Chapter 73: White Jade

At this moment.

The fifty students had already formed their study teams.

The two teaching assistants had been bustling about and already set up ten dummies on the playground.

Zhang Jian glanced around and said, “No matter what method you use, smash the dummies’ heads.”

“The study team with the shortest time gets one hundred credits each.”

“The study team with the longest time gets kicked out of the First Academy—replace you with someone from the Second Academy!”

As he finished speaking.

One assistant activated the identity device: “Ten-second countdown.”

The students murmured among themselves, closely examining the dummy assigned to their team.

“You go first.”

Liu Tiezhu wore a relaxed expression and tilted his chin toward Shi Xuan.

Shi Xuan nodded: “No problem.”

Shan Ye said, “I’ll boost your spiritual energy.”

Yin Yin whispered, “I’ll infuse your Moon-Seeking Blade with ice and frost.”

Shi Xuan stood before the dummy, holding the blade, spiritual energy surging from his dantian.

Jiang Jian glanced to the side and said, “Don’t hesitate—strike with full force. Your cousin’s teammates are strong.”

A short distance away.

Shi Luohua and Mu Ying’s study team were also preparing.

A few seconds later.

The assistant turned off the identity device: “Countdown complete!”

Shi Xuan didn’t hesitate at all—he unleashed all his spiritual energy, leapt into the air, and slashed straight at the dummy!

In an instant.

Shan Ye and Yin Yin both acted simultaneously, casting multiple buffs onto the Moon-Seeking Blade.

The blade’s light blazed, shattering the dummy’s body!

Clang!

Crack!

The dummy’s body shattered, but its head remained stubbornly hard.

The blade’s light crashed through, leaving the head covered in cracks—but it never broke apart.

At the same moment.

Over ten meters away, Shi Luohua lunged forward with her sword, driving it straight into the dummy’s head!

The sword’s light spun and slashed, about to shred it completely.

The remains of the dummy before Shi Xuan suddenly collapsed.

It turned into fine petals of light, drifting down and dissolving into ash.

Almost simultaneously.

Shi Luohua also tore the dummy’s head into fragments.

An assistant stood nearby, shouting loudly: “First place—Liu Tiezhu’s study team!”

“Second place—Mu Ying’s study team!”

Shi Luohua sheathed her sword and turned, squinting as she tilted her head toward Jiang Jian.

Jiang Jian looked at her and offered a polite, expressionless smile.

Mu Ying stepped forward, her expression complex: “Jiang Jian, this is clearly a test between the Shi siblings.”

Jiang Jian hadn’t spoken yet.

The white-robed girl said softly, “So what? Why should you get one hundred credits for free?”

Mu Ying’s expression turned slightly cold: “Yin Yin, I never said that.”

Yin Yin smiled lightly: “Then what did you mean by implying Jiang Jian interfered at the last moment?”

Mu Ying fell silent, snorted, and turned away.

Yin Yin turned to Jiang Jian: “You did the right thing, Jiang Jian.”

Golden sunlight spilled down.

It brushed against the girl’s dark hair beside her ear, illuminating her pale cheek.

Above the playground, a flying shuttle passed by.

In an instant, light and shadow shifted, making the girl’s exquisite face appear slightly blurred.

Jiang Jian blinked, saying nothing.

In that moment, he seemed to see his sister, Jiang Zhao.

“Come to think of it, I haven’t seen my sister in a long time.”

Jiang Jian snapped back to reality, his thoughts swirling.

Shi Xuan slung the Moon-Seeking Blade over his shoulder, his expression filled with guilt: “It’s my fault—I almost didn’t earn the credits.”

Liu Tiezhu clapped him on the shoulder and laughed: “No big deal—I’ve got your back, and so does Jiang Jian.”

At this moment.

Zhang Jian’s face was dark: “First Academy—assemble!”

The fifty students slowly gathered around.

Many wore expressions of anticipation, eager for drama.

Shi Xuan frowned and asked, “What’s going on?”

Shan Ye said, “Three study teams shattered their dummies’ heads at the exact same time.”

“Our teacher Zhang doesn’t know who to eliminate.”

As they spoke.

Zhang Jian swept his gaze across them and said coldly, “Don’t think I can’t punish you just because you colluded!”

“Who taught you to smash the heads simultaneously?”

“This is disrespect for the competition!”

“If I don’t find the ringleader today, I’ll kick all fifteen of you to the Second Academy—even if it means getting punished by the Academic Office!”

The fifteen students stood in front, exchanging uneasy glances.

Zhang Jian’s face was grim: “Speak—who did it?”

Someone stepped forward and pointed: “It’s her.”

Another extended a finger: “She taught them.”

A few seconds later.

All fifteen students pointed in one direction.

The girl with the ponytail stood there, calmly swiping her identity device, as if unaware.

“By the way, I need to inform you all of something.”

Zhang Jian withdrew his gaze and cleared his throat: “I’ve already laid the foundation for your cultivation.”

“Except for essential courses, I’ll notify you when needed.”

“From now on, you won’t need to attend regular cultivation classes.”

“If you have cultivation questions, feel free to come to my office anytime.”

As he finished speaking.

Amid dozens of strange stares, he boarded the flying shuttle and left the playground without looking back.

“Your cousin has a kind heart.”

Shan Ye looked at Shi Xuan with a teasing expression.

Shi Xuan shook his jade bracelet: “When she gave me my mother’s belongings, I realized I had misunderstood her.”

Liu Tiezhu turned to Jiang Jian: “We don’t have classes anymore—let’s do a learning task this afternoon, get some practice in, how about it?”

Jiang Jian nodded: “I have no objections.”

The campus cultivation room requires a large amount of credits.

At this moment.

The credits from the cultivation class reward had just been credited.

“You received 100 credits.”

“Your remaining credits: 1750.”

Jiang Jian opened his identity device and made a rough estimate.

These credits seemed like a lot.

But if converted into cultivation room time, they wouldn’t last long.

At this stage, no classes are required—your time is completely free.

Completing more learning tasks, accumulating credits to support long-term cultivation, is now urgent.

At the same time.

Liu Tiezhu and the others also received their credit rewards.

“I’ve got a learning task.”

Shan Ye tapped his identity device and forwarded the task details to the group chat.

Jiang Jian opened the Study Squad group chat.

On the holographic screen, the study task appeared.

“Study Task: Apprehend the Thief.”

“Reward: 1500 study credits.”

“Task Brief: In Dayan City, Shaoshuizhou, pastures have repeatedly been robbed. The academy entrusted the pasture with breeding many White Jade Sheep, and recently, these sheep have been disappearing one by one.”

“Task Details: Uncover the truth behind the White Jade Sheep thefts and help the academy recover its losses.”

“Task Note: The White Jade Sheep are a rare breed; the grasses and roots required for their rearing are planted exclusively in the Dayan City pasture and are extremely difficult to transplant.”

“Special Note: Temporary task—limited-time availability.”

“Bonus Reward: Recover as many stolen White Jade Sheep as possible—each sheep exchanged for 100 study credits.”

After reading the study task.

Liu Tiezhu nodded and said, “Each of us gets 300 study credits—good reward.”

Shan Ye raised an eyebrow and said, “This time-limited task was snatched by me.”

As he spoke,

all of them unconsciously turned to look at Jiang Jian.

Jiang Jian thought for a moment and said, “Even if we don’t recover the sheep, just uncovering the truth earns us 1500 study credits. We should take this task.”

Liu Tiezhu chuckled, “I’m best at sensing and reconnaissance—this task is practically handed to us.”

Jiang Jian nodded and said, “I’ll head back to the dormitory building first, have lunch, then we depart.”

Liu Tiezhu replied, “Alright.”

The aerial shuttle activated, and the group each left the training ground.

A dozen minutes later.

Jiang Jian returned to the dormitory building and organized his backpack.

The robotic butler approached, its screen scrolling through menu options.

“Spicy Chicken Noodles.”

Jiang Jian said.

The robotic butler smiled and turned toward the mechanical room.

Jiang Jian sat on the sofa, reviewing his remaining resources.

“Training Room Time: 30 hours.”

“Study Credits: 1750.”

“Alliance Coins: 480,000.”

“Refined Iron: 16 ingots remaining.”

“Each ingot of refined iron can be sold for 400,000 Alliance Coins.”

“I keep 10 for myself; 6 are with Shi Xuan.”

After tallying his resources,

Jiang Jian ate, then took a shower.

He picked up the Hanguang Sword, slung his backpack over his shoulder, and descended from the dormitory building.

(End of Chapter)