Guidance

As the class bell rang, Chabashira-sensei walked into the classroom. Her steps were steady, her expression stern and indifferent. Without any preamble, she introduced herself and quickly got to the point, discussing the history of ability development.

"The history of abilities began with research into the body. It was precisely through studying the human body that Body Abilities were born," Chabashira-sensei's voice was clear and flat.

Afterward, without regard for whether anyone was listening, she continued her lecture, her tone unwavering: "However, to everyone's surprise, what was developed next was not Brain Abilities, which are closely related to Body Abilities, but Spirit Abilities.

It seems humanity's extraordinary research piqued the interest of the gods. Following the appearance of gods, other types of abilities were born one after another. This is why the Descent God Association has always maintained that Spirit Abilities are the true beginning of abilities, a claim the Body Refining Association has consistently rejected."

Chabashira-sensei's teaching style was crisp and direct, but also somewhat dull.

Even interesting stories were presented as mere facts, delivered mechanically.

The atmosphere in the classroom gradually grew heavy. Except for students like Itozawa and Ichinose, who were brimming with curiosity about abilities and still trying to listen, everyone else, including Kanzaki, had started to appear distracted. Although Kanzaki sat upright, his mind had begun to wander.

Suddenly, Itozawa felt a Mental Fluctuation. He immediately realized this was Kanzaki launching a mental attack.

He had to maintain his ability in an active state, confronting Kanzaki.

This confrontation was silent; only the two of them knew a fierce mental duel was underway.

Itozawa quickly discovered that Kanzaki's attack was not only aimed at him but was also simultaneously targeting Ichinose.

Kanzaki seemed to be attempting to break through Ichinose's passive skill. His Mental Power would surge fiercely at times, then become cunning at others, constantly changing his attack methods.

In this mental-level duel, Kanzaki's execution was like that of a master Chess player, each move precise. His attacks were like a meticulously woven net, attempting to ensnare Itozawa's Mental Fluctuation.

His Mental Power spread like invisible tendrils through the classroom air, silently searching for any flaws in Itozawa's defenses.

Although Itozawa was not as precise as Kanzaki in offense, he displayed astonishing talent in defense.

His mind automatically analyzed each wave of Kanzaki's attacks. By seeing through the energy flow, he could predict the attack's trajectory and sever Kanzaki's source of offense at the last possible moment.

Kanzaki's attacks were sometimes like sharp arrows piercing vital points, and at other times like fine threads, attempting to find Itozawa's weaknesses.

But Itozawa's Mental Defense was like a sturdy shield, neutralizing each attack before it could land.

His Mental Power danced under Kanzaki's assaults, silent sparks erupting with every contact.

Kanzaki felt Itozawa's resistance, his brow furrowing slightly as he realized Itozawa was not an easy opponent.

His mental attacks became more cunning and varied, attempting to break through Itozawa's defenses.

But Itozawa's Mental Power was like a vortex in the deep sea, skillfully guiding and dispersing each of Kanzaki's attacks.

As time passed, Itozawa gradually adapted to Kanzaki's attack rhythm, his defenses becoming more composed. He even had the spare capacity to observe Kanzaki's attack on Ichinose.

Kanzaki's offense was not going smoothly against Ichinose either; his attacks were merely becoming nourishment for Ichinose's halo.

However, after Kanzaki's attack was assimilated by Ichinose's halo once more, Itozawa finally saw the specific path Ichinose used to convert the attack.

Kanzaki's Mental Power surged in like a torrent, while Ichinose's halo acted like a massive whirlpool, slowly converting this torrent until it became gentle and harmless.

Itozawa saw every detail of this process, including the energy flow, the conversion nodes, and the final dissipation.

A flash of inspiration struck Itozawa, and he decided to try guiding the process. He entrusted his defense to his ability's passive reaction, meaning his Mental Power would automatically respond to Kanzaki's attacks. Meanwhile, he actively fed Mental Power to trigger Ichinose's halo, attempting to guide its conversion in the direction he desired.

Itozawa began to carefully guide Ichinose's halo. His Mental Power was like a slender baton, gently touching the river of energy.

He tried to direct Kanzaki's attack in a specific direction. This process required extremely fine manipulation; any slight mistake could lead to a backlash.

Just then, Kanzaki's attack struck again. Itozawa's automatic reaction was already struggling to cope with Kanzaki's assault. If Kanzaki hadn't been holding back, and if the three chess pieces on the board weren't actively entangled with Kanzaki's Mental Power, with one of them sharing the same origin as Kanzaki's power and thus understanding it better, Kanzaki could have completely breached Itozawa's Mind Sea.

At this moment, Ichinose's passive halo was guided to extend towards Kanzaki, who suddenly felt an unprecedented pressure.

He inexplicably lost the will to fight, not just against Ichinose, but also against Itozawa.

Kanzaki was greatly alarmed, and his Mental Power instantly retreated. If they hadn't been in class, he would have definitely cried out.

Itozawa felt Kanzaki's retreat and knew it was the power of Ichinose's halo. His Mental Power quickly filled the void left by Kanzaki's withdrawal, stabilizing his defenses. He marveled inwardly at how powerful Ichinose's ability was, capable of affecting even a mental ability user like Kanzaki.

In the classroom, Chabashira-sensei continued her lecture on the history of abilities, her voice calm and steady, completely unaware of the battle raging on the mental plane between the students.

After successfully guiding Ichinose's passive skill, a sense of joy surged within Itozawa. He realized that his own obscure ability had found a new application: as long as he could discern the direction of a passive skill's energy flow, he could guide others' passive skills to serve his own purposes.

This was not only a new discovery of his own capabilities but also potentially a powerful weapon in future confrontations.

After five minutes of adjustment, Kanzaki finally recovered from the influence of Ichinose's halo.

His eyes held a trace of vigilance and confusion, clearly perplexed by what had just happened.

Itozawa noticed Kanzaki's state and decided to guide Ichinose's ability again to knock Kanzaki back down.

As the class progressed, Itozawa's attention flickered between his newfound ability and listening to the lecture. He tried to pay attention to Chabashira-sensei's explanation, but his mind had already flown to his own ability. He repeatedly replayed the duel in his mind, contemplating how to better utilize this new discovery.

Finally, the class, filled with knowledge about ability history but somewhat boring, ended. Itozawa hadn't managed to listen to the entire class, but he felt no regret, as he had gained practical experience far more valuable than classroom knowledge.

At the end of the lesson, Chabashira-sensei made no comment on the students' attentiveness. She gathered her lecture notes and left the classroom.

She seemed unconcerned with classroom discipline. As long as the students didn't disrupt her lecture, she apparently didn't mind whether they were truly listening.