Chapter 27

Yuan Hanshuang successfully filled all her orders as she had wished.

This time, not only were her wrists covered in weighted bracelets, but her ankles were adorned with two more, making her look like a Russian nesting doll. When the students running past her saw this, their eyes nearly popped out of their sockets.

The pay was substantial, and influenced by her, Ke Junda couldn't help but join the ranks of those fulfilling orders. Unfortunately, given his strength, he could only manage to wear two extra sets before reaching his limit.

Wu Haoxuan watched this with trepidation. Although everyone’s physique had been enhanced after awakening their mimics, it was his first time seeing someone carry over a hundred kilograms of extra weight.

With ten kilograms of weight off their backs, the few support-type students felt as if they had been liberated, darting from the bottom of the pack to the middle-lower ranks in a flash. Yuan Hanshuang, conversely, visibly slowed down, barely hanging on at the edge of the bottom hundred.

"Boss, you're carrying over a hundred kilograms! Won't you get punished?" Wu Haoxuan asked, full of worry.

Ke Junda smacked his head back into place. "Focus on your own running! Where do you find the time to space out? The boss helped you, and you’re still running this slow—you weakling, how embarrassing!"

"Stop scolding me, stop it," Wu Haoxuan said, shielding his head. "What weakling? I’m more of a 'weak mouse'!"

That hundred kilograms of weight certainly included a share from him. Ke Junda felt frustrated by his lack of ambition. Even the boss's roommate, that seemingly delicate young lady, could finish the run on her own, yet he couldn't.

Not far away, the instructor team watched this scene with heavy expressions. The thing they feared most had happened. By taking on ten orders at once, Yuan Hanshuang had essentially pulled ten people out of the bottom hundred, saving a tenth of the Silver Star group single-handedly. While this proportion wasn't enough to turn the tide entirely, the trouble was that many other Silver Star students were now following suit.

"This behavior has completely distorted what was supposed to be a selfless act of kindness!" Niu Hu muttered, rubbing his hair in distress. "Adjutant, what do we do? This student has set a bad precedent. I’m afraid that at this rate, we won't meet our planned training objectives!"

Feng Bai's gaze, hidden behind his spectacles, rested on the face of the black-haired, twin-tailed girl, remaining silent for a long time.

As it happened, Wei Wenwei received a call from the Privy Council and hurried out of the tea room. He buttoned his military jacket and glanced over, his gaze also lingering for a moment. For some reason, he felt that this freshman, who had the entire instructor team worried, looked somewhat familiar.

"Just give them a warning when training ends." Feng Bai regained his composure and glanced at him calmly. "What is it, Commander?"

Wei Wenwei frowned. "This student who violated the regulations looks a bit familiar." To say she looked familiar was an exaggeration—it was at most a faint resemblance—but it felt inexplicably familiar nonetheless. Because his mimic was a mechanical one, Wei Wenwei’s memory was frighteningly good; he was the type to never forget a face.

"Familiar?" The adjutant pushed up his glasses and couldn't help but tease, "Commander, surely not. Even though she's pretty, she’s only seventeen, a minor. Imperial law strictly prohibits relationships between instructors and students; it’s at least ten years in prison if caught."

Wei Wenwei didn't respond, turning and walking away instead.

However, Wu Haoxuan wasn't wrong; the weight was not easy for Yuan Hanshuang either. She lacked the ease she had displayed yesterday, and her steps were clearly heavy. Halfway through, the center of the formation suddenly split, causing a bit of a commotion. As soon as Yuan Hanshuang looked up, she saw hair as bright as gold. There was no need for further explanation; the newcomer’s identity was obvious.

In a sense, Ke Junda was right—that color was far too conspicuous. Years ago, due to malnutrition, Yuan Hanshuang’s hair hadn't reached the intensity of the Xuanyuan royal bloodline. If it hadn't been dyed black today, it would have been a disaster.

Xuanyuan Sheng glanced at her wrists and looked surprised. "These bracelets can be transferred to other wearers?"

Yuan Hanshuang’s gaze drifted lightly over his head, and she said nothing. By blood, this person should be her cheap cousin, but she didn't know him. Where did this naturally familiar tone come from?

"Is this why you're running so slowly today?" Clearly, this Imperial grandson, who had grown up getting whatever he wanted, was a very gregarious character—narcissistic, flashy, and possessing an ultimate self-confidence that made him look down on everyone.

In reality, that was exactly the case. To Xuanyuan Sheng, among this group of weaklings at Silver Star, only this black-haired girl with twin tails, who could run seven laps without even breaking a sweat, was qualified to talk to him as an equal. Otherwise, he wouldn't have come looking for her at the back of the pack today. Though he looked down on everyone, he wasn't stingy about befriending someone worthy.

Yuan Hanshuang didn't want to deal with him. "I'm busy. Don't bother me." She didn't want to share her secret to wealth with others. After all, Xuanyuan Sheng attracted too much attention; many freshmen were secretly wondering why he had suddenly moved from the front of the pack to the end.

Xuanyuan Sheng didn't notice the rejection in her tone at all. He ran alongside her for a while before suddenly reaching out to another straggler from Silver Star. "Give me your weight bracelet." The tone was as casual as if it were a matter of course.

Before long, he had found ten people and transferred their weight bracelets to his own arms.

Yuan Hanshuang: "???"

Yuan Hanshuang: "What are you doing?" Did a noble Imperial grandson need to steal business?

"I think your approach is correct; it's very conducive to unity." Xuanyuan Sheng flashed an appreciative smile. "As the next student council president of Silver Star, I must start demonstrating my sense of responsibility now to win more votes. Come on, classmates, let us help our peers together."

Not only that, but he also spread his arms, inviting other Silver Star students to join him in helping their lagging schoolmates.

Watching this person with a severe case of "social butterfly syndrome," Yuan Hanshuang went silent. No wonder Xuanyuan Sheng wasn't charging money; he was treating helping others like a village bully robbing civilians, turning the entire act into a heist.

The surrounding freshmen were equally stunned. *This cousin doesn't look very bright,* Yuan Hanshuang thought.

However, lack of intelligence aside, as a member of the royal family, Xuanyuan Sheng’s charisma was no joke. By the final lap, Silver Star students were responding to his call one after another, casting looks of profound respect toward Yuan Hanshuang.

"So this is how we can outperform the Imperial group!"

"Yeah, the boss helped the support types run all seven laps, and we only put in effort on the last one. As expected of a powerhouse, we can't compare."

Yuan Hanshuang, who was actually just doing it for the money: "..." A truly wonderful misunderstanding.

Soon, the day's training came to an end.

"Huff, huff." After crossing the finish line, Yuan Hanshuang steadied her breathing, removed the weighted bracelets, and handed them back one by one.

"Student Yuan, thank you for your hard work today."

"Yeah, if it weren't for you, we definitely wouldn't have made it today."

The other students she helped remembered how she had run faster than Xuanyuan Sheng yesterday but had been reduced to the bottom ranks today. Looking at the weight bracelets on her wrists and ankles, they felt a bit guilty.

"Just working for pay, that's all," Yuan Hanshuang waved her hand dismissively. The money she earned today was about the same as she would make from a day of grueling combat matches—she was stuffed with cash.

"Boss, don't be so humble. We're all at the same tier. You're Tier 4, both A-rank talents. Without determination, how could your cultivation level be so much higher than ours?"

"Exactly! It's a rare chance to have military training; we can't let the Imperial school look down on us. We'll definitely train hard these next two days."

The only regret was that during the assembly, Instructor Niu had explicitly forbidden monetary transactions during military training. "If I catch any more private deals, you'll be punished with extra laps!"

Yuan Hanshuang didn't feel sorry about that. She had only planned to make some quick money anyway. With Xuanyuan Sheng causing such a stir today, everyone realized the need to help the weak. Most students were high-principled—helping others was just seen as a natural, mutually beneficial gesture—and they wouldn't charge for it. She probably wouldn't get any more orders tomorrow.

"The number of people lagging behind in the Imperial group today was higher than the Silver Star group. All military students, an extra lap of punishment for everyone."

With the leaders stepping up to help, the Silver Star group narrowly defeated the Imperial group today. Watching the disbelieving expressions of the military students, the Silver Star students felt a secret sense of satisfaction. Once the instructor finished the announcement and left, they burst into cheers.

"Holy crap, I have to post this on the forum."

"I posted on the forum yesterday, and the seniors told us not to go head-to-head with the military students. They said our school had never won the open combat classes."

"That's because the seniors didn't know—our good days at Silver Star are just beginning!"

Yuan Hanshuang had left early yesterday and didn't know the situation. While the Silver Star group was being punished, many military students hadn't left; they were standing there, watching the show. Although Silver Star’s admission scores were lower than the Imperial school’s, they were both elite academies—how could they not have some pride? The resentment had built up, and they had expected to suffer in silence, but today, they had staged a comeback.

"It's the Imperial school's turn today—what a blessing!"

"It looks like our batch of freshmen has hope of catching up."

They were joking around, and the military students, hearing this, saw their anger flare up. "What did you say!"

"We didn't say anything, don't take it personally!"

After some trash-talking, no one knew who started it first, but suddenly, everyone was brawling. The battlefield expanded rapidly, and within moments, nearly half the students were involved.

Yuan Hanshuang had just finished counting her earnings for the day and looked up to see this scene. "Why are they fighting?"

Xia Mengrou screamed, "I don't know!"

Everyone was wearing mimicry-restricting bracelets, so they didn't bother using their mimics, relying only on physical combat and brute force. One would throw an uppercut, another a sweeping kick. One student tried to cheat by pulling a weapon from a space button and was immediately swarmed and beaten by the others.

The Silver Star group couldn't win against the military students, so they started calling for reinforcements, phoning seniors on the spot. The seniors were furious and immediately grabbed their gear and ran over from the teaching building. This was when the long-standing grudge between the two academies truly showed.

By the time the instructor team and the teachers from both schools arrived, the situation had escalated into total chaos. Who could have thought that these two schools, which usually only traded barbs in private and rarely clashed directly, would be so relentless when they actually started fighting?

"What are you doing?" Feng Bai was furious. He synchronized with his mimic and activated his true form. A massive black cat appeared behind him, its golden eyes scanning the group of students coldly.

The pressure of a Tier 7 talent weighed down on them, causing all the students to stiffen and stop involuntarily.

"Chief Instructor, they started it!"

"Bullshit! You Silver Star guys were the ones provoking!"

"All of you, shut up!" The black cat swiped a paw down, and in an instant, sand and stone flew. Under the overwhelming display of power, the playground fell silent.

*Wait, isn't Chief Instructor Feng in an administrative role? How is he this strong?!*

Half an hour later, both groups of freshmen stood holding signs that read "I should not have started a fight," and were assigned to stand in front of their respective school gates as a beautiful "scenic spot" for punishment. Because of the principle of collective punishment, even innocent students like Yuan Hanshuang and Xia Mengrou, who had only been spectators and not involved in the fighting, were dragged along to face the wall and reflect on their actions.

As the sun set, the fading light cast long shadows on the ground. Everyone was bruised and battered, looking extremely disheveled. A group of Silver Star freshmen stood there, looking at each other, and suddenly, they couldn't help but chuckle.

Gradually, the chuckles turned into loud laughter. A few who had been beaten the worst laughed the loudest, unable to even stand straight.

"Did you see that? I threw a handsome uppercut and knocked that military student's tooth right out! He'll have to go back and look for it on the ground later."

"It happened so fast! I kicked a military student right in the butt—even though I got beaten up later, it was worth it!"

"Who was the hero who started it? That felt so good! No wonder the seniors said the military students are all posers—damn, I hate posers the most!"

The group of students happily shared their "battle results" for the day. Sometimes, a good brawl was better than any other method. At the very least, in the eyes of the Silver Star group, everyone standing there was a comrade-in-arms who had just experienced a tough fight together. Their team spirit and cohesion had reached their peak.

"But then again, I don't think what we did today was right." While laughing, Wu Haoxuan straightened his expression. "Next time, we should avoid the instructors and arrange a private fight. I've walked so much, and now I have to stand here as punishment—I'm so tired."

"Forget it, your weight was carried by the boss anyway." Ke Junda exposed him without mercy. "You act like you have ideas now, but why didn't you join in the fight? You just stood on the sidelines cheering."

"That's... I'm a delicate support type!" Wu Haoxuan’s face turned red.

At this moment, the others burst into laughter. Even Xia Mengrou, who usually maintained an arrogant demeanor, curled the corners of her lips. The school gate was filled with a joyful atmosphere.

"Not bad, you're quite right." Xuanyuan Sheng expressed his high approval. He thought about it; the atmosphere was perfect, and he should demonstrate the demeanor of a future student council president to improve unity, so he waved his hand grandly. "To celebrate the victory of the Silver Star group, it's my treat tonight! Let's go eat at the First Canteen."

*What? Another sucker offering to pay?*

Yuan Hanshuang, who had been kicking small stones around in boredom, suddenly had her eyes light up.