Chapter 326: Chapter 326

Zhang Chen is a sophomore at Iron Blood University.

A year ago, like those freshmen who wander around campus now, he believed he was destined to be a Son of Heaven, a future hero of the Human Federation, the only choice to defeat the Destruction Clan.

But after a year, having spent one month honing his skills in the Exotic Battlefield and returning to his familiar university campus, he changed his mind.

In the eyes of ordinary people, he might have been an outstanding genius, a pride to his parents, an object of envy for his former classmates, a model student in the mouths of teachers, but now, he knows.

He’s not a genius; he’s just an ordinary person with a bit of talent and luck.

In the Exotic Battlefield, he teamed up with a few other students under the watch of a teacher, and they almost got burned into first-level disabilities by the flames spewed from the mouth of a Furious Flame Porcupine, making Zhang Chen change his mind.

Looking at the freshmen working hard on the playground, Zhang Chen showed a trace of envy on his face.

If possible, he truly wishes he could still live in that phase of ignorance and innocence.

"Student, you are from sophomore class twenty-three... Zhang Chen, right."

A voice rang in Zhang Chen’s ear, causing him to turn his head, and his heart skipped a beat.

It’s someone from the Discipline Department!

Instantly recalling that he hadn’t done anything violating school rules recently, Zhang Chen relaxed a bit.

He smiled and said, "I am, may I ask what you need from me."

The person talking to him was indeed from the Discipline Department, oh no, the newly formed Academic Style Department head, He Xia.

Yet clearly, Zhang Chen was unfamiliar with He Xia.

"It’s , our Academic Style Department is organizing a group of students forming a support team at school. Would you like to join?"

"We’ve specially invited professional combat teachers from the school to guide everyone one-on-one with customized cultivation plans."

"Moreover, we invited the captain, vice-captain, and other combat masters from the Jinchao Pioneering Team to teach everybody combat experiences in the Exotic Battlefield."

"Would you like to join?"

He Xia was seeking Zhang Chen’s consent.

After Lu Lin formally took charge of the Student Council and set future goals for it, integrating the current Student Council organization structure, each department had already begun taking action.

He Xia specifically consulted some experiences from Lu Lin and combined them with his issues faced in the Exotic Battlefield, ultimately adopting a focused approach to tackle academic style construction problems in the school.

Even the current two specialized courses were established by Lu Lin through contact with Principal Wang Jianfang and Wang Ming from the Jinchao Pioneering Team.

Zhang Chen hesitated, puzzled about why the Discipline Department suddenly started managing studies and cultivation.

Having entered the Exotic Battlefield once, Zhang Chen understood extremely well the relationship between theory and practice.

There’s no doubt many of the school’s teachings are useful.

However, upon entering the Exotic Battlefield, Zhang Chen found his mind void of these lessons, instead recalling various little methods and tricks that were casually shared among classmates.

How to avoid being detected when encountering a Gold Thread Xuan Snake.

How to tail a Qi Zhi Wind Thunder Deer when confronting one.

What to do if bitten by a Jumping Black Spotted Bullfrog, like leaving final words, etc.

Although the school’s courses rightly focus more on theoretical study, they somewhat overlook whether students can skillfully apply them in real-life situations.

It’s not just theoretical teaching, but also sparring and combat.

Classmates typically fight amongst a class or dormitory mates, and even in actual combat classes, would almost never go all out to defeat the other; being manners is adequate.

Yet in the Exotic Battlefield, those exotic beasts and alien races won’t play a game of "adequate" with you.

Recently, when encountering the Furious Flame Porcupine, seven or eight students encircled three porcupines, and even after leading to kill one first with advantage, almost everyone suffered various degrees of injuries.

The two remaining porcupines, in desperate struggles, managed to injure three classmates physically. If Zhang Chen hadn’t dodged quickly, he might have had to play a "mutual destruction" game with them in the end.

This further made him realize the importance of actual combat.

He Xia told him a learning team was newly constituted, with not only specialized combat instructors providing each student one-on-one guidance but also the Jinchao Pioneering Team’s captain about to teach.

At this, upon hearing He Xia’s words, Zhang Chen’s first reaction was disbelief, then.

He Xia was stunned too, then smiled, "No worries, Zhang Chen, this learning group isn’t any external program, it’s a new project launched by our Student Council."

"We’ve also understood the issues you’ve encountered in the Exotic Battlefield previously. Similarly, this phenomenon is not an isolated case. Recently, with our new Student Union President Lu Lin taking over, the first initiative he enacted is helping students better tackle scenarios possibly arising in the Exotic Battlefield."

"We aim not only to improve everyone’s survival skills in the Exotic Battlefield, ensuring safety, but also, in later stages, will introduce more advanced courses, allowing students in the Exotic Battlefield not only to hone themselves but also gather and harvest."

He Xia smilingly spoke, looking at Zhang Chen’s already dull face.

He knew this student was secured.

Indeed, after Zhang Chen and He Xia confirmed repeatedly, they finally agreed to join the student council’s new mutual learning group.

He Xia added him to a group that already had more than sixty people, and Zhang Chen quickly integrated into it, receiving a "spare-time learning schedule."

Wake up at 5:30 AM, warm-up run for 30 minutes.

At 6:10, start cultivating the basic Body Refinement method "Golden Bell Cover" First Layer, supervised by former student council president Zhang Lu, for one hour.

After cultivation, clock in to recite the catalog of 800 common exotic beasts, which includes their physical characteristics, movements, main attributes, and strategies for dealing with them.

There are no learning plans during the morning classes, but before every lunch, students training must go to Training Ground 22 at Iron Blood University Headquarters for at least thirty minutes of Star Martial/Star Skill cultivation, exhausting their Star Power before heading to the canteen to dine.

Noon break is a regular lunch break, followed by two major classes in the afternoon, then go in batches to the fitness training venue, strength training venue, agility training venue, and mental pressure training venue for specific training, for a two-hour duration.

Dinner is regular, after which the school offers actual combat teachers or team leaders from the Jinchao Pioneering Team to give practical combat and Exotic Battlefield knowledge courses.

If it’s a practical combat class, everyone must engage in at least two battles.

If it’s a knowledge class, everyone needs to prepare one question for asking. The rightful source is NoveI-Fire.ɴet

The course time is also two hours, and after the course ends, the Academic Style Department leads everyone in memorizing today’s course content, enhancing teaching outcomes, and scoring each student’s performance for the day, selecting a "star of the day" for learning.

This "star of the day" is not only evaluated daily, but also weekly, monthly, and quarterly, with the winners receiving cultivation resources provide by the student council.

After the evaluations, students return to the dormitory amid the passionate and inspiring school song of Iron Blood University, free to arrange their time until sleep.

The routine repeats the next day.

This schedule was crafted by He Xia with great effort alongside members of the Academic Style Department, ensuring every minute of spare time was utilized, while also providing sufficient time for study, rest, and relaxation, so students wouldn’t feel overwhelmed and give up.

For students involved in the learning training, encouragement and arrangements alone are not enough.

Most people might find it hard to persevere through boring life, so He Xia came up with a good plan.

Just in time for Lu Lin to see the shift in learning culture at Iron Blood University Headquarters in a week, He Xia thought that after a week of high-intensity cultivation, the students in the team would certainly undergo significant changes, at which time he would organize an arena duel with ordinary students.

To let people within the team see their own progress.

And to let students who haven’t joined see the gap between themselves.

Humans, since ancient times, have worried not about scarcity, but about inequality.

If everyone is at a similar level, then no one will strive.

But if just recently, your brother who slept in the same dormitory with you, and the classmate you went out with for barbecues suddenly undergoes such significant change, do you think others will not feel anxious and flustered?

The tension in humans will not change due to people surpassing them greatly, but it will due to changes in those around them.

This way, the study culture at Iron Blood University naturally starts to improve (juan).

After saying goodbye to Zhang Chen, He Xia set out towards his next target.

He doesn’t choose people randomly; freshmen, having not suffered the blows of the Exotic Battlefield, cannot see their own gaps, so naturally, he won’t focus his energy on them.

His target is mainly sophomores, juniors, and even seniors close to graduation.

These students are mostly at Level 2 or Level 3 now. He Xia wants to give them an opportunity.

An opportunity to see the future.

Li Quan is a senior student at Iron Blood University.

Unlike Zhang Chen, he isn’t in a combat specialization. During Junior High School, he developed a keen curiosity and passion for ancient Hua Xia’s cold weapons, and for the various weapons of ancient times, he knows them like the back of his hand.

After successfully awakening in his senior high, Li Quan came to Iron Blood University’s forging department, specializing in research, study, and trials of Star Power weapons.

The forging department’s method of nurturing students isn’t just through theoretical courses; they operate in a mode akin to work-study.

Students learn theoretical knowledge in school for half a day, then practice in the mining fields, smelters, steel mills, weapon factories, and even workshops.

Though only in his senior year now, Li Quan can be considered a qualified Star Device Master. As of June, he had already passed the assessment by the Chongnuo City Star Artificer Association and became a Certified Star Toolsmith.

Like Star Guides, Star Toolsmiths are divided from apprentice to Certified Star Toolsmith, Intermediate, Senior, and Master Level Star Toolsmith.

However, today, when Li Quan came to the school’s workshop to complete work left from yesterday, he saw quite a few classmates outside.

Most were familiar faces, as the circle of Star Toolsmiths is this small, and Iron Blood University has around a thousand forging department students.

Additionally, many teachers, department directors, and the dean of the forging department were present too.

Li Quan stretched his neck to take a look and saw several members of the student council’s Finance Department, including Director Chen Yuyao, conversing with the dean and department director.

"Hey, Li Quan, did you hear? Our Flying Tiger is about to undergo restructuring,"

a figure suddenly emerged from behind and said. Naturally, Li Quan knew him — Liu Yusheng, who is also nearly a Certified Star Toolsmith.

"Our Flying Tiger only has a few dozen people. What’s there to restructure? Is it necessary?"