"How can this be?! Ye Wei... he shouldn't even know of the existence of magical restriction patterns! I must be mistaken—this has to be pure luck! Dammit!"
Xiao Qi's face twisted with unwillingness, and his gaze toward Ye Wei was laced with growing hostility. This was the first time in the history of Class Three that someone had stolen the spotlight from him.
And in front of Miss Zi Yan, no less!
This was nothing short of a public slap to the face.
Lin Ziyan, too, was visibly startled. If Ye Wei had only answered one correctly, she could have dismissed it as coincidence or a lucky guess. But all three answers had been flawless. The chances of that happening were infinitesimal.
"Ye Wei," she asked, her brows drawing together, "how did you know that those three divine pattern sequences could combine to form thirty-eight types of spirit-level low-rank techniques, twelve intermediate-rank ones, and six high-rank magical powers?"
Her clear, gem-like eyes fixed themselves on him, shimmering with both suspicion and intrigue. How could Ye Wei know such intricate divine knowledge?
Even she herself had initially believed that the three divine lines could form only thirty-six low-rank techniques, ten intermediate, and five high-rank magical powers. That was the consensus she had reached with the Vice President during a discussion—information revealed to her only in passing, and even then, due to the depth of magical restrictions most instructors would never teach.
Ye Wei was merely a student from Nanxing Academy's third junior class. How could someone of his background possibly know these rare divine formations?
Such magical restriction knowledge was rarely, if ever, explained in normal instruction. Most books made no mention of them, and only the 28th annotated edition of the "Dao Canon of Divine Patterns"—the Shenzhen Dao Zang—contained fragments of this information.
The Shenzhen Dao Zang was a titanic volume that even many scholars of divine arts dared not tackle. Spanning seventy-two tomes, each containing millions of words, it was said that even a lifetime would not suffice to read it all.
Ye Wei only gave a casual shrug, brushing off the awe and confusion with a faint smile. "Miss Zi Yan, this is just common knowledge. If one reads enough, it all becomes natural."
The casual exchange between Ye Wei and Miss Zi Yan sent ripples through the class. Shocked eyes turned toward Ye Wei. The sheer depth of his divine knowledge—and even his grasp of rarely discussed magical bans—was astonishing.
Could this really be the same Ye Wei who had once been dismissed as trash? The one born with a Red-level Sea of Consciousness?
Doubt bloomed in the hearts of the students. Their opinions began to shift.
Xiao Qi clenched his fists. He threw Ye Wei a poisonous glare. So what if Ye Wei knows a few divine patterns? Does that mean he can actually create a supernatural power?
As long as he can't form one himself, Ye Wei will always be a Red-ranked weakling—forever barred from stepping into the martial path!
He scoffed silently. Don't get smug just because you got some attention today. You're still a mere one-star apprentice! Wait until after class... then I'll show you your place.
He sat back down, fuming. His position as the class's strongest was not to be challenged.
Yet something gnawed at the back of Miss Zi Yan's mind.
Everyone says Ye Wei is talentless in martial arts... but could it be that he's secretly studied divine techniques on his own all this time?
No wonder he's always dozing off in class—maybe he's been studying late into the night. Could he truly have the aptitude to become a Divine Pattern Master?
That thought alone made her heart tremble.
To cultivate a Divine Pattern Master was far more valuable than training even the most talented martial warrior.
If he truly wishes to tread the divine path, then soul perception is key. Let's test it again.
Her expression composed, Miss Zi Yan looked directly at Ye Wei.
"Observe this divine art carefully."
With a flick of her wrist, invisible power gathered at her fingertips. Her Dantian's force surged quietly into motion. Using divine intent as the brush and Yuan Force as the ink, she traced thirty-six intricate divine lines into the air.
Each line shimmered with spiritual brilliance, weaving together into a grand tidal formation. As the pattern formed, faint sounds of surging waves echoed in the students' ears, and the salty tang of the ocean seemed to brush the tip of their noses. A mighty pressure washed over them like an unseen tide.
In battle, this power would erupt in waves upon waves, each stronger than the last—overwhelming, inexorable.
Spirit-Level Low-Rank Technique: Tidal Palm – Threefold Surge!
Gasps rose from the students. Their young faces brimmed with awe and longing as they gazed at the completed divine art.
"A supernatural technique…!"
Only those who had reached at least the Seven-Star Apprentice level had enough Dantian force to unleash such arts. Yet none among them—not even the head student, Xiao Qi, who was a mere Five-Star Apprentice—had reached that threshold. This was the first time they had seen a real supernatural power displayed up close.
"Let's see if you can spot the flaw."
Miss Zi Yan's gaze returned to Ye Wei. Unbeknownst to him, she had intentionally introduced a defect into the pattern. The power of this version of Tidal Palm was one-third weaker than it should have been.
Unlike the other students, who were too awed to notice anything, Ye Wei narrowed his eyes.
His gaze fell upon the thirty-six divine lines. His brows furrowed. He focused on three specific nodes, where the flow of Yuan energy seemed unnatural.
There's something wrong here.
Miss Zi Yan was a Ten-Star Apprentice, already at the peak of cultivation for their level and on the cusp of stepping into the martial realm. Tidal Palm was a low-level technique—how could she possibly make such blatant errors?
Too obvious... Did she make these mistakes on purpose? Ye Wei wondered. He had no idea she was testing him. All he knew was that three nodes felt... wrong.
"Miss Zi Yan…" he hesitated, torn between respect and honesty. To point out the instructor's mistakes—especially in front of the class—was something almost no student dared to do.
Seeing his discomfort, Miss Zi Yan smiled and gently patted his shoulder.
"If you see something wrong, speak freely. I won't be angry."
Her soft encouragement and the faint fragrance that drifted from her made Ye Wei's cheeks warm. He hesitated a moment longer, then finally pointed toward the first of the three flawed nodes.
"This divine line... the energy flow here seems off. I'm afraid it won't channel the full strength of the Threefold Tide."