Ch. 34
Chapter 34
Gu Lingxue took a deep breath and clenched the hem of her clothes.
“Hello… please guide me in the upcoming match.”
Although she had already fought three rounds before, this was the first time she faced a female opponent—especially the only girl in Class S.
She had watched Ling You’er’s Ability test.
Ling You’er’s Ability leaned toward support and lacked destructive power. In contrast, Gu Lingxue possessed an offensive Ability and had already seen her opponent’s test. The situation seemed heavily in her favor.
It almost felt like she was taking advantage… Gu Lingxue thought uneasily.
But Ling You’er did not respond.
She remained hunched, standing timidly at one end of the arena. Her long bangs obscured her eyes, leaving only her tightly clenched teeth visible—like a wary violet rabbit, always on guard.
Her gaze drifted across the audience.
She saw many people who had come because of her S-rank status. It had always been like this. Ling You’er often felt like an exhibit in a circus, occasionally brought out for others to observe.
But the audience’s expressions would change.
From surprise and curiosity, to confusion and regret, and finally to disappointment and resentment—followed by the inevitable complaint: “Why isn’t that S-rank Ability mine?”
Yes… why was it her? Ling You’er could not understand.
She was not part of the Ling family’s main lineage, nor had she received preferential treatment. Even her late parents had only been ordinary B-rank Ability users.
By all logic, she should have grown into an ordinary girl.
But logic had failed.
Ling You’er gripped the dagger tightly, silently encouraging herself: Do not be afraid. Just do your best. Right now, you represent yourself—not your family…
She still did not respond to Gu Lingxue, instead turning her gaze toward the referee.
The referee blew the whistle. “Both contestants are ready! The match is about to begin!”
A wave of pressure instantly swept over Gu Lingxue.
She instinctively assumed an offensive stance. Forcing herself to calm down, she thought: No matter what, I must give it my all.
The referee raised the whistle and shouted, “Ready—begin!”
The moment the words fell, both contestants moved.
Ling You’er immediately lowered her center of gravity and rushed forward. Gu Lingxue froze briefly before summoning ice spikes and launching them at her opponent.
The frost-laden spikes swept forward like a hailstorm.
Ling You’er’s small figure darted like a startled rabbit, weaving swiftly between the ice spikes. Her gaze locked firmly onto Gu Lingxue—like a hunter watching her prey.
Instinctively, Gu Lingxue erected a thick ice wall between them.
Suppressing her unease, she thought: My judgment was wrong. Ling You’er, like Chang’an, can fight in close combat. I need to widen the distance first, then wear her down…
Just as she adjusted her strategy, Ling You’er had already reached the other side of the wall.
She did not go around it. She did not break it.
She simply passed through it like a ghost—appearing before Gu Lingxue and pressing the blade against her neck before she could react.
For most Ability users, a twenty-centimeter ice wall was an insurmountable barrier.
But for a ghost that could pass through solid objects, it was nothing more than decoration.
Before activating Ghost Possession, there was a brief phase of transparency. Ling You’er only needed to extend that phase—long enough to run through the wall.
Her Ability lacked destructive power, but she could rely on strategy.
Her opponent’s strength was enough to make her reveal this secret. Ling You’er had never believed she could win the entire competition—expecting a support-type to rival an offensive type was, in itself, a false premise.
“Your… combat experience is lacking.”
Her faint voice sounded beside Gu Lingxue’s ear.
She still looked timid. Despite being the one holding the blade, she appeared more frightened than the one being threatened.
Yet her grip on the dagger was steady—so steady that Gu Lingxue had no chance to break free.
They stood very close—close enough for Gu Lingxue to notice the calluses on her hand. Even those from noble families with non-offensive Abilities trained in physical combat.
“The winner is Ling You’er!”
As the frost dissipated, the referee announced the result.
The moment the words fell, Ling You’er quickly stepped back. She looked around nervously, not even glancing at Gu Lingxue, before fleeing the arena in a panic.
The spectators were caught off guard. Even the referee scratched his head in confusion.
That was not how a winner was supposed to act.
Gu Lingxue sat on the ground in a daze, still shaken from the encounter. Xie Chang’an rushed onto the stage in a few quick steps, his face filled with concern.
“Lingxue, are you alright?” he asked, crouching beside her. “The ice fog spread too wide—we could not see what happened.”
“So amazing…” Gu Lingxue murmured.
As if finally recovering, her eyes lit up. “That was incredible! I never thought of solving it that way!”
Xie Chang’an blinked in confusion. “Hm?”
“I was only thinking that if the ice wall broke, I would retreat immediately. I never imagined something like that would happen!” Gu Lingxue gestured excitedly. “Abilities can be used like that!”
Xie Chang’an scratched his head. “Uh…”
He could not quite follow. It seemed that because Gu Lingxue specialized in large-scale offensive Abilities, she was not accustomed to clever tactics…
Perhaps it was simply a lack of combat experience.
As he reflected on their past encounters, he realized neither of them had fought many Ability users.
Meanwhile, in the Class S classroom—
After watching the entire match, Zhou Que clapped enthusiastically. “Impressive. Using the pre-activation phase of Ghost Possession to pass through the wall—that is pretty good for a support-type.”
There was a hint of arrogance in his tone.
“I did not expect her to train in physical combat,” Shao Huayu said thoughtfully. “It seems her defeat in the Youth Competition made her more cautious.”
“But still—a support-type… no one expects them to have strong combat ability.”
“She is practically a natural assassin,” Song Xiaoran remarked in amazement.
“This puts me in a difficult position,” You Xingluo sighed, his expression falling. “Now I am the only one in the class without combat ability.”
“That is not a problem,” Zhou Que said casually. “Using cold weapons is rare. Learning firearms is what really matters. I actually feel a bit sorry for Liu Mu…”
“All the firearms he is skilled with are banned. Starting from scratch with cold weapons and still not being eliminated—he is already impressive.”
As he spoke, Zhou Que sighed.
“Liu Mu can use guns?” Ji Qing asked in surprise.
“Yeah. I used to drag him to the Danger Zone all the time,” Zhou Que replied casually. “But with the rules restricting him so heavily, his chances in the individual competition are not good.”
No wonder Liu Mu had not tried to advance classes, Ji Qing thought.
What he excelled at differed from what the school required. Firearms were banned to prevent serious injuries, as their destructive power was far greater.
Cold weapons were allowed to assist in Ability usage.
Competitions in the Ability Academy prioritized Abilities above all else—everything was designed to facilitate their use.
Except for anomalies like Xie Chang’an.
But if that was the case… Ji Qing hesitated.
Could Xie Chang’an truly make it into Class S?
He relied on unconventional methods, which did not meet the usual promotion criteria.
His self-doubt was justified.
At present, only Ji Qing—who knew the storyline—and the manga readers believed he could advance.
“Teacher… I am back…”
A faint voice came from the doorway.
Ling You’er entered, clutching her clothes tightly, her breathing uneven.
Everyone’s gaze turned toward her.
She stiffened under their attention—until Ji Qing was the first to applaud. Soon, scattered applause filled the room, even Li Xuehua joining in gently.
Ling You’er asked warily, “What… happened?”
“We just watched your match. It was a very good performance,” Li Xuehua said softly, testing her reaction.
At the midpoint of the semester, it was time for change.
Ling You’er remained silent.
After a long pause, she murmured awkwardly, “It is still far from what I want to achieve… I need to keep working harder…”
“For a support-type, that was already excellent,” Shao Huayu praised.
“I am a bit impressed,” Zhou Que muttered.
Just as others were about to comment, Ling You’er suddenly raised her voice:
“Please stop! Do not talk about me anymore! I just want to stay unnoticed!”
The moment she said it, the classroom burst into laughter.
When the class ended, Ling You’er disappeared as quickly as usual. Li Xuehua and the others were already used to it.
Ji Qing picked up his textbook and quietly watched the direction she had gone.
He realized that everyone in Class S had their own story—some simply chose not to share it with him.
Back in his dormitory, Ji Qing tossed his textbook onto the desk and opened his terminal to check the competition progress.
It was time to pay attention.
Gu Lingxue and Ling You’er’s match had concluded.
Feng Youyou continued to win her matches, and Ling You’er’s next opponent would be her—as expected.
Ji Qing watched one of Feng Youyou’s matches. Like Zhou Que’s, it was overwhelmingly one-sided.
It ended so quickly that it was astonishing.
Ji Qing guessed she was hiding her true strength.
To be honest, when he first met Feng Youyou, he did not expect her to be part of the protagonist group. Compared to Gu Lingxue and Liu Mu, she had a clear path and strong self-awareness.
From a narrative perspective, such characters were harder for readers to relate to.
Most readers were ordinary people, and it was difficult for authors to portray the growth of such characters.
Ji Qing sighed inwardly: the author truly liked challenging himself.
But before Feng Youyou faced Ling You’er, the match between Liu Mu and Xie Chang’an would occur first.
Liu Mu had struggled his way into the top sixteen, but with the restrictions on weapons, Ji Qing did not need to think—the winner would be Xie Chang’an.
Speaking of Liu Mu…
Ji Qing opened the messaging app and clicked on You Xingluo’s profile.
Raven: 【Have you told Liu Mu?】
You Xingluo: 【smile.jpg】
You Xingluo: 【Soon, soon. Do not worry. I will talk to him after he loses.】
You Xingluo: 【Trust me! I am a prophet!】
Ji Qing chuckled.
So he was even timing it carefully.
He decided not to press further. He trusted You Xingluo’s persuasive ability. After all, becoming both the head of his family and a member of the Federal Council proved his capabilities.
He was simply not suited for combat.
After all, a prophet’s battlefield was different from theirs.