Chapter 5

Long Peng snapped back to his senses, finally realizing what he had done.

He glanced back.

Toppled tables and chairs, walls scorched black by flames... the classroom was in chaos, every detail screaming the scale of the commotion he had caused.

What chilled him most was that he had used his hottest flames on a mere good-for-nothing!

What was the point? Even if he only used martial arts, could Qin Fenglin really defeat him?

Long Peng stood up, stepping over Gu Huai's shoulder, and met Qin Fenglin's bottomless black eyes.

What kind of eyes were those! They seemed to have lost all human warmth, instead resembling the predatory gaze of a jungle beast locking onto its prey, sending a shiver down his spine.

That faint sense of dread surged up again.

Right, he had felt this before, which is why he went all out. Could Qin Fenglin's Ability actually be "Deterrence"—something that disrupts perception?

Long Peng spat irritably, "Stop playing these mind games."

He didn't do anything else. After all, he had almost killed Qin Fenglin!

Linyuan Academy didn't prohibit student brawls, but deliberately killing or maiming a classmate would result in severe punishment—expulsion in the worst-case scenario.

He was here to become the strongest cultivator on the continent, forge alliances with promising friends, and ultimately support his family—not to waste his time brawling with weaklings!

With this thought, he looked at Gu Huai with a complex expression.

The flames he had unleashed earlier had exceeded 800 degrees Celsius! Yet Gu Huai had actually touched them directly...

Of course, Gu Huai was wearing conspicuous black gloves. But the gloves bore no magical patterns and seemed to be made of ordinary material. What use could they possibly be?

This must be due to Gu Huai's Ability. Yet despite their direct confrontation, he couldn't discern its nature.

The other students in the class were also watching the confrontation, and their conclusions mirrored Long Peng's.

If Gu Huai's initial impression had been one of mystery and power, that power had now been undeniably proven.

On the God-Fall Continent, strength reigned supreme. Gu Huai's display of power immediately earned everyone's respect.

One must not make an enemy of such a person!

"My apologies. I lost my composure earlier," Long Peng said reluctantly. "I will compensate for all the damages here."

Though he apologized, his words were directed at Gu Huai.

When he turned to Qin Fenglin, his arrogant demeanor returned instantly:

"Hiding behind others like a coward? You're on your own now!"

Qin Fenglin sneered, his gaze locked onto Gu Huai's, refusing to back down.

Ding!

A cheerful notification chimed in Gu Huai's mind:

Multiple Children of Destiny now perceive the Host as "terrifyingly powerful"! The probability of successful role-playing has increased!

Gu Huai rubbed his temples. "...Just report the progress of Ability role-playing from now on."

This probability increase... sounds so artificial.

Acknowledged. Voice output adjusted to "Ability Progress Only Mode." The System replied matter-of-factly, then added curiously, "However, Host, how did you pass through the flames earlier?"

"...Didn't you notice? It seems all your processing power was focused on helping me awaken my Ability."

Gu Huai smiled and wiggled his fingers. The black gloves covering them were as thin as cicada wings and shimmered with a metallic sheen.

"Remember when I asked you to replicate this outfit while reshaping my body? It's Blue Star's base uniform, specially designed to combat Demonic Beasts," Gu Huai explained. "The gloves are made of HFG-10, a new material that can withstand temperatures up to 1000 degrees Celsius."

The System, which regularly carried out missions in the Ability world and wasn't exactly "scientific" itself, was stunned.

Gu Huai didn't care.

After all, we Blue Star humans are much weaker than Demonic Beasts and lack Abilities. To fight the Abyss, we have to rely on technology.

Gu Huai had always found the base uniform incredibly useful, so he'd managed to bring one over from the start. The System's Newbie Gift Pack had been a material restructuring, perfectly replicating the uniforms developed on Blue Star. Now, it proved its worth. After estimating the temperature of Long Peng's fire-controlling Ability, Gu Huai immediately judged that this was an opportunity to show off.

Just as the System had broadcast:

Leave a "terrifyingly powerful" impression on your classmates as soon as possible—it will greatly benefit your future role-playing.

Linyuan Academy was a place of hidden talents. In truth, this opportunity had to be seized by force, as Gu Huai wasn't the only one who wanted to act. From the corner of his eye, he saw many students already preparing to use their Abilities. The moment Gu Huai pushed the two aside, he noticed a vine retracting into the corner.

And then there was...

Gu Huai glanced subtly out the window.

"What are you all standing around for? Back to your seats!"

The moment those words were spoken, every student tensed up.

A dignified middle-aged woman entered the classroom.

She appeared to be in her forties, her black hair elegantly coiled at the nape of her neck without a single strand out of place.

Wearing a dark-colored teacher's uniform, she stood tall with an extraordinary presence. Her sleeves were neatly rolled up, revealing arms with smooth, defined muscle lines that radiated a restrained power even at rest.

She was the one Gu Huai had sensed watching the entire incident from outside the window.

Her posture was coiled and ready, her murderous intent still lingering, suggesting she would have intervened immediately if anything unexpected had occurred.

She slammed her lesson plan onto the podium, glanced at the chaotic classroom, and said coldly, "Explain."

Long Peng immediately stepped forward, pointing at Qin Fenglin. "I'm sorry, Teacher. He and I had a disagreement, and I lost control of my Ability!"

This was a classic case of the guilty party playing the victim. Long Peng had been the one picking on Qin Fenglin, and the conflict was clearly one-sided.

However, he didn't try to shift blame for the classroom's destruction. When the teacher's gaze turned to Qin Fenglin, he said nothing, merely nodding in tacit agreement with Long Peng's explanation.

Qin Fenglin's reasoning was straightforward: Long Peng and the other students doubted him because his strength was too weak, and only by proving his power could he overcome their skepticism. Having the teacher intervene would not only fail to help him establish his footing at Linyuan Academy, but would also make the other students look down on him even more.

This is the world of Abilities, where the rules are completely different from Blue Star!

Besides, as the son of a lowly servant, Qin Fenglin had already endured enough unfair treatment!

After confirming the details with the two students, the teacher nodded. "In that case, Long Peng."

She called out his name with such precision that the red-haired youth tensed up.

"—You will pay the compensation fee at the Academic Affairs Office within three days and receive your punishment."

"..."

Long Peng had only expected to pay a fine, not to be punished as well. His face fell, and he hesitated, wondering if he should try to argue further.

"Heh," the teacher said, ignoring him and turning to the class:

"Before we begin properly, you must understand one thing! Linyuan Academy was founded to combat the Abyss. In a sense, you and your classmates are comrades in the same cause. Comrades may spar, but you must know when to stop. Linyuan Academy has no place for those who would harm their peers! Do you understand?"

What did she mean by that? Did she see everything just now?

Long Peng was startled, fine beads of sweat breaking out on his back. He immediately forgot his earlier thoughts and quickly joined the chorus of "Yes!" from the class.

Qin Fenglin, however, stood frozen in place, his expression a complex mixture of emotions.

"Alright, everyone, take your seats."

Gu Huai observed the entire scene and felt a surge of respect for the teacher.

In just a few sentences, she had restored order to the class, punished the overzealous Long Peng, and given Qin Fenglin an opportunity to prove himself. Her ability to conceal her presence was so strong that Gu Huai had almost failed to notice her. Truly worthy of being a teacher at the Continent's Number One Ability Academy.

He found a seat in the front row. A few rhythmic taps echoed as the teacher wrote two characters on the blackboard.

"I am Lu Jin," she said. "For the next two months, I will be your mentor."

Lu Jin was clearly a man of decisive action. After a brief self-introduction, he immediately seized everyone's attention, pulling them away from the earlier chaos and beginning the first lesson.

"You don't have much time," Lu Jin said. "Passing the entrance exam doesn't guarantee you'll stay at Linyuan Academy. The class assignment exam in one month is the real test—the one that determines your evaluation rank and whether you stay. I don't want you to regret not working hard enough on that day. Do you understand?"

The class assignment exam was a tradition of Linyuan Academy, and it was famous across the entire continent as a rigorous screening process.

At the academy, freshmen were initially assigned to classes randomly. But after one month, they had the opportunity to be reorganized.

All freshmen would choose their future development path based on their abilities and personal preferences: the Command Department, Combat Department, or Support Department. Teaching would then be divided accordingly.

Moreover, the results of the class assignment exam would determine the academy's evaluation rank for each freshman, from the highest S-rank down to the lowest D-rank.

The higher one's rank, the greater the Academy's resource allocation.

The class assignment exam had an extremely high elimination rate, with as many as 40% of students failing and being forced to leave Linyuan Academy. Only those who passed the exam truly became students of the Academy.

Therefore, for the next month, the sole focus of their temporary class was preparing for the class assignment exam.

The semester had just begun, and everyone was clearly confident, responding in unison.

"Good spirits," Lu Jin said casually, tossing his lesson plan onto the podium. "Someone answer me: What is the essence of an Ability?"

Long Peng, who had just been secretly warned, was desperate to redeem himself and earn points. He shot up his hand first.

"An Ability is a power awakened in the soul through resonance between living beings and the laws of heaven and earth."

This was the standard answer accepted across the continent.

"Correct," Lu Jin said, letting him sit down. "So the type of Ability is closely tied to your soul's nature, while its power ultimately depends on your soul's strength."

Soul...

Gu Huai fell into deep thought.

Lu Jin turned the question back to them: "So, how do you think the Academy will train you next?"

The freshmen's imaginations ran wild, and they began to speak over each other:

"Uh... train our souls?"

Lu Jin: "Too vague. That doesn't count as an answer."

"I heard some rare treasures can temper one's willpower..."

Lu Jin sneered: "You haven't even started cultivating, and you're already thinking of relying on external aids. Do you really think this mindset will make you a strong cultivator?"

The students continued to propose wild theories, each one shot down in turn.

Finally, Qin Fenglin cautiously offered: "I heard that the Abyss behind the Academy is the training ground for Linyuan Academy students..."

"..."

The Abyss...

Gu Huai instinctively glanced out the window. The distant horizon was abruptly cut off by a dark, ominous region—the cancerous tumor he had battled for four years. And now, it was terrifyingly close to the students.

Yes, Linyuan Academy, true to its name, was built right beside the Abyss.