Chapter 5: Sensory Training; It felt as if he could still smell the fragrance from before…
“Lu Yin?”
Zhuang He had just prepared to head to the cafeteria to grab a quick dinner when he saw a familiar figure as soon as he stepped out.
“Teacher!”
Lu Yin abandoned Liang Tong and ran happily to Zhuang He’s side, looking every bit the part of a student who loved his teacher.
“Mhm.”
Zhuang He looked at the uninvited Lu Yin. He didn’t offer to take him to dinner; instead, he simply turned away coldly and walked toward the cafeteria.
Seeing that he hadn’t received an “invitation,” Lu Yin visibly wilted. Liang Tong walked up and patted his good roommate’s shoulder. “Do you know what you look like right now?”
“What?”
Lu Yin watched the retreating figure. The man’s clothes were loose, making it impossible to tell he had such a thin waist, but as he walked, one could catch fleeting glimpses of his perky buttocks.
“An abandoned puppy.”
Liang Tong looked at him with pitying eyes. Perhaps Lu Yin hadn’t noticed it himself, but when he looked at Zhuang He, his eyes were like a puppy being held on a leash by its master, ready to frolic wildly. Unfortunately, his master had no intention of playing, leaving the puppy feeling dejected.
Lu Yin looked at him with an baffled expression. “What puppy? What nonsense are you talking about? Are we going to eat or not?”
“Going, going, going.”
The two entered the cafeteria with their arms around each other’s shoulders, but Lu Yin found his dinner hard to swallow. His mind was filled with images of Zhuang He and that tall man.
Would they press close together? Were they lovers? Would their spiritual powers merge?
Lu Yin bit his chopsticks and dazed. He didn’t know why he was thinking about these things; it felt like an instinct. His mind frantically simulated intimate scenes between the two, but his heart ached as if cut by a knife.
“Do you know who that Sentinel with Teacher was just now?”
Caught off guard by the sudden question, Liang Tong froze for a moment before recalling, “I think he’s also a teacher at our academy. His name was… I can’t remember clearly either. I just enrolled.”
“Fine.”
Zhuang He finished his meal quietly on the third floor and went straight home. He lay on his bed for a short nap, then took a Soothing Agent from his drawer. He pulled off the plastic protective cap and injected it directly below his collarbone.
The entire movement was incredibly fluid. The fine needle glinted with silver light, a sight that would make most people’s scalps go numb, yet Zhuang He’s face remained expressionless, as if it were the most ordinary task.
As the liquid in the syringe was pushed into his body bit by bit, he tossed the empty syringe onto the floor. The butler-cat immediately scurried in, took the syringe in its mouth, and left.
Soon, a heavy drowsiness hit him. Zhuang He lay flat on the bed, allowing the sleepiness to drag him into a black abyss.
The next morning, the alarm set on his light-brain woke him up. He opened his clear eyes, stood up, and changed his clothes.
The sun outside was just right, spilling through the glass window onto his exquisite profile—long eyelashes, a high bridge of the nose, and pressed red lips. If not for his slightly heroic eyes, one might easily believe he was a beautiful woman.
Zhuang He tilted his head toward the mirror to tie up his long hair. The sunlight was like a playful sprite, sliding down the bridge of his nose.
There were no classes for ordinary freshmen this morning, but he had arranged a session for Lu Yin. After checking the time on his light-brain, Zhuang He took a bottle of nutrient solution from the storage room and drank it; this was his breakfast.
He arrived at the sensory control room right on time. Glancing at his wrist, he saw Lu Yin was already inside waiting for him.
“Good morning, Teacher.”
As soon as Lu Yin saw Zhuang He walk in, he immediately stood up to greet him, but he froze before he could take half a step.
Today, Zhuang He was wearing a white top that seemed to be a one-piece with the inner layer.
Only a few middle-to-lower buttons of the white outer jacket were loosely fastened, revealing glimpses of snowy skin and exquisite collarbones beneath.
And that inner layer was actually made of white lace. The complex patterns covered his collarbones, visible occasionally through his movements. Because Zhuang He’s physique was truly too perfect, one could seemingly see the fullness of his chest beneath the partially unbuttoned jacket.
White casual trousers were tucked in at the front, outlining his waistline. His long legs walked forward steadily, yet they made Lu Yin’s vision blur. His gaze unconsciously fell between those two legs again; that was where Zhuang He had squeezed him with those soft inner thighs. Recalling it now, he felt as if he could still smell the fragrance from before.
Lu Yin’s eyes were almost fixed in a stare, and he didn’t snap out of it until Zhuang He was right in front of him.
“What are you looking at?”
Zhuang He asked with a cold face, noting Lu Yin’s dazed expression.
“Ah? No… nothing. Teacher, let’s go in.”
Lu Yin kept trying to convince himself: it was only human nature to like beautiful people, especially someone as stunning and well-built as Zhuang He. It was perfectly normal; he shouldn’t overthink it. The man was just his teacher. Once he graduated, he and Zhuang He would likely go their separate ways.
Entering the control room, Lu Yin was stunned by the sight.
The control room was massive, filled with rows of identical capsule pods. An electronic screen was placed between every pod.
The Empire’s First Academy lived up to its reputation; it was both wealthy and generous.
Lu Yin couldn’t help but click his tongue. It was the same with the physical testing ground earlier; everything was state-of-the-art equipment, likely purchased by the Academy as soon as it was released.
“Lie down. I will monitor your training progress from the outside.”
Zhuang He walked to a capsule pod and tapped on the electronic screen. After retinal verification, the pod slowly opened.
“Teacher, what kind of training is this?”
“Sensory control. It reads your subconscious desires and constructs a virtual reality based on them.”
Zhuang He pointed to the electronic screen to show Lu Yin. Lu Yin leaned forward, looked at it, and nodded in understanding.
Once Lu Yin lay inside the pod and the door slowly closed, the training officially began.
Zhuang He stared at the electronic screen outside. It would reflect all of Lu Yin’s physical indicators during training. If any dangerous values appeared, he could immediately stop the training and force him out.
In the past, there had been cases where a student’s values were abnormal, but the teacher failed to cut the connection in time, leading to spiritual power chaos. It was only when Zhuang He stepped in that the student’s spiritual power was rebuilt; it was extremely dangerous.
As the values on the screen shifted, Lu Yin’s training officially began. Zhuang He took a sip of water, his eyes fixed on the changing numbers.
Meanwhile, Lu Yin inside the pod was faring much worse than Zhuang He outside.
He only felt a flash of white light, and when he opened his eyes again, he was in a very familiar place: the Wanderer Planet.
Lu Yin was born here and grew up here. If not for his parents and his group of friends, he would never have voluntarily participated in the Empire’s free testing.
Currently, he was in a familiar, dilapidated small shack. This was a tiny, tiny house his parents had bought with all their savings. At least it was theirs, though they occasionally had to worry about intruders.
He sat on the bed, looking at the familiar surroundings, feeling a bit dazed. He remembered he was undergoing testing at the Academy…
The worn-out door, which creaked when opened, was pushed aside. Someone who looked completely out of place in this scene walked in: it was Zhuang He.
Lu Yin was somewhat dazed. Before entering, Zhuang He seemed to have mentioned that this place would read his subconscious desires. He thought it would be his parents or friends, but he never expected it to be Zhuang He.
He saw Zhuang He still wearing that white outfit, his face devoid of expression. Once he reached Lu Yin, he knelt down and spread Lu Yin’s legs.
“…Teacher?!”
Lu Yin felt as if he had been struck by lightning. His entire body froze, not understanding what Zhuang He wanted to do—and yet he did understand. All of Zhuang He’s actions stemmed from his own subconscious.
Zhuang He looked up at Lu Yin. He didn’t say a word, but his gaze was incredibly seductive, winding around Lu Yin like silk. He lowered his head and bit the zipper of Lu Yin’s trousers, pulling it down with a bit of force.
No matter how foolish Lu Yin was, he knew what Zhuang He wanted to do. His heart was on the verge of collapsing. Why would he have such thoughts about Zhuang He?! It must… it must be because Zhuang He was too beautiful and seductive!
He reached out to push Zhuang He away, but he suddenly felt a world-shaking tremor. Lu Yin looked up sharply; the Zhuang He before him vanished, replaced by a collapsing house and an approaching aircraft.
Lu Yin’s pupils shrank. He was actually seeing this scene.
The aircraft hovered in the air outside. Several people jumped out, wearing clothes of a style Lu Yin couldn’t quite make out. They rushed in, ignored Lu Yin, and took away the two people beside him.
It was Lu Yin’s parents.
Lu Yin tried to reach out and grab them, but his hands met only air. He watched helplessly as his parents were forcibly bound and taken into the aircraft by these people, which then turned and disappeared into the night sky.
And it was at this moment that Lu Yin saw the pattern on the aircraft. It was the emblem of the aircraft—the crest of the Empire.
Lu Yin’s chest heaved violently. He felt his heart racing as he knelt on the ground, looking in the direction the aircraft had gone. He even found it difficult to breathe.
Why… why didn’t he save his parents? Why was he so useless…
Lu Yin only felt a flash of white light before his consciousness fell into a slumber. Outside the pod, Zhuang He, with a serious expression, immediately cut Lu Yin’s connection.
It was somewhat unexpected. At first, Zhuang He thought Lu Yin could last a long time; after all, he was an SSS-grade Sentinel, and his spiritual power should be much stronger than most. However, he hadn’t expected that after only ten minutes, Lu Yin’s various values would begin to spike wildly, reaching the level of the machine’s sharp warning. Out of necessity, he could only immediately cut the connection to ensure Lu Yin’s spiritual power didn’t collapse.
The capsule pod slowly opened. Lu Yin’s face was ghastly. His brows were knit tight, as if he had seen an extremely terrifying vision.
But soon, his eyes snapped open, and he sat up, panting heavily.
“Are you okay?”
Zhuang He uncharacteristically showed some concern. He didn’t want this promising talent to have any problems.
Lu Yin didn’t snap out of it for a long while, staring at Zhuang He’s face for a very, very long time.
“I… I’m okay.”
“Mhm. Rest for a bit.”
Zhuang He didn’t ask what Lu Yin had seen. At this moment, all Lu Yin needed was rest and time to calm down.
Lu Yin stepped out of the pod and sat to the side with his head lowered in silence. Zhuang He reset the values on the electronic screen. Looking at Lu Yin, who was shrouded in a gloomy aura, he asked, “Would you like some water?”
Lu Yin shook his head, rubbing his brow as he pondered.
“Teacher, what level does one need to reach to pass this training?”
Zhuang He took a sip of water and said, “Steady values.”
“Did Teacher force the cutoff just now?”
“Mhm. Your values were already abnormal.”
“I’m sorry.”
Lu Yin kept his head down, sounding apologetic. He knew Zhuang He was training him with sincerity, and he wanted to reach the passing standard quickly himself, but it seemed he had messed up.
“It’s fine. Take it slow; don’t rush for success.”
Zhuang He rarely said comforting words, which also showed that he truly thought highly of Lu Yin. If his initial refusal was due to a lingering hint of doubt, after testing Lu Yin, Zhuang He felt that the boy might become an exceptional Sentinel.
With such a Sentinel as his right-hand man, his own life would be much easier.
He folded his arms and looked at the values on the screen, thinking about how to adjust. Lu Yin was clearly in no state to undergo sensory training again.
Lu Yin, seemingly surprised that Zhuang He would comfort him, looked up at the man standing straight in front of the electronic screen, only to suddenly encounter the large expanse of snowy skin on Zhuang He’s chest.
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