On the way back to the dormitory, Cassius and Evander were in a daze, like they had lost their souls.
Nick, who had been specially recruited in the same intake as them, asked with concern, “What’s up with you two? Weren’t you going to see the principal to request a meeting with Marshal Chu? Did you not get to see him?”
Cassius turned his head stiffly, his eyes rolling vacantly, as if he had been deeply shaken. “No, we saw him.”
Nick, while drawing a route map on his interface, asked curiously, “Then why do you look like that? Like those screaming ducks from that cartoon.”
Nick made a face imitating the screaming duck. “You know what a screaming duck is? It’s a character from my little sister’s favorite cartoon. When you pinch its neck, its eyes bulge out, its legs go straight, and it goes quack quack.”
Nick mimicked it a few times, laughing hysterically.
Evander, expressionless, casually dropped a bombshell. “This year, Marshal Chu accepted a special recruit.”
“Quack?!” Nick’s eyes bulged out exactly like the screaming duck’s, looking like they might pop right out of their sockets.
Some senior students passing by heard this news, and it hit them like a bolt from the blue. Their mouths formed perfect circles of shock. “No way! Marshal Chu hasn’t taken on any students since he retired.”
“Not just taking students; he only teaches one class a year!”
Every time Marshal Chu taught a class, the number of students wanting to attend would cause overcrowding, and you had to fight for a seat.
Cassius looked utterly drained of all emotion. “But this is what we heard: the principal asked, Marshal Chu confirmed it, and we heard it with our own ears.”
No way. There was absolutely no way.
The pride and joy of the Central Military Academy felt like their world was crashing down.
It wasn’t about scarcity, but about inequity.
Everyone had grown accustomed to Marshal Chu treating all cadets with equal indifference, and no one ever had any complaints.
But this unspoken understanding, this balance, had been shattered!
Marshal Chu was going to take on a student, but that student wasn’t them.
This was heartbreaking! How could this happen? Who could make them cry? It was jealousy and frustration!
Was that student just that strong? So strong that Marshal Chu was willing to make an exception for her?
Why were their eyes filled with tears? It was jealousy and resentment!
Such momentous news naturally spread through the entire Central Military Academy at lightning speed, then to the First Star Ring, the Second Star Ring, the Third Star Ring…
——-
Third Star Ring, the Dong Residence.
The results of the new generation Dong family members’ assessment were about to be announced.
Dong Yuxuan sat slumped in the very back row, his wrist bare.
“Hehe, our little genius Young Master Dong is finally out of the confinement room.”
“Oh dear, what are you going to do if you don’t pass the assessment? You’ll get sent off to the frontier. I wonder if your master, that Star Plant Manipulator, will help you?”
Dong Yuxuan was overwhelmed with sorrow. He hadn’t been able to contact his master for days. Would his master be angry? Would he disown him?
Damn it, why didn’t his older brother believe him? His master was truly unbelievably awesome.
Big Brother Dong didn’t even spare a glance for his brother, who always seemed to side with outsiders.
He had made up his mind. If Dong Yuxuan failed this assessment, he would send him to the frontier to toughen him up and stop him from embarrassing the family everywhere.
Getting swindled for money was one thing, but getting fooled by some random person on crop cultivation?
Word getting out about that would make people laugh their heads off.
But to everyone’s astonishment, the eggplants Dong Yuxuan planted had actually produced two fruits!
Two!
For a child his age, two eggplants could definitely be considered a high yield.
Dong Yuxuan looked up, dazed, unable to believe that those two long, purple eggplants were actually grown by him.
He had followed his master’s instructions, planting the roots deeper and pruning the top branches, and then he was put in confinement. The eggplants were left to the smart assistant to water and fertilize.
Some people were practically turning into green-eyed monsters, muttering sourly, “A blind squirrel finds a nut sometimes, right?”
“It’s definitely just luck.”
Overjoyed, Dong Yuxuan let out a whoop, bounced up, and ran to his big brother’s side. His big, watery eyes looked up at him like a puppy dog’s. “Big Brother, can I have my smart brain back now?”
Big Brother Dong was momentarily stunned. He clearly hadn’t expected his little brother to actually pass the assessment.
He took out Dong Yuxuan’s smart brain. Just as he was about to say something, he noticed a new message notification appear on his own smart brain.
Opening the message, his pupils suddenly constricted. His lips trembled slightly, as if he were seeing something impossible.
At the same time, many other Dong family members also received this message. Gasps of surprise rang out one after another.
“What?! Marshal Chu took on a student?!”
“The student is from the Sixth Star Ring?! This must be a joke. How could a piece of wasteland like the Sixth Star Ring produce a genius? It defies all logic!”
“His student participated in the combat assessment, fighting her way up all the way from the Sixth Star Ring and straight onto the battlefield?! She’s already earned the rank of First Lieutenant before even entering the academy?!”
Any single piece of news would be enough to make jaws drop.
The entire family assessment site was buzzing with noise as everyone discussed this explosive news in hushed tones.
As for the children’s assessment results? In the face of such big news, they seemed completely insignificant.
If the news was true, it signaled the rise of a dazzling new star!
This examinee from the slums of the Sixth Star Ring, entering the Central Military Academy and under the guidance of Marshal Chu, had the immense potential to become the second Marshal Chu!
The entire Federation’s military district would tremble with her emergence.
In that moment, Big Brother Dong had many thoughts.
He personally strapped the smart brain onto Dong Yuxuan’s wrist.
Dong Yuxuan flinched in fear, unable to speak coherently. “B-Big Brother? I haven’t done anything wrong, don’t scare me.”
Big Brother Dong gently patted his head, speaking kindly. “You’re still young. Make sure you study hard with your master. Oh, and do you have enough money?”
Before Dong Yuxuan could answer, his brother directly transferred him 10 million credits, adding with specific emphasis, “Respecting your teacher is a traditional virtue of our Dong family. Don’t be stingy when you’re out and about.”
Dong Yuxuan stared wide-eyed, utterly bewildered.
Had his big brother been possessed?!
——-
First Star Ring.
A man in his pajamas stared intently at the virtual screen, his lips pressed tightly together. His eyes were dark, roiling with turbulent emotions—a storm of fury and jealousy churned behind them, fragments of ice and mist swirling amidst a brewing tempest.
Rage and envy had transformed into flames, threatening to consume his reason entirely.
The most brilliant star in the history of the Federation’s military, the iron-fisted, dominant, cool and unruly Marshal Chu—why did he want Lin Xiaohe as his disciple?!
She was nothing but an ant, insignificant, only fit to live in the mud!
The man kicked his smart brain across the room. Laughter tinged with madness mixed with the delicate sound of shattering porcelain.
His eyes were bloodshot, his breath ragged, his gaze chilling.
Why?!
In what way was he inferior to Lin Xiaohe?
Marshal Chu couldn’t even be bothered to spare him a glance, yet he was willing to take Lin Xiaohe as his student.
Why! The hell! Not! Him!
