So satisfying!
When the first faint light of morning pierced the curtains and fell across Xing Yao's cheek, his eyes snapped open. The night's stillness and churning thoughts all turned to clarity the instant he opened his eyes.
Without the slightest delay, Xing Yao rolled out of bed, hurried to the sink, scooped up a handful of cold water, and slapped it hard against his face. The icy sensation instantly drove away the last trace of sluggishness. Raising his head, he looked at the sharp-eyed youth in the mirror and slowly stretched his muscles, straightening his back and reaching both arms overhead with force. A series of light, crisp, muffled pops came from his bones. The oppression brought on over the past few days by his clones' comprehension and the citywide lockdown vanished like smoke, and at last, a long-absent look of ease appeared on his face.
After briefly tidying up, he changed into clean, practical everyday clothes and casually slung the backpack by the door over his shoulders.
The next second, his consciousness plunged straight into his mental world.
His gaze swept across the space. Clones 1, 2, 3, and Clone No. 4 remained seated cross-legged in the void, halos of laws slowly circulating around them. They were still at a crucial stage of comprehension, without the slightest sign of awakening. At the sight, Xing Yao's newly relaxed heartstrings tightened slightly again, and a trace of irrepressible anxiety quietly crept into his heart. Still, he made no rash move, merely taking a deep breath and forcibly suppressing those feelings.
Then his gaze fell on No. 5 and No. 6, who stood on standby nearby.
The two clones stood in the void with steady auras, like the most loyal shadow guards, quietly awaiting their original body's orders. With a thought from Xing Yao, two clear commands passed directly into their minds. He instructed No. 5 to remain at home, secretly guarding the residence and watching for any unusual activity nearby. At the slightest rustle of wind through grass, he was to report immediately through their mental link, remaining concealed throughout and revealing nothing. No. 6, meanwhile, was to enter the depths of the Clear Source World and wait in hiding, ready at any moment for the original body's summons.
With his instructions delivered, Xing Yao hesitated no longer. Resentment energy surged around him with a roar, incomparably pure as it poured through the mental links with the unstoppable force of splitting bamboo, flooding into No. 5 and No. 6.
Under that immense infusion of resentment energy, the two clones' auras skyrocketed at a speed visible to the naked eye. Faint spiritual radiance rose over their previously unremarkable bodies, and their realm barriers shattered on cue-First Tier!
Two auras belonging to First Tier cultivators took firm root, cleanly and decisively, without any backlash.
As Xing Yao mobilized resentment energy on such a large scale, rings of energy ripples inevitably spread through the mental space. The void trembled faintly, stirring a slight disturbance throughout the world. Astonishingly, however, despite the spatial fluctuations, Clones 1, 2, 3, and Clone No. 4 remained as steady as Mount Tai where they sat in the distance. The power of laws around them formed its own ring-shaped barrier, completely shutting out all external disturbances. Their comprehension was not affected in the slightest and continued advancing steadily.
At this sight, Xing Yao's anxious heart finally settled completely.
He slowly withdrew the remaining resentment energy and pulled his consciousness out of the mental world, the last trace of concern in his eyes vanishing like smoke.
All the arrangements were in place, the clones each had their duties, and their strength was fully ready.
Xing Yao took a deep breath and pushed open his bedroom door. The slightly cool morning air washed over his face, refreshing him.
The door closed softly. He stepped forward, his figure quickly blending into the morning streets. Patrolling Awakened were still visible everywhere along the way, and the atmosphere was tense and grim. Yet Xing Yao remained calm, looking straight ahead as he headed in just one direction-the school.
There were plenty of boys and girls on the streets heading to the examination venue just like him. Most looked nervous, gathering in twos and threes to talk in low voices, while the air brimmed with the particular oppression and anticipation that preceded an exam. Xing Yao walked alone at an unhurried pace, his aura restrained. He looked no different from an ordinary examinee, his whole approach being to develop quietly and play the pig to eat the tiger.
Before long, the familiar school gates appeared before him.
A massive banner hung high overhead, with Awakened guarding the surroundings tightly. Anyone who did not know better might have thought it was the site of some national-level secret; it was practically unrecognizable as the school of ordinary days. But Xing Yao looked straight ahead and walked directly onto campus, passing through the noisy corridors. Ignoring the curious, nervous, and jealous gazes around him, he headed straight for his classroom.
As he pushed the door open and entered, a clamor instantly flooded his ears. The classroom was as noisy as a vegetable market. Some students were clutching at the Buddha's feet at the last minute, frantically reviewing cultivation techniques; some were encouraging one another; others were so anxious they could neither sit nor stand still. It was the full panorama of life before an exam.
Xing Yao swept a calm gaze over the room without paying anyone any attention, then walked straight to his seat, pulled out his chair, and quietly sat down. He maintained the full icy, aloof demeanor throughout, as though everything around him had nothing to do with him.
Just then, two familiar figures hurried over from the other side of the classroom, instantly drawing the attention of quite a few nearby classmates.
They were none other than Lin Yue and Lin Chen.
Lin Yue had always been easygoing and afraid of neither heaven nor earth, with her social-butterfly powers maxed out. Without standing on ceremony, she immediately plopped into the seat in front of Xing Yao and spun around. Bracing her arms on his desk, she stared at him with round, wide eyes like a curious child, opening with a deadly barrage of questions:
"Xing Yao, Xing Yao, I finally caught you! Let me ask you something-what kind of god-tier cards were you selling a while back? How did they get so ridiculously popular? Everyone at school, even people from outside, has been fighting tooth and nail to buy them. Their popularity is absurd. They're practically the top celebrities of the card world! I went out of my way to ask around, and everyone who bought them said their effects were explosively outrageous, downright miraculous. What earth-shattering secret are you hiding?"
At this point, Lin Yue looked even more like someone exasperated that iron would not turn to steel. Slapping her little hand against the desk, she continued complaining:
"And another thing! I've been watching you like a hawk these past few days. Everyone else has been frantically cultivating and grinding their realms, but not you. When everyone else cultivates, you sell cards. When everyone else attends intensive training, you slack off. We barely even see you at the school's training sessions. All you think about all day is your card business. I'm getting anxious for you! Aren't you afraid everyone else's cultivation will leave you so far behind before the college entrance exam trial that you won't even see their taillights? You're way too Zen about this! Besides, you're one of our school's three seeded candidates, after all. Don't embarrass my brother and me!"
That barrage was not exactly quiet. Several nearby classmates pricked up their ears and stole glances their way, wanting to see how Xing Yao would respond.
Beside her, Lin Chen immediately looked a little embarrassed. He hurried forward and gently tugged at the hem of Lin Yue's clothes, his face full of apology. Hastily cupping his hands toward Xing Yao in apology, he spoke in a gentle, courteous tone:
"Xing Yao, I'm truly sorry. My little sister has been blunt since childhood. She speaks without thinking and has no filter. Please don't take it to heart or hold it against her."
Who would have thought that Xing Yao would merely lift his eyes, without the slightest ripple crossing his face? His expression was as tranquil as a deep pool as he simply uttered:
"It's fine."
As soon as he finished speaking, the corners of Xing Yao's mouth lifted slightly into a casual, somewhat languid curve. His tone was offhand, yet carried an intangible aura of showing off:
"Why should I tell you?"
The very next second!
An aura of the First Tier, condensed to the utmost yet utterly unobtrusive, quietly spread outward from Xing Yao like a soundless ripple!
That aura was not particularly overbearing, yet it was exceptionally concentrated and weighty, like a slumbering beast slowly opening its eyes. In an instant, even the surrounding air seemed to grow a little stagnant, carrying the innate pressure of a big shot!
Lin Yue, who had still been chattering a second earlier, suddenly went rigid as though struck by a thunderbolt. The curiosity and complaints on her face froze instantly. Her eyes widened beyond bronze bells, and her mouth opened wide enough to fit an egg!
The next moment, she shot straight out of her seat, her voice rising uncontrollably until it cracked. She was so shocked that she lost her composure on the spot:
"You-you reached First Tier?!"
That cry of astonishment was like a thunderclap exploding from clear skies!
In an instant, the whole classroom grew quieter. The students nearby who had been secretly watching the show all turned their gazes toward him, their faces filled with shock and their eyes brimming with disbelief!
After all, at this stage of their final year of high school, anyone who could reach First Tier was a top-tier big shot as rare as phoenix feathers and qilin horns within their year, a seeded candidate the school focused on nurturing!
Yet Xing Yao had been busy selling cards every day lately, nowhere to be seen at intensive training and never showing his face to cultivate. In everyone's eyes, he was a slacker neglecting his proper work, and then... he had quietly gone straight to First Tier?
How was that slacking off? This was clearly top-level playing the pig to eat the tiger, secretly using cheats to outgrind everyone to death!
Lin Yue stood rooted to the spot, completely dumbfounded. Her brain crashed outright, and she could not recover for a long while.
She had never imagined that, while she was still worrying about Xing Yao falling behind in cultivation and even reminding him not to disgrace his status as a seeded candidate, he had quietly accomplished something huge, breaking through to First Tier without a sound. The contrast practically fried her CPU!
Beside her, Lin Chen was also suddenly startled, his expression shifting slightly.
Towering waves surged through his heart: From my awakening until now, I've cultivated with everything I have, and I'm only at peak Eighth Stage. I haven't even touched Ninth Stage. Xing Yao has been out selling cards every day and hardly ever shows up to cultivate, yet he actually advanced to First Tier without a sound? Isn't that way too absurd?!
On the surface, Xing Yao remained as calm as drifting clouds and a gentle breeze, but a barely perceptible trace of amusement flashed through his eyes. Inside, he was already savoring the utmost satisfaction. Face-slapping truly was the most exhilarating feeling in the world. Just once had left him comfortable from head to toe. The pleasure of controlling the entire scene and effortlessly crushing everyone made the corners of his mouth lift slightly despite himself.