Chapter 166

Chapter 166 Chapter 166 At the same time, Manga Consciousness sounded in Su Bei’s ear, “《King of Abilities》 has updated. Please check.” Updating now? Nothing major had happened recently, right? Su Bei suppressed his curiosity and refocused on the moment. As Jiang Tianming left the arena, he drew even more attention than Su Bei had, with all Alpha Ability Academy students eyeing the genius who’d defeated Elvis. Not knowing him or facing him, they didn’t understand how he’d controlled all the quarry’s stones, assuming it was vast Mental Energy, enough to pull off such feats after two ice-based group attacks. What did that mean? His Mental Energy far surpassed theirs! An Ability User’s strength boiled down to two factors: the Ability itself and Mental Energy. Jiang Tianming’s dual abilities were now common knowledge post-match, and his Mental Energy was mistakenly thought immense. To Alpha Ability Academy, he was a genius among geniuses. Unbeknownst to him, he’d been deemed more talented than Elvis. A big win called for celebration. Leaving the crowd, the four surrounded Jiang Tianming, heading to a small restaurant for a hearty meal. Watching them leave, Joseph complimented Meng Huai, “Your school’s students this time are truly exceptional. We thought one Elvis was enough to dominate, but we were too optimistic.” Meng Huai shook his head, not letting the flattery cloud his judgment, “A semester’s time is enough for your Elvis to reach new heights. Besides, team battles are unpredictable.” He didn’t just say that to console Joseph. It was a well-known fact that individual and team battles were worlds apart. Team battles tested coordination. Three mediocre minds could outsmart a genius. In past years, strong Ability User teams often fell to weaker ones’ clever traps in team battles. Even if they excelled individually, poor team coordination could lead to failure. Arena match performances didn’t apply. Meng Huai mused that after this exchange, they would need to do team training. This gave him a headache. These kids were great solo but team players? Did they even have a teamwork mindset? He was just glad Class S lacked the common type from past years—those who thought themselves unmatched, needing no teamwork to win. Taming hotheads was fun, but he was here to slack. Forced back to Class S, if he had to deal with hotheads, he’d quit on the spot just to spite Wu Di. At the restaurant: “Tianming, you were amazing!” Lan Subing’s face flushed with excitement. “You were so cool, when you beat that broken Ability!” Saying so much at once showed she genuinely thought he was impressive. And he was—overcoming an Ability disadvantage through strategy was admirable, even to Su Bei. Though Lan Subing also beat Elvis, it was a fluke really and she took no pride in it. “I mainly won, because he didn’t know my abilities,” Jiang Tianming said humbly, adding truthfully, “And he was fooled by my earlier act.” In that fight, if Elvis had been more aggressive, ignoring stamina and Mental Energy costs to attack with full force, he could’ve eliminated Jiang Tianming before the setup. Su Bei saw this too. With his ability, Elvis shouldn’t have let Jiang Tianming stall unless he held back. He either underestimated Jiang Tianming, toying with him like a cat with a mouse, or gave him a chance to show his trump card. Either way, Jiang Tianming seized the opportunity, securing victory. “Too bad Alpha Ability Academy doesn’t have arena betting,” Su Bei sighed. If they did, he’d have bet 100% on Jiang Tianming’s win, not even a draw, and made a fortune. Why was he so sure? Because Jiang Tianming was the protagonist! With others losing or drawing, the protagonist was likely to win. A draw was possible, but wouldn’t it lack that protagonist flair? “Bit of a shame,” Lan Subing nodded. Though they hadn’t believed Jiang Tianming would win, they’d have bet on him. Ai Baozhu waved dismissively, “Even if they had betting, it’d just be for credits. Alpha Ability Academy’s credits are useless to us—they don’t even allow trading them.” That killed their interest. Credits here were just meal tickets to them. Alpha Ability Academy had a point store equivalent, but it wasn’t open to exchange students, so credits were pointless. Back at the dorm, Su Bei immediately checked the updated Manga. He sighed in relief—it was just a casual chapter, not some unknown plot point. Three locations, three casual segments, likely to slow the pace after the last chapter’s heavy plot. This “casual” was Su Bei’s view—anything off the main storyline was casual. To other readers, this update was still thrilling. The next day at school, the once-quiet campus buzzed again. Jiang Tianming’s victory reignited interest in the exchange students, with many sneaking glances. Naturally, Jiang Tianming drew the most attention, facing unprecedented enthusiasm—people asking about Ability training, probing his relationship status (male or female), or inquiring about transfer plans. The moment class ended, he was swarmed. Though he took most of the heat, Su Bei and Elvis weren’t spared. Most seeking Su Bei were those who failed to get close to Jiang Tianming, trying a roundabout approach. Joke’s on them! If Jiang Tianming ignored them, why wouldn’t he too? Su Bei figured they’d forgotten his initial show of force and needed a reminder. He unhesitatingly set the luck of three who approached him to the worst. Adjusting three small pointers was easy; more, and he’d need another method. Soon, the three’s pointers hit bad luck—one tripped out of nowhere, another got bird droppings on their head while sightseeing and a third spilled their water, soaking the books on their desk. What did they have in common? Eyes turned to Su Bei. Those who’d considered approaching him but held back felt secretly relieved. Good thing they chickened out, or they’d be the unlucky ones. Su Bei’s ability was impossible to guard against—best not to mess with him. Elvis faced a few clueless challengers. Some thought if others could beat him, they could too, eagerly inviting him to arena matches. Elvis accepted all comers. Though fighting them was dull, free punching bags weren’t to be wasted. By noon, he’d swiftly dispatched them all. Their challenges gave him a perfect chance to deter others. After this, no one would dare challenge him for a while. Elvis loved fighting but preferred strong opponents, not wasting time on weaklings. With their issues resolved, they could focus on Jiang Tianming’s predicament. He had no good way to shake the crowd. They came with goodwill, so he couldn’t be harsh, and he lacked Su Bei’s mass-control ability. Seeing Su Bei spectating, Jiang Tianming used his tactic, redirecting, “Don’t ask me, ask Su Bei. We’re good friends—his answers are mine.” Standing nearby, Su Bei heard the blatant buck-passing, giving Jiang Tianming a half-smile. Looking at the eager crowd, he casually rubbed his wrist, “Something up, blocking my way?” Control Track Class 1 flinched as if threatened, shaking their heads, “No, no.” They quickly backed off, clearing a path. No one wanted another diarrhea episode—his methods were unstoppable. What choice did they have but to yield? Leaving the classroom, Jiang Tianming sighed, “Your intimidation factor is unmatched.” One sentence cleared their mess, more effective than a teacher. Having stayed in Control Track Class 1, he knew why—those two shows of force. He’d redirected the crowd not because he thought they’d dare ask Su Bei but to give him an excuse to scare them off. “Punch the closest one in the face, and your intimidation would top mine,” Su Bei said flatly. Jiang Tianming: “...” He couldn’t tell if Su Bei was joking or serious. Finally free from outsiders, they checked their phones. A message from Meng Huai awaited them, “Meet me at the staff dorm entrance.” The timestamp matched their dismissal. Exchanging glances, they headed to the staff building. Delayed by classmates, they were the last to arrive. Everyone, including Meng Huai, was already there. When Meng Huai saw them, gave he a rare praise to Jiang Tianming. His fight with Elvis was impressive and brought the school honor—not praising him would be unjust. But he wasn’t one for praise, quickly moving to business, “I called you here to discuss the resource Different Space. Let’s go outside to talk. Dinner’s on me.” They went to an upscale Western restaurant off-campus. In a private room, waiting for food, Meng Huai continued, “The resource Different Space opens next week. You haven’t studied this type in detail, so I’ll fill you in.” Under his explanation, the five absorbed the info. Unlike other Different Spaces, resource Different Spaces were part of the mainland, also called “Lost Continents.” When an area lacked humans and was overrun by Nightmare Beasts, it would be spirited away, becoming a Different Space. Named for human-left and natural resources, they were resource Different Spaces. Renewable ones had two types. In one, mineral resources regenerated, but man-made resources like skill books didn’t. The other had a rare high-level Nightmare Beast, “Knowledge Nightmare Beast,” which needed to live near books or human knowledge. Weak in attack but strong in self-preservation, they could seek and summon similar knowledge. For example, in a room full of skill books, they’d periodically summon new ones. The same applied to other knowledge. When first discovered, many great families tried capturing one for their libraries to enrich collections. But they weren’t pushovers. High-level Nightmare Beasts shared vision, and Knowledge Nightmare Beasts were unique. To prevent humans from growing stronger, capturing one triggered massive Nightmare Beast assaults, wiping out entire regions, turning them into resource Different Spaces. Alpha Ability Academy’s resource Different Space was this type, with a Knowledge Nightmare Beast, allowing even skill books to regenerate. After outlining the space, Meng Huai gave orders, “Your main task is to get skill books. Use them if they suit you, or trade them for points back at the academy.” Endless Ability Academy had other resources, but skill books were universally scarce and coveted by Ability Users. Su Bei blinked, pulling a map from his storage ring, “Speaking of, I got a map to a skill book resource point in this Different Space.” The others: “?” “You got that too?” Lan Subing looked incredulous. His prior intel could be chalked up to his ability, but this couldn’t be, right? Meng Huai examined the map, then sharply eyed Su Bei, “An Alpha Ability Academy teacher gave you this? What’d you trade?” He instantly recognized it as an official Alpha Ability Academy map, bearing the school crest and protective ability traces. Su Bei couldn’t have stolen it. He must’ve done something to make a teacher willingly give it up. Skill book resource point maps were precious, even for one point. Meng Huai feared Su Bei had promised to transfer schools. Having sworn not to reveal the deal, Su Bei wouldn’t break his word. But saying nothing wasn’t an option—Meng Huai needed context to be at ease. Luckily, Su Bei had a plan when he showed the map, “I’ve been training with Elvis privately every day.” The others nodded. Elvis' status as the principal’s disciple was no secret. Likely, Alpha Ability Academy’s principal saw his flaws in Su Bei’s match and traded resources for Su Bei’s sparring. Meng Huai scrutinized Su Bei, sensing something off but no lie. Su Bei wasn’t lying—he was training with Elvis daily, just not in combat or abilities but games. The map wasn’t a gaming reward, but he hadn’t implied it was. He didn’t lie; others just misunderstood. Not his fault, right? Finding no issue, Meng Huai dropped it. As long as it wasn’t transferring, it was fine. He asked bluntly, “Why’d you show the map?” Obviously, Su Bei wasn’t giving it away for free—there was profit in it. Sure enough, Su Bei smiled standardly, “I got something good, so I want to contribute to the school. I trust the school won’t shortchange me.” In the Different Space, they’d act as a group, so he couldn’t use the map alone. Better to trade it for benefits now. His words were grandiose, but who didn’t get it? Meng Huai didn’t bother haggling, “One thousand points enough?” “It wasn’t easy to get...” Su Bei looked troubled. “Two thousand,” Meng Huai rolled his eyes. “More, and keep the map.” “Plenty, plenty,” Su Bei beamed. Two thousand points, plus his existing ones, could get more Invisibility Charms and other useful items. School-bought items could be used openly, unlike those from Destiny’s private stash. He handed the map to Meng Huai, who gave it to Jiang Tianming, deeming him reliable, “This is now the school’s map. Half of what you get with it goes to the school; the rest is yours.” No one objected. Getting half for free was a steal. “But be careful,” Meng Huai added dutifully. “This map isn’t unique. Before you arrived, they had an event giving out maps as rewards. Since they gave it to you, others likely have it too. They didn’t promise exclusivity, right?” Su Bei nodded, aware of this. Skill book resource points were precious. Demanding exclusivity would’ve cost more resources. An exclusive regular resource point versus a contested skill book one—Su Bei chose the latter. Alpha Ability Academy’s teachers wouldn’t shamelessly give the map to too many, so likely only a few elite teams would compete. Compared to regular points, skill book points were more appealing. Competition? So what? They were the protagonist team! After dinner, Meng Huai left for his tasks. Jiang Tianming and the others huddled, studying Su Bei’s map. Likely to avoid leaks, the map was crude. A clock tower marked the center, with winding lines from it representing paths. A scale showed the lines’ real-world distances. So, in the Different Space, they’d need to find the clock tower first, then follow the map to the resource point. “The clock tower’s probably a landmark,” Lan Subing guessed. “Shouldn’t be hard to find?” Jiang Tianming disagreed, “What if there’s more than one? With this icon’s simplicity, we might not tell which is the map’s.” “Usually, a place has just one clock tower. If there’s more, we’ll deal with it,” Si Zhaohua said. Pre-entry map discussions were pointless. Su Bei agreed but thought he could ask classmates about the Different Space’s details. The next day, he asked Elvis, “What’s the map like for your school’s resource Different Space?”