Zhen calmly announced his strength test result: "500 kilograms."
Class 1 fell utterly silent, as if the very air had been sucked out of the room. Shocked faces jerked toward him, eyes wide with disbelief and mouths hanging open. "Five hundred kilograms?!" The astonished whispers and murmurs rippled through the ranks like an uncontainable wave. Even the usually composed Class 1 head teacher, Hong Li, froze in place, staring at Zhen in complete, unguarded shock. Class 2, on the other hand, straightened with pride, their expressions glowing with admiration and a barely contained sense of triumph at Zhen's astonishing result.
Hong Li let out a short laugh filled with disbelief. "Make some common sense, Guan Fang. There's no way this boy's strength is 500 kilograms. Only someone with Bond Power Rank 19, at the peak of Spirit Forged Bond Master, can have that kind of strength." He turned to Zhen, narrowing his eyes. "And you are Rank… wait."
"Rank 13," Zhen replied calmly.
Gasps rippled through Class 1 like a sudden gust of wind, drawing wide-eyed stares and dropped jaws from every corner. They simply could not fathom it—every single one of them was only Rank 11, far behind Zhen's shocking Rank 13. Even among Class 2, a few students exchanged surprised glances, whispering under their breath at the impossibility of it. Zhao Xiong's face twisted into a scowl so deep it seemed to carve lines into his cheeks, his eyes burning with jealousy while his two loyal followers glared in silent, simmering anger, fists clenched so tightly their knuckles whitened. Yan Wu, standing slightly apart, also clenched his fists until his nails dug into his palms, his gaze locked on Zhen with a dark, poisonous envy that seemed to radiate from him like heat off stone.
Hong Li frowned deeply, his brows knitting as he mulled over the revelation. Two dragon bonds among the new students... Lei Wei from the Lei Clan, yes—that's logical, expected even, given his heritage and the clan's long lineage of dragon bond bearers. But this Lan Zhen? He's an unknown factor, a complete mystery dropped into our midst. Every single time I meet his gaze, those golden eyes of his seem to pierce through me, radiating not just confidence, but an unshakable, almost pressure that makes the air feel heavier around us.
He leaned in toward Guan Fang, speaking in a low but urgent voice, the disbelief in his eyes mirroring the turmoil in his mind. "I understand that dragons are not just strong, but among the most fearsome and dominant of all bond beasts in existence—creatures that can topple mountains and shatter armies—but this… this defies all logic and reason. Even if he stands at Rank 13, the gap between that and the raw, crushing might of a Rank 19 Spirit Forged Bond Master is like the distance between earth and sky. So tell me, how in the world does he, at Rank 13, possess the overwhelming power worthy of a Rank 19?"
Guan Fang gestured for him to step aside. Away from the students, he said quietly, "Lan Zhen's bond is a dragon—with a pure dark attribute."
Hong Li froze, his eyes widening and his breath catching in his throat. "A dragon bond with pure darkness? Do you have any idea how rare, how unfathomably powerful that is?"
Guan Fang nodded slowly, his tone carrying a weight of history. "Yes. That means he's only the third person in all recorded history to possess such a bond. The second is none other than the famed Holy Lord Long Yi herself, whose reputation alone shakes entire our holy beast academy. But the first… the first is even more fearsome—Holy Lord Long Yi's own elder brother, the legendary Dark Holy Dragon King, Long Chen. A Rank 98 Holy King, unrivaled in his era, and the commanding captain of the elite team Darkness Light. His name alone is enough to make even seasoned warriors falter, for his might is said to have turned the tide of wars and his presence on the battlefield was like the descent of a living calamity."
Hong Li's voice was barely more than the faint rustle of a dying breeze, as if the weight of the words themselves were almost too heavy to be spoken. His eyes were distant, filled with both awe and an undercurrent of dread as he slowly mouthed each syllable. "Darkness... the very incarnation of destruction itself, the living embodiment of calamity and ruin, a force that could wipe entire armies from existence without leaving a soul behind."
Returning to the students, Zhao Xiong stepped forward. "Head Teacher, I can't believe this trash has 500 kg of strength."
"It's true," Hong Li said firmly. "If you still can't accept it, let's test another way. Run two full laps of this field without stopping."
Zhao Xiong blinked. "Two laps? Around this field?"
Zhen stayed silent, already prepared—he had trained like this many nights under Holy Lord Long Yi.
Zhao Xiong started first, sprinting at full speed. Zhen watched and murmured, "Wrong. He should've started slow. That's what Master taught me."
By the end of the first lap, Zhao Xiong staggered, drenched in sweat. Halfway through the second, he collapsed. "I can't do it."
Now it was Zhen's turn. He began at a steady, low speed. Some Class 2 students worried aloud, but his friends shouted together, "Don't worry! Our Zhen will definitely do it!"
After the first lap, Zhen remembered Long Yi's words: When you finish the first round slowly, increase your speed and run at full strength. That's my hint to you.
I understand now, Master, Zhen thought. His pace exploded. Class 1's jaws dropped as he sped past.
Guan Fang's lips curled into a knowing smile, his eyes glinting with a mix of realization and respect. Inwardly, he marveled at the subtlety and precision in Zhen's movements, the kind of discipline that could only come from relentless, hands-on training under an extraordinary mentor. So it's true... you've been guiding him all this time, Holy Lord Long Yi, shaping him with your own hands into a force far beyond what anyone here could imagine.
Zhen crossed the finish line of the second lap, his chest heaving and each breath feeling like fire in his lungs. Sweat dripped from his brow and his legs felt like lead, yet his eyes still burned with determination. "I'm still not used to this," he murmured, his voice low but edged with a quiet resolve, as though already thinking of the next challenge to conquer.
His friends rushed forward almost as soon as he slowed to a stop, their faces glowing with pride and relief. They wrapped him in a tight, celebratory hug, voices overlapping as they shouted with joy, "You did it, Zhen!" Lei Wei and Shi Feng patted his head with exaggerated enthusiasm, their grins stretching ear to ear, while the rest of Class 2 erupted into wild cheers and applause that echoed across the training field. In that moment, the weight of what he had achieved began to settle over everyone watching. Many students, especially those who had run the field before, suddenly realized just how grueling and punishing even a single lap of the vast grounds could be, and the respect in their eyes toward Zhen deepened noticeably.
Lan Zhen had proven himself beyond doubt.