Chapter 35 Chapter 35 “Can’t you just change to something more respectable…”

The silence in Rock Square did not last long.

After Captain Renata left, several members wearing school guard uniforms quickly entered the scene and began to reclaim the micro protective shield devices with skillful movements.

As the device was removed, the unconscious students and their contracted beasts inside slowly woke up, but their faces still showed signs of shock and confusion after anesthesia.

"What the hell? What happened?"

"Where are they? When did Captain Renata leave?"

"Don't let me find out who pushed me, or I can hold on longer!"

"Am I eliminated now?"

"Can anyone explain this?"

The square was filled with roars.

A stern-faced security guard walked onto the stage and announced through a loudspeaker, "The preliminary screening has concluded. All those who have passed, please pay attention to your Lingtong information. Qualifications have been issued."

As his words fell, Jiang Qing's spirit channel vibrated. She opened it and saw a brief message: "First-year student, Combat Department, Class A7, Jiang Qing, has qualified for the Guard Squad."

It's simple, just like Renata's style.

"Qingqing!" When Jiang Qing lowered her head to read the message, Li Xiu trotted over. Her voice was a little excited, and there was a calm bunny on her shoulder.

Zhao Peng also squeezed over, his training suit covered in dust. Armored Bull followed behind him: "Damn it, that last wave of sweeping angles was too tricky, I almost got caught!"

He panted heavily and wiped the sweat off his face, but his eyes were still burning. "But we all passed."

Meng Yanlang had stood beside them at some point, still with a blank expression on his face, except that his breathing was a little faster than usual. The undead rat "Shadow" lay quietly in the shadow behind him, almost blending in with the environment.

There were many sophomores, juniors, and even seniors present. The few freshmen did not attract much attention from those around them. Everyone was concentrating on the discussion in their own small circles.

"You know what, this year's guards are really abnormal. They started firing indiscriminately without even saying hello. Fortunately, the reaction and speed of Tiejia have improved a lot in the past half month. Otherwise, I would have been eliminated long ago with the guards' abnormal shooting method." Zhao Peng said with lingering fear.

"I see quite a few people died, most of them first-year students. Those who survived were those with unique beast taming talents or spirit pet skills." Li Xiu looked around and said, "But speaking of it, Qingqing, your beast taming talent is the most impressive. You passed the level without even moving."

Jiang Qing's hand touched the talent totem of the golden light shield. This talent skill was indeed very powerful. Apart from the movement being a shortcoming and her energy level, she had not yet discovered the upper limit of what the golden light shield could bear.

"Are their assessment standards different every year?" Jiang Qing asked Zhao Peng in surprise.

Zhao Peng shook his head. "Last year, it was an endurance competition. Everyone activated their skills, and whoever could hold on the longest would qualify."

"I guess they thought it was too much of a waste of time, so they just chose this method this year." He shrugged.

Sounds... so random.

Just like what Renata said at the end.

game.

To her, it was like a torturing game played on them, and she found it amusing to watch them running away frantically.

Really... not a human being!

Jiang Qing thought of those spirit snakes and asked curiously, "By the way, what is Renata's spirit beast?"

"It's the mother of all snakes, Kong." Meng Yanlang, who had not spoken for a long time, said.

In order to maintain the image of a cool genius in front of others, he usually doesn't talk much.

"Empty?" Jiang Qing repeated.

Meng Yanlang nodded. "Kong's ability is very powerful. It can instantly summon countless spirit snakes. Through anchor point positioning, it can quickly lock onto the location and target. It can also transmit messages through the air."

"Rabbit's abilities are similar!" Li Xiu interjected with a hint of excitement.

Area map.

Within a certain range, the rabbit can quickly scan all objects in the area.

Jiang Qing thought for a moment and asked, "Doesn't Kong have any attack capabilities?"

This sounds like it's used for positioning or something.

"Kong's skills were judged by the Spirit Beast Platform to be an auxiliary spirit beast, but its level is at the sixth level of the Immortal Rank, and its own combat power cannot be underestimated. No one will ignore the danger brought by a sixth level Immortal Rank spirit pet." Meng Yanlang said seriously.

"唳——"

As they were talking, the cry of a phoenix floated over from the sky.

Jiang Qing looked up and saw Lin Qingzhou sitting on the phoenix. Looking down, he saw a rope under the phoenix with a person hanging on the rope.

Jiang Qing paused.

...Wen Zhuxi! ?

According to rumors, there is someone who is known as one of the geniuses, just like the two in front of her.

Wouldn't this way of appearing be a little too... embarrassing?

at this time.

Wen Zhuxi, who was hanging by a rope, also felt ashamed.

"Hey, there are so many people watching here, can't you try a more decent way?" Wen Zhuxi shouted to the people above, with a rogue tone in his voice.

"Shut up!" Lin Qingzhou was furious. "If I wasn't afraid you'd die here, I wouldn't have come to pull you out. Don't you have any self-awareness for your broken body? And you're still signing up for the initial screening of the Guard?"

Lin Qingzhou snorted softly: "When you fainted within two seconds of the start, why didn't you think about the embarrassment? Do you feel embarrassed now?"

"Aunt, I just said one word." Wen Zhuxi's tone was as weak as ever, but the corners of her mouth unconsciously raised a curve.

As soon as I finished speaking, I got a cold snort.

After a while, Wen Zhuxi tugged at the rope around her waist: "Are you really not going to pull me up? This rope is making it hard for me to breathe."

Lin Qingzhou looked down from Liuguang and saw that Wen Zhuxi's face was pale and he looked like he was about to die at any time. In the end, he softened his heart and pulled the person up.

"You are my fiancé now. I am afraid that if you die, I will have a hard time explaining myself. I don't mean anything else." Lin Qingzhou explained. It seemed more like he was trying to convince himself of this behavior.

"Okay." Wen Zhuxi exhaled from the tip of his nose, and the distance between the two was very ambiguous.

Damn it.

Lin Qingzhou felt that this voice was doting.

But is Wen Zhuxi such a person? No!

"Hey! I agree that you can come up, but don't touch anything with your hands. Liuguang hates others touching its feathers the most." Lin Qingzhou said.

Liuguang pretended not to understand what Lin Qingzhou said, but it was actually okay!

"Oh." Wen Zhuxi smiled maliciously and was about to grab a handful of Liuguang's fur.

Lin Qingzhou quickly grabbed his evil hand, took a deep breath, endured it again and again, and finally did not kick Wen Zhuxi down.

Haha, childish!

The two quickly flew over the Rock Square.

Three heads tilted upwards, staring at the man's departing back.

"Have you seen enough, everyone?" Zhao Peng waved his hand in front of the three of them. "They're just so sweet and loving, what are you three doing here?"

The romantic atmosphere was destroyed. Jiang Qing withdrew his gaze in boredom and glanced up and down at Zhao Peng.

It really has a romantic atmosphere.

After everyone left, Li Xiu waved her hands and quickly regained her excitement: "Why are you talking so much? Let's go! Let's go celebrate!"

"Let's go to my uncle's shop, I'll treat you to hot pot." Meng Yanlang was also in a good mood.

"Okay, okay!" Jiang Qing agreed reluctantly.

She still remembered the taste of the pork meatballs blooming in her mouth last time.

But the hot pot restaurant opened by Meng Yanlang's family was so popular that she had never had to queue up.

Li Xiu and Jiang Qing were discussing what to eat, while Meng Yanlang looked at Zhao Peng beside him, thought for a moment, and asked, "Do you want to join us?"

Meng Yanlang seldom took the initiative to talk to Zhao Peng. In his eyes, this man seemed like a string of firecrackers that exploded after just a few words.

So he stopped talking to him to avoid seeing more fireworks.

Zhao Peng, however, was not one to care about food. His eyes fell on Jiang Qing standing beside him: "Go! Of course."

Zhu Tianba is a very good sparring partner, so he has to keep a close eye on him and not give Meng Yanlang any chance to take advantage.

"Okay." Meng Yanlang took the initiative to end the conversation when Zhao Peng was about to set off fireworks again.

Over the years, he has gradually figured out some rules for getting along with Zhao Peng.

The hustle and bustle of Rock Square gradually fell behind them as the four people and four beasts headed towards the academy's commercial district.

The hot pot restaurant is filled with steam, and the red oil is bubbling in the pot, mixing the aroma of various ingredients together, making people's appetites whet.

Jiang Qing held the menu, her eyes sparkling as she scanned the various meats and vegetables. Zhu Tianba lay obediently at her feet, sniffing the fragrance in the air with his little nose and making a slight humming sound in his throat.

Meng Yanlang called the waiter over and familiarly named a few dishes.

After all the dishes were served, Jiang Qing unceremoniously picked up a piece of food with chopsticks and put it into the pot, then stuffed it into his mouth and chewed it with relish, mumbling incoherently: "This is called knowing how to enjoy life."

Zhu Tianba rubbed her trouser legs under his feet.

Jiang Qing raised his chopsticks and waved them in front of it: "Do you want to eat?"

Zhu Tianba swallowed his saliva.

Jiang Qing quickly put the meat into his mouth: "No more."

Just when Jiang Qing was feeling proud, the next second, the meat on his chopsticks disappeared quickly.

She suddenly turned around and saw Zhu Tianba licking his paw meaningfully, imitating what she had just done.

'No more.'

Jiang Qing suppressed his anger and put his chopsticks on the table. "Last time you stole my snacks, and today you're eating my meat. Do you want to die, Zhu Tianba?"

Li Xiu quickly grabbed Jiang Qing, who was about to beat the pig: "There's still a lot to come, Qingqing, forget it!"

The little guy, however, had an innocent look on his face, blinking his little eyes, as if the meat snatching incident had never happened. He even rubbed against Jiang Qing's feet, resting his furry head against her ankle, looking like a spoiled child trying to please her.

"Get out of the way." Jiang Qing kicked it.

Zhu Tianba was pushed aside, curled up and didn't come forward again.

Human food is really delicious, much better than the "nutritional meal" made by Jiang Qing.

But Jiang Qing is a bit "protective".

After a while, just when it thought Jiang Qing was angry, a small plate filled with various meats and meatballs was handed to it.

It looked up and saw Jiang Qing's face.

"I know you like it too, so try it." Jiang Qing said softly.

Feeding pigs hot pot is such a weird thing, she must be the first one to do it.

Zhu Tianba looked at her with emotion.

As they ate and talked, the topic naturally turned back to the selection of the school guard team.

As she was speaking, Jiang Qing's Lingtong vibrated again. She took it out and saw that it was a message sent from the class group.

【Course Adjustment Notice：

From now on, the course content will be adjusted. Regardless of whether you pass the escort team screening or not, you will attend classes according to this schedule.

Time: 8:00-12:00 am and 2:00-6:00 pm every day, except Saturdays and Sundays.

Class location: "Lifeng Training Ground" in the east area of ​​the college

Contents: Physical enhancement, deepening of source power control, basics of pet-spirit cooperation, emergency simulation

discipline:

Lateness and early departure are strictly prohibited. More than three times of lateness will be considered as failure.

During training, you must bring your contracted pet with you;

The training is intense, so please be prepared physically and mentally;

During this special period, all members need to work together. Finally, I wish all the candidates success in this selection!

——Combat Department A7 Class All Teachers】

Jiang Qing carefully read the above content and breathed a sigh of relief.

Fortunately, it’s not really hellish training.

The other three people also received text messages at the same time. The content of Zhao Peng and Meng Yanlang's text messages was similar to hers, except for Li Xiu's, which was slightly different, but the time was the same.

The atmosphere in the box suddenly became solemn when several people received the message.

The steam rising from the hot pot blurred the vision of several people. In the huge room, only Jiang Qing and Zhu Tianba were feasting on the food. The man and the pig seemed to be so calm that they would eat this meal even if the sky fell.

......

Monday morning, training ground.

The assembly whistle was sharp and piercing, piercing the thin morning mist.

Class monitor Zuo Ye counted the candidates in the class who passed the initial screening over the weekend. There were 21 people in total, which was about half.

"First of all, congratulations on passing the warm-up." Shen Zhien stood on the stage. His voice was low, but it reached everyone clearly. "But don't get too excited. That was just the appetizer. Starting today, for the next week, you will receive formal training for the Guard Reserve. The training will focus on one single topic: survival."

She paused, her eyes sweeping over the young, tense faces.

"Survival isn't just about staying alive against the claws of alien beasts. It's also about maintaining a clear mind, sufficient physical strength, precise source power control, and seamless coordination with your teammates in extreme environments. Any shortcoming could cost you your life in a real mission, or even bring down the entire team."

"So, next, you'll experience the 'Extreme Survival Package.'" Shen Zhien's lips curled up in a cold arc. "The task is simple: cross-country running with a load, resisting pressure with source power, coordinated combat simulation, and mental will impact. Repeat this process for a week."

"Now, the first event, weighted cross-country! Objective: Carry a weight equal to 50% of your own weight, bring your spirit pet, and circle the academy's 'Thorn Loop' ten times. The time limit is three hours. Those who fail to complete will have points deducted. Begin!"

She moved aside, and Songyue and Dafei just moved all the counterweights needed for training over.

The cold weight pressing on their shoulders instantly changed the expressions of many people.

The Thorn Loop is a famously rugged training route in the academy, filled with obstacles and steep slopes. Running one lap is difficult enough under normal circumstances, let alone ten laps with weights.

The worst off of this training were those applicants who failed the initial screening. Not only did they have to run one race, but they also had to accompany the training for the next week and suffer the same "failing" mechanism.

Before the wailing could be heard, Shen Zhien's voice rang out again: "A reminder: low-intensity interference sources have been randomly deployed within the loop. These could be smoke, noise, small illusions, or... harmless anesthetic needles. Good luck."

"Set off!"

No one dared to complain anymore. They gritted their teeth, picked up the counterweights, and rushed out with their respective spirit pets like arrows.

Jiang Qing took a deep breath and fixed the weight on his back.

As Zhu Tianba grew up, Jiang Qing gradually couldn't hold it in her arms. It could only run behind her like most of her classmates' pets.

The Thorn Ring Road lives up to its reputation.

The steep uphill climb consumes physical strength, the rugged rocks test balance, and the dense thorns scratch the skin from time to time.

The heavy weight felt like a mountain pressing down on my shoulders, and every breath was accompanied by a burning pain like rust.

The first lap was not even halfway through when interference came.

Suddenly, thick yellow smoke filled the air ahead, carrying a pungent smell, instantly obstructing the view.

At the same time, a sharp, distracting noise exploded in my ears.

"Be careful of the smoke, it might be poisonous." someone exclaimed.

"Everyone, please cover your mouth and nose and take precautions," Zuo Ye reminded.

Jiang Qing took out the mask he had prepared in advance and covered himself with it, and also put one on Zhu Tianba.

She did not deliberately pursue speed. With her vision obstructed, it was safer to pass slowly.

After finally passing the smoke area, the road ahead suddenly became muddy and slippery, like a swamp.

Several imperceptible cold rays shot out from the bushes on both sides, like anesthetic needles.

For students in the defense department, their spirit beasts switched to defensive form, resisting the flying needles while passing through quickly.

These mechanisms, which seemed simple to others, actually stumped Jiang Qing.

When using the Golden Light Shield, being unable to move is a bug that always bothers her.

While he was hesitating, Zhu Tianba at his feet suddenly jumped into the runway.

"Pig..." Jiang Qing just opened his mouth and suddenly found that all the flying needles avoided Zhu Tianba's movement trajectory.

It's like those flying needles have eyes.

When Jiang Qing was surprised, Zhu Tianba came back jumping up and down, bit her trouser leg with his teeth, and dragged her off the runway.

Looking at the silver needle flying towards him, Jiang Qing subconsciously raised his hand to block it.

With a "rustling" sound.

The silver needle flew past her hair.

Jiang Qing's heart skipped a beat.

The anesthetic needle brushed past her hair and disappeared into the bushes behind her with a slight sound.

And all this was just because she subconsciously followed Zhu Tianba's lead and deviated from the original route.

She suddenly lowered her head to look at Zhu Tianba at her feet.

The little guy was tilting his head back, with no special emotion in his black bean-like eyes, as if he had just done something very ordinary.

But Jiang Qing was absolutely certain that the strange deviation in the flying needle's trajectory was definitely related to Zhu Tianba.

Gold hunting, defense, mimicry, healing... and disruption?

Jiang Qing's mind quickly flashed through the ability labels that Zhu Tianba had demonstrated, as well as the incredible "avoidance" effect just now.

The search for gold led it to find a box full of gold, as well as Senior Sister Xu Weiran's box containing animal cores.

Its defense is reflected in its tough fur and body that cannot be hurt by collisions, such as the incident with the dog's tail.

And the mimicry he showed against the slime, and the healing power of the rabbit...

Zhu Tianba seems to be able to do a lot of things, but these abilities are always fleeting, which makes people wonder whether they are coincidences or illusions.

"Zhu Tianba..." Jiang Qing's voice was filled with a hint of disbelief and inquiry. She asked tentatively, "What did you just do?"

Zhu Tianba just blinked innocently, rubbed her calf with his wet nose, and made a small urging sound in his throat, signaling her to hurry up.

The muddy road ahead and the interference sources continue.

Jiang Qing suppressed his turbulent thoughts and his eyes became sharp.

She did not hesitate any longer, lowered her center of gravity, and stopped trying to force her way through by brute force. Instead, she focused her attention entirely on Zhu Tianba.

"Follow you, right?" she whispered, more like confirming to herself.

Zhu Tianba seemed to understand, and his little tail swung happily. Then, without hesitation, he took another step with his short legs, and in a seemingly irregular but extremely agile zigzag route, he plunged into the area full of muddy traps and hidden flying needle launchers.

Jiang Qing followed closely behind, his mind highly focused.

Something magical happened.

Whenever Zhu Tianba ran past, the trigger-type flying needle launchers lurking under the mud and in the grass either seemed to be disturbed by an invisible force field, and the trajectories of the needles shot out became crooked, piercing into the nearby mud or tree trunks without any threat, or simply misfired, with the indicator lights flashing weakly a few times and then going out.

In those seemingly bottomless quagmires, Zhu Tianba can always accurately step on the safe points supported by hard rocks or tree roots below. Jiang Qing only needs to step on its small footprints to walk as if on flat ground.

"Oh my god! Jiang Qing, are you cheating?" Zhao Peng, who was trudging along with mud almost up to his knees, was so shocked that his jaw dropped as he watched Jiang Qing and Zhu Tianba strolling through the "minefield" as if they were strolling in the garden.

Although his armored bull had thick skin and was not afraid of flying needles, it moved extremely clumsily in the mud and sank deeply with every step.

Zhao Peng's voice quickly attracted the attention of other students around him, and everyone's eyes turned to Jiang Qing for a moment.

Sure enough, those attacks seemed to automatically silence themselves and lost their effect after seeing her.

Those who are smart immediately want to follow her and follow her route.

But those "automatic avoidances" seemed to be effective only for Jiang Qing, and it was useless for others following her.

In the second half of the Thorn Ring Road, the interference sources became more dense and strange.

In addition to flying needles and swamps, there were also mind-interference noises simulating the roars of strange beasts, and small illusion light curtains that could create distorted vision.

Facing the mental noise, Zhu Tianba seemed to have no special way to deal with it. Jiang Qing only felt his head buzzing and was upset, and he could only grit his teeth and endure it.

But when they rushed into a distorted light curtain, Zhu Tianba once again demonstrated its uniqueness.

Its small body seemed to emit an extremely weak force field fluctuation that was imperceptible to ordinary people, like ripples on the surface of a lake.

Those illusory light screens that could make people dizzy and disoriented actually flickered a few times like a screen with poor signal after coming into contact with this weak force field fluctuation. A brief and clear "flaw" appeared in front of Jiang Qing's eyes, allowing her to instantly see through the illusion and find the correct path.

This ability... can also break illusions?

Or is it some kind of deeper level of "stability" or "interference" that is taking effect?

Jiang Qing was more and more shocked.

The abilities displayed by Zhu Tianba are increasingly beyond her understanding.

The ten laps of the thorny circuit would be a hellish torture for others, but for Jiang Qing, the second half became a journey of exploration and verification of Zhu Tianba's new abilities due to Zhu Tianba's "navigation" and "interference".

When she was the first to cross the finish line and took off the heavy weight, although her body was exhausted, her spirit was unusually excited.

She looked at Zhu Tianba, who was breathing slightly at her feet and seemed to be at ease, with a complicated look in her eyes.

Perhaps this is not the upper limit of its capabilities.

The humans here have explored less than 10% of the abilities of the strange beasts in Zhu Tianba's world.