Mental Strength Beyond the Limit!

The observation room erupted.

"Peak eighth-rank resistance to blows! That's impossible!"

"Yi was the divine archer from myth and legend who shot down the suns. The inheritance He left behind is actually a defensive talent?!"

"Wait! We thought he was relying on his talent to resist the attacks, but the energy detector hasn't reacted at all. This is actually his own physical strength!!"

"An SSS-grade talent... Is this how terrifying an SSS-grade talent is?!"

Qin Tianheng drew a deep breath. As one of the Federation's highest-ranking thirteen, he had witnessed countless grand occasions. There was little left in this world that could shock him.

But at this moment,

Jiang Chuan's freakish physique still shook him to the core!

Stellar Crown Academy had never admitted an SSS-grade student, but it had admitted at least hundreds of students with the tier below it, SS-grade talents.

In fact, one of Darkstar Institute's most basic admission requirements was that students possess an SS-grade talent.

Or an exceptionally rare S-grade talent.

For example, Xu Yinyin had been exceptionally admitted into Darkstar Institute because of her S-grade mental talent, Mind Perception.

But even the strongest SS-grade talents could only fight across three ranks.

Yet Jiang Chuan...

Had crossed a gap of seven whole ranks!!

The white-haired elder was named Han Sinan. He was a national-treasure-level research scholar and also served as the dean of Starsea Institute, where he was responsible for researching and developing top-tier potions.

Even he was so stunned that he muttered distractedly, "Just one rank apart, and SSS-grade talents are already this powerful... How many research results have we missed out on?!"

He felt deeply frustrated. After spending his entire life researching SS-grade talents, it now felt as though he had wasted his time studying a pile of shit!

That was right. Compared to Jiang Chuan's SSS-grade talent, those so-called SS-grade prodigies were nothing but shit!

Qin Tianheng hesitated. "Continue the tests?"

"Continue!"

Han Sinan stared at Jiang Chuan fervently. "We have to determine where his true limit lies!"

After the resistance test ended, Shen Zhiyi let him rest for five minutes.

Then,

the strength test began.

The testing apparatus was switched out for another machine: a gigantic black metal wall covered in pressure sensors.

Jiang Chuan took a deep breath, clenched his right fist, and punched the wall.

Boom!!

For the first punch, he used thirty percent of his strength.

The numbers on the sensors jumped wildly before finally stopping at a figure that left everyone dumbfounded.

"Seventh rank... early seventh-rank output."

Shen Zhiyi frowned. "You didn't use your full strength just now, did you?"

"I only used thirty percent."

Jiang Chuan answered honestly.

"Attack with your full strength. Don't worry about damaging the equipment. This wall can withstand up to ninth-rank attacks..."

Shen Zhiyi paused.

Because the Federation currently did not have a single official ninth-rank powerhouse.

She added, "Well, theoretically... Even if you break it, you won't have to pay!"

Jiang Chuan nodded, took a step back, and planted his feet.

He lowered his body slightly, drew his right arm back, and his knuckles cracked as his fingers clenched.

This time, he mobilized all the strength in his body and concentrated it into his right fist.

He punched.

Boom!!

The air actually let out a piercing explosion!

His fist tore through the air, and a visible shockwave exploded from its surface before slamming violently into the black metal wall.

The sensors on the wall emitted a shrill screech as the numbers climbed at an almost insane rate.

Mid seventh rank.

Peak seventh rank.

Early eighth rank.

Mid eighth rank.

The number paused at mid eighth rank, then jumped once more and froze at peak eighth rank!

The observation room fell dead silent.

One expert's hands trembled as he stared at the data on the screen. His lips quivered as he uttered a single sentence. "Sixteen years old, newly awakened, and already possessing strength attributes close to the ninth rank!"

This time, Han Sinan was not overly surprised. "Physical fitness is holistic. Since he can withstand peak eighth-rank attacks, his strength can't be weak."

"Still... he didn't use his talent's power in that punch either. Could it be that his talent isn't an offensive talent?"

"Next, test his speed."

All the runes in the training ground lit up, and a hundred-meter-long strip of light appeared on the floor. Shen Zhiyi stood at the finish line with a stopwatch in hand.

"Run from here to the finish at full speed. I need you to unleash your maximum speed."

Jiang Chuan nodded, stepped up to the starting line, and leaned forward slightly.

Shen Zhiyi pressed the stopwatch.

Whoosh!

Boom!

Jiang Chuan's body became an afterimage. He crossed the hundred-meter distance almost instantly, followed by a deafening crash as one wall of the training ground collapsed.

"..."

Shen Zhiyi stood frozen with the stopwatch in her hand. Then she hurried toward the collapsed section. "Are you okay?!"

"I'm fine...!"

Jiang Chuan crawled out of the rubble awkwardly. His control over his own strength had not yet reached the point where he could wield it perfectly.

He spat out the dust in his mouth, then asked with concern,

"I don't have to pay for this, right?"

"...No."

Shen Zhiyi stared blankly at the ten-meter-wide crater and shook her head.

This training ground had been built from special materials.

Combined with rune arrays,

it could even withstand ninth-rank attacks.

To cause such shocking destruction with physical strength alone, perhaps only a freak like Jiang Chuan could manage it...

Jiang Chuan relaxed as soon as he heard that he did not have to pay. He then asked, "What was my speed?"

Shen Zhiyi lowered her head and glanced at the number on the stopwatch.

Then she raised it.

Zero point nine seconds.

Zero point nine seconds for a hundred-meter sprint.

That speed was not as outrageous as Jiang Chuan had imagined.

"Eighth rank... mid eighth-rank speed."

Shen Zhiyi took a deep breath. "It isn't top-tier, but your explosive power far surpasses that of professionals at this level. If you receive professional speed training, this number can improve by at least another thirty percent!"

In the observation room, Han Sinan abruptly stood up.

"Three eighth-rank attributes! At only level ten, his base attributes already surpass those of ordinary eighth-rank professionals!"

His voice trembled. "Do you know what this means? It means his limit... his limit may be beyond the ninth rank!!"

Another expert quickly said, "There's still the final test: mental strength. Mental strength is the foundation for breaking through to the ninth rank! If his mental strength is insufficient, no matter how strong his body is, it will all be meaningless!"

Everyone turned their eyes toward the center of the training ground.

The final test:

Mental strength.

Shen Zhiyi led Jiang Chuan into a special room. In the center was a circular rune array three meters in diameter. Its glow was deep purple and emitted dizzying waves of energy.

"Stand in the center of the array, close your eyes, and relax your mind."

Shen Zhiyi's tone was more solemn than ever before. "The mental strength test is the most dangerous of all tests. If you feel any discomfort, tell me immediately. I'll stop the test!"

Jiang Chuan entered the rune array, sat cross-legged, and closed his eyes.

The rune array lit up.

Purple light rose from the ground and enveloped his entire body.

At first, Jiang Chuan's expression was calm. But soon, the light of the rune array began to change, shifting from purple to deep purple, then from deep purple into an almost black dark red.

The instrument monitoring mental strength let out a piercing alarm.

"Mental strength has broken through the seventh rank!"

"It's still rising!"

"Peak seventh rank... eighth rank!"

The alarm for early eighth rank had barely sounded when the data skipped past mid eighth rank and shot straight toward peak eighth rank.

Knowing full well how dangerous mental testing could be, Qin Tianheng hurriedly said, "That's enough, stop it now!"

"Wait!"

Han Sinan suddenly raised a hand, his bloodshot eyes fixed firmly on Jiang Chuan. "He hasn't reached his limit yet. Continue!"

Qin Tianheng grew anxious. "Mental tests can easily go wrong. Our human race finally produced a genius like him. Don't ruin him because of a moment of recklessness!"

But Han Sinan remained adamant. Everyone stared fixedly at the number climbing continuously on the screen, as though watching a miracle unseen in a thousand years descend upon them.

Peak eighth rank, yet the number still did not stop.

Ninth rank!!

The alarm became one continuous blare. Every indicator light on the instrument lit up at once, then all went out at once.

It was not a malfunction,

but because the data had exceeded the instrument's measurement limit!

Jiang Chuan opened his eyes.

The glow of the rune array slowly faded, and his gaze was as clear as if nothing had happened.

"Is the test over?" he asked.

No one answered him.

In the observation room, Qin Tianheng stared at the instrument whose screen had gone completely black. He remained silent for a long, long time before slowly turning to look at the experts beside him.

"Can any of you tell me," his voice trembled for the first time, "what does it mean for a sixteen-year-old child to have mental strength beyond the ninth rank?"

No one could answer.

Because no one knew the answer.

Shen Zhiyi stood in the training ground, watching Jiang Chuan rise from the rune array. Suddenly, she remembered what she had said earlier.

Monsters were rare.

No.

This was not a monster.

The word monster was simply not enough to describe the youth before her.