Twenty-nine. Twenty-nine.

The next few days were peaceful.

Although Xuanyuan Sheng was aware of the situation, he would occasionally look at Yuan Hanshuang with a hesitant expression over the past two days, his gaze lingering significantly on her completely unchanged figure and weight. Had the bills not been written in black and white, and had his butler not witnessed it with his own eyes, Xuanyuan Sheng would never have believed that someone could consume tens of thousands of star coins worth of nutrient solution in a single meal.

However, since he was the one who had offered to treat her, and she had specifically asked if he had enough money beforehand, his pride prevented him from asking. Consequently, Yuan Hanshuang remained entirely unaware that she had extorted a massive sum from her "cheap" brother’s private stash.

Content with having enjoyed a free, hearty meal, she returned to her nightly meditation. Her cultivation progressed steadily, and she began to feel a faint loosening of her bottleneck, suggesting that reaching the mid-stage of the fourth rank was not far off.

The military academy students were scolded heavily by their respective chief instructors and began to toe the line. Although the Silver Star group was triumphant, they feared the instructors' warnings and dared not cause further trouble. After all, Feng Bai had explicitly stated that anyone caught provoking conflict would lose their military training credits and be packed up and thrown out on the spot. With the Third Legion’s adjutant having spoken, no one dared to defy the order. Everyone kept their heads down.

Following the communal meal in the cafeteria, the internal bonds among the Silver Star freshmen grew rapidly. More and more top-ranked students began to assist those trailing behind. Seeing this, to avoid being penalized, the Imperial group freshmen were forced to set aside their pride and imitate the strategies of their rivals. Both sides grew serious, pulling out all the stops and even inventing various clever methods.

Once the Imperial school caught up, the Silver Star group was penalized with an extra lap. Upon returning, they held a secret freshman meeting on the forum to discuss countermeasures. The next day, the students witnessed a shameless relay method involving weighted gear.

"Holy crap, have you Silver Star people no shame?"

Under such pressure, the Imperial school rose to the occasion. Their overall strength was superior to Silver Star’s, and once they got serious, they were nearly invincible. Thus, Silver Star had to resort to unconventional tactics once again to find a way to win. As a result, the team receiving extra penalties changed every day, and the animosity between the two groups deepened. The air between them became so charged that sparks seemed to fly whenever they stood together.

Watching all this, Niu Hu sighed, "Regardless, at least the unity and competitive spirit of these brats have been cultivated." He had never imagined that after so much worry and several dramatic turns of events, things would somehow return to the original trajectory—it was quite surreal. "It’s a shame the gap between the two academies is hard to bridge. It looks like the Imperial group will win on the final day after all."

Once the Imperial school began helping each other across the board, it became very difficult for Silver Star to pull off an upset. They had no choice but to find another way. To this, Yuan Hanshuang contributed a practical, albeit quite ruthless, strategy.

For the bottom three hundred, as long as Silver Star had one fewer person than the Imperial group, it would be a victory. Overnight, the Silver Star group identified the students with the poorest stamina—those who would remain at the tail end even with help. During the first few laps, the Silver Star group remained quiet, and everything seemed normal.

On the final lap, they executed their maneuver. Students who were in the middle and lower ranks passed their wristbands to those last one hundred and forty-nine students, then suddenly accelerated, overtaking many of the gasping, struggling cadets.

"Charge, brothers!"

When they reached the finish line and the count was taken, Silver Star had exactly one hundred and forty-nine people in the bottom three hundred. It is worth mentioning that these one hundred and forty-nine students were wearing several weighted wristbands each. It was their burden that carried the entire group, allowing Silver Star to narrowly defeat the Imperial group.

"Today’s winning team is Silver Star."

After the announcement, the cheers from the Silver Star group nearly filled the entire training ground.

"Are you kidding? You can do that?" Niu Hu was stunned. "This is way too cunning!"

Feng Bai sighed helplessly. "Give it a rest. If you tried this in the army, forget about being a soldier—your commander would have torn you a new one on the spot, believe it or not."

In truth, the military ethos prioritized unity, mutual aid, and full participation. While Silver Star’s method was "unified," it effectively meant sacrificing the bottom tier of students, who then bore the weight for the sake of the group. Conceptually, this went against military doctrine. But since this was merely a training exercise and they hadn't anticipated such creative, rule-bending maneuvers, they had to accept it.

Amidst the cheers, the week-long basic physical training came to an end. The second week of advanced training was about to begin.

"Advanced training includes cold weapons and hand-to-hand combat," Instructor Niu announced. "Warm up in place while I go fetch the weapons."

Upon hearing this, students from both groups realized what was coming. Both subjects required sparring partners. If the two groups were paired together, it would surely lead to more chaos and settling of personal scores. The cadets, who had been feeling dejected after Silver Star’s underhanded tactics, immediately perked up, eager for the challenge.

Wu Haoxuan wailed on the spot, "It’s over! Why is our support department so miserable? We just finished physical training, and now we have to start improving our combat skills. We were promised that support roles stay in the back!"

"It’s a rare opportunity, so you’d better train hard," Yuan Hanshuang said as she warmed up. "Since there’s no physical training tomorrow, don’t skip the morning exercise. Remember to get up early."

"Yes, Boss! I will strictly supervise this guy getting out of bed!" Ke Junda immediately accepted the order.

Wu Haoxuan: "Nani? Wuuu!" He really couldn't handle being forcibly woken up by a two-meter-tall giant every morning!

Xia Mengrou, who was stretching nearby, remarked, "So that’s why you’ve been sneaking out every morning? Just for morning exercise?"

"Yeah. Do you want to join?" Yuan Hanshuang asked.

"This lady isn't going," Xia Mengrou rolled her eyes. "Military training is exhausting enough." After such a grueling week, she was so tired that she would collapse into bed after a shower; she had no energy for extra training.

After chatting for a while, the instructor called them to assemble. This time, Feng Bai took over the explanation.

"You are all high achievers who have passed the entrance exams and been admitted to advanced academies. Cold weapons and hand-to-hand combat should not be unfamiliar to you."

It was the duty of gifted individuals to hunt down the Zerg, so these two subjects were mandatory. However, in junior and intermediate academies, the focus was mostly on physical conditioning, with only the simplest set of martial arts taught. Incidentally, the interstellar basic martial arts had been updated to the third generation, known as "Youthful Dance," which was so widespread that even the elderly on the streets could perform a routine.

"Normally, this would be part of your semester curriculum, but this year is different. The Third Legion is not only responsible for your military training but will also handle parts of your coursework afterward."

A sense of foreboding rippled through the freshmen.

"In other words, the training goals of the second phase are tied not only to your military training credits but also directly to your semester courses."

Ignoring the groans of the students, Feng Bai smiled slightly and pulled a black sword hilt from his waist.

*Swish—*

A brilliant silver beam of light erupted from the hilt.

"Whoa!" Gasps of awe replaced the groans. "It’s a lightsaber! So cool!"

The Silver Star group’s exclamations were noticeably louder than the Imperial group’s, drawing looks of disdain from the latter, as if they were country bumpkins.

"That’s right. This is a lightsaber, the basic weapon you will need to master in the cold weapons course."

Feng Bai opened his palm and performed a smooth, stylish flourish with the black-hilted blade. It was a crisp, cool move that made the students' eyes widen.

Yuan Hanshuang stared at the lightsaber, her gaze glued to it, unable to look away. How could she not know of such a cool, futuristic, high-tech weapon that combined aesthetic beauty with lethal sharpness?

Back when she was working odd jobs on the black streets of 1999 Star, she had desperately wanted one. Unfortunately, they were controlled items and not available on the open market. The ones smuggled and sold on the black market were exorbitantly expensive—easily starting at six figures—leaving her to sigh in envy. She had been forced to settle for a Tang sword instead.

"Come and line up. The instructor will issue lightsabers of different lengths based on your arm span."

At the order, all the students lined up immediately, their eyes sparkling with excitement. Only Xuanyuan Sheng and Xia Mengrou remained standing where they were.

Soon, it was her turn. Yuan Hanshuang stepped forward just as Feng Bai retracted the blade. He picked up a measuring tape and signaled for her to spread her arms.

"Arm span is 77. Good, very impressive. With these stats, you could definitely try a long-blade or a double-bladed lightsaber." Feng Bai tilted his head and asked, "Are you left-handed or right-handed?"

"Either is fine," Yuan Hanshuang replied with a compromise. "How about trying a double-bladed one?" She had never used one and was eager to try.

Perhaps the sharp-eyed adjutant sensed her eagerness; his narrow eyes behind his spectacles glinted, and his hand veered away from the double-bladed lightsaber, picking up a long-bladed one instead.

"Lightsaber edges are sharp. Although these are the lowest-grade models, the danger remains. Until you are proficient, it is best to use the less dangerous single-edged lightsaber."

"Oh, alright then." Yuan Hanshuang wasn't discouraged. Just having a lightsaber was great; she wasn't picky.

As soon as she got it, she held the hilt, examining it with delight. The other students were similar, eager to ignite their blades and look cool. However, no matter how they pressed the hilt, the lightsabers didn't react.

"Why doesn't my lightsaber have a laser?"

"Dummy," Xia Mengrou said. She reached out and adjusted her grip. "Infuse your spiritual power into it."

Yuan Hanshuang followed her instructions. The next second, a sapphire-blue blade erupted from the hilt with a *swish*, emitting a cold, lethal glow.

"Whoa! So cool!" Her eyes lit up, and she swung it around curiously. Unlike traditional cold weapons, the lightsaber made almost no sound when swung, and the air resistance was minimal; it required almost no effort from the wrist.

Changing weapons was a big deal and required time to adjust. As she got used to the weight, she asked, "Miss, why is your lightsaber different from mine?"

"Hmph, obviously," Xia Mengrou said, proudly displaying her lightsaber, which featured a ring of pink crystals embedded in the hilt. "Mine is a birthday gift from my grandfather, crafted by the master weapon-smith Kong Mu. It’s not in the same league as these mass-produced ones the school issues."

"Your blades are all uniform blue, but mine is a beautiful pink!"

"Wow, it's beautiful," Yuan Hanshuang said, though she was actually staring hungrily at the crystals on the hilt. They looked delicious!

"If you like it, I suppose I could consider..." Seeing her side profile and shining eyes focused on her lightsaber, Xia Mengrou coughed lightly. But before she could finish her hesitant sentence, she was interrupted by the chief instructor's voice.

Feng Bai smiled slightly. "Do you like these lightsabers?"

"If you can pass the fourth-week assessment and earn your military training credits, they will be yours to keep."

Yuan Hanshuang: !!!

Her attention shifted instantly, and she pumped her fist happily. "Yes! Task will definitely be completed!"

Xia Mengrou: "..."

Xia Mengrou: "Hmph!"