2: Chapter 2 Awakening Day! S-Rank Divine Seal, Annihilating Wind and Thunder!

The next day, as dawn broke, the entrance of Jiangcheng Third High School was already packed with people.

The scene was ten times more exaggerated than any Gaokao send-off Zhou Heng had seen in his previous life.

Parents stood on tiptoe, craning their necks, their eyes a mix of anticipation, anxiety, and prayer.

There was also a trace of imperceptible fear, as if it wasn't their children walking into that massive Awakening Hall, but the future destiny of their entire families.

"Son! Good luck! Keep your cool!"

"Daughter! Don't be afraid! Mom and Dad are right here waiting for you!"

"Old Li's kid used that 'Potential Serum' last night. I heard it works well; he'll definitely awaken a B-grade!"

"Sigh, my boy usually doesn't work hard. I'll be thanking the heavens if he even gets a D-grade..."

Various discussions, encouragements, and sighs intertwined, forming a massive, invisible pressure that weighed on everyone's hearts.

Zhou Heng walked slowly through the crowd with his hands in his pockets, looking completely out of place in the heavy, almost suffocating atmosphere.

He even had the leisure to complain in his head, "Man, this setup... if I didn't know better, I'd think this was the entrance to the Ten Thousand Races Battlefield and that going in meant certain death."

"Hey! Zhou Heng! Over here!"

A slightly cold voice called out.

Zhou Heng turned his head and saw his best friend, Chen Ye, leaning against the wall by the school gate.

He still had that cool look, arms crossed, face expressionless, but a hint of imperceptible tension was hidden deep in his eyes.

Zhou Heng walked over and bumped him with his shoulder. "Yo, Ye Zi, your look today is quite unique. Are you cosplaying 'The Thinker'? Thinking about life?"

Chen Ye rolled his eyes at him, too lazy to acknowledge his lame joke, and simply said, "It's a bit noisy."

"That's normal. After all, it's a 'life-altering event'."

Zhou Heng shrugged, then lowered his voice and winked. "So? Nervous? Excited? Did you secretly pray to a god last night? Which one was it? Introduce me so I can pray too; maybe I can get a familiar face."

Chen Ye's lip seemed to twitch as he squeezed out a few words through his teeth: "...Get lost."

Zhou Heng chuckled, knowing his buddy's personality—cold on the outside, warm on the inside, a total closet romantic.

His gaze swept over the nervous or pale faces of his classmates, and the sense of ease he felt from having his cheat activated lessened slightly.

For the vast majority of people, today was indeed the day that decided their fate.

From F-grade to SSS-grade, nine levels, worlds apart.

An F-grade might just be slightly stronger than an ordinary person, while the legendary SSS-grade...

Once fully grown, they would be national-level existences capable of influencing the entire world's landscape.

It was said that Jiangcheng hadn't produced an awakener above S-grade in years, so it was no wonder the principal and teachers all had solemn expressions as if they were attending a funeral.

"Everyone! All senior classes! Enter the Awakening Hall in order! Keep quiet!"

The Dean of Students shouted through a megaphone, his voice already somewhat hoarse.

The crowd began to move slowly. Zhou Heng and Chen Ye followed their class line forward.

Entering that magnificent yet oppressive Awakening Hall, they saw rows upon rows of seats.

In the center was a circular platform raised above the ground, covered in complex and ancient patterns.

Emitting faint energy fluctuations, that was the Awakening Array.

The principal and several individuals with deep, powerful auras were already standing to one side of the platform, their expressions serious.

The homeroom teachers of each class began to maintain order at the top of their lungs, calling names and having students sit in their designated areas.

As Zhou Heng sat in his seat, his gaze swept over the patterns, but his mind began to wander.

"According to web novel tropes, the protagonist usually awakens some badass sequence."

"Fire element? It's domineering, sure, but it feels a bit cliché, and it's easy to end up an arsonist."

"Shadow element? Essential for a 'sneaky' player, fits someone devious like me, but it's not straightforward enough."

"Light element? A healer? No way, that doesn't fit my vibe."

"Space element? High status, but in the early stages, it's easy to end up as a delivery man or a construction worker (space movement makes moving bricks very efficient)..."

"Female leads tend to favor the Ice element, symbolizing a personality like frost. High-cold goddess style... Tsk, pity I don't have that temperament."

"Brother System, how about a hint? Do we internal employees get a discount? Can you reveal the sequence in advance?"

He silently called out to his data vision in his mind, but unfortunately, the panel remained unchanged: [Divine Seal Sequence: Unawakened].

"Fine, the confidentiality is top-notch." Zhou Heng curled his lip.

The awakening ceremony officially began.

Students were called one by one to step onto the central array.

The array lit up with lights of different colors and intensities.

Along with energy fluctuations, vague phantoms would occasionally appear, and then the nearby instrument would announce the grade and the name of the Divine Seal.

"Zhang Tao, Earthen Rock divine seal, D-grade!"

A clear sigh of relief came from below the stage, mixed with a bit of disappointment, but mostly gratitude.

D-grade; at least he had awakened.

"Li Li, Clear Spring divine seal, C-grade!"

A surprised smile instantly appeared on the girl's face, and her family in the audience waved their arms excitedly.

"Wang Hao, Gale divine seal, B-grade!"

"Whoa!" A loud exclamation and envious chatter erupted from the audience.

B-grade was already a very good result!

Wang Hao himself was so excited that his face turned red, nearly jumping off the stage.

But there were also failures.

"Liu Yang, awakening failed."

The student named Liu Yang turned as pale as a sheet and stumbled off the stage.

The looks from those around him were filled with sympathy, regret, and a faint sense of relief—thankfully, it wasn't them.

All aspects of human life were vividly displayed at this moment.

Zhou Heng saw his homeroom teacher, Old Liu, gripping his hands so hard they turned white. Every time a good result was announced...

...the corners of his mouth would involuntarily turn up, but when a poor result or failure was announced, his brow would furrow deeper.

Soon, it was Chen Ye's turn.

Chen Ye took a deep breath and looked at Zhou Heng.

Zhou Heng gave him a thumbs-up and mouthed, "Ye Zi, get an S-grade!"

Chen Ye ignored him and strode onto the array.

The light flared!

It was a deep, dark blue, like a cold pond with surging undercurrents!

A sharp and icy aura spread out!

The instrument's voice rang out: "Chen Ye, Divine Seal—Ice Prison Monarch, A-grade!"

"A-grade!!"

"Holy crap! A-grade Ice Prison Monarch! A Divine Seal with extremely strong attack and control!"

"It's Chen Ye! That cool guy who usually doesn't talk much! As expected, he's a man of few words but great power!"

The audience instantly exploded!

The principal and the officials all wore surprised smiles, and Old Liu, the homeroom teacher, slapped his thigh in excitement!

Chen Ye stood on the stage, still expressionless.

But his clenched fists and slightly raised chin betrayed his inner turmoil.

As he stepped down, he looked at Zhou Heng with a gaze filled with inquiry and encouragement.

Zhou Heng grinned at him.

Finally—

"Next, Zhou Heng!"

In an instant, almost every eye in the hall was focused on him.

Zhou Heng's reputation as the top student in academic classes was too well-known; many were curious about his awakening result.

Zhou Heng straightened his collar and stood up slowly.

He even smiled at a nearby classmate who was so nervous they were walking with the same hand and foot forward. "Relax, buddy. I'll go scout the way for you first."

He stepped onto the Awakening Array and stood still.

A cold sensation traveled up from the soles of his feet.

"Concentrate, feel the power within your body, and guide it," the guide whispered.

Zhou Heng closed his eyes.

Actually, he didn't really need to guide it intentionally; his mental strength, which far exceeded ordinary people at 2 Hz, was already restless.

He just muttered in his heart, "Brother System, Panel-bro, give me some power! Don't drop the ball! Otherwise, I'll have to go into the literary world and write 'Rebirth: I'm a Plagiarist in a High-Martial World'..."

It seemed the system couldn't stand his constant muttering anymore.

The very next second after he stood still—

BOOM!!!

An indescribable, violent energy suddenly erupted from within his body!

It wasn't a gentle guidance at all, but a surging torrent like a burst dam!

The entire array instantly exploded with an unprecedentedly brilliant light!

It wasn't a single color, but a mixture of cyan and purple!

Cyan represented ultimate vacuum annihilation and absolute erosion, while purple contained domineering destruction and penetration!

"Zzzt—Crack!"

Cyan and purple electric snakes darted wildly, coiling around Zhou Heng, even emitting tooth-aching hums and crackling sounds!

The energy fluctuations in the entire Awakening Hall instantly soared to a terrifying level, and a gale violently expanded outward with Zhou Heng at the center.

It blew so hard that many below the stage couldn't keep their eyes open, their clothes flapping loudly!

"This... what is this?!"

"Such powerful energy fluctuations!"

"The commotion is even bigger than Chen Ye's A-grade just now!"

The principal, officials, and teachers all stood up in shock, staring intently at the figure wrapped in cyan and purple lightning in the center of the array!

The instrument seemed to lag for a moment, then emitted a voice more high-pitched and excited than any before:

"Zhou Heng! Divine Seal—Annihilation Wind and Thunder! Rating: S-grade!!"

Silence!

A deathly silence!

And then—

"BOOM!!!"

The entire hall completely exploded with noise!

"S-grade?! My god! S-grade!"

"Annihilation Wind and Thunder? What sequence is that? I've never heard of it!"

"It sounds freaking awesome! Both wind and thunder! A combination of vacuum annihilation and ultimate destruction?!"

"Jiangcheng! How many years has it been since our Jiangcheng produced an S-grade?!"

"It's Zhou Heng! That top student! He's a genius in both academics and martial arts!"

The principal's face turned red with excitement, and he gesticulated so wildly he almost fell off the high platform.

Old Liu, the homeroom teacher, jumped straight up, his eyes moist. "Good! Good boy! I knew it! Hahaha!"

Below the stage, Chen Ye, whose face usually showed no expression, finally revealed a clear smile filled with shock and joy for his friend.

Zhou Heng stood in the center of the array, feeling the surging new power within him.

It was an ultimate sensation as if he could tear through and pierce everything!

Tiny cyan and purple electric arcs danced on his fingertips, making faint crackling sounds.

In his mind, the data panel had already updated:

【Individual: Zhou Heng】

【Realm: Spirit Awakening Realm · Initial Awakening】

【Blood Qi Value: 20 Cal】 (Explosive growth!)

【Mental Strength: 55 Hz】 (Explosive growth!)

【Divine Seal Sequence: Annihilation Wind and Thunder (S-grade)】

【Core Skill: To be drawn after realm advancement】

【Mastered Martial Arts: Basic Spear Technique (Beginner)】

【Status: Extremely excited, energy abundant】

【Current Weakness Analysis: No target】

S-grade! Annihilation Wind and Thunder!

Ultimate speed! Domineering penetration!

This was practically a Divine Seal tailor-made for him! It perfectly matched his envisioned path of spear techniques!

Suppressing the urge to howl at the sky, Zhou Heng slowly retracted the restless lightning around him.

He stepped off the array, met by countless burning, envious, jealous, and admiring gazes.

His face returned to its usual, slightly lazy smile, and he even waved casually toward a certain direction in the audience.

There was Gu Jiajia, who had just been feeling a bit down after awakening a C-grade Vine Entanglement Divine Seal.

She was looking at him with a complex expression, her eyes filled with disbelief and a hint of... regret?

Zhou Heng didn't bother to analyze it; he just found the scene a bit ironic.

He walked over to Chen Ye and bumped him with his shoulder, whispering in a tone filled with uncontrollable smugness:

"Ye Zi, looks like you'll have to hang with me from now on. This S-grade big shot will carry you. Don't worry, no charge! At most, you can help me with my academic homework later... Uh, wait, it seems we don't need academic classes anymore? What a loss, what a loss."

The smile on Chen Ye's face vanished instantly, returning to his deadpan look, and he coldly spat out two words:

"Idiot."

Zhou Heng didn't care and laughed heartily.