6: A newbie? That's a monster!

The next day.

The sky was faintly lit.

Chen Nian opened his eyes, and a sharp glint flashed through them.

A night of rest had not diminished the surging power within him in the slightest.

Instead, after a night of settling and Fusion, that power became more restrained, more easily controlled.

He could feel that his body was like a volcano harboring terrifying energy, seemingly calm, but once it erupted, it could incinerate the heavens and boil the seas.

This feeling of controlling everything brought peace to his mind.

Without hesitation, he got up, washed, changed into clean casual clothes, and then walked out of the dormitory.

Today was the Spiritual Energy Bureau's centralized assessment day for newcomers.

He was lucky.

He had just completed his onboarding procedures yesterday and caught this month's assessment today.

If he missed it, he would have to wait a whole month… Spiritual Energy Bureau, B-7 Training Ground.

When Chen Nian arrived, the place was already bustling with people.

Hundreds of young people, at least, gathered on the spacious training ground.

They all looked nervous, yet with a hint of undisguised excitement and anticipation, gathering in twos and threes, talking in low voices.

And on the periphery of the training ground, even more people were watching, pointing at the participants inside.

The noisy discussions surged into Chen Nian's ears like a tide.

"How did the assessment suddenly move up? I've only prepared for less than a month, and I was planning to make a final sprint in the last few days!"

A burly young man slapped his thigh, his face full of vexation.

A lanky young man beside him pouted.

"Alright, with your strength, let alone a month, even if you had a year, you'd still be at the bottom."

"What the hell do you know! Time is strength! One more day of preparation means one more glimmer of hope!"

Just then, a commotion came from not far away.

Everyone looked in that direction.

In the center of the venue, two groups of people stood distinctly apart, confronting each other.

At the head of the left group was a handsome young man with an arrogant air between his brows.

He wore an expensive custom-made combat suit, arms crossed, eyes disdainful, as if everyone present was beneath his notice.

His name was Luo Feng.

Opposite him stood another young man with an extraordinary temperament.

He was tall and straight, his eyes sharp, and a faint, cold smile hung at the corner of his mouth.

He was Jiang Tao.

Both of them were surrounded by a large group of young men and women.

Clearly, these two had already formed factions among the newcomers, creating their own small groups.

"Luo Feng, I'm taking first place in today's assessment."

Jiang Tao said with a cold laugh, his voice not loud, but clearly audible throughout the venue.

Luo Feng scoffed disdainfully at his words: "Just you? Jiang Tao, stop dreaming. You lost to me in last month's mock test."

"Last month was last month. This month, I'll show you what a true gap is." Jiang Tao's eyes suddenly became sharp.

Invisible sparks seemed to flicker in the air between the two.

The surrounding discussions also grew more fervent.

"Who do you think will be first this time? Luo Feng or Jiang Tao?"

"I'm betting on Luo Feng. His ability is 'Blasting Fireball,' and his attack power is top-notch among all newcomers."

"That's not necessarily true. Jiang Tao's 'Wind Blade' isn't bad either; it's fast and unpredictable, making it hard to defend against."

"Sigh, it has nothing to do with us anyway. We're just here to make up the numbers. First place will definitely be between those two."

Almost everyone present tacitly accepted this fact.

In their eyes, there was no one else who could be champion of this assessment besides Luo Feng and Jiang Tao.

The two of them were the most dazzling presences among this batch of newcomers.

Just then.

Chen Nian slowly walked into the assessment area.

His appearance was like a drop of cold water falling into hot oil, instantly causing a small commotion.

"Hmm? Who is that person?"

"Never seen him before, he's a complete stranger."

"Yeah, we newcomers, even if we don't know each other, we've at least seen each other's faces. Where did this guy pop out from?"

Most of the newcomers present had trained together for half a month to a month.

Chen Nian's completely unfamiliar face immediately drew everyone's attention.

"Looking at him, he couldn't have just joined the Spiritual Energy Bureau, could he?"

"Holy crap, no way? He just joined and dares to participate in the assessment?"

"How confident must he be?"

A burst of suppressed laughter erupted from the crowd.

Confidence?

Confidence was the cheapest thing in a place like this.

Strength was everything.

"Haha, another newcomer who doesn't know the immensity of heaven and earth. Every year there are always a few like this, thinking they're invincible just because they've Awakened an ability."

"Yeah, which of us isn't afraid of too little training time and poor assessment results? He, on the other hand, skipped training and just came straight here."

"Just wait and watch the show. I bet he won't even last a minute."

All eyes suddenly fell on Chen Nian.

Luo Feng, who was confronting Jiang Tao, noticed the anomaly and also turned his gaze to Chen Nian.

He sized Chen Nian up and down, a playful smile curling at the corner of his mouth.

A newcomer who just arrived, daring to steal the spotlight while he and Jiang Tao were confronting each other?

This was a provocation.

A blatant provocation.

Luo Feng's playful mood was piqued.

He decided to teach this rule-breaking newcomer a profound lesson.

"Hey, new guy."

Luo Feng spoke lazily.

Chen Nian didn't even lift an eyelid.

Luo Feng's face instantly darkened.

"It seems if I don't show you a little something, you won't know how to write the word 'rules.'"

Before his words finished.

A small, dazzling ball of red light suddenly flared at Luo Feng's fingertip.

A scorching aura instantly spread.

"It's Luo Feng's Blasting Fireball!"

Someone exclaimed.

Everyone's gaze instantly focused here.

They all wanted to see how this newcomer, who didn't know his place, would deal with Luo Feng's sure-fire attack.

Jiang Tao also watched this scene with interest, not speaking to stop it.

At Luo Feng's fingertip, the red light condensed into a fire-ball the size of a knuckle, shooting towards Chen Nian with a sharp whooshing sound.

That blazing energy raised the surrounding temperature by several degrees out of thin air.

Everyone held their breath.

Although Luo Feng didn't use his full strength, even this single blow would surely injure someone.

If hit, at the very least, today's test would not be able to proceed smoothly.

However.

The next second.

What happened almost made everyone's eyes pop out.

Just as the Blasting Fireball was about to hit Chen Nian.

Chen Nian's figure abruptly vanished from his original spot.

Fast!

Extremely fast!

So fast that everyone's retinas couldn't capture his movement trajectory.

"Where is he?!"

Luo Feng's heart jolted, and an ominous premonition surged within him.

The next second, he only felt a blur before his eyes, and Chen Nian's figure was already in front of him.

Luo Feng's pupils instantly contracted to pinpricks.

The newcomer he had previously despised so much was now within arm's reach.

Those pitch-black eyes were calm, without a single ripple.

Yet, they made him feel a tremor deep in his Soul.

Not good!

Only this thought flashed through Luo Feng's mind.

The spiritual energy within him surged wildly, wanting to form a defense.

But it was too late.

A seemingly ordinary fist struck him fiercely.

There were no violent energy fluctuations.

No dazzling ability light effects.

Only pure, ultimate power.

"Bang—!!!"

A dull, terrifying thud.

Chen Nian's fist landed squarely on Luo Feng's abdomen.

Time seemed to slow down at this moment.

Everyone present clearly saw.

Luo Feng's arrogant expression instantly froze, then was replaced by endless pain and horror.

His body arched sharply like a cooked shrimp.

"Crack! Crack!"

A chilling sound of bones shattering clearly reached everyone's ears.

"Pfft—!"

A large mouthful of fresh blood, mixed with fragments of internal organs, spewed from Luo Feng's mouth, drawing a tragic bloodline in the air.

He flew backward like a kite with a broken string.

He heavily slammed onto the ground more than ten meters away, kicking up a cloud of dust.

The entire venue fell silent.

So quiet that a pin drop could be heard.

Everyone stood frozen in place, as if under a spell.

Their faces were filled with disbelief.

Their minds were blank.

What happened?

Just now... what happened?

Luo Feng, who everyone considered the top favorite among newcomers.

Luo Feng, who was so arrogant and possessed the powerful Blasting Fireball ability.

Was he just... taken out with one punch?

How could this be!

This was absolutely impossible!

Everyone's gaze was fixed on the figure slowly withdrawing his fist.

Chen Nian.

He still stood there, his expression indifferent, as if he had just done something insignificant.

But at this moment, his image in everyone's eyes had undergone an earth-shattering change.

He was no longer a newcomer who didn't know the immensity of heaven and earth.

But an unfathomable monster!

"Hiss—"

Gasps of cold air rose and fell.

Jiang Tao's cold smile had long since stiffened.

He looked at Luo Feng, who lay unconscious and possibly dying in the distance, then at the expressionless Chen Nian, and a chill rushed from the soles of his feet to the crown of his head.

That seemingly ordinary punch contained extremely powerful force.

Jiang Tao didn't even dare to imagine.

If that punch had landed on him... he had no doubt that his fate would be even worse than Luo Feng's.

Just then.

Chen Nian moved.

He took a step, walking slowly, step by step, towards Luo Feng who lay on the ground.

His steps were not fast, but they carried an immense sense of pressure.

The subordinates who had originally surrounded Luo Feng were now pale with fear, subconsciously retreating repeatedly, not daring to step forward at all.

Chen Nian stopped in front of Luo Feng.

He looked down at the young man who had already fainted from pain.

Then, he slowly raised his foot.

Under everyone's terrified gaze, he stomped on Luo Feng's chest.

"Crack."

Another crisp sound of bones cracking.

Luo Feng's chest visibly caved in.

Chen Nian's gaze slowly swept across the entire venue.

Everyone caught by his gaze trembled, lowering their heads, not daring to meet his eyes.

What kind of gaze was that?

Cold, indifferent, as if looking at a group of ants.

"You'd best watch your mouths."

Chen Nian spoke, his voice not loud, but carrying an undeniable authority.

"I, for one, can't stand people like you."

For a moment.

The previously bustling training ground instantly fell silent.

No one dared to make even the slightest sound.

Everyone's gaze towards Chen Nian had changed.

The previous contempt had vanished without a trace.

Replaced by deep fear.

And a hint of undisguised awe.