Chapter 2 - Chapter 2 An Iron Will

Liu Qingfeng froze for a moment and glanced toward the voice. When he saw it was Yu Sheng, the corner of his mouth twitched slightly. This boy was outstanding in his eyes—he never complained about how grueling his training was. And he had an extraordinary resilience. He was just a little odd in temperament. Though he seemed easygoing on the surface, his heart was like a hedgehog's, hard to get close to, and he naturally held a wariness toward everyone. None of that was a big deal, though. The only thing that gave him a headache was... Yu Sheng's mouth. It wasn't exactly venomous, but every now and then he'd say something that hit you right where it hurt, dead on target. "Alright, rest for a moment quickly." "Relax your mind, don't dwell on nonsense." Liu Qingfeng changed the subject quickly and skillfully. But after eighteen long years of waiting, with the assessment so close, how could anyone truly calm their nerves? Even Yu Sheng's gaze drifted out the window, a flicker of anticipation in his eyes. Finally... the intercom crackled to life, ordering all senior three students to gather at the Awakening Chambers. Three precision instruments stood in each of the three chambers, one per room. Several teachers stood by the machines. The students lined up in three long queues outside the doors, waiting for their turn to take the Awakening Test. The principal stood on a raised platform not far away, watching the scene with a sigh. "Every time I watch these children awaken, my heart is full of emotion. In the blink of an eye, we're already on the fifth generation. Back in my day, when we fought tooth and nail at the Demon Suppression Pass..." "Principal, you're part of the fifth generation too." A middle-aged woman with glasses, her tailored women's blazer crisp and unwrinkled, corrected him sternly and precisely. The unexpected reminder made the principal, mid-tirade, stiffen for a second—but he quickly regained his nonchalant air. He just lost all interest in speaking further. ... "Class Six, Liu Yuxuan. Four-Pattern Egg." A slight-looking boy stood by the instrument, and a faint phantom materialized behind him. It was a black egg, four golden patterns glowing softly across its surface. The boy was clearly ecstatic! In a small city like this, with a small population, talented individuals were few and far between. A Four-Pattern Egg was already a remarkable achievement. At the very least... with the right connections, he could join the Guard Department as an officer, spend his days rounding up solicitors, and live a comfortable life till the end. Since the Reawakening of Spiritual Energy, beasts had grown immensely powerful—but humans had awakened supernatural abilities too. When one first awakened, an egg would manifest behind them. The number of patterns on the egg determined their innate talent, ranging from one to nine patterns. This stage was known as the Novice Rank. Awakened ones had no actual abilities yet, but their physical fitness would receive a significant boost. By absorbing the energy from monster crystals, the egg would hatch after about a few months. What hatched would determine one's future path of cultivation. A tiger, for example, meant a strength-based path; a longsword, a fierce assault path; a sunflower, a healing path. In short, the possibilities were endless. That egg could hatch anything one could imagine—nothing was off the table. One by one, the students stepped up to the instrument for testing. Some cried, some laughed. Clearly... most were disappointed with their results. "I know I'll awaken a Nine-Pattern Egg." "Then I'll hatch a phoenix, one of the Four Divine Beasts! Riding it through the heavens will be so damn cool!" In front of Yu Sheng, a pockmarked boy rambled excitedly, his eyes full of hope. "Yeah! I think I'll hatch one of the Four Divine Beasts too! Then we'll form the Divine Beast Monster Hunting Team!" The two were clearly lost in their own fantasies. Only... Yu Sheng kindly offered a fact: "One of the Four Divine Beasts is the Black Tortoise. Commonly known as the divine turtle..." ... The two daydreamers froze stiff. "And if you hatch a phoenix, riding it to fly—wouldn't the bird burn you to a crisp..." "Divine Turtle No-Bird Team?" Yu Sheng seemed to be pondering the question earnestly. A second blow. The two lost all interest in their chat in an instant. Soon, it was their turn for the talent test. They marched forward with their chests puffed out, even shooting Yu Sheng a disdainful glance over their shoulders. As if, at this moment, they had already awakened a Nine-Pattern Egg and become the most powerful beings in the world. ... "Zhang San. Two-Pattern Egg." "Li Si. Two-Pattern Egg." The cold, flat voice of the teacher by the instrument pulled them back to reality with a jolt. They turned and left dejectedly, all their dreams for the future shattered. And finally... "Yu Sheng!" Hearing his name, Yu Sheng let out a soft breath, reining in his emotional fluctuations, and walked toward the Awakening Chamber. Until a sharp sound pierced the air... Beep—Beep! The security gate flashed red, the noise shrill in the empty square. "Yu Sheng, do you have any metal on you?" Seeing this, Liu Qingfeng frowned, walked over from a distance, and asked him. "I do." Yu Sheng nodded naturally. "One always needs to carry some weapons for self-defense when going out." Weapons... for self-defense? The students behind him stared at each other, dumbfounded. Cities where humans lived were still relatively safe, right? At the very least, ordinary people like them had no need to carry weapons when they went out. Either nothing bad happened, or if it did, carrying a weapon wouldn't save you—it would only get you killed faster. "Take them out. The Awakening Instrument is extremely valuable, and metal objects will interfere with the test results." Liu Qingfeng stared deeply at his student and explained. Yu Sheng nodded, then... He pulled out the daggers strapped to both forearms and his calves, the steel nails in his coat pockets, and the thin needles hidden in the coat's inner lining—needles that could be shot with a single flick of the wrist. One by one, he placed the items on a nearby table. Silence fell over the crowd. Was this... even a human being? After he'd set everything down, Yu Sheng stepped through the gate again. Beep—Beep! The beeping rang out once more. The stunned gazes of the crowd fell on Yu Sheng again. They were all students. Even in this era, where they might have seen more than most, how many seventeen or eighteen-year-olds walked around with so many weapons on them? "Do you have anything else on you?" Liu Qingfeng asked, his frown deepening. Yu Sheng paused for two seconds. "Perhaps... it's my iron will?" Everyone: ??? Liu Qingfeng fell silent for a moment, shot Yu Sheng a look, and said listlessly: "Keep taking things out!!!" "Okay." Yu Sheng nodded, hesitated for a moment, then finally took off his coat. Fumbling at his back through his shirt for a few seconds, he unstrapped a small crossbow. It had been tied to his back, its trigger connected to a thin string that ran down his arm, right to his hand. In other words, if Yu Sheng dropped his head suddenly and pulled the string... Even Liu Qingfeng, a veteran who had fought bloody battles at Shanhai Pass for years, found himself staring at Yu Sheng a little longer than necessary. It took years of being a seasoned soldier to have this many deadly tricks up one's sleeve. Thankfully, the instrument didn't beep this time. Under the stunned gazes of everyone, Yu Sheng walked inside with a bitter expression on his face. For one simple reason... a third of his trump cards had just been exposed.