16: Chapter 16: The College Entrance Examination Ends

Returning home, Zhang Wen’s eyelids grew heavy the moment he touched the pillow.

Today, from his Breakthrough to the Early Bloom Mid-stage to mastering "Startling Thunder Arises," his Thunder Power had been mostly exhausted. Now, sleepiness surged like a tidal wave; he didn't even have the strength to take off his jacket, and his head lolled to the side as he fell into a deep sleep.

The bedroom door wasn't fully closed. Wang Guihua, passing by with a glass of hot milk, glanced inside using the light from the living room and immediately lightened her footsteps.

The boy was curled up under the quilt, his brows still slightly furrowed as if he were wrestling with his Thunder Power even in his dreams. His school uniform collar was stained with dust from the cultivation gym, and there was a faint lightning mark on his wrist—leftover from when he hadn't controlled his power well while practicing his fist techniques.

"This child, why does he push himself so hard?"

Wang Guihua placed the milk on the nightstand and reached out to smooth the furrows between his brows. As soon as her fingertips touched him, she felt a faint electric current surge up. She quickly pulled her hand back, unable to help but smile, "Not even peaceful when asleep."

Zhang Jianguo followed silently behind, holding a thin jacket in his hand.

He glanced at the foot of the bed and saw Zhang Wen’s sneakers lying askew, mud staining the sides—likely because he hadn't had time to wipe them off when returning from the cultivation gym.

The elderly couple exchanged a glance, both seeing a touch of heartache in the other's eyes.

Recently, the boy had clearly been so busy he couldn't touch the ground. Before, he would always hold his phone to practice problems when he got home; now, whenever he had free time, he would dash to the cultivation gym, and he ate his meals in a rush.

They knew what an SSS-Rank Talent meant and understood the expectations their son carried on his shoulders, but no matter how impressive the talent, he was still just a seventeen-year-old child.

Wang Guihua gently pulled the corner of the quilt and tucked it bit by bit over Zhang Wen’s shoulders, fearing she might wake him.

Zhang Jianguo crouched down, straightened his son’s shoes, picked up the schoolbag that had fallen to the floor, and carefully leaned it against the edge of the bed—he knew it contained that S-Rank Cultivation Technique, which the child treasured dearly.

"I'll stew some black-bone chicken soup tomorrow to help him recover."

Wang Guihua lowered her voice and gently patted Zhang Wen’s arm, "Look how thin he's gotten. No matter how powerful his Thunder Power is, he needs a strong body to support it."

Zhang Jianguo nodded, led her outside, and closed the door behind him, leaving just a crack for the moonlight to slip in.

In the bedroom, Zhang Wen smacked his lips, turned over, and his brows gradually relaxed.

Perhaps it was his parents’ presence that put him at ease; the Thunder Power that had been rampaging in his body turned docile, curling up in his Dantian like a small snake, rising and falling gently with his breath.

Outside the door, the elderly couple was still whispering:

"Don't wake him up tomorrow morning; let him sleep a bit longer."

"Mm, I'll put breakfast in the warmer; he can heat it up when he wakes."

Moonlight flowed over the family portrait in the living room. The boy in the photo smiled, revealing his canine teeth. Who could have imagined that this child, who once had to call his dad just to change a lightbulb, could now hold an entire sea of thunder in his palm?

Morning dew still hung on the tips of the pothos leaves on the windowsill, and Zhang Wen’s biological clock woke him half a minute before his alarm.

He opened his eyes and habitually raised his hand to feel the Thunder Power within his body—after a month of polishing, the Nine Heavens Tribulation Thunder had long since shed its initial violence, like a docile silver Dragon lurking in his Meridians, ready at his beck and call.

He had mastered "Startling Thunder Arises" from the "Rushing Thunder Delusion Breaking Fist" to perfection, and could even control the Lightning Radiance to travel only within three inches of his fingertips when throwing a punch.

"Finally, this month of sweat wasn't in vain."

Zhang Wen stretched, his joints making a slight cracking sound accompanied by the unique hum of Thunder Power.

Over these thirty days, he had practically turned Room 307 of the cultivation gym into his second home. Every day without fail, he practiced his fist techniques and Body Tempering. He had drunk a whole refrigerator's worth of the black-bone chicken soup his parents brought, and his mother Wang Guihua’s pair of little yellow duck insulating gloves had become a mascot to remind him to "hold back his strength" while practicing.

Just as he was thinking this, his mother Wang Guihua’s loud voice came from outside the door, carrying a hint of deliberately suppressed nervousness: "Zhang Wen! Get up quickly! Today is the Cultural College Entrance Exam. I put your exam admission ticket in the side pocket of your schoolbag. I've checked your pens and erasers three times, so don't you get flustered—"

Zhang Wen responded with a smile and grabbed the school uniform by his pillow.

The boy in the mirror looked even more upright; the Lightning Radiance in his eyes was hidden deep. At first glance, he looked no different from an ordinary senior high school student, except for the faint, shimmering golden lightning pattern on his neck, which revealed the thorough transformation he had undergone this past month.

"Got it, Mom!" he shouted while putting on his clothes. His fingertip accidentally brushed against the metal zipper, sparking only a nearly invisible electric spark, "I guarantee I'll test as accurately as I strike lightning!"

His mother Wang Guihua outside the door was amused but couldn't help nagging: "Stop with the glib talk! Don't go touching metal things when you get into the exam hall. If you zap a hole in the test paper, I won't forgive you—"

Zhang Wen made a face at the mirror.

Who could have thought that the boy who was worried about getting started with "Startling Thunder Arises" a month ago could now restrain his Thunder Power so it wouldn't even pierce a piece of paper?

He grabbed his schoolbag and slung it over his shoulder; the exam admission ticket in the side pocket pressed against him just right.

After today, it was time to prepare for the supernatural ability practical exam two months later.

Zhang Wen took a deep breath and pushed open the bedroom door—eggs and zongzi were set on the living room dining table. His mother Wang Guihua was holding a thermos, brewing milk for him, while his father Zhang Jianguo paced around the room with his hands behind his back, looking just like an anxious mother hen.

"Dad, Mom, I'm leaving."

"Wait!" Mother Wang Guihua stuffed an apple into his pocket, "Eat an apple before the exam for safety and peace! Also, remember you are going to take the cultural exam, not to tear down the exam hall, hear me?"

Father Zhang Jianguo finally stopped pacing and patted his shoulder, with a bit more force than usual: "Relax, just treat it like a regular mock exam. Just perform at your normal level; our family isn't counting on you to be the top scorer, so don't put too much pressure on yourself."

Zhang Wen nodded with a smile. As he turned to leave, the morning light shone through the corridor window, paving a bright path beneath his feet.

The Thunder Power of the Early Bloom Late Stage resonated gently within his body, as if cheering him on—

The cultural college entrance exam was merely the first stepping stone toward a greater world.

The main focus was still the supernatural ability college entrance exam in two months; after all, he was very confident in his cultural course grades.

...

The cultural college entrance exam ended.

"Zhang Wen, how did you do on the exam?"

A familiar voice came from behind. Zhang Wen turned around and saw Ding Siyi standing under the shade of a tree, clutching a folder. Her school uniform skirt fluttered gently in the wind, and there were faint beads of sweat on her forehead from running.

"Simple," he said, leaning against the wall and idly plucking a leaf to twirl. "Are you still worried I wouldn't pass my cultural courses?"

Ding Siyi was amused by his confident demeanor. She raised a hand to tuck back some stray hairs, suddenly stepped half a pace forward, her eyes bright and filled with a touch of smugness: "That's true. Oh, by the way—"

She deliberately drew out her tone like a little peacock showing off its feathers. She quietly raised her fingertips, and a wisp of pale pink flame suddenly danced in her palm. Even though it was fire, it looked like a string of translucent crystal beads. "I'm in the Initial Blooming Realm now! How about that, impressive, right?"

The flame swayed gently in her palm, even dyeing the air with a sweet warmth, without any of the scorching heat of ordinary flames.

Zhang Wen raised an eyebrow, his fingertips subconsciously gathering a wisp of Lightning Radiance before releasing it: "Indeed, that's impressive. This immortal fire looks... much more pleasant than my thunder."

"That's only natural." Ding Siyi shook her hand triumphantly, and the pink flame disappeared with a "whoosh." "When I had my Breakthrough last month, my dad nearly brought out all the fire extinguishers in the house."

Sunlight filtered through the leaves, casting light on her face. The joy in the young girl's eyes couldn't be hidden; it was as if she had hidden a glowing little flame inside.

"Zhang Wen, remember our agreement." Ding Siyi suddenly stopped smiling, her eyes shining as if quenched in light. Her fingertips unconsciously stroked the edge of the folder, "In the supernatural ability college entrance exam two months from now, we must both get into Qinglan University!"

As soon as she finished speaking, a car horn sounded in the distance. A black sedan slowly stopped at the intersection. The window rolled down, revealing her mother’s slightly stern face.

"I'm off!" Ding Siyi waved at him and ran over, clutching her folder. Before getting into the car, she turned back and shouted, "Don't you dare slack off, or I'll roast you with my Crimson Pearl Immortal Fire when the time comes!"

The moment the car door closed, Zhang Wen vaguely saw a pile of Secret Manuals half a person high in the back seat. The sedan merged steadily into the traffic and soon disappeared around the street corner—he knew she was off to receive the special training specifically arranged for her by the Ding Family; after all, nurturing an S-Rank Talent was never easy.

The wind swirled leaves around his feet. Zhang Wen raised a hand and rubbed his chin. Qinglan University, huh?

He gazed in the direction where the sedan had disappeared, and the Thunder Power within his body hummed softly, as if echoing that agreement. The supernatural ability college entrance exam in two months would be the perfect time to test whether there was any gap between himself and those Prodigies.