Military punishment was not how Tianlei had expected to spend the next five weeks. That was an entire month wasted.
He glanced at Xue Ren, half-expecting her to intervene and save him from this misfortune, but her eyes remained locked on Zhang and the others.
She struck the tip of her spear against the ground.
"I heard that your carelessness caused the students of the Beast Hall to suffer during your so-called hunt for beast cores. You act proud, but you're nothing more than a pathetic loser struggling to keep up with the world. Twenty years ago, you couldn't beat me and you never will."
Twenty years ago?
Who exactly had she beaten? The man looked well over thirty, while she appeared no older than seventeen. There was no way such a feat was possible unless her appearance itself was a deception.
Zhang dug his fingers into the ground, biting his lower lip to suppress his anger.
"You two. Follow me."
Xue Ren didn't spare Tianlei a glance.
With Su Jiaru's support, Tianlei managed to stand and walk.
They arrived at a teleportation array located near a very familiar place.
This is the pre-evaluation tower, Tianlei thought as he gazed up at the building, memories flooding his mind.
Now he could see people moving about. There weren't many just a few instructors mingling among the students. Everyone who passed by stared at them like they were aliens, whispering among themselves.
"Why are they staring at us?" the feather lady asked, lowering her gaze. It felt as though they were standing under a spotlight with no escape.
"Look to your right."
Mounted on the side of a building was a massive screen, broadcasting footage of Instructor Zhang torturing Tianlei and Su Jiaru. It wasn't the only one ,multiple screens around the academy displayed the same scene.
"This is…?"
"You'll thank me later," Xue Ren said calmly. "I connected the footage recorded by a surveillance drone to just enough screens to land that old man in serious trouble."
She turned and smiled at Tianlei.
"You're really something. You haven't even spent a week here and you're already becoming a celebrity."
That didn't sound like a good thing. Publicity wasn't the kind of attention Tianlei wanted. Someone like Zhang would definitely seek revenge.
The teleportation array activated. Space twisted, and the three were flung through the void before landing on another teleportation platform.
Xue Ren turned to them.
"You two have caused trouble that even I can't get you out of. The academy's military branch may seem like a torture zone, but in fact, it's just a training ground for elite descendants and troublesome kids like you. All you have to do is try to make friends otherwise, things will turn against you."
Making friends , how hard could that be for someone like him ?
"So we are going to a torture zone?" Tianlei asked, gazing at the massive metallic gates ahead.
They were surrounded by towering concrete walls far taller than the academy's. The gate itself appeared to be forged from an alloy that swallowed light. If Tianlei remembered correctly, its structure resembled his Black Tortoise Armor.
Countless artillery cannons lined the walls, along with air-defense missiles. The defenses were excessive unless the military branch also doubled as a protective fortress for the academy.
"People see the military branch as a torture zone," Xue Ren said. "But to someone with brains, it's a shelter that strengthens the body. For someone like you, it might even help you grow some muscle."
"Geez. Thanks for the enlightenment."
Xue Ren ran a hand through her hair, eyes fixed on the gates, then glanced back at Tianlei, who was still leaning on the feather lady.
"I've been assigned to take care of many students during their first twelve days," she said. "Out of all of them, you're the weakest I've ever met and also the first to land in the military branch within the first week. In other words, you're extraordinary."
Tianlei shifted slightly, gripping the feather lady tighter. His legs were numb, sharp pain pulsing through his body.
Xue Ren noticed.
"Tianlei," she said. "You should stop depending on other people. No matter how hard life gets, you must learn to stand on your own two feet."
"Can't you see he's injured?" the feather lady snapped.
"That moron I'll make him pay for killing my contract beast."
Tianlei exhaled slowly.
Dependency had never been his nature. For eight years, he had lived without his mother or aunt even his grandfather had told him to stay away. Growing up in the slums, he learned to rely only on himself. Even when sick, he prepared his own medicine.
These past few days were the first time anyone had truly cared whether he was okay.
Still… Xue Ren was right. Relying on others wasn't strength—it was weakness.
"Feather lady," Tianlei said softly, loosening his grip on her shoulder.
"I can manage."
The moment her support vanished, his knees buckled. Pain exploded through his legs, and he collapsed face-first into the ground.
Another humiliation.
Dirt pressed against his lips as he lay there, stunned, for several seconds. When he tried to push himself up, pain shot through his arm Zhang had twisted it until it had swollen badly.
If I ever get the chance , I'll tear that man apart until he cries.
"Lotus Staff of Returning Mind,"
A faint silver light emerged from his storage ring, forming a meter-and a half-long staff in his hand. It gleamed like flowing milk, its surface absorbing and reflecting light simultaneously.
He clenched it tightly, stood up, and wiped the dirt from his lips.
"See?" Xue Ren said as she walked toward the gates. "In life, one must be independent or be ridden like a horse."
Tianlei took one step ,then another. Pain coursed through his body.
The feather lady followed closely behind ready to catch him if he fell.
As they closed half the distance to the gates, Tianlei felt strength slowly returning to the arm gripping the lotus staff. The pain remained but it was manageable.
Perhaps the Bodhi Vein Grass had transferred its healing abilities into the staff .
"The military branch isn't like your dormitory or the Beast Hall," Xue Ren continued. "It runs on strict rules. During those five weeks, you'll either make friends or enemies. The students there are wilder than disciplined. Don't expose your abilities or traits."
"Why?" Tianlei asked quietly.
"Because someone like you is easy to exploit. You'll first be required to see a psychiatrist—it's mandatory."
"I'm not insane."
"No, you're not," the feather lady said. "But they'll try to make sure you are."
"They claim everything you say is confidential," Xue Ren added. "But speak too freely, and they'll extract everything including your family, background, abilities, strengths, weaknesses."
"They inject you with a drug," the feather lady added grimly. "They say it calms you down, but it really just makes you behave abnormally."
From her tone, it was clear this wasn't her first time here.
"So stay calm , a secret known by more than two people is no longer a secret."
They approached a group of students. Xue Ren stopped and turned to Tianlei.
"My journey ends here. I've already done more than my duty. I hope you remember my kindness in the future."
She placed two fingers on his forehead.
A stream of familiar flame qi flowed into Tianlei. His spirit core reacted instantly, devouring it.
"I will forever remember Senior's kindness," Tianlei said, bowing slightly.
Xue Ren walked away .
Ahead of them stood more than ten men and women just like him.
It seemed they weren't the only so-called fugitives.