"Peerless Blade Slash!" The Combat Instructor finally found an opening in Tran’s relentless barrage of attacks. He seized the moment to shout this gloriously cringey skill name loud and proud.
The Combat Instructor pushed through the pressure of the giant rod. He leaped into a narrow gap, spinning his body wildly. His scythe whirled along with him.
Tran swung his twenty-meter rod at the Combat Instructor again. But this time, the attack bounced off. A small black tornado began growing around the Combat Instructor…
Sharp-eyed observers would spot countless blades within it. Tran was sharp-eyed. Seeing that massive blade tornado, he scrambled back fast.
"I surrender, teacher! Let’s call it quits!" Tran yelled. Seriously, who’d clash with that thing?
But the Combat Instructor, dancing like a ballerina at the tornado’s eye, couldn’t hear him. The giant tornado charged toward Tran.
"Has Combat forgotten his opponent’s just a student? I’ll stop him!" The Headmaster, watching from afar, panicked slightly. Truth was, her domain made her SS Rank. But Combat had earned his S Rank on battlefields—he could challenge SS Rank! Some domains couldn’t contain this brute…
The Headmaster rushed toward the training ground. Halfway there, she froze…
...
"What kind of teacher uses ultimate moves on students?!" Tran sweated under the giant tornado. "You’ve got a tornado? I’ve got one too! Fili, let’s see if your Wishful Electrifying Rod holds up…"
Tran gripped one end of the rod. He unleashed his Superpower fully. Gray energy swirled around him…
"Spin!" Tran roared. He spun rapidly, forming a massive gray tornado.
He’d forgotten one thing: his rod was twenty meters long. His spin created a true giant tornado! Spectating students desperately activated their Superpowers to avoid being sucked in.
Slowly, the two tornadoes drew closer. They collided.
"Combat’s been careless…" The Headmaster sighed from a distant rooftop. She watched the tiny black tornado meet the colossal gray one…
The result was obvious. The moment Combat touched Tran’s tornado, he was flung away. His black scythe shattered pitifully…
Tran felt something crash into him. He slowed his spin gradually. Dizzy from all that turning, he leaned on his shrunken rod for support…
"Tran! Are you okay?" Stella rushed over as the fight ended. Other students stared at Tran with sheer terror—nearly being swallowed by a tornado left scars. Yuanhe still lay unconscious under a chair, knocked out earlier.
"Mm, just dizzy. Otherwise fine," Tran grinned weakly. "Fili’s rod really delivered. Not a scratch from that scythe…"
"Fili? Who’s that?" Stella asked, checking him over.
"A friend. He gave me this rod."
"Must be a great friend. Giving you such a powerful weapon—I’d keep it for myself." Stella eyed the blue rod curiously.
"Yeah. He’s been my buddy since I was ten. Back then, he was the only one who’d play with me… Never mind that." Tran regained his balance and shouldered the rod. "Sorry, I can’t cover for your absent classmate anymore…"
"It’s fine. We were wrong to drag you here." Stella looked away sheepishly. "We’ll handle Yan Muyu later. How can I make it up to you?"
"Hungry. Treat me to a meal?" Tran patted his growling stomach. That fight had drained him…
"Sure! Wait—did we forget something? Whatever. Let’s go, Tran!" Stella grabbed his arm and pulled him away…
On the spectator stand, a girl lay under a chair, calling weakly for help…
...
Farther off, a burly, battered man lay on the school lawn…
"Hahaha! Serves you right! You always sent students to me—now you’re here yourself!" The school doctor in white scrubs cackled at the Combat Instructor.
"Master, let’s carry him back," urged one of the dozen medics—a student of the doctor’s.
"Are you kidding? I’ve waited years for this! We’ll treat him after he wakes. He’ll learn the cost of exhausting us daily!"
The medics sweated but nodded. Combat’s constant demands had worn them down. They sat, waiting for him to wake…
The student medic facepalmed. What about medical ethics? He sat down too…
...
In the cafeteria…
"Is this really a school? I’ve never seen such feasts—even at restaurants!" Tran gaped at the menu, thrilled. Bird’s nest, shark fin, ginseng soup, sea cucumber sauce… everything imaginable…
"Uh, Tran, you grabbed the wrong menu. That’s the S Rank one—we can’t afford it…" Stella swapped it for another…
Stewed chicken with mushrooms. Tomato and egg soup. Stir-fried tomatoes with tomatoes…
Tran’s face fell instantly…
"Listen, Tran. We’re students. Fancy food’s wasteful. Waste is the worst crime!" Stella fibbed smoothly.
Tran sighed. He knew the first menu was too pricey. He studied the cheap one quietly…
"Tran! What are you doing here? Acting like nothing happened after that chaos!" A pretty short-haired girl ran over, yanking his ear.
"Ow! Ada, easy! What’d I do? I confess! I repent!" Tran recognized Ada instantly. Better to surrender than suffer…
"The training ground’s destroyed. Hazard zones everywhere—it needs rebuilding. Combat’s unconscious. Medics say he’s too injured to move; he’ll wake on his own…" Ada paused, puzzled by the doctors’ smug grins.
"But he attacked first…" Tran whined. "He even used his ultimate move…"
Ada recalled—Tran was just defending himself…
"Haha! Tran, you’re no ordinary guy! I knew you were the strongest!" Alex in a black trench coat strode over, handsome face grinning. Behind him stood the Headmaster and Ford in a suit. "Your Superpower on that island was fake, right? You’re at least S Rank!"
"Dunno. After my Superpower manifested, the sunglasses guy sent me here. He gave me the data." Tran kept studying his menu.
"Tch. Ignoring me again…" Alex sighed at the Headmaster.
Stella stared, stunned. She recognized them all. This trench-coat guy was a legendary graduate—his energy research earned him a spot on the school’s honor board…
The short-haired girl was the student council president! Rumor said she’d crushed several S Rank geniuses…
And the last one—the Headmaster herself! Here in person.
The Headmaster stepped forward. "Tran, on behalf of all staff, welcome to our school! And as Grand Leader of the Soul Hunters, I invite you to join us."
