The Attack of the Wastrel

In a single step, Gu Lingzhi crossed the invisible barrier that separated the boiling hot space from the second level of the Training Tower. Before she could even breathe a sigh of relief, she was hit by freezing cold air, causing her to cough uncontrollably.

“It’s freezing…”

The second level was completely white, opposite from the previous space. The extreme cold caused the entire space to be covered in fog. Only those that stood in it could understand the pain of that the cold had caused.

Coming from an excruciatingly hot space, the feeling of coldness was only enhanced. As far as Gu Lingzhi could see, there were two people in front of her who were falling out because they could not withstand the cold. The number of people in this level had dramatically decreased compared to the previous level.

Gu Lingzhi was so cold she felt like her hands and legs were frozen. She quickly wrapped herself using all five of her magical energies, and slowly started to shift forwards.

The third level tested one’s agility. To many, this stage was a very troublesome and difficult one, but it was relatively easy for Gu Lingzhi because she was able to use the Sparrow Wing movement technique. Under the envious gazes of many, Gu Lingzhi managed to dodge the falling stones from the sky smoothly. In less than an hour, she had already progressed to the fourth level.

The fourth level tested the balancing abilities of a Martial Artist. In the midst of a canyon, a thread as thin as a strand of hair was suspended across numerous mountain peaks. The only way to pass this stage was to walk across the thread without falling.

A guy who just entered the fourth level said to someone beside him.

Just as he finished talking, he narrowed his eyes and could make out the silhouette of a person on the string in the distance.

“Am I seeing things? Isn’t that the wastrel who just entered the school yesterday? How is it possible for her to have made it this far?”

The person beside him rubbed his eyes, as if in disbelief.

The criteria to make it to each level of the Training Tower was extremely challenging as the first two was extremely demanding on the physical body. It was almost impossible to get through them without being a level seven Martial Student. It was the reason why the first two levels were nicknamed as the ‘Physical Training Camp for Newbies’.

Every new student liked to make use of the special conditions of the first two levels to train the physical abilities of their bodies. How could Gu Lingzhi have made it past those stages? Wasn’t she just a level three Martial Student? Could it be that her physical abilities were already equivalent to a level seven Martial Student? It can’t be.

Most new students needed at least a year to be able to get through the first two levels.

Under the surprised stares of the two men, Gu Lingzhi walked further and further along the string as her palms started sweating. Not only did she have to maintain her balance, she also had to react to the sudden burst of wind that came about. Using the Sparrow Wing movement technique to react to the wind, she had actually covered a distance of about 80 to 90 feet.

“I can’t go on any further, I’ve reached my limit. This Training Tower is really not easy to pass,” Gu Lingzhi bit her lip as she felt her concentration and energy drain at having to maintain her balance and she could no longer hold on for long.

Hence, when the next gust of wind came, Gu Lingzhi gave up resisting and allowed herself to fall off and get transported to the outside of the Training Tower.

She never thought that the fourth level, which tested balance and seemed relatively easy to pass would require such intense concentration. Not only did one have to face the pressure of maintaining balance on the string in midair, but they also had to cope with the periodic winds, stretching their concentration thin. Unknowingly, it trained two different aspects at once.

The two men breathed a sigh of relief when they saw Gu Lingzhi getting blown off the string. They were delighted.

Those that were able to make it into the Royal School were all talented, but Gu Lingzhi’s performance could put everyone else to shame. For a moment, they had truly believed that Gu Lingzhi would be able to pass all the levels of the Training Tower. They were relieved when Gu Lingzhi fell because then they could console themselves by assuming that Gu Lingzhi was strong physically but mediocre in other aspects like concentration and balance. If not, there would be no place in this world for this group of people who claimed they were talents.

Gu Lingzhi realised that six hours had passed only after she left the Training Tower. There was no way she was going to make it for her afternoon classes. Thankfully, it was not compulsory for students to attend lessons, if not, she would definitely get points taken off for her actions.

It was almost dinner time when Gu Lingzhi rubbed her stomach which had gone completely flat, and decided to head straight to the cafeteria for dinner.

Arriving at the cafeteria, Gu Lingzhi was surprised to see there were quite a few students who had skipped class like her. Though there was still about an hour to the end of classes, there was already about half of the student population already in the cafeteria.

“Lingzhi, can I eat with you?” Just as Gu Lingzhi had collected her food and was finding a place to sit, a timid voice called out to her.

Turning to face the voice, she saw Xinran who was standing by the side with her food tray in her hands.

“Sure, let’s sit there,” Gu Lingzhi chose a place where there was no one and gestured for Xinran to follow.

When the both of them sat down, the people beside them stood up abruptly and left, as if they were prey escaping from a predator. This made Gu Lingzhi hesitate and wonder if it was her appearance that chased them away.

Could it be that… her face was scaring people away?

Looking at Xinran, she realised that she was not at all affected by the behavior of the people around her. In fact, she tilted her head slightly in an adorable gesture as she looked on with her face full of freckles.

“Why didn’t you go to class today?”

“I went for a wood-based Martial Arts class.” Since she had signed up for four subjects, she should at least understand the content of each and every class first.

Gu Lingzhi was slightly speechless, this lady was more timid than she had previously thought, “I should’ve let you know that I was not attending class today, were you looking around for me in school today?”