Travelling through the interstellar world, starting with the real and fake daughter - Chapter 222

The three boys had to complete training that pushed them beyond their physical limits every day. Not only that, but every few days, they were required to participate in sparring matches with the soldiers, and sometimes they even accompanied the soldiers on missions.

It’s important to note that even soldiers at the fifth level of cultivation had battle prowess that was far superior to that of three college students.

Because of differences in cultivation levels and the gender divide, Mai Dongzi’s living quarters and training areas were separate from the three boys. The only place they met daily was the officers’ dining hall in the evening.

By the third day of their arrival at the Third Army, it had become a regular occurrence for the three boys to end up with bruised and swollen faces. Occasionally, if they didn’t come back looking like that for a day, it felt odd.

This intense training regimen, second only to actual combat, made significant improvements in all four of their abilities.

Zhuang Huaiya had never undergone such formal training before, and with the ample energy potions provided by Mai Dongzi, his cultivation level advanced to the mid-fifth level in less than half a month.

Zhuang Huaiya’s potential for cultivation was similar to that of the two military academy students, but with the aid of the new-type energy potions, his progression was noticeably faster than theirs.

At the start, Mai Dongzi was in closed-door cultivation, with the only sparring partner available being General Su.

During this time, under General Su’s guidance, Mai Dongzi focused on mastering a unique set of skills created by General Su, which combined martial techniques with mental powers.

Only after she had fully grasped these skills did General Su begin arranging for others to spar with her.

Given Mai Dongzi’s cultivation and combat abilities, seventh-level practitioners were no match for her. Only those at the eighth level or higher could stand up to her in battle.

Eighth-level practitioners were not just rare in the Blue-Black Empire; even across the entire Dagula Star System, they were considered top-tier fighters.

Such high-level cultivators were few in number, as the military had recruited most of them. Even in an entire army corps, there were rarely more than ten eighth-level cultivators.

Practitioners at this level were almost all high-ranking military officers. If it weren’t for these people showing General Su respect, Mai Dongzi would never have had the opportunity to spar with them.

However, facing such formidable opponents was extremely beneficial for Mai Dongzi’s growth.

The most frequent sparring partners for Mai Dongzi were General Su’s personal guard. Although only the captain was an eighth-level practitioner, the others were all at the seventh level. If they attacked her all at once, she would still be overpowered.

At first, these officers approached the sparring with the mindset of just “letting the child practice a bit.” However, while every officer who sparred with Mai Dongzi technically won, each one felt exhausted, as the victory had not come easily.

Especially when they considered the age gap between themselves and this girl, they all had the distinct feeling of the “new generation pushing the old one aside,” with the older generation being crushed under the waves.

This also caused Mai Dongzi’s reputation as a genius prodigy to spread like wildfire throughout the Third Army, to the point that nearly everyone knew her name.

A month and a half later, Mai Dongzi’s mental power ability reached the late stage of level seven. Another half month passed, and her martial cultivation reached the late stage of level six.

Three months later, as the long vacation was coming to an end, the cultivation of the three boys—Zhuang Huaiya, and the two military academy students—had actually all improved. The two military academy students advanced by one small level, while Zhuang Huaiya was even more impressive, advancing by two small levels to reach the late stage of level five.

This pace of progress even surprised Mai Dongzi, as she had not anticipated it at all.

“Your cousin’s potential for cultivation is only average, but he’s very diligent and hardworking. Since this is his first time participating in military training, it’s not surprising that his progress is faster. If he comes back next year, there probably won’t be such a big improvement,” General Su commented.

Upon hearing General Su’s words about next year, Mai Dongzi couldn’t help but sigh inwardly. By that time, General Su would likely no longer have the time or energy to teach her like this.

Mai Zixuan often kept in touch with Mai Dongzi. After his cultivation had recovered to the mid-level of the sixth stage, Mai Dongzi stuck to her original plan and did not participate in the Cultivator’s Arena, because she knew Zixuan would definitely make it into the top five.

Zhuang Huaiya and the two military academy students also signed up for the Cultivator’s Arena. However, when the two military academy students signed up, they were already 19, so they were in a different group than Zhuang Huaiya, who was 18 at the time.

The two military academy students, with their mid-level fifth-stage cultivation, were neither at the bottom nor at the top of the youth group. Therefore, they were eliminated shortly after the competition started.

On the other hand, Zhuang Huaiya, with his mid-level fifth-stage cultivation, was among the top in the youth group at the start of the tournament. He played over thirty matches, winning more than he lost, and his rank consistently stayed within the top 100.

Unsurprisingly, the number one spot on the rankings was held by Mai Zixuan. In real life, he had to be called Jiang Zixuan, but he had changed his alias to Mai Zixuan for less formal occasions. During this competition, he used the name “Mai Zixuan.”

Neither of the siblings knew that after Mai Zixuan officially registered and participated in the Cultivator’s Arena under the name “Mai Zixuan,” the name caught the attention of Prince Arthur, who looked at it with a complex expression.

When Mai Dongzi and Zhuang Huaiya left the Third Army Corps to return to Capital Star, they were accompanied by Wang Rili, and they traveled aboard the starship that Wu Youqi had gifted to Mai Dongzi.

Mai Dongzi had informed General Su about Wu Youqi gifting her the starship as soon as she arrived at the Third Army Corps. With her current status as an orphan, aside from her uncle Zhuang, General Su was the most proper elder in her life— even the elders of the Xi family ranked behind her.

It didn’t seem awkward to her at all to tell General Su about receiving such a valuable gift.

Unaware of the complicated and twisted relationship between Wu Youqi and Mai Dongzi, General Su couldn’t understand why Wu Youqi would give such an expensive apology gift to Mai Dongzi and Zhuang Huaiya. The two military academy students didn’t receive the same treatment; their “compensation” was just a refund for their flight tickets.

In the end, General Su guessed that it was because Mai Dongzi had discovered the parasitic beast issue, which had essentially saved the lives of Wu Youqi and his son, so they had given such an expensive gift as an apology.

After all, they were all on the same starship, and without knowing about the parasites, they were just as vulnerable to being infected.

“Although I didn’t hold a public apprenticeship banquet for your safety, everyone who should know already does. You are my disciple. This gift, though expensive, is not something we can’t afford. Since they gave it to you, accept it, and remember that this is an apology gift,” General Su said generously.

The reason Mai Dongzi had to tell General Su about this wasn’t because she felt uneasy about accepting such a valuable gift, but because she wanted the starship to be cleared for passage.

Sure enough, after General Su learned of this, he arranged for her and Zhuang Huaiya to take the starship pilot’s exam. On their return journey, they would no longer need to take a passenger ship.

The first time they piloted a starship, it was exciting for both Zhuang Huaiya and Mai Dongzi. The two military academy students also seldom had this opportunity, so all four of them stayed in the cockpit.

However, the small starship had a cosmic star chart navigation system, so it could navigate autonomously. The pilot only needed to monitor the ship and be prepared for any unexpected incidents.