Chapter 12 Dimensional Ripples

[Time Moves to November. In the late autumn of Longnan City, the cold wind is bleak.]

[By this time, you are already an Eighth Stage of Qi and Blood expert. Under Wu Changhe's protection, you originally thought your first semester of senior year would be spent in the tedious grind of cultivation.]

[However, a turning point shattered the peace of Longnan No. 1 High School.]

[A special transfer student was air-dropped into Senior Class 1.]

[Liu Xiyue.]

[She came from a first-tier federal metropolis—Haicheng City.]

[The day she appeared, the whole school was in an uproar. It wasn't just because of her waterfall-like long straight black hair and her delicate, porcelain doll-like face, but also because of the cold aura she carried—a 'keep away' vibe that seemed capable of freezing the very air.]

[The moment she stepped into the classroom, the temperature in the heated, spring-like room dropped instantly.]

["Eighth Stage of Qi and Blood... an Ice-type Hetero-Martial Artist?!"]

[Sitting in the back row, your pupils shrank as you watched the girl on the podium whose self-introduction consisted of only three words.]

[As a fellow Eighth Stage of Qi and Blood, you keenly sensed the terrifying power within her. It wasn't just the thickness of her Qi and blood, but a violent elemental fluctuation mixed in, one that felt like it could freeze the Soul.]

[Rumors flew around the campus. Everyone said she was a top-tier seed that Principal Liao Xianyu had spent a fortune to poach from Haicheng City, a secret weapon to help Longnan No. 1 High School fight for a 'Twin Stars' slot.]

[But you always felt something was off. Haicheng City had educational resources a hundred times better than Longnan. Why would a top Genius from a first-tier city transfer to a small border city for the College Entrance Examination at this critical juncture?]

[It didn't make logical sense.]

...

[Until a month later, on a late night in December.]

[It was a weekend. You were feeling irritable because you still couldn't tame the violent Qi and Blood Wolf Smoke.]

[During the day, Wu Changhe saw the anxiety in your heart. He patted your shoulder and said meaningfully: "Changlin Park might be a bit lively tonight. If you're feeling restless, you can go to the outskirts for a look to broaden your horizons. But remember, you're only allowed to watch; don't make a sound."]

[This sentence made you scent something unusual in the air.]

[That night, you went for a walk in Changlin Park near the school.]

[The park was terrifyingly quiet; even the sound of insects had disappeared.]

[As you approached the artificial lake deep in the park, a bone-chilling coldness rushed toward you.]

[You hid behind a thick bush and peered through the gaps toward the lakeside.]

[The originally calm lake surface was now covered with a thick layer of blue ice.]

[Under a willow tree by the lake, the usually ice-cold Liu Xiyue appeared exceptionally anxious. She paced back and forth, her gaze constantly searching around the Lakeside Pavilion as if looking for a specific coordinate but unable to pinpoint it exactly.]

["Not in the pavilion... is it underwater? Or in the air?" she muttered to herself, fine beads of sweat even appearing on her forehead.]

[This scene gave you a realization: She must be looking for something, but she doesn't know the exact location!]

[Just then, a sudden change occurred!]

["Buzz—"]

[The space above the Lakeside Pavilion suddenly distorted without warning. Like a pebble thrown into a calm pond, visible transparent ripples shimmered through the air.]

[As the ripples spread, the concentration of Spiritual Qi in the surroundings instantly surged a hundredfold! Vegetation grew wildly, and the ice on the lake began to glow.]

["It's here!" Liu Xiyue shouted in pleasant surprise.]

[At the same time, two incredibly powerful auras descended instantly.]

[On the left was your homeroom teacher, Wu Changhe. On the right was a man in a Zhongshan suit, with white hair and beard but full of vigor—it was the elusive Principal of Longnan No. 1 High School, Liao Xianyu!]

[Two Kaiyuan Realm Experts were now acting like bodyguards, flanking Liu Xiyue to protect her in the center.]

["Is this... a dimensional ripple?" Principal Liao looked at the ripples in the air, a hint of shock flashing in his eyes. "It truly is a masterpiece of heaven and earth."]

["Stop talking and Move! Don't let the commotion spread!" Wu Changhe barked. His gaze swept seemingly inadvertently over the direction where you were hiding, but he didn't call you out.]

[The principal gave a light wave of his hand, and an invisible barrier of Yuan Power enveloped the entire central lake area.]

[In the center of the ripples, an 'ice-blue lotus' emitting extreme cold and appearing crystal clear was slowly manifesting. It didn't belong to this world; it was a projection from a higher dimension, yet at this moment, it was condensing into a physical form.]

["Go ahead," Wu Changhe said to Liu Xiyue.]

[Liu Xiyue didn't hesitate. She leapt onto the ice and carefully plucked the ice lotus.]

[The moment her fingertips touched the lotus, it turned into a stream of extremely pure ice-blue smoke, entering her body through her mouth and nose.]

["Boom!"]

[In an instant, the Qi and blood around her body became like boiling lava, yet also emitted frigid white vapor. At that moment, you felt a certain shackle within her body shatter.]

...

[Only three days passed.]

[On the school's Monthly Exam Arena, Liu Xiyue once again demonstrated her strength.]

[Watching Liao Fan, the Senior Class 2 monitor and a Qi and Blood Seventh Stage practitioner, being sent flying by her casual palm strike, you gripped the Alloy Saber in your hand tightly below the stage.]

["I want to try."]

[Step by step, you walked onto the arena. The audience's breathing seemed to stop. This was a clash between the old and new 'number ones' of Longnan No. 1 High School, a duel between a commoner miracle and a noble Family Prodigy.]

["Please." Liu Xiyue remained as cold as frost. She stood there quietly, her body emitting a cold aura that kept others at bay.]

["Forgive me!"]

[You suddenly exerted force with your feet, causing the alloy floor to let out a dull boom. Using the reaction force, you shot forward like a cannonball.]

[The opening Move had no flourishes; it was a heavy diagonal slash aimed straight for Liu Xiyue's left shoulder.]

["Hmph."]

[Liu Xiyue gave a cold snort. Her slender wrist flicked, and a flash of cold light erupted from her waist. It was a soft sword forged with ice-crack patterns. The tip of the sword was like a spiritual snake flicking its tongue, arriving second but hitting first as it pointed toward your wrist.]

["Clang!"]

[Saber and sword met, sparks flying in all directions.]

[If it were an ordinary person, they would have been forced back by the soft sword's eerie vibration. But your understanding of the Basic Saber Technique had long since penetrated your very bones.]

[At the moment of impact, your wrist flipped in a bizarre manner.]

[The heavy saber in your hand didn't bounce away; instead, it bit down hard on her sword's spine like a maggot on a bone. You pressed down with the momentum, the rough blade grinding against the sword with a tooth-aching screech, slicing straight for the five fingers of her right hand holding the sword!]

[This change of Move was extremely ruthless, an instinct honed only through life-and-death combat.]

[A hint of surprise finally flashed in Liu Xiyue's eyes. She was forced to withdraw her sword and retreat, attempting to open up some distance.]

["Where do you think you're going!"]

[You pressed your advantage, stepping with the Baji Steps to instantly cut into her inner circle. The saber in your hand was no longer confined to any fixed Move; hacking, hanging, lifting, and swiping—every strike hit the node where her old strength was spent and her new strength had yet to form.]

[Swish! Swish! Swish!]

[Faced with this pervasive offensive that was like mercury flowing over the ground, Liu Xiyue's originally elegant and agile swordplay became fragmented. She was forced to retreat three steps, blocking somewhat disheveledly with her sword.]

[You caught the moment her center of gravity shifted during her retreat.]

[Without any hesitation, your Qi and Blood Wolf Smoke erupted fully. The saber, carrying a whistle that tore through the air, aimed straight for her weak point under the ribs!]

[This strike was fast and ruthless to the extreme! Even an alloy shield would have been split open by this blow!]

[Seeing the blade about to touch the edge of her clothes, victory seemed decided.]

[However, at that very instant.]

[Buzz!]

[A faint layer of Crimson Gauze, resembling flowing liquid mercury, softly covered the surface of Liu Xiyue's body.]

[Ninth Stage of Qi and Blood—Crimson Gauze Body Cloak!]

[When your blade hit that layer of Crimson Gauze, it felt like hitting a ball of soft cotton. That seemingly fragile gauze contained astonishing toughness, instantly swallowing your violent force.]

["What?!"]

[Your pupils shook violently. Before you could change your Move, a terrifying counter-shock force mixed with extreme cold erupted along the blade.]

[Snap!]

[The Alloy Saber in your hand was directly shaken out of your grip and flew away.]

[Immediately after, Liu Xiyue's frost-entwined palm slammed heavily onto your chest.]

[Bang!]

[You were sent flying over a dozen meters as if hit by a high-speed train, crashing heavily onto the edge of the arena.]

["Cough, cough..."]

[You struggled to stand up, only to find that a domineering chill had invaded your body, leaving you unable to Move, as if your blood was about to freeze solid.]

[You lost.]

...

[Afterward, you took two bottles of good wine to Wu Changhe's faculty apartment.]

[Under your repeated questioning, combined with the master-disciple affinity brought by the 'Tireless Teacher' talent, a slightly tipsy Wu Changhe finally revealed some of the truth to you.]

["Li Ang... don't be discouraged. Losing to her is no disgrace."]

[Wu Changhe sighed. "She didn't come here to compete for rankings with you all, or to snatch that bit of top student prize money."]

["She came with bargaining chips we couldn't refuse to make a deal with us."]

["Bargaining chips?" You filled the teacher's glass with wine.]

["Yes. Old Liao didn't poach her. She contacted us herself. Not only did she donate a top-tier combat building to the school, but she also privately promised countless resources. Her reason was that Family competition in Haicheng was too fierce, and she wanted a change of environment to prepare for the exams."]

["But in reality..." Wu Changhe lowered his voice, a look of deep confusion and wariness flashing in his eyes. "She came for that thing."]

["The dimensional ripple."]

[Wu Changhe explained a concept to you that shattered your worldview.]

["This world doesn't only have our layer of space. When higher-dimensional worlds—like the legendary Divine Realm or certain elemental planes—sweep across Blue Star with energy fluctuations, it creates a 'dimensional ripple.' It projects things from the higher-dimensional world into the physical world."]

["That 'mystic ice twin lotus' in Changlin Park was a product of this ripple."]

[Speaking to this point, Wu Changhe took a large gulp of wine, an expression of disbelief appearing on his face:]

["But Li Ang, do you know what the most terrifying part is?"]

["It's the 'unpredictability'!"]

["The Federation's top research institutes long ago concluded that the appearance of dimensional ripples is completely random, like winning the lottery. It's impossible to calculate!"]

["But Liu Xiyue... it's as if she has a Heavenly Eye."]

["She arrived a month early, specifically named Changlin Park, had us lock it down in advance, and even used her Family's Death Soldiers to guard the perimeter."]

["I asked her how she knew. She only said it was a Family secret technique." Wu Changhe shook his head. "But I could tell she was lying."]

["Anyway, it's an unsolved mystery. But we took the money to do the job—helped her as a Protector, she took the treasure and left, and she'll help the school secure a top scholar spot in passing. It's a win-win."]

[After hearing this, you fell silent.]

[You had cultivated day and night, risking your life by relying on 'Hardworking and Enduring' just to reach the Eighth Stage of Qi and Blood.]

[Yet she only needed to know a piece of information in advance and eat a flower to easily step into the Ninth Stage, even laying a Heaven-Defying Foundation for her future martial path.]

[You didn't feel discouraged; your ambition burned like a wildfire.]

["dimensional ripple... Heaven And Earth Treasure..."]

[You firmly committed these terms to memory.]

[Since such special opportunities exist in this world, and since even Wu Changhe said they are 'unpredictable,' why did Liu Xiyue know?]

[Liu Xiyue has her secret channels, but you have the simulator!]

[She needs to arrive a month early to wait, search, and feel anxious. But you—you only need to glance at the time and location in a simulation, and next time, you can be precise to the second!]

["An Opportunity like a dimensional ripple is practically tailor-made for someone with a simulator like me; it belongs to me!"]

["If I can 'see' the next appearance of a dimensional ripple in a simulation ahead of time..."]

[At this moment, your mindset shifted. You realized that to catch up to or even surpass Liu Xiyue before the College Entrance Examination, hard work alone was no longer enough.]

[You need encounters like this! You need to use the simulator's foresight to be the hunter who intercepts the secrets of heaven!]