Enlightenment: Attaining the Dao at Age 8

Li Chang’an sidestepped, using the momentum to force back Shen Qiuyue’s next attack with his Saw Chain Sword. ”Not bad. This is getting interesting!”

”It would be boring if you kept holding back!”

Shen Qiuyue retracted her Dueling Sword, stood firm, and said coolly.

”Alright then, no more holding back!”

A smirk tugged at the corner of Li Chang’an’s mouth as his attacks suddenly sharpened, forcing Shen Qiuyue to go all out.

The incessant clang of the Saw Chain Sword and the Dueling Sword clashing on the training ground drew the attention of Han Ruoxi and Sun Yang.

”Man, the Captain and Sister Qiuyue are really going at it!”

Sun Yang stopped his shooting practice and glanced back. ”Isn’t it a bit too boring over here on our end?”

”If you’re bored, I can increase the current!”

Han Ruoxi said frostily.

”No, no, no! I was just talking!”

Sun Yang immediately waved his hands. ”Let’s keep going, let’s keep going!”

After training ended, the group collapsed onto the ground, exhausted and panting.

”Captain, this is murder! Isn’t this high-intensity training going to kill someone?”

Sun Yang complained while wiping away his sweat. ”I feel like I’m completely wiped!”

”Even if you’re wiped, you still have to train!”

Li Chang’an leaned against a wall, his tone nonchalant. ”The Insect Race won’t spare you just because you’re tired. This training is for your own good!”

”Fine, fine! Whatever you say!”

Sun Yang pouted, then turned to Han Ruoxi. ”Miss Han, how did I do today? Wasn’t I pretty reliable?”

”You were okay. You didn’t completely drag us down!”

Han Ruoxi replied casually.

’Is that supposed to be a compliment?’

Sun Yang scratched his head. ”It sounds so weird!”

”Stop messing around. Let’s go back, shower, and change!”

Li Chang’an stood up and dusted himself off. ”We might have a new mission tomorrow. Get some rest while you can!”

That evening, after the Insect Hunter Squad returned to their dorm, the atmosphere was still boisterous. No one had any intention of quietly going to bed early.

Sun Yang was the first to flop onto the sofa, letting out a dramatic sigh. ”I give up. Is the Captain’s training intensity even humanly possible? I feel like my legs don’t belong to me anymore. If there’s a mission tomorrow, I’m going to have to request a wheelchair to go into battle!”

”Oh, shut up. You talk too much!”

Han Ruoxi, sitting nearby with a cup of hot water, couldn’t be bothered with him. ”You can still lie there yammering on even with ’useless’ legs. Looks like your mouth is in perfect health!”

”Miss Han, why are you always picking on me?”

Sun Yang rolled over and leaned against the sofa with a wronged expression. ”I clearly did well today! Even the Captain didn’t say anything, but you’re still giving me such a hard time!”

”Did well?”

Shen Qiuyue, who was unwrapping an Energy Bar, couldn’t help but interject when she heard this. ”Sun Yang, have you forgotten that you almost missed and sent a pulse shot into the Electric Grid?”

Sun Yang froze, then sat up straight. ”Hey, that was an accident! Besides, I still took out the insect in the end, didn’t I? The outcome is all that matters, so stop harping on one little mistake!”

”Next time you make a mistake, I’ll zap you myself!”

Han Ruoxi didn’t even look up as she continued to sip her water.

”Alright, stop arguing!”

Li Chang’an, leaning against a table and cleaning his Saw Chain Sword without looking up, said, ”Keep messing around, and I’ll add another training session tonight!”

”No way, Captain!”

Sun Yang immediately threw his hands up. ”My bad, I’ll shut up!”

The dorm fell silent for two seconds before Han Ruoxi broke the quiet. ”Speaking of which, this afternoon’s training was interesting. Captain, were those tactics of yours planned out in advance? It felt like every step was timed perfectly!”

Li Chang’an sheathed his Saw Chain Sword and looked up with a faint smile. ”Did you think tactics are random? Every step on the battlefield must be planned. You felt tired this afternoon because your movements weren’t precise enough, and you failed to coordinate properly!”

”Captain, that’s not fair!”

Sun Yang couldn’t resist chiming in again. ”How many times have you and Sister Qiuyue coordinated? This was the first time Miss Han and I have ever practiced together. How can you compare?”

”Your first time practicing? Then you should have been even more serious!”

Li Chang’an shot him a glance. ”If the coordination is off, it’s not your teammate’s fault. It’s your own!”

Sun Yang was left speechless. He could only scratch his hair and turn to Bai Lin. ”Hey, Bai Lin, can’t you say something to back me up? We’re the tech guys here! You work behind the scenes too, you’ve got to support your frontline firepower!”

Bai Lin, sitting in a corner and intently focused on a terminal screen, replied without looking up, ”Sun Yang, you do need to practice your coordination. According to the data analysis, there is room for improvement in your shooting accuracy!”

”See? Even Bai Lin says you need to practice!”

Han Ruoxi chuckled and put down her cup. ”Just accept it, Sun Yang!”

”Fine, I give up!”

Sun Yang slumped back onto the sofa, an expression of utter despair on his face.

Before long, there was a knock on the dorm room door, and everyone turned to look.

”Who is it?”

Sun Yang called out. ”We don’t usually get visitors here!”

The door opened, and a familiar figure walked in.

It was Instructor Wei Zhuang. As soon as he entered, his gaze swept over everyone’s face.

”Everyone’s here? Perfect!”

Wei Zhuang’s voice was deep, carrying an undeniable authority. ”I just came from command. I have new orders for you!”

”Instructor, a mission this late?”

Sun Yang shot upright, his face a mask of reluctance. ”You can’t be serious! We just finished training—”

”Quiet!”

Wei Zhuang cut him off coldly. ”The orders are for tomorrow. Command has decided to intensify the cleanup operations on the outer nests of the Insect Race. The Insect Hunter Squad has been selected as the vanguard. You move out at 0500 tomorrow. The mission area is in a zone with denser Insect Race activity!”

”Five in the morning?!”

Sun Yang nearly jumped to his feet. ”Instructor, isn’t that way too early?! We haven’t even—”