Better to Be the Head of a Chicken Than the Tail of a Phoenix? No, I Want to Be the Phoenix's Head!

[Energy Bullet]: Unleashes a ranged attack, dealing energy damage to the target.

[Dance in the Sky Technique]: Allows flight. Speed depends on one's strength.

"Ranged attacks and flight!"

Lin Xia stared at the text that had appeared before him, overwhelmed with excitement.

As a ranged attack that consumed no stamina, Energy Bullet would let him fire off blast after blast in battle and drive his enemies crazy!

And Dance in the Sky Technique would let him fly without needing to use an item card—something even Silver Realm powerhouses had yet to master!

Of course, more than any of that, Lin Xia was looking forward to the Dragon Ball Universe All Characters Encyclopedia and the SSR Character Card Welcome Gift Pack!

But... Lin Xia glanced around and realized that everyone present was staring straight at him.

Clearly, now wasn't the time to look into those things. He could wait until he got home.

He put the panel away, then asked with a grateful expression and a polite tone:

"Thank you all for your help..."

"Think nothing of it!" Wang Jie spoke first. The image of Lin Xia effortlessly killing Zhang Peng, a B-rank Card wielder, flashed through his mind, and he swallowed. "The dramatic changes in the heavens and earth when you awakened must have drawn the attention of all City A. We arrived then and witnessed everything that happened."

"That's right. Zhang Peng deserved to die!" The young vice guild master looked worried. "But... that bastard has a powerful family backing him. You'll have to be extra careful!"

The other guild masters chimed in, their expressions full of concern as they urged Lin Xia to stay on guard against retaliation from the Zhang Family.

Lin Xia assured them that he would take their warning seriously.

He knew Zhang Ting had already been intent on killing him.

Although she had withdrawn, it was only temporary.

After a brief chat, the guild masters explained why they had come.

They wanted Lin Xia to join their guilds.

In this world, after graduating from high school, Awakeners had three options.

They could strike out on their own, join a guild, or attend university.

There was an unwritten rule when it came to guilds.

An Awakener could join only one guild in their lifetime. Anyone who switched guilds would be branded with shame.

Life in a guild was much like being part of a big family. For an Awakener like Lin Xia, who had no family or friends, it really was a good place to go.

But Lin Xia had already made up his mind.

He wanted to attend university.

Universities were under the government's jurisdiction.

From time to time, they rewarded high-achieving students with precious resources.

Those resources were either extremely expensive or exceedingly rare and difficult to obtain.

Before, with Lin Xia's strength, earning an award for academic excellence might have been a pipe dream.

But now that he had awakened an SSR-rank Card, it was entirely possible!

Besides, given how high his Card's rank was, the materials and resources he would need in the future... made attending university a necessity!

"To be honest, I'm still young, and I plan to attend university first so I can broaden my horizons." Lin Xia's expression was serious, his refusal polite but firm. "After I graduate, I'll consider joining a guild!"

The guild masters made no effort to hide their disappointment.

Wang Jie and the young vice guild master in particular tried again and again to change Lin Xia's mind.

But they got nowhere.

Seeing how firm Lin Xia was, the others stopped trying to persuade him.

Instead, they each made their position clear:

"If you run into trouble, contact me anytime, young man... The doors of my Blazing Blade Guild will always be open to you. Once you graduate from university, I'll come see you again!"

"The same goes for my South Mountain Guild!"

"Me too!"

"Going to university is a good choice. With an SSR-rank Awakener like you, the future is bright!"

"..."

Seeing how supportive the guild masters were, Lin Xia felt something stir within him.

Since coming to this world, it was the first time he had ever felt so valued...

It felt wonderful.

And it gave Lin Xia even more motivation to train hard!

"Do you have a particular university in mind, young man?"

Wang Jie's question piqued everyone else's curiosity too.

There were so many universities in the Great Xia Empire. Which one would Lin Xia choose?

"I want to go to Imperial University," Lin Xia said.

That opened the floodgates once more.

"I knew it! You've got big ambitions!"

"Imperial University! The Great Xia First Academy, where the most gifted students gather and the pillars of the nation are forged!"

"Young man, there's a saying: 'Better to be the head of a chicken than the tail of a phoenix.' At another university, you'd be a star student receiving special attention. But at Imperial University... the competition will be fierce!"

"That's right. Imperial University is also the only university with an elimination system. At every assessment, a batch of students gets eliminated..."

"Don't scare him. Being eliminated doesn't mean you're expelled. It just means you're transferred to another university!"

"..."

Lin Xia understood what they meant, of course. But the more competitive a place was, the faster it would help him grow stronger!

"I don't want to be the head of a chicken or the tail of a phoenix. I want to find out what it feels like to be the phoenix's head!"

Lin Xia's spirited confidence made everyone like him even more.

Afterward, Lin Xia said goodbye to them and headed home, eager to raise his rank as quickly as possible.

He would be assigned to a class tomorrow.

Students were placed into Classes 1–4 according to their rank when they enrolled.

Of course, the learning atmosphere and resources varied from class to class.

That left him with less than a day to raise his rank and try to get into a class with abundant resources.

"Whoosh—!"

Lin Xia's feet wobbled as they rose off the ground. It was his first time trying Dance in the Sky Technique, and he was rather clumsy.

But it didn't take long for him to get the hang of it and learn to control it with ease.

He drew an arc through the air and shot toward the sky. As he flew away from the school, he spotted a police car parked outside the gate.

Two law enforcement officers climbed out, each carrying a wanted notice.

One glance was all Lin Xia needed to know they had come to arrest the teacher who had violated the Awakener laws.

That was also why he had dared to kill someone.

After all, the teacher was the main reason the duel had happened.

"H-He can fly!?"

"How many secrets is this kid hiding?"

The others were stunned to see Lin Xia flying!

To master a flying technique the moment he awakened—he was the first person in history to do that!

The guild masters were now even more determined to recruit him.

Meanwhile.

"I never thought the kid really had some tricks up his sleeve."

In the back seat of a luxury car, a man around twenty watched Lin Xia's figure. Surprise flickered across his face, but a moment later, it gave way to murderous intent.

"If I avenge that brat Zhang Peng, won't that make me the heir to the Zhang Family?"

At that, the driver smiled and nodded.

"Exactly. That's why the old master had the chairman call the young lady back. As long as you kill this kid, the chairman will have no choice but to yield to the old master!"

"Then what are we waiting for? Let's go." Excitement shone in the man's eyes, and he looked utterly confident. "Take care of it quickly. Don't keep Dad and the others waiting."

"Right away!"

The car started up and drove toward Lin Xia's home.