A True Genius

Facing Qiu Yuan's gaze and the intense scrutiny of the entire class, Cheng Han found it impossible to refuse. He could only give a simple two-word reply: "Okay."

There was no helping it.

Now that someone had caught a glimpse beneath the surface, there was little point in continuing to hide it.

He might as well go all out and test exactly where his limits lay.

Qiu Yuan smiled faintly and reached out to push open the door to the small compartment. "Cheng Han, go in first."

He turned to look at the other students and sternly warned, "This observation of the Profound Spirit Wall is very important to Cheng Han. Everyone must remain quiet, or watch out for my ruler."

That sounded rather like a double standard.

Did he mean that only Cheng Han's observation mattered, while everyone else's did not?

But no one dared to say a word.

After Cheng Han entered, Qiu Yuan personally shut the door behind him.

After quite a while.

One boy, usually rather restless, muttered in an extremely low voice, "Hmph. I'm talking. Come hit me with your ruler, then?"

Several students nearby immediately smiled.

Teenagers in their chuunibyou phase were at their most rebellious.

More people, however, looked envious.

Who wouldn't want to be specially looked after by Qiu Yuan like Cheng Han was, enjoying the privilege of a private room?

... Inside the small compartment.

Qiu Yuan was utterly unlike his usual cold self, his face full of smiles. "Student Cheng Han, let me know when you're ready, and I'll start timing."

Cheng Han was not used to such enthusiasm, but he still replied, "Understood."

In every previous Meditation Class, Qiu Yuan had decided when the observation session began. When had students ever been allowed to make that call? He used his mind to stir the Spirit Universe Imprint. A faint purple glow began to flow, and his state of mind instantly became calm as still water, without the slightest ripple.

Within the mysterious Spiritual Domain, the Imprint possessed an incredible effect. It could alter one's emotions at will—if he wanted to weep, he could weep; if he wanted to laugh wildly, he could laugh wildly.

Cheng Han felt that if he returned to his previous life, he might be able to make a name for himself in the film industry with this ability to cry and laugh on command.

Qiu Yuan noticed the change in him and secretly nodded.

He had adjusted himself so quickly. It seemed he had still underestimated this student's abilities.

Cheng Han shifted his gaze to the Profound Spirit Wall before him and said indifferently, "Teacher Qiu, I'm starting."

Relying on his formidable mental power, he instantly pierced the invisible barrier of the stone wall and saw every stroke of the Spirit Shadow Diagram clearly.

Click!

Qiu Yuan pressed his stopwatch. As he observed Cheng Han, he also kept an eye on the Pointer on the dial from the corner of his eye.

After a moment.

A thought inexplicably came to Cheng Han—he had previously used the Imprint method to successfully locate Qin Zi Cheng. Why not use Imprint to take a look at the Profound Spirit Wall?

If it worked, perhaps he could engrave the Spirit Shadow Diagram into his mind.

Then, once he returned home at night, couldn't he observe it on his own? And if so, the speed at which he condensed the Source Sense Imprint would surely increase dramatically.

He made his decision at once. Let's do it!

Even if it failed, he would only waste a little Spirit Value. There was no real danger.

What was there to fear? Cheng Han focused all his attention and stared deeply at the stone wall.

His Spirit Value instantly dropped by 0.5 points. At the same time, a faint, hazy image appeared in his mind, looking remarkably like the Spirit Shadow Diagram on the Profound Spirit Wall.

He was instantly delighted.

This might actually work!

The next instant, an abnormal change occurred.

His Spirit Value began plummeting out of control. In an incredibly brief moment, it dropped another 2 points—and it was still falling madly like a waterfall.

Before Cheng Han could stop it, the Spirit Shadow Diagram suddenly erupted with a strange radiance.

It had originally been nothing more than a dead object.

But now, it seemed to come alive.

Every carved stroke on the stone wall trembled with an extraordinarily wondrous rhythm, then bizarrely detached from the wall and began dancing through the air together.

At that moment.

Cheng Han's mind was completely lost within it.

... Forty seconds later.

Cheng Han remained perfectly still.

Qiu Yuan held the stopwatch, his face full of anticipation.

Privately, he had estimated that with Cheng Han's ability, his observation time should exceed fifty seconds, perhaps even reaching fifty-two at most.

Fifty seconds later.

Qiu Yuan was ready at any moment to stop the timer.

Yet.

Cheng Han stood as steady as a mountain, without the slightest sign of being unable to bear the strain.

Qiu Yuan opened his mouth, finding it a little unbelievable.

Had I still underestimated Student Cheng Han? Sixty seconds later.

Cheng Han was like a statue.

The hand holding Qiu Yuan's stopwatch began to tremble slightly.

Just days ago, it had been forty-four seconds. Now it had surged crazily to a full minute, with every possibility of going even higher. He had never imagined he would witness such a scene with his own eyes.

Seventy seconds later.

Cheng Han seemed frozen in time.

Qiu Yuan's hand stopped trembling, but his mouth had gone dry, a thin sheen of sweat had appeared on his back, and his heart began pounding.

Among all the students at Fifteen Middle School, had anyone ever reached one minute and ten seconds? It seemed no one had!

Studying Cheng Han's face, Qiu Yuan decisively reached a conclusion: this was a true genius!

Two more seconds passed.

Cheng Han suddenly revealed a look of admiration and murmured, "So that's how it is. I understand!"

Within the silent compartment, the words sounded exceptionally clear.

Qiu Yuan froze for a moment, then hurriedly asked, "Student Cheng Han, you..."

Before he could finish, a sound interrupted him.

Ding!

The Profound Spirit Wall trembled.

Ding!

A sound unexpectedly rang out from within Cheng Han's body as well.

It seemed real.

It seemed illusory.

It also seemed to echo the stone wall.

Qiu Yuan was like a chicken with its neck seized. He could not utter a single word.

... Inside the Meditation Room.

After an unbearable stretch of time, the silence was finally broken.

One bold student spoke in a low voice. "Why has Cheng Han been observing for so long? It's already been over a minute."

Although the small compartment's door was also lined with soundproofing material, making it unlikely that Qiu Yuan would hear him, he still did not dare raise his voice.

Another student immediately replied, "Maybe he took a little longer to prepare. It should be ending soon."

Wan Tengjiao frowned.

Are you really not afraid of Teacher Qiu's ruler?

The Short-Haired Girl disliked rule-breaking behavior. She intended to fulfill her duty as class monitor and make the two students shut up.

But before she could speak.

Ding!

Ding!

Two strange sounds rang out in succession, reaching every student's ears.

A commotion immediately rose among the crowd.

"What was that?"

"It sounded like it came from the compartment."

The compartment's soundproofing was quite thick. Even if someone shouted loudly on one side, it would only sound faint on the other. Yet these two chimes had been so clear.

It was truly a little unbelievable.

Especially the second sound—everyone felt as though it had rung beside their ears. Quite a few students even turned their heads to look.

Wan Tengjiao froze for a moment, then remembered her responsibilities and shouted, "Please be quiet, everyone!"

No one dared defy the class monitor, and the Meditation Room quickly returned to silence.

Wan Tengjiao looked toward the door of the small compartment and muttered to herself, What exactly was that sound? How strange!

A flash of realization struck the Short-Haired Girl. Extreme shock appeared on her pretty face, and she could not stop herself from crying out, "I remember now—that was the Spirit Wall Sound!"

She was so shocked that she temporarily forgot the rules.

Everyone else was bewildered.

Monitor Wan told us not to talk, but she could just speak whenever she wanted?

Wasn't that a little inappropriate?

One student asked curiously, "What is the Spirit Wall Sound?"

Wan Tengjiao took a deep breath, her voice trembling slightly. "Whenever the Spirit Wall Sound appears, it is usually accompanied by another phenomenon—the Primal Energy Awakening!"

The entire class erupted.

Everyone knew that only after condensing a Source Sense Imprint and sensing the Source Energy Abyss for the first time could one trigger Primal Energy Awakening.