6: Chapter 6 Wind Blade Shatters, Thunder Laughs

Soon, the day of the challenge arrived. That morning, Zhang Wen had just zipped up his school uniform to the top when Wang Guihua stuffed three tea eggs into his pocket. "Keep these safe! You need to be full to fight. If you really can't win, just throw the eggs at him!" His father, Zhang Jianguo, went even further, pulling out a construction safety helmet with "Safety First" printed on it and jamming it onto his head. "Wear this! Your dad relied on this thing to dodge falling rocks at the construction site back in the day. It'll definitely work against Xue Yuan's Wind Blades from the Early Glimmer Stage!"

When Zhang Wen rushed into the teaching building wearing the safety helmet, the entire building's broadcast suddenly blared a battle song—the Dean of Students was playing the "Sportsmen's March," mixed with his voice-cracking commentary: "Attention everyone, both contestants have arrived at the arena! Will Zhang Wen, with his SSS-Rank Talent Nine Heavens Tribulation Thunder, emerge victorious, or will Xue Yuan, who has already achieved a Breakthrough to the Glimmer Realm, win? Let's wait and see!"

The rooftop was already packed with people. The desks and chairs brought by students were arranged like bleachers. In the front row, the Physics Teacher was munching on melon seeds, holding up a prediction board that said 'Glimmer Realm wins for sure.' Xue Yuan stood in the center, his tall figure accentuated by his black martial arts suit. Seeing Zhang Wen's safety helmet, he immediately sneered, "What? Afraid my Glimmer Realm Wind Blades will give you a patchy bald spot?"

Zhang Wen didn't respond. He simply raised his hand to unbuckle the safety helmet and gently took it off. The red helmet with "Safety First" printed on it hit the ground with a soft "thud," like a silent reply. He raised his hand to tidy his hair, which had been flattened a bit. As his fingertips brushed through his hair, a few wisps of fine Lightning Radiance quietly flickered. By now, the rooftop was surrounded by layers of people, with heads even peeking from the teaching building's windows. Xue Yuan stood in the center, Wind Blades swirling at his fingertips, as he shouted into a megaphone, "I know you're all curious about how powerful an SSS-Rank Talent is, but today I'll show you—no matter how high the talent, don't even think about beating my Glimmer Realm cultivation!"

Whispers immediately broke out among the crowd.

"Xue Yuan is indeed solid; after all, he achieved a Breakthrough early on."

"Zhang Wen only had his Awakening a few days ago. He's probably only at the Early Glimmer Stage, right?"

"Hard to say... but with one Early Stage against another, Xue Yuan's experience will definitely give him the edge."

As soon as Zhang Wen reached the rooftop entrance, Liu Zi grabbed him and stuffed a bottle of cola into his hand. "Don't panic, Brother Zhang! There's no shame in losing!" Before he could speak, Xue Yuan's Wind Blade came whistling toward him, the sharp sound of cutting air heading straight for his face.

"Watch out!" Ding Siyi's cry had just left her mouth when she saw Zhang Wen's figure flicker, managing to sidestep the attack in the blink of an eye. The movement was so fast it left an afterimage, certainly not the speed an Early Glimmer Stage should have.

"You're fast at dodging." Xue Yuan sneered, and Wind Blades poured out like a downpour, sealing off all of Zhang Wen's paths of retreat. The watching students held their breath, and even the Dean of Students forgot to continue his commentary.

Right then, Zhang Wen moved. He wasn't in a hurry to counterattack, but simply shifted his footwork, letting the Wind Blades graze past his clothes without ever being harmed in the slightest. Even more startling, as his breathing rhythm quickened, a faint Lightning Radiance began to glow around him. The spiritual energy fluctuations grew stronger and stronger, carrying a faint sense of pressure.

"Something's not right..." The Physics Teacher in the front row suddenly put down his melon seeds and adjusted his glasses. "This spiritual energy intensity... it doesn't look like the Early Stage!"

Before he finished speaking, Zhang Wen finally raised his hand. A condensed thunder whip appeared out of thin air, striking toward Xue Yuan's swarm of Wind Blades with a crackling sound. With a "boom," those seemingly fierce Wind Blades shattered instantly like they were made of paper!

Xue Yuan's expression changed abruptly. "Impossible! How could your spiritual energy..."

"Oh? You mean this?" Zhang Wen flexed his wrist, the Lightning Radiance flowing freely in his palm. "I forgot to tell you, it seems I'm already... at the Late Glimmer Stage."

As soon as these words were spoken, the rooftop instantly exploded with noise.

"Late Stage?! He only had his Awakening a few days ago!"

"No wonder Xue Yuan's void-splitting blade shattered at a single touch. Early Stage against Late Stage—there's simply no way to fight!"

"I knew Brother Zhang was so calm for a reason. He was hiding a great hand!"

Both shocked and furious, Xue Yuan violently surged all his spiritual energy to unleash his ultimate move—the Void-Splitting Wind Dragon Tornado. But Zhang Wen just raised his wrist, and thunder surged forth like a tide. The spiritual energy of the Late Glimmer Stage crushed the wind dragon tornado like a steamroller. Before Xue Yuan could react, he was pinned to the ground by a gentle but irresistible force, and a familiar numbness came from the back of his neck—the thunder bath towel was "helping" again.

"Do you yield?" Zhang Wen looked down at him, Lightning Radiance dancing in his eyes.

Xue Yuan stared at the ground, his lips trembling for a long time before he finally squeezed out two words from between his teeth: "I yield..."

The surrounding cheers almost blew the roof off. Wang Lei jumped high, holding a megaphone. "I knew it! The Late Stage crushes the Early Stage! Brother Zhang is mighty!" Standing in the crowd, Ding Siyi watched the Lightning Radiance flickering at Zhang Wen's fingertips, a smile she couldn't hide spreading across her face.

Zhang Wen picked up the bath towel from the ground and suddenly heard the System notification: [Congratulations to host for unlocking the 'Playing the Pig to Eat the Tiger' achievement. Reward: One Spiritual Energy Detection Shielding Talisman.] He rubbed his chin and smiled—it seemed he could give them another shock next time.

The crowd receded like a tide. Xue Yuan was helped away by his lackeys, his back looking as wilted as an eggplant after a rainstorm. Zhang Wen had just stuffed the stray thunder bath towel back into his pocket when he heard crisp footsteps behind him.

"Zhang Wen, congratulations." Ding Siyi stood a few steps away, still holding the small flag with the lightning bolt printed on it, the wind brushing the corner of the flag against her school uniform sleeve. Her eyes curved into crescents, shimmering with fine light. "When you used the thunder net to cover the wind dragon just now, the whole place was shouting your name."

Zhang Wen rubbed the back of his neck, the tips of his ears turning a bit hot. "Actually, it wasn't that impressive. It's mainly because his Early Glimmer Stage spiritual energy really couldn't withstand the pressure of the Late Stage."

"But it's only been how long? You've already rushed from Awakening to the Late Stage." Ding Siyi stepped closer and handed over an opened bottle of water. "My grandfather says that anyone who can achieve a Breakthrough this quickly is a natural Cultivation genius."

He took the water and took a sip, catching a glimpse of the jinglan pendant peeking out from the girl's school uniform collar. Remembering her serious expression when she stuffed the Talismanic Incantation into his hand yesterday, his heart suddenly felt warm. "By the way, thanks for the lotus seed soup last time."

"My mom said fighting would definitely drain your spirit, so she told me to bring you some more." Ding Siyi pulled a thermos from her backpack and suddenly laughed, pointing at his hair. "But your hair is a bit messy right now. It must have been caught by Xue Yuan's Wind Blade just now, right?"

Zhang Wen reached up and felt a few tufts of hair sticking up. Just as he was about to fix it, the bath towel in his pocket suddenly "snapped" out and wrapped around his wrist twice. Ding Siyi looked at the blue-glowing bath towel, her eyes full of curiosity. "Is this the 'auxiliary device' you mentioned? It looks really special."

He quickly pushed the bath towel back in, mumble-responding, "Yeah, it's quite useful," but his earlobes turned even redder. The wind on the rooftop was still blowing, carrying the noise from the distant playground, but Zhang Wen felt that the sound of the smiling breath beside him was clearer than the cheers of the entire crowd earlier.