Chapter 111: Four Groups
"Add me in," Qiao Sang said.
They had already exchanged contact information yesterday.
"Okay," Jin Feifan responded.
A moment later, a notification sounded on Qiao Sang's phone.
After quickly finishing her shaomai, Qiao Sang pulled out her phone from her pocket to check.
The group name was simple and direct: Freshman Training Group.
Including her, there were 14 people in the group. Qiao Sang remembered the vice principal mentioning there were two teachers; including them, the number seemed exactly right.
The group announcement listed the gathering time, location, and several points of caution.
9:00 AM, Training Ground No. 2.
Qiao Sang checked the time; it was 7:45 AM. Still early.
The phone continued to chime with notifications; the group members were chatting enthusiastically early in the morning.
After a moment of hesitation, Qiao Sang switched her phone from standard mode to silent.
She definitely had to keep her phone with her, but she couldn't have it making noise during the training.
Inside the group
【Fang Qi: Those who just joined, please change your nicknames. Everyone should use their real names.】
【Peng Xiaoyuan: Oh ho, everyone's here, everyone's here.】
【Jiang Nai: Looking at that avatar, it looks like a girl.】
【Wang Jihang: Everyone woke up so early.】
【Lu You: Jin Feifan added the person, so it should be a guy.】
【Fang Qi: Jin Feifan is a girl, right? I think I saw her during the coordination exam for special admissions.】
【Jiang Nai: Who names a girl Jin Feifan?】
【Lu Liangye: A girl.】
【Jiang Nai: Yo, how do you know?】
Lu Liangye leaned against his headboard, watching the messages.
How did he know? After leaving the vice principal's office yesterday, he had scrolled through the group list and noticed one person was missing. Now that everyone was present, who else could it be?
【Lu Liangye: I'm talking about the newcomer. I just saw her at the vice principal's yesterday.】
【Jiang Nai: Who asked you about the newcomer? We're discussing Jin Feifan.】
【Lu Liangye:...】
Qiao Sang read the messages for a while, changed her nickname to her own name, and set the phone aside to continue her breakfast.
"Then let me treat you to dinner," Qiao Sang said.
"Okay!" Jin Feifan said happily.
Her roommate seemed very nice, and she felt she wasn't as scary as her two pets.
"How do the people in the group not even know if you're a boy or a girl? Have you not spoken at all?" Qiao Sang asked.
Jin Feifan said bashfully, "I'm a bit shy around strangers."
Qiao Sang was somewhat surprised. Some introverted people are poor at socializing offline but strike hard online; she hadn't expected Jin Feifan to be the same in both reality and on the web.
...
8:55 AM.
Training Ground No. 2.
"Who else hasn't arrived?" a man with a slender build and skin that looked fairer than a woman's asked, leaning against the wall.
A woman in professional attire beside him looked at the documents in her hand, comparing them one by one with the children who had already arrived.
"Two girls are still missing: one named Qiao Sang and one named Jin Feifan," Qin Wen answered.
"Why are women, whether old or young, so lacking in a sense of time?" the man complained.
Qin Wen glanced at him and said flatly, "The gathering is at 9:00. It's only 8:55; the time hasn't arrived yet. If we're talking about who lacks a sense of time the most, it should be you, Luo Qian."
"Didn't I come early today?" Luo Qian retorted.
"Heh," Qin Wen sneered. "Out of ten meetings, you're late for eight. Last time during the special admissions exam for autonomous awakening, you simply didn't show up. And during the coordination exam, you were nearly 40 minutes late. Do I need to keep going?"
"Sister, just call me your brother, alright? I only said one sentence, is it necessary to snap at me like that?" Luo Qian conceded.
"Don't. I'm 31, you're 32. I can't afford to be called 'sister' by you," Qin Wen said with a cold face.
Luo Qian: "..."
No wonder she hasn't married off yet; who could possibly put up with this temper? He wondered who would be so unlucky in the future...
"I'll let you pick first when we do the grouping, okay?" Luo Qian said helplessly.
"Do you have any sense of responsibility? This is about selecting the best lineup to confront the Li Altar, not playing house. We pick based on what's necessary," Qin Wen said dissatisfiedly.
Luo Qian: "..."
At that moment, the gates of the training ground were pushed open, and two teenage girls appeared before everyone.
The time was 8:59 AM.
...
Qiao Sang had actually been full after five shaomai.
But seeing a table full of food, she felt it would be a waste, so she took a few bites of everything. As a result, she overate and got diarrhea, which caused the delay.
By the time the two of them rushed to Training Ground No. 2, they arrived exactly on the dot.
Training Ground No. 2 was indoors. As soon as she reached the door, Qiao Sang heard the sound of a group of people talking inside.
Upon entering, ten teenage boys and girls looked over in unison. The conversation stopped abruptly, and the spacious training ground fell into an eerie silence.
Qiao Sang walked straight in. She was sharp-eyed and immediately spotted several familiar faces.
Three were people she had seen during the special admissions exam, and one was Lu You, whom she had met at the Baixin Competition.
"Alright, everyone is here. Gather over here," Qin Wen said, clapping her hands.
She was very satisfied with the two girls who had just entered; they weren't late, which served as a slap in the face to Luo Qian, and furthermore...
Qin Wen's gaze discreetly shifted to the girl holding a Fire-Fang Dog with a Treasure-Hunting Ghost hovering over her head.
Although the vice principal had already mentioned it, seeing it with her own eyes still felt incredible.
Fortunately, the vice principal had told her, giving her psychological preparation; otherwise, her authority as a teacher might have vanished on the very first day.
"Holy crap, how is this girl bringing two pets! And look at what she brought—a Fire-Fang Dog and a Treasure-Hunting Ghost!" Luo Qian whispered, his face full of shock.
Qin Wen ignored him; this flirt was surely too busy chasing girls to check the work group.
The twelve students quickly stood in a line, with their respective pets beside them.
Qiao Sang observed.
Small Ball-Puff, Short-Tailed Snake, Water-Ring Carp, Small Dig-Dragon, Electro-Bat, Deep-Water Turtle, Li-Point Sparrow, Power-Duck, Bubble-Bell, Long-Eared Cat, Ice-Snow Raccoon.
Including her Fire-Fang Dog and little Treasure-Hunting Ghost, none of their attributes overlapped.
The girl standing next to Qiao Sang leaned in and whispered, "Big Shot Qiao, do you remember me?"
Qiao Sang looked over and nodded. "I remember, Zheng Yining."
Zheng Yining said happily, "I didn't expect us to meet again so soon."
"I didn't expect it either," Qiao Sang said.
She had originally thought that those participating in the training were all students with strong combat power, but after seeing these pets, she knew she was wrong.
The Small Ball-Puff, Li-Point Sparrow, and Long-Eared Cat clearly didn't belong to the combat category.
If considering suitability for individual beast-taming battle competitions, among so many freshmen in the school, there would obviously be better choices.
Qiao Sang thought for a moment and considered another possibility.
Could it be that these twelve people were picked from those with poor academic grades?
"This is our first meeting. Of course, some of you may have seen us during the special admissions exams."
"The twelve of you were selected by a group of us teachers. Some are recommended students, some are special admissions for autonomous awakening, and some are special admissions through the coordination exam."
"By gathering you here for training, we will divide you into four groups: an Individual Battle group of 3, a Team Battle group of 3, an Individual Coordination group of 3, and a Team Coordination group of 3."
"Let me introduce myself. I am Qin Wen, responsible for the grouping of the Individual and Team Battles," Qin Wen said.
"I'm Luo Qian. You can call me Teacher Luo or Teacher Qian. I'm responsible for the Individual and Team Coordination groupings," Luo Qian smiled.
(End of Chapter)