Monsters Die When Killed

The rain poured down, filling even the school’s interior with a damp chill. That was just how it was in Hongcheng—the rain never seemed to stop all year. Even inside the tidy grand auditorium, patches of water dotted the floor.

Becoming a Superpower User and still having to go to school was the kind of thing you’d normally only see in Fusang campus light novels and manga.

But now that it was happening in real life, Su Zhou had to admit that maybe it made a certain amount of sense.

For one, whether you wanted to cooperate with the Government Office or hide your identity, school was the best choice. If it was the former, revealing your Superpowers on campus was better than seeking them out privately. If it was the latter... well, if you wanted to hide your identity, what better way than to play the part of a good little student?[1]

’But these school pep talks are really boring.’

That was Su Zhou’s true thought as he sat in the school auditorium, listening to the school leaders give a speech meant to encourage everyone to work hard in their final year of high school.

Although everything they were saying was right... it was just so long. They’d been talking for over half an hour, repeating the same platitudes over and over. Anyone would want to fall asleep.

In fact, several people around Su Zhou already had their eyes half-lidded, looking like they were about to pass out.

On Friday, August 15th, the senior class of Number One High returned to school, and Su Zhou finally saw his old classmates for the first time in over a month.

As expected, most of them looked completely exhausted. They had likely spent their entire summer vacation in review sessions, cram schools, or with private tutors at home. Just from a few glances at the school gate, Su Zhou could spot dozens of classmates who looked unwell. Some were so mentally and physically drained they looked like they needed some kind of herbal remedy just to get by.

Fortunately, the school leaders’ speeches were finally drawing to a close, which instantly revived the near-comatose students.

But then, it was time for the student representative’s speech. The ultimate academic powerhouse, Shao Qiming, who held the number one rank in nearly every core subject, took the stage. He began reading from a script, reciting passionate lines about the importance of their senior year and the Holy Ascension Selection Test. Behind him, two other students were waiting their turn. There would probably be a pledge, a rally, and who knows what else afterward.

’His voice is louder than before, and more powerful.’

While the classmates around him looked on with dead-eyed despair—’When is this going to end?’ ’My head hurts’—Su Zhou had the leisure to analyze Shao Qiming’s condition. ’He seems to have recovered well. And it looks like the Wisdom Fruit has some effect on enhancing one’s talent, too. His energy levels are way better than they were a week ago.’

’My own Talent is probably so good that the boost from the Wisdom Fruit wasn’t as noticeable. But for a normal person, or even a run-of-the-mill Transcendent, it would absolutely be a Holy Medicine capable of granting a total rebirth.’

’When the time comes, I’ll grow a second wave of Wisdom Fruits. I’ll give one to everyone I’m close to and sell the rest. They’ll probably be a hot commodity.’

’That was the plan, anyway. But Su Zhou knew that if he wanted to avoid trouble, he’d better wait until he was strong enough to protect the Wisdom Tree sapling on his own before he even considered selling the fruit. A Divine Wood Sacred Fruit straight out of mythology would easily fetch over a hundred million on the international market. There were plenty of wealthy people, governments, and all sorts of Extraordinary Organizations that would scramble to buy one.’

Time passed without him noticing. As Su Zhou closed his eyes to cultivate, the speech seemed to end in an instant.

But strangely, after the three student representatives left the stage, there was a long pause. The stage remained empty for over five minutes. This caused the seniors in the audience to exchange confused glances, wondering what was going on.

Su Zhou found it odd, too. A senior year kickoff assembly was supposed to be a serious, important event for a high school. How could such a major blunder happen?

But just as he was wondering if there was some trouble behind the scenes, an unmistakable presence registered in his Spiritual Sense.

Slightly surprised, Su Zhou turned to look at the auditorium’s main entrance behind him.

A moment later, the sound of footsteps was heard, and the auditorium doors swung open, drawing nearly every eye in the room.

Through the open doors, the sound of the rain was clear. A man stood in the entryway. A long, wooden sword with cloud-like patterns carved into it hung at his waist. Everyone, from the students and teachers to the school leaders backstage, watched the visitor with a mixture of curiosity and relief.

He was a fair-faced, middle-aged professor with a long beard, dressed in a dark cyan robe and looking somewhat weary. An insignia bearing the name ’Zhengyi’ was pinned to his chest, drawing soft gasps of surprise and confusion from those who recognized the emblem.

—Why would a professor from Zhengyi Academy be here?

"Apologies for my tardiness. I’ve kept you all waiting. It’s been a busy day; I just rushed over from another school."

Amidst their confusion, the professor apologized to the entire auditorium in a resonant voice. Somehow, despite not having a microphone, his voice carried to every corner of the large hall, booming like thunder.

With that said, he started toward the lecture platform on stage. The school leaders, who had clearly been waiting for him, breathed a collective sigh of relief and quickly cleared a path.

As the professor walked, it was as if he carried a static charge. Faint sparks crackled in his wake, and the water on the floor began to steam faintly. But aside from those with naturally sharp senses, no one noticed this anomaly, which stemmed from Spiritual Qi. He passed rows of curious students, past pensive teachers, and then he passed Su Zhou.

"Oh?"

The professor, who had been scanning the auditorium and nodding occasionally as if spotting things of interest, suddenly stopped in his tracks. He stared at Su Zhou in astonishment, his eyes lighting up like a gem collector who had just found a flawless jade. Su Zhou offered him a slight smile in return, prompting the weary middle-aged man to stroke his beard and nod in approval. "Such innate talent! You are quite remarkable!"

Admittedly, since he was only using his naked eye and not any specialized Talismans or Magical Artifacts for testing, the professor couldn’t be certain of the boy’s specific Talent. But just from the student’s features, his physique, and the way he seemed to faintly resonate with the surrounding Spiritual Qi, it was clear he likely possessed an Innate Daoist Body or some other constitution with immense potential!

Wasn’t a small part of the reason he was personally visiting each school to get a first look at the Talent of this generation of Holy Ascension Selection Test candidates in Hongcheng? Now, he had truly found a diamond in the rough!

Frankly, the professor was tempted to recruit the boy on the spot for the academy he represented. But recalling his duties here, he forced himself to continue toward the lecture platform.

"Greetings to all students on the verge of their Holy Ascension Selection Test."

Once on stage, he wasted no time on pleasantries. He got straight to the point. "I am Zhang Fucheng, a High Tier professor in the Department of Electrical Engineering at Zhengyi Academy."

"I have come here today not only to encourage you to continue studying hard and gain admission to the academy that best suits you, but also to announce something of extreme importance. I am here to tell you the truth."

As he finished speaking, the professor named Zhang Fucheng, under the watchful eyes of every student, drew the Magic Sword from his waist. Without a moment’s hesitation, he raised it. The cloud patterns on the blade flickered, and Runes began to glow. Invisible Spiritual Power surged from a Jade Pearl set in the hilt, drawing in all the Spiritual Qi from the auditorium—and indeed, the entire school—and gathering it at the sword’s tip.

Then, to the collective gasp of everyone present, a dazzling, cyan-blue Thunder Light flared to life at the sword’s tip.

Without any hesitation, Professor Zhang swung the Magic Sword through the air, using the Thunderbolt to etch seven words in the space before him.

——OPENING—THE—HEAVENS—AND—EARTH——

——SPIRITUAL—ENERGY—REVIVAL——

When he was finished, Zhang Fucheng’s expression showed even more fatigue. But as he scanned the auditorium, which had erupted into a boiling clamor of voices—’What is this?! Some new kind of trick?’ ’A Thunder Technique?! Or is it a holographic projection?’ ’Is this... a real Magic?!’—the professor couldn’t help but crack a small smile. Then, in the next instant, he formed a Dharma Seal with his hands.

BOOM!

With a deafening CRACK, the eight thunder-forged True Talismans collapsed into a brilliant stream of light. At the same time, everyone felt a thunderous roar reverberate right next to their ears, followed by a wave of electricity washing over their bodies.

Every voice in the hall fell silent.

In the ringing silence that followed the great roar, Zhang Fucheng exhaled. He spoke again, his voice clear and carrying to all.

"Opening the Heavens and Earth. Spiritual Energy Revival. And the ’Extraordinary Inheritances’ hidden within the history of Zhengguo—no, within the history of the entire world."

"This," he declared, "is the first lesson I will be teaching you in this new school year."

[1] The Academy system is different from the school system in the real world. An honors student from an A Class Academy is on track to become a future civil servant or project leader in a related field.