He Lanxin watched the dilapidated gate that loomed over half the gymnasium, her eyes narrowing as she looked at the black-haired youth beneath the stone gate.
…
After the awakening ceremony, all individuals with awakened abilities of A-level and above were summoned to the principal's office for more detailed ability examinations.
Mo Chuan glanced around and noted that Class One had a total of five students at the A-level this year: Mo Chuan himself, Mo Fei, He Lanxin, Zhang Hanshan, and a red-haired girl.
"Alright, first of all, congratulations on successfully awakening such powerful abilities," Principal Liu said with a kind smile. "However, the Awakening Stone can only show you what your abilities are; the specific capabilities need to be further examined with the Mind Clarifying Stone. Come, clear your minds and place your hands on the Mind Clarifying Stone."
He Lanxin was the first to step forward, placing her hand on the Mind Clarifying Stone and closing her eyes to feel.
The Mind Clarifying Stone emitted a soft golden light. After a moment, He Lanxin opened her beautiful eyes and nodded at Principal Liu.
"Finished? State your name, specific ability information, and what one skill is."
"He Lanxin, ability Overlord Halberd, S+ level, attribute Gold. Skill [Overlord]: Damage +50%, damage taken -15%, can grow stronger with level progression."
Principal Liu and the secretary recording the information were stunned for a moment before quickly taking notes.
"Damn... so simple and brutal," Mo Chuan silently wiped his sweat. This was a solid war god template.
"Alright... who's next?"
"I'll go," the red-haired girl stepped forward and placed her hand on the Mind Clarifying Stone, which flashed with red light. After a moment, the red-haired girl raised her hand and said, "Tang Jingjing, ability Thousand Wonders Umbrella, A+ level, attribute Fire. Skill [Wrathful Red Lotus]: Thousand Wonders Umbrella transforms into 'Red Lotus' state, capable of firing fire poison needles/red lotus bombs."
"Can... a projectile ability? Next,"
Zhang Hanshan stepped forward, placing his hand on the Mind Clarifying Stone. After the stone flickered with several earthy yellow lights, he opened his eyes and said, "Zhang Hanshan, ability Vajra Yaksha King, A- level, attributes Earth and Fire. Skill [Immovable Body]: Upon activation, increases armor by 80% and magic resistance by 50%, reduces control effects by 5%, lasts for 10 minutes, with a cooldown of 1 hour."
"Hmm... a defensive type, acceptable. This will make it easier for you to form a team. Next."
"Brother, I'll go first," Mo Fei nudged Mo Chuan's shoulder and then reached out to touch the Mind Clarifying Stone.
"Xiao Huang, did you find out this girl's ability? Is it a known sword?"
"It seems to be Chengying Sword, one of the Ten Swords..."
"Oh? Then it's not A-level already?"
"Principal Liu, I'm done," Mo Fei opened her eyes and spoke to the two who were communicating softly.
"Hmm? Why so fast?"
Among the previous individuals, even the fastest, He Lanxin, had taken a full five to six minutes. Mo Fei finished in less than three minutes?
"Mo Fei, ability Chengying Sword, S- level, attributes Gold, Water. Skill [Shadow Flicker]: Transforms Chengying Sword into different forms: In Day form, deals an additional 40% damage to ghosts and monsters; in Night form, can activate 'Moonlight Sanctuary' for 1 minute, gaining 10% magic resistance, 25% speed, and entering stealth, with a 20-minute cooldown."
"Hahaha... very good, Mo Chuan, it's your turn."
Mo Chuan placed his hand on the Mind Clarifying Stone and closed his eyes. Within its soft green light, he felt as if he had entered another world, but this world was blank, with only that dilapidated gate standing before Mo Chuan.
"System... what's going on..."
"Ding! The ability provided by the system to the host exceeds the detection limit of this Mind Clarifying Stone, therefore it cannot be detected. Host, please handle it yourself!"
"So... I'll just make something up then."
After a long while, Mo Chuan opened his eyes and slowly said, "Mo Chuan, ability Dilapidated Gate, level S, attributes Earth, Soul. Skill [Warden]: Grants the Judgment Rope and the Soul Guiding Lamp: the former increases damage to ghosts by 80%, the latter can provide a shield for others."
Mo Chuan thought it over and decided that he didn't need to lie completely; he could reveal some of his main abilities. After all, he would eventually need to understand his teammates. There was no need to intentionally hide his strengths, but he chose to conceal [Hell's Curse], one of the five infinite growth skills of the alliance.
"Hahaha... excellent. Students, you are practically a team by birth now. Your ability roles are perfectly suited to form a small squad. Now that you all know your abilities, I'm going to introduce our country's new policy: the Special Recruitment Examination. All students with an ability level of A- or higher must participate. The Special Recruitment Examination reduces the weight of written tests and increases assessments for survival, combat, and cooperative actions. You will need to form a squad of up to five people to complete the tasks assigned by the examiners. I must remind you that the examiners are basically active military personnel or retired senior officers, so you might have to endure quite a bit of hardship. Finally, go back to your classrooms and study hard. I hope you won't become arrogant and indulge yourselves because of this. Mo Chuan, stay behind for a moment, I have something to discuss with you."
Upon hearing this, the others turned and left the office. Mo Chuan signaled Mo Fei with his eyes not to wait for him, then sat down on the sofa.
After Secretary Huang left the office and closed the door, Principal Liu took a sip of his tea and began, "Little Mo, I'll call you that. Don't be nervous. I asked you to stay primarily to impart some important advice, and I hope you will listen carefully. Your ability is likely higher than S-level, but if you wish to conceal it, I won't object. This is because some vengeful terrorists, foreign spies, and others specifically target geniuses like you to prevent your growth. Furthermore, due to your ability, you will primarily have to tread the path of ghost cultivation. I can tell you frankly that Qingzhou and the nearby regions of Jiangzhou, Huizhou, and Jizhou hold significant prejudice against ghost cultivators. You probably know the reason: although our country is known as East Demon, West Magic, South Witch, North Monster, and Central Hundred Ghosts, there are many ghosts from across the sea, particularly from Nippon, who often cross the sea and wreak havoc in coastal areas. Moreover, terrorist organizations like the 'Yan Luo Palace,' composed of ghost cultivators, have caused significant trouble for the spiritual energy police and the general public. Therefore, you must be mentally prepared. Your path of cultivation will likely be met with much prejudice and malice, but I still hope you can contribute your strength to the survival of the human race."
After Principal Liu finished speaking, he took out a black card from his drawer and said, "I know that you and your sister lost your parents, and you are both students, relying on state subsidies and scholarships for your expenses. Here is 1 million; use it for now. Don't refuse. The path of cultivation consumes a great deal, and financial resources are one of the strong guarantees for your growth."
Principal Liu patted Mo Chuan on the shoulder, smiling kindly.
Since Mo Chuan arrived in this world, apart from the affection of his sister, the friendship of Zhang Hanshan, and the goodwill of his neighbors, this was the first time he felt the care of an elder. He stood up excitedly, bowed, and said, "Thank you for your guidance, Principal Liu. Mo Fei and I will definitely not disappoint you!"
"Hahaha... alright, alright, you don't need to call me Principal Liu; you can call me Teacher Liu. You can go back to self-study now; I need to register you for the exam."