The students were hearing such scolding in school for the first time. School also permitted this to an extent. The reason for this was that most students were going into military service for some time. In the military they had to endure much harsher words and punishments than this. The students had to be ready for this. Hence this harsh treatment during the final year of the school.
The 10 rounds around the stadium was neither short nor long. Hence, the students completed it relatively fast. They quickly lined up in front of the stage quickly. The teacher looked at them satisfied. He did not show it outside. " It seems I need to train you in your speed and endurance first. Alright, let us start with running. Run 30 laps inside the stadium. Those who complete it quickly come here and do the other sets of exercises on the screen with the equipment provided. Now start!!!" All the students started to run. One by one they completed the laps and came for the subsequent exercises.
Ben was in a really difficult situation. His body was really sore from yesterday's exercise. That combined with today's class had put his body at limit. By the second set of exercises in the screen Ben was really exhausted and wheezing. Mr. Mahaansh saw this. There were some others who were doing exhausted like Ben. " All of you can take 3 minutes break after completing the 30 laps and 2 sets of exercises on the screen." All those completed were relived and started to take rest. Those who had not, pushed themselves to that mark to take rest quickly. After resting for 3 minutes, Ben pushed himself. He started to do the rest of the exercises on the screen. Rather than just trying to complete the exercises, he was paying close attention to his form. He wanted to complete the sets correctly. Soon he completed the exercises. There were some who had completed the exercises before him. All of them were wheezing after the workout. There were some who were struggling to complete the sets as well. About 45 minutes into the martial class, everyone had completed the exercises.
Mr. Mahaansh said, " Ok, now you have completed the physical training for today. We need to go somewhere for that. Come with me." The entire class went to the basement floor of the indoor stadium. It was almost as large as the stadium itself. There was a pole in its centre. The teacher clapped his hand once and certain circular spots near to the pole lit up. Mr. Mahaansh said, "Everyone stand on the circular spots." They obeyed. He continued "This is the training of your mental fortitude. This training is required for you to maintain your stability during energy circulation. As meridian seed becomes a part of you, it will start to absorb energy from your body or from external environment. It is your constant thinking that should control this energy intake. If not, the meridians will become damaged. Now this training uses illusions to train you. That is the explanation and purpose of this training. Let us begin without further ado. In 3,2,1…"
The pole in the room shined. The world turned black for Ben. After a few seconds he was standing in a battle field. It was a gruesome sight. There were many drones that were flying around. The command ship was hovering in the sky. He was down on the field. His body was riddled with injury. It was painful. He felt it. There were burns all over his body. Those burns were searing with pain. One of the burns was extremely deep and his flesh burned of making his bone visible. His heart sank when he saw this. Then he heard a sound. He looked up. All the drones were returning to the command ship. The command ship began to retreat. He was despair when he saw this. He saw a group of people coming towards him. They were tall and fair. They had pointed ears. He looked for a something to fight with. But nothing was there. His eyesight was dwindling. One of the Naturas went down on a knee in front of him. He could understand that he was mocking him. Suddenly out of desperation and rage he bit the natura in front of him.
Suddenly, he heard Mr. Mahaansh's sound "Hey boy, are you a lupis or canis to bite someone." Ben opened his eyes. He was biting the teacher's palm. Blood was coming out. He suddenly came to his senses and let go of teacher's hands. The teacher had a smile on him. Seeing this ,others started to laugh at Ben. It was also due to the name calling by teacher. But suddenly Mahaansh's smile disappeared. He shouted at them " What the hell are you laughing at?!! He at least tried to bite his enemy. What did all of you do?!!! You just surrendered and started to cry. Many of you even spilled tactical information. Is that how you are going to become citizens of this country?!!!" Everyone stopped laughing and looked down. Ben was still in daze and could not understand what was happening. The teacher continued his scolding "What am I wrong?!! You knew this was a mental projection, a simulation. But you could not handle even that. If he is a lupus, you are nothing more that insects. And you dare laugh at him." Then he turned to Ben. His expression slightly lightened. He said "Don't let this get to your head. Just because you bit someone does not make you a hero. But I like your attitude." He then turned and said to everyone "Perseverance, while it is not everything, it is still an important attribute you must have. Only the ones who persevere through difficulties will move forward. Don't you brats forget that.!!!!" Then in an eerily calm voice he said, "the training today is finished. Sit down in your respective places for 15 minutes after closing your eyes." Everyone obeyed him. The pole in the middle now emitted a light green light. Ben felt all his pain and soreness melting way. Soon it was replaced with a comfortable warmth. He had not felt anything like this in his life. All the physical and mental fatigue were gone. It continued for a while.
A while later Ben opened his eyes. When he looked around, he saw some had already woken up and some where still in bliss. Soon everyone woke up. Mr. Mahaansh started to speak "This was your first martial class. I have been quite lenient in this class." Hearing this everyone was stunned. Some started to grumble. Suddenly his aura flared up. The students were terrified. He roared "Silence!!! If this was the army, all of your front teeth would be lying on the ground now." Then he looked around. His mood became normal. "I have an announcement to make. The martial class is for the entire final year students at the school. There are 4 sections in the final year. There are 5 schools in the city. So, the provincial government and city administration has come up with a scheme to help talented students. It is also being supported by the federal government. The martial class will have several exams and competitions and all of the evaluation for all subjects will be in the class itself. At the end of the year, 10 students who have excellent track record in the martial class will be selected from each school. Their performance in other subjects will also be evaluated. If they are not doing well their place will be in jeopardy. Of the 10 students, the first place will have his entire expense for martial seed implantation subsidized. There will not be any hidden fees or conditions. It is totally free. The 2nd and 3rd place will have 75% of the expense subsidized. The rest will have to be paid by them. The 4th, 5th and 6th will have 50% of the cost subsidized. The rest of the students, till 10th place will have 25% of the cost subsidized. The first 3 places will have the luxury of choosing even the most variant type of meridian seed without any constraints. The rest of the places till 10th position will have their subsidies according to the meridian seed they choose. If they choose an extremely variant meridian seed, the extra expense will charge separately. So, strive for the first 3 places. Good luck and dismissed!!!"