Chapter 105: Personal Rewards And Live Combat Drills

Five minutes felt endlessly long amid the extreme pain.

The stifled groans and heavy breathing in the classroom never stopped. Many trainees’ bodies trembled uncontrollably, cold sweat soaking the floor, but in the end, not a single person gave up.

When the last violet electric spark quietly dispersed at a trainee’s taut fingertip, it was as if all strength had been drained from the classroom, and a chorus of relieved, almost exhausted exhalations sounded.

Many people slumped directly into their seats, gasping for breath as if they had just finished a marathon. Their faces were pale, but in their eyes there was a trace of relief at having passed the test, mixed with lingering fear.

“Pa, pa, pa.”

Clear applause came from the podium.

Lin Yi looked at the trainees below, all nearly exhausted yet still persevering, and a faint approving smile appeared on his face.

“Congratulations.”

His voice broke the silence in the classroom. “All of you have passed the first test. This proves that you possess the minimum willpower threshold to endure the pain of origin energy entering the body.”

“This is very good.”

This simple affirmation caused a flush of excitement to rise on many pale faces below. A collective sense of honor and an initial sense of identity quietly began to grow.

Next, Lin Yi changed the direction of his words and announced a piece of news that instantly invigorated everyone:

“To encourage everyone to compete and surpass one another in the upcoming cultivation, I, personally, will take out a batch of Spirit Radiance Crystals as additional rewards.”

He deliberately emphasized, “These rewards are for all trainees, including the auditing students from the various national delegations. Everyone will be treated equally and may compete for them through their own efforts.”

As soon as he said this, everyone’s eyes lit up instantly, especially those auditing students who had been worried about being treated differently; now they all showed expressions of pleasant surprise.

Lin Yi continued to announce the reward rules:

“The first trainee to successfully complete origin energy guidance entry level will receive one leader-level white Spirit Radiance Crystal.”

“The first ten trainees to successfully achieve origin energy entry level will each receive one high-grade white Spirit Radiance Crystal.”

“The first thirty trainees to successfully achieve origin energy entry level will each receive one normal white Spirit Radiance Crystal.”

“The first one hundred trainees to successfully achieve origin energy entry level will each receive one high-grade gray Spirit Radiance Crystal.”

In a calm tone he added, “I hope the items within these crystals can provide a modest bit of help in the early stages of your origin energy cultivation.”

“A modest bit of help?!”

The classroom instantly erupted. Every trainee’s face showed uncontrollable excitement and fervor.

Before coming here, everyone present had already been briefed on the basic knowledge about abyss beasts and Spirit Radiance Crystals. They knew very well what these rewards meant.

Thirty white crystals!

That meant precious treasures that could only drop from at least Stardust Level Abyss Beasts.

And leader-level white crystals were produced only by overlord-level beings on the level of that terrifying Black Flame Abyss Tiger that Chief Instructor Lin had one-shot in the video that morning; their value was simply immeasurable.

Even the seemingly lowest high-grade gray crystals represented Elite Abyss Beasts with origin energy intensity exceeding 200 points.

Those were terrifying monsters that usually required an elite squad equipped with heavy firepower to barely handle with difficulty.

And now, these precious treasures were actually being offered as rewards for cultivation progress?

Immediately, an even more shocking thought emerged in all the trainees’ minds: Chief Instructor Lin had just said these were his personal rewards!

Personal!

What did that mean?

It meant all these powerful abyss beasts had been slain by Chief Instructor Lin alone.

Not only was he strong enough to easily kill these monsters, but his personal “collection” was so abundant it was almost outrageous.

After all, none of those present were fools. With just a bit of thought, they knew no one would casually put all their possessions up as rewards. This could only mean that the number of abyss beasts Chief Instructor Lin had slain far exceeded these items!

In this moment, Lin Yi’s image became even more unfathomable in the trainees’ hearts.

At the same time, an unprecedented desire and fighting spirit burned in everyone’s eyes like a wildfire.

Who would not want to become that powerful? Who would not want to obtain those powerful crystals?

Chen Yu clenched his fists, staring fixedly at the podium as if he could already see that leader-level crystal.

Zhou Yuxuan pushed up his glasses. Behind the lenses, his gaze flickered with calculations, as if he were rapidly planning the fastest method to reach entry level.

Elizabeth and Adams exchanged a glance and saw in each other’s eyes a determination to win at all costs.

Even the seemingly honest Andre was rubbing his big hands, grinning, his eyes full of drive.

Lin Yi looked with great satisfaction at the thoroughly ignited atmosphere below the stage.

Although, if he wanted high-grade gray crystals, he could get many, enough to give one to everyone without any problem,

he had never considered doing that.

Competition is always the best catalyst for progress.

“All right.” Lin Yi clapped his hands, pulling everyone’s attention back.

“The rewards have been explained. Next, we will formally begin the lecture content—《An in-depth explanation of Origin Energy Basic Theory and Guidance Techniques》.”

The following course posed no difficulty at all for Lin Yi.

He explained in simple terms the core points of the 《Basic Origin Energy Guidance Technique》, the subtle key aspects of energy flow, and the common problems that might arise along with their solutions.

His explanations were clear and straightforward, often hitting the mark in one stroke, instantly illuminating many areas that had felt obscure during previous self-study.

The trainees listened, utterly absorbed, afraid to miss a single word.

A class period passed swiftly in this efficient and focused atmosphere.

When class time ended, Lin Yi concluded the lecture cleanly and decisively, without dragging it out at all.

Under the gaze of all the trainees, he walked straight out of the classroom, and did not even bother returning to the instructors’ dormitory.

He casually brushed his hand across the Flowing Cloud Belt, and the silver-gray “Flowing Shadow” flying ball appeared in his hand. Then he gave it an easy toss.

Buzz!

The flying ball instantly unfolded into its full form.

Lin Yi pulled open the door and sat inside, and the cabin door closed.

In the next moment, under countless shocked, envious, and admiring gazes, the Little Flying Ball turned into a silver streak of flowing light, shot into the sky, and vanished at the distant horizon in an instant.

He had gone on his routine “hunt” again.

In the classroom, seeing that the “teacher” had left, the trainees exploded into chatter after a brief moment of silence.

“Damn! He just flew off like that! That was so cool!”

“That pain just now was insane. My fingertips still feel a bit numb.”

“The Chief Instructor explained everything so clearly. I feel like I can try guiding energy as soon as I get back!”

“A leader-level crystal, I’ll risk my life to fight for it!”

“I won’t think about leader-level, but top ten would be fine! A high-grade white crystal!”

Many people gathered around Chen Yu, curiously asking,

“Chen Yu, did Chief Instructor Lin go out to clean up abyss beasts again?”

“Does the Chief Instructor go out every day? That’s way too exhausting!”

“With the Chief Instructor sweeping like this every day, the abyss beasts out there must be having a really rough time, huh?”

Chen Yu was very excited too, but having followed Lin Yi for a while, he could at least barely maintain some calm.

Scratching his head, he said, “Brother Yi, uh, the Chief Instructor is just used to it. He says the nearby abyss beasts are like weeds. If you don’t clear them in time, they’ll just grow more and more and threaten the safety of the settlement.”

Chen Yu silently added in his heart: And he can also earn some resources as ‘pocket money’ along the way. Look at that pocket money.

Time flew by. A week quickly passed in tense and fulfilling training.

During this week, the trainees of the training camp displayed extremely high talent and effort.

With the high-concentration origin energy environment created by the “Vortex Type I” and the precise guidance of Lin Yi, the vast majority of trainees successfully completed origin energy guidance into the body and officially embarked on the path of origin energy cultivation.

At the same time, they also attended many other courses taught by different instructors, such as basic combat skills, abyss beast identification, and modern weapon coordination.

On this day, Lin Yi went to find Nie Chang, who was handling affairs in his office.

“Old Nie,” Lin Yi said bluntly, “the overall progress of the trainees is much faster than we initially expected.”

In these past days, after reverting to his true nature, Lin Yi no longer acted as stiffly as before. After all, he had become familiar with Nie Chang. Once, Nie Chang had said that constantly calling him Lieutenant General Nie felt too formal and suggested calling him Old Nie instead. Lin Yi had not fussed about it and agreed on the spot.

Nie Chang looked up with a gratified smile. “That’s a good thing! It shows they are all good seedlings, and it does not let down your dedicated instruction as Chief Instructor or the valuable environment provided by the training camp.”

Lin Yi nodded and continued, “Based on their current progress and condition, I believe it is time to move up the ‘actual combat training’ course originally scheduled for the tenth day of the training plan.”

Hearing this, Nie Chang’s expression grew solemn. “Move up the combat class? Would that be a bit hasty? They only just reached entry level not long ago.”

“Theory and practical application are two different things.”

Lin Yi’s tone was calm but firm. “Only in real combat can they become familiar with their own strength as quickly as possible, discover their shortcomings, and truly understand how to cooperate with comrades and how to face abyss beasts. The area around the camp is relatively safe now after continuous cleanup over these days, making it just right for low-intensity combat adaptation training.”

After all, it would not be long before the first Abyss Tide broke out. Time was tight, and they could not afford to go slowly.

He looked at Nie Chang. “I think we can start tomorrow.”

Meeting Lin Yi’s resolute gaze, Nie Chang pondered briefly, then nodded heavily. “All right! You know the trainees’ situation better. You have the final say regarding overall progress. I will notify everyone immediately and have the security and logistics departments coordinate to ensure absolute safety for the combat training.”