Chapter 190: Far Ahead

A few days later.Liu Ziming finally appeared at the academy gate.

The scene was, to say the least, quite grand.

Su Zhan, Xie Xi, Feng Jue, Xu Hao, even Wang Mingyuan—all gathered near the academy entrance.

Liu Ziming didn’t look terribly injured; his clothes were torn in a few places, his hair a little messy, his face showing traces of fatigue.

More than anything else, though, he wore a look of relief…

The moment Liu Ziming saw everyone, his eyes lit up and he strode over quickly.

Before he even reached them, his voice arrived first:

“Ah! Teacher Wang! You’re all here? Oh man, finally back! That trip was… hard to put into words, really hard to put into words!

Not bad, brothers! You’re all back so fast? Awesome! Especially you, Feng Jue!”

Liu Ziming slapped Feng Jue’s shoulder hard.

Feng Jue coolly dodged with an expressionless face.

“You sneaky bastard, you went silent and turned out to be the second to return? Hidden depths, huh! And Miss Xie, still as efficient as ever! Xu Hao, I didn’t expect you to be back before me either? Nice, nice!”

Liu Ziming began to pour out his woes: “I’m not kidding, the trouble I ran into this time was just rotten luck!

I had the targets locked in—three Aberrants—but they damn well weren’t acting alone. Somehow they’d hooked up with two more lackeys!

Five of them! Five beating on me at once!

Good lord! What a scene! If I hadn’t reacted fast, had extra trump cards, and deep pockets, I would’ve been done for!

Finally I dealt with them one by one, killed the three to finish the mission, then chased the other two bastards far away, and that’s what delayed me! Otherwise I’d have been back even sooner than Xu Hao!”

Xu Hao muttered beside him: “Sure, sure… five, huh…”

Xie Xi crossed her arms and shot him a blank look: “The mission report required independently killing the three designated targets. Any extras don’t count toward your score; they only show poor planning.”

Feng Jue was succinct: “Shut up.”

“You see, Miss Xie, plans can’t keep up with changes!”

Liu Ziming wasn’t upset at the retort; he just grinned: “That just proves I faced a greater challenge—higher value, right, Teacher Wang?”

“As long as you returned safely, that’s what matters. A difficult process is still a form of training.”

Wang Mingyuan said only that: “But Ziming, next time make the intelligence work more thorough before the operation.”

“Yes, yes, you’re right, Teacher! Learn from mistakes! Next time I’ll be absolutely prepared!”

Liu Ziming eagerly agreed: “But anyway, despite the twists, the result was complete! Our team all passed, right? Awesome! I’ll treat tonight—we must celebrate!”

Su Zhan watched Liu Ziming with a smile.

Same tone as always.

Like a comedian, he could make people laugh without even trying.

…

One and a half months later.

This semester at Vermilion Bird Academy was coming to an end.

Students who failed their assessments had also received appropriate punishment from the school.

The Vermilion Bird Academy training chamber.

Not an ordinary room.

It was located deep within the academy complex in a standalone building.

Built from a special soundproof material that could slightly concentrate spiritual energy.

Thick outer walls and an incredibly heavy door.

Once shut, it was almost completely isolated from the outside world.

Su Zhan pushed open the heavy soundproof door.

The interior wasn’t particularly spacious, but the layout was minimalist and utilitarian.

The whole room was extraordinarily quiet.

A faint scent of sandalwood lingered in the air.

On closer inspection,

it was released slowly from a few cleverly placed vents in the walls, designed to help calm the mind and relieve cultivation fatigue.

In the center of the room sat a single low round meditation cushion; nothing else.

Dim and secluded, the environment was ideal for concentration.

“Calm your mind, focus on the breakthrough.”

Wang Mingyuan said with concern from outside the door: “Don’t worry about anything else. I’ll stand guard outside and protect you.”

“All right, Teacher.”

Su Zhan nodded solemnly and slowly closed the door.

Right—one and a half months.

He was about to break through into the Stream Realm.

Far ahead of his companions.

Su Zhan sat cross-legged on the sole cushion in the training chamber.

The heavy door shut out all external clamor.

He adjusted his state, pushing his Dew Realm tenth-tier spiritual energy to its limits.

In his dantian.

The spiritual energy had condensed like dense mist and filled to the brim.

It churned and compressed, as if ready at any moment to break through some invisible barrier.

The power of the SSS-grade Life Soul, Time Abyss Pupil, circulated spontaneously within him.

“Now.”

Su Zhan mouthed the word in his mind.

He no longer suppressed the saturated spiritual energy.

He guided all of it, like rivers flowing into the sea, making a final surge at that solid realm barrier!

Boom—!

Inside him it felt like a roar only he could hear!

A vast torrent of spiritual energy slammed into the realm barrier. The membrane vibrated violently but did not shatter immediately.

Su Zhan’s expression remained calm; he had expected this.

His mind steady, he continued the assault.

Once, twice, three times…

Finally!

“Crack…”

A faint but distinct shattering sound echoed from deep within him!

A tiny fissure appeared across the firm barrier!

Immediately after,

the crack spread rapidly, covering the entire barrier in an instant!

Rumble!!!

The barrier shattered completely!

The mist-like spiritual energy in his dantian seemed to find an outlet and instantly broke all restraints!

The purest spiritual energy began to converge in his dantian.

Streams of spiritual energy circulated on their own, washing through his limbs and bones, nourishing every meridian and every cell!

The process flowed naturally, without any stutter.

After an unknown span of time,

Su Zhan slowly opened his eyes.

Stream Realm—success!

A sense of power filled his whole body.

From Dew Realm to Stream Realm.

This chasm that had blocked countless Awakened was crossed with ease.

Su Zhan immediately sensed a new ability.

A near-divine new ability naturally surfaced in his awareness.

Future sight, five seconds.

He could foresee anything about himself five seconds into the future.

A great ability!

Su Zhan couldn’t help clenching his fist.

This practically placed him on invincibility’s doorstep!

Any attack directed at him would be understood in essence and trajectory before it was launched,

allowing him to execute the perfect counter or evasion.

Su Zhan wanted to test it at once.

He pushed open the door.

Silently activated this future-foreseeing ability.

An extremely strange sensation came over him instantly.

His consciousness seemed to leap forward five seconds and experience a short yet clear future:

He saw himself push open the heavy training room door.

He saw Teacher Wang Mingyuan standing not far outside, looking on with concern.

He saw Teacher Wang, hearing the door, turn around instantly, his face showing just the right mix of surprise and joy as he hurried forward.

He heard Teacher Wang in that familiar, warm, concerned tone ask: “Su Zhan? You’re out? How did it go—did you break through? Everything okay? Do you feel any discomfort?”

Back in real time.

Su Zhan pushed the heavy soundproof door open.

Creak—

The sound matched the rehearsal exactly.

Teacher Wang’s figure really stood not far outside the door; hearing the noise, he immediately turned and hurried forward. His lips had just parted…

Su Zhan, word for word, spoke in advance: “Su Zhan? You’re out? How did it go—did you break through? Everything okay? Do you feel any discomfort?”

“…”

The smile on Teacher Wang’s face froze, his eyes wide with astonishment.

The corridor fell silent.

All of this had been seen by Su Zhan five seconds earlier.

This ability was not a one-time use.

It formed a continuous “future view” that consumed spirit and spiritual energy, constantly extending five seconds forward.

In Su Zhan’s perception, the world became dual-lined.

One line was the normal flow of real-time.

The other rolled forward constantly—a real-time preview of the next five seconds.