Chen Jing felt that the ground beneath her feet was a bit too soft.
She looked down.
Her gaze locked onto that puddle of a carapace mosaic, now deeply integrated with the mud, its original shape no longer distinguishable.
Looking up again, she saw Lin Qingyue beside her, with an innocent face and clear eyes.
That expression was so pure, as if she had just casually swatted a buzzing mosquito to death.
The entire world seemed to exude a sense of unreal absurdity.
Chen Jing's throat bobbed. She forcibly suppressed the ten million complaints surging through her mind and finally squeezed out an extremely professional and technical question through gritted teeth.
"This transformation of yours... does it take a heavy toll?"
Lin Qingyue blinked and answered honestly.
"It's alright, mainly just a drain on physical stamina."
She silently added the second half of the sentence in her heart: and an immeasurable drain on my dignity.
"Uncontrollable?"
Chen Jing had incredibly sharp eyes; she could tell that Lin Qingyue hadn't intended to cause such a huge commotion just now.
"Yes." Lin Qingyue nodded, her expression sincere.
"Do you know the trigger conditions?"
"I do."
"Then pay attention to it yourself."
Chen Jing nodded with a wooden face, decisively ending the topic.
With a trump card of this level, if the student didn't take the initiative to explain, she wouldn't pry as a teacher.
She tried hard to keep her facial muscles taut, attempting to maintain the composure of a teacher, wanting to forcefully drag this Ancient Martial Arts class—which had derailed all the way to the Milky Way—back to Earth.
"That's enough!"
Chen Jing abruptly spun around, barking at the group of students who looked as though a collective immobilization spell had been cast on them.
"What are you all standing around like wooden posts for? Keep practicing!"
Her booming voice jolted the students out of their daze.
"Student Lin Qingyue's combat style is, ahem, very unique, but that is her trump card, her ultimate burst method!"
"What you need to learn is the force generation technique she used earlier to deflect attacks with her spear, not how to turn into a Gundam!"
By the end, even she felt her logic was somewhat hard to justify, so she could only add in a tone that was half-self-deprecating and half-serious:
"Of course, if any of you can also conjure up a chunk of iron like that, not only will I have no objections, but I'll also give you a perfect score for the course right on the spot!"
Dead silence followed her words.
The students awoke as if from a dream. Wearing smiles uglier than crying, they silently scattered and sought out the newly respawned Stone-Armored Lizards.
However, the way they looked at Lin Qingyue had completely changed.
Mixed within their gazes was awe, fanaticism, curiosity, and a trace of fear stemming from the very depths of their souls.
They absolutely could not afford to provoke this person!
This thought, like a scorching brand, was deeply etched into the DNA of every freshman present.
Who knew if the next time they faced her, she wouldn't suddenly pull out a Star Destroyer from under her skirt mid-fight!
For the next half hour, the atmosphere in the training ground was bizarre to the extreme.
On the surface, the students were sparring with the Stone-Armored Lizards, but eight out of ten had their minds focused on someone else.
Their peripheral vision uncontrollably drifted toward the figure who had already returned to practice.
The other two, meanwhile, were openly staring.
They were simply too curious.
Just how many outrageously out-of-place forms were hidden within the body of that Priest, who looked as delicate and quiet as a neighborly Big Sister?
Would she turn into a divine dragon spewing dragon breath next time?
Or would she directly transform into a meteor and crash down?
Lin Qingyue remained oblivious to these gazes.
Or rather, she was already used to them.
She went back to the weapon rack to swap for a brand-new White Ashwood Spear, wholeheartedly throwing herself back into practice once again.
To her, the "Sam Mode" from just now was merely an unexpected little interlude.
What truly intoxicated her was the moment earlier when she deflected the Blacksteel Rhino Beetle's thunderous charge head-on through precise calculation and exquisite technique.
That ultimate sense of control—playing with berserk power in the palm of her hand—was her true purpose for taking this class.
She began to attempt more complex techniques.
A Stone-Armored Lizard charged over with a roar. Instead of retreating, Lin Qingyue advanced. The moment the tip of her spear touched its shoulder carapace, she gave her wrist a flick and a pull.
An exquisite guiding force was applied to the lizard.
The lizard involuntarily swerved and crashed head-on into another unlucky companion that was just getting up next to it.
The two monsters instantly rolled into a heap, tumbling over one another.
Her spearmanship grew ever more agile, the ordinary spear coming alive in her hands.
Every strike carried a rhythm and beauty resulting from precise calculation.
In the past, when using the Millelith Spear Techniques, she always felt that the way force was exerted in certain moves was a bit stiff; after all, they were designed for the tall and sturdy Liyue Soldiers.
Although Shenhe's Star-Stepper Spear Techniques were exquisite, her own build and strength were ultimately different from those of an adeptus disciple.
And now, through this basic training, she was taking those perfect "standard answers," dismantling and shattering them bit by bit.
Then, she reconstructed them, using her own physical parameters and strength habits as a foundation.
Ultimately, forging them into the one-of-a-kind "Lin-style Spear Techniques" most perfectly suited to her.
Chen Jing stood not far away, watching quietly.
The turmoil in her heart at this moment even surpassed when she saw the Sam Mecha earlier.
Transforming into a mecha might just be some kind of powerful special ability.
But what Lin Qingyue was displaying right now was a pure, terrifyingly high level of learning ability and comprehension.
She had only explained the theory once and demonstrated it a single time.
Yet this girl had already touched upon the essence of "using an opponent's force against them" in Ancient Martial Arts, and had even begun to extrapolate, coming up with her own variations.
This wasn't a genius.
This was a monster.
A spearmanship monster wearing the skin of a Priest.
"Tianshu University... really struck gold this time."
Chen Jing sighed silently in her heart.
Finally, the practice session came to an end.
Chen Jing clapped her hands, signaling for everyone to gather.
"That will be all for today's class. After you go back, carefully reflect on what you've learned today and integrate it into your own combat systems."
"Remember, Ancient Martial Arts is not a fixed set of moves, but a mindset for applying force."
The students responded in unison, but everyone's expressions were a bit hard to describe.
Originally, attending a good class and refining their techniques was something to be happy about.
But the moment they thought about how they had painstakingly practiced for half the day, only to realize they probably still couldn't withstand a single kick from Lin Qingyue after her transformation...
That tiny sense of accomplishment instantly vanished into thin air.
Just as Chen Jing was about to dismiss the class, a particularly gutsy buzz-cut boy in the crowd finally couldn't hold back and raised his hand high.
"Teacher Chen! I have a question!"
Chen Jing looked at him: "Speak."
The boy scratched his head, his gaze shifting back and forth between the teacher and Lin Qingyue, ultimately unable to suppress his bursting curiosity.
He took a deep breath, suddenly pointed at Lin Qingyue—who was wiping her spear nearby—and asked the ultimate question that everyone present wanted to ask but didn't dare.
"Student Lin's... that transformation..."
"Does it also count as a type of Ancient Martial Arts?!"
His eyes were so clear, so thirsty for knowledge.
Yet, what he was screaming in his heart was: Teacher, I want to learn that! (☆_☆)