Chapter 203 - 202: Sparring Is Really Useful

As soon as they got off the Starship, Yin Jiu returned to Sheng Yue’s side.

Jian Yu found her teammates according to her assigned squad.

Including her, there were five men and five women, led by Teacher Hu.

Jian Yu might have felt out of place being stuck with nine strangers.

But luckily, besides the teacher, there were two girls Jian Yu had met before.

Jiang Fei and Lu Yi.

She’d met the former at the Contract tournament.

She’d worked with the latter for a while on the project Sheng Yue established. The other girl had even recommended a novel to Jian Yu.

Compared to having a team of complete strangers, Jian Yu was genuinely a little excited to see these two.

"Long time no see!" Lu Yi’s voice arrived before she did.

Jian Yu was just about to go over and say hello.

Lu Yi had already dashed over.

Jian Yu’s tense mood gradually relaxed. "What a coincidence."

Her voice was soft and gentle, and she carried a light, cool fragrance. "Lu Yi."

"You make my name sound so nice!" Lu Yi’s eyes glinted slyly. Her round face was quite charming.

"You and that underclassman from the medicine major are incredible. You turned a simple test assignment into such a huge deal."

Lu Yi sighed. "Luckily, my group barely scraped by. Otherwise, the hundred thousand EV value I was about to get would’ve all been gone."

Officially joining Sheng Yue’s research project came with a reward of 100,000 EV value, which could be exchanged for many things at the academy.

Lu Yi had joined from the very beginning just for this reward.

She’d heard through the grapevine that Sheng Yue was recruiting, with a focus on first-year students. That’s why this old-timer had repeatedly snuck into Professor Lin’s classes to make bold statements.

"I can’t believe I get to be on the same team as you this time." Lu Yi happily held out her fist. "Let’s look out for each other, little junior."

Jian Yu looked at her small, chubby fist, then hesitantly extended her own hand and balled it into a fist.

The two gently bumped their fists together.

"Don’t worry, I’m experienced. I’ll protect you." Lu Yi lifted her chin, her eyes filled with fighting spirit.

’She must be sick.’

’She was usually a total slacker, but seeing Jian Yu made her want to rise to the occasion for some reason. Her protective instincts were going into overdrive!’

Jiang Fei walked over and teased, "Don’t be fooled because she’s from a minor planet. Her spiritual power is very high—the highest among the girls in our year."

She was an S, while Lu Yi was a Level 2S.

The only advantage she had over Lu Yi was that the latter hadn’t yet found a compatible War Beast.

Jiang Fei moved to stand beside them.

She faced Jian Yu directly. "You’ve just Awakened, so you probably can’t use your Soul Power freely yet. When we’re dealing with the Mutant Beasts later, just stick with us."

Her expression paused for a moment. "The president said your Soul Beast has a Healing Attribute and can grant immunity to many types of beast toxins?"

Jian Yu answered conservatively, "The Healing is decent, and it can help remove most toxins. But I’ve never encountered Mutant Beasts, so I’ll have to see."

She didn’t blink, as if she were observing something.

She wore no makeup. Her small face was plain, her features cool and understated, but her eyes held a hint of innocent obedience that made people want to dote on her for no reason.

Jiang Fei stared at Jian Yu for a moment. "It’s fine. Just stick with us. I’ll show you the ropes."

Teacher Hu called everyone over. "Alright, everyone come and introduce yourselves."

Jiang Fei started. "My name is Jiang Fei, a sophomore in the Command major. S-level spiritual power. My Contracted Beast is a Silver Dragon."

Jian Yu turned her head and saw a silver earthworm wriggling on Jiang Fei’s hand.

’Erm...’

’A Silver Dragon...’

Jian Yu couldn’t bear to look directly at it.

Lu Yi quickly followed. "Lu Yi, sophomore, History major, Level 2S spiritual power, no Contracted Beast yet."

Jian Yu paused. ’History major?’

Lu Yi giggled. "I’m just really interested in history."

Jian Yu looked at the last two girls.

The two girls were holding hands, walking over slowly. They seemed to be friends who knew each other well.

They both lifted their sharp chins, their gazes piercing, revealing two nearly identical faces.

"We’re twins. I’m the older sister, Zhang Ziyue, and she’s my younger sister, Zhang Ziwen."

Jian Yu quietly raised her hand. "Jian Yu, first-year student."

Teacher Hu looked at the group of boys.

Wang Hu, having gotten familiar with everyone, took the initiative to introduce them. "I’m Wang Hu. These guys are Zhang Qin, Lu Qi, Yan Yi, and Yan Xu."

Yan Yi slung an arm over Yan Xu’s shoulder and laughed. "We’re twins too, we just don’t look much alike."

Glances were exchanged as everyone subtly sized each other up, making silent comparisons.

Teacher Hu cleared his throat and announced to everyone, "Student Jian Yu is a specially invited Healer. She’s here mainly to assist in treating students afflicted by potent toxins. Therefore, the mission is not mandatory for her."

Zhang Qin’s expression soured. "Hold on, what do you mean the mission isn’t mandatory? This is a team mission. She’s taking up a spot, shouldn’t she be contributing to the team?"

Wang Hu put an arm around his shoulder. "Bro, do you not know who she is?"

Zhang Qin frowned. "Why should I know who she is? Does a first-year student require me to know who she is?"

Lu Yi was dumbfounded. "Are you even a student at our academy?"

Lu Qi explained in a low voice, "She can soothe Alien Beasts. She was trending on the Star Network multiple times before."

The Yan Brothers said in unison, "She even made a Hundred-legged Beast dance for her."

Zhang Qin had a vague recollection.

’The one who helped someone else hatch an S-Class Beast Egg, and helped another person Contract with an S-Class Green Spider Ant, and succeeded both times?’

Zhang Qin’s gaze was appraising.

’Either it was a coincidence, or those top students were helping Jian Yu build up her reputation.’

It wasn’t that he’d never heard of Healing Soul Beasts, but the few known Awakeners with Healing Skills could only target a single individual each time they used their skills, which wasn’t suitable for a team.

Zhang Qin had his own Contracted Beast and didn’t need anyone to soothe Alien Beasts for him.

"Mutant Beasts aren’t Alien Beasts. Mutant Beasts are mindless. What does her ability to soothe Alien Beasts have to do with our mission?"

Teacher Hu shot a glare at the scowling Zhang Qin. "Student Jian Yu’s main task is Healing. Are you saying a Healer can’t contribute to the team? Her Awakening Level is Level 3S. Instead of worrying about her holding you back, you should think about your own capabilities."

Zhang Qin thought about it. ’That seems right.’

Seeing the conflict, Jian Yu directly summoned her Soul Beast.

She didn’t want to argue. "A spar?"

The first person to buckle under the pressure emanating from the giant purple Jellyfish was Teacher Hu.

His Level wasn’t high; he was only on this mission because he had experience leading teams.

"Stop, stop, stop! How can you start fighting amongst yourselves before we’ve even begun?"

Jian Yu looked around. Her team was the only one left in the area.

"If we’re not fighting now, then you’d better hold it in once we’re inside. Don’t you dare annoy me."

Her face was cold and she spoke slowly. Her shimmering eyes, illuminated by the swaying, gradient-colored Jellyfish, took on a look of weary beauty.

Zhang Qin froze, his eyes fixed on Jian Yu’s two playful pigtails.

The burly man gave a deep bow. "I’m sorry."

He had to admit it: he was a sucker for cute things.

Jian Yu was stunned. "It’s... It’s okay."

’She was discovering that challenging people to a spar with Si Xu was really effective!’

The air fell silent, the nearly out-of-control atmosphere forcibly suppressed.

Wang Hu laughed and tried to smooth things over. "He’s just an impulsive guy and gets worked up easily. He didn’t mean anything by it."

...