Chapter 429: Adding Practical Combat to the Monthly Exam
Translator: RaidenTL
Chapter 429: Adding Practical Combat to the Monthly Exam
"I didn't expect those seeds to mature so quickly. Is cultivation really that efficient?"
After locking my phone, I was still reflecting on my conversation with Sofiri. The seeds had matured rapidly because she had extra seeds for secondary cultivation, allowing her to be bolder. She used magic to accelerate their growth, and so far, there were no signs of degradation. The first batch of ripened fruit had already entered the seeding stage. Sofiri also remembered my previous offhand comment and had set aside some fruit using freshness alchemy items; she was quite interested in the Fool's Dream Drink blend herself.
Sofiri wasn't in a rush, and since she’d learned from Dongli Yiren that our monthly exams were coming up, she told me to come over after I was finished.
I didn't feel the need to explain further and simply agreed.
Returning to the villa, I looked at the place—which suddenly felt a bit ordinary—and recalled how shocked I had been when I first enrolled.
Without realizing it, I had grown accustomed to this life. Or perhaps I had seen too much in that small world; during that trip, I’d stayed in luxury hotels, slept in run-down hostels, and even spent nights in tents. They were all very novel experiences.
I hadn't been back in over a month. It looked like my bedroom was going to need a thorough cleaning.
Pushing the door open, I didn't see anyone on the first floor. It seemed everyone was busy.
That made sense. The monthly exam was right around the corner. Even though it was just a routine monthly test, for those with a student mindset, it was a major event.
"Strange. I didn't see them working this hard last time. Are they all in class?" I wondered aloud.
"Welcome back, Master~" a voice suddenly chirped. It was the villa's smart butler.
"Little Ox-Horse?" I looked down at the robot vacuum. I hadn't expected the others to let it out. "Where is everyone?"
"Out," Little Ox-Horse provided a succinct answer.
"Alright then." I ignored it and headed straight for my bedroom. Little Ox-Horse was just an alchemy item; the others wouldn't bother reporting their whereabouts to it.
However, as I entered my room, Little Ox-Horse followed me in.
"What are you doing?" I nudged the little guy with the tip of my toe. It actually wanted to enter my bedroom?
"Master, your bedroom has not been cleaned in over a month."
"Oh, no need. I'll do it myself. Go on and do your thing. If you've got nothing to do, go back and save some mana," I said.
I was actually a bit surprised by this smart butler. Its intelligence was quite high, which explained why it consumed mana so quickly.
Watching it trundle away, I stepped into my room.
Even though it hadn't been cleaned in over a month, it was still fairly tidy. There were no signs that anyone had touched my things, though there was a thin layer of dust. I’d also forgotten to put on a duvet cover before I left, so it looked like I’d need to change the bedding tonight.
As for the cleaning, I’d handle that myself.
After all, the very first spellbook I ever obtained was the Cleaning Spell. Strictly speaking, the Cleaning Spell barely qualifies as a proper spell; it’s more on the level of a minor spellbook. But I didn't care about that and got right to work.
As I cast the Cleaning Spell, inspiration suddenly struck. The cleaning energy, which used to be mediocre and limited to a small area, instantly expanded to blanket the entire bedroom. Cleaning the whole room took no more than a snap of my fingers.
"Hmm~ I never realized the Cleaning Spell could be this useful." I clapped my hands and dispelled the effect. I hadn't expected even a minor spell to have so much depth. For instance, there were subtle differences when cleaning different surfaces. I could even use the Cleaning Spell as a substitute for a bath, adjusting it to the most comfortable pressure to clean my body.
While using the spell, ideas for modifications kept popping into my head—it was almost involuntary.
After changing my bedding, I pulled out my phone and popped into the dorm group chat.
I’d expected to see the others at the villa, but none of them were home.
After I sent a message, there was no response for a while.
"What's going on...?" I was puzzled. Had they all turned off their phones? Not a single person saw the message?
But I’d clearly seen Hong Chenyi's message from noon today, begging someone to bring her food.
I tried sending a red envelope. After a moment, an unexpected person claimed it: Yu Yuetian.
Yang Yuehan: Where is everyone?
Yu Yuetian: Everyone is probably training and hasn't checked their phones.
Yang Yuehan: What kind of training has them so motivated?
Yu Yuetian: Virtual Dream Combat.
Yu Yuetian: Xiao Han, you didn't know? Where did you just get back from?
Yu Yuetian: They added a practical combat assessment to this monthly exam. Actually, they had it last time too, but you skipped that exam, Xiao Han.
Yu Yuetian: The others from the dorm are likely practicing in the dreamscape.
Yang Yuehan: There's a practical assessment this time?
Yu Yuetian: Yeah. It's hard to explain here. Why don't you come over and try it?
Yu Yuetian: It's the same dream pods you used during the Dream Exchange Competition.
Yu Yuetian: We're at the Practical Training Hall where we usually have our combat classes.
Yang Yuehan: Got it. Be there soon.
After getting the brief rundown from Yu Yuetian, my interest was piqued.
I hadn't expected them to incorporate a practical assessment into the monthly exam. I wondered what format it would take.
However, based on my previous conversation with Teacher Ji Niang, it wasn't hard to guess that this was a change intended to raise the power level of the Children of Destiny's peers.
Using Primal Dream pods for practical training was indeed an excellent method. At the very least, you could do whatever you wanted in a dream, and you didn't even need spellbooks.
But I recalled that dream pods weren't exactly common.
Were there really enough for so many students to practice?
On second thought, a dream pod was just a device to guide consciousness into a dream. For Transcendent Witches, producing them shouldn't be that difficult.
Besides... even if there weren't enough, that was the academy's problem. Why should I worry? If the academy was going to implement such a reform, they had to have the infrastructure to support it.
With that thought, I headed straight for the Practical Training Hall.
I’d been there a few times, but unfortunately, I didn't have teleportation spells back then. I had to teleport to a nearby landmark and then fly the rest of the way on my broom.
When I arrived, I found that I needed to swipe my student card to enter.
I quickly asked a senior sister working part-time at the front. She explained that the Practical Training Hall was currently only open to students in their third year and below. Third-years were the last group still under mandatory course schedules; essentially, the power gap between these three year levels wasn't too massive.
The upperclassmen weren't allowed in for now. If they wanted real combat, they could go to the Arena, which was guaranteed to be more exciting than this.
After confirming I was a freshman, the senior sister enthusiastically led me inside.
Once through the doors, I realized the layout was completely different from my last visit.
The place had been entirely renovated. The once-open combat floor was now filled with rows of dream pods arranged in an orderly fashion. I could see quite a few students walking out, chatting and laughing.
There was also a lounge area and a temporary infirmary. According to the senior sister, the experiences within the dream pods varied from person to person. Some people couldn't handle it, while others might faint from the pain if they accidentally set their pain percentage too high. Such ridiculous incidents had actually happened over the past few months.
After parting ways with the senior sister, my arrival drew the gaze of many girls, thanks to my unique outfit and shock of white hair.
I knew girls loved to gossip, but having them talk about me right to my face was still a bit much.
Fortunately, my current look and features seemed to prevent anyone from recognizing me as the previous Yang Yuehan.
The only people who knew what I looked like now were my roommates, Tan Han, and a few other senior sisters I knew.
This actually saved me a lot of trouble. Thinking back to the Exchange Competition, the attention had been terrifying. Now, at most, people just gossiped about my appearance.
If I had shown up in my original form, the people who recognized me would have caused an even bigger stir.
Then again, I’d been so low-key at the Witch Academy that the hype surrounding me had likely died down.
With that thought, I instinctively checked the group chat. It was buzzing now. After my chat with Yu Yuetian, Hong Chenyi and the others had quickly joined in. I’d been too focused on getting here to notice.
As soon as I popped in again and said I’d arrived, Hong Chenyi immediately told me to come over and "five-stack" with them. She had already secured a spot—five pods in a row.
Hong Chenyi had been the one to drag Guan Qiuling and Dongli Yiren here to train. Yu Yuetian had been busy and only joined them after finishing her tasks, which was why she’d been free to see the group chat.
"Over here! Over here!"
As soon as I reached the area they mentioned, I heard Hong Chenyi's loud voice. She was standing next to Guan Qiuling and Yu Yuetian. Dongli Yiren was already lying in a dream pod, though she hadn't closed the lid yet.
"Wait... wait, is this... Sister Xiao Han?" Several girls standing near Hong Chenyi looked at me in shock, then turned their gaze to Hong Chenyi.
I looked at the girls standing nearby. They looked familiar—classmates from Class 14, I think—but I’d forgotten their names. It had been a long time, after all; recognizing them as being from my class was already a feat.
"Hello," I said as I walked over, giving a quick greeting.
"Is it really Sister Xiao Han?" several of them asked excitedly, unable to believe it. "Did you dye your hair?"
"No, it turned out like this for a few reasons. It's nothing special. But... are you all here for dream practice too?" I said casually, steering the conversation toward the training.
"Yes, yes! We came with Hong Chenyi. The monthly exam is coming up, so we're doing some last-minute cramming," one of the girls said. "Sister Xiao Han, your combat experience must be amazing... why don't you teach us?"
"Me? I'd better not. My combat experience is average at best. I mostly rely on overwhelming power. I haven't even attended many formal combat classes. I might even need you guys to help me out when the time comes."
"No way! During the simulated combat in the last monthly exam, you were one of the opponents! I heard you absolutely wrecked so many people. I was lucky, though—I got eliminated before I even reached your stage."
"Huh? What do you mean?" I frowned, confused. I remembered skipping the last monthly exam.
How could I have been there?
"Oh, I forgot Sister Xiao Han wasn't here last time. You didn't know? The practical test for the last monthly exam was held in the dreamscape. It was a stage-clearing challenge, and the simulated opponents were the ten students who represented our Witch Academy in the exchange competition."
"The dream equipment can do that?"
"Yeah! I thought it was amazing too. When you fight them, you can't tell at all that they're simulated characters. Sister Xiao Han, do you want to try challenging yourself?"
"Really? Now I'm interested." I acted intrigued. I hadn't realized the Primal Dream had such terrifying capabilities. Didn't that mean that once you entered the Primal Dream, your privacy was completely transparent?
I recalled that the Primal Dream was controlled by the Primal Witches... so in principle, it should be fine. Why would beings like that pay attention to a small fry like me?
Besides, I’d heard that the Primal Witch was incredibly busy with her thousands of clones. She certainly wouldn't go out of her way to cause trouble for me.
Moreover, I didn't have many secrets worth keeping. My biggest secrets were the [Transcendent Knowledge] and the Great Spellbook. Even the Tree of Knowledge didn't quite measure up in that regard, but those things weren't exactly secrets from the academy's perspective. Even if they were, I had the Academy Dean as my backer.
After getting the general idea, the girls left. They weren't staying in the same area; they had plans to meet up with other classmates. That left just the five of us from the dorm.
"Come on~ Sister Xiao Han, it's really been too long. Where have you been? You missed the last exam, and I heard it had something to do with a certain Academy Dean again. Do you have connections at the Witch Academy?" Hong Chenyi teased, pushing me toward a dream pod.
After being away for so long, they had plenty of questions, but now wasn't the right time to ask.
"Of course not. I was just helping the Dean with a small favor. By the way, how do you use this thing? It looks a bit different from the ones used in the competition."
"Of course it's different~ I heard these are the latest model dream pods. They're much better than the dusty old ones used back then. I heard the old ones made some people dizzy the first time they entered the dream, but these have significantly reduced those side effects."
"Is that so? That's good."
"Naturally. Otherwise, how could they roll these out to all the freshmen? Oh, right—just insert your student card. It'll register and bind your personal dream account. See you in the dream~"
"Yeah, see you in the dream." I nodded, took out my student card, and pulled the pod lid shut.