Curse Reply: After choosing Nawa, the cursed spirit cursed me for being cruel.

Gojo Satoru tossed the bag of apples in his hand, then looked at the two new students with great interest, especially the beaming Haibara Yu: "From Aomori? You came all the way to Tokyo to study, and even brought local specialties... You're quite the smooth talker. But..."

He abruptly changed the subject, leaning forward, his blue eyes behind his sunglasses flashing with ill intent.

"Entering a vocational college is quite different from a regular high school~ The training and missions won't stop, so don't cry and complain about missing home later, Haibara~ junior~"

Haibara Yu was taken aback by what he said, but then his smile widened, and he shook his head vigorously: "No way! Gojo-senpai! I've been mentally prepared for this for a long time! Being able to enter a vocational high school and work with powerful seniors to exorcise cursed spirits and protect everyone is my dream! I will definitely work hard!"

His eyes were clear and firm, full of the fearlessness of a newborn calf, which even made Gojo Satoru choke for a moment, and he curled his lips: "Tsk, hot-blooded idiot."

Xia Youjie smiled helplessly and said gently to Haiyuan Xiong, "Don't mind him. Wu just likes to scare people. Life at the vocational high school is indeed not easy, but if we support each other, it's not that scary. I'm Xia Youjie, nice to meet you."

"Yes! Natsuyu-senpai!" Haibara Yu immediately straightened his back and responded loudly.

Shoko Ieiri leaned back in her chair and said calmly, "Shoko Ieiri. The medical room is on the second floor at the east end. Remember to come over if you get hurt, don't push yourself."

"Yes! Thank you, Shoko-senpai!" Haibara Yu's eyes shone even brighter.

Duanmu Yan nodded to the two new students: "Duanmu Yan, welcome. If you have any questions about cultivation, you can come to me."

Unlike Haibara Yu, Nanami Kento stood quietly to the side after introducing himself upon entering, his expression remaining unchanged.

"Alright, you'll have plenty of time to get to know each other later." Masamichi Noimo said sternly. "Haibara, Nanami, your dorms have been arranged. Someone will take you there after class. The course schedules will be handed out tomorrow. Today is mainly for you to get acquainted with your environment and classmates. There aren't many rules at the vocational college, but there's one you must remember..."

His gaze swept over everyone, with particular emphasis on Gojo Satoru and Natsume Yuuki: "No fighting among comrades, no standing by and watching someone die. During the mission, team safety and mission completion are the top priorities. Understand?"

"Yes!" The crowd responded sparsely, with Gojo Satoru's voice trailing off the longest.

"Also," Yagami Masamichi looked at Duanmu Yan, Gojo Satoru, and Xia Youjie, "the three of you, your afternoon training will proceed as usual. Haibara and Nanami, if you're interested, you can also come to the training ground this afternoon."

"Then, dismissed." Night Moth Masamichi waved his hand, carrying his cursed remains, and was the first to walk out of the classroom.

As soon as Ms. Moth left, the atmosphere in the classroom immediately relaxed a bit.

Gojo Satoru immediately sprang up from his chair and stretched out a big yawn: "Ah, finally free! Hey, Jie, Duanmu, let me check this afternoon to see if you two have been slacking off these past two months!"

Xia Youjie closed his book and stood up: "I'm always ready. But, Wu, about that ancient book you promised me last time..."

"I'll get it for you when I get back~ You stingy thing!"

Duanmu Yan smiled faintly, "I have indeed had some insights recently, so it's good to practice them."

As Haibara Yu watched the three seniors interact so naturally and familiarly, his eyes gleamed with even greater envy. He sidled up to Nanami Kento and whispered excitedly, "Nanami! Look! The seniors have such a great relationship! We must work hard and catch up with them as soon as possible!"

Nanami Kento pushed up his glasses and watched as Gojo Satoru, with his arm around Xia Youjie and Duanmu Yan, walked out. His gaze behind his glasses was calm and unwavering, and he simply gave a faint "hmm".

"Let's go, Haibara. Let's go to the dorm to put our things down first." He picked up his backpack, his tone as steady as ever.

"Okay!" Haibara Yu immediately slung his bag over his shoulder and followed energetically, not forgetting to turn back and wave to his seniors who had already reached the door: "Seniors! Good luck with the training! See you this afternoon!"

His response was Gojo Satoru waving without turning his head, Xia Youjie's gentle smile, and Duanmu Yan's calm glance back.

2 PM, third training field.

The sun was scorching, and the training ground was burning hot. Masamichi Yagami stood on the sidelines, holding Juu Mukuro, with a serious expression. Shoko Ieiri had set up a makeshift medical station under the shade of a tree not far away.

In the arena, Duanmu Yan and Xia Youjie sat on chairs, while Wutiao Wu leaned against the equipment on the side of the arena, looking bored.

Haibara Yu and Nanami Kento had changed into training clothes that allowed for easy movement and stood in the center of the field with serious expressions.

Haibara Yu couldn't hide his excitement and nervousness, constantly fidgeting with his hands and feet, while Nanami Kento stood ramrod straight, his gaze calmly sweeping over the three seniors opposite him.

Xia Youjie smiled and said to the two freshmen, "Don't be nervous. The practical training is mainly to understand your current level and the characteristics of your techniques, so as to make it easier to formulate subsequent training plans. Wu, Duanmu, and I will be responsible for sparring with you."

"Sparring?" Haibara Yu's eyes lit up, even more excited. "Is it sparring with the seniors? That's great!"

"Dream on." Gojo Satoru scoffed, interrupting his excitement. "It's just some cursed spirit that He Jie releases, or some clone of Duanmu in his armor. You want us to do it ourselves? You two aren't qualified yet, junior~"

He spoke bluntly, even harshly, but Haibara Yu seemed completely unfazed, nodding vigorously instead: "Yes! We'll try our best to qualify as soon as possible!"

Nanami Kento's expression didn't change much; he simply pushed up his glasses again and said, "Understood."

"Then, let's begin." Masamichi Noimo said in a deep voice, "Haibara, Nanami, do your best to demonstrate your techniques and fighting styles. The goal is to withstand the attacks of the cursed spirits or find opportunities to counterattack. Don't worry about getting hurt. Shoko is here, understand?"

"Yes!" the two replied in unison.

"Jay, you go first," Moth said.

Xia Youjie smiled slightly, and the two cursed spirits beside him, whose auras were between level three and level two, let out a hiss and pounced on the two people in the arena!

One resembles a cheetah and is extremely fast; the other is like a giant worm that can spit out mucus.

Haibara Yu let out a low shout, formed hand seals, and his magical power surged. A layer of light golden light emanated from his body, seemingly providing some protection and power enhancement. He took the initiative to meet the speed-type cheetah-type cursed spirit. His movements were somewhat clumsy, but his courage was commendable.

Nanami Kento calmly moved to the side, avoiding the worm spirit's spit of slime. At the same time, a short knife-like cursed tool appeared in his hand, covered with cursed power. Seizing the opportunity, he precisely stabbed the worm spirit's weak joint.

The battle has officially begun.

Chapter 58 Guiding War

The battle began. Moth observed and nodded slightly. The basics were good, and the reaction was acceptable. One was hot-blooded and reckless but dared to confront head-on, while the other was calm, cautious, and good at finding weaknesses and using tools.

The cursed spirits fought them evenly for a short time.

"Hey Jay, what's with all this 'holding back' stuff? Are you just scratching an itch'?"

Gojo Satoru yawned and said sarcastically, then shouted at Haibara Yu and Nanami Kento, who were barely dealing with the onslaught of cursed spirits, "Hey! You two newbies over there! What's the point of just fighting cursed spirits? How about we get serious?"

Haibara Yugo scrambled to avoid a spray of slime, his eyes lighting up at the words. He wiped the sweat from his face and shouted, "Gojo-senpai! What's the real deal?"

Nanami Kento also frowned slightly, looking at Gojo Satoru, remaining vigilant.

Gojo Satoru grinned, revealing his white teeth, pointed to himself, then to Xia Youjie and Duanmu Yan: "It's very simple. You two, choose one of the three of us as your opponent. No fancy tricks, just a real fight, let us see what you're made of, so that we can teach you according to your aptitude in the future~ How about it, dare you?"

Without hesitation, Haibara Yu looked intently at Natsuyu Jie and shouted, "I choose Natsuyu-senpai!"

He had long been filled with curiosity and longing for this mysterious and powerful senior who could manipulate countless cursed spirits.

Nanami Kento calmly pushed up his glasses, his gaze shifting for a moment between Gojo Satoru and Duanmu Yan.

Gojo Satoru is renowned, but too unconventional. Senior Duanmu appears the most composed, but his aura is restrained, making him even more unpredictable.

He finally looked at Gojo Satoru and said in a steady voice, "I choose Gojo-senpai."

"Oh?" Gojo Satoru raised an eyebrow, his smile deepening. "Good eye! You know how to challenge the strongest! Alright, come on, junior, let your senior give you some pointers~"

Xia Youjie shook his head helplessly and said to Haibara Yuwen, "Since Haibara has chosen me, then come over. Don't be nervous, just do your best."

Noctua Masamichi watched from the side without objecting.

Allowing freshmen to directly compete against top seniors, despite the huge gap between them, is indeed the fastest way to expose problems and allows them to intuitively feel the difference.

He added in a deep voice: "Stop when you've made your point, be mindful of the limits, and understand, especially you."

"Okay, okay~" Gojo Satoru waved his hand dismissively, and walked to the side of the field. He beckoned to Nanami Kento with his finger, "Come on, let me see what you've got."

Nanami Kento took a deep breath, gripped the short sword in his hand tightly, and slowly let the magical power cover his entire body, his eyes becoming sharp.

Instead of attacking rashly, he lowered his center of gravity slightly, adopted a solid defensive stance, and kept his eyes fixed on Gojo Satoru's every subtle movement.

On the other side, Haibara Yuya walked up to Natsuyuu Jie, his pale golden aura of enhancement shining again. Although he was a little out of breath, his fighting spirit was high: "Natsuyuu-senpai! Please give me your guidance!"

Xia Youjie didn't summon any spirits; he simply stood there casually, hands in his pockets, and smiled, "Come on."

The battle, or rather, the one-sided instruction, begins.

Haibara Yu let out a low growl, channeling his magical power, and charged towards Xia Youjie, delivering a straight punch!

The momentum was strong, but the movement trajectory was straightforward, and the flaws were obvious.

Xia Youjie simply turned slightly to the side to dodge the straight punch. At the same time, he seemingly casually hooked his foot, causing Haibara Yu's forward momentum to be deflected, and he staggered a few steps, almost falling over.

"His strength is decent, but he's too hasty. His attack intent is written all over his face," Xia Youjie commented, his tone still gentle.

Haibara Yu steadied himself, his face flushed, and attacked again. This time he was a little smarter, changing his fist into a palm and sweeping it across Xia Youjie's waist.

Xia Youjie raised his hand and gently flicked it with the back of his hand, causing Haibara Yu's arm to swing involuntarily, revealing a weakness. Xia Youjie then flicked Haibara Yu's forehead with his other finger.

"The movements were too large, and the excess force disrupted the core's stability."

Haibara Yu covered his forehead, somewhat dazed, but his fighting spirit intensified. He adjusted his breathing and tried different attack angles and methods again.

Xia Youjie consistently neutralized all of his attacks with the simplest movements, blocks, and parries, occasionally offering a few key pointers.

On the other hand, the style is completely different.

Unlike Haibara Yu, Nanami Kento did not launch a fierce attack. He maintained a certain distance from Gojo Satoru, moving nimbly and constantly changing positions, trying to find Gojo Satoru's weakness.

At first, Gojo Satoru stood there grinning, waiting for Nanami to attack. But seeing that Nanami was just moving around, he smirked, "Hey, junior, you can't win just by watching~"

Before he finished speaking, he moved swiftly and appeared to Nanami Kento's left, casually slashing at his neck with a hand chop!

Nanami Kento's pupils contracted, and as if he had been on guard, he ducked and slid to the side, narrowly avoiding the attack. At the same time, his short sword flashed with a cold light as it slashed towards Gojo Satoru's ribs, his counterattack swift and ruthless.

"Oh?" A hint of surprise flashed in Gojo Satoru's eyes. With incredible flexibility, he leaned back, and the short sword grazed his clothes.

He then raised his foot and kicked at Nanami Kento's wrist.

Nanami Kento seemed to have anticipated this kick, and he pulled back his short sword, using the hilt to parry.

With a soft clang, Nanami Kento was jolted back two steps, his wrists going numb, but his eyes remained calm as he quickly readjusted his stance.

"Not bad observation skills, kid." Gojo Satoru became interested and stopped standing still. He began to approach, his fists and feet moving faster and faster, leaving afterimages in his wake.

The pressure increased dramatically! Nanami Kento was immediately put on the defensive and could only dodge and block with all his might.

Gojo Satoru's attacks may seem random, but the combination of angle, force, and speed is extremely subtle, often forcing him to defend and keeping him constantly on the run.

Nanami Kento took several punches and kicks of varying strength. Although Gojo Satoru controlled his strength, it still made his blood and qi surge, and his movements began to become distorted.

"Too slow! To the left!"

"You've shifted your center of gravity too far back! You idiot!"

"At that moment, you should have stabbed instead of parried! Where's your brain?!"

While playing, Gojo Satoru pointed out the problems without any politeness, his tone carrying his usual arrogance and disdain. Nanami Kento gritted his teeth, his training clothes soaked with sweat, trying his best to remember Gojo Satoru's "guidance" and try to apply it to the defense that followed.

He remembered this grudge.

He was indeed learning and adapting rapidly, but the gap in strength remained, and he was still completely suppressed, like a small boat in a storm.

On the sidelines, Masamichi Yagami frowned deeply. Gojo Satoru's actions were far from instruction; they were clearly a mockery and personal attack. He was about to reprimand him.

Just then, a thud was heard from the other side.

Haibara Yu finally ran out of energy and was knocked down by Xia Youjie with a clever move. He lay sprawled on the ground, panting heavily, sweat soaking the ground. He didn't even want to move a finger.