Chapter 120
Chapter 120
“Brother Xue! Over here!”
Yu Qianqian had waited eagerly outside Clear Spring Academy for a long time before finally spotting Qin Lan.
She waved excitedly and jogged toward him.
The file submitted with his visitor application was classified, so Yu Qianqian did not know Qin Lan’s real name. She still believed he was “Xue Chuan.”
Her voice drew considerable attention. People turned toward Qin Lan at the gate.
“Isn’t that Su Xiaoyue’s roommate?”
“How dare you? You think you can say Queen Su’s name directly?”
“Are you insane? Where did that stupid queen nickname come from? Be a simp if you want, but leave me out of it.”
“Brother, you haven’t heard? Su Xiaoyue used her Talent to form more than a dozen whips in a training match. She lashed Liu Yong–the guy who bragged he’d win her in three days–until half his body stopped working.”
“Holy shit. Long live the queen.”
The crowd chattered, but their discussion focused solely on Su Xiaoyue. No one lingered on Yu Qianqian.
As for Qin Lan, he had removed his conspicuous badge. He looked like an ordinary young man–perhaps slightly handsome at best.
He still heard every word around him.
“Uh, the whips and half-body paralysis… They’re joking, right?” Qin Lan asked awkwardly.
Yu Qianqian shook her head with complete seriousness.
“No, it’s true!”
“Liu Yong is two years above us. He’s a notorious playboy with dyed blond hair… He boasted to his friends that he could win Su Xiaoyue within three days, then she whipped him unconscious during a training match.”
“Those whips kept cracking without stopping. If several mentors hadn’t intervened, Liu Yong might not have survived!”
Yu Qianqian lowered her voice mysteriously.
“Normally, no one is allowed to use lethal force in training. But that day, Xiaoyue took a call in the lounge and suddenly went berserk! She beat anyone who provoked her!”
“No one else knows why, but I do! She got angry after reading a message from her boyfriend!”
Gulp.
That was Qin Lan swallowing.
She went berserk after reading her boyfriend’s message and beat everyone in reach?
As Yu Qianqian spoke, Qin Lan silently recalled the timing.
It happened to be when he told Su Xiaoyue about the Twin Talents incident.
A chilling sensation crept over his back.
“Her Talent is already that strong? I remember when she could barely manipulate shadows…”
The thought of Su Xiaoyue controlling more than a dozen pitch-black whips filled Qin Lan with dread.
Terrifying, brother.
Even a masochist would call the police after that whipping.
Qin Lan forced himself to calm down.
“It’s fine. With my current strength, I probably won’t be injured… But I can’t fight back either.”
“If she really loses her temper and tries to whip me, should I stand still or dodge?”
“Dodging might make her angrier… But if she discovers she can’t hurt me, won’t that make her angrier too?”
“This is so fucking complicated.”
As Qin Lan’s thoughts ran wild, a concealed wave of curse energy reached him and instantly raised his guard.
He relaxed a moment later.
It was not caused by an anomaly. Someone had broken through to a Tier 3 Curse Core.
“It’s coming from that direction…”
Qin Lan’s senses were extraordinary. He locked onto its source almost instantly.
At the same moment, Su Xiaoyue opened her eyes inside a silent chamber.
Her aura was far more restrained than before, yet the sharpness around her had only intensified.
She resembled a sword repeatedly honed to perfection. Though hidden in its sheath, it still released enough cold to command caution.
“Your Talent has reached another level,” Xu Minghu said.
Inside the dark chamber, the white-haired, disheveled old man sat in a chair.
His eyes shone like lamps as he studied Su Xiaoyue.
He looked upon his student with satisfaction and gave a smug snort.
“Those mediocre fools offer nothing but stupid suggestions. Use Curse Crystals to rapidly increase your Curse Core? Use Spirit-Elevation Serum to strengthen your Talent? That’s killing the hen to get the eggs!”
“Your Talent needs to progress through combat and the excavation of its potential… A-rank is only the beginning for you, not the limit.”
“Breaking through to Tier 3 too early would do more harm than good. Only a solid foundation will let your Talent grow steadily and carry you farther.”
Xu Minghu smacked his lips.
“Your Talent should have reached AA-rank now.”
“Only I possess such discerning eyes.”
Su Xiaoyue stood and bowed respectfully.
“Thank you for your guidance, Professor Xu!”
She deeply admired her teacher and considered herself fortunate to have met him.
Without Xu Minghu’s instruction, Su Xiaoyue would never have known that Talents above A-rank had finer distinctions.
As he said, A-rank was merely the beginning–a door waiting to be opened, with a broader world beyond it to explore.
The theory had not yet been published. Strictly speaking, it remained under study. Yet even its current principles had helped Su Xiaoyue reach unprecedented heights.
According to Xu Minghu’s research, Talents above A-rank could be further divided into:
A, A+, AA, AA+, and AAA.
Each rank was separated by a substantial gap.
Su Xiaoyue’s Shadow Incarnation had originally stood at A+. With his help, it had reached AA.
Even among A-rank Talents, it was exceptional.
The higher a Talent’s grade, the greater the chance it would transform when the Curse Core broke through, producing more powerful effects.
Xu Minghu had pioneered a method capable of effectively raising the grade of A-rank Talents.
People in the Middle Five Halls and Top Three Institutes were researching similar theories, but they too remained in the exploratory stage.
“With a firm enough foundation, you may reach AA+…” Xu Minghu scratched his messy hair and yawned. “AAA is far too distant, though. Its demands on strength and luck are extremely harsh…”
“You should rest too. Alternating effort and relaxation is the proper path.”
“This old man needs sleep. Don’t call me unless it’s important.”
He waved and disappeared beyond the chamber door.
“Take care, Professor.”
Alone in the room, Su Xiaoyue carefully felt the changes in her strength.
Her control and application of shadows had reached a new level, while the shadows themselves had become denser and stronger.
If she fought her former self with an A+ Talent, even if both possessed Tier 3 Curse Cores, the present Su Xiaoyue would win easily.
That was the difference in Talent grade.
“By the way,” Xu Minghu called from far beyond the door, “your hometown is Eastern Safe Zone 088, isn’t it?”
“Something serious seems to have happened there.”
“I asked a friend to investigate. See for yourself.”
Su Xiaoyue froze.
She took out the phone she had not checked in a long time.
Unlocked it.
Read.
Messages appeared one after another. Videos arrived in succession.
Her face instantly turned deathly pale.