What, what, what was going on?
Everyone's eyes turned into dizzy spirals. On stage, Dr. An Rong was speaking smoothly and confidently, but not a single word made sense. What made it worse was that when someone asked her what language it was, she didn't answer at all.
This was unbearable. What on earth was this? It was just gibberish, completely incomprehensible. Their heads felt like they were about to overheat. Even those skilled in multiple languages couldn't understand her. For example, Ouyang, the charming student admired by many. He was born in Australia and grew up speaking English. Later he went to Germany and mastered German. Back home, he studied both Chinese and Russian. He was considered a language prodigy, but even he couldn't make sense of what Dr. An Rong said.
But Earth had far too many languages. Even just the Chinese dialects were endless, not to mention the sheer number of languages worldwide. No one could figure out where this one came from.
One morning, with one class of swordsmanship and one class of language, the students were left dazed and clueless. They felt either they were going insane, or the teachers here already were.
"What kind of school is this anyway? Wearing a weighted vest all the time, not even allowed to take it off during meals. What's the point?" The complaints finally started.
"Yeah! And practicing swordsmanship, then learning some language we've never even heard of. I thought our high school elective teachers were bad enough, just reading off the book. But this Dr. An takes it further, just talks to herself without caring if we understand."
"I'm telling you, we've boarded a pirate ship."
"This isn't anything like what I imagined. It's not serious at all. I thought we'd get the chance to see cutting-edge tech, like something out of the Wu Gang spacecraft or something."
In short, disappointment all around. Negative reviews.
Lunch, though, was surprisingly good. Even Liu A'dou was hungry. "Do you have vegetarian dishes? I've got two disciples who don't eat meat."
Of course they did. Plenty, in fact. Shredded potatoes, stir-fried tomatoes with eggs, sautéed greens, and more.
Before Liu A'dou could choose what to eat, his disciple shouted, "Seafood!"
"Huh? Seafood?" Liu A'dou looked at Ben in surprise.
"Master, we eat seafood too," Ben explained. The Green Elves didn't eat animals from the forest, but they did eat creatures from the sea.
"You people really know how to eat." Liu A'dou was speechless. "You've eaten seafood before?"
"Yes. Though usually only low-ranking elves eat it, because it doesn't taste good. But after coming to Earth, we found Earth's seafood is cooked so well, it's actually delicious. So we eat it now." Ben spoke righteously, then turned to the princess. "Right, Kailan?"
The princess blushed and nodded. Truthfully, she wanted to eat everything. Her appetite was big.
"Master, you don't have to worry. Let us handle it ourselves." Ben said, heading straight into the cafeteria.
A handsome man and a beautiful woman walked in together, instantly drawing stares. Foreigners, no less, which only made it stranger. But the most shocking thing was their appetite—they ate like reincarnated food spirits.
Ming Wu stayed calm, but inside he noted that the man who had recruited him appeared again. His status seemed very high. And that golden boy and girl were his disciples. He couldn't help wondering what kind of things they were learning.
Meanwhile, Ouyang, ever graceful, stood up and invited Ben and Kailan to join him. The two exchanged a glance and then sat down beside him.
"My friends, my name is Ouyang. May I ask who you are?"
"I'm Ben, and this is Kailan," Ben introduced. "Nice to meet you."
"Are you teachers here?" Ouyang asked curiously. They looked about his age, so he tried to dig for information, hoping to figure out what this school really was.
"No, our master is," Ben said casually. "Don't ask me about the school. Our master is only guest teaching for a short while. Probably leaving in a couple days. So he doesn't know much either."
"Then do you know why they're teaching us swordsmanship?"
"Of course. For self-defense," Ben answered.
Self-defense with a sword—there had to be more behind it. Ouyang thought, 'What kind of situation would actually require using a sword to protect yourself? Interesting.' The training was exhausting, but he felt that behind all this fog there was a huge treasure. If he kept going, he was sure he could uncover the truth. Maybe the reality would be even more exciting than he imagined. He calmly took a sip of soup, but his eyes shone with determination.
"I've got my eye on this Ouyang," the General said. "Out in the forest he showed outstanding ability, led a team into the school, and then suddenly kept himself hidden and low-key. He's got ability, intelligence, and emotional sense. He handles people and situations smoothly. Out of all the students, he's the one with the most potential."
On that, Liu A'dou agreed. Compared to Ouyang, Ming Wu looked far too proud. He never spoke more than three sentences with anyone outside his circle. Someone like Ming Wu could maybe become a good field operative leading a small team, but never a leader who could hold down one side. Personality determined destiny. Ming Wen, on the other hand, was more like Ouyang, but unfortunately it was the younger brother here now.
Watching Ouyang's smooth, well-connected manner, Ming Wu felt irritated. There was something about Ouyang that felt familiar, and that familiarity made him dislike him even more.
"Then your master yesterday afternoon—was he the one you were following?" Owen remembered Liu A'dou's face.
"Of course that was me," Liu A'dou stepped forward. "I'm your temporary teacher. Just call me Teacher Lin."
… The students around looked at each other with strange expressions. That surname was way too random. Because he was a temporary teacher, he just went with 'Teacher Lin'? Could it be any lazier?
"Teacher Lin, you're the first one who's actually willing to talk with us," someone said.
"That's because I'm only temporary," Liu A'dou grinned. "But I can't reveal much, since I don't know much myself. Still, I'll give you a piece of advice—if you think this training is too much, you'd better leave now. Because from here on, it's only going to get harder and harsher."
Elimination round?! That word suddenly flashed in the minds of the sharp ones. Very likely. Having classes like this on the very first day wasn't normal. The chance of it being an elimination round was high. Most likely by the afternoon, someone would come to record the names of those who voluntarily quit. Only those who passed the test would remain. Ouyang gave a small nod, thinking it matched exactly what he had guessed, which was why he had forced himself to endure the morning sessions.
The General noticed Ouyang's reaction and thought, 'Still too young. Can't yet keep his emotions completely hidden.' But seeing Ouyang had already seen through his plan, the General was pleased. 'No wonder he's the one I value.'
Then his eyes turned to Liu A'dou's recruit, Ming Wu, who ate silently without saying a word to anyone. The General's judgment was that he had talent, but his personality was a major flaw.
Back in school, Ming Wu's grades had actually been decent. But because his older brother Ming Wen was always at the top, Ming Wu could never catch up. Frustrated, he dropped out and spent his time fighting. That showed his stubborn personality—once he set his mind on something, he wouldn't change easily. Still, with the right guidance, Ming Wu could definitely become excellent material.