CHAPTER 30 — TRAINING: CONSEQUENCES
By noon, Azure Dragon Academy had entered a state best described as controlled panic.
Rumors spread faster than spiritual qi.
No—faster than instructors could suppress them.
RUMORS THAT WOULD NOT DIE
"He deleted a reinforced dummy with one punch.""No, I heard it melted first.""The illusion girl knocked out seniors!""The spear guy split the clouds!""That calm one… Long Hao… he didn't even look serious."
Whispers echoed through corridors, training halls, and dining areas.
Seniors pretended not to listen.
They listened the most.
One phrase began circulating quietly, like a curse:
Calamity Freshmen.
Inside multiple senior faction halls, emergency meetings were called.
A scar-faced senior slammed his palm on the table.
"They're only freshmen!"
Another senior shook his head slowly.
"They survived a Dragon-tier monster… and a King-tier monster."
Silence followed.
A third senior swallowed.
"…We don't provoke them."
That sentence became doctrine.
Within hours, a silent rule spread across the academy:
Avoid the Freshman Top 10.Absolutely avoid Long Hao.
One senior whispered,
"He stared at Zhang Kai."
Another replied shakily,
"…And Zhang Kai apologized."
No one laughed.
In a sealed chamber, instructors gathered around floating report tablets.
One rubbed his temples.
"They don't need beginner training."
Another sighed deeply.
"They need containment."
The head instructor stared at Long Hao's combat logs for a long time.
"…Assign personal supervision," he finally said."No mixed classes. No live targets."
A quieter voice muttered,
"For the academy's safety."
AFTERNOON TRAINING —
Training resumed.
This time—
No stone pillars.No dummies.No classmates within fifty meters.
The instructor stood very far away.
"…Just meditate," he said carefully.
Everyone complied.
Long Hao sat cross-legged beneath a tree, eyes closed, breathing steady.
Ling Yifan focused on circulation.Bai Qianlan suppressed her aura meticulously.Ouyang Xue'er restrained frost until the air felt normal.Chen sat there, visibly suffering.
Peace lasted exactly five minutes.
Then—
"Can I punch the air?" Chen asked.
"No."
"…Can I punch myself?"
"ABSOLUTELY NOT!"
Long Hao remained still.
Breathing.Listening.Feeling the faint instability within himself settle.
Then—
A voice echoed in his mind.
[Host seems bored.]
Long Hao's eyes snapped open.
"…System?"
[Would you prefer chaos?]
Long Hao frowned.
"…You're talking more than usual."
A brief pause.
Then—
[Observation: Host becomes more interesting when surprised.]
Long Hao stiffened.
"…Why does that sound like flirting?"
Another pause.
Longer this time.
[Correction: Emotional modulation updated.][Result: Host reaction is… entertaining.]
Long Hao's heart skipped.
"System," he said cautiously,"…is that really you?"
[Affirmative.][Unsealing Progress: 28%. Personality bleed-through detected.]
Long Hao swallowed.
"…You've changed."
[So have you.]
He stared at the ground.
"…I don't know if I should be worried."
[You should be honored.]
Long Hao exhaled sharply.
"…This is dangerous."
[Yes.]
"…Stop that."
[Negative.]
Long Hao closed his eyes again.
"…I'm surrounded by lunatics."
[You fit well among them.]
He had no rebuttal.
Later, the group gathered under the same tree.
Chen laughed loudly.
"We're officially banned from half the arena!"
Ling Yifan nodded seriously.
"Efficient adaptation."
Bai Qianlan smiled faintly.
"At least no one fainted this time."
Ouyang crossed her arms.
"…The seniors are scared of us."
Long Hao looked around the unusually empty training grounds.
"…We should probably lie low."
Chen grinned.
"Too late."
Ling Yifan added calmly,
"The academy has already marked us."
Bai's illusion petals drifted gently.
"…Then we live with it."
Long Hao glanced toward the sky.
Stage Two…Dragon Turtle Academy…
The system spoke again, quietly.
[Upcoming chaos probability: High.]
Long Hao sighed.
"…I figured."
They laughed.
Not because things were easy—
But because chaos had already chosen them.
And now—
Even the system seemed to enjoy it.
[CHAPTER ENDS]