95: Chapter 95 Practical Guidance: The Instructor's Moment of Fatal Struggle

Early the next morning.

The field was packed with a sea of people. Not just freshmen, but many upperclassmen from the Elite Class had also skipped class to come watch the excitement.

Word was that the "Sleep Demon" Gu Fan was going to have a one-on-one with the Devilish Instructor Iron Man.

This was the blockbuster event of the year, way more exciting than whoever's streaking.

In the center of the field.

Iron Man wore only a pair of red fighting shorts. His body was a mass of cast-iron muscle, veins bulging. He was warming up, throwing a combination of punches at the air, each fist carrying a whooshing wind.

"Gu Fan!! You ready yet!!"

Iron Man's roar was so loud it made the field's loudspeakers start crackling.

"Don't go easy on me just because I'm an instructor! In this circle, there are only warriors, no teachers or students!!"

Standing opposite him, Gu Fan let out a long yawn.

He was still wearing that spongebob pajama set, sporting those Hello Kitty slippers that had served him so well. He even held a large palm-leaf fan he'd snagged from the cafeteria, fanning himself lazily.

"Instructor, we're starting already? Breakfast hasn't settled yet, it's bad for the stomach."

Gu Fan rubbed his belly.

"How about we change it to a mental duel? See who can sleep longer?"

"Take this!!"

Iron Man didn't bother with a reply. He was a martial arts fanatic, his mind fixated on one thing: testing Gu Fan's unfathomable strength.

Boom!

Iron Man moved.

True to his title of Special-Grade Instructor, his movement was like a Tyrannosaurus Rex bursting from its cage. He kicked a shallow crater into the rubber track underfoot, his whole body surging forward with a wave of heat, closing in on Gu Fan.

"Ultimate Kill·Blazing Fist!!"

Iron Man's fist was sheathed in a scorching red glow—high heat generated by his internal energy friction against the air. This punch aimed straight for Gu Fan's face, holding nothing back.

The female spectators covered their eyes in fright.

If that punch connected, Gu Fan's somewhat handsome face probably wouldn't survive.

But Gu Fan made only one move.

Annoyed by the sun in his eyes, he raised a hand to shield them.

[Ding! Detected Iron Man's S-Rank 'Teacher's Dignity' Shattering Attack.]

[Judgment: As a teacher, using a lethal move on a student, claiming it's a spar but going overboard, is unbecoming.]

[Backlash Activated: Teacher's Dignity·Sliding Kneel Edition (Causality Law Forced Correction).]

[Effect: Since you wish to demonstrate power, you shall demonstrate the highest 'respect' for your student.]

Just as Iron Man's fist was less than a centimeter from Gu Fan's nose.

Something strange happened.

The laces on Iron Man's specially-made tactical boots, which had been tied in a tight knot, suddenly seemed to come alive, tangling together in an extremely tricky manner.

For an ordinary person, this would at most cause a faceplant.

But Iron Man had charged too fiercely, with too much momentum.

This stumble caused him to lose his balance, but his forward inertia remained.

The result.

A perfectly smooth sliding kneel, the kind usually only seen during goal celebrations on a soccer field, appeared.

Ssskkrrtt——

Iron Man's knees hit the ground, and propelled by that terrifying momentum, he slid across the track, leaving two long black streaks.

The sliding trajectory was straight and precise.

Finally, he came to a steady stop right at the tips of Gu Fan's toes.

And because his punching pose had his arms raised high, his current posture became—kneeling on both knees, hands held high above his head.

Like a devout believer offering flowers to a deity.

Or perhaps, like paying New Year's respects to an elder on the first day of the Lunar New Year, hoping for a red envelope.

The red glow on his fists hadn't dissipated yet, now looking more like he was holding up red lanterns.

Silence.

The noisy field instantly turned into a silent film.

Thousands of mouths simultaneously dropped into 'O' shapes, the visual impact short-circuiting everyone's brains.

A gust of wind blew.

It ruffled Iron Man's stubborn red hair.

Iron Man remained frozen in this posture of maximum shame, stiff as a rock. His mind was a complete blank.

Who am I?

Where am I?

Why am I kneeling to my student?

Gu Fan was also taken aback for a moment.

He looked down at the kneeling instructor before him, unsure whether to keep fanning himself or not.

But the awkwardness lasted only a second.

Who was Gu Fan? An old hand at scenes of social death.

He very naturally placed an empty plastic water bottle from his other hand into Iron Man's upraised hands.

"Oh my, Instructor, you're too kind."

Gu Fan looked genuinely moved.

"You knew I was too lazy to throw away trash, so you rushed over to help me? Is this the legendary 'teaching by example'? So touching, really, I'm almost in tears."

"Hey, you there, Xiao Fan! Hurry up and help the instructor to his feet! Can't you see his legs have gone numb from kneeling?!"

Iron Man: "..."

His face visibly flushed red from his neck all the way to the crown of his head, a shade brighter than the flames on his fists.

Social death.

A textbook case of physical social death.

Just then, a grating, scornful laugh came from the edge of the crowd.

"Heh, so this is the so-called 'King of the Newcomers'? Relying on these lowly little tricks?"

The crowd parted.

A group of students in matching silver uniforms walked in. They all held their heads high, looking down their noses, each sporting a lightning-bolt-shaped badge on their chests.

The leader, a guy who looked decent enough but had a punchable face—like everyone owed him money—was casually juggling a crackling ball of lightning in his hand.

Elite Class, Lei Zhen.

One of the acknowledged strongest Geniuses of this year at Tianqiong Academy, a Master of Lightning-based Abilities.

"Instructor Iron Man, you really are regressing."

Lei Zhen walked over to Iron Man (who had just gotten up, wishing he could find a hole to crawl into) and looked down at Gu Fan.

"A waste who can't even assume a proper fighting stance is worthy of your guidance?"

"If you ask me, a trash class like this should be cleaning toilets, not hogging the best resources."

Xiao Fan exploded at this, brandishing his frying pan: "Did you brush your teeth with toilet water?! So foul-mouthed?! Believe me, our club president could crush you with one finger!"

"Crush me?"

Lei Zhen burst into laughter as if he'd heard the funniest joke.

"Him? That mascot who only knows how to sleep?"

He took a sudden step forward, lightning erupting from his body, radiating immense pressure.

"Gu Fan, right? Dare to play for real?"

Lei Zhen pointed a finger towards the massive electronic screen at the school gate, which was scrolling through the danger levels of various dungeons.

"Three days from now, the 'Molten Grotto' dungeon opens."

"Let's have our two classes go in and have a proper match."

"Rules are simple: whoever retrieves the 'flame crystal core' from the depths of the cavern first, wins. The loser..."

Lei Zhen gave a sinister smile.

"Their entire class runs ten laps around the field naked, shouting 'I'm trash' while running. How about it? Dare to accept?"

The entire place erupted.

Molten Grotto! That was an S-Rank high-danger dungeon! Temperatures inside reached several hundred degrees, filled with countless fire-based Demonic Beasts. Even the Elite Class would be skinned alive going in there. Sending these greenhorn freshmen? That's suicide!

Gu Fan frowned.

"Molten Grotto? Pretty hot, right?"

Gu Fan fanned himself with the palm-leaf fan. "I can't stand the heat. Can we switch to somewhere cooler? Like the Polar Ice Plains or something?"

"Just admit you're scared!"

Lei Zhen looked utterly contemptuous. "If you're scared, kneel right now, kowtow three times, and call me 'Grandpa'. I might consider letting you off."

[Ding! Detected Lei Zhen's S-Rank 'Arrogant Provocation' malice.]

[Judgment: This bastard wants to see the host humiliated and even wants to be the host's grandpa? The generational hierarchy is messed up.]

[Backlash Preloaded: Causality Law·Polar Experience Card.]

Gu Fan's expression changed.

He hadn't wanted to bother originally.

But if this guy insisted on sticking his face out to get slapped, then he couldn't be blamed.

"Alright then."

Gu Fan sighed and scuffed his slippers on the ground.

"Since you want to go for a sauna, I'll accompany you. But let's be clear upfront: don't come crying about the cold later."

"Cold?"

Lei Zhen scoffed. "Have you lost your mind from fear? That's lava! Idiot."

"Let's go! We, the Elite Class, will definitely secure the core! Let these trash see the difference!!"

Lei Zhen led his people away, his retreating back the picture of swagger.

Iron Man, standing nearby, seemed to want to say something but held back. Finally, he patted Gu Fan's shoulder with a grave expression.

"Gu Fan... your movement is uncanny, but that place... the environment is too harsh. If it's really too much, remember to press the distress beacon."

Gu Fan didn't respond.

He turned his head to look at Xiao Hei, who was squatting on the ground counting ants.

"Xiao Hei, how's the cooling on that double-door fridge in our dorm?"

Xiao Hei didn't look up: "Minus thirty degrees Celsius. Could freeze bacteria to death."

"Good."

Gu Fan snapped his fingers. "Go pack up. Bring the fridge, bring the air conditioner, and bring those crates of chilled watermelon."

"We're going... on vacation."