Chapter 784: Chapter 786: Fight On
Zhou Zhen looked at Lian Qing, who spoke naturally and calmly, and shifted his gaze to Ma Lei. But it only stopped for a moment before moving away.
"Professor Zhou, that’s a bit hurtful."
"Oh? Then can you protect these four students from harm?"
Ma Lei, having been asked, coughed forcefully twice and said, "I cannot."
"That settles it then!"
Zhou Zhen thought about his own S-level strength; he used to feel quite formidable, but even that was not enough to protect students on the Insect Clan Battlefield during their training.
Nian Shutong, seeing Professor Zhou Zhen begin to worry, bluntly said, "Professor Zhou, don’t worry. I will be responsible for everyone’s safety."
"However, let me be frank. I can ensure your lives, but I can’t guarantee you won’t get injured."
Nian Shutong addressed this to Liu Cheng and the others, who nodded their understanding.
"Professor Nian?"
Zhou Zhen didn’t quite understand how Nian Shutong could protect others, given she looked someone near death.
"Don’t worry, I do as I say."
"Alright, I trust you."
Zhou Zhen could only choose to trust her. He followed Nian Shutong, who was being pushed in a wheelchair by Lian Qing, and the others also followed, entering the Border City.
A woman in a wheelchair, appearing sickly and pushed by a handsome man, was quite eye-catching. Behind her were two older individuals and four younger ones.
It looked exactly like something out of a large family going on an outing.
Could it be some family’s young miss out for a visit?
Curious glances were plenty, but Nian Shutong gave no one the chance to come up and talk, as she headed straight for the gate opposite Border City that linked to the Insect Clan Battlefield.
She needed no maps or anything of the sort, and the group behind her didn’t ask any.
Thus, they followed Nian Shutong through the grand gates of Border City to the Insect Clan Battlefield.
Red filled their vision.
Red rocks, red rivers, even red plants.
"Liu Cheng, Chuan Weibao, He Xinchun, Yu Mo, the four of you must cross this red Insect Clan Battlefield to reach their core territory, mainly relying on yourselves, understand?"
"Understood."
The group responded in unison, each acute mind grasping that this was an opportunity Professor Nian had given them—a chance to focus entirely on enhancing their abilities without other concerns.
"Alright, you may go."
After Nian Shutong spoke, the four walked into the red landscape. Invisible to others, four small beasts also entered the red vegetation.
The zodiac, large or small, was the backing that gave Nian Shutong the confidence to take them out.
"Lian Qing, you lead the way too."
"Okay."
Lian Qing also walked in front of Nian Shutong, whose wheelchair was now being handled by Professor Zhou, with Ma Lei following behind the students and exerting his utmost effort.
"Xiao Bai, do we have any crystal stones?"
"Yes, Master."
"Good, direct me."
"Understood!"
While training students was one aspect, Nian Shutong was also intent on obtaining crystal stones.
Preferably top-grade crystal stones, so she could heal her injuries faster.
By then, a small-scale battle had already erupted in front of them, and the red Insect Beasts were indistinguishable, often misleading the fighters.
Soon, the individuals had sustained injuries, yet no one called a halt, continuing to charge forward resolutely.
Nian Shutong, calmly seated in a wheelchair, enjoyed the battle unfolding before him and provided verbal guidance to several people.
"Liu Cheng, spiritual power is not just for defense, the main purpose is attack."
"Chuan Weibao, did you bring an arsenal with you—are you not supposed to be a genius? Is a genius’s spiritual power meant to be seen and not used?"
"Yu Mo, what are you hesitating for? On the battlefield, it’s either you die or I die—do you want to die?"
"He Xinchun, a senior student, and you have such poor control over your spiritual power—how embarrassing!"
The sharp-tongued Nian Shutong scolded while explaining the techniques of controlling spiritual power.
Initially anxious, Professor Zhou, listening from behind, gradually calmed down; all controls of spiritual power were interconnected, whether in Artifact Refining or in attacking.
Under Nian Shutong’s sharp criticism, the four individuals in front refined their control of spiritual power between life and death.
But why couldn’t you treat everyone equally?
After scolding several people, Nian Shutong was much gentler with Lian Qing.
"Lian Qing, channel the Spiritual Energy through your fingers, feel the energy, command it, use it at your will."
The treatment between the two groups was drastically different.
As they slowly moved forward and reached a fork, Nian Shutong did not hesitate to say, "Take the right path."
The few individuals, already battered and bruised, supported each other as they headed right.
"Be careful!"
"Be careful!"
Yu Mo, taking the lead, stepped forward, gathering his scant spiritual power to form a shield against a Beast that suddenly leapt out.
However, his spiritual power seemed unable to hold.
"I’ll help!"
He Xinchun quickly took his place beside Yu Mo to help resist, and behind them, Chuan Weibao and Liu Cheng wouldn’t just stand and watch; both armed themselves to seek a breakthrough.
"Professor Zhou, look, how much they’ve improved, they even know how to work together now."
"They finally understand that they can’t just purely attack or purely defend."
At that moment, Professor Zhou’s heart lifted again because this was a SS-grade Insect Beast, and the only reason the students hadn’t been killed seemed to be that the creature was toying with them.
"Professor Nian, still—-no!"
Professor Zhou leapt forward, projecting his spiritual power towards the students for protection, driven by his instinct as a teacher.
"Ah, Jing Bai."
A flash of white lightning stood out starkly in the red-tainted world.
"Crack—"
The red Insect Beast fell to the ground, decapitated.
A black dog stood atop the creature’s body, looking at the students who were bracing for death.
"My master said, he’ll keep you alive."
Jing Bai spoke.
The four individuals standing did not know whether to be amazed or something else.
Jing Bai’s appearance was a sign of Nian Shutong admitting his identity and revealing his trump cards.
What was happening?
Everyone looked at her as she herself wheeled forward a step and said, "Why look at me that way? I couldn’t possibly bring you all out here to die."
"No, it’s your dog—it spoke."
Professor Zhou looked at Jing Bai, who glanced back without saying a word, but it was as if everything had been said.
Nian Shutong gestured to Jing Bai and said, "I know, my Jing Bai is quite powerful."