This battle, from start to finish, kept the students on edge the entire time. It was only when they saw Teacher Mu slay that Level 8 female Carrion Vulture with a single sword strike that Ji You and the others finally breathed a sigh of relief.
Following that, everyone saw Teacher Mu’s Mecha’s cannon split into four, aiming in four directions, and then—
Boom!
Boom!
Boom!
After four blasts, the four fleeing Carrion Vultures were all killed.
Ji You raised a hand: "Quick! Salvage!"
Chu Jiaojiao, Yue Qiguang, Shen Changqing, Yue Qiyuan, along with Ji You, hurriedly salvaged the bodies of the Carrion Vultures before they drifted too far in the starry sky.
Ji You salvaged the one with the flower crown, and when she got close to observe the tragic state of the flower crown, she couldn’t help but feel a pang in her heart: head, feet, wings, feathers, skin... almost nothing was intact.
This...
This is completely ruined.
Ji You couldn’t help but mutter ’wasteful’, as she raised her mechanical arm, intending to grab the flower crown and drag it back to the spaceship. Just then, Mu Jianling, who had just finished the battle, arrived beside Ji You like an agile eagle, reached out, and picked up the flower crown’s head. Ji You was stunned: "Teacher, you..."
Mu Jianling was silent. With one mechanical arm holding the flower crown, she suddenly drew a small but sharp knife with the other, and then, in less than a second, she quickly sliced around the flower crown’s head. Ji You didn’t even see what she was doing.
Then.
Mu Jianling put the knife away.
Next.
Mu Jianling tossed the body of the flower crown into the depths of space, and it drifted away, disappearing in the blink of an eye.
Ji You: "..."
Ji You was so anxious she almost stomped her feet: "Teacher, why did you just throw it away?"
Mu Jianling responded without raising her eyes: "It’s useless."
Ji You choked and said, "How is it useless? The claws, beak, wings... if you pick through it, you might find something valuable!"
Saying this, Ji You was genuinely heartbroken.
Mu Jianling: "Do you think I, Mu Jianling, am some kind of junk collector?"
Ji You: "..."
Ji You almost choked on her words, taking a deep breath, she said with a slight grievance, "But I am a junk collector."
If you don’t pick it up, I will.
Mu Jianling: "..."
"Oh—" The tone was a bit prolonged, with a clear hint of amusement in Mu Jianling’s eyes, as she said, "Got it. Next time there’s junk, I’ll throw it to you."
Ji You: "..."
At first glance, there didn’t seem to be a problem with the words, but upon further thought, something felt off. It seemed, perhaps, that Teacher Mu was being sarcastic and mocking her again?
However, Ji You genuinely didn’t see anything wrong with collecting scrap. Scrap can be sold for money, improving living conditions. Moreover, these scraps are valuable items that, once recycled, can benefit the Alliance.
So, faced with the obvious mockery in Teacher Mu’s eyes, Ji You suddenly raised her chin with pride and said, "There’s nothing wrong with collecting scrap, I don’t steal, I don’t rob. I collect scrap with my skills, and I’m proud, I’m esteemed."
Mu Jianling shot her a sideways glance, "Let’s go."
After speaking.
She took the lead and headed for the spaceship.
Ji You glanced around, seeing that all the Carrion Vulture corpses had been fully salvaged, she quickly piloted her Wind Wing to catch up to Teacher Mu Jianling. However, Mu Jianling’s speed wasn’t something she could match.
Ji You could only watch her dust trail in the distance.
Five minutes later.
Xuzhou and Zhang Ye, along with Lou and Lance, controlled the spaceship, bringing it alongside Mu Jianling. The ship’s hatch opened, and Mu Jianling piloted her silver-white Mecha to leap onto the hatch. Then, she retracted the Mecha, revealing her face filled with a murderous aura. Yet, the moment she saw the students, that aura vanished instantly, reverting to her usual indifference.
Mu Jianling kept silent, glanced back at the starry sky, spotted Ji You’s Wind Wing, and then turned back to the other students, saying calmly, "You all performed well today, I’m quite pleased."
Suddenly receiving praise from Teacher Mu, everyone felt a bit awkward, lowering their heads to hide their blushing faces.
Then.
A clear voice rang out from the starry sky behind Mu Jianling:
"Ahhhh!!!"
"Teacher, you actually praised us?"
"Teacher, how about a reward?"
"Compared to verbal rewards, we’d be happier and more motivated with some tangible rewards..."
Ji You, piloting her Wind Wing, hurriedly climbed up the ship’s hatch, and without having the time to retract her Mecha, she anxiously walked over to Mu Jianling’s side, staring at her with star-filled eyes.
Mu Jianling: "..."
Mu Jianling felt an inexplicable itch in her palm, then she suddenly curved her lips and smiled: "Alright."
Ji You grinned broadly.
The next second, "Bang!"
Her forehead received a heavy flick.
Mu Jianling said: "Roasted chestnut."
Ji You: "..."
Ji You, clutching her forehead, gave her a sideways glance: "Teacher, that wasn’t fair. If you weren’t going to give us anything, at least don’t hit us?"
Mu Jianling: "I’m happy."
Ji You: "..."
Mu Jianling glanced at her, speaking calmly, "Besides, do I need to be fair?"
Ji You: "..."
This world, perhaps only this domineering, charming, and reckless Teacher Mu can be so unreasonable yet so justified.
Ji You felt quite speechless.
Then.
Mu Jianling said: "Xuzhou, Zhang Ye, Lou, Lance, continue flying the spaceship at maximum speed."
Having said that, Mu Jianling walked into a private room in the cabin and never came out again.
Ji You thought about Teacher Mu’s earlier solo battle against two Level 8 Star Beasts and how she wiped out that Star Beast’s entire brood. The whole ordeal, from start to finish, was actually very brief, less than an hour.
The drain on spiritual power and physical strength was enormous.
Teacher Mu went to rest, and neither Ji You nor the other students disturbed her. After a round of task assignments, Ji You, Chu Jiaojiao, Shen Changqing, Yue Qiguang, and Yue Qiyuan squatted on the hatch, processing the materials from the Carrion Vultures.
The materials from the Star Beasts are mostly used for manufacturing and producing Mechas, Starships, spaceships... Their usage is broad and crucial. Star Beasts above Level 4 have even more valuable materials.
The pile of Carrion Vultures in front of them had materials worth a lot of money.
Ji You’s eyes first targeted the Level 8 female Carrion Vulture. This Carrion Vulture was killed by Teacher Mu Jianling, who directly stored it in her Space Button and brought it back to the spaceship. As the mate of the flower crown, it was lucky enough not to receive the same treatment as the flower crown. Its body remained very intact at this point, with the bird’s head, body, feathers... all seeming complete, without major damage.
Ji You reached out her hand, ready to dismantle the materials off its body, suddenly pausing in surprise.