Zhao Mu was startled by Bu Yanhuan's remark. He double-checked his stats through the demon clown—his Battle Rank was indeed Level 1.
"There's no mistake; it really is only Level 1."
Bu Yanhuan walked over and stared at him for a long moment, then exclaimed, "Impossible! At Level 1, Meditation is slow; five cycles a day is already amazing."
"Could it be linked to your ability?"
With that thought, she had Zhao Mu release every ounce of spirit energy in his body again.
Zhao Mu held nothing back. With a low shout, the spirit energy in his Spirit Sea surged along his spirit power meridians and flooded his entire body!
"Boom—"
A burst of force formed around him, shaking the dust off the ground and clearing a perfect circle.
"I get it now."
Bu Yanhuan, seasoned and sharp, finally saw where the problem lay.
Pointing at Zhao Mu, she said, "When you use your demon clown ability to train Spiritual Energy Introduction, you raise Skill proficiency. The more proficient your Meditation Technique, the faster you absorb spirit energy from Subspace and the faster you release it."
"Once you hit a certain threshold, your Battle Rank goes up."
"But that can't change the fact that your base rank is still 1. In other words, although the total spirit energy inside you has already reached Battle Rank 2, your body's shackles haven't been broken."
Zhao Mu's head ached. "I've read plenty of books, but feel free to spell it out."
Bu Yanhuan folded her arms and declared, "Fool! It means that, starting from Battle Rank 1, your rank-up speed is still slow. Yet during Meditation the surplus spirit energy you absorb keeps accumulating in your body."
"In short, at the same Battle Rank, your total spirit energy far exceeds anyone else's!"
Bu Yanhuan laughed in relief.
"I was worried that starting at Battle Rank 1 would leave you behind in cultivation. Now it looks like steady rank-ups plus pretending to be a pig to eat the tiger make for a terrific ability!"
She flashed a thumbs-up. "The lowest Battle Rank 1, seemingly the worst talent, paired with the infinitely growable demon clown—an absolutely perfect match!"
Zhao Mu finally understood.
"So, in a fight, my rank looks low and people will underestimate me, but once we start—heh—I can exploit their carelessness and take them out, right?"
Bu Yanhuan smiled approvingly. "You catch on quick—no wonder I've nurtured you so carefully all these years."
As Zhao Mu celebrated, his electronic wristband vibrated softly.
He glanced at it curiously; the message was from Teacher Xu.
Two days later, Yuwu No. 2 Middle School would hold its Graduation Ceremony.
All students had to report to school.
First, for Career Counseling—whether they would head straight to a Front Line Army Base or join Qingfeng Camp's Entrance Trial.
Second, for a simple farewell among Classmates of over a decade.
Soon they would walk separate paths; this might be the last time they ever met.
Zhao Mu shut the wristband without much thought. His priority now was to seize every second to raise his Skill proficiencies.
And then amaze everyone at Qingfeng Camp's Entrance Trial!
...Shen Moran arrived home; the family Pork Stall was closed for the day, yet the house bustled more than usual.
Familiar and unfamiliar faces crowded the doorway, gifts—many of them expensive—piled outside.
Ever since word spread that Shen Moran had awakened a B-rank Talent, distant relatives had flocked in.
Frowning, Shen Moran slipped in through the back door.
Her parents, for once, stood tall and smiling from ear to ear.
After the guests left, her father—who had lost an arm in battle—and her frail mother came to the back room and found Shen Moran sitting on the sofa, looking dazed.
"Mo Mo, what's wrong? You look unhappy—did you and Xiao Mu have a fight?"
Mother Shen stepped forward, concerned; not long ago Shen Moran had said she was going to find Zhao Mu.
Father Shen puffed on a cigarette and chuckled, "Xiao Mu has helped us a lot these years—tutoring you and your siblings, helping with the stall. You can't..."
Shen Moran suddenly cut him off. "I've broken up with Zhao Mu!"
Her father's smile froze; his eyes widened, the cigarette tumbling from his fingers.
"W-what did you say?"
"He only has an E-rank Talent; the gap between us is too vast. If his talent were a bit stronger—say C-rank—I could accept it."
Shen Moran buried her face. "But it's E-rank, the worst. The gap will only widen. I can't accept a partner who's useless."
Father Shen stammered, "But, Xiao Mu..."
Mother Shen tugged his sleeve and smiled. "Once our daughter becomes a powerful Spirit Energy User, she can always help him. Xiao Mu's a good kid, but we can't let him hold Mo Mo back."
"After all, how can a crow match a Phoenix?"
Looking at his resolute daughter, Father Shen's already weathered face grew even more haggard.
He knew it wasn't right, yet for his daughter's future, it was the only sensible choice.
"Then don't forget to repay his kindness someday."
...Zhao Mu didn't rest for an entire day.
To prepare for the Entrance Trial in a week, he had to raise the proficiency of his combat Skills now.
Life Skills could wait; there'd be plenty of time later.
Right now, Seven Kills Battle Method and Spiritual Energy Introduction were the keys.
From sunrise to noon, from noon to sunset.
By day's end, his Seven Kills Battle Method proficiency had hit 135, and Spiritual Energy Introduction had soared to 40!
Meditation grew faster; channeling spirit energy from his Spirit Sea to arms and legs became swifter.
"So the higher the Battle Rank, the stronger the spirit energy and the faster it moves, giving an overwhelming edge in battle. Got it!"
Clenching his fist, Zhao Mu brimmed with confidence for next week's trial.
Just then, Bu Yanhuan's gaze sharpened toward the courtyard gate.
Zhao Mu heard a familiar voice.
"Young Miss Bu, Xiao Mu, you're both home!"
Zhao Mu started and turned his head.
There stood Shen Moran's mother, a floral-cloth-covered basket on her arm, smiling gently outside their gate.