The next day, on the plane.
Zhang Chen and Zhao Xiyue were seated in first class.
Looking out the window at the continuous expanse of white clouds, Zhang Chen felt a surge of emotion.
This was a flight altitude Zhang Chen had never attempted before.
Actually, flying this high wasn't difficult, and flying in the stratosphere could reduce energy consumption.
However, for Zhang Chen, energy was the least of his concerns.
Furthermore, flying from the ground to the stratosphere was a waste of time, and if there were clouds below, he would lose his sense of direction.
Therefore, Zhang Chen usually flew below the cloud layer.
He didn't often get to see such scenery.
"The scenery here is beautiful, and even better... no moving mountains!"
Zhao Xiyue whispered.
Zhang Chen knew that by "moving mountains," she was referring to the colossal beasts the size of mountains in the apocalypse.
They would often run across the ground in large groups.
The sight was truly earth-shattering, and the terrain would change wherever they passed.
"Yes, normal scenery is indeed beautiful!"
Zhang Chen smiled and nodded.
Rumble!
Suddenly, the fuselage experienced a violent fluctuation.
Thump!
The seatbelt signs above the passengers' heads immediately lit up.
"Attention passengers, the plane has encountered strong turbulence. Shaking is normal. Please remain calm, stow your tray tables, and fasten your seatbelts..."
The flight attendant's sweet voice came from the loudspeaker.
Although she tried her best to control her voice to sound normal to the passengers, Zhang Chen saw the panic in her eyes as she sat in her seat.
"Something must have happened. I can sense some extremely faint energy ahead!"
Zhang Chen narrowed his eyes.
He activated his absolute vision, and the entire plane instantly turned into a wireframe. In the distance, a cluster of energy was gathering in the air.
"So... should we leave early, or wait until something happens?"
Zhao Xiyue asked.
"Never mind, it's rare to take a plane trip, let's resolve this!"
"As long as no one sees me make a move, my normal life can continue!"
Zhang Chen pondered for a moment and said.
Behind him, about ten meters away in the economy class, sat the skinny man from yesterday.
He was also on his way to the competition venue, not to participate, but...
At this moment, on a mountaintop below the storm.
A staff member from the Ability Fluctuation Management Bureau was busily working.
This storm was created by a level 5 ability user with cold abilities.
To prevent any accidents, they had arranged for multiple wind ability users, ensuring that even if the plane encountered turbulence and malfunctioned, it could still land smoothly without causing significant casualties.
"This level should be enough. I didn't use my full power, after all, this is just a test, not a fight to the death!"
"If that guy truly possesses the formidable strength recorded, this small storm shouldn't be able to stop him."
"I hope the level 5 ability user you detected this time is real, and not just hearsay as usual!"
Leng Yan, the level 5 ice ability user, said calmly.
Then, he sat down on a pre-prepared chair to watch the show.
The Ability Fluctuation Management Bureau, by accessing the police system, had tracked the skinny man's itinerary, and thus made arrangements on the mountaintop where the plane was passing.
Now, it was all up to the strength of that ability user...
As the plane drew closer to the storm, everyone present held their breath.
The moment the storm, mixed with lightning and cold currents, came into contact with the plane, a powerful energy instantly erupted in the air, not only dispersing the storm but also creating a huge vacuum zone in the surrounding clouds.
Blinding sunlight shone down from the sky onto everyone's astonished faces.
What surprised them most was the plane's complete intactness!
Under such a strong turbulence, even if the plane miraculously didn't fall apart, it should have experienced violent shaking!
However, the ability user on the plane not only easily neutralized Leng Yan's ice storm but also smoothed out the impact of the airflow directly in front of the plane.
Otherwise, the powerful air pressure that dispersed clouds for tens of kilometers around was definitely something the plane couldn't withstand.
"As expected, very strong..."
Upon seeing this, Leng Yan couldn't help but stand up in surprise.
His aloof and arrogant demeanor had completely changed.
"At this level... it's likely the ceiling of level 5 strength, approaching the legendary level 6 existence!"
"The power of the ability is one thing, but what's most impressive is the subtlety of controlling the airflow."
"This is definitely not something an ordinary level 5 fire-attributed ability user could achieve! The person on the plane is outrageously strong!"
Leng Yan and the people from the Ability Fluctuation Management Bureau believed the strong individual was the skinny man.
After all, he was the only recorded ability user on the entire plane.
And this test was specifically designed for him.
Little did they know that everything that shocked them was merely something Zhang Chen could do with a casual flick of his finger on the plane.
...
At the Ability King Competition venue.
The preliminary rounds had concluded, and the top 64 powerhouses had been determined. Among them was a contender for the top 16 who had never shown herself before: Shirley.
The competition for the round of 64 to the round of 32 was currently underway.
Shirley and Qian Xinxin were seated in the VIP box of the arena, enjoying snacks and listening to beautiful music.
At the same time, through the glass, they watched the various square competition arenas below.
The television in the box could also switch to close-up views of any of the arenas.
"The ability users in this world are too weak. If they were in the apocalypse, they probably wouldn't last 3 days."
Shirley pouted.
"However, for their world, such strength is already a terrifying existence!"
"Countries are even willing to spend a lot of money to recruit ability users to deter other countries. On a side note, this world doesn't have nuclear weapons."
"Ability users are essentially their nuclear weapons!"
Qian Xinxin said with a smile.
"But speaking of which, don't I only need to win first place? Why do I have to come here to watch the competition?"
"I feel a bit bored. With such meager abilities, do they really need others to study and plan?"
Shirley was very confused by Qian Xinxin's actions.
"Now I can tell you the reason. I secretly took out 100 million and distributed it across thousands of accounts to bet on you winning."
"Of course, I know you will win, but others don't. We must appear as if we might lose!"
"And you know what? Although I spent 500 million to buy you a spot in the top 16, this also raised your odds to 1 to 15!"
Qian Xinxin said with a smile.