Chapter 141

Chapter 141 Chapter 141 After successfully driving off the candidate, Su Bei and the others left once the mandatory waiting period ended. Apart from their special track, everyone else’s exams were in the afternoon, leaving the morning free for rest. Going back to the dorms felt pointless, and it was too early for lunch, so they headed to the classroom to chat. Zhao Xiaoyu cautiously closed the classroom door, then whispered to the group: “I passed by the teachers’ office today and saw them sorting exam papers.” Sorting papers now? The news sparked unease. Wu Mingbai frowned: “How many? One class' worth, or... the whole grade’s?” If it was the former, it might just be a surprise quiz for one class. But if there were many, it could mean a big “surprise” for the entire first year. For once, Mo Xiaotian caught on, his face incredulous: “What? Really? Isn’t this monthly exam just for the midterm selection? Why’s there an academic test too?!” Zhao Xiaoyu patted his shoulder, racking her brain to comfort him: “It’s probably in the next couple of days at latest, so at least you’re spared revision time, right?” Su Bei nearly burst out laughing. The implication was clear—with two days left, revision wouldn’t help him pass, so it “saved” time. Her words didn’t comfort Mo Xiaotian—if anything, they made it worse. He slumped over his desk, wailing: “Help! Why’s the exam so soon?” Su Bei, in the back, stayed silent, lost in thought. His quiet moments weren’t rare, so no one paid much attention. Until he stood abruptly, Si Zhaohua asked: “Where you going?” “Library,” Su Bei replied. “Coming?” He rarely invited others, so Si Zhaohua stood to join. Wu Jin, having enjoyed reading at the Feng Family library, thought it a good way to pass time and stood too. Humans are prone to herd behavior. With three heading to the library, the idle others followed, and the group marched there en masse. With most students testing, the campus was empty. At the library, the librarian, startled by the sudden crowd, pushed up his glasses: “What’re you all here for?” “To read, of course,” Su Bei grinned, heading to his usual reading spot, running a hand along the shelves, and picking a book to sit on a sofa. The others followed, choosing books. Since they trailed Su Bei, they passed the same shelves. Jiang Tianming’s gaze landed on a black-covered book in a corner, unassuming but striking for its pure black cover. He loved black, so he pulled it out. The title wasn’t on the cover but inside—The Birth of Nightmare Beasts. Catching Jiang Tianming take the book from the corner of his eye, Su Bei’s lips curved slightly. His effort wasn’t wasted—replicating the book, choosing Jiang Tianming’s favorite black for the cover, slipping it onto the shelf unnoticed, and maxing out his luck. It worked—he got the book. Yes, Su Bei had placed it there for Jiang Tianming. Its contents detailed Nightmare Beasts emerging after a meteor fall. He chose this moment because, by his estimate, the manga might depict this scene. The afternoon’s plot was packed, but the morning was light. This scene filled the gap. He’d prepared the book before the exam, bringing it today, and it paid off. If the manga didn’t include it, no issue—he’d mention it later. As long as Jiang Tianming recalled it, the author would eventually draw it. Sharing the “meteor fall” with Jiang Tianming didn’t mean Su Bei planned action now. It was too early—at least until after the midterm. Releasing it now gave readers time to speculate and him time to borrow their ideas. Readers’ creativity was vast; they might devise a solution before he did. Jiang Tianming, engrossed, registered to borrow the book. The librarian noted the title in a logbook. Seeing this, Su Bei looked away, satisfied. From his many library visits, he knew they only recorded loans manually, not digitally, or they’d notice the book wasn’t in the system. They used this simple method because mysterious books often appeared—students or teachers left them, and over time, no special records were kept, as long as borrowed items returned. Knowing this, Su Bei dared to plant the book so boldly. The afternoon’s first exam was the defense track, fast since it was one-on-one attack endurance. Ai Baozhu and Wu Mingbai were S Class' only participants. Both could’ve joined other tracks—Ai Baozhu special, Wu Mingbai attack—but they chose defense. It had the fewest S Class competitors, ensuring they filled the slots. If an outsider joined, Meng Huai might kick someone out. Luckily, both were well-suited, so it wasn’t a sacrifice. Ai Baozhu tested first, facing a third-year teacher. She activated her ability without warning. Mischievous, she didn’t tip off the teacher. He launched a moderate attack, only to be repelled by her [Gorgeous Domain]. Teacher: “?” Not teaching first-years, he hadn’t followed S Class' abilities. Seeing his confusion, Ai Baozhu explained, feigning innocence but smug: “My ability, [Gorgeous Domain], expels anything unglamorous, like fighting.” Intrigued, the teacher asked: “If I stand outside your domain, can I break it?” “With enough attack power, yes.” Unlike Su Bei’s open special track, defense was closed to prevent other schools from scouting team compositions and abilities. Ai Baozhu shared how to counter her ability. Her ability had improved significantly. She reactivated it, shrinking the domain to just cover her, leaving space for one other. This was [Gorgeous Domain]’s smallest range, requiring two people. Smaller domains boosted defense. She’d developed a rebound function—violence inside was expelled, outside violence reflected partial damage. Crucially, she could now activate it silently, without pink petals, catching enemies off-guard. Her ability wowed the teacher. She left with a poised, proud smile, signaling to everyone she was likely in. Next was Wu Mingbai, whose [Earth Element] ability had grown, not just in element variety but strength. [Earth Element] was defense-suited, and despite his attack-driven heart, he hadn’t neglected his strength. A fortress of sand, stone, and soil blocked most attacks. But the teacher was slightly dissatisfied. Though Wu Mingbai’s defense surpassed most, his ability was too conventional, easily countered. Thinking, he called another teacher: “Try this teacher’s attack. I’ll warn you—it’s completely different. If you agree and block it once, you get a competition slot. Fail once, and you likely won’t. Willing to try?” He offered a risky chance: agree and win once > refuse > agree but fail. The first guaranteed a slot, the last nearly guaranteed failure, and refusing was safest—Wu Mingbai’s earlier performance gave him a decent chance. Wu Mingbai thought for a second, then answered firmly: “I’m willing.” He saw the teacher’s intent—his strength was close to qualifying, but lacked something key, prompting this second test. That “key thing” hit him, recalling Su Bei’s special track exam. Lei Ze’en said it tested adaptability and unpredictability. His [Earth Element] lacked this—many had similar abilities, and elemental tactics were well-studied. Performing averagely lacked competitiveness, so this second test likely gauged his response to unique abilities. As the teacher said, the new attack would differ vastly. He needed to identify the attack that could breach his defense and counter it. “Ready?” The new examiner, with deep green hair, asked expressionlessly, seeming unapproachable. Deep green hair? From last semester’s basics, Wu Mingbai learned some abilities tied to hair or eye color, storing eleMental Energy and altering appearance. His [Earth Element] gave him brown hair. Qi Huang’s [Flame Phoenix] made hers red. What did deep green represent? Usually wood abilities. Wood countered earth, fitting the test. Wood seeds could pierce his soil defenses, harming him inside. To counter wood, he’d use stone for his fortress, blocking penetration. But something felt off. All elemental users knew element interactions. With the teacher stressing a different attack to test him, wood countering earth was too obvious. If the teacher only wanted to test wood resistance, he’d say so—why be cryptic? If not wood, what ability? Green hair, green eyes... Suddenly, Wu Mingbai thought of a possibility. “Teacher, I’m ready.” His thoughts took three minutes. He looked up confidently. The short thinking time didn’t annoy the teacher, who nodded, ready to attack. Wu Mingbai dove underground, replicating his fortress below. The new examiner didn’t attack immediately, stepping to where Wu Mingbai vanished, crushing bricks to reveal steel below. He and the first examiner shook their heads. If only steel, even thick, Wu Mingbai would likely fail. The green-haired teacher activated his ability, green gas advancing toward the fortress. As gas, it seeped through loose soil, enveloping the fortress. If Wu breathed, the gas would enter, achieving the attack. Yes, his ability was toxic, typically harming enemies with poison. If Wu inhaled, he’d fail. But after a minute, the green-haired teacher withdrew the gas, eyes appreciative: “He passed.” “How?” The first examiner asked, surprised. “It’s only been a minute—he could hold his breath longer.” “I didn’t hold it,” Wu Mingbai said, emerging. “I filtered the gas.” The green-haired teacher nodded, agreeing: “He likely added activated charcoal and glass fibers inside his fortress to filter gas. I sensed my gas penetrate but not reach the inner layer. He could last a day, swapping out saturated charcoal.” He looked at Wu Mingbai: “How’d you know I’d use poison?” Wu Mingbai answered honestly: “Your hair color.” “Doesn’t that suggest wood?” The first examiner asked, having chosen him for his deceptive appearance. “Because it’s too easy to think wood,” Wu Mingbai shrugged. Both understood. The green-haired teacher patted his colleague: “Don’t forget your promise.” He left the classroom. The first examiner didn’t renege, giving Wu Mingbai a thumbs-up: “You’ll get a slot. Main or reserve, we’ll discuss.” Satisfied, Wu Mingbai didn’t mind—both offered stage time. He politely thanked the teacher and left. As he closed the door, he heard the examiner mutter: “Looks like S Class takes both again.” Outsiders didn’t know the classroom events. Jiang Tianming, waiting, checked Wu Mingbai’s expression, seeing no issues, and asked: “How’d it go?” “You saw, didn’t you?” Wu Mingbai nudged him, grinning. “Nailed it!” Only to Jiang Tianming and Lan Subing would he be so open; to others, he’d say it was “fine.” Secrets could unravel if shared before settled. Jiang Tianming smiled faintly: “Let’s go to Subing. Their exams should start soon.” He was alone because others were testing. Su Bei’s group, done early, had gone to secure spots. Support track participants were Zhao Xiaoyu, Lan Subing, and Wu Jin, none healer-types, so they’d test team battle skills. Notably, Lan Subing joined to fill a slot. Zhao Xiaoyu was unlikely to qualify, having a fallback. Wu Jin was the main support contender, so Lan Subing joined to secure another slot and boost her chances. No one worried about her—[Word Spirit] was always overpowered, hard not to qualify. So, they arrived chatting lightly, without urgency. Wu Jin was the concern. They couldn’t fathom how his ability would stand out in support. Though less competitive, his ability seemed useless. He’d said he joined S Class via connections, contributing little all semester. His only close classmates were Zhao Xiaoyu and Su Bei. Wait... Su Bei? Thinking of Su Bei, Jiang Tianming’s frown deepened: “Think Wu Jin can qualify?” Like-minded, Wu Mingbai also thought of Su Bei, or his prophetic moments in the first monthly exam: “Ask Su Bei.” They agreed, hurrying to Lan Subing’s venue, finding Su Bei, Feng Lan, and Li Shu on chairs. Done testing, they were relaxed. With good scores, even a potential academic exam tomorrow didn’t faze them. Unlike poor Mo Xiaotian, awaiting his arena match while frantically memorizing math formulas. “Bing Xiao’s in?” Jiang Tianming sat beside Su Bei. Su Bei nodded. Li Shu, nearby, answered: “We asked—support’s test uses a [Copy] ability teacher to replicate teams. Two supports join opposing teams, and winners advance.” “Pretty fair,” Wu Mingbai said, surprised, then realized: “Then your test’s probably similar, Jiang.” Support and control required team coordination, so their tests were likely alike. Jiang Tianming nodded, getting to business: “Su Bei, what do you think...” He glanced at Wu Jin waiting nearby, hesitating: “Will our class get a newbie?” A veiled question—newbies meant non-S Class in the competition team. Asking now was clearly about Wu Jin. Catching his hint, Su Bei grinned at Wu Jin: “You confident, Wu Jin?” His words drew every waiting candidate’s eyes to Wu Jin. S Class members were famous first-years, their paper strengths well-known. Except Wu Jin, whose low presence matched his claimed ability. He’d never shone in tests, leaving his personality, ability, and S Class status a mystery. Former F Class students often speculated he, like Su Bei, hid his true ability and strength. Why else join S Class? They weren’t wrong—Wu Jin was hiding, and not just a little. He met Su Bei’s gaze, gray eyes steady. Blinking his striking peach-blossom eyes, he nodded slowly, firm and bright: “Yes.”