Chapter 24

Learning that Chu Yunmiao was an Omega didn’t seem to have affected Yu Changning at all. Chu Yunmiao watched cautiously for several days and found that nothing much had changed between her and Yu Changning, so she gradually relaxed.

She once again poured herself into training, determined to defend her honor as the top student in the year.

After getting through the initial adjustment period, Class 1’s relationship with Yu Changning became increasingly harmonious. Though the students still complained about her severity from time to time, every one of them was sincerely convinced by her instruction and command. As for Chu Yunmiao, who had privately always been looked after by Yu Changning and quietly enjoyed the benefits of extra sparring, even that little bit of lingering discomfort toward Yu Changning vanished before she noticed.

Soon, the first semester reached its final exams. The school placed great emphasis on practical experience, and after discussions among the higher-ups, this year’s first-year final assessment was changed into a real combat exercise. So after finishing several liberal arts exams, all first-year students boarded the transport ship and headed for the assessment site. It was the first mission of their first year, and everyone was excited; even doing poorly in the liberal arts exams couldn’t dampen their mood. All the way there, Lin Mo was in high spirits, even throwing out threats in front of several longtime rivals from other classes: “What a pity this isn’t a one-on-one match, or else I could beat you all up one by one. But that’s fine too; a real combat test will show you trash just how big the gap is between you and me.”

Those being provoked either sneered or rolled their eyes, but all of them felt a tension in their hearts and were ready to perform well in this assessment.

Stephanie only regretted not being able to stop Lin Mo in time. After Lin Mo had finished acting crazy, she dragged her back to Class 1’s area: “You’re being way too flashy!”

Lin Mo lifted her chin. “So what?”

Stephanie rolled her eyes. “What if the other classes unite and come after our Class 1 first? We’ve improved a lot under Instructor Yu, but we still can’t take on the combined targeting of several other classes, can we?”

Lin Mo’s heart gave a jolt, but she didn’t show any weakness on her face. She took a deep breath. “It’s not as serious as you make it sound.”

Stephanie snorted. “You’ve had your fun this whole time; you’ve basically offended all the strong students in the first year. If the assessment rules allow competition within the grade, I’d like to see how you get out of it.”

Only then did Lin Mo realize she’d gone too far. Her face went pale as she went to Chu Yunmiao to ask for a solution.

As Class 1’s monitor, Chu Yunmiao’s growth was almost obvious to everyone. The whole class agreed that Lin Mo’s strength was closest to hers, but while people dared joke around with Lin Mo, very few would ever be casual in front of Chu Yunmiao. At first, everyone privately discussed this and even praised the Long Princess for already showing the dignity of a ruler; gradually, however, they realized it might be because their class monitor and their instructor were very close, and the atmosphere between the two had become increasingly similar.

Of course, if one really had to compare, Yu Changning was still the one who inspired more awe.

After hearing Lin Mo out, Chu Yunmiao raised a brow. “Rare of you to have something you’re afraid of.”

Lin Mo laughed awkwardly. “I’m not afraid of them. I’m just afraid they’ll target our Class 1.” She then didn’t forget to praise herself: “Isn’t that exactly the ‘collective honor’ Instructor Yu mentioned before? Monitor, tell me, isn’t my awareness much better than before?”

Chu Yunmiao rubbed her forehead. “If your awareness were truly high, you wouldn’t have gone out of your way to provoke people and cause such a huge mess earlier.”

Lin Mo pouted. “......”

Helpless, pitiful, but very good at causing trouble.

Seeing that she had learned her lesson, Chu Yunmiao finally relaxed her expression. “Soldiers against generals, water against earth. We’ll make a plan based on the assessment content when the time comes; I’ll make the worst-case preparations.” As soon as she finished speaking, she looked up and happened to see Yu Changning standing at the far end of the corridor, so she patted Lin Mo on the shoulder. “You all keep training as usual. I’ll go discuss the next arrangements with the instructor.”

Lin Mo wanted to call her back, but before she could speak, Chu Yunmiao was already running lightly toward Yu Changning. Lin Mo could only swallow her words and stare blankly as her class monitor and the instructor bent their heads together to talk.

The scene before her left her confused.

If she were to say they looked intimate, well, Yu Changning and Chu Yunmiao were only standing close as they talked normally. The class’s training plan was confidential, so it made sense for the two of them to keep their heads close. But if she were to say there was nothing unusual at all...

Lin Mo discovered that the way Yu Changning looked at her own class monitor was simply terrifyingly gentle.

As students under Yu Changning, their whole class had been stared at by this instructor more than once. But if anyone else was being looked at by Yu Changning, not only would their body naturally stiffen, but their heart would definitely be on full alert, terrified of making a mistake and suffering extra training. That was why everyone in Class 1 both respected and feared Yu Changning. But the look Yu Changning gave Chu Yunmiao was different...

Lin Mo couldn’t say exactly how it was different, but she knew that even if she and Chu Yunmiao were friends outside of being classmates, she would never look at Chu Yunmiao with such a soft, sticky gaze!

At that thought, her heart felt a little sour. She wasn’t sure whether she was sour because Chu Yunmiao was receiving such special care from the instructor, or because her relationship with Chu Yunmiao seemed to rank below Chu Yunmiao’s relationship with Yu Changning.

But Lin Mo had a big heart and quickly put the matter out of her mind, finding a few companions and throwing herself back into the training room.

On the other side, Yu Changning and Chu Yunmiao finished discussing the practical assessment.

Chu Yunmiao was just about to leave when Yu Changning stopped her. “...After the assessment comes the long break. Your 20th birthday happens to fall during the vacation.”

She didn’t phrase it as a question; she simply stated the fact very calmly.

Chu Yunmiao knew very well that Yu Changning couldn’t possibly not know her birthday. She just didn’t know why Yu Changning would bring it up at this moment. Still, she nodded. “Mm.”

As she spoke, the Long Princess subconsciously compared the difference in height between herself and Yu Changning.

Time had passed. From close friends to strangers, and then to their current relationship as instructor and student, more than ten years had gone by. Yet one thing hadn’t changed: she still had to tilt her head up to look at Yu Changning. When Yu Changning was young, she had also been a child; even then, she had already been able to shield Chu Yunmiao, letting her play however she wanted without any worries. Now, Yu Changning seemed to have become a net. At times, Chu Yunmiao had the illusion that she would never be able to walk out of it.

Yu Changning smiled. “My little girl has grown up.”

In the Space Age, human lifespans had lengthened. Aside from Differentiation, turning 20 was also considered another major marker of adulthood. That was why Yu Changning said Chu Yunmiao had “grown up” when mentioning her 20th birthday.

Chu Yunmiao’s face turned slightly red.

In truth, she had a lot she wanted to say in rebuttal: that she wasn’t a little girl, much less your little girl; or that she had long since grown up and didn’t need her 20th birthday to prove it. But perhaps Yu Changning’s laughter was too low and pleasant, echoing in her ears for so long that she couldn’t think of how to respond.

Fortunately, Yu Changning said again, “I’ve missed many of your birthdays.”

“Mm.” Chu Yunmiao nodded. She bit her lip; a sentence kept circling in her mouth, but she didn’t know whether she should ask it.

Yu Changning said, “This time, I won’t.”

Chu Yunmiao’s eyes widened.

She had just been about to ask whether the other woman wanted to come keep her company on her birthday, yet Yu Changning had taken the initiative to say it first. Chu Yunmiao’s mood became a little complicated, and against her own feelings, she pushed back a little. “How do you know I’ll invite you?”

Yu Changning took a slow breath. “You won’t invite me?”

Chu Yunmiao’s eyes darted away. “That’s not certain.”

“But...” Yu Changning lowered her head, her gaze lingering tenderly on Chu Yunmiao’s features. “I am the Young Master of the Yu Family, and this year’s most outstanding Imperial soldier. Even without your invitation, I would still attend the Imperial Crown Princess’s coming-of-age birthday banquet.”

Chu Yunmiao suddenly thought of the words her mother had once told her; the reasons Yu Changning had drawn away from her. A faint resentment welled up inside her, and she turned her head away without speaking.

Yu Changning didn’t know whether she saw through her awkwardness, but she said, “However, I want to receive your personal invitation.”

Word by word, she said, “I want it very much.”

Chu Yunmiao turned back to look at her. “...Why?”

Yu Changning gave a faint sigh. “Yunmiao, I hope I don’t need anyone’s permission to stand beside you. But your will is still the thing I care about most.”

“Send me an invitation.”

Chu Yunmiao pressed her lips together and said in a low voice, struggling out a few broken words, “You’re cheating me again.”

Then she took a deep breath, revealing the pride and reserve of a Long Princess. “I’ll see what my mood is like.”

Yu Changning looked at her gloomily, her expression seeming a little wronged. Chu Yunmiao was afraid she might soften under that gaze, so she quickly waved goodbye and turned to blend back into the Class 1 group.

Even so, throughout the whole journey, she could still feel Yu Changning’s gentle gaze falling on her from time to time, carrying some hidden anticipation and quiet waiting.

——

A few days later, after several space jumps, the group finally arrived at their destination. Only then did everyone learn the specific content of this first-year practical assessment.

BKY-09 was a life-bearing planet just discovered by the Imperial Exploration Team. After investigation, it was confirmed that there were no intelligent lifeforms on the planet, so it could be directly received. However, some of the native life on the planet was aggressive and needed to be cleared out. Before Chu Yunmiao and the others arrived, the Military Department had already divided up the regions on the planet. Of those, a lower-risk area would be opened to Huaqi University as the first-year assessment site.

After all the classes had gathered on the planet, the students received a file on their light-brain terminals listing the dangerous creatures and important resources within the area. Clearing dangerous creatures or obtaining useful resources would earn points, with different scores depending on the difficulty. This assessment was class-based, and the rankings would be determined by final total points. Since the Military Department was involved this time, the class ranked first and the top ten individuals would receive prizes provided by the Military Department.

Lin Mo specifically paid attention to the rules and discovered that direct conflict between classes or individuals was forbidden, which made her quietly breathe a sigh of relief. Stephanie, standing beside her, was more cautious and pointed to the map as she said, “Did you notice? They didn’t assign each class a separate area this time, which means that while we’re doing missions, we’re very likely to run into people from other classes. Sure, conflict isn’t allowed, but if they want to scheme against us, they have plenty of ways.”

Hearing that, Chu Yunmiao said, “One must guard against others, even if one has no intention of harming them. Even without Lin Mo’s provocation earlier, other people have always been watching our Class 1. This time, our situation is more severe than any other class’s.”

Lin Mo nodded. “Exactly. Not to mention school itself; this time, the class that ranks first also gets a military commendation. Who wouldn’t be raring to score points?” She slammed a fist into her palm angrily. “Too bad it would’ve been better if it were still the kind of one-on-one match we had for final exams. I don’t believe we’d lose. But with an actual combat assessment like this, things are complicated, and nobody can predict how it’ll go.”

Chu Yunmiao remained calm. “There’s no need to think so much. Just do our best and give it everything we have.” She raised her head and lifted her voice. “Everyone, after you finish reading the mission rules, gather up. We’ll arrange our tactics immediately.”

As soon as she spoke, every student from Class 1 gathered together and waited seriously for her instructions.

Compared to the other classes, which were still scattered and discussing among themselves, Class 1’s efficiency and execution were already obvious. Several instructors remained on the transport ship, and when they saw this scene, they couldn’t help but look toward Yu Changning.

Someone flattered her, saying, “As expected of students trained by Instructor Yu; looks like first place is once again in Class 1’s pocket.”

The instructors from Class 2 and Class 3 had somewhat unpleasant expressions. The Class 3 instructor awkwardly curled his lips and said in a mockingly sour tone, “I really envy Class 1 for having a Long Princess. Everyone is willing to listen to her. Unlike our class, where there are too many top students, and none of them want to bow their heads to one another.”

His words were really a subtle rebuttal of the earlier person’s statement, implying that Class 1’s efficiency was due to the presence of the Long Princess and had little to do with Yu Changning. Everyone present was sharp; of course they all caught the hidden meaning, and their attention quietly shifted to Yu Changning.

Yu Changning naturally noticed.

She had always been reticent and lacked interest in most people and things around her aside from Chu Yunmiao. But since the Class 3 instructor had happened to mention Chu Yunmiao, the crowd, which had assumed she wouldn’t respond, actually saw the usually cold Instructor Yu give a slight nod and say, “She is very good.”

Everyone was a little stunned.

They had originally expected a minor conflict, but to think it would be dispelled so effortlessly by a single sentence from Yu Changning.

However, that also meant Yu Changning herself had acknowledged that Class 1’s performance was due to Chu Yunmiao.

Once they understood this, everyone’s expressions shifted in different ways; no one knew what they were thinking.

Yu Changning said nothing else. Seeing from the monitoring feed that Class 1 had already quickly split into several groups under Chu Yunmiao’s arrangement and set off along their assigned routes, she no longer lingered. Picking up her own bag, she prepared to disembark from the transport ship.

Someone asked curiously, “Instructor Yu, where are you going?”

According to the original plan, the instructors were supposed to stay in the control room and supervise the students’ progress.

Yu Changning turned back and replied, “The Military Department has invited me to the D8 region to assist with clearing operations. The school has already approved my application. If everything goes smoothly, I’ll be back in three days at the earliest, and no later than the end of the assessment period.”

The assessment period was five days in total.

The speaker’s eyes widened. “Ah, this... Why would you agree to the Military Department’s invitation? Aren’t you going to keep an eye on the Class 1 students?”

Yu Changning curved her lips. “They’re not little kids. Why would they need someone watching them all the time? When they graduate and enter the Military Department later, are they supposed to have a nanny trailing behind them on missions?”

The person’s lips moved, but no rebuttal came out.

Yu Changning left them with one last sentence: “I believe in them.

“See you all after the assessment.”

With that, she left the control room, jumped into the small aircraft the Military Department had specially sent to pick her up, and headed for the planet’s most dangerous region, D8.

On the other side.

Class 1’s students had been split into several small groups and set out along their planned routes. In Chu Yunmiao’s team, besides Lin Mo, there were also Stephanie and Luke. Stephanie and Luke were near the bottom in Class 1’s rankings, so they were assigned to follow Chu Yunmiao and Lin Mo. Of course, being at the bottom didn’t mean they were poor students; it simply meant that in a class packed with elites, the two of them performed a little worse.

Chu Yunmiao and Lin Mo worked together seamlessly and without the slightest effort, and Stephanie and Luke didn’t drag them down; they completed the tasks assigned to them in the team very well. On the first day of the assessment, Chu Yunmiao deliberately slowed the pace. Once she confirmed that the danger level in this area was indeed not high, she immediately stepped on the gas and led the team into a push-forward point-grabbing strategy. The various teams in Class 1 were connected to one another, so Chu Yunmiao could keep track of the others’ movements; she knew that while the efficiency of the other teams wasn’t as high as theirs, they were still maintaining a fairly good pace.

During the first few days of the assessment, because the area was large enough, even when different classes encountered one another, they would tacitly split off and go their separate ways; after all, moving in any direction wouldn’t delay mission progress. But by the fourth day, when most of the area had already been cleared, the students naturally began to contend over things. Of course, because of the rules, there was no conflict between classes, but annoying situations still existed.

That day, Chu Yunmiao and Lin Mo, with their two teammates covering them, killed a black vampiric vine. The four of them had barely recovered from the combat state when Stephanie suddenly shouted, “What the hell! What are you doing?!”

The others looked up and saw a student from another class taking away the energy stone guarded by the vampiric vine.

Hearing Stephanie’s shout, the leader of that group didn’t even blush; instead, he lifted their trophy smugly and tossed out a light remark: “Thanks for the trouble. We’ll be going first.”

Lin Mo couldn’t tolerate this kind of grievance. She was about to rush up when Chu Yunmiao stopped her.

“Forget it.” Chu Yunmiao shook her head. “What are you going to do, snatch it back by force? Did you forget what the rules say?”

Lin Mo was speechless. After a long while, she finally found her voice again. “Th-then are we just going to let them take it away? The points from those energy stones are worth way more than the vine we worked so hard to kill.”

Chu Yunmiao’s expression remained calm. “Of course I know that, but there’s no helping it. Rules are rules.”

She then said seriously to Lin Mo, “Lin Mo, you’re also going to enter the Military Department in the future. I hope you remember deeply that there are things more important than points in this world, such as the rules of the Military Department, orders from superiors, and... conscience.”

Lin Mo gradually calmed down, her expression somewhat ashamed. “Monitor... I understand.”

Stephanie couldn’t stand seeing Lin Mo wronged and took the blame on herself. “It’s my fault.”

She sighed. “I should’ve gone to collect the energy stone as soon as the vine was about to die. It’s all because of me that I gave them the chance.”

Chu Yunmiao patted her shoulder. “This vine was the strongest opponent we’ve encountered these past few days. You and Luke were already too busy supporting in battle; it wasn’t your fault.” She made the final decision. “If we really want to blame someone, blame me for forgetting to be wary of those petty opportunists in our tactical arrangements. We’re already at the final point-scoring stage, so I’ll keep this in mind from now on.”

The three of them hurriedly said, “Monitor, it’s not you...”

Chu Yunmiao stopped them. “Don’t bring it up again. Rest here for five minutes. In five minutes, we continue.”

The three of them had no choice but to fall silent and obediently begin adjusting their condition.

The team quieted down, but the atmosphere inevitably became a little low because of what had just happened. After observing for a while, Chu Yunmiao found that the low mood hadn’t affected the team’s efficiency; instead, driven by that very mood, Lin Mo and the others had become even more serious and careful in their work. Seeing that, she felt proud of her teammates, so she didn’t deliberately try to change the atmosphere.

But what she hadn’t expected was that the moment to change the team’s atmosphere would arrive right before their eyes.

After the rest, the team set off again. They walked north for about 15 minutes when they suddenly heard a few cries of misery. Without Chu Yunmiao even needing to instruct them, the four of them quickly adjusted their formation and moved toward the source of the sound. Lin Mo recognized the familiar voice and had already guessed what was going on, but when she saw with her own eyes that the students who had just snatched away their energy stone were now wrapped up by a vampiric vine of even greater size and a darker color, her heart still flooded with uncontrollable joy. She was so satisfied that the corners of her mouth lifted.

If Chu Yunmiao hadn’t been right beside her holding her down, she would definitely have rushed up and spat a few mouthfuls at them just to show her hatred!

They saw that team, and naturally the other side saw them too. The team captain, who had been smug just moments ago, turned slightly green, but he was still tactful enough to speak up immediately for help: “Long Princess, save us!”

Chu Yunmiao corrected him. “In school, I’m just an ordinary student like you.”

The other party sensibly changed his address. “Student Chu, no, Chu, Chu monitor, save us!”

Saving them was naturally necessary, but Chu Yunmiao didn’t act rashly.

She studied the vine and said to Lin Mo and the others, “Have you noticed? This vine has dark red barbs on its tendrils now; it may be more dangerous than the ones we met before. Luke, carry out Plan C and first test what abilities it has.”

Luke was just about to nod when one of the students hanging upside down on the vine suddenly spoke up: “Chu monitor is amazing; this vine really is different!” His voice was weak. “We didn’t notice at first, and only after being attacked did we realize that the barbs contain something similar to a tranquilizer. If they pierce the skin, you’ll go weak all over and have no strength.”

That was precisely why this team had fallen into the trap.

Lin Mo frowned and glared at the team captain. “Oh, so you came to us for help, but you didn’t mention how dangerous this vine was from the start. Heh, you weren’t trying to set us up, were you?”

The captain’s features immediately twisted together.

He had indeed had that thought.

During assessment missions, if students were in mortal danger, they could request rescue from the command center. But that also meant being taken back to the transport ship, which would end the assessment early. In the academy, that was a shameful act; it was the kind of embarrassment that would get mocked for an entire year. Naturally, he didn’t want to be taken back to the transport ship so soon, which was why he asked Chu Yunmiao and the others for help. But if he could trick Chu Yunmiao’s team into getting trapped with them and being taken back together in the end, not only would he have a top student like the Long Princess to be mocked alongside him, it would also help drag down Class 1 for his own class.

That was why he hadn’t mentioned the vine’s toxin. But he hadn’t expected Chu Yunmiao to discover it herself, and then for one of his own team members to be too quick with his mouth and blurt it out, exposing his little scheme.

During this time, Stephanie had already used a tool to collect the packs scattered on the ground by that team. She opened one backpack and, sure enough, saw the energy stone that had just been stolen. Happily, she held the backpack up to Chu Yunmiao. “Monitor, look, the energy stones are all here!”

Then she cast a disgusted look at the trapped students and suggested, “Let’s not bother with them. Hmph, they deserve a little lesson! Who told them to scheme against us first?”

Lin Mo actually thought Stephanie’s suggestion wasn’t bad, but she had just been lectured by Chu Yunmiao not long ago. After a moment’s thought, she felt the suggestion was somewhat inappropriate, so she didn’t immediately agree.

Chu Yunmiao looked at her and Luke. “What do you think?”

Luke had no strong opinion. “I’ll listen to the monitor. It’s fine whether we save them or not.”

Lin Mo thought seriously for a moment. “Honestly, I don’t want to save them.”

She looked at the vine. “But if we don’t save them, how are we supposed to get points? That vine and the energy stone it guards are both points we urgently need! It’s so strong, so the points definitely won’t be small.”

Hearing that, Chu Yunmiao patted Lin Mo’s shoulder in satisfaction. “Mm.”

Lin Mo felt she had been praised. “Monitor, you think I’m right too?”

Chu Yunmiao gave a slight nod. “You just considered a little too little.”

After saying that, Chu Yunmiao turned to the trapped team and said, “From the looks of your condition, you definitely won’t last until the other teams come to rescue you. By then, you’ll only be able to send a request for help to headquarters.”

The other side looked somewhat confused. “I know that, of course... so what?”

“Since you can see the situation clearly, that’s good.” Chu Yunmiao folded her arms. “We can save you, but it depends on what value you can offer. There are four of you in total; rescue fee, 100 points per person, 400 points all together. How about it? Such a bargain—are you taking it or not?”

Regardless of how the trapped people reacted, Lin Mo and the others were somewhat shocked.

Stephanie exchanged a look with Lin Mo. “Is this really our monitor? So the noble and pure Long Princess actually has such a dark side too?”

Lin Mo’s expression changed from surprise at the start to, in the end, one full of admiring stars as she looked at Chu Yunmiao, her face practically shouting: Monitor is so cool, I love her!

They were all military academy students, and efficiency was high. Though the trapped students’ hearts ached, they still agreed to the deal.

Chu Yunmiao made an “OK” gesture and directed her team to get to work.

Because they had been warned about the vine’s barbs, the clearing operation went fairly smoothly. Just when everyone thought the vine was about to die, this ferocious monster actually gave a last-minute burst of terrifying energy, as though it had a flash of recovery before death! The tendrils that had already been beaten limp suddenly snapped up and lashed toward Chu Yunmiao and the others at twice their previous speed.

This dying counterattack came far too suddenly. Lin Mo only had time to flash the words “It’s over” through her mind before a vine tendril had already wrapped tightly around her waist. She turned to look at her teammates and, unsurprisingly, found that Luke and Stephanie had been hit as well.

Lin Mo’s face went pale. Before she could react further, she suddenly felt a gust of force sweep past beside her. Only then did she realize that Chu Yunmiao, who had rushed ahead of her and should logically have been the first one trapped, had actually dodged the vine’s attack. While her three teammates had all been immobilized by the vine’s toxin, Chu Yunmiao was still able to fight the strengthened vine with ease, dodging the barbs on one side while looking for an opening to attack.

After a few exchanges, the vine’s last bit of strength was exhausted. Chu Yunmiao struck its vital point with a shot, and at last it collapsed completely to the ground and died.

Chu Yunmiao rescued Lin Mo and the others, along with the previously trapped team. She fed each of them a bit of the medicine issued by the school and waited a moment before asking, “How are you?”

Lin Mo and the others had only been trapped for a short while, so they recovered quickly. The other four still needed some time. Chu Yunmiao couldn’t wait for them, so after collecting the payment, she took Lin Mo and the others and continued forward.

On the way, Lin Mo and the others recalled what had just happened and were still shaken. Stephanie, who was the liveliest, kept exclaiming, “Monitor, you’re really too strong! How did you do that just now? When that vine attacked again, I only saw a few afterimages; I couldn’t react at all, but you were still able to dodge it. That was incredible!”

Chu Yunmiao pressed her lips together. “Nothing much.”

Lin Mo objected, “That doesn’t count as ‘nothing much’! No wonder you spent most of this semester training speed and endurance. I think that now, among the entire first year... no, even in the upper grades, there probably aren’t many people who can beat the monitor in speed and agility, right?”

Chu Yunmiao thought about it. “Not necessarily. The second year has already started specialized training, and there are many upperclassmen who specifically train speed. Their strength... should be stronger than mine.”

Lin Mo wore an expression that said, I don’t care, I’m praising you anyway. “No way! At least I definitely can’t beat you now!”

Chu Yunmiao smiled without rebutting.

After Yu Changning’s exclusive one-on-one training, she was still very confident in her current strength. Leaving aside the upper grades, it was almost certain that no one in the first year had any opponent who could compare.

Thinking of that, she naturally thought of Yu Changning.

Yu Changning should be in the control room on the transport ship right now; had she seen that battle with the vine through the monitoring feed? What... did she think of her?

Come to think of it, it had been several days since they last saw each other. Normally, these past few days had been filled with missions, so she should have been too busy to think about anything else. But that opportunity seemed to have opened a crack in her heart; Chu Yunmiao’s thoughts had begun to revolve around Yu Changning uncontrollably. She even started counting down the assessment days, growing a little impatient to see the other woman.

It wasn’t until they encountered another battle that Chu Yunmiao’s mind was barely pulled back. She was a little flustered, not understanding why she had thought about Yu Changning so much that she’d been distracted, yet she had no time to think further. Shaking her head to clear away all stray thoughts, the still-dazed Long Princess once again plunged into the next round of combat.