Zhu Wenhan had always been the favored son of the Zhu Family, especially after he Awakened an S-Rank Fire Element Special Ability. He believed that if he were to ever lose, it would be far in the future, against other elites from across the nation or the world. He never expected to taste the bitterness of defeat so soon.
Seeing No. 1 High School's top seed fall, the atmosphere throughout their training ground became heavy and oppressive. The winning streak they had maintained for so many years in the five-school tournament was broken this year.
The remaining matches were practically unnecessary to watch; it could be said that Shen Han had already secured the first-place position in this league. The results did not surprise anyone. Shen Han ultimately took the championship, and to No. 5 High School's even greater delight, Wen Tingting also made it to ninth place. This time, No. 5 High School occupied two spots within the top fifteen, which was unimaginable before the league began.
As the league concluded, the top ten all earned the opportunity to undergo trials in a Secret Realm next month. In addition to this, as the champion, Shen Han also received a Soul-Nourishing Wood, a rare treasure used to refine Mental Energy. While it couldn't help increase Mental Energy, it could purify existing Mental Energy, playing a crucial role in establishing a solid foundation in the early stages.
Originally, Zhu Wenhan had considered this Soul-Nourishing Wood as his for the taking. Now, he had lost first place, and in the eyes of the entire city, he had been defeated by Shen Han. How could his arrogant heart endure such humiliation? Watching Shen Han, who was the center of attention, the flames of jealousy burned wildly within him.
Song Ziqing also felt unwell. She had believed that by leaving Shen Han, she had found a brighter future. At this moment, she could only silently taste the bitterness, "From today onwards, we are truly people from two different worlds."
No. 5 High School Principal's Office
"Shen Han, this is Lingzhou City's most Advanced Special Ability Rank testing device. We want to arrange another test for you. Although we don't know what happened during your Awakening, given that your combat power and growth rate are severely disconnected from an F-Rank Special Ability, we believe it's necessary to conduct another test for you," Principal Wang Siyuan called Shen Han into his office.
"I wonder if this will expose the secret of my SSS-Rank Chaos Element," Shen Han mused to himself. "However, the good news is that no equipment currently exists that can directly detect the Sea of Consciousness, nor can it detect what skills I possess. As long as I flatly deny it, no one can do anything. As for the re-ranking of the Lightning Element, he was quite supportive. With this, it would be much more convenient to acquire school resources and apply for the National Higher Education Entrance Examination later on."
"Okay, thank you, Principal."
Touching the testing device, the same situation as on the day of his Awakening occurred. First, a colorful light band appeared, but it quickly transitioned to the purple Lightning Element.
"It's an A-Rank Lightning Element Special Ability. But what's with the initial colors? This is the first time I've seen this," Principal Wang Siyuan wondered.
"There are only purple stars of the Lightning Element in my Sea of Consciousness. Perhaps these initial colors represent a mutated Lightning Element, which can increase the Special Ability Rank and accelerate the speed of skill Cultivation," Shen Han said with a bewildered expression.
"Alright, I understand. From now on, you have A-Rank Lightning Element talent," Principal Wang Siyuan was unsure if Shen Han was hiding anything, but everyone had their secrets, and he found it inconvenient to pursue it. As long as it benefited the school, he couldn't care less about anything else.
"Here are 2 million worth of Lightning Element Spirit Stones and Quenching Spirit Liquid, as a reward from No. 5 High School for winning first place in the league." Principal Wang Siyuan pushed a Storage Pouch to Shen Han.
Shen Han hadn't expected No. 5 High School to be so generous.
"For the next month, prepare well for the Secret Realm. This Secret Realm can be considered a trial before the National Higher Education Entrance Examination. The Yao Beast in the Secret Realm are generally around Rank 1, with the highest not exceeding the Middle Stage of Rank 2. Moreover, there are many resources inside that can accelerate Cultivation, helping you Breakthrough to a new Realm by the time of the National Higher Education Entrance Examination. Every year, a few Martial Spirit Realm candidates emerge from Nanjiang Province, to which Lingzhou City belongs. In our Yang City, the Middle Stage of Martial Master might be the peak, but in other parts of the province, that's too weak. Don't be complacent. Alright, go."
Leaving the principal's office, Shen Han prepared to use the money he had acquired to purchase the resources needed for Cultivation. As soon as he arrived at Yang City's largest trading hall, he saw his portrait displayed. Of course, it was his appearance as an Ice Element Martial Artist, which he assumed was the Tang Family's doing. He hoped no hidden dangers were left, he thought. "It's a good thing I didn't transform into my Ice Element Martial Artist appearance when I left today, otherwise, I would have truly walked into a trap. Next time I show my face, I'll need a different identity."
He already had quite a few Lightning Element Spirit Stones. This time, his main purpose at the trading hall was to purchase some Dark Element Spirit Stones, Martial Skill, and Medicinal Pill for healing. Even if he could find many Dark Element Spirit Stones in the Secret Realm, he couldn't Cultivate openly. Necessary self-preservation and stealth methods absolutely required the Dark Element.
In one month, with the purchased Dark Element Spirit Stones and the Martial Skill, Netherworld Pierce, which complemented Ghost Invisibility, his Dark Element Cultivation should be able to advance another step. Just like that, Shen Han began his disciplined and monotonous Cultivation life once more.
Yang City Tang Family
"Still no progress?" Tang Haoran's tone already showed a hint of impatience.
Tang Yunfei shook his head, his expression complex. "None. That person seems to have vanished into thin air. Not only Yang City, but clues from several surrounding cities are also completely blank. The only thing we can confirm is that he appeared in Yang City's major trading halls, but since then, there's been no news. Although the assassins from the Assassination Hall took the bounty, they haven't even found a single clue about the target."
Tang Haoran was silent for a moment, then a cold glint flashed in his eyes. "Since this Ice Element Martial Artist has never been active in the surrounding cities, can we infer that he might still be in Yang City, or even... lurking right under our noses? If we remove the Ice Element restriction, the range of young Martial Artist who dared to kill Yunxiang and offend our Tang Family becomes much smaller."
With that, he picked up the trading records of Ice Element Martial Artist from the major trading halls, his eyes slightly narrowed as he mused, "Look, the Yao Beast cores sold by this Ice Element Martial Artist include all Five Elements: metal, wood, water, fire, and earth, and even Wind Element and Dark Element Materials... What does this make you think of?"
"Only Light Element, Lightning Element, and Ice Element are missing. He could reasonably keep the Ice Element for himself. Light Element is too rare, so it's highly probable that there are no Light Element Yao Beast in the outer Shadowed Forest." Tang Yunfei suddenly realized, "...And he didn't sell any Lightning Element Materials!"
"Exactly. Yunxiang carried a lot of Lightning Element resources on him. He went to the Shadowed Forest specifically to collect Lightning Element Materials. And now, these Lightning Element Materials haven't appeared in the trading hall. What do you think this indicates?"
"He's also a Lightning Element Martial Artist? A young Martial Artist in Yang City with strength not inferior to Yunxiang, could it be -" Tang Yunfei exclaimed.
"Shen Han." Tang Haoran sneered, slowly saying, "His suspicion is not small. Go contact the Assassination Hall and tell them to act directly. Just leave him alive."