Instructor Lin, care for a smoke

Li Ran stood rooted to the spot, his chest heaving violently as waves of sharp pain radiated from the bone-deep gash on his arm.

He ignored the injury, his gaze locked onto that cold, retreating figure.

Yun Huang didn’t even glance back at them as she walked away.

Her pace wasn’t hurried, yet her departure felt like she had merely brushed aside some roadside trash—not like someone who had just saved lives from certain doom.

An unprecedented sense of humiliation, tangled with the relief of survival, gripped his heart like two clenched fists.

Liu Feiyu slumped to the ground.

The rest of the team remained silent, their expressions unbearably complex.

The depth of their earlier despair was matched only by the intensity of their current shock.

Li Ran slowly clenched his fist, nails digging into his palm, the pain keeping him sharp.

He said nothing, but seared that retreating figure—and the overwhelming, all-consuming flames—into his memory.

...

At the entrance of the Black Forest,

Su Qi was engrossed in his phone screen, fingers flying across it.

The pixelated character on-screen leaped and dodged before impaling itself on spikes, shattering into fragments.

"Brother, you died again. You’ve been stuck on this level all afternoon," Liu Yuan mumbled around a lollipop, pointing at the screen.

"No big deal. I can respawn."

Without looking up, Su Qi deftly tapped the restart button.

Behind him, Lin Xiao’s face darkened like storm clouds.

Squads of trainees emerged from the forest one after another, nearly all pale with lingering terror.

Their reports were eerily similar:

The Origin Beasts in the forest had gone berserk for no apparent reason.

They weren’t hunting for food—it was as if they were following some directive, attacking all living things with mindless ferocity.

Bizarre. Unnatural.

That was the unanimous verdict on today’s hunt.

Lin Xiao massaged his temples.

Had he miscalculated?

He’d scouted the forest’s anomalies himself.

These were targets the military planned to purge next week.

With standard military deployment, a few squads of early-stage Rank 7 combatants could handle them easily.

These trainees, following his plan, shouldn’t have matched the military’s efficiency—but they shouldn’t have been this overwhelmed either.

His original intent was to humble these arrogant geniuses, to temper their post-training overconfidence.

But now, things had spiraled out of control.

Just then, another squad stumbled out of the woods in disarray. The leader, his arm severed, screamed hoarsely:

"Help! Wang Tao’s squad is surrounded! It’s all monsters out there!"

"Those things... they’ve got black vines growing on them!"

Lin Xiao’s heart plummeted.

He hesitated.

He’d warned them: no rescues, survival was their own responsibility.

But he couldn’t watch these future pillars of the nation die meaninglessly here.

"Medics!"

Lin Xiao turned, his voice turning steely. "Prep for extraction!"

The officers behind him snapped into action.

"Teams One and Two, with me! We’re bringing everyone out!"

Drawing his weapon, he issued the final order.

"Sir!"

The rescue team moved without hesitation, assembling swiftly before charging into the forest’s devouring darkness.

...

Deep in the forest,

Li Ran’s squad fought their way toward the exit.

Though Yun Huang had broken the deadliest encirclement, sporadic attacks still harried them.

Everyone bore injuries; their soulforce reserves were nearly spent.

Suddenly, Li Ran halted at the front of the group.

His eyes narrowed at the figure crouched in the clearing ahead, back turned, doing something indiscernible.

Yun Huang.

She hadn’t left?

"It’s her!" Liu Feiyu recognized her too, his voice laced with conflicted emotions.

Exchanging glances, they slowed their approach, advancing cautiously.

Up close, they saw:

Yun Huang knelt beside the corpse of a Rank 7 Demon Ape.

A wisp of pure flame coiled around her fingertip as she traced patterns on the carcass.

She seemed aware of their presence but didn’t acknowledge them.

Li Ran swallowed hard, then stepped forward, his voice rough:

"Back there... thanks."

Yun Huang didn’t pause her work, tossing two words over her shoulder:

"Don’t die."

Li Ran blinked—was she concerned about him?

"It drags down team scores."

Her tone remained icy, devoid of inflection.

Li Ran’s face flushed. He opened his mouth to retort—

But Yun Huang stood abruptly, surveying their battered state with the faintest frown.

"Follow."

"Evacuate. Something’s wrong here."

With that, she turned and strode toward the forest’s edge.

The squad exchanged bewildered looks before gritting their teeth and trailing silently behind.

They soon noticed: with Yun Huang leading, the scattered beasts that should’ve attacked instead shied away.

No one spoke.

Under that oppressive silence, they finally glimpsed the exit’s light.

...

By dusk, all survivors had regrouped at the temporary camp outside the forest.

Lin Xiao finished the headcount—no fatalities, though nearly thirty of the seventy trainees bore injuries ranging from minor to severe.

He exhaled in relief.

Clapping his hands, he drew everyone’s attention.

"Today’s performance was unacceptable!" His voice cut through the air like a blade.

"Tend your wounds!"

"Rest up. We resume tomorrow."

"Anyone who can’t handle it may withdraw early."

"These enemies were well within your capabilities."

The trainees stiffened, not daring to slacken as they hurried to pitch tents and dress wounds, the atmosphere thick with tension.

Night fell swiftly.

Campfires dotted the campground as exhausted trainees huddled around them.

Only Su Qi seemed unperturbed, having claimed the most comfortable spot. He spread a blanket, letting Liu Yuan rest her head on his lap as he told her stories.

His leisurely demeanor clashed starkly with the surrounding unease.

Then—a deafening roar erupted from the forest’s depths.

The ground trembled faintly.

"Alert!"

Every trainee sprang up, weapons drawn, falling into defensive formations.

At the camp’s edge, Lin Xiao allowed himself a cold, unnoticed smile.

This was his plan’s final phase: a controlled beast tide to test their limits.

Three massive Rank 7 late-stage Origin Beasts, flanked by dozens of weaker variants, burst from the treeline, charging the camp from three directions.

The stench of blood filled the air—murderous intent made tangible!

Battle erupted instantly.

Energy flares lit the night as steel clashed, beasts roared, and humans shouted—a chaotic symphony of blood and fire.

But the trainees, already pushed to their limits from the day’s fighting, were spent.

Against the frenzied beasts, their defenses crumbled rapidly, injuries mounting by the second.

Lin Xiao nodded in satisfaction—this was exactly the effect he had hoped for.

Injuries were to be expected.

He even had a few "allowable death" quotas on hand.

People could get hit by a car just walking down the street.

Did they really think entering the Origin Realm would guarantee 100% safety?

True potential only emerged when pushed to the brink.

He was just about to order the instructors lying in ambush to step in and regain control of the situation.

Then, at that very moment—

At the edge of the most chaotic part of the battlefield, a leisurely figure slowly stood up.

It was Su Qi.

Then, he took a step forward, walking straight toward the blood-soaked battlefield.

Lin Xiao’s heart leaped into his throat.

What was he doing?

Was he about to intervene?

From Lin Xiao’s perspective, Su Qi’s strength might be close to the ninth tier.

This wave of beast tides posed no threat to him at all.

That’s why Lin Xiao had even "spoiled" the situation in advance, telling him not to interfere—just protect himself.

Just as Lin Xiao was about to shout to stop him, Su Qi made a move that short-circuited his brain.

Su Qi ignored the life-and-death struggle between the trainees and the Origin Beasts. Instead, he walked straight to the center of the battlefield and stopped in front of a seventh-tier Flame Demon Lion, which was spewing raging fire.

Everyone was stunned.

Even the bloodthirsty Flame Demon Lion instinctively halted its attack, its massive beastly eyes filled with confusion.

Su Qi ignored the scorching heat—enough to melt steel—and pulled out a… raw sausage, still in its packaging, from his pocket.

He leisurely unwrapped it, skewered the sausage on a bamboo stick he’d seemingly conjured out of nowhere, and then—

Amid the deathly silence of the battlefield—he held the raw sausage up to the Flame Demon Lion’s mouth.

"Mind giving me a light?"

Flame Demon Lion: "???"

Lin Xiao: "???"

An intensely human-like bewilderment surfaced on the massive beast’s face.

It seemed to be pondering:

"Who am I?"

"Where am I?"

"Why am I fighting these two-legged creatures?"

"And why is this two-legged creature asking me to grill his sausage?"

These profound philosophical questions.

Seeing no reaction, Su Qi impatiently poked the lion’s nose with another bamboo stick.

"Hurry up. It’ll taste bad if it’s overcooked."

The Flame Demon Lion shuddered, as if obeying some primal, absolute command from the depths of its bloodline.

It didn’t dare resist. Carefully, it opened its mouth—not to roar or unleash dragon-breath-like flames, but to… gently exhale a small, perfectly controlled flicker of orange-red flame.

The fire obediently licked at the sausage, producing a sizzling sound. The rich aroma of meat instantly filled the battlefield.

Su Qi expertly rotated the sausage for even heating until the skin turned golden brown with a slight crisp.

He pulled it back.

"Mm, good heat control."

Then, he frowned in disgust. "Never mind. You’ve got bad breath."

The Flame Demon Lion’s massive head froze mid-air, the little flicker of flame still flickering at its lips. It looked utterly wronged.

It had just done as asked—why was it being insulted?

Su Qi ignored it.

He turned and began walking toward Lin Xiao, who was secretly observing from a higher vantage point.

His steps were slow, unhurried, completely disregarding the Origin Beasts around him with bared claws and fangs.

Something eerie happened.

As he advanced, the chaotic battlefield of trainees and beasts automatically parted, clearing a path.

Whether it was the bloodthirsty beasts or the exhausted trainees, they all instinctively stepped aside, movements stiff, as if pushed by an invisible force.

The two seventh-tier Origin Beasts that had been wreaking havoc moments ago now lowered their heads like tamed house cats, not daring to meet the gaze of the approaching figure.

It felt as if the entire blood-soaked battlefield was just Su Qi’s backyard, and all the people fighting for their lives were nothing more than noisy ants.

Su Qi finally stopped in front of Lin Xiao.

Lin Xiao’s body was rigid as steel. His eyelid twitched uncontrollably, and his grip on the clipboard was so tight his knuckles turned white.

Su Qi held out the skewered sausage to him.

Lin Xiao: "…"

Lin Xiao stared at the sausage, then at Su Qi’s earnest face, feeling like his respiratory system had malfunctioned.

"Instructor Lin."

Su Qi’s tone was serious.

"Your midnight snack."

Lin Xiao’s Adam’s apple bobbed. He couldn’t utter a single word.

He felt his sanity snapping, one strand at a time.

"I promised to bring you barbecue, didn’t I?"

Su Qi said it like it was the most natural thing in the world, even nudging the sausage closer.

"But you always freeload. Never pay. I run an honest business—can’t let you take advantage."

"So let’s keep it simple this time. Just one stick."

Lin Xiao heard something in his mind—a string, snapping.

A suffocating pressure built in his chest, making his vision darken.

His hand trembled violently as he reached out.

He took the skewer. "…Thanks."

Then he turned his back to everyone, shoulders shaking as if suppressing something with immense effort.

Su Qi left him to it.

He turned to the Origin Beasts, still frozen in place, and waved impatiently.

"Go on, keep fighting."

"Don’t just stand there."

The moment the words left his mouth—

The Flame Demon Lion’s eyes flashed with confusion, then were drowned in rage—humiliation, fury at being toyed with.

It threw its head back and unleashed an earth-shaking roar. No longer a docile flicker, but a torrent of true, destructive flame, thick with smoke and sulfur, surging toward the nearest trainees.

"BOOM—!"

The violent inferno scorched the earth black.

That roar was a signal.

All the Origin Beasts snapped out of their unnatural docility. Their suppressed ferocity erupted tenfold.

Claws tore through the air. Energy blasts roared. Screams, shouts, and snarls once again turned the small rest area into a bloodbath.

Even more chaotic. Even more brutal.

The surviving trainees, caught off guard by the sudden assault, scrambled to dodge.

"Hit the dirt!"

"Hold the line! Defensive formation!"

The entire front collapsed instantly.

And Lin Xiao—

Still stood with his back to the chaos.

His shoulders had stopped shaking. He just stood there, rigid, clutching the still-warm bamboo skewer.