At the edge of the massive crater, Groot looked down at his trembling right arm. Blood dripped down from his elbow, splashing into small crimson flowers on the shattered ground.
A faint eight-colored halo lingered around the wound. It was the residual erosive power of the eight-colored sword qi, which obstructed his muscle’s self-healing and the flow of magic essence.
He tried to clench his fist, but his fingertips could only twitch slightly—his entire right arm was temporarily useless.
"You kid..."
Groot raised his head, his single eye filled with inexpressible shock.
"Are you really only 2nd-rank?
"Is this fucking 2nd-rank?!"
At the same time, he looked at the massive pit that had appeared in the ground.
One had to understand that the ground of this training ground was not ordinary earth. It was specifically reinforced, making it nearly impossible for a normal student's battle to cause such damage.
Jiang Lin slowly stood up straight. The white light of 【Healing】 flowed over the surface of his body, quickly repairing the internal shock injuries to his organs.
His right hand still tightly gripped the 【Eight Extremities Holy Sword】. Although the light on the blade was dim, the internal eight-colored flow had already begun to circulate again, like undying stars.
The holy sword trembled slightly, emitting a clear hum as if longing for the next round of confrontation.
"Teacher, let me see where your limit lies."
Jiang Lin spoke, but Groot’s expression was bitter.
"You are indeed very strong. I’m afraid that even if I had used my full strength from the start, I still wouldn't be your match."
Groot's words echoed in the silent training grounds like a boulder dropped into a calm lake, stirring up massive waves.
The students present all caught their breath.
They looked at the golden-haired, golden-eyed boy in the middle of the field—no, at this moment, Jiang Lin was less like a boy and more like a god of war.
His robes were torn in multiple places from the earlier collision, revealing firm and well-proportioned muscle lines.
His golden hair was stained with a bit of dust, yet it still shone with a unique luster.
Those golden eyes were terrifyingly calm, as if that world-shaking strike just now had been performed casually.
Even more frightening was that everyone could clearly feel that the injuries on Jiang Lin's body were recovering at a speed visible to the naked eye.
"What kind of... monster is this?"
Finally, someone murmured, breaking the deathly silence.
"A 2nd-rank fighting a 4th-rank... Not only did he not lose, he even disabled one of Teacher Groot's arms..."
"What was that move he used just now called? 'Holy Judgment'? I feel like if that sword had been aimed at me, I would have been reduced to ashes by now."
"Stop flattering yourself. If that sword were aimed at you, there wouldn't even be ashes left."
"Seriously, in the hundred-year history of our Saint Brilliance Magic Academy, has a monster like this ever appeared?"
"I remember the school history records saying the most talented graduate only reached the early 4th-rank upon graduation... Jiang Lin entered the fifth grade as a skip-level student!"
"Comparison really is the thief of joy..."
The murmurs rose like a tide. Everyone's gaze focused on Jiang Lin with awe, shock, envy, and deep confusion—just how exactly did he cultivate?
Regarding this, the few people who had cultivated with Jiang Lin for a night had quite a lot to say.
How did he cultivate?
Naturally, he cultivated by pulling all-nighters!!
You people are truly too lazy!
How can such precious time at night be used for sleeping?!
Jiang Lin has never slept; he has four more months of cultivation time every year than you guys!
Of course he's much stronger than us!
But why is his early 2nd-rank strength so high...
That might just be the talent gap...
Groot retreated from the center of the training grounds and took out a bottle of pale gold healing potion from his breast pocket with his intact left hand, tilting his head back to down it.
The moment the liquid entered his throat, the eight-colored halo at the wound on his right arm began to fluctuate violently before gradually dispersing like melting snow.
This was Jiang Lin's residual eight-colored sword qi being purified by the powerful medicinal effect.
The flesh quickly closed up, and his bones made a slight cracking sound. Within a few breaths, the numbness in his right arm had mostly subsided.
"That move of yours was too ruthless."
Groot shook his restored arm, his eyes looking at Jiang Lin with a complex expression.
"Jiang Lin, I've been teaching for so many years. This is the first time I've seen talent like yours.
"Jiang Lin, answer me. Are you really at the 2nd-rank?"
Jiang Lin nodded.
"I just broke through to the 2nd-rank a few days ago."
Hearing this, everyone gasped.
Although they already knew Jiang Lin was a freak of nature, they hadn't expected him to be this much of one.
Defeating a 4th-rank powerhouse with the strength of an early 2nd-rank...
"Jiang Lin, your strength is likely enough to leave a name in the history of Saint Brilliance Magic Academy.
"I think... when you grow strong enough, your name will surely be on the school's Wall of Fame."
Jiang Lin withdrew the 【Eight Extremities Holy Sword】. The eight-colored glow slowly introverted, finally turning into a streak of light that vanished into his body.
He showed a bit of humility.
"Teacher, you overpraise me. It was you who held back."
"Held back?"
Groot shook his head with a bitter smile.
"I did indeed only use 2nd-rank levels at the start, but I gradually increased it to the 3rd-rank and 4th-rank. In the final strike, I held almost nothing back.
"You truly forced out my full strength."
Groot's gaze slowly swept over the students around the training grounds who were still in shock, and he finally shook his head with a wry smile.
He walked up to Jiang Lin and patted his shoulder with his right hand, which was still trembling slightly.
"Jiang Lin."
Groot's voice was very low, audible only to the two of them.
"From today on... you don't need to come to the practical combat class anymore."
Jiang Lin wasn't surprised and nodded.
"With your current combat level, practicing with these kids is no longer meaningful.
"This isn't special treatment, but rather... making sure resources aren't wasted."
He paused, his voice turning even deeper.
"If you're willing, you can come find me every night.
"When necessary, I will fight you with my full strength. Until you are completely familiar with the power of this level."
Jiang Lin's eyes instantly lit up.
"Is that really okay, teacher?"
"Nonsense."
Groot grinned.
"But I suggest you come three or four times a week at most.
"Your current physical toughness still can't handle grinding against a 4th-rank every day. You need time to digest and recover."
"That's enough."
Jiang Lin gave a solemn salute.
"Thank you, teacher."
Afterward, Jiang Lin left the training ground directly and returned to the classroom to cultivate.
Meanwhile, the other students began their own practical combat class under Jiang Lin's shadow.
Soon, it was time for the class to end.
After the incident where Jiang Lin defeated Teacher Groot, the atmosphere of the entire fifth-year elite class shifted at an almost eerie speed.
If Neil, Nora, and the others pulling all-nighters to cultivate had been sparse sparks before, the news of Jiang Lin going toe-to-toe with Groot and forcing a draw was like throwing a torch into a pile of dry wood.
At the same time, with Jiang Lin's consent, Neil and the others also spread word of Jiang Lin's deeds.
They wanted to attract more people to increase the atmosphere of nighttime cultivation.
That evening, the classroom, which usually only had a few people staying behind, was half-full for the first time.
No one spoke. There was only the sound of turning pages, the scratching of pen tips on paper, and the faint magic essence fluctuations from the operation of breathing techniques.
When Neil took out his second portion of dried meat from his spatial ring, he looked up at the magic crystal clock on the front wall of the classroom—it was 10:20 PM.
He rubbed his aching eyes and glanced at the calm golden figure cultivating by the window.
Jiang Lin didn't go back to the dormitory tonight either.
His dinner was dry rations as usual. After eating, he closed his eyes, and the three breathing techniques within him operated silently, like three never-stopping engines.
Nora sat beside him.
She had just finished today’s human script writing practice and was cross-referencing her notes for 《Monster Ecology》, memorizing the weak point distributions of several mid-tier demonic beasts.
Her fingertips unconsciously drew those complex anatomical diagrams on the desk. The night vision brought by her beastkin bloodline allowed her to see the finest strokes even in the dim light.
In front of Elvira was spread a thick copy of 《Introduction to High-level Nature Magic》. A strand of emerald-green nature magic hovered at her fingertips, slowly changing shape according to the complex runes on the pages.
Occasionally, she would look up at Jiang Lin, sensing the terrifyingly stable speed at which magic essence gathered around him, then silently increased the frequency of her own magic guidance.
Rex wasn't in his seat.
He had gone to the training grounds. Under the enhancement of a gravity magic array, he was doing push-ups while carrying a five-thousand-kilogram weighted stone lock.
Sweat poured down like rain, and his muscles twitched under the high load, yet he gritted his teeth and didn't make a sound.
In his mind, he repeatedly replayed the sword strike where Jiang Lin and Groot collided that afternoon.
That purity of condensing all physical strength, magic, and even his understanding of the 'sword' into a single point made him vaguely touch upon the use of 'force' at a higher level.
The back door of the classroom was gently pushed open.
The class director, Phineas Stern, walked in holding a folder.
When he saw the nearly half-full classroom, his footsteps visibly faltered, and his mouth hung slightly open.
Wait, what's going on here?
When did the elite class he taught become like this?!
What exactly is the situation here???
He grabbed a student who was buried in study and asked:
"What is going on with you all right now?"
The boy looked up and replied with a serious expression:
"Teacher, after Jiang Lin fought Teacher Groot like that today... we just thought... we should try not to fall too far behind."
Another girl with a ponytail next to him looked up and added in a small voice:
"Teacher, we heard that Jiang Lin seems to have always been pulling all-nighters to cultivate.
"Weren't there rumors last semester about him not turning off his lights when he slept? Then some of us speculated if Jiang Lin was afraid of the dark.
"Later, Jiang Lin debunked the rumor. He’s not afraid of the dark while sleeping; he simply doesn't sleep at all.
"Since last semester, he hasn't slept a single day, studying until dawn.
"That's why he was able to go from not knowing the Middle Magic Academy fundamentals to finishing three years of content in such a short time.
"As for the advanced content we’re learning now, it seems he doesn't plan on spending too much time on it, but rather focusing on improving his strength first.
"According to him, since his breakthrough, he hasn't slept, pulling all-nighters every single night to practice his breathing techniques."
Hearing such explosive information, Phineas's expression stiffened.
When he saw that Jiang Lin was unwilling to go to the cafeteria back then, he thought he just felt that going to the cafeteria would disrupt his cultivation rhythm.
At the time, he felt the student was quite hardworking and looked at him with new respect.
But he never expected that the kid was working hard to such an extent!!
This boy... is a monster, isn't he...
Phineas Stern stood at the classroom door, the folder containing next month’s teaching schedule now unconsciously crumpled by his grip.
He stood there for a full ten seconds, his gaze slowly sweeping over the profiles of those buried in their books.
They were truly learning—this wasn't for show.
As a class director who had taught for many years, he was all too familiar with the state of these students.
People who were faking it had wandering gazes, their movements were intentionally slowed, and their breathing was unsteady.
But these children before him... the speed of their pens, the rhythm of their page-turning, the steadiness of their breathing... it was all one hundred percent focus.
His gaze finally fell on Jiang Lin by the window.
The boy sat with eyes closed in the dim light of the magic crystal lamp, his golden hair swaying slightly in the night wind blowing in from the window.
"Not sleeping... has he really not slept since the start of the term?"
Phineas murmured softly.
He thought of the theory of 'breathing technique as a substitute for rest.'
As a 5th-rank powerhouse, he naturally knew of this saying.
But that required the proficiency of the breathing technique to reach an extremely high level, and it had demanding requirements for both the body and the soul.
The vast majority of adventurers could not do it.
This was because the difficulty of mastering breathing techniques far exceeded that of skills.
And Jiang Lin...
Phineas pulled out his portable teacher’s manual and quickly flipped to Jiang Lin's file.
"Entrance test: peak of rank-0, weak foundation in theory classes, outstanding practical combat ability...
"End of last semester: limit of rank-0, theory class grades in the middle of the class...
"Start of this semester: early 2nd-rank, crushed the entire class, forced a draw in a duel against Groot..."
Behind the concise records was a growth curve so terrifying it made one's spine tingle.
Phineas closed the notebook and took a deep breath.
He was likely about to witness the growth of an absolute freak of nature...
If a guy like Jiang Lin could grow up, he would at least become a world-renowned powerhouse.
When the time came for him to go out and brag, he could say that Jiang Lin was a student he had taught...
However, he was somewhat puzzled.
If Jiang Lin didn't sleep because his breathing technique proficiency was high enough, then what about these other students?
So he asked one of them again:
"So you all decided to follow him and not sleep too?"
To his surprise, the student nodded seriously.
"That's right."
"Won't you get sleepy?"
The student hesitated for a moment before saying:
"Supposedly, Jiang Lin has a set of all-nighter potions that have been verified by hundreds of people."
"All-nighter potion?"
Phineas felt a headache coming on.
He felt like he was losing his grasp of the human language.
So, in order to cultivate through the night, you guys are even going to take drugs specifically for it?
If something goes wrong from taking them, who's going to take responsibility?
one had to know that the students in this elite class were all very precious.
On one hand, the school placed great importance on cultivating them; on the other hand, many of the students here were from prominent families.
For example, that kid Neil was a member of the most powerful family in Clearwater City.
If something happened to these noble descendants and their parents came to hold him accountable later, it would be a huge mess...
Rate on N.U.
