Chapter 1 The Torrential Rain

The torrential rain permeated even the school grounds with dampness. Hongcheng was like that; the rain never stopped throughout the year, and even the tidy auditorium wasn't spared from the water stains on the floor.

Although the idea of a superpower user attending school might typically be found in Japanese light novels and manga...

...faced with reality, Su Zhou had to admit that there was actually a certain degree of logic to it.

For one, whether he wanted to cooperate with the government or conceal his identity, attending school was the best option. The former allowed him to display his superpowers at school rather than privately seeking them out, while the latter... well, if you wanted to hide your identity, you naturally had to be a good student!

"But the school's pep talks are really boring."

That was Su Zhou's honest thought as he sat in the school auditorium, listening to the school leaders' speeches, encouraging everyone to work hard in their final year of high school.

Although what they were saying was all true... it was just too long. They repeated the same points seven or eight times in over half an hour, enough to make anyone want to sleep.

In fact, several people around Su Zhou were already half-asleep, on the verge of dozing off.

On Friday, August 15th, the first-year students of Yizhong High School returned to school, and Su Zhou saw the faces of his old classmates whom he hadn't seen for over a month.

Unsurprisingly, most of them looked very tired. They had probably spent the entire summer in various review classes, tutoring classes, or being taught by teachers at home... From just a few glances at the school gate, Su Zhou could see dozens of classmates in sub-optimal health. Some had even exhausted their minds and bodies to the point of needing Guipi pills or similar medications to nourish their spirits.

Fortunately, the speeches from the school leaders on stage were finally coming to an end, which immediately invigorated the nearly comatose, sub-healthy students.

But then, it was the students' representatives' turn to speak. Shao Qiming, the ultimate academic, who consistently ranked first in the entire grade in almost all major subjects, went on stage and began to read from a script filled with passionate and inspiring lines about the importance of the third year of high school and the significance of the Shengju Selection Exam... Behind him, two other students were waiting to go on stage. Afterward, there would probably be an oath-taking ceremony, a mobilization ceremony, and so on.

"His voice is louder than before, and his energy is also better."

While his classmates all had expressions of utter despair, thinking, "When will this end?" and "My head hurts," Su Zhou had the leisure to comment on Shao Qiming's current condition: "It seems like he's recovering well. And the Wisdom Fruit seems to have a slight effect on strengthening and improving talent? His energy is much better than it was a week ago."

"My talent is probably too good, so the Wisdom Fruit's buff isn't that obvious. But for ordinary people, or rather, ordinary superhumans who aren't particularly talented, it's definitely a sacred medicine that can transform them."

When the second batch of Wisdom Fruit was grown, he would give one to each of his loved ones, and sell the rest. They would probably sell very well.

Although that's what he thought, Su Zhou knew that if he didn't want to cause trouble for himself, it would be best to wait until he could protect the Wisdom Tree sapling on his own before considering selling the fruit. This mythical sacred fruit would be worth hundreds of millions on the international market, and there would be plenty of wealthy people, officials, and various superhuman organizations willing to buy it.

Time passed unknowingly. While Su Zhou closed his eyes to cultivate, it seemed like only a moment before the speeches were finished.

But strangely, after the three student representatives left the stage, no new school leaders appeared for a long time. There was a blank period of more than five minutes on stage—which immediately caused the high school seniors present to look at each other in confusion, wondering what was happening.

At first, Su Zhou also found it strange. The high school commencement mobilization meeting should be a very serious and important event for a middle school, so how could there be such a major mistake?

But just as he was wondering if there was some trouble behind the scenes, an aura that was extremely obvious in his spiritual sense appeared in Su Zhou's perception.

Slightly surprised, Su Zhou turned his head to look at the auditorium doors behind him.

Soon after, accompanied by footsteps, the auditorium doors opened, drawing the attention of almost everyone.

Beyond the open door, there was a clear sound of rain. A gentleman stood at the door, with a long wooden sword hanging at his waist, engraved with cloud-like patterns. Whether they were students or teachers, or the school leaders behind the scenes, they all watched this visitor with curiosity or relief.

This was a middle-aged professor with a fair face and a long beard, wearing a black and cyan robe, who looked somewhat tired. On his chest hung a professor's badge with the words "Zhengyi" (Orthodox Unity) on it, which immediately caused those who recognized the logo to gasp softly, and some to be puzzled.

—Why would a professor from Zhengyi Academy come here?

"Sorry I'm late, everyone. I've been busy with my schedule, and I just came from another school."

Amidst the confusion, the professor apologized loudly to the entire audience. For some reason, even though he didn't have a microphone, his voice could be heard throughout the entire auditorium, like thunder.

After speaking, he walked towards the auditorium stage. The leaders, who had finally waited for him, breathed a sigh of relief and hurriedly made way for him.

Wherever the professor passed, it was as if he was carrying static electricity. Slight sparks of electricity flickered in the area he passed, and the water stains on the ground began to evaporate slightly. But other than those who were already sensitive, no one noticed this abnormality originating from spiritual energy. He passed rows of curious students, thoughtful teachers, and then, Su Zhou.

"Huh?"

Originally surveying the entire auditorium, nodding slightly from time to time, as if he had discovered something, he suddenly stopped and looked at Su Zhou in surprise. The professor's eyes were like those of a jade lover seeing beautiful jade, about to light up—and Su Zhou smiled at him, which made the tired middle-aged man couldn't help but stroke his beard and nod: "Such natural talent and aptitude! You're very good!"

Although he couldn't determine the specific talent because he was just looking with his naked eyes and didn't use special testing talismans and magical instruments—but just by looking at the student's appearance, physique, and the faint trend of echoing the surrounding spiritual energy, it proved that the other party was very likely to be a natural Dao body, or other extremely promising physique!

One of the reasons why he personally lectured at various schools was to observe the talent of the Shengju Selection Exam students of Hongcheng as soon as possible, and now he had really found one!

To be honest, the professor even wanted to recruit him for the academy he represented on the spot, but thinking of his responsibility for coming here, he still took somewhat difficult steps towards the stage.

"Hello, students who are about to take the Shengju Selection Exam."

As soon as he stepped onto the stage, he went straight to the point without any other superfluous words: "I am Zhang Fucheng, a high-level professor in the Department of Electrical Engineering at Zhengyi Academy."

"Today, I have come here not only to encourage you to continue to study hard and strive to enter the academy that is most suitable for you, but also to clarify and announce something extremely important to you, to narrate the truth."

After speaking, the professor named Zhang Fucheng drew the magic sword from his waist under the gaze of all the students present—without hesitation, he raised the sword, the cloud patterns flickered, the runes were self-evident, and the invisible spiritual power surged out from a jade bead at the hilt, gathering the spiritual energy of the entire auditorium and even the entire school, condensing it on the tip of the sword.

Then, amidst the exclamations of everyone present, a dazzling cyan-blue lightning flashed at the tip of the sword.

Professor Zhang raised his magic sword and waved it in the air without hesitation, drawing eight large characters in the air with thunder.

—OPEN—HEAVEN—AND—EARTH—CONNECT—

—SPIRITUAL—ENERGY—RECOVERS—

After finishing, Zhang Fucheng's expression became even more tired, but he looked around the entire auditorium, looking at the nearly boiling scene where people were exclaiming, "What is this?!" "A new trick?" "Lightning magic?! Or is it a real-scene projection?" "This is real... real magic?!" The professor couldn't help but smile, and then, in the next moment, he formed a magic seal.

"Boom!"

Accompanied by a loud noise, the eight lightning magic true talismans collapsed into shining streamers, and everyone felt extremely clear thunder rumbling in their ears, as well as currents running through their bodies.

All discussions and debates came to a halt.

And in the silence of this great roar, Zhang Fucheng exhaled and spoke loudly to everyone again.

"Opening the heavens and earth, the recovery of spiritual energy—and the 'supernatural inheritance' hidden in the history of Zheng Country, no, hidden in the history of the entire world."

"This is the first lesson I will teach you in this new semester."

1 The academy system is different from the school system in the real world. Top students in Class A academies = future civil servants or project leaders in related fields.