Why Is Hiding My Abilities So Hard?

Cheng Han rode his bicycle to the school gate and found that it had been sealed off again.

This was hardly surprising.

Qin Zi Cheng was a student of Fifteen Middle School. Since the authorities had discovered that he was a Heretical God Believer, how could they not conduct a thorough inspection of the school? A barricade had been set up at the gate. Whether students or teachers, everyone had to undergo an inspection before being allowed through.

A large group of Patrol Officers in black uniforms watched the passing people closely.

Interestingly, one of them was an "old acquaintance"—Sentry Chief Liu.

Cheng Han silently muttered, What a small world, then joined the queue and waited quietly for his inspection.

Perhaps because of the several imprints, Cheng Han's hearing had become much sharper than before. He vaguely caught snippets of the Patrol Officers' conversation.

"Sentry Chief's luck is incredible... He got two merits for nothing..."

"A Deputy Director is retiring at the end of the year... Sentry Chief has a very good chance..."

Cheng Han's lips curled slightly.

Mr. Sentry Chief, you owe me a huge favor!

Before long.

It was Cheng Han's turn.

A Patrol Officer shouted, "The next five students, come over and register."

After a simple registration, Cheng Han entered the Security Room with four other students.

In the center of the room sat an object shaped like a tortoise shell. Its material resembled jade, yet carried a faint metallic sheen, and its surface was carved with numerous mysterious patterns.

Another Patrol Officer with a big beard gave his usual reminder. "This is the 'Profound Tortoise Stone.' It can check whether your spirits have been contaminated, and it is more powerful than the Profound Spirit Wall. Don't stare at it for too long."

He noticed that before he had even finished speaking, four of them had been unable to withstand the pressure of the Profound Tortoise Stone and were forced to look away.

Only one student continued staring fixedly at the patterns. It was not until he finished speaking that the student voluntarily shifted his gaze.

Big Beard watched him and asked with interest, "What's your name, student?"

Cheng Han froze for a moment before answering, "Cheng Han."

Big Beard spoke approvingly. "Besides checking for spiritual contamination, the Profound Tortoise Stone can also test the strength of one's spiritual power. Of the more than two hundred students tested this morning, your spiritual power is definitely the strongest."

The other four students all turned to look at Cheng Han, their eyes filled with astonishment.

Cheng Han felt rather helpless. Why was hiding his abilities so difficult? During Meditation Class, Qiu Yuan had quietly seen through him while observing the Profound Spirit Wall. Now, during a spiritual examination, even the Patrol Officers had noticed something unusual.

After a pause, Big Beard added, "Cheng Han, I estimate that among all the students at Fifteen Middle School, there won't be more than two stronger than you."

In other words—he could rank in the top three of the entire school.

Cheng Han humbly replied, "You flatter me."

He personally believed that his ability to stare at the Profound Tortoise Stone for so long was partly because his spiritual power was indeed not weak, and partly because of the imprints.

Big Beard laughed. "I've always had a good eye. I'm definitely not flattering you."

Cheng Han truly had nothing to say.

Who talked like that?

The other four students firmly remembered the name "Cheng Han."

Everyone knew that Fifteen Middle School had over two thousand students. For a student ranked in the top three, the chance of becoming a warrior in the future was almost above ninety-five percent.

In short, he had a bright future ahead of him.

Big Beard said politely, "Cheng Han, stand beside the Profound Tortoise Stone and place your right hand on its edge."

Cheng Han did as instructed.

Big Beard was mild and courteous to Cheng Han, but not nearly as polite to the other four. "You lot, hurry up too."

Yet no one thought there was anything wrong with that.

In this world, powerhouses faced greater dangers. Rights and obligations were equal; wasn't it only natural for them to enjoy privileges beyond those of ordinary people? Big Beard walked to the other side of the Profound Tortoise Stone, pressed his hand against a light-brown crystal embedded in it, and pushed down hard.

Crack!

It sounded like mechanical components colliding.

A strange fluctuation surged from the Profound Tortoise Stone in an instant.

Buzzz~

An illusory buzz sounded in Cheng Han's mind. He felt a trace of dizziness, but his body remained upright, like a tall green pine.

Within his Sea of Spirit, the three imprints seemed to have been stimulated by something, their glow brightening slightly.

The other four students, however, did not look well.

Their bodies swayed from side to side as though they were drunk.

Anyone witnessing this scene could easily tell that Cheng Han was far stronger than the others.

Big Beard glanced at Cheng Han several times in succession, the appreciation on his face growing even stronger.

At that moment.

Cheng Han saw an unexpected prompt: "Relevant spiritual-type 'Profound Markings' detected. Portions of its structure may be referenced to complete the Spirit Universe Imprint. Complete it?"

He was startled.

So the patterns on the tortoise shell were the legendary Profound Markings! So besides skill deduction, there was another way to complete an imprint! Cheng Han immediately said, "Complete it!"

Within his Sea of Spirit, the purple ball of light representing the Spirit Universe Imprint instantly expanded severalfold. At its very core, strange Light Thread structures rapidly grew.

Perhaps because it was merely "copying," the completion process ended after an extremely brief moment.

The purple ball of light returned to normal.

But it was noticeably larger than before.

Another message appeared: "Proficiency +32. Current Proficiency: 174/1000. Spirit Value: 11.8/16.3."

Cheng Han was overjoyed.

The additional 32 points of Proficiency set a new record!

The upper limit of his Spirit Value had increased by a massive 1.6 points! He touched the imprint with his mind again and obtained the relevant data: "Spirit Universe Imprint, Completeness: 6.78%."

Its Completeness had increased twofold! It truly deserved to be called a Profound Seal!

Today's gains were simply enormous!

Amid his joy, Cheng Han could not help but feel that every sip and bite had its cause.

After working hard for many days, he had found the mastermind behind the Grass Hound incident and helped the authorities eliminate Qin Zi Cheng.

All of this had led the authorities to inspect the school, giving him the chance to come into contact with the Profound Tortoise Stone. That led to his recent stroke of fortune, which in turn completed part of his imprint and finally caused the upper limit of his Spirit Value to surge.

In a sense, perhaps this counted as a reward for doing good deeds?

After one breath.

Big Beard called out, "All right! The results are normal. Your spirits have not been contaminated."

The fluctuation subsided.

Cheng Han's expression remained calm.

The other four students looked pale, as though they had just recovered from a serious illness.

Big Beard instructed them, "The Profound Tortoise Stone puts quite a bit of pressure on the spirit. It's normal to feel uncomfortable. After you return, drink more hot water and get some rest. You'll be fine."

Clearly, those words did not include Cheng Han.

Big Beard waved his hand. "All right, you may leave."

Cheng Han nodded to him, then turned and walked out with exceptionally steady steps.

The other four students staggered somewhat, clearly having been put through quite an ordeal.

The difference was obvious at a glance.

After walking some distance, Cheng Han caught the discussion coming from behind him.

"That boy named Cheng Han is so impressive. Why have I never heard of him before?"

"I remember him. Didn't the school select a group of outstanding students a few days ago to observe the Town Mountain Profound Wall? Cheng Han is from Class Three-Two. He's the one who took Fang Han's spot."

"I've heard about Fang Han. That guy only performed so well in Meditation Class by cheating."

Cheng Han could not help shaking his head.

There were far too many gossipmongers on campus. Even the slightest rumor spread at lightning speed.