Fang Ping and the others managed to find Zhou Shiping in no time.

Perhaps more accurately, Zhou Shiping came out of his own volition.

When Zhou Shiping saw them, disheveled and haggard, he shook his head. There are 10 people here, three are wielding alloy weaponry, Fang Pings Vitality is comparable to Shi Fengs, and yet all of you suffered injuries. Your performance is mediocre.

Shi Fengs not that strong. Under normal circumstances, Fang Ping, plus either Zhao Xuemei or Tang Songting, would be enough to defeat him.

Instructor, he was Peak Rank-1 on paper, if I recall correctly! Fang Ping said with gritted teeth.

Inconsistencies are normal. Some martial artists might achieve breakthrough after their information is uploaded to the system. No one can predict the odds of this happening.

You can refer to the info provided, but dont revere it like the gospel.

You can deduce that somethings not right from the mission reward of 15 credits, actually. You arent idiots. Cant you infer something as simple as that?

Zhou Shiping critiqued them one by one. Zhao Xuemei made a colossal blunder this time. You lost your weapon during the mission, and it ended up in the opponents hands! This is a mistake that might have cost you your life!

If you cant hold on to your weapon, might as well not use one. You may have been safer without one.

Tang Songting too. Youre unaware of the intricacies of battle. You let your guard down when Shi Feng feinted, and that was why your left arm got hurt.

Fang Ping, you youre way too wary of injury!

You retreated as soon as Shi Feng attacked you, even though he couldnt have done much to you if you held your ground.

If you had countered him, the others wouldnt have to get hurt.

Zhao Qing, you have done well, but you arent flexible enough. You went against Shi Feng when it was clear that he was desperate to break free.

If he didnt try to pursue someone stronger than you, you wouldve died!

The rest of you had weaker performances. Of course, the fact that you all didnt run away or create trouble for Fang Ping and the others is commendable

He continued, Fang Ping will take 25% of the spoils this time. Tang Songting and Zhao Qing get 20% each, Zhao Xuemei 15%, and the remaining 20% be shared among the rest.

Zhao Xuemei contributed a lot to the battle, but her share was reduced due to her nearly fatal blunder.

Fang Ping was not too concerned about the share of profits. There was a more pressing question on his mind. Instructor, I felt a Vitality outburst when Shi Feng tried to leave. Was that you?

Precisely.

Isnt that against the rules? Our mission is our own business, I understand. Even if you cant help, you shouldnt make it more difficult for us!

Also, the mission told us that Shi Feng was Peak Rank-1 when he was obviously an experienced Rank-2 martial artist!

The army gave us fake information

Zhou Shiping smiled insincerely. What are you going to do about it, then?

Double our reward. After the school doubled the 15 credits given to us by the army, it would be 30 credits.

You should give us 60 credits.

You sure have an imagination. 60 credits Even the reward for killing a Rank-3 martial artist would be less than that

Instructor, a martial arts institution should do everything by the book. Youre our instructor, and a Rank-6 powerhouse at that. We wouldnt dare to try anything against you.

But you broke the rules this time and almost had us killed! Is MCMAU just some lawless institution now?

Zhou Shiping laughed despite himself. After a while, he nodded. Fine. 60 credits it is. This is the only time Ill allow it.

Fang Ping, I still have to remind you to not overthink during battle. If youre too afraid of getting hurt, you might find yourself dead even sooner.

Noted.

Fang Ping did not disagree. He had indeed been indecisive on whether to fight or flee from the beginning.

He had made a decision, but then it was overruled by his fear of the Rank-2 martial artists relentless assault.

He had not been that indecisive when he fought the woman in front of his school.

His only thought was to bash her to death.

He hesitated this time, though.

It was because his opponent was a Rank-2 martial artist. On top of that, Fang Ping knew that he could have run if he was no match. When such a thought crept into his mind, he became less willing to risk his life.

Im still terrified of this at heart

Fang Ping said this in his mind. He had begun to harbor this fear when he witnessed the deaths of two students.

Even martial arts students could die.

Was he a coward?

Maybe.

Fear of death was understandable, but it was impractical during battle.

I have to fix my mentality

Fang Ping exhaled, and spoke no more.

He had received 25% of the reward, which was 15 credits. That, plus the less-than-1-credit he earned last time, amounted to a haul of about 16 credits in two days.

There was also the coming distribution.

He was awarded a Rank-1 Bone-honing Pill and a normal Vitality Pill.

These, added on to the compensation the school gave them before departure and the Vitality Pills he exchanged last month, meant that he had a total of 31 normal Vitality Pills, one Rank-1 Bone-honing Pill, one Rank-1 Vitality Pill, a bottle of Healing Water, and a Rank-2 Vitality Pill.

He had 31 credits from his one-month stint as the class monitor and the reward received upon joining the class. Combined with his mission rewards of 16 credits, he now had 47 credits.

He had up to 6 million in cash, 5 million of which was from his victories in the underground arena.

His credits had not boosted his Wealth yet because he had not officially received them, though his Wealth had increased to 11 million due to the pills he obtained previously and now.

A persons mentality could be conditioned. The past two missions had made Fang Ping more silent as he became accustomed to bloodshed.

Tang Songting was no longer as arrogant after sustaining the injury during the mission. The team did not accept any more missions for two days, choosing to return to school for recuperation.

As they rested, the other four teams continued with their missions.

On the 5th, news traveled back to school.

Something had happened to Zhao Leis team!

They had accepted a mission concerning the apprehension of Rank-2 criminals right off the bat.

Zhao Lei and his team had prepared for a few days before engaging their quarry, but they had no experience fighting against a Rank-2 martial artist.

During the mission, the team committed a mistake which led to one casualty and three injuries.

Death had finally revealed itself!

Fang Ping had expected something like this to happen. Although the instructors were present, they would not offer assistance unless the team was close to annihilation.

The instructor chaperoning Zhao Leis team was Luo Yichuan, a famed Peak Rank-6 powerhouse!

If a powerhouse like him had intervened, the students would not likely be killed even if they were against a Rank-5 or 6 opponent.

Someone died, nevertheless.

In the training room.

Fang Pings team was not the only one who had gotten wind of the news. Chen Yunxis team had returned as well.

The two teams stared at each other in the room. The atmosphere became strangely silent.

After a long time, someone abruptly said, The instructors wont help us! Unless every one of us died!

This time, Lu Kunqiang was killed. Next time, it might be us!

Were not twice-honed martial artists. We wouldve died for nothing!

Everyone, be careful, and dont do anything as stupid as having sympathy for someone else! If we dont kill, well be the ones who end up dead!

Skill. Skill is the most important thing right now! Zhao Leis the leader, but he wasnt the one who died!

Fang Ping, I heard that you guys fought against a Rank-2 martial artist too. Its sheer luck that no one from your team died. I think the school cant wait for a few of us to be snuffed out!

Why do they have to be so cruel? Were only freshmen

What does that matter? Didnt you hear the dean? They wouldnt bat an eye if a freshman died, because they havent invested many resources into nurturing them

Theyre evil!

Guys, quit complaining. We shouldve known that this was gonna happen when we signed the agreement before. Instructor Tang also told us before that the reward given to us was in exchange for our lives

The discussion intensified. The timid Chen Yunxi bit her lip hard as she kept silent.

Someone suggested in a low voice, The school didnt say that the missions were mandatory. What if what if we just rested for a few more days?

The people on Fang Pings team turned their gaze toward him.

They were scheduled to leave for another mission the next day, according to their initial plan.

Fang Ping took a huge breath before saying earnestly, The missions arent too difficult at this stage, and the schools generous in rewarding us. If we dont work hard now, we wont get the same opportunity in the future.

If we slack off now, how can we defend ourselves in the Catacombs?

I was afraid of death too. I didnt want to go on missions either. But now

We have to!

The missions arent too hard now. Well take some Peak Rank-1 missions first, and wait till more of our bones are honed and were equipped with alloy weapons before accepting Rank-2 missions.

This is the only time we can earn more credits in preparation for the future!

The school has made it clear that only the strong will survive, while the weak will be eliminated.

Were the most talented in MCMAU. No one wants to be left behind. One step back and youll be struggling to catch up for eternity.

Anyone wants to quit?

The room was silent. Then, Tang Songting exhaled loudly. Weve already made it to MCMAU, so why talk about quitting?

Fang Pings opinion of him improved somewhat. The guy was arrogant, but he was not a bad sort.

He had not hesitated in the slightest when Fang Ping had asked him for his alloy saber. At least they trusted each other to that degree.

Fang Ping nodded at the thought. He reminded the others, Prepare for tomorrow. Change your weapons, buy pills, get whatever you need.

Well carry on starting tomorrow!

Also, how are your wounds?

Minor problem. Zhao Xuemei replied.

Same with me. Its no big deal.

I Ill need a few more days to recover A bone in Zhao Qings hand had been shattered. It would take a longer time to heal.

Its nothing. Everyone can recover while carrying out missions. Rank-1 martial artists arent that hard to defeat.

Thank you

Zhao Qing did not want to quit. If he sat out the missions, he would not earn any credits.

Fang Ping led the departure on the 6th.

It was not as flashy as the previous one. No one drove their cars; they had decided to rent two seven-seater vans from the school.

Fang Ping had received his 16 credits during his time in school.

He spent 40 credits on a saber that weighed 4kg. A saber could be more lethal than a pair of boots that was what he had learned from his previous mistakes.

On the outskirts of Magic City, in an abandoned warehouse in Changfan Town.

Fang Ping cleaved the duandao in his opponents hands in half and kicked his chest. The sound of bones shattering rang in his ears.

Break his limbs and take him away!

Tang Songting stepped forward, broke their targets bones promptly, and lifted him up. It was then that he asked, Everyones improved. Have you considered accepting a Rank-2 mission?

Not yet.

Fang Ping spoke as they walked. Its only the 10th. I have an idea. You and Zhao Xuemei lead one team, and Ill lead another. The two teams will carry out Rank-1 missions at the same time.

Well meet up on the 20th and do a Rank-2 one. Hows that sound to you?

We dont earn much when the 10 of us work together, anyway.

Tang Songting furrowed his brow. Theres only 1 instructor

Do you still think that hell save us? So what if he isnt present?

Fang Ping took a dig at Zhou Shiping. He had shown his face now and then previously, but recently he had vanished completely.

Fine then!

Tang Songting nodded, gritting his teeth. Ill have honed 45 bones on the 20th. Im improving fast lately.

Me too.

Zhao Xuemei replied. She looked at Fang Ping and said, You couldve gone against a Peak Rank-1 martial artist alone.

Fang Ping waved a hand dismissively. We cant get a hold of our targets immediately after we accept a mission. Well have to find information and make other arrangements. Itll be too slow with only one person.

This was quite accurate. Zhao Xuemei had nothing to say to that.

They split ways promptly. Zhao Xuemei and Tang Songting led four, while Fang Ping took three with him.

Fang Ping did not know which team Zhou Shiping would be tailing. If Rank-6 instructors like him wanted to hide themselves, people like Fang Ping had no way of finding him.

Fang Ping did not care about how Zhou Shiping would handle the reward distribution.

After Fang Pings team completed their first mission, he confirmed that Zhou Shiping was not with them. An unfamiliar Rank-5 instructor was assigned by the school to distribute the reward.

On the 15th, Fang Pings team had completed two missions.

It had been ten days since they left the school.

Fang Ping had 40 bones honed at the start of the month. Now the number was increasing by one every two days.

On the 15th, 47 of his bones were honed.

Wealth: 8800000

Vitality: 297cal (297cal)

Mentality: 259Hz (259Hz)

Bones honed: 47 bones (90%), 1 bone (58%), 158 bones (30%)

Fang Pings Vitality would increase by 1cal with every bone he honed, which was a little slower than before.

Even so, he would be able to increase his Vitality to 300cal when he had 50 bones honed.

He would probably have a Vitality of 320cal when he reached Peak Rank-1.

Most Rank-2 martial artists would have a Vitality of 280 to 300cal when they achieved breakthrough. Fang Pings Vitality was already higher than most.

A high Vitality meant better explosive power and resistance.

In a small inn, Fang Ping was checking out his stats. After some consideration, he gritted his teeth and said, I have to hone 50 bones first! No one would notice if I improved a bit too quickly at this moment!

Zhou Shiping was not present, and the other instructor was elusive. Fang Ping decided to hone his bones with the aid of the system.

He would use more of his Wealth this way, but the investment would be returned with an increase in skill.

He required a total honing of 152% to achieve 50 honed bones. 152% meant 1.52 million Wealth points.

Fang Ping had made up his mind. Without hesitation, he internally voiced his intent to speed up his progress.

Soon, Fang Ping felt his Vitality surge against his bones.

The system used Vitality to hone his bones, but it only strengthened the bones and not the skin.

Fang Ping now discovered that there were limitations.

When a martial artist honed his bones the usual way, the Vitality would strengthen the vessels and skin the same time his bones were reinforced.

If the Vitality only strengthened his bones, it meant that he could no longer abuse the system when his body had reached its limit.

I knew it wouldnt be that simple!

Fang Ping was not surprised by the revelation. He waited for half an hour, watching as his Wealth slowly dwindled.

When the tingling feeling in his bones dissipated, he looked at his stats again.

Wealth: 7280000

Vitality: 297cal (299cal)

Mentality: 257Hz (259Hz)

Bones honed: 50 bones (90%), 156 bones (30%)

Fang Ping stretched his legs. The bones in his left leg crackled.

50 bones. I only have 12 left to Peak Rank-1. Now Im considered to be an upper-stage Rank-1.

I should be able to reach Peak Rank-1 by the middle of next month!

Fang Pings eyes lit up. He was a little faster than Wang Jinyang. Old Wang had only reached Peak Rank-1 at the end of the first semester; he was still Peak Rank-1 when he had come to challenge the martial artists in Magic City.

His Vitality is definitely lower than mine, and he had reached Peak Rank-1 later than me. His Mentality is definitely weaker when compared to mine too

That meansI can still catch up to him!

Fang Ping took a moment to calculate his losses. He was quite gutted when he saw his Wealth had plummeted to 7 million from the initial 10 million.

His Wealth was diminishing fast!

He had not returned to school, and thus had not received the credits he had earned from completing missions. He could only glean some profit from the martial artists he had felled during missions.

Those people, Fang Ping discovered, were mostly destitute.

If they had pills with them, they consumed them quickly. They rarely possessed anything of value.

After one or two more missions, well reunite with Zhao Xuemei and the others and start doing Rank-2 missions. Rank-2 martial artists are always richer than those on Rank-1.

Im much stronger than before. I shouldnt find going against Rank-2 martial artists that difficult.

Nearly no Rank-2 casual martial artists were twice-honed. Fang Ping, a thrice-honed martial artist, might have a Vitality higher than theirs. A battle between them could easily go either way