manynovel Chapter 73: Entering
Chapter 73: Entering
After the initial excitement, Tang Wulin's attention returned to Yu Chen. He looked at Yu Chen with shining eyes, his tone full of admiration:
"By the way, Brother Chen! How did you manage to hang upside down from the ceiling like that?! It was amazing!"
"What's wrong? What's wrong? What new tricks have you come up with this time, Brother Chen?"
Xie Xie immediately came over, bursting with curiosity. Zhang Yangzi and Wang Jinxi also cast curious glances their way.
Seeing Tang Wulin's admiring gaze, Xie Xie became extremely interested in what Yu Chen had done, and the others also became curious.
"Cough cough,"
Seeing the expectant looks in their eyes, Yu Chen cleared his throat and explained,
"These past few days I've figured out a training method for precise control of soul power. Once mastered, it will not only conserve soul power and control soul skills more accurately, but also... allow me to do some special things."
"Like leaping across rooftops and scaling walls!" Tang Wulin added eagerly, his tone excited.
"Flying over rooftops and scaling walls?!" Xie Xie's eyes widened in disbelief. "Really? Brother Chen! Tell me!"
"Yes, if one can successfully cultivate this skill, theoretically one can walk on rivers, lakes, and seas as if they were on flat ground."
Yu Chen did not hide anything from the group's curiosity and told them about his achievements in water-walking training.
"Hiss~"
The group gasped in unison, their faces then lighting up with barely suppressed desire and excitement. For these teenagers, just over ten years old, brimming with imagination and energy, "flying across rooftops" and "walking on water" were simply abilities they dreamed of!
"Brother Chen! I want to learn this!"
"Brother Chen, please teach us!"
"Captain, I need some guidance!"
The group chattered amongst themselves, their eyes fixed on Yu Chen as if they had discovered a peerless secret manual.
Seeing their eager expressions, Yu Chen chuckled and readily agreed:
"Sure. After the final exams are over, if anyone is interested, I'll guide you through practicing this method."
"Great! Long live Brother Chen!" Xie Xie cheered.
"Don't worry, Captain, from now on we'll follow your lead!"
"We swear by our martial spirits that we will never reveal this technique to anyone!"
Zhang Yangzi and Wang Jinxi quickly made their promises, their eyes filled with gratitude and anticipation.
However, Tang Wulin's face puffed up like a steamed bun at this moment, and Xie Xie immediately asked, "Wulin, what's wrong with you?"
"Hmph, this is my older brother." Tang Wulin immediately spoke up, not wanting them to compete with him for his brother, acting childishly like a little kid.
Oh, by the way, he is currently a 10-year-old child.
.........
At dawn, a thick fog enveloped the entire city of Donghai, reducing visibility to extremely low levels, making everything appear hazy and tranquil.
However, the usually quiet East Sea Spirit Pagoda was unusually crowded today, with a subtle atmosphere of excitement and tension.
As one of the "Eighteen Heavenly Pillars" of the Spirit Transmission Tower, this place was an important entrance to the Spirit Ascension Platform during the riots.
Tickets for the riots had already been sold at exorbitant prices on the black market and at auctions, making them extremely difficult to obtain.
Countless Soul Masters and factions yearn to get a share of the pie during this special period of triple spiritual power. Even though few succeed, it cannot stop their extreme desire to increase their power.
Wu Changkong led the six members of Class Zero to arrive early, avoiding the peak crowds.
Early in the morning, Wu Changkong led his Class Zero students to the East Sea Spirit Pagoda. The sooner they entered, the fewer opportunities they would have to encounter opponents.
"Remember, the Ascension Platform during the riot period is the busiest and most competitive time. Inside, everyone except each other is a potential enemy. Your only goal is—survival. Those who fail the test will be punished."
Listening to Wu Changkong's admonition, Xie Xie asked curiously, "Teacher Wu, what is the punishment?"
Wu Changkong glanced at him. "Cancel the vacation."
"Cancel the holiday?!"
Xie Xie cried out in surprise; he had been eagerly anticipating the holiday! The others also changed their expressions slightly, and even the usually composed Yu Chen couldn't help but frown—for students, this was indeed a very intimidating "torture."
"Let's go." Wu Changkong said no more and handed over six specially made entry cards.
Thanks to the good relationship between East Sea Academy and the Spirit Pagoda, they enjoy special privileges—exclusive access rooms and the privilege of having their supervising teachers observe from the monitoring room. These are conveniences that ordinary Soul Masters can hardly attain.
"The interior of the Spirit Ascension Platform during the riot period is extremely dangerous. You have entered the Spirit Ascension Platform many times and are all veterans. You are basically used to the situation inside, so I won't remind you of anything more. If you feel something is wrong, leave the battlefield immediately."
The staff member gave a few brief instructions.
The more times you enter the Ascension Platform, the less likely you are to encounter the same danger as Wang Jinxi the first time.
Six people lay down in metal cabinets, which closed under the control of staff, and the light gradually disappeared. The scanning began, preparing for entry.
The staff inserted six cards into designated slots and then pressed a red button. This was a riot control device; only these cards allowed entry and controlled access.
……
After a brief period of blurred consciousness, the fresh scent of grass and trees filled my nostrils.
The moment Yu Chen regained consciousness, a golden light shone deep within his eyes—Time Zero!
The sense of time, twenty times greater, stretches and magnifies all the details around us.
He was like a high-speed scanner, his gaze sweeping across a radius of a hundred meters in an instant:
Tall trees, dense shrubs, thick humus, and scattered low-lying soul beasts fleeing in panic in the distance... There were no unusual soul power focal points, no hidden deadly traps, no caves, no cliffs, and no damned rivers or leeches.
Everything was so normal that Yu Chen almost felt uncomfortable.
After waiting a moment and confirming there was no danger of delayed triggering, Yu Chen dispelled the spell. The world returned to its normal flow.
As expected, there was no "surprise" this time. He felt relieved and turned to look at Gu Yue beside him.
Gu Yue was also looking at him, her clear eyes clearly saying, "See, I kept my word." She even slightly raised her delicate chin, with a hint of undisguised smugness waiting for praise.
A smile appeared in Yu Chen's eyes, and he stepped forward to gently stroke her soft black hair.
Instead of dodging, Gu Yue tiptoed slightly and whispered in his ear in a low voice that only the two of them could hear: "Chen, after this assessment is over... my teacher wants to meet you."
Upon hearing this, Yu Chen pondered for a moment. It seemed that Gu Yue's teacher was a deputy tower master of the Spirit Pagoda.
His mind raced, but his expression remained impassive. He lowered his voice and calmly replied, "Okay, I understand." He then nodded slightly in agreement.
This brief, intimate interaction between the two was observed by Wu Changkong, who was watching the monitor outside, causing him to frown almost imperceptibly.
It wasn't that he disliked the feelings between students, but as an experienced and strong teacher, he felt a vague, uneasy premonition rising in his heart.
This premonition had nothing to do with teenage romance; it felt more like someone was trying to steal him away.
Inside the Ascension Platform, after a brief exchange, Yu Chen quickly regained his composure and resumed his role as commander. His sharp gaze swept over his teammates who had spontaneously gathered around him, and he said in a deep voice, "Formation."
The commands are concise and powerful.
With a single step, Yu Chen silently took his place at the very front of the group, like a drawn blade, facing any potential threat from the front.
Tang Wulin tacitly occupied a half-step position to his left rear, with the Blue Silver Grass faintly visible.
Wang Jinxi's burly figure landed steadily at the back of the group, his back to Yu Chen, alert to those behind him.
Zhang Yangzi and Xie Xie stood on either side of the flanks, their eyes scanning the dense forest with alertness.
Gu Yue was naturally surrounded and placed in the very center of the protective circle formed by the five people. This position allowed her to exert her powerful role as an elemental controller in the safest and most undisturbed way.
As soon as the formation was completed, a soft cyan light shone beneath Gu Yue's feet—wind elements gently enveloped the six of them.
Although the increase wasn't huge, everyone felt lighter and their movements seemed a bit more agile.
"Wu Lin, clear the way." Yu Chen looked towards the direction with the densest vegetation and gave the order.
"clear!"
Tang Wulin responded immediately, raising his right hand. Two thick and resilient Blue Silver Grass vines emerged from his palm like living snakes.
The yellow spirit ring beneath his feet shimmered, and the vines rapidly extended forward before splitting to the left and right, like two gentle yet powerful hands that parted the bushes and low branches blocking the way, clearing a narrow path for passage.
The six members of Class Zero, with Yu Chen as their spearhead, maintained a tight and efficient formation, like a precise combat unit, silently yet resolutely disappearing into the primeval forest of the Spirit Ascension Platform during the riotous period, a forest fraught with danger yet also full of opportunities.