Mr. Chen looked at the nervous Meng Chao and said, "Do you know what the strongest powerhouse among humans cultivates?"
Catching the sly curve of Mr. Chen's lips, Meng Chao ventured a guess, his voice tinged with doubt, "Physical cultivation?"
"You are right! But unlike you, he was born without talent. So he carved his own way, weaving a cultivation technique from the fragments of ancient arts." Admiration colored Mr. Chen's words.
"This isn't exactly a secret. With enough authority, you could even access the cultivation techniques of the strongest humans. Of course, nothing comes without a price!" He let out a wistful sigh.
Yet in the depths of Meng Chao's eyes, a spark flared to life.
He could not help but imagine himself one day standing among the legendary powerhouses of humanity.
Still, he dared not voice such dreams. After all, however many truly reach those heights?
Geniuses were plentiful, but true strength was a rare treasure.
Ultimately, talent alone was never enough. Opportunity was the actual key.
Mr. Chen slid open the drawer beneath his desk and produced a bracelet unlike any Meng Chao had seen.
"Take this! From now on, it marks your identity. You are exempt from regular classes." The meaning behind Mr. Chen's words was clear.
Those who have already broken through to the Xiantian realm are always moved to another class.
It was not just a new class. The training grounds, meals, and every amenity for Xiantian students were set apart from the rest.
Once, he would never have dared set foot there. For those who had not broken through, it was forbidden ground.
But now, with permission granted, excitement bubbled within Meng Chao.
It felt like a promotion, the kind that filled him with pride and happiness.
"Newly advanced Xiantian realm students are given two free techniques. Even though the list of choices isn't advanced techniques, they can be called decent at the entry level of Xiantian."
He stood rooted, absorbing every word, though excitement made him itch to rush home and share the news with his family.
Even so, he was able to listen to all the instructions from Mr. Chen.
But how could a seasoned veteran like Mr. Chen fail to see through the thoughts of a young man?
"Okay! I've spoken enough. You can learn the rest on your own. Go! Go back home and show off!" He then chased him from his office.
As he stepped outside, he felt eyes on him—the gaze of students who had been watching this place in secret.
This time, it was a new crowd, each with their own motives.
Some were spies for the martial clans, while others were driven by boredom or curiosity.
Meng Chao strode out, unafraid.
Before entering the Xiantian realm, threats to his life were genuine. Now, everything had changed.
Students in the Xiantian realm were highly valued by the Federation, and even the most powerful Martial clans dared not attack them.
Inside the boundary walls of the city, it was a great taboo to attack Xiantian students with the aim of assassination or destroying them.
Perhaps beyond the boundary wall, but inside it wasn't going to fly, as this would be like a slap in the face of the Federation.
His family now enjoyed an extra layer of protection, and with each step he and his sister took, their safety grew stronger.
Choosing a different path home, Meng Chao glanced at the bracelet on his arm—a shining symbol of his newfound confidence.
His sister had the same one, too.
He could not wait to see her face when she learned he had earned entry to the Xiantian training grounds.
As he walked on, a massive wall loomed ahead. Even from a distance, its presence pressed down on him.
"This is the place!" He didn't need a reminder, as he could clearly feel that anyone weaker than the Xiantian realm would avoid this place like a plague.
As he neared the wall, the bracelet on his wrist shimmered with a silvery light.
He reached out to touch the gate, surprised to find it felt soft and slick beneath his fingers.
His hand slipped through the wall. Retracting it, he stared at the glowing bracelet as realization dawned.
"Without permission, no one can enter. What treasures must lie within the Xiantian training section for them to guard it so fiercely?" he wondered, stepping boldly through the wall.
The first thing that came into his sight was the massive head of a tiger-like creature suspended in the square. He felt as though the track-sized head was looking at him, and the sense of oppression from it was not small.
His legs were glued in place, incapable of movement, solely due to the pressure. It contained some killing intent, too, which made his back turn cold. A strange force erupted from within his body, diffusing the effects of the killing intent on him, as he regained his senses.
His face turned solemn as he looked around with his gaze avoiding the tiger head.
Walking forward, he failed to realize that his performance was being observed by two Martial instructors in the distance.
"Did you see how that kid managed to escape from that mental suppression of the tiger corpse head?" A man with a cane in hand asked.
"We can just ask, why go through all the guessing games?" The one standing next to him responded casually.
"This is, after all, a newbie! You should know that Instructor Chen is not very tolerant of others bullying his students." When the two of them were arguing, a cold female voice sounded at the side.
"Hehe! What are you talking about, Instructor Su! We are just concerned about the students' training!"The man with a cane replied calmly.
"Li Yao! Do you believe what you are saying?" The man at the side asked with a disgusted expression.
"What do you mean?" Li Yao asked as he held his cane tightly.
"We didn't do anything, and yet this witch Su Lingyue just says a few words, almost making you admit a crime. If you ask me, she is more suspicious." The man said without even lowering his voice.
The female teacher standing at the side seemed to have never expected to be directly exposed. An angry expression flashed on her face before it quickly faded.
"What are you talking about? I haven't done anything." She appeared wronged, but no one spoke up for her, and even Li Yao took two steps back from her.
He looked at her suspiciously and then looked away. Clearly, he didn't say what shouldn't be said.
"Has that kid offended someone from the martial clans? Otherwise, how could an instructor like Su Lingyue suddenly try to get me to target a brat that has just entered the Xiantian realm?" He thought as he calmed down.
He didn't care much about the martial clans, after all, he was someone who had risen with the support of the Federation alone. Things were quite different for someone like Su LingYue. It was just that he was wrong about things; the Martial clans would not pay much attention to someone like Meng Chao.
Unless he had taken the shortest time to break through to the Xiantian realm, but it clearly didn't seem so. The other reason was that he had offended them, but this wasn't the case. Even Jin Ning wouldn't bother wasting her time on someone like Meng Chao, as she had said in her own words, he was just a pest.
She looked down on him, and this was probably the same for the other descendants of the Martial clans.
Her actions were clearly motivated by something else, but only she knew what it was. Deep in her eyes, a coldness was clearly visible, yet it was hidden.
It was directed towards this Song guy who was ruining her deeds. It was just that she couldn't mess with him, as his cultivation was already approaching the peak of the 7th Heaven of the Xiantian realm.
What was even more scary was that he had spent most of his time beyond the boundary wall, and had just returned on vacation, deciding to temper himself while training new generation warriors.
Without wasting time, he turned to Li Yao and said, "Let's go!"
Clearly, he had no good feelings toward this female instructor. It was just that he didn't own the school and could only tolerate her.
Only when the two left did Su Lingyue dare to show her anger; she gritted her teeth while her nails were embedded in her flesh.
"Damn! I could use Instructor Chen to deal with you, but you dare to embarrass me right in front of me. I'm not done with you!" She was angry.
Clearly, from the beginning to the end, she was trying to target Song Li. He was just the new guy, and in just half a year, her popularity was almost fading among the students.
With Song Li's presence, she was losing students, and if the trend continued, it would become difficult to earn contribution points with the poor quality of students she was retaining.
On the other side, Meng Chao walked around before finally reaching an entrance to a building.
When he was confused about his next move, he heard a rough male voice that made him turn his head.
"New student?"