In the infirmary, Teacher Yu and Su Zhe's father had already gone off to deal with something.
Only Li Chen and Su Zhe remained, looking at each other.
"Chen-ge, which academy are you going to? If I don't choose soon, my dad will drag me off to the Imperial Capital Academy," Su Zhe said bitterly.
Li Chen looked out the window without answering. He hadn't decided which academy to attend either. The two academies were actually much the same, but the Imperial Capital Academy's reputation was too great.
Almost every student wanted to go there after awakening, but not every student could get in.
As far as he knew, the Imperial Capital Academy only accepted students of C rank or above, and it also judged the strength of their abilities. Those requirements alone had eliminated countless people.
"What ability did you awaken?" Given the situation, Li Chen had long since guessed that Su Zhe's awakened ability was probably high-ranking and should have exceeded the Imperial Capital Academy's admission threshold.
Su Zhe patted his belly and laughed. "I awakened a B-rank talent, and it's a growth-type talent too. As long as I keep eating high-energy food, I can improve myself."
Li Chen frowned. No wonder his father wanted him to go to the Imperial Capital Academy. A growth-type talent was indeed powerful, with no real upper limit.
With his talent, as long as his family had money, he could buy food useful for improving himself from the black market or the Sequencer Mall and surpass his peers in a short time. It was indeed a good ability, but it also depended on his family's circumstances.
But Su Pangzi's family was clearly very well-off, so he should become a powerhouse soon enough.
At that moment, Su Zhe asked curiously, "Chen-ge, what ability did you awaken? Teacher Yu said you awakened a B-rank ability."
Li Chen froze. B rank? Wasn't his ability S rank? How had it become B rank? Had his eyes deceived him back then?
Or had the school deliberately concealed his talent?
"I'm not sure what my ability is either, but since no one else is here, I'll give it a try." Li Chen looked around. There was no one else in the infirmary now, so he wasn't worried about revealing his ability to Su Zhe.
Li Chen slowly closed his eyes and began to sense that power from before. In an instant, everything in the infirmary began to tremble.
Although his eyes were closed, he could still sense the various substances and energies in the air. He could even condense, release, and fuse those substances.
Su Zhe stared wide-eyed at the bedsheets moving without a breeze, his mouth slightly open. "Damn, is this really a fucking B-rank ability?" he murmured.
Li Chen suddenly opened his eyes. With a boom, everything in the room exploded. Cracks appeared in the drinking glasses and windows alike in an instant, until they finally shattered.
"Vector?"
He could easily control all energy and even transform it into other things. This was very similar to the power he had sensed before, so it should be the ability he had awakened. But he also felt a sense of discomfort, because he could easily sense that several other energies seemed to be lurking in his body.
Su Zhe stood to the side, dumbfounded. Thinking of his own ability, he muttered, "That's Chen-ge for you! Looks like I'll still need you to protect me from now on."
Li Chen had stopped using his ability. He suddenly thought of the space he had entered when he awakened and wondered whether Su Pangzi had entered it too.
He asked, "Baozi, did you enter a strange space when you awakened?"
Li Chen's words brought Su Baozi back to reality.
"A strange space?" Su Zhe was puzzled. What strange space? As he recalled, he had just followed Teacher Yu's instructions and touched the boulder, and then he had awakened.
Seeing his puzzled expression, Li Chen had a rough idea of the answer. "Was I really the only one who encountered that strange thing?" he murmured.
The strange space and the Shattered Throne at the end of the darkness—all of it plunged Li Chen into thought.
The awakening ceremony at the academy continued. The Evil Cult organization's attack had failed, but the damage it caused was still considerable.
In a teaching building, several people with deep, enduring auras seemed to be talking.
Dean Gu looked thoughtful as he asked, "Yu Qingnian, are the students in your class all right?"
Yu Qingnian nodded slightly, indicating that everything was fine. Looking down at the awakening ceremony still underway, he said, "Dean, why did the Evil Cult suddenly attack our little academy today? Is there something here that attracts them?"
Dean Gu waved a hand, his expression calm. "The Evil Cult organization is nothing but a clown. No one knows why they act each time, or what exactly they're looking for."
"Rather, they're simply trying to make their presence felt."
A cold snort sounded from behind them. The old man who had remained silent gripped his cane, his face full of anger as he cursed, "That damned Evil Cult nearly interrupted my grandson's awakening. Sooner or later, I'll destroy their shitty Evil Cult with one stroke of my sword."
Yu Qingnian's pupils contracted slightly. He knew that an old man close to the dean was certainly no ordinary person, but as he listened to the old man, a figure flashed through his mind.
Dean Gu naturally noticed his shock. He smiled and said, "Sword Elder, look at you. Rein in your aura a little; you've scared my employee half to death."
Yu Qingnian immediately came to his senses and said respectfully, "This junior greets you, Sword Elder."
Sword Elder's expression had returned to normal, and he had reined in his aura, making him look like an ordinary old man. His outburst just now had only been because he was too angry.
"You're Yu Qingnian, then?"
"You really are young. Good, good."
Hearing his praise, Yu Qingnian didn't dare accept it. Instead, he silently stepped back to Dean Gu's side.
He had heard of Sword Elder's formidable reputation.
Sword Elder didn't mind. He chuckled twice and cast a sharp glance at Dean Gu.
Dean Gu paid no attention to their actions. "Yu Qingnian, I'm planning to transfer you to Canglan Academy. The atmosphere there has been a little bad lately. Go set things right."
"Huh?" Yu Qingnian frowned, unable to quite believe it. "I think I'm doing just fine here. Why are you suddenly sending me to Canglan?"
He could naturally tell that the dean's words were only a pretext, but he didn't know why.
Dean Gu gazed at the sky, as though he could see the future. "Troubled times are coming," he said slowly. "We humans are too divided."
"What kind of behavior is it for the Imperial Capital Academy and Canglan Academy to fight every day over those elusive rankings?"
"The Strange Pavilion at the border can barely withstand the enormous pressure anymore. The inheritance of the new generation cannot be lost in our hands. We need people who can shoulder the burden."
"It's time to set things right. Humanity's fighting spirit has been washed away by our safe surroundings."
Yu Qingnian fell silent. He had spent several years here and had naturally seen a great deal.
Humanity was too safe now, because there were always powerhouses at the border who stood guard without fear of death. Not a single monster could enter these safe cities, and people lived far too comfortably.
But because of that comfort, many humans had become slaves to money. They believed that as long as they had money and power, they could continue to live well, looking down from on high at the humans crawling along at the bottom.
Little did they know that others were bearing those burdens for them.
"All right." Yu Qingnian nodded and agreed.
Dean Gu smiled and continued, "Sword Elder, why not send your grandson to Canglan Academy to cultivate in peace as well? It should do him some good."
The Imperial Capital Academy was too influential now, its position too high. The higher it had once stood, the harder its fall would be.
Sword Elder pondered for a while, then left. It seemed he had made up his mind.
"..."