The rear entrance was already packed with students. Teacher Yu's expression did not change. Many times before, he had seen students who performed well in class lose all chance of continuing to compete with the others, all because of a single awakening.
This was a time when anyone could change their fate.
He chose to remain silent, looking at the rear door as it continued to swing, waiting eagerly for the next student to come out.
Bang.
Suddenly, the rear door moved as though something had crashed into it, and a plump figure emerged.
Su Zhe's rosy, glossy face appeared as he squeezed through the door. His gaze seemed to be searching for someone, but in the end he looked at Teacher Yu and shouted, "Teacher Yu, where's Chen-ge?"
Teacher Yu could naturally tell that he had awakened. He was a little puzzled that Su Zhe had looked for Li Chen as soon as he came out. Had he awakened some good ability?
"Li Chen hasn't come out yet. Go register first."
"Otherwise, if the Special Affairs Bureau takes you away, I won't be able to save you."
"..."
After registering, Su Zhe returned.
Su Zhe looked exceptionally excited. He hadn't expected to awaken a different ability. He had thought he would just accept his fate and settle for being the "foodie" Chen-ge had mentioned, but things were different now.
He was just waiting for Li Chen to come out so he could show off, but then he looked in puzzlement at the people from his class who had already come out and noticed something strange. Why had the class split into two groups?
Were they at odds over something? Had they argued?
Seeing how impatient he was, Teacher Yu smiled and asked, "Su Zhe, what ability did you awaken?"
Su Zhe grinned and pointed at his belly.
"Hm? Your belly?" Teacher Yu was puzzled. He clearly didn't understand.
"I awakened the B-rank ability Get Stronger by Eating. As long as I eat, the power in my body will keep growing stronger." Su Zhe patted his belly and spoke with a grin.
Clearly, he was very fond of the ability he had awakened. After all, perhaps it was a blessing from heaven for a fat man to awaken an ability like that.
Teacher Yu gave Su Zhe a slightly odd look and said slowly, "Mm, it's good. At least, it's definitely good for you."
"If you develop it well, you should be able to become an official like your dad and have some fun."
"Now that you've awakened an ability, you're a member of the Sequence Users. Which academy are you planning to apply to?"
"The Imperial Capital Academy or another one?"
Su Zhe answered almost instantly, without hesitation.
"I'll see where Chen-ge goes. Whichever academy he chooses, I'll probably apply there too. We've gone to the same academy ever since we were little. How could we change that so easily?"
"Loyalty and righteousness are carved on my back. I won't change a single word!"
"..." Teacher Yu was rendered speechless. He turned back to look at the rear door, which was still swinging.
After an unknown amount of time...
Almost all the students in their class had come out, their faces displaying every kind of joy and sorrow.
Just like the students who had come out of the awakening chamber before them.
But Teacher Yu was puzzled. "Where's Li Chen?" he murmured. "Why hasn't he come out yet? Judging by how long awakening normally takes, he should be out by now. Could he have taken a blow and be crying in there?"
The moment he finished speaking, the rear door was pushed open, and a man wearing a dragon mask walked out of the awakening chamber carrying Li Chen, but he did not register.
His voice was very hoarse, as though he didn't want anyone to recognize his real voice. "Register this student as having a B-rank ability and take him straight to the infirmary. As for the ability, put down simple energy control."
"He fainted during the awakening process."
Su Zhe hurried over, a flicker of admiration for the man before him passing through his eyes. In the end, reason suppressed it. He took Li Chen and ran toward the infirmary.
He naturally knew who the man was. He was one of the strongest people in the country and a member of the Chenlong Squad, whom Su Zhe had admired for a long time. But his brother was unconscious now.
He couldn't just abandon Chen-ge to chase after an idol, could he?
Su Zhe put Li Chen on his back. They were actually about the same height; Li Chen was only a little taller. The main difference was that Su Zhe had kept growing wider.
"Chen-ge... Chen-ge, if you don't buy me some extra buns to eat later, you'll be letting me down after I carried you to the infirmary like this."
At the rear door, Teacher Yu naturally noticed something was wrong as he registered Li Chen. Could someone faint in there during an awakening?
Nothing like that had happened in previous years. After filling in Li Chen's information, he asked the masked man who was still standing by the rear entrance.
"The Chenlong Squad?"
"Mm," the man replied.
Teacher Yu frowned and asked, "How did my student faint in there? Awakening shouldn't make someone faint, should it?"
The man chose to remain silent. He didn't know what had happened either. He had only received a message telling him to bring Li Chen out, and the instructions for registering the ability had come through his earpiece.
He knew nothing else.
Teacher Yu asked no more questions. They were not on the same level. He was only a teacher now, while the man before him was a hero who protected the whole country. Was he supposed to press him for answers? Clearly, that was impossible.
The two stood there in silence, watching the students come out one after another.
Soon, almost everyone had come out. Looking at the two small groups before him, Teacher Yu had known for some time that things would turn out this way. He spoke up. "It seems you already understand and know what paths lie ahead of you."
"Students who awakened successfully, come to the academy tomorrow to choose which academy you'll attend. Those who didn't awaken will attend class as usual tomorrow."
"If you have any other questions, you can come to my office, and I'll answer them. Your paths have only just begun, so don't give up easily."
"All right, that's it for today. Go home."
"Share the good news with your parents."
As soon as he finished speaking, the students scattered without lingering. Many were thrilled, and some were even racing along using their newly awakened abilities, seemingly eager to tell their parents what had happened that day. Others walked slowly with their heads down.
At that moment, the students also began comparing themselves to one another.
"Sigh... Is being an ordinary person really so bad?"
Teacher Yu sighed and looked at the students as he headed toward the infirmary. There were still two people who didn't know the situation, and he needed to explain it to them.
Just then, a barely noticeable flicker of surprise passed through his eyes. He narrowed them and looked in a certain direction, then vanished in an instant.
Boom~
An explosion rang out from the awakening chamber. In an instant, flames shot into the sky. No one knew what had happened.
Many of the parents standing by the front entrance began to flee, but quite a few remained where they were. They looked toward the awakening chamber with worried expressions. Their children hadn't come out yet, so why would they leave?
With something so serious happening, how could they, as parents, run away without regard for their children?
An old man in worn clothes looked through cloudy eyes toward the place where flames were shooting into the sky. He had taken his cane in hand, and an invisible, razor-sharp aura erupted from his body.
"My child is in there. Who's trying to kill my child?"
But just then, a hand patted his shoulder. He turned to glare at the person, and most of his aura immediately dissipated. "Gu Xingyun, what are you doing here?"
The old man called Gu Xingyun was the head of the academy. He stroked his long white beard and said with a smile, "Jian Wuqing, you old fellow, aren't you afraid that one swing of your sword will split my academy in two? You wouldn't be able to pay for it."
Jian Wuqing's expression froze. He snorted and said, "Then why haven't you sent someone to save my precious disciple?"
Gu Xingyun smiled smugly. "Don't worry, your treasured disciple is fine. That group from the new era is protecting them."