Chapter 21: Morning Run

The next day, 7 a.m., Nebula Academy’s sports field.

Jiang Tang stood listlessly in the line, her eyelids nearly drooping to the ground.

She had forgotten there would be classes the next day. Last night, she had been studying new cards and new skills, staying up all night.

At the sound of the whistle, the line started moving.

How had she ended up in interstellar society? High school students still had to do morning runs?

Morning run, whistle, early classes…

“Did I really transmigrate?” Jiang Tang thought with glazed eyes.

On the stands, a middle-aged woman in a crisp military uniform shook her head, her brow furrowed deeply as she looked at the disorganized line below.

“With this kind of morale, this kind of spirit, how can we possibly win against the other three schools!”

The head of discipline stood awkwardly behind her, cautiously saying, “Principal, please calm down. I will remind them right away!”

She picked up the microphone but before she could speak, the principal waved her off.

“No need. Bring in those shadow clan mutants.”

The discipline head gasped, “That’s… not appropriate. Most students are class C and B. Bringing in mutants comparable to class A might cause panic.”

The principal’s face was filled with disappointment.

“If they can’t even run away, then there’s no need to be card masters. It’s shameful to admit it!”

She then asked, “Which one is Jiang Tang?”

The discipline head scanned the rainbow-colored crowd and pointed to a girl with black hair. “That’s her.”

At that moment, Jiang Tang had finished three laps, familiarized with the route, and simply closed her eyes, running the remaining seventeen laps half-asleep.

A flicker of disappointment crossed the principal’s eyes.

With such a lazy spirit, could she really be a card master who had resonated with the Chinese Time Stream?

As they spoke, a massive black shadow burst through the field’s gate, instantly swallowing up the slackers at the end of the line.

The sudden chaos turned the already disorganized line into a complete mess.

“Who let the shadow clan in!”

Jiang Tang, slacking off at the back, turned her head to see the despair-stricken faces behind her being swallowed by the black wave.

Then, a whip descended from the sky, snatching a bundle of students out of the shadows and forcefully whipping them off the field.

“Useless creatures!”

A woman clad in black combat gear hovered in the air, her brows furrowed sharply.

“Run quickly!”

She swung the whip down again.

The shrill sound of the whip cutting through the air jolted Jiang Tang awake, and she nimbly dodged to the side.

The whip missed, but Jiang Tang swallowed hard as she stared at the cracked marks left on the ground.

Above her, the killing goddess glanced down, flicked her wrist, and the whip moved like a nimble snake, whistling sharply.

Two more lashes missed, and the flying debris struck Jiang Tang.

She was sweating coldly, barely able to thank the Great Sage for the agility buff she had just received.

She had to dodge the whip and avoid being swallowed by the shadows, wishing she could borrow the somersault cloud from the Great Sage.

“You little mouse, you’re quite good at dodging!” The woman laughed heartily and raised the whip again.

…

The nightmare of morning exercise ended, and Jiang Tang dragged her two weak legs into the classroom, leaning on the desk as she carefully sat down.

The moment her buttocks touched the chair, the previously fading soreness surged back, twisting her face in pain.

That woman was simply inhuman!

Even with the Chang’e card activated, she couldn’t avoid the whip.

The woman had swung the whip while laughing wildly, her maniacal laughter even louder than the screams and announcements on the field.

Moreover, she targeted only Jiang Tang’s rear end, making it impossible for Jiang Tang to sit properly now.

Old Sun entered the classroom and saw Jiang Tang’s twisted posture, his lips twitching.

“Hey Jiang Tang, pfft! Oh no, the class has started, why are you still standing? Sit down!”

Under Jiang Tang’s death stare, Old Sun fought to suppress a laugh, but the stubble on his face twitched uncontrollably.

“Standing keeps you alert,” Jiang Tang gritted out.

“All right. Ahem, everyone should learn from Jiang Tang today!”

…

Inside the principal’s office.

“Xia, what do you think of Jiang Tang?” The principal asked the woman who had been chasing Jiang Tang with the whip that morning.

Xia Qi lounged shamelessly on the sofa and downed her tea in one gulp. “Good reflexes.”

Although she had also been wincing and running under the whip, Jiang Tang was much better than some of the rookies.

“She’s just a bit lazy,” the principal added. “I heard she resonated with the Chinese Time Stream. What do you think?”

Xia Qi sneered, “I’m not Tianyan. What can I know?”

Tianyan was the Federation’s big data AI used by card masters to test talent. It had been running uninterrupted for a thousand years, recording countless streams of time, but no one knew how many exactly.

The principal placed her crossed hands on the desk, pondered for a moment, then picked up the internal phone.

“Check Jiang Tang’s ranking in the preliminaries.”

The reply came quickly.

The principal frowned.

Xia Qi asked curiously, “What rank? Top one hundred? No, top fifty, right?”

The principal put down the phone.

“No, she only registered last night.”

“Last night?” Xia Qi looked puzzled. “Could she be hiding her strength?”

“Considering she kept a low profile for two years and suddenly made a splash just as school started, it’s very possible,” the principal sighed. “Kids these days really know how to play.”

Still, the principal couldn’t understand why Jiang Tang had endured bullying silently for two years despite having strength.

If she had the power, why tolerate bullying?

The principal recalled the contract signed yesterday and fell silent.

To be personally involved like this—was it all leading up to today?

The contract was not much for Nebula Academy, but for the principal, it was significant.

She had been in office less than a week, and already a bullying scandal had erupted. Her career prospects looked bleak.

The principal’s face grew serious.

“Xia, since you have some free time, why not become a temporary teacher for the third grade and teach combat classes?”

Xia Qi wanted to see the quality of these kids too. She agreed without hesitation, excitement practically overflowing in her eyes.

“What if Jiang Tang doesn’t choose my class?”

Nebula Academy used an elective system. Combat class was compulsory, but there were multiple teachers.

Xia Qi had left a deep impression on Jiang Tang that morning and worried Jiang Tang might pick another teacher.

The principal picked up the phone again.

“Adjust Jiang Tang’s course selection system so that Xia Qi is the only teacher available for combat class.”

Xia Qi’s maniacal laughter echoed again in the office.

Meanwhile, on the other side, Jiang Tang had no idea her hard days were just beginning.

She was selecting her courses.

Just now, the schedule had frozen. After refreshing it, she felt as if the sky had fallen.

The compulsory combat class had only one teacher left!

Jiang Tang stared at Xia Qi’s avatar again and again. Wasn’t that the very woman who had whipped her this morning?

She refreshed multiple times stubbornly, but it was still only Xia Qi.

Life was truly dark!

Old Sun walked over, glanced at Jiang Tang’s schedule, then patted her shoulder sympathetically.

“Good luck. That woman’s tricks are endless.”