In the days that followed, Xie Xingyan kept up a high-efficiency pace in her studies. She had become fairly adept at both holo-mecha simulations and potion-making.
But there was one fatal weakness—single-soldier combat training.
Even though she had cultivated keen battle instincts and proper responses in several of the small worlds she'd experienced before, her current body simply couldn't keep up with her mind. That mismatch was agony.
In the Mecha Warrior class, her physical fitness was solidly at the bottom of the entire grade. Interstellar physical fitness was measured by responsiveness, strength, endurance, balance, and more.
This wasn't just some arbitrary number—it was an exact analysis of each person's bodily capabilities.
So in the combat drills, Xie Xingyan often ended up serving as a live punching bag. No matter how desperately she fought back, her strength barely registered against her opponents' blows.
The others secretly sighed in relief. At least Xie Xingyan had a weak point. That eased the pressure on them quite a bit.
After all, she already stood out as a top performer in mecha theory and holo-mecha simulations. If she also dominated this subject, the rest of them would lose all dignity.
To make up for her deficiency, the only method Xie Xingyan could think of was hard work. She began training extra after class, especially by following the physical training routines published on the interstellar net.
Those sets of exercises were time-consuming, slow to show results, and left her muscles aching with every stretch.
But to patch this shortcoming, she forced herself to add three hours of training every night without fail, rain or shine.
She had no intention of being forever branded a "physical waste." If that meant putting in far more effort than others, so be it. That way, when her physical fitness level improved, she would have a reasonable explanation for it.
Time flew, and soon it was the end of the semester. Mentor Tonis entered the Pharmacology classroom with a serious face.
"Students, as the final exam approaches, it's time for the field assessment I mentioned before—our trip to Aoki Star. Please prepare yourselves mentally. Rest assured, the location we're going to is relatively safe. For hundreds of years, it has served as the interstellar hub of medicinal herb cultivation."
Meanwhile, deep within a hidden forest on Aoki Star, swarms of Zerg spread like a dark tide. From among them stepped a woman with the figure of a human.
Strangely, these Zerg treated her with the utmost reverence, not daring to move rashly.
This was Direna, the Zerg Empress who had been lying in wait on Aoki Star for a hundred years. She knew exactly what occurred around this time each year, and so she always warned her subordinates in advance to keep quiet and avoid exposing their presence.
"Restrain yourselves for now. Those little morsels from the Imperial Capital are coming again."
One Zerg elder asked with thinly veiled frustration,
"Your Majesty, we've been shrinking back like this for a hundred years. When will we finally carry out the plan?"
"The closer we get, the less we can afford to rush," Direna replied calmly. "Here, our strength is already formidable. But in the other star systems, our comrades still need time to amass power."
The elder nodded on the surface, but in his heart he was full of scorn: Wait, wait, wait… if not for the fact that this mother-insect outranked me, would I be swallowing my anger like this every year?
Back on the students' side, Xie Xingyan and her classmates had boarded the starship bound for Aoki Star.
Everyone was buzzing with excitement, gazing at the vast sea of stars. Only the unsightly wormholes that dotted the starry sky marred the beauty.
While her classmates brimmed with enthusiasm, Xie Xingyan felt a nameless sense of crisis. She was certain this assessment wouldn't be as simple as it seemed.
The accompanying instructors—Tonis and two others—didn't truly relax until they had landed safely on Aoki Star.
On a starship, the greatest concern was always running into interstellar pirates, though the probability was very low. After all, the mentors had brought ninety children with them.
Once they landed, the group was transferred by public flyers to their final destination—the Dar Mountains.
A thousand years ago, this range had been the private estate of Master Aoki, who had cultivated many radiation-free herbs there.
Later, an expertly designed isolation shield transformed the place into a natural treasure trove of medicinal plants.
"Every year, schools arrange for Pharmacology students to train here during this season," Tonis reminded them. "While you're outside, mind your words and actions. Do not get into conflicts with others. And remember the task assigned to you."
"Teacher Tonis, you've said it dozens of times already. All we have to do is collect thirty different herbs listed in the guidebook within the given time, right?"
The speaker was Darman, the class's most hot-tempered student. Tonis's beard bristled with irritation at being interrupted.
"What's this? Are you impatient just because your teacher repeated himself a few times?"
"No, no, not at all. Please continue, Teacher. None of us mean that."
They weren't joking. Tonis had a unique punishment method—the Scripture Recitation Torture. He never resorted to physical punishment, but he could talk at you alone for two full hours.
Xie Xingyan had once altered the proportions of a potion too boldly and gotten caught. She'd endured the torment of his recitation once—and from then on, she steered clear of Tonis as much as possible. The man's "spiritual attack power" was off the charts.
"Oh, and another reminder," Tonis added. "Your spatial buttons are equipped with communicators. If you press the signal in advance, your assessment results will be invalidated—unless your life is in immediate danger from an irresistible threat."
As soon as the instructors declared the assessment begun, all the students bolted like arrows from a bow, vanishing in an instant.
Tonis stared after their retreating backs, stunned. With a helpless sigh, he muttered to himself,
I'm not some terrifying Zerg. Do they really need to flee that fast?
Student (inwardly): Tonis-sensei, your scripture-reciting is more terrifying than any Zerg. No wonder you're still single.
Not far away, a Zerg squad hidden in the shadows bared their hideous mandibles, as though heralding the slaughter to come.