VAP - Chapter 111
Chapter 111: The Marshal's Journey is the Sea of Stars (7)
Sheng Xuejiu, Marshal of the Federation, a newly appointed instructor at the Capital Star's First Military Academy.
When this news broke, the entire StarNet erupted.
The StarNet trending list perfectly reflected the attitude of the Federation's citizens:
#Marshal Sheng Xuejiu Returns to Her Alma Mater to Teach# EXPLODING
#Marshal Suspected of Retiring Due to Injury#
#Following for Love Shouldn't Be the Marshal's Script#
#Marshal's Quantum Beast awsl#
#The First Military Academy Freshmen's Carnival#
#I Hate Myself for Choosing the Wrong Major#
...and so on.
Yue Du couldn't help but feel fortunate that the military academy had a confidentiality agreement. All teachers and students had been warned—no private photos were to be shared, and no related comments were to be posted on StarNet.
Here, "related" referred to any and all information concerning the "female Sentinel, Yue Yao."
Despite this, a photo of the quantum beast from the opening ceremony still managed to leak out.
The long-haired cat, sitting obediently beside its seat, drew a chorus of "awsl" and became the screen wallpaper for countless people.
Yue Du was monitoring the network in real-time. She was startled when she first saw the photo posted, but considering she wasn't in the shot herself, the poster hadn't technically violated the confidentiality agreement, so she didn't have the post deleted.
Who would have thought that this generation of netizens were all microscopic detectives—
Originally, everyone was just indulging in virtual cat-petting, and the comment section was quite harmonious, until someone pointed out:
"Hey, is that a human leg Her Highness the Cat is leaning against? The pattern on it looks a bit familiar. Isn't that the standard pattern on the First Military Academy's student uniform?"
One stone stirred a thousand waves.
The Marshal's quantum beast leaning against a military cadet's leg = The Marshal's quantum beast is close to a military cadet = The Marshal likes a military cadet.
The "like" here didn't necessarily mean romantic love, but Sheng Xuejiu's quantum beast had never been close to anyone before. This sudden display of affection was naturally linked to a romance in the eyes of the vast netizens.
Thus, the trending topic about the "following for love" script was born.
Sheng Xuejiu commented, "What kind of title is this? I don't approve."
She said this during the military academy's designated lunch break.
The school's discipline was very strict. Students couldn't leave campus without an instructor's permission and had to eat all three meals in the cafeteria. But Sheng Xuejiu couldn't be bothered with such rules and directly took Yue Du to her office for lunch.
After all, the Marshal's food was much better than the cafeteria's fare.
"Do I look like the kind of person who wouldn't pursue love?" Following her dissatisfied comment, the Marshal posed a soul-searching question.
Yue Du answered truthfully, "Honestly, you don't."
Sheng Xuejiu was taken aback. "Then what do I look like?"
Yue Du quipped casually, "A formidable figure of the Federation? A legendary female general? A decisive and ruthless great demon king?"
They were all quite accurate, actually.
But Sheng Xuejiu felt it wasn't right. "So that's how you see me."
"Not entirely. You're so good."
Yue Du said, adding silently in her heart: Like a big cat.
The saying that a quantum beast resembles its master was quite true.
Sheng Xuejiu seemed satisfied.
The long-haired cat silently materialized behind her, trotting over with delicate steps to beg for pets. Its tail was held so high it was almost perpendicular to the ground, looking very pettable.
Sheng Xuejiu had basically given up resisting the cat's coquettish behavior. She just shot it a sidelong glance, a hint of a threat in her eyes.
The cat ignored her dismissively, puffing out its chest defiantly. The pure white ruff of fur around its neck glowed, tempting Yue Du to reach out and ruffle it.
Sheng Xuejiu's eye twitched. She asked Yue Du, "You should be in your awakening period, right?"
"Yes, there are signs of awakening," Yue Du said.
Sheng Xuejiu knew Yue Du was using the system's function to disguise herself as a Sentinel. In fact, she was the one who most wanted Yue Du to awaken quickly.
Whether she became a Sentinel or a Guide didn't matter.
The most important thing was that as long as Yue Du could manifest a quantum beast, this cat would shift its attention to the quantum beast instead of provoking its master here.
Thinking about it that way, it was a win-win situation.
It was fine not to mention the awakening period, but bringing it up made her head ache faintly again.
Yue Du frowned slightly. She had intended to endure it nonchalantly, but then she saw Sheng Xuejiu hand her a small bottle.
"It suppresses awakening reactions," she said. "Some people have severe reactions during their awakening period, so the research institute developed this. It's said to be quite effective."
Yue Du tipped out a pill and swallowed it with water.
The effect wasn't immediate, but perhaps due to a placebo effect, the dull ache and dizziness did slowly subside.
"It's very useful," Yue Du said, shaking the bottle. After a moment of silence, she asked, "Did you have these symptoms when you awakened back then?"
"No, I awakened without any warning when I was twelve," Sheng Xuejiu shrugged.
...Alright. She should have gotten used to her host's uniqueness by now.
With the help of the pills and white noise at night, the awakening period became less irritating.
During this time, Yue Du took the Sentinel specialization courses along with the other freshmen.
These included understanding the basics of being a Sentinel, learning to build mental barriers, undergoing sensory expansion training, and mastering the combat skills required of a future soldier of the empire.
The instructor for the last item, practical combat, was Sheng Xuejiu—the woman who had single-handedly raised the standard of the military academy's instructors.
Seriously, not just in the entire Federation, but in the whole Spiral Star System, you couldn't find such a stunning lineup of teachers.
"For the first class, I don't plan on teaching you any specific moves. After all, to learn to run, you must first know how to walk."
Facing a group of Sentinel freshmen full of anticipation, their eyes sparkling, the Marshal spoke without mercy.
She had the students form a circle in the training room, leaving the center empty, and then had them come up one by one to demonstrate the fighting skills they currently possessed.
How to demonstrate?
By fighting an opponent, of course. And there was only one opponent: Sheng Xuejiu.
This caused many to lose their nerve before they even started.
Among the military cadets, a significant portion of the freshmen had decided on their path long ago, either due to family factors or childhood dreams. In short, they had a foundation in combat before enrolling.
But there were also many freshmen who knew nothing about it, only choosing to join the military because they had awakened as Sentinels.
A boy hesitantly raised his hand. "Marshal—uh, I mean, Instructor, I've never learned to fight before. Do I have to participate?"
Many others nodded in agreement.
Sheng Xuejiu: "Why not? If you don't know how to fight, then fight with your physical strength. Just give it your all."
She wanted to gauge the freshmen's level, not that she expected them to fight impressively. Even the students who had been training since childhood, how many moves could they last against her?
"In that case, can we release our quantum beasts to assist in combat?"
This time, the question came from a tall, short-haired girl. Behind her, a massive gray shadow, a full three meters long, paced back and forth, its form shifting.
To Yue Du, it was a gray shadow, but to others, it was a majestic tigress. Its light yellow fur was evenly covered with black stripes, making it quite beautiful.
"If you're prepared to face the pain of having your quantum beast defeated, I have no objection," Sheng Xuejiu said lightly.
The girl flinched but quickly firmed her resolve. "I understand, Instructor."
Yue Du was still contemplating how much she should hold back when she inadvertently looked up and met Sheng Xuejiu's gaze.
"Don't worry, I won't hurt you."
The Marshal mouthed the words silently.
Yue Du: "..."
That didn't sound quite right, and her host's expression looked even less right.
Was her host's mind filled with dirty thoughts, or was she just overthinking it?
Thus, Yue Du returned a standard, insincere smile.
Amidst the exchange of glances between these two (not really) and the students' tense anticipation, the first practical combat training began.
The students went up in order according to the list. Just as Sheng Xuejiu had said, not a single one could last more than a few moves against her.
Inspired by the tall girl from before, all the students whose quantum beasts were birds of prey or fierce beasts released them to fight alongside them.
But it was useless.
Sheng Xuejiu didn't even need to summon her long-haired cat to decisively defeat these poor spiritual entities. Quantum beasts weren't real animals, but if they were hit by an overwhelmingly strong force, they would collapse into a formless mist and return to their master's mental landscape.
A defeated quantum beast needed to recover within the mental landscape for a period of time before it could reform.
It could take a few hours, or as long as two or three days, depending on the severity of the trauma.
Just by looking at the pale faces of the masters as their gray shadows dissipated, Yue Du knew they were likely in the two-to-three-day recovery group.
"Unacceptable. All of you fail."
Sheng Xuejiu had just practically torn a gray wolf apart. Watching the wolf dissolve into a weak mist and return to the student's body opposite her, she raised an eyebrow in dissatisfaction.
"Your quantum beasts are like they're made of paper. A little force and they fall apart. Tell me, what use are these little guys on the battlefield? As teething biscuits for the Zerg?"
The dejected Sentinels who had just been defeated: "..."
We only awakened a year or two ago. Who knows how to strengthen a spiritual entity? Isn't that why we came to the military academy?!
The girl with the tigress quantum beast lasted the longest.
In fact, although female Sentinels were rare, their overall abilities were often very strong.
Not necessarily the strongest, but girls were always in the upper-middle ranks of Sentinel strength—at least, no one had ever heard of a girl falling to the bottom in the Sentinel specialization.
Sheng Xuejiu dispersed this girl's tigress as well, but judging by the degree of dissipation, the damage the tigress sustained was lighter than anyone before her.
"Acceptable," the Marshal said.
Before the pale-faced girl could smile, she continued, "About half a finger's length stronger than them."
Yue Du silently covered her eyes, unable to bear watching the girl's eyes turn red with anger.
...It was true. For the fastest way to piss someone off, look for the Marshal in the Federation's capital.
After two more students were crushed, it was Yue Du's turn. She didn't release a quantum beast, since she didn't have one to release at the moment.
"Please instruct me."
Assuming the opening stance her host had once taught her, Yue Du said calmly.
Sheng Xuejiu paused, a faint light seeming to flash in her pure black eyes. "Alright."
To the students who didn't understand combat, this fight looked like flirting.
Although there were conspiracy theories that the Marshal had come to the military academy for other reasons and that the female Sentinel named Yue Yao was just a cover, most people knew in their hearts who the Marshal had come here to be an instructor for.
But in the eyes of the students with a foundation in combat, this was undoubtedly a spectacular fight.
The seemingly gentle female student moved with a precision and sharpness that belied her appearance. And... if you looked closely, her style was a bit like the Marshal's.
The unique aura that naturally flowed from their every move made them look like a true master and disciple sparring.
As if they were from the same lineage.
It wasn't wrong to say they were from the same lineage. After all, Yue Du's fighting style was entirely taught by her host, and her host was her only daily sparring partner.
As Yue Du fought, she calculated whether the strength she was displaying was appropriate for a normal student. When she was about to reach that critical point, she subtly withdrew her force.
"...Not bad," Sheng Xuejiu said ambiguously.
Just as she had said before, the woman had completely held back. At the very least, Yue Du hadn't felt much pain.
Yue Du steadied her breathing. "Thank you, Instructor."
The practical combat training ended earlier than expected. Yue Du had originally thought Sheng Xuejiu would want to stick with her until curfew, only reluctantly returning to the faculty apartments.
But Sheng Xuejiu just said a quick goodbye, mentioned she had to go back to the military district, and left.
Yue Du blinked, not thinking too much about it.
Perhaps there was something she needed to take care of back there.
Capital Star Military District, Officer Training Room.
Admiral Zhan Lingqi was in the middle of his daily sparring session. He was a Sentinel in his prime and needed a lot of exercise to burn off excess energy.
This was already his fifth match.
His opponent this round was a captain, also a Sentinel. After dozens of hard-fought rounds, the captain admitted defeat and quickly conceded.
Admiral Zhan laughed heartily. "Who's next? One more round!"
He didn't notice that the observation deck outside the training room had suddenly fallen into a strange silence.
In this silence, a woman's soft yet incredibly commanding voice rang out—
"I'll go."
Sheng Xuejiu stepped into the training room.
Zhan Lingqi: "..."
Zhan Lingqi: "Marshal, what are you doing here...?"
Sheng Xuejiu had already changed into her combat uniform. She approached step by step, seemingly looking at Zhan Lingqi, but her eyes weren't focused on him.
Zhan Lingqi realized something was wrong and said in terror, "I'm not fighting! I surrender! I surrender!"
A strange curve formed on Sheng Xuejiu's lips. The curve grew wider and wider, until it finally looked somewhat crazed.
"Too late," she said.
If Yue Du were by her side at this moment, she would have immediately thought of the word "wrath."
The wrath belonging to the Tyrant's seven evils had bared its fangs in a form of crazed violence.
When Sheng Xuejiu's emotions had calmed down slightly, enough to be concealed by her lazy demeanor, she finally stopped.
By this time, the training room was littered with collapsed figures.
Zhan Lingqi was in the most miserable state. He had escaped the last sparring session but couldn't escape this rampage. His life was too hard.
But it was nothing to worry about. Sentinels, well, they all had times when they couldn't control themselves. He did too.
Which Sentinel officer hadn't dragged their subordinates into training when they felt like fighting? This was probably what they called karma.
A week passed quickly.
Ten days after school started, Yue Du experienced her true awakening.
All the previous pain, dizziness, and other discomforts now transformed into a kind of power, rushing towards her brain like a flood.
A certain area in her brain was opened up. It felt as if it had suddenly become clear and vast, yet also suddenly filled.
In an instant, Yue Du realized what she had awakened as.
A Guide.
A gentle and continuous stream of spiritual power emerged, and her mind became calm. This was the feeling of becoming a Guide.
Sheng Xuejiu was standing guard by her side. Just as she was about to say something cheerfully, she saw her cat approach and affectionately lick Yue Du's cheek.
...Even knowing it was her own consciousness, it was still so annoying to watch!
Sheng Xuejiu took a deep breath without showing any emotion. After confirming that Yue Du was alright, she said, "Can I see your quantum beast?"
Yue Du: "Mm, I'll try."
She also wanted to know what her quantum beast would be.
Yue Du closed her eyes, imagining pulling her inner self out from the depths of her spirit and letting it take form beside her—
A gentle breeze swept past, carrying the scent of grass, mountain springs, and clouds.
She opened her eyes.
Appearing before Yue Du was a snow-white fawn.
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