The Third Fragmented Imprint

As time passed, more and more students gathered on the field.

As an inspector, Cheng Han stood quietly at the back of the crowd. He casually glanced to the right, his gaze swiftly sweeping over several dozen students.

Class 5, Grade 3! Those students had gone to the Botanical Garden yesterday.

At the same time, Cheng Han focused his mind intensely, a strange light flickering in his eyes.

In just a moment, his Spirit Value decreased by 0.1 points.

Cheng Han exhaled and closed his eyes slightly.

In his mind, the outlines of the backs of all forty-nine students in Class 5 appeared one after another. Most of the details were clearly visible, as though they had been "imprinted" into his mind.

The corners of Cheng Han's lips lifted. "Not bad! Using 'Imprint' to memorize targets is far more efficient."

So-called "Imprint" was an advanced meditation technique.

During one Meditation Class, Qiu Yuan had said that only those who had formally condensed a Source Sense Imprint could master this technique.

Last night, Cheng Han had a sudden idea and tried Imprint. To his surprise, he succeeded on his first attempt.

He felt that this was probably thanks to his two Fragmented Imprints.

Fragmented Imprints were more advanced than Source Sense Imprints. With two Fragmented Imprints in his Sea of Spirit, he had already broken through some kind of limitation, so mastering Imprint naturally posed no difficulty.

In just over ten seconds, Cheng Han Imprinted the several hundred students from seven classes into his mind.

He thought with satisfaction, Next, I just need to pick out the boys who fit the criteria, then use the Eye of Omniscience for Deduction to find the real mastermind.

Before long, all the students in the school had arrived, and the Grand Assembly Drill officially began.

Boom! Boom!

Two large drums were struck, producing resounding peals.

Every student felt their spirits lift, their attention becoming intensely focused.

Cheng Han immediately noticed that the two Fragmented Imprints in his Sea of Spirit trembled slightly.

He was instantly surprised.

There was no doubt that the drumbeats were unusual.

Or rather, the drums themselves were no ordinary objects.

Before this, Cheng Han had thought that drumming was merely a ritual. Upon hearing the drums, students would naturally have their attention drawn to them.

But now, it seemed that the drums surely possessed some extraordinary power. Their sound could stimulate the students' mental state and make them more focused.

Boom! Boom!

The drums sounded again.

Feeling the stirrings of the Fragmented Imprints, Cheng Han decisively murmured, "Analyze the drumbeats."

The level of one's Spirit Value was directly tied to the strength of one's extraordinary power. Since the drumbeats could sharpen the mind, they were obviously of great benefit to Spirit Value.

Now that he had encountered them, how could he let the opportunity slip away?

A familiar coolness spread over the top of his head.

His Spirit Value began to plummet.

Boom!

An illusory drumbeat rang out in Cheng Han's mind.

The cool sensation on his scalp rapidly spread outward, seeping through his skin, penetrating his skull, and reaching deep into his brain.

Half a breath later, he felt as though his head had been plunged into icy water. His thoughts became clearer than ever, devoid of even the slightest distracting notion.

Then, Cheng Han "saw" a strand of deep purple Light Threads.

It grew rapidly, taking on a strange form in an instant. Then it emitted a faint purple Halo, like a purple Light Orb.

A message flashed through his mind: "Analyzed the 'Spirit Universe Imprint.' Proficiency +9. Current Proficiency: 87/1000. Spirit Value: 5.8/14.5."

Cheng Han's heart brimmed with joy.

A third Fragmented Imprint! His Spirit Value limit had increased by a full 0.7 points! This was the greatest increase so far!

In addition, Cheng Han faintly felt an indescribable sense of fullness.

It was not that his stomach was full.

Rather, it was as if his soul were a little too full.

He came to an understanding: at his current level of strength, his Sea of Spirit could hold no more than three Fragmented Imprints. Any more would exceed the limits of his mental capacity.

Only after his personal strength underwent another leap could he condense more Fragmented Imprints.

Cheng Han lightly touched the purple Light Orb with his mind, and a stream of information appeared out of nowhere in his thoughts: "Spirit Universe Imprint. Completeness: 2.38%."

Judging from the number, the new Fragmented Imprint had less development potential than the Fragmented Imprint of True Flame, but far more than the Fragmented Imprint of Spirit Control.

He also understood the effects of the Spirit Universe Imprint.

First, this Fragmented Imprint could slowly nourish the soul. Since the soul was closely related to Spirit Value, it could increase the upper limit of Spirit Value.

This was also its most delightful effect.

The sudden increase of 0.7 points in Spirit Value just now was precisely due to this.

Second, the Fragmented Imprint could increase the recovery rate of Spirit Value. At its current level, it could improve it by around twenty percent.

Third, it could also enhance concentration, thereby making cultivation more efficient.

Aside from these effects, the Spirit Universe Imprint had many other interesting minor uses.

In short, it was immensely useful.

At this moment, a firm and powerful voice rang out from the Rostrum.

"Students, I will now demonstrate the Nine Elements Strengthening Body Technique. Please watch carefully."

The speaker was a burly middle-aged man, a Retired Warrior from the Black Armor Army. He was one of the school's two Vice Principals, named Yan Dongting.

The so-called Nine Elements Strengthening Body Technique was a set of techniques for strengthening the body and improving one's health.

Under the gaze of thousands, Yan Dongting assumed an opening stance and shouted, "Ha!"

Cheng Han blinked.

To others, the Vice Principal had merely shouted, but Cheng Han had gained some understanding of extraordinary power and immediately recognized that this shout had an effect that could intimidate the mind.

Cheng Han silently praised him. As expected of a warrior. Even a casual shout contains hidden intricacies!

On the Rostrum, Yan Dongting spread his arms, bent his legs into a horse stance, leaned his body back, and twisted his waist into an exceedingly strange stretching posture.

At the same time, he explained, "The first form: the Hidden Horse Stance."

The Nine Elements Strengthening Body Technique had a total of thirteen forms.

For ordinary people, every form tested the body. The later the posture, the higher the difficulty and the harder it was to master.

Not a single student in the entire school could complete a standard set of the Nine Elements Strengthening Body Technique.

Qiu Yuan had once said that from the seventh form onward, ninety percent of students would perform the movements incorrectly. They might look roughly the same, but the difference was vast.

Cheng Han decisively used Imprint, firmly recording the form in his mind.

In the past, like everyone else, he had regarded it only as a method of exercising the body.

But today, he saw something different.

Three minutes later, the demonstration ended.

Yan Dongting gave the usual instructions. "For this Grand Assembly Drill, practice diligently. Do not be careless or slack off."

After saying that, he turned around and left without hesitation.

Cheng Han pondered, The Nine Elements Strengthening Body Technique seems capable of drawing upon Source Energy to slowly temper the body. This is quite an impressive technique and worth studying carefully.

If I'm not mistaken, pairing it with a specialized Profound Seal—the Body Forging Imprint that only warriors can condense—would probably improve the cultivation results by a great deal.

The school holds Grand Assembly Drills regularly, and even has Retired Warriors demonstrate the Nine Elements Strengthening Body Technique before everyone. The authorities are certainly putting in considerable effort to cultivate talent.

He secretly decided that from now on, in addition to accumulating Skill Proficiency and analyzing the three Fragmented Imprints, he would have to set aside time to diligently practice the Nine Elements Strengthening Body Technique.

On the Rostrum, another teacher gave an order. "Everyone, begin practicing now."

All the students moved in unison.

Cheng Han swung his arms and raised his legs, assuming a standard Hidden Horse Stance.

Using the corner of his eye, he observed the other students and found that quite a few of them moved listlessly, clearly just going through the motions. He could not help but sigh.

What a bunch of fools who don't know a good thing when they see one!