2: Chapter 2 SSS-level Talent - Nine Heavens Tribulation Lightning

Xue Yuan leaned against the railing, his fingertips tapping on the Awakening Platform with a crisp sound: "Zhang Wen, hiding in the back like an ostrich? Have the guts to come down and awaken, let everyone see if you're worthy of Ding Siyi."

"Hmph, as if I'm afraid of you?" He loosened his tight collar and leaped onto the Awakening Platform with feigned nonchalance, though his palms were slick with sweat. The metallic texture of the Awakening Platform sent a bone-chilling cold through him, and the whispers of the crowd felt like tiny silver needles pricking the back of his neck. He suppressed his trembling and pressed his palm firmly onto the complex patterns of the platform's surface.

"Brother System?" Zhang Wen called out frantically in his mind, his voice carrying a hint of a sob, "Just give me an A-rank! I'm really not picky!"

The Void Realm suddenly rippled, and a mechanical voice exploded in his ears, making them ache: "A-rank? The host's vision is too small! The Newbie Gift Pack has arrived, please check it!"

A brilliant golden light exploded in his Sea of Consciousness, and Zhang Wen almost cried out. The floating orb of light slowly unfurled—

[Congratulations to the host for obtaining the SSS-Rank Talent 'Nine Heavens Tribulation Thunder', capable of summoning the Nine Heavens Divine Thunder and controlling the power of the Heavenly Tribulation!]

[Obtained one S-rank Marrow-Cleansing Spirit Pill, to reshape the skeletal structure and cleanse Impurities.]

[Obtained the SSS-rank breathing technique 'Myriad Force Thunder Guidance', capable of condensing world-destroying thunderstorms with every breath.]

The Awakening Platform suddenly trembled violently, and dark clouds surged across the sky at a speed visible to the naked eye. Xue Yuan's face turned pale instantly. The silver Wind Blades he was so proud of began to shatter inch by inch under this world-destroying pressure. Screams erupted one after another from the crowd: "What's happening? This pressure... could it be SSS-rank?!"

The entire Awakening Square suddenly fell into an eerie silence. The Dean of Students's trembling hand could no longer hold his thermos, and with a crisp "clang," the scalding tea splashed onto the freshly frozen ice. Amidst the rising white mist, the purple lightning snakes coiling around Zhang Wen grew increasingly wild. Each time those lightning snakes moved, they scorched black patterns into the air, and the booming thunder made everyone's ears ache. Even the glass of the distant teaching buildings began to show fine cracks.

Before the screams could fully escape, they were crushed into fragments by a new round of booming thunder. Everyone stared at the scene with a mix of terror and greed—they had never seen such overbearing spiritual fluctuations. That wasn't just an Awakening; it was clearly a miniature Heavenly Tribulation taking place!

Just then, a phantom figure clad in a black Daoist robe stepped slowly through the Void Realm. The old man's silver hair moved without wind, and the bronze compass he held in his palm glowed with mysterious runes. With every step he took, a lotus flower condensed from lightning bloomed beneath his feet.

"Good! Good! Good!" The old man's hearty laughter made the glass within a hundred meters buzz, and a fiery light erupted in his eyes. "The 'Nine Heavens Tribulation Thunder,' unseen for a hundred years, has appeared! This boy has not only awakened an SSS-Rank Talent but is also a supreme Saint Physique of the Lightning Dao! I believe the top scorer of this year's National Spiritual Power College Entrance Exam will be firmly claimed by this kid!"

Seeing that iconic bronze compass, the teachers present changed expression and rose in unison, their backs straight as they saluted together: "Greetings, Principal!"

Principal Li Tianji waved his hand, his brow slightly furrowed: "How many times have I said it? I hate these empty formalities the most. Everyone, stand properly!" Despite his words, his gaze never left Zhang Wen, the smile in his eyes almost overflowing.

While everyone was still immersed in shock, Li Tianji raised his hand and waved, sending a golden light into the space between Zhang Wen's brows: "This is our school's treasure, the 'Tianji Token.' With this token, you can freely enter any floor of the Library and even schedule private lessons with an Elder." He paused, his tone becoming more solemn, "However, do not become arrogant. Talent is only the starting point. If you neglect your Cultivation in the future, you will still fade into mediocrity."

"Rest assured, Principal. I, Zhang Wen, will definitely not let your kindness go to waste. I will certainly Cultivate well and bring honor to the school."

Meanwhile, Xue Yuan stood in the crowd, his face deathly pale, his fists clenched until they cracked. His proud A-rank Wind-element Cleaving Blade seemed so small and laughable under the pressure of the Nine Heavens Tribulation Thunder. Ding Siyi, looking at Zhang Wen in the center, had a flicker of relief in her eyes—the boy she once saw as someone to protect had now become an existence envied by everyone.

"Everyone, quiet down. The Awakening ceremony will continue." Li Tianji glanced around, flicked his sleeve, and disappeared amidst spatial ripples, leaving behind a group of teachers and students on the square who had yet to regain their senses.

The clamor of the crowd receded like a tide, but Ding Siyi stood frozen in place. She looked at the purple lightning surrounding Zhang Wen, remembering how the boy used to sit silently in the back row of the classroom. Every time she passed by, his panicked, dodging gaze hid a cautious tenderness. Now, those memories overlapped with the figure controlling the thunder, and a strange throb suddenly rose in her heart.

"Senior Sister Ding, shall we go?" her best friend tugged at her sleeve.

Ding Siyi bit her lip and walked quickly toward the Awakening Platform. Xue Yuan tried to stop her, but was pushed back by her cold gaze. When she stood before Zhang Wen, the boy had not yet recovered from the joy of Awakening an SSS-Rank Talent, but he instinctively straightened his back upon seeing her.

"Congratulations..." Ding Siyi unconsciously twirled the end of her hair, her usually composed voice carrying an imperceptible tremor. "So you've been hiding it this deep all along."

Zhang Wen looked at the crimson tint on the girl's earlobes, his Adam's apple bobbing. In his Sea of Consciousness, the System suddenly issued a notification: [Detection of heartbeat fluctuation! Ding Siyi's favorability +10, current progress 15%] This prompt almost made him lose his composure. In his panic, he accidentally touched her wrist, and a small current of electricity "snapped" between them.

"Watch out!" Zhang Wen hurriedly backed away, but instead of being angry, Ding Siyi chuckled. She took off a light blue crystal pendant from her neck: "This is a jinglan pendant that can stabilize spiritual power. I'll lend it to you for now." Before he could refuse, her warm fingers had already pressed the pendant into his palm. "Consider it... a thank-you gift for reserving the spot as the top scorer of the college entrance exam in advance."

Xue Yuan's suppressed roar came from the distance, but Ding Siyi acted as if she hadn't heard it. As she turned, her hair brushed against the back of Zhang Wen's hand, leaving behind a faint scent of jasmine. Zhang Wen looked at the pendant in his palm, still warm from her body, and the System's mechanical voice rang in his ears: [Triggered hidden mission: Respond to the girl's feelings. Completion reward: Lightning-element spiritual skill 'Thousand Mechanisms of Purple Lightning Transformation']}],