At eleven in the morning, the selection match ended.
"All participating students, stop competing immediately and return to the training ground!"
The principal's voice came through the loudspeaker.
As Ning Chuan made his way to the training ground, he pondered his fight with Zhang Wensi.
That battle had given him a much clearer understanding of his strength.
Barehanded, he still fell somewhat short of Awakening Stage Seven.
Unless his Thousand Bones Slaughter Art advanced another realm.
With a saber in hand,
he could practically crush Zhang Wensi.
Of course, it wasn't quite that extreme in practice.
The main reason was that Zhang Wensi had been unarmed and had no way to counter the Silver Blood Saber.
His true combat strength would rank among the best at Awakening Stage Seven at Qingshan No. 1 High School.
He was still a little short of Awakening Eighth Stage.
"But it won't take long to get there!"
Ning Chuan looked at the test-tube rack in his hand, a confident smile appearing on his face.
Three doses of Hundred Beasts Nutrient Solution were enough to let him break through to Awakening Stage Six.
Ning Chuan took one out, tilted his head back, and drank it.
"Savage Bull Force sensed abundant energy and began frantically competing, increasing its cultivation progress by 1,850%!" "Savage Bull Force is expected to exhaust the energy in 28 hours."
The mechanical synthesized voice sounded twice in succession.
Ning Chuan's heart lifted.
As his strength increased, the time needed to absorb a dose of Hundred Beasts Nutrient Solution had decreased again.
In about three more days, he could advance to Awakening Stage Six.
Such speed was simply unheard of.
Anyone else would be absolutely incapable of it.
Never mind whether their energy absorption speed could keep up.
The barrier between realms alone would take some time to wear down.
Ning Chuan had no such trouble.
When the progress of his strength and martial arts reached one hundred percent, they would naturally break through.
When the water flowed, a channel formed.
What was a bottleneck? He'd never heard of one.
"Who has the tenth spy device? Get up on the platform, quickly!"
Ning Chuan had just entered the training ground when he heard Zhou Wei urging the person on.
"Coming!"
Ning Chuan raised a hand and ran quickly onto the platform.
Glancing at the other nine students who had seized spy devices, Ning Chuan found them all familiar.
Five at Awakening Stage Nine.
Three at Awakening Eighth Stage.
One at Awakening Stage Seven.
"Hm?"
When he saw the person at the end, a flicker of surprise passed through Ning Chuan's eyes.
Wei Bohu!
Did this guy manage to grab two spy devices?!
Ning Chuan speculated.
Given the other man's strength, it wasn't impossible.
Across from him, Wei Bohu was also surprised to see Ning Chuan.
Shouldn't it be Zhang Wensi?!
Zhou Wei said, "Stop standing there and get in line at the end."
"Yes, sir."
Ning Chuan walked to the end of the line.
Wei Bohu turned toward Ning Chuan and asked, "Where did you get your spy device?"
"Obviously, I took it from someone else."
Ning Chuan answered casually.
"Who was it?"
"Why are you asking?"
Hearing that, Wei Bohu frowned and said nothing more.
Below the platform.
The clamor gradually grew louder.
Many students knew Ning Chuan because of his Flash Thunder Slash in the Minute Subtlety Realm.
"Ning Chuan is way too fierce! He broke straight into the top ten in our year!"
"Maybe he just got lucky!"
"Quit being sour. The selection match really is different from an arena fight. Being strong doesn't necessarily mean you can get a spy device, but anyone who does is at least as strong as someone at the High Awakening Stage!"
"Holy crap, didn't Ning Chuan say he was at Awakening Stage Four? His combat strength spans three stages?"
Many people talked excitedly about Ning Chuan, both envious and shocked.
Hearing the voices around her, Su Yun gazed at Ning Chuan on the platform, disbelief in her eyes.
She knew very well that a Flash Thunder Slash in the Minute Subtlety Realm would at most let Ning Chuan run rampant among those at Awakening Stage Six. He should still be a good way from Awakening Stage Seven!
But he managed to get a spy device, so Ning Chuan's strength must be on par with someone at the High Awakening Stage!
Su Yun was certain of it.
But why was Ning Chuan so strong?!
"Students who did not pass the selection match may leave. Classes will resume as usual tomorrow. Students with serious injuries should request sick leave from their homeroom teachers in advance."
A school administrator dismissed the students below the platform.
Zhou Wei stepped forward, looked Ning Chuan over a few times, and asked, "Are you at Awakening Stage Five?"
This man is a martial artist!
The thought flashed through Ning Chuan's mind. He nodded and said, "Yes, officer. Is there a problem?"
"No, just asking. Your strength doesn't matter, as long as you have a spy device."
Zhou Wei spoke impassively.
He knew that near the end of the selection match, a spy device had been taken into Building No. 1, where the surveillance had failed.
There was definitely something fishy about it.
But he didn't want to look into it.
It was only one slot, not worth wasting time over.
"You ten, from left to right, get acquainted with the person next to you and form a team!"
Zhou Wei instructed them.
The school administrator explained from the side, "While you assist in the search, one officer will lead each team. The three of you will operate together."
"I don't want to team up with Ning Chuan. He hasn't even reached the High Awakening Stage. He's too weak!"
Wei Bohu shouted, clearly displeased.
Unlike Zhang Wensi, he had entered the selection match for the Mountain and Sea Genius Training Camp.
With Ning Chuan's strength, he would only hold him back.
Beside him, Ning Chuan's expression did not change at those words.
"Just follow the police department's orders!"
Zhou Wei looked at Wei Bohu and refused to indulge him, directly releasing the pressure of an Official Martial Artist.
Wei Bohu's heart skipped a beat. He gave an awkward laugh and said, "It's not just me. Ning Chuan doesn't want to team up with me either!"
"Isn't that right?"
Wei Bohu turned and stared fiercely at Ning Chuan, the threat unmistakable.
Ning Chuan frowned.
He could understand why Wei Bohu didn't want to team up with him.
After all, his apparent strength wasn't high.
That was why he hadn't said anything before.
But Wei Bohu actually wanted him to take the blame.
Neither reason nor sentiment could justify that.
Ning Chuan's dislike of Wei Bohu shot up.
"If you don't mind, I'll switch partners with you."
Just as Ning Chuan was about to speak, a pretty girl spoke in an even tone. Her long hair, a blend of pale blue and light cyan, swayed gently, sparkling like a starry sky.
It was none other than Lu Mengyue.
She was also one of the ten people present.
"That works perfectly!"
Wei Bohu quickly agreed, unable to hide his delight.
Lu Mengyue's partner was one of the three at Awakening Eighth Stage. That was perfect: he could be useful without taking credit away from Wei Bohu.
"Any other problems?"
Zhou Wei swept his gaze over the ten and said coldly, "Since there aren't any, let's go."
The group headed out of the school.
Lu Mengyue found Ning Chuan and smiled faintly. "You've already reached Awakening Stage Five? That's much faster than I expected!"
"I was already close to the bottleneck, and I trained hard for two more days over the weekend."
Ning Chuan shrugged as he spoke.
Then he looked at Lu Mengyue and said earnestly, "Thanks for getting me out of that situation just now."
Lu Mengyue blinked her large eyes, a hint of cleverness showing as she whispered, "Other people might not know your true strength, but I do. Naturally, I couldn't let a good helper like you get away."
Ning Chuan smiled silently.
Meanwhile.
Wei Bohu had his head lowered, chatting on his phone.
"Zhang Wensi, what happened to you?!"
"Ning Chuan ambushed me and took the spy device, as well as the three doses of Hundred Beasts Nutrient Solution I was going to give you!"
Zhang Wensi replied.
"That's your problem. Don't think you can get out of paying me!"
Wei Bohu typed with a sneer.
Although the Wei family's influence couldn't compare to the Lu family's, he was a legitimate son of the family.
Zhang Wensi was merely the son of a Lu family daughter who had married out.
He wasn't afraid of him.
"You're overthinking it. I'm just being kind enough to tell you that Ning Chuan has three doses of Hundred Beasts Nutrient Solution that came from an improper source!"
A cunning look appeared in Zhang Wensi's eyes.
Not reporting it to the police didn't mean he would let Ning Chuan off.
"Also, Ning Chuan has no backing. He's just an orphan!"
"This..."
Wei Bohu glanced at Ning Chuan, somewhat tempted.
He could indeed give it a try.
Soon, the group arrived outside the school and boarded a large police vehicle, which headed for the police department.
Ning Chuan and Lu Mengyue sat in the back row.
Lu Mengyue thought for a moment, then asked, "Ning Chuan, do you know who the chief of the Qingshan City police department is?"
"No."
Ning Chuan answered casually, his eyes on the dashboard up front.
Technology in the High Martial Realm was considerably more advanced than on Earth.
The police vehicle he was riding in easily surpassed three hundred miles per hour, and its top speed approached six hundred.
Lu Mengyue added, "The movement martial art you practice is Gale Step, right?"
"Yeah."
Ning Chuan nodded.
Gale Step was an E-rank martial art and widely circulated. It was the first movement martial art many people chose.
It was well known in the Federation.
It was no surprise that Lu Mengyue could recognize it.
"Then you must know who created it!" Lu Mengyue said with a smile.
"Gu Tianyu."
As Ning Chuan spoke, he caught on. "He's the chief of the Qingshan City police department?!"
"Would you like him to give you some pointers?"
Lu Mengyue tucked back a lock of her beautiful hair and said with a smile, "Uncle Gu is a good friend of my father's. He can agree to help with something this small.
"Hasn't your Gale Step reached the mastery realm?
"With a few pointers from Uncle Gu, you might experience a sudden enlightenment and advance to the Minute Subtlety Realm."
"Then I'll take your words as a good omen."
Ning Chuan thanked her with a smile.
Although he didn't need anyone's guidance in his martial arts, Lu Mengyue had offered to help of her own accord, so he couldn't very well refuse.
"Heh!"
Just then, a mocking sneer came from the front row.
Wei Bohu turned his head and said mockingly, "Someone got lucky and had a sudden enlightenment once, and now he's lost all sense of himself. He even dares talk about sudden enlightenment, without fearing that the wind might twist his tongue!"
Ning Chuan's eyes narrowed slightly.
Wei Bohu really was asking for a beating!