Outside the Awakening Formation.
The students were still discussing the awakening of the two school beauties earlier.
"Lu Yu'er fought with Chu Qingxue for three years, and who would have thought, at the very last moment, she’d lose!"
"No kidding. They were evenly matched in both looks and grades, but as for the result..."
"The gap between an S-rank and a D-rank is more than just a little bit."
"Look at her usual arrogant attitude; she deserves what happened today."
"Shh, keep it down. She’s right over there."
"What’s there to be afraid of? She’s just a D-rank Fire Mage. I, on the other hand, am a C-rank Warrior. I could take her down in a second. Hahaha..."
"Brother Song is truly the best! Amazing!"
"..."
Not far away, Lu Yu'er clenched her fists as she listened to everything.
Three years! She had prepared for this moment for three years.
Yet, she had only awakened as a piece-of-trash D-rank Fire Mage.
She looked up and caught Chu Qingxue’s gaze. Chu Qingxue was still holding her head high, surrounded by the admiring stares of everyone around her.
Lu Yu'er could have had all of that too, once. But that life had been shattered the moment she awakened.
Why?
Why could that blockhead awaken as a C-rank Warrior?
Why could that fat guy awaken as an A-rank Archer?
And why could Chu Qingxue awaken as an S-rank Ice Mage?
Lu Yu'er gritted her teeth, staring fixedly at Fang Xiu, who was inside the Awakening Formation.
"It’s all his fault. If he hadn't given his turn to me, I wouldn't have ended up with a D-rank. It’s all his fault!"
Lu Yu'er felt that the D-rank Fire Mage awakening should have been Fang Xiu’s, and she had simply taken it by going first. If Fang Xiu hadn't let her test before him, none of this would have happened. Therefore, this was entirely Fang Xiu’s doing.
"It’s his fault, it’s his fault, it’s definitely... his fault!"
The more she thought about it, the angrier she became. She itched to rush into the formation, drag Fang Xiu out, and make him pay for everything.
"What’s going on?"
"Why has it gone dark?"
"It shouldn't be dark at this hour!"
"Look, everyone! What’s that in the sky?"
Just as Lu Yu'er was debating whether to drag Fang Xiu out of the formation, the sky suddenly went dark, blotting out the sunlight.
"What is that?"
At that moment, a student with keen eyes noticed something approaching from the sky.
"Beasts! They’re beasts!!!"
Someone focused their gaze, and their expression turned to pure terror. The sky was swarming with humanoid figures sporting bat wings. If those weren't beasts, what were they?
"Quick... run!"
Hearing the word "beast," some students turned to flee immediately. Even some of the younger teachers felt their scalps tingle at the sight.
"Don't panic! Those aren't beasts—they’re... a manifestation!"
A resonant voice boomed into the ears of every student. Immediately after, a white figure appeared on a nearby platform. It was a middle-aged man in a crisp white shirt, bald, and immaculately groomed.
Hearing that voice, the students instinctively stopped their flight. It was a familiar voice—far too familiar—and it carried a calming influence.
"That’s... the Principal!"
"The Principal has come out."
"That voice just now must have been the Principal’s!"
"It definitely was. The Principal is here; we can relax now."
The teachers and students finally realized who it was. The figure was Yue Tianrui, the principal of Qingzhou City No. 1 High School, a level 66 Strength-type Fist Master.
In this world, after a successful awakening, powers range from levels one to nine. Awakening talents are categorized into nine grades: SSS, SS, S, A, B, C, D, E, and F. An F-grade talent corresponds to level one, E-grade to level two, and so on.
The school beauty Chu Qingxue, who awakened earlier, reached S-rank, meaning she started at level seven. The fatty, Luo Xing, had an A-rank talent, placing him at level six. From there, they would have to rely on personal cultivation to improve.
Yue Tianrui himself was level 66. Seeing him appear brought a wave of relief to every student and teacher present. Yue Tianrui was like a pillar of stability.
The manifestation in the sky grew increasingly complex. At first, there were only bat-winged figures flying about, but then a pair of blood-red eyes appeared. As those eyes stared down at the students, everyone felt as if their very souls were being ripped away.
"Gulp!"
Someone swallowed hard. The sound was deafening in the silence.
A manifestation? The Principal called it a manifestation? But why did I feel my scalp tingling? If one manifestation is this terrifying, what kind of horror would descend if the owner of those eyes actually appeared?
And whose manifestation was it? Everyone was consumed by curiosity. Since all the other formations were occupied by students, could this be one of them? Even the teachers and the Principal stared intently at the awakening formation.
...
Inside the Awakening Formation, Fang Xiu felt a surge of excitement.
"A system? Is it really a system?"
He hadn't expected to trigger a system during his awakening. Ever since he transmigrated into this world, he had been waiting for such a moment. He never imagined the system would wake up during his own awakening.
However, before he could explore it, the formation had already finished its work. When Fang Xiu emerged and saw the manifestation in the sky, he was shocked. It was identical to what he had seen while awakening.
"It... it appeared!"
"It’s Fang Xiu!"
"My god, does being handsome really increase the chances of triggering a manifestation?"
"Chu Qingxue is a school beauty, and now another school heartthrob—beauty really does decide everything."
"Then how do you explain the fatty? His awakening reached A-rank!"
"Maybe... he looks good when he loses weight. All fat people are potential stocks!"
"That's a sound and convincing argument!"
As Fang Xiu appeared, everyone noticed a black light rising from the formation behind him, the same color as the sky. Furthermore, the moment Fang Xiu stepped out, the manifestation in the sky vanished instantly. It would be foolish not to realize it was him.
"I wonder what talent Fang Xiu awakened?"
"Who knows, but it has to be S-rank."
"Isn't that obvious? A manifestation like that has to be S-rank."
"I'm so excited! I can't wait!"
It wasn't just the students; the teachers present were also filled with anticipation. The teacher in charge of Fang Xiu’s awakening stood up straighter, checked the machine's display, and froze.