103: Chapter 103 Ink Dust

By the time Zhang Wen was able to get out of bed and walk around, Ding Siyi was tidying up the scattered medicine bottles for him when a sudden soft knock came from the door.

"Please come in."

The person who pushed the door open and entered was actually the Principal.

He wore a crisp black Zhongshan suit and had an upright posture and a handsome face. Although there were a few fine lines at the corners of his eyes, they only added to his steady temperament.

He lacked the typical lethargy of school leaders and instead looked like a Martial Artist in his prime.

"Principal, why did you come personally? I was just about to go looking for you!"

"It doesn't matter, don't worry about that."

"You've recovered well."

The Principal pulled over a chair and sat down, his gaze sweeping over Zhang Wen with scrutiny, but even more so with appreciation.

"Zhou Tong's Heaven Burning Flame Breath had reached the 'Flame Essence' Realm. For you to hold out until the end under that level of intensity and even turn defeat into victory, that resilience is even rarer than your cultivation level."

Zhang Wen smiled slightly. "It was just luck."

"Luck?"

The Principal raised an eyebrow, his fingertips tapping lightly on the table. "Forcing a Peak of the Penetration Realm to use their trump cards and still managing to secure victory while your spiritual power was exhausted—you call that luck?"

His tone rose slightly. "That 'Thunder Burial of the Great Daluo Heaven' of yours—the thunder energy was condensed but not dissipated, and the tribulation power was hidden but not released. Clearly, your control over power has reached the extreme of the Subtle Realm!"

"Don't be humble with me. Qinglan University isn't so fragile that it can't handle a student showing their edge."

Just as Zhang Wen was about to speak, the Principal's tone shifted, and his expression grew a bit more serious.

"Let's talk business. There is a High School Exhibition Match at the end of the year. It's called an exchange, but in reality, every school brings out their students to see whose are stronger."

"The participants include veteran powerhouses like Dongmo University and Qingyun Academy. Our Qinglan University's performance in the Freshman division over the past few years... hasn't been very good."

He paused, his fingertips making a light tapping sound on the table.

"For three consecutive years, the first place in the Freshman division has been taken by Dongmo University. Every year, they manage to produce several top students with vastly different styles."

"Last year, their freshman champion was named Chu Feng. His talent was the 'Shadow Binding Physique'—this Physique allows his movement to resonate with shadows, reducing his presence by ninety percent when moving in the dark."

"Combined with his primary 'Shadow Stream Movement', he is practically a natural-born ambusher."

"I heard he was personally coached by Mo Chen in the 'Rhythm Disruption Technique', allowing him to deliberately show openings to lure opponents into pursuing him."

"Then, using the shadow cover to instantly switch attack angles, he relied on that move to defeat our academy's Sword Cultivator last year."

Zhang Wen's fingers tightened slightly on the bedding.

He had heard Mo Chen's name several times; he was the poster boy for Dongmo University's Great Combat Academy, and it was said he had already touched the threshold of the Peak of the Penetration Realm.

Most astonishing was his 'Synesthesia Analysis' talent—he didn't need to personally Cultivate a certain Cultivation Technique; as long as he saw it in operation more than three times, he could precisely analyze the characteristics, weaknesses, and burst thresholds of that power.

Over the past few years, Dongmo University's New Students have had an incredibly high win rate in cross-System battles, all thanks to the 'Combat Case Database' he spearheaded. It contains combat data on nearly a hundred types of Cultivation Techniques and is regarded as a golden rule by their students.

"This year, I hope you can compete in the Freshman division."

The Principal's gaze fell on him, carrying an unquestionable expectation.

"I'm not trying to pressure you, but the academy needs a New Student who can shoulder the responsibility to stand up."

"Dongmo University has put out the word that they intend to make it a four-year winning streak for the Freshman division champion this year. They even said... that Azure Mist's freshman generation has already lost its Legacy."

He pulled a silver token from his pocket. The word 'Azure Mist' was engraved on it, with intricate patterns winding around the edges.

"This is the participation token, and also the academy's 'Spirit Gathering Token'. There are three months left until the competition."

"Dongmo University's freshman seed player this year is named Lin Hao, born with the 'Mountain-Crushing Hammer Soul'—this Physique has an extremely strong resonance with heavy weapons."

"He can synchronize his own spiritual Qi with the hammer's vibration frequency. Every strike carries the dual impact of 'Momentum' and 'Vibration'. It's said that when he swings his hammer, the ground within thirty feet goes numb."

The Principal picked up the water glass on the table, took a sip, and continued, "He uses a 'Black Iron Mountain-Breaking Hammer' and specializes in the 'Earth-Splitting Hammer Technique'."

"It's already known for its ferocity, and paired with that 'Mountain-Crushing Hammer Soul', he forcefully smashed the defensive Spiritual Artifacts of three peers in last year's internal school competition."

"I heard Mo Chen specifically helped him adjust the transition rhythm between 'Charging and Bursting', allowing him to suddenly drop his weight and charge power during a fast attack. His hammer technique hides variations of 'Fast Strikes' and 'Heavy Smashes'. Many opponents were thrown into disarray by this alternating fast and heavy rhythm."

Zhang Wen looked at the token, his brow furrowing slightly.

Although the thunder spear was sharp, it was ultimately a long weapon. Against an opponent skilled at using hammer vibrations to deflect force and who specialized in head-on clashes, it would be easy for his spear momentum to be locked by the opponent's 'vibration energy'.

Even if he used a cultivation upgrade card to advance to the Peak of the Microscopic Realm, if he wanted to gain an advantage in a power clash, he would first have to figure out the vibration patterns of that 'Mountain-Crushing Hammer Soul'.

He opened his mouth, about to voice his concerns, when the System's voice suddenly rang in his mind:

"Triggering time-limited mission: 'Edge of Azure Mist'."

"Mission Requirement: Represent Qinglan University in the High School Exhibition Match and win the Freshman division championship."

"Mission Rewards:

- SSS-grade Physique 'Thunder Battle Body' Elementary Awakening

- 20,000 points

- 10x Standard Draw opportunities"

"Failure Penalty: Deprive the right to use all current Spiritual Artifacts (including the sky-splitting startling thunder spear)."

As the cold mechanical voice fell, Zhang Wen's pupils suddenly contracted.

Thunder Battle Body? The richness of this reward felt even more ridiculous than the SSS-grade rewards of the Quarterly Competition!

And the failure penalty poked right at his Achilles' heel—without the sky-splitting startling thunder spear, his combat strength would be cut by at least half.

Seeing his expression shifting, the Principal thought he was weighing the pros and cons and was about to offer some words of encouragement.

But Zhang Wen suddenly looked up, the hesitation in his eyes completely gone as he reached out to take the token. "Principal, I'll go."

His tone was decisive, even carrying a hint of irrepressible urgency, making him look like a completely different person from his hesitant self just a moment ago.

The Principal was stunned for a moment, then laughed heartily.

"Good lad. Over these three months, the academy's Cultivation resources will definitely tilt toward you. I'll give you permission to use the school's Simulation Combat Pods; you can find any senior from any department to be your sparring partner."

As he reached the door, he suddenly turned back. "By the way, that fellow Mo Chen is said to be bringing his case database to the scene to provide real-time analysis for Lin Hao—when the time comes, let's see if your thunder can strike through his calculations."

Zhang Wen gripped the token in his hand, his fingertips turning slightly white from the force.

He could feel that the sky-splitting startling thunder spear within his Sea of Consciousness also seemed to sense his determination. The thunder inscriptions on the spear's body suddenly lit up, letting out a faint but domineering thunderous vibration.

Dongmo University, Lin Hao's Mountain-Crushing Hammer Soul, and Mo Chen's case database that claimed to be able to analyze all things...

In this battle, he would use the sharpness of the thunder to break the weight of the mountain hammer; he would use the intensity of the Tribulation Thunder to burn away all calculations.