"Perfect timing—next period is Homeroom Teacher's Meditation Class. I can ask him to help me recheck my spiritual power!"
Time slipped by quickly as Zhao Xuan waited in restless anticipation.
Soon enough—
The class bell rang. The chatter in the room instantly faded as silence fell across the classroom.
The homeroom teacher of Class 13, Zhong Jianguo, strode in with his usual firm steps.
"Meditation class again, huh?" he said in his deep voice. "At this point, I've already taught you everything I can. What's left now depends on yourselves. Spend this session meditating and tempering your spiritual power. If you run into problems, just raise your hand."
The moment he finished speaking, Zhao Xuan's hand shot up with a whoosh!
"Zhao Xuan?" Zhong Jianguo's brows lifted slightly. "What is it?"
"Teacher," Zhao Xuan stood up and said, "my eighteenth birthday is in two days. I'd like to test my spiritual power one last time—to see if I've finally reached the threshold!"
"Hmm. That's fine," Zhong Jianguo nodded. His gaze then swept over the classroom. "Anyone else want to check their spiritual power?"
"Teacher! I do!" a bespectacled boy sitting in the front row raised his hand eagerly. "I'll be turning eighteen next week."
"Anyone else?"
The teacher's eyes scanned the room again. When no one else responded, he continued, "Alright then. The rest of you—keep meditating here. Zhao Xuan and Li Jiangchang, you two follow me."
The pair quickly stood up and followed him out.
Before long, they arrived at the School's Spiritual Power Testing Center.
"Alright," said Zhong Jianguo, turning toward them, "one at a time. Who wants to go first?"
"I'll go first, teacher!" said the bespectacled Li Jiangchang without hesitation.
"Good. Go ahead."
Under Zhao Xuan's watchful eyes, Li Jiangchang stepped up to the testing machine and placed a helmet—covered with a web of intricate wires—onto his head.
With a click, Zhong Jianguo pressed the activation button.
The digital screen lit up, and the numbers began to climb.
1… 2… 3… 4…
Finally—
It stopped at 21.
"Teacher! How did I do? Did I meet the standard?" Li Jiangchang asked eagerly as he removed the helmet.
"Twenty-one points," Zhong Jianguo said with clear satisfaction. "You passed."
He gave the boy a proud look. "If I remember correctly, during last year's major test you only had seventeen, didn't you? You've gained four points in a year. Did your family buy you some spiritual supplements?"
"Hehe…"
Li Jiangchang scratched his head and grinned sheepishly, the answer obvious from his face.
"You've done well, kid," Zhong Jianguo said with a chuckle. "But make sure you rest these next few days. Don't overexert yourself or get too excited—fatigue can cause temporary drops in spiritual power."
"Understood, Teacher. I'll take it easy."
Still glowing with pride, Li Jiangchang walked over to Zhao Xuan, handed him the helmet, and said with a grin, "Your turn, Zhao Xuan."
"Alright, Zhao Xuan—step up," Zhong Jianguo instructed.
"Yes, Teacher!"
Taking a deep breath, Zhao Xuan stepped forward and placed the helmet on his head.
"You ready?" asked Zhong Jianguo.
"Ready," Zhao Xuan replied firmly.
"Good. Let's begin."
Zhong Jianguo pressed the button again.
The digital screen flickered, and the numbers began to climb once more.
1… 2… 3… 4…
In the blink of an eye—
The display had already surpassed 20.
And the count didn't slow down!
21… 22… 23… 24…
Before anyone could react, the number had already shot past 30.
But it still kept going!
31! 32! 33! 34! 35!
It finally stopped—at 37.
"Th-th-th-thirty… seven!?"
Zhong Jianguo stared at the screen, completely dumbfounded. His mouth hung open as if he'd seen a ghost.
Beside him, Li Jiangchang looked equally stupefied, his eyes wide as saucers, fixed on the glowing number.