class.
"And this Bai He, he's improving the fastest."
After a moment's thought, Qu Jiangnan suddenly felt something wasn't quite right. She went back to look at A'Diao's data.
It was expected that she could master Spirit Power overnight. But the problem was, this person was incredibly cunning and had even passed the first level of the Clearance Points Tower. How could she be the one hit the most?
She must be deliberately taking hits to find combat opportunities. She's quite ruthless with herself.
After the meeting, a teacher approached Qu Jiangnan privately, holding out a student's entrance exam paper.
"Director, this student is rather interesting."
Qu Jiangnan knew who it was without looking at the name. "Chen A'Diao."
"Yes, that's her. Her written exam score ranks towards the bottom among the 50 students in the class. But I looked at her exam content: out of 700 questions, she left 200 blank. However, the 500 questions she did answer had a 100% accuracy rate. So, this student's issue is that her knowledge base is limited by her educational resources. If taught well, her written exam score could at least be elevated to the top tier."
Qu Jiangnan had actually known this for a while. When the dean had given her the files, he had tapped on A'Diao's a few times, signaling her to pay attention.
She had initially thought it was because A'Diao was Chen Xun's sister. Later, she realized it might genuinely be because she was Chen Xun's sister… IQ DNA, indeed.
"Let me know if you need any materials."
"Alright. After the first test is completed, I'll review her results again. At that time, I might need to discuss her development with you privately."
This teacher's eyes were filled with excitement.
Qu Jiangnan suddenly recalled that this teacher was known in Jinling Academy's teaching department as a "difficulty fiend," who most enjoyed creating perversely challenging questions to test students' intelligence.
That girl won't end up hating me, will she?
Class 01's training room was a key facility at Jinling Academy, but Class 02, Class 03, and other classes also had their own training rooms. Although not as prestigious as the former, they were also currently having combat skills guidance lessons. The classrooms were some distance apart, but they all heard the piercing screams emanating from the sealed training room of Class 01.
Some were disdainful: "Class 1, what a joke! So trashy! Only seven of them passed the first level of the Clearance Points Tower. That means the other forty-three are about the same as us. Next time, who knows who will pass the first level first."
Some were annoyed: "Are they slaughtering pigs? So noisy! Not at all like our Class 2, all restrained and self-controlled."
Their teacher glanced at them but said nothing, beginning to gently explain combat techniques and then assigning them equipment for physical training.
Different classes couldn't progress at the same pace. By next week, these children would understand why Class 01 was screaming like that.
That day, A'Diao and several others didn't go to the cafeteria for food, because they were all in the infirmary.
The infirmary doctor had made preparations well in advance.
Identifying them was a bit troublesome, as many faces were battered beyond recognition. In the entire class, only Song Ling and Zhou Xiuhe were in slightly better condition, because Song Ling was a psychic type and had occasionally used her abilities to predict the mechs' attack routes.
"So useless. It's not like they did much to you, what are you wailing about?! A fracture, is it? I can handle this."
Yuan Shu had a fracture. Seeing Shi Dagang's imposing, muscular physique approach, his face turned whiter than a timid bride's. "No, no, no, it's not necessary, Teacher! I can go home and have my family doctor set the bone for me. I'm fine, I…"
Shi Dagang immediately covered his mouth, like a domineering CEO in a novel comforting a delicate female protagonist, "Don't be afraid, you have me."
Crack!
Yuan Shu's eyes rolled back, his legs twitched… and he fainted.
He felt he had suffered too much today; both his mind and body had been severely traumatized. He hated both Zhongchuan Mingxiu and Chen A'Diao!
So-called physical correction, effective in one second.
A'Diao, on a nearby sickbed, watched with a perverse thrill. But then she noticed Shi Dagang staring at her. Her scalp instantly tingled, and she shifted her bottom, about to seek out Song Ling and the gentler nurses, when suddenly, a female nurse covered her mouth.
"Teacher Shi, please come and help over here."
A'Diao: "!!!"
Later, many of them didn't know how they got through that day. They basically couldn't do anything. A'Diao had about 70 points on hand, but after thinking it over, she decided not to use them.
She figured she had to wait until she successfully set a dislocated bone once before visiting the gravity room again.
The prodigies of Class 01, having finished their combat skills class for the day, were now most worried about leaving.
Damn it, the dormitories were so far away. How could they go back looking like this?
Didn't they have any pride?
Tuoba, however, was unconcerned. His injuries were relatively minor, with few on his face. So, he wiped the blood from his cheek and walked directly into the sunlight.
The others…
Tian Zhongxiang suddenly pulled a mask out of her backpack and put it on.
Everyone: "!!!"
With a flick of her fingers, Tian Zhongxiang held several masks. "One thousand star coins each. Who wants one?"
Crazy! Who would buy that? One thousand star coins was a lot of money!
What was the manufacturing cost of this mask? One star coin?
Was the Tian family that desperate for money?!
A group of poor students were reluctant to spend the money, but even more people bought them… In three seconds, Tian Zhongxiang's masks were all gone.
Even Yuan Shu bought one.
He figured this crappy mask would be useful for a long time, considering they would have more classes like this in the future.
After selling all the masks, right in front of everyone, Tian Zhongxiang gave a large portion of the money to A'Diao.
Yuan Shu and the others: "?"
Damn it, if they had known these masks were sold by her, they wouldn't have bought them even if it killed them!
A'Diao gave them a faint smile, clutched the money, and walked away with her bruised and swollen face.
A great wave of resentment floated up behind her. A'Diao was instantly satisfied. Actually, she didn't love money, truly. What she loved was resentment.
Everyone: That dog A'Diao, money-grubbing profiteer!
Cheng Zhang watched A'Diao's retreating figure, once again filled with awe: A role model for our generation.
As he marveled, he was about to catch up and chat with A'Diao… but he found Rao Xueya had already approached her.
Why her again, my nemesis!
"Hey, let's talk. Why do you always walk so fast? What are you up to!"
Rao Xueya, with half her face swollen, caught up, complaining slightly, but didn't dwell on it, directly stating her purpose, "Are you planning to go into the catacombs?"
"At our current level, we can handle the lowest-grade ones. At least, tackling a small Level 1 demonic spirit catacomb shouldn't be a problem, as long as the number of demonic spirits doesn't exceed thirty."
"Of course, the premise is that we form a team."
Rao Xueya always had clear objectives: either for money or for a team.
A'Diao had long known her purpose; the catacombs were also part of her plan. "Of course, we have to go, but not right now. In a couple of days. I'm forming a team, do you want to join?"
Rao Xueya didn't say yes directly but instead marketed herself like a product: "Tomorrow, no, by tonight I can master Spirit Power. And I can already summon three pigs. One is an ordinary fragrant pig, but the other two can handle Level 1 demonic spirits. They've been raised to be particularly strong recently. I also have the ability to protect myself. What do you think?"
Actually, she knew very well that if A'Diao were to choose a team, she could join the ranks of Tuoba and his group, or form her own. Even Cheng Zhang would consider joining, because A'Diao was genuinely strong.
Most importantly, she was smart; that was plainly obvious.
And her own talent and aptitude were at a level where A'Diao might consider her but not necessarily be impressed.
But apart from the top-tier individuals, she felt she wasn't inferior to other mid-tier students; at least she didn't have those messy, miscellaneous problems.
It was precisely because Rao Xueya understood this that she had proactively approached A'Diao several times, her attitude clear, unafraid of losing face.
If she couldn't get into A'Diao's team, she would have to settle for teaming up with the weakest group in the class. And those people might not be self-aware enough, perhaps even immature enough to be picky about her just because they were internally selected students.
That would be a waste of time and utterly frustrating.
After saying all this, Rao Xueya was somewhat nervous, but she still looked at A'Diao steadily, waiting for her to give an answer.
A'Diao thought for a moment, then asked, "That fragrant pig of yours, is it edible?"
Rao Xueya: "???"
She never would have imagined that she would be selected because of an edible fragrant pig.
As Rao Xueya left, she was still somewhat doubting life, but she also asked A'Diao, "Have you decided on the other team members? Is it Tian Zhongxiang and her brother? Those two are incredibly strong, capable of both dealing and taking damage. But Song Ling, if you don't approach her soon, she might be snatched away by Zhou Xiuhe and their group. You saw her performance today."
A'Diao certainly knew Song Ling was sought after; not just her, but probably the Tian Zhongxiang siblings as well.
Because uncovering talent took time, the siblings' current comprehensive combat power was very practical; at the very least, they could fight.
So… seeing the three of them with her every day didn't necessarily mean they would join her team.
"Everyone has their own choices, and I hope they follow their own thoughts. I will absolutely not try to influence them. After all, everything is fated."
A'Diao's tone and demeanor were very fair and peaceful, almost transcendent, but Rao Xueya's expression was like the bitter-melon face of an old man looking at his stock fund app on the subway.
That night, after Song Ling returned to her single dormitory, finished her shower, and was drying her hair, Jiang Chao, who was preparing for the college entrance exam elsewhere, called.
She also had a robot in her room; the robot relayed the call.
"Little Sister A'Ling, is it convenient for a video call?"
"Not convenient."
So cold, not at all cute like Little Sister A'Diao.
Jiang Chao said awkwardly, "I'm just asking on behalf of the family elders. In a while, will you be teaming up with your classmates for the catacombs, or will the family arrange for guards to accompany you?"
Song Ling replied, "The latter is not advisable; it's too coddling, and growth will be very slow. You and your brothers probably didn't receive such treatment either. So, are the uncles trying to give me some advice?"
Smart and quick-witted indeed.
Jiang Chao sighed, "Someone has contacted our uncles through their connections. It's likely the people behind Ming Zeye and his group. They want to recruit you. Unlike our year—because we didn't have enough time—the assessment for spiritual energy cultivation focused more on aptitude. By your year, it will be a true combat assessment, so a team is very important. It can cultivate your combat abilities. Of course, it can also help you obtain more resources."
Family provisions were limited. Disciples of both the Song and Wang families had to go to the catacombs for experience; it was merely a matter of sooner or later.
"Zhongchuan Mingxiu's team should currently be the strongest in your class. And that person is calculating. If you don't find a team of comparable strength, you might be suppressed by them. Our uncles' intention is for you to try teaming up with either Tuoba or Ming Zeye. You're a psychic type, which is rare; they should contact you."
Song Ling put down her towel. "They've already contacted me, but I refused."
Jiang Chao: "??? Who?"
Song Ling: "All of them contacted me."
And you refused them all?!!!
Jiang Chao was stunned, momentarily unable to understand her thoughts. "You don't fancy any of them? Then what are your criteria for choosing?"
"I'm waiting for the strongest one to find me."
"???"
Jiang Chao didn't understand, but Song Ling had already hung up the call. What she hadn't said was—on the day of the talent test, she had displayed the "Psychic Frost Flower," capable of influencing everyone's thoughts. In reality, at that time, her strongest sense was her own psyche.
Using psyche to sense psyche?
Yes, at that time, she had sensed all the examinees present, including all the teachers. None of them possessed a psychic aura as strong as one particular person's.
Including Zhou Jiang.
One's mental state is what truly determines everything, because it signifies rationality and stability. As for other aptitudes, they can actually be compensated for with resources and such.
Later, she continued to observe the 49 individuals in her class. After much observation, the one who consistently possessed the qualities of a true powerhouse was that person.
Just as Song Ling was about to dry her hair, the robot suddenly announced a friend request.
"Who is it?"
"The note says 'Dear A'Diao'."
"…"
Song Ling turned off the hairdryer, chuckled softly, and accepted the request.
Then, the robot woodenly broadcasted someone's voice message.
"Classmate Song, it's your dear A'Diao. I heard you're planning to join someone's team. Well, how should I put this, I'm very happy for you."
Song Ling: "Really?"
A'Diao: "Of course! But, you see, that Tuoba is too warlike. He might drag you into Level 2 or Level 3 demonic spirit catacombs, which is no different from sending you to your death. That big brute definitely won't know how to cherish a fair lady."
Song Ling: "What if it's not him recruiting me?"
A'Diao: "Oh, then it must be Ming Zeye and his girlfriend? That's even more awkward for you. It's not that I'm being petty, but they're a couple, you know, and you're so good-looking. There's no guarantee you won't get caught in a love triangle. How awkward would that be for you then. This is my heartfelt advice, I'm definitely not badmouthing them."
She was a natural at badmouthing people, yet she claimed she wasn't.
Song Ling: "Then whose team do you think is the best?"
A'Diao: "Your question makes me feel so awkward, as if I'm here trying to sell myself. I really don't mean that. Actually, the two teams I mentioned are quite good too. Anyway, just choose whichever you like, I respect your decision… I hope you achieve the best possible development. After all, I've always considered you my best sister, bar none."
After sending these messages, A'Diao, who was at her residence munching on dried beef jerky, waited for Song Ling's reply. After a short while, Song Ling sent a picture.
It was a screenshot of her conversation with Tian Zhongxiang from five minutes prior.
Tian Zhongxiang had proactively approached her, asking if she was forming a team. Of course, A'Diao had said yes, and then added: "Xiangxiang, you've always been my best sister, bar none."
This screenshot had actually been sent to Song Ling by Tian Zhongxiang.
A'Diao: "…"
Social death?
These team members hadn't even officially joined yet, and they were already secretly investigating me. Lao Tian, you're not being very kind.
But Song Ling has been sending me resentment. That means she agrees, right?
That team would have five people in total, which was about right.
A'Diao casually created a group chat and then added Tian Zhongye, Tian Zhongxiang, Song Ling, and Rao Xueya.
"We'll go to the catacombs in nine days. As for which catacomb, I will notify you three days in advance so you can prepare supplies."
Having successfully formed her team, A'Diao was full of ambition and began to prepare herself a lovingly made dinner. But just as her lovingly made egg was half-fried, a call came in.
From the government office.
Sizzle, sizzle, sizzle… A'Diao listened to the steady voice of the female officer on the phone, allowing the egg to gradually turn yellow and cook in the hot oil…
"Ms. Chen?"
Because she hadn't heard A'Diao's voice for a long moment, the female officer sounded somewhat puzzled.
"So, where is the body now?"
The voice she heard was remarkably calm, as if she were casually asking the price of pork for that evening's dinner.
"It's at our Danzhou's Qu County yamen. Because the information registered you as his only relative, we contacted you. This is a criminal case, and we need to continue our investigation."
A'Diao: "Are you certain it was people from some gambling dens retaliating against him?"
"Current evidence suggests so. The torture marks on his body are consistent with objects like ropes used by ordinary people, and the place where he was detained was also a desolate wooden cabin where gamblers frequently gather."
A'Diao: "Have any suspects been arrested?"
"Yes, but those individuals have fled. It will take some time to track them down. However, the handling of the body currently requires your permission… Do you wish to claim it yourself, or should it temporarily remain in our forensic department's morgue in accordance with criminal investigation procedures… Can you come to Qu County?"
"Send me his body and the autopsy report first."
The female officer was somewhat surprised but still sent the information over. After hanging up, she thought to herself: Indeed, not a true relative. She sounds so indifferent. But then again, gamblers are universally detested, so it's no wonder they evoke such aversion.
On the other side, A'Diao turned off the stove and looked at the documents, at the Old Daoist Priest's decaying corpse and the faintly visible wounds. She didn't look away, examining every detail meticulously.
Not a single detail was missed; she even used a magnifying glass.
First, she had to confirm that this was truly the Old Daoist Priest.
Her expression under the lamplight showed no change, until she identified small moles in certain minute skin details, and old scars on his fingers—remnants from being poisoned by corpse fluid while moving bodies in the past…
Her pupils might have trembled a few times, but eventually, they settled into calmness.
Finally, she put down the magnifying glass and called the female officer back.
"I apologize, I have matters to attend to recently. Please have the body temporarily stored at the government office. I will not be going to Qu County."
The body, for now, seemed unremarkable; he had indeed been killed by ordinary means. However, the environment inside the wooden cabin was wrong.
The weeds in the corner of the cabin belonged to a species known for its vigorous growth, yet they were withered. And the Old Daoist Priest was lying on the ground, appearing to have died a very painful death, but there were no signs of struggle or fighting nearby—most importantly, the knots on the ropes binding his hands behind his back were very common. She had been taught this method of untying ropes since childhood, so it was impossible for him to have been easily trapped and killed in the cabin by a few mere gamblers.
He was killed by means of spiritual cultivation.
Furthermore, someone had performed some sort of ritual in the room, erasing certain traces and creating the false appearance of murder by gamblers.
Since a Forbidden Master was responsible, for reasons unknown, it was possible they were interrogating the Old Daoist Priest about Daoist talismans because of her, or purely to retaliate against her, or perhaps it was an enemy of the Old Daoist Priest himself.
Regardless of the reason, she could not rashly go to Qu County. What if someone there was deliberately using the Old Daoist Priest's death to lure her, intending to ambush her en route?
She couldn't go. She couldn't even collect the Old Daoist Priest's body.
Absolutely not.
Besides, what could she accomplish by going? The government authorities had only been able to investigate this far; either that, or they had discovered something and helped to cover it up.
What was she, after all?
Merely an ant with a little bit of value.
Therefore, she had to accelerate her pace of becoming stronger. She couldn't just let the Old Daoist Priest's body rot in the morgue.
He had spent his entire life collecting bodies for others, yet he himself…
Before the female officer could react, A'Diao hung up the phone and then ate the burnt egg with a blank expression.
She did not allow herself to reminisce about their time together, nor did she indulge in any pain or sorrow. There was only the faint taste of char on her tongue.
A bit bitter.
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