105: Chapter 105: Famous

Before he knew it, three days had passed.

This early morning, Zhang Wen was guiding a surge of spiritual energy to impact a certain Acupoint when he suddenly felt a soft "buzz" from within his body.

The spiritual energy, which had been blocked as if by a thin film, instantly broke through the obstacle and surged through his Meridians even more smoothly.

He snapped his eyes open, a hint of surprise flashing in them: "This is... I'm about to touch the threshold of the Penetration Realm?"

Looking inward, he could clearly feel that the total amount and condensation level of his spiritual energy had reached a new level compared to three days ago; only a thin layer of paper remained before the Penetration Realm.

One must know that the Penetration Realm was the mainstream Realm for third-year seniors, and many people took four or five years of Cultivation to even get close, yet how long had it been since he enrolled?

This progress was simply ridiculous.

Zhang Wen couldn't help but grin, reaching up to rub his chin as he muttered under his breath.

"At this rate, it won't be long before I Breakthrough to the Penetration Realm... Tsk tsk, having a cheat is really great."

The motivation from System missions, the school's resource allocation, and those messy but exceptionally useful skills and buffs—without any one of them, he couldn't have improved this quickly.

While he was reflecting, Ding Siyi's voice came from outside the window: "Zhang Wen, are you awake? Heading to the training plaza? There's a senior to practice with you today."

"Coming!" Zhang Wen called back, standing up to stretch his limbs. His joints let out a series of crisp pops, filled with explosive power.

Walking to the mirror and looking at his increasingly sharp gaze, he pondered to himself.

Once he broke through to the Penetration Realm and encountered Lin Hao again, let alone breaking his Mountain-Crushing Hammer Soul, even if Mo Chen came, he might not necessarily lose.

"Let's go!" Zhang Wen picked up the sky-splitting startling thunder spear. The thunder patterns on the shaft seemed to sense his mood and lit up slightly.

This time, his steps were steadier than ever before.

Lately, Zhang Wen had been going to the training plaza more and more frequently, attracting many eyes every time he appeared.

At first, it was just a few familiar classmates coming over to chat, asking him how he practiced that "Thunder Burial Great Heaven" move during his battle with Zhou Tong.

Later, more and more people came, and even students from other academies specifically detoured to the training plaza to watch him practice his spear techniques.

"Look, that's Zhang Wen! The one who beat Zhou Tong!"

"I heard the principal personally selected him to compete in the Intercollegiate Exhibition Match and face off against Lin Hao from Dongmo University."

"Really? Lin Hao's 'Mountain-Crushing Hammer Soul' is famously fierce."

"But Zhang Wen's thunder spear is also powerful. I was there last time; when that thunder force struck down, even standing below the stage, I felt my hair go numb."

Discussions rose and fell, but Zhang Wen didn't stop his movements.

The sky-splitting startling thunder spear danced in his hands with a powerful wind, the spear tip slicing through the air and trailing a series of faint thunderclaps.

Every thrust accurately poked the weak points of the training dummies—these were the optimal attack points he found using the Eye of Thunder Punishment.

Halfway through one practice session, several second-year seniors proactively walked over and patted his shoulder with a smile: "Zhang Wen, got time for a few rounds of sparring? We also want to experience your thunder spear."

In the past, it was rare for second-year seniors to initiate a conversation.

Zhang Wen paused for a moment, then nodded: "Sure, I was just looking to test out some new spear techniques I've been pondering."

After a few rounds of sparring, Zhang Wen won without much effort.

It wasn't that the seniors were weak, but that his current strength had truly grown ridiculously—cultivation at the Peak of the Microscopic Realm, combined with the Eye of Thunder Punishment and Flaw Insight.

He could always anticipate his opponent's moves in advance and use thunderous speed to seize the initiative.

"Not bad, Zhang Wen."

One senior panted, his face full of surprise. "It's only been a short while since we last saw you, and your progress is like a rocket?"

Zhang Wen smiled and didn't say much.

He couldn't exactly tell them he was using a cheat.

His fame spread faster than the wind. Within a few days, even the auntie serving food in the Canteen recognized him, always giving him an extra scoop of food: "Young man, Cultivate well and bring honor to our Azure Mist!"

Walking on the road, nine out of ten students he encountered would greet him, their eyes filled with admiration and expectation.

This feeling of being held in high regard made Zhang Wen feel a bit embarrassed, but also gave him a mysterious surge of motivation.

He knew that everyone expected more than just a victory in a match; they wanted to see the New Students of Qinglan University hold their heads high in front of all the other schools.

That evening, after Zhang Wen finished practicing his spear and was heading back to the dormitory, he saw a crowd gathered in front of the bulletin board from a distance.

As he drew closer, he discovered a new announcement posted there—the participant list for the Intercollegiate Exhibition Match.

His name was prominently on the list, with "Qinglan University, Freshman, Elemental Academy" noted beside it.

People had already started leaving comments below the announcement:

"Go Zhang Wen! Crush Dongmo!"

"Waiting for your good news, bring back the championship!"

Looking at those crooked scribbles, Zhang Wen's heart suddenly felt warm.

He gripped the sky-splitting startling thunder spear in his hand; the thunder patterns on the shaft vibrated gently, as if responding to his feelings.

"Don't worry!" he thought to himself. "I won't lose this battle."

With only one month left before the Intercollegiate Exhibition Match, Zhang Wen stood before the floor-to-ceiling window of the Martial Arts Hall, watching the students sweating on the playground outside, and suddenly made a decision.

He turned to greet Teacher Li, who was in charge of student management.

"Teacher Li, I want to go out for some experiential training this coming month. The principal has already agreed."

Teacher Li was stunned for a moment, then nodded in understanding: "Alright, I've got it. Be careful, and contact the academy anytime if anything happens."

After all, Zhang Wen's special treatment lately was obvious to everyone. With the principal personally giving the green light, no one would say much.

As he walked out of the academy, he happened to encounter a group of students carrying books to class, discussing the key points of the afternoon's theoretical lessons in small groups.

Someone caught sight of Zhang Wen and couldn't help but mutter: "Look, Zhang Wen is going out again... We're still gnawing on textbooks, and he's been 'playing' for two months now, hasn't he?"

"He's a seed player personally selected by the principal; how can it be the same? I heard he can use Cultivation resources however he wants, and even the Simulated Combat Cabins are free to use."

"Can't help but be envious; who told him he could beat Zhou Tong in his first year..."

Zhang Wen heard these words but didn't take them to heart.

Indeed, over these two months, he hadn't attended many regular classes. He was either soaking in the Cultivation room or pondering spear techniques at the training plaza.

Occasionally, he would follow upperclassmen to off-campus Trial Points for some minor skirmishes—to outsiders, it certainly looked like "playing."

But only he knew how packed these two months had been.

His proficiency with the Eye of Thunder Punishment had improved significantly, and Flaw Insight could capture movement gaps within 0.1 seconds.

He had even tested the trigger effects of the unreliable-sounding "Thunder Gaba" on some high-difficulty trial monsters.

"Simulated combat within the academy isn't enough." Zhang Wen touched the sky-splitting startling thunder spear at his waist; the thunder patterns on the shaft were slightly hot.

"Lin Hao's Mountain-Crushing Hammer Technique has a ferocity forged in actual combat. I need to practice in the real wilderness to find that feeling of a life-and-death struggle."

His destination this time was Black Wind Ridge outside the city. It was said that many high-level Yao Beasts resided there, excelling in group ambushes, which was perfect for training his reaction speed and the continuity of his spear momentum.

Walking out of the school gates, the sunlight felt warm on his body.

Zhang Wen took a deep breath and walked briskly toward the outskirts of the city.

Qinglan University gradually receded behind him. The sound of teachers lecturing came from the classrooms, and the faint clatter of clashing weapons echoed from the Martial Arts Hall.

Zhang Wen looked back and curled his lips into a smile: "You guys attend your classes and Cultivate well; I'm going out to 'play' with something exciting."

In this final month, he wanted to hone all his skills to seamless integration, thoroughly fusing the sharpness of the thunder spear and the intensity of the Tribulation Thunder into his very bones and blood.

When he returned, it would be time for trouble to find Lin Hao and Dongmo University.