After a moment of silence.
Lan Jingfei let out a delighted gasp.
"You've awakened? You really awakened a Supernatural Ability?"
Su Ye smiled and nodded. "I got lucky. It just happened."
The first thing he did when he got back to school?
Announce that he was a genius.
Su Ye had no intention of hiding his awakening and pretending to be weak.
To pull that off, he first had to look harmless while secretly being dangerous.
Right now, Su Ye was little more than an ant.
Against a behemoth like the Yujing Su Family, he stood even less of a chance.
He had to show his Talent at once. Only then would the school take him seriously, give him resources, and help him grow stronger quickly.
Lan Jingfei looked delighted, though a trace of exasperation showed on her face.
Su Ye had really seized his chance to show off.
"That's not just good luck. You're practically..."
A prodigy favored by the heavens.
In the world of Martial Arts, fewer than one in ten thousand people awakened a Supernatural Ability.
Once they did, their Martial Cultivation advanced rapidly. They would at least become intermediate cultivators, and Ability Users who awakened special powers were especially sought after by governments and corporate groups.
"Wait here. I'll tell the principal, then ask him to take you to Tongtian Tower for testing."
"Sorry for the trouble, Teacher Lan."
A short while later.
Principal Zhang, whose thinning hair left the top of his head a little shiny, appeared in the teachers' office and reached for Su Ye's hand.
Luckily, Su Ye took two steps back.
"So this is Little Su! Good, wonderful!"
Principal Zhang didn't mind. He beamed at Su Ye as though looking at his favorite child.
"Come on. I'll take you to Tongtian Tower right now."
Tongtian Tower was Dong Huang's national Divine Artifact. The true tower was said to be in Yujing, while branch towers stood across the country.
Anyone who wanted to cultivate an advanced Cultivation Method or obtain an advanced Inheritance had to visit Tongtian Tower.
Of course...
After awakening, an Ability User could also have Tongtian Tower confirm the type of power he had awakened and record the relevant information. From then on, he would be a registered Ability User.
Su Ye nodded, then... lifted the coffee in his hand.
"Principal, Tongtian Tower can wait a moment. I haven't given Teacher Ren the coffee I bought for him."
With that, Su Ye respectfully brought the coffee to Ren Ke.
"Teacher Ren, your two extra-large Caramel Macchiatos."
Ren Ke: ...
Principal Zhang frowned. "What's this? Ren Ke, you made a student buy coffee for you?"
Ren Ke waved his hands frantically. "No, Principal, listen to me."
Su Ye said, "Teacher Ren, could you reimburse me for the coffee? My family isn't well-off, and those two cups cost over seventy yuan. That's enough for several days of meals."
Anger entered Principal Zhang's eyes. "What? Ren Ke, you made a student buy your coffee and didn't even pay him?!"
Ren Ke was on the verge of tears.
Why had he asked Su Ye to buy him coffee?
And why did the principal have to catch him?
If he'd known Su Ye was an Awakener... he would have treated him like royalty.
"I only asked Little Su for a favor! He ran off before I had a chance to give him the money... Uh, Little Su, I'll transfer it to you right now!"
Ren Ke raised his hand to make the transfer through his optical computer... then remembered he didn't have Su Ye's contact details!
But Su Ye wasn't done.
He raised a stack of printed documents.
"Since you're free now, Teacher Ren, why not pay back the other students you've asked to buy coffee for you, too?"
Principal Zhang: ...
"Ren Ke, explain yourself! What exactly is going on?!"
A full half hour later.
Su Ye finally left the teachers' office with Principal Zhang.
Behind them, Ren Ke was holding his optical computer and tearfully paying back the students.
And repayment wasn't all he faced. A fine, a disciplinary mark, and a public self-criticism were waiting for him too.
Su Ye carried two cups of coffee.
"Principal, would you like some coffee?"
Principal Zhang: ...
Did the boy think he couldn't tell? Su Ye had used him to make Ren Ke pay everyone back.
This boy was definitely not his favorite child.
He was a born troublemaker!
"No."
"Oh. Teacher Lan, would you like a cup?"
Su Ye offered the coffee to Lan Jingfei instead.
Lan Jingfei: ... "Thank you, but I'm not thirsty."
She remembered Su Ye as a fairly quiet child. How had he suddenly become like this?
"Oh. Then I'll drink it myself."
Coffee this expensive was something neither the original Su Ye nor he himself would normally have bought.
When he'd been preparing for the civil service exam, he'd kept himself going with the cheapest instant black coffee he could find.
Su Ye took a sip. He had to admit, it tasted pretty good.
The sun overhead made him feel a little uncomfortable, though. He felt nowhere near as at ease as he did at night.
So this was the Vampire physique, huh?
Fangyuan City.
The Star Energy Association.
Principal Zhang and Lan Jingfei brought Su Ye inside. After registering his identity, Principal Zhang swiped a card and took him into a special elevator.
The elevator descended.
It didn't stop until more than ten minutes had passed.
After they went through several more checks, Principal Zhang led Su Ye to a heavily guarded door.
"Tongtian Tower is inside. Don't be nervous."
Principal Zhang had already explained everything Su Ye needed to know about the tower's test on the way here. Su Ye wasn't nervous at all. Principal Zhang, on the other hand, took a deep breath.
Bzzz—
The door swung open.
Beyond it lay an enormous hall.
What caught Su Ye's eye was the grayish-brown "tower" at its center, more than ten meters tall.
That's Tongtian Tower?
The branch tower of Dong Huang's national Divine Artifact?
It didn't look much like a tower. It looked more like a pillar that narrowed toward the top—or perhaps a tree trunk.
A faint pressure radiated from it, making Su Ye's body feel heavy.
While Su Ye studied Tongtian Tower, Principal Zhang pressed a button on the wall, swiped his card, and spent some time tapping the Light Screen.
Then...
A Light Screen appeared out of thin air in the hall, and an electronic voice sounded.
"The Deep Blue System is at your service."
"Supernatural Ability confirmation activated. Applicant, please move to within three meters of Tongtian Tower..."
"Fingerprint verification... passed."
"Iris verification... passed."
"Hello, Su Ye."
Following the Intelligent System's instructions, Su Ye stood on the marked spot and completed a series of basic checks.
A beam of light fell from Tongtian Tower and enveloped him.
Su Ye could faintly sense an energy scanning his body.
A moment later.
The electronic voice sounded again.
"Supernatural Ability awakening verified."
"Awakening type: Special Physique. This physique grants greater strength, faster speed, and enhanced recovery. Its combat power increases further at night..."
Su Ye nodded inwardly.
As expected of a national Divine Artifact. Its description of his Vampire physique was almost entirely accurate.
"Congratulations, Mr. Su Ye. Your Supernatural Ability awakening has been confirmed."
"Cultivation Method upgrade approved..."
"Please select a Cultivation Method to learn."
Before you continue